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More About our Area Award Winners for 2026 (2 of 3)
More About our Area Award Winners for 2026 (2 of 3)
The winners of the East Area Awards were announced on 8th May. We thought it would be good to profile our winners further - and why they were the winners in this, the first year, of our Awards.
The details below are taken from their nomination form.
This is the second of three articles that will profile our winners.
Official of the year
Winner – Barry Anderson
Demonstrating remarkable resilience, Barry remains deeply committed to his own development and to mentoring and supporting others across the officiating community. His continued contribution at the age of 74 exemplifies dedication, leadership, and a lifelong commitment to hockey, making him a truly deserving recipient of the Official of the Year award.
Open/Mens Team of the Year
Winner – Blueharts HC Mens 3s
Blueharts Men’s 3rd team delivered an outstanding season, finishing with a 100% league record in Division 3SW, winning the league by 16 points with a mammoth goal difference of +110. The team consistently played the game in the right spirit despite often winning games comfortably, playing fairly and not seeking to demoralise the opposition, representing the club’s values on and off the pitch, winning in the right way and teaching the juniors about humility along the way.
Unsung Hero
Winner – Daphne Beckett
Daphne has played for Harleston Magpies since 1974 and still plays regularly. She has served the club conscientiously as membership secretary (4 years), secretary (33 years), chairman (3 years during which time the club installed its second artificial grass pitch) and president (6 years). Behind the scenes she has worked quietly and very effectively promoting the family atmosphere of the club welcoming new members, parents of youth members and visitors.
Annette Thorpe, one of the Area Award judges and a Director of East Hockey commented: “The standard of nominations was really high – just demonstrating the brilliant contributions to our sport throughout our region. It was fun judging but it was by no means easy!”