Member Article

Ice derby resurrected in North East

One of the biggest rivalries in British Ice Hockey is returning for one night only on Sunday 4 May 2008. The derby returns to the North when the Whitley Warriors face against the Durham Wasps over the bank holiday weekend.

The game will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Wasps, who first took to the ice at their Riverside Rink in 1947. It has been arranged in aid of the County Durham Ice Foundation, Mobilx Vipers Community Foundation, North East Ice Hockey Fund and the Whitley Warriors Ice Hockey Club.

A number of former players have already confirmed their participation with Anthony, Shaun and Stephen Johnson, Michael Tasker, John Hutley and Anthony Payne among those lining up for the Wasps. Hilton Ruggles, Martin King, Simon Leach, Stephen Smith and Kevin Dean will be icing for the Warriors team.

Shaun Johnson of the Durham Wasps Legends said: “I use to love playing for the Wasps against the Warriors. The games were always extra special and certainly had some of the best atmospheres I had the opportunity to play in. There was certainly no love lost between the two clubs and that led to some outstanding games between us over the years.”

Gareth Chalmers of the event organiser 9 Management said: “The Whitley v Durham rivalry was one of the biggest, if not the biggest, in the British game for a number of years. Since the demise of the Wasps, we’ve seen some pretty turbulent times in relation to the sport in the North East. To help support the organisations currently working towards bringing the glory days back to the North East, we’ve been looking at a number of ways of raising money while also celebrating the hockey heritage in the area.”

Tickets are available now from www.warriorsvwasps.co.uk. For further information on the County Durham Ice Foundation, visit http://cdif.wordpress.com.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .