It was in 1973 that Tim Machin (Staff 1970-2005) reintroduced hockey back to Bedford School after a break of nearly 60 years. Many will know his contribution to school sport was as notable as his achievements in the classroom. He was the Under 15 coach from 1973 to 2005: and is still involved with the Club from the sidelines! As a hockey player, he gained a Blue at Oxford; he first played for the Eastern Counties in 1972 and went on to captain the East at left-back and represented Bedfordshire 120 times. He used his ability to develop hockey in the school from 1974, leading Bedford to become one of the top five hockey schools in the country when at its peak. He set up a link to Ullenhorst in Germany which led three Old Boys from the school to gain gold medals in the Olympics. He was also an England schoolboy selector as well as Chairman of the Eastern Schoolboys. His unique contribution can be seen in that one year during his stewardship of hockey, Bedford School had three teams in the four national event finals: no school has matched that. Another unique contribution was that we had both English and German Under 16 hockey captains on the same side one year!
There is therefore no one better than Tim to trace the history of the sport at Bedford. I hope you enjoy reading his piece.
Hugh Maltby
Director, Old Bedfordians Club