The 27th annual Penguin International Mixed Hockey Festival was another huge success.

Eighty-seven teams, from most of the English counties, Wales, West Germany and the Isle of Wight, contested 227 games at three venues in Worthing.

The festival is a relaxed affair that allows teams to let their hair down after a long hard season. The umpires too, enter in the spirit of things and there is rarely any disciplinary problems.

This year there was only one red card and that was for taking the game too seriously!

The grass pitches were in excellent condition considering the flooding problems as recently as three weeks ago.

This year organisers introduced a bus service to enable teams to be taken from their hotels to the grounds and back again. The service was popular with the nine teams that elected to use it.

Another new innovation for 2001 was the introduction of a veterans section, where all players must be over 35.

The first game in 2001 featured the P-pots against a Penguin Vets side. This was the P'pots' 20th year at the festival, although they were the original Rum (Reading University Mixed) Runners team.

Some of the team come out retirement each year, while others are still turning out for teams such as Hitchin, Blue Tarts, Teddington and Reading.

As usual the matches were played in true festival spirit. There were many 'Zulu Starts', where the game is started by both goalkeepers rushing from the goal to the centre to reach the ball, with all other players behind the back-line until the ball has been struck.