This week we feature The Southgate Flutes with thanks to team captain and Lynn Bryden and fellow flautist Kathy Hammond for the article!
Three cheers for Southgate Flutes!
The team that started out as purely social playing away ‘fixtures’ in the eateries of north London, now has two international tours under their belt and can boast a semi-final spot in a national competition. Take a bow, Southgate Flutes.
In November 2010 seven Southgate players met at the Cock Inn in Cockfosters to found the Flutes as a masters team for the ladies’ section. “We came together as hockey-players and mums of Southgate juniors with 15 children between us,” remembers Kathy Hammond. “As we toasted our new team with glasses of Prosecco, Liz Moss came up with our name and Southgate Flutes were born.”
Joining Liz and Kathy that evening were Magda Charalambous, Jo Berndes, Heather McIsaac-Hall, Kim Bishop-Laggett and Eileen Hulse (Lucy Sheffield’s mum :-))
The first on-pitch fixture came against the Tankards in 2011 and while many more dates against Italian, Indian, French and even Greek opposition followed in the best restaurants Enfield and Barnet can offer, barely two years later, the team had recruited enough players of a suitable age to enter the England Hockey Over 35s Cup. “We narrowly lost that first competitive fixture against Teddington, and now thanks to advancing years, we enter the O45s competition,” says captain Lynn Bryden. “We even made it to the semi-finals in 2018.”
Over that first decade the team’s numbers continued to grow and Southgate Flutes welcomed their friends from Hendon & Mill Hill HC and Aces HC to join their ranks.
“Our first international tour came in 2017 to the Bordeaux Veterans Tournament in France, and in 2018 we travelled to Spain to compete in the Paella Cup in Valencia, with teammate Danielle Hall flying in specially from Australia to join us,” says Lynn. Here Southgate Flutes were supported by generous kit sponsorship – thanks to GK Helen Argyrou – from fashion-technology academy FashionCapital.
“We are regulars at the South Masters Regional Tournament held in May/June and have never once come away with the wooden spoon although we are widely regarded as the team with the best picnic,” adds Lynn. And in 2018 Southgate Flutes enjoyed a top-5 finish in the inaugural England Hockey Summer Championships playing as an O50s squad in a 7-a-side format.
Each season the Flute of the Year is nominated and awarded her brooch of honour by the previous year’s winner. Holders of this prestigious accolade include Liz, Lynn, Kathy, Pauline Page, Helen, Magda, Elaine Creeley & Theresa D’Abreu, and Annette Woodrow.
If you think you might be eligible to join the Flutes please get in touch with Kim southgatehc.ladies@gmail.com