Saturday 7 September saw over 140 alumni gather to celebrate 60 years of Instonians Hockey Club. Guests were delighted to be joined by Alison Spearman, wife of the late Ralph Spearman, fondly remembered as the ‘father of Inst and Instonian hockey’. Ralph was the major driving force behind the foundation of hockey as a main school sport at Inst from 1949, before co-founding Instonians Hockey Club in 1959. The club gained Senior League status in 1967 and remains one of the major forces in Irish hockey, associated with a string of Irish internationals including Dixon Rose, Paul Hollway, Patrick Brown, Neil Cooke and current international Paul Gleghorne.
Many memories and laughs were shared over dinner before co-founder Haydn Taylor and former Captain and Coach Mark Irwin brought the rich history of the club to life with a number of anecdotes from their playing days. During her address, RBAI Principal Janet Williamson proposed a toast to Instonians Hockey Club, thanking the many volunteers from the club who continue to support and promote Hockey at RBAI, inspiring the current pupils and providing vital coaching support.
Find out more about hockey at RBAI: http://rbai.org.uk/page/Hockey/4804/Index.html