Welsh Twin Sisters Achieve World Cup Silver Nearly Five Decades After First Representing Their Nation

Twin sisters, who first represented Wales nearly five decades ago, have once again competed for their nation, achieving a silver medal at a World Cup event. Jean Satterley, currently 66 years old, began her hockey career at age 12 alongside her twin sister, Jan. Hailing from Swansea, the sisters initially played for Wales as schoolgirls in 1977. The duo recently secured silver at the Masters Hockey World Cup, held in Auckland, New Zealand. There, the Welsh over-65s team participated against competitors from 23 other nations. Ms Satterley commented that the team was “still coming down” from their victory achieved globally. In 1977, when the sisters played for Wales schoolgirls, they were accompanied by Judith Williams and Janet Millar, both of whom also returned to represent Wales 47 years later. This self-funded competition occurred from 7 to 16 November, with Wales ultimately losing to England for the gold medal in the over-65s division. Ms Satterley remarked, “It’s been really special to all play together all these years later.” The over-65s squad played a total of six games, defeating Argentina, Scotland, the USA, and Australia, which led them to the World Cup final, where they experienced a 7-0 loss. Regarding the medal ceremony, she stated, “When we went up to collect them [medals] it seemed the rest of the world teams were cheering and shouting for us.” She described it as “An incredible moment. We’re still coming down from it.” The event featured age categories for both men and women, including over 45s, 50s, 55s, 60s, 65s, and 70s, with thousands of athletes participating. Ms Satterley commented, “For many of us this is our first time in New Zealand and it’s been fantastic.” She added, “Everyone has been so welcoming, and despite us losing out we’re all really pleased with how we did.” This achievement was particularly meaningful for Ms Satterley, who, in 2023, was among the players who had waited decades to receive her cap for representing Wales. Addressing the delay in recognition, Ms Satterley stated: “It’s hard to understand how in every sport in Wales, players, mainly men, get a cap for each game and I have only ever had one.” She played for the Welsh senior team 40 times but noted that other male sports continue to receive significantly more funding. Ms Satterley further explained, “I get the caps in numbers but not physical recognition, so it has made up a little bit for the delay in getting the cap.” A significant number of the participating women are still employed part-time and successfully organized their journey to New Zealand by raising funds, accumulating £4,000 to assist with their travel expenses. This was not the initial instance of the four friends earning a silver medal; they previously secured second place in the European Cup in Antwerp, Belgium, in 2019, as members of the over-60s team. Their upcoming plans include participating in trials in the new year and getting ready for home international matches scheduled for next May in Swansea. Ms Satterley expressed, “It will be lovely to get to play on home turf.” However, for the immediate future, the team intends to continue touring New Zealand before returning home. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding their approach to external linking is available.