Senior Ice Hockey in Hull is currently going through a relatively stable period with the Hull Stingrays icing a team in Hull for the last five seasons. However, Kingston Cobras, a recreational side in Hull is celebrating its twentieth year in existence by hosting its fifth recreational tournament next weekend.
The Cobras originally started out as an English Division 3 side until the league structure was changed three years later. They then became a recreational side, competing in the Midlands Summer Cup as well as tournaments around the country.
Chris Shepherdson who is an assistant coach at the Cobras said, “I started off aged fifteen doing the beginner courses on a Saturday and Sunday morning. After completing the courses, I played for the Cobras for five years before trying my hand at English League hockey with the Kingston Jets. I played for the Jets for six seasons and even made a couple of appearances for the Stingrays. Due to work commitments I had to leave the Jets and began playing recreational hockey again with the Cobras. The standard of play is a lot higher than people imagine, we currently have ex-Elite and Great Britain players Ryan Lake and Chris Bailey amongst our squad.”
The Kingston Cobras Tournament is held annually with some of the best recreational sides in England and Scotland taking part. This year will also see a team from Canada taking part for the first time. The tournament takes place over the weekend of 31st May / 1st June at Hull Arena.
Game times are 8am-8pm on Saturday and 8am-6pm on Sunday. Each game is played over two periods of seventeen minutes. The “Jonker’s Rules” system, successfully used at junior tournaments will be adopted, meaning the action will be non-stop.
