About the Game...

One of the biggest rivalries in British Ice Hockey returned for one night only on Sunday 4th May 2008. A derby that had legendary status in the North East of England once again raise its head when the Whitley Warriors came face to face with old foes, the Durham Wasps. The game was held at Whitley Bay Ice Rink and will celebrated not only the great games of the past but also the 60th anniversary of the Wasps, who first took to the ice at their Riverside Rink in 1947. Over 2,300 fans witnessed the game, and we would like to thank all of the fans who made the game such a special occasion.

The game was arranged in aid of the County Durham Ice Foundation, Mobilx Vipers Community Foundation, North East Ice Hockey Fund and the Whitley Warriors Ice Hockey Club.

Shaun Johnson of the Durham Wasps Legends in the run-up to the game: “I use to love playing for the Wasps against the Warriors. The games were always extra special and certainly had some of the best atmospheres I had the opportunity to play in. There was certainly no love lost between the two clubs and that led to some outstanding games between us over the years. Obviously celebrating the Wasps 60th anniversary and raising money for the local hockey community, it’s definitely something we’re all looking forward to and I am sure we’ll see quite a few faces from the past in attendance.”

Simon Leach of the Whitley Warriors Legends in the run-up to the game: “I still look back at the Whitley Durham games with memories of great games and electric atmospheres. When the opportunity came up to play in this game I jumped at it. In today’s game especially at the top level of the game, the excitement of local derbies is something that is really missing from the sport. Everytime we played the Wasps and they played us in their place, each club were pretty much guaranteed a sell out. All the guys are pretty excited and are looking forward to rolling back the years.”

Gareth Chalmers of the event organiser 9 Management commented in the run-up to the game: “The Whitley v Durham rivalry was one of the biggest if not the biggest in the British game for a number of years. Since the demise of the Wasps, we’ve seen some pretty turbulent times in relation to the sport in the North East. To help support the organisations currently working towards bringing the glory days back to the North East, we’ve been looking at a number of ways of raising money while also celebrating the hockey heritage in the area.”

For further information, contact gareth.chalmers@9management.co.uk

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