Match 1: Widnes Wild Women 8 - Solway Sharks Ladies 8 (Challenge Match)

Sunday 22nd September 2019 - Challenge Match
Widnes Wild Women 8 - Solway Sharks Ladies 8

Wirral Historian Bob Knowles presents the Edith Smith Memorial Awards to MVPs from Solway Sharks Ladies – Kimberley Breingan – and Widnes Wild Women’s – Catherine Bowen-Fell.  (Photos by Paul Breeze).

After the game, Bob - from the Oxton Historical Society - said: "I’m extremely glad you invited me to the match. It was an absolutely splendid experience. I spent the whole match standing up so that I could see all the action. Everybody was very welcoming and it was, I’ll have to say, an unforgettable experience."





You can read the match report HERE

and watch the video highlights HERE

Inspector Victoria Holden and Superintendent Louise Harrison  present the match puck to Captains Karen Craig of Solway and Emma Pearson of Widnes, respectively.  (Photo by Paul Breeze).

Edith Smith MVP Awards Launched at First Home Game

Sponsors meet some of the players before the game (left to right):  Inspector Victoria Holden, Poet-in-Residence Lucy London, Superintendent Louise Harrison, Historian Bob Knowles, Carolyne Knowles.  Players left to right:  Catherine Bowen-Fell, Emma Pearson, Sav Sumner, Kat Garner. (Photo by Paul Breeze).

The Edith Smith Memorial MVP Awards for the Widnes Wild Women’s Team 2019/2020 Season were launched at the first home game on Sunday, 22nd September 2019 at Planet Ice, Widnes. 
Edith became Britain’s first ever Warranted Woman Police Officer during the First World War and Lucy London – Poet in Residence at the Planet Ice Rink in Widnes, Cheshire, UK – decided that she would like to commemorate Edith and name the MVP Awards for the 2019/2020 Season in her honour.  Inspector Victoria Holden and Superintendent Louise Harrison of Merseyside Police had been instrumental in ensuring that Edith had a proper headstone. 
And they, along with Wirral Historian Bob Knowles, were invited to the match to help launch the Award.  They all met some of the players before the game and Inspector Holden and Superintendent Harrison presented the match puck to get proceedings off to a flying start.

Bob Knowles has written a book about Edith and brought some copies along, together with some interesting items about Edith to display during the match.  Bob presented the MVP Awards at the end of what turned out to be a very entertaining and exciting game. 

Bob's book is called 'Edith Smith - Britain's First Warranted Policewoman', which he wrote  with help from Courtney Finn (Grantham Civic Society) and David Sterry (Runcorn & District Historical Society). The booklet, priced at just £3, can be purchased from both The Oxton Historical Society and Grantham Civic Society.