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Summer of sporting success for local stars Underwater Hockey Judo

At the time of printing, three players from Rochdale Judo Club’s Isobel Kitchen, 16,

The summer of 2019 will be one to remember for these local sports stars, as they have enjoyed Rochdale Underwater Hockey Club have Jake Brearley, 14, and Dave Hulme, 26, will
the sporting season of a lifetime. From football and lacrosse to underwater hockey and been selected to play for Great Britain in be competing at the Commonwealth Judo
judo, Michelle Kight look at how they have made an impact on the sporting world. the Underwater Hockey World Age Group Championships in Walsall in late September,
Championships in Sheffield in August. the first to be hosted in England since the
inaugural edition in 1986.
Basketball Football Tiegan Alexander, 18, and Ella Tomlinson, 15,
Mollie Campbell, of Whitworth, and the Rochdale-born midfielder Keira Walsh, 22, played have been selected for the women’s under Isobel, who has been training for around nine
Great Britain women’s basketball team made an integral part in this year’s England Women’s 19s team, whilst Isaac Rhodes-Dawson, 17, years, placed ninth in the 2019 European
history in July by finishing fourth in the football team, which finished fourth in this has been selected for the men’s under 19s Youth Olympic Festival in Azerbaijan in late
EuroBasket tournament, the best placing by a summer’s FIFA World Cup. team. July, after she was selected as one of the Brit-
British team at a European Championship. ish Olympic Association’s 44 athletes
England’s opening match of the 2019 World Cup
– Walsh’s World Cup debut – was watched by Tiegan has been playing underwater hockey representing Team GB.
Their placing means that team GB is now 6.1 million viewers on BBC TV, a record for the since she was 10 years old and Ella since
guaranteed to play in February’s qualifying women’s game. she was nine, and they have both played for The European Youth Olympic Festivals sees
tournament for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Rochdale’s junior teams at all age levels. around 2,500 athletes from 48 European
She signed her first professional contract in 2015 nations compete across 10 Olympic sports.
Mollie was the youngest player of England’s with Manchester City and made her debut for Isaac joined the club when he was nine and
basketball squad that won a silver medal at City in a 1-0 win over Notts County Ladies in July has played for the Rochdale junior teams and She also won silver at the British
the 2018 Commonwealth Games in 2014. currently competes with Manchester A team Championships earlier that month, following
Australia. at the highest-level competitions. on from previous golds at the 2019 English,
Since then, she has blossomed and has gained Scottish and Irish open tournaments.
international experience at youth level with
Her basketball career began at the age of 12, England. One of the only sports to be played in three
when she followed in her brother’s footsteps dimensions, underwater hockey is a team- Jake and Dave were also selected for the
and took up the sport, playing for In 2016, Walsh helped City to a league and cup based sport, played with a plastic-coated lead British Teams Championships, winning
Manchester Mystics. She now plays for double, also making her Champions League debut puck on the bottom of the swimming pool. bronze medals.
Leicester Riders in a centre forward position, and scoring the match winner in a last 16 triumph
and hopes to take part in the next Olympics. over Brondby IF. The puck is moved using small bats approxi-
mately 30cm long, players wear a mask,
Defender Axel Tuanzebe, 21, signed a new snorkel and a pair of fins and are required to
contract with Manchester United in July 2019 hold their breath while underwater and play-
after a year on loan at Aston Villa. ing the puck.

Tuanzebe was raised in Rochdale after he was
born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

A former pupil at St Cuthbert’s RC High School, Lacrosse
Tuanzebe was signed by Manchester United Three Rochdale Lacrosse Club players were
when he was just 11.
part of the England squad who won the
inaugural LAX Under 20s European
Championships in July.
Mixed Martial Arts
The team, which included Rochdale
Kyran Sturrock, 18, of Castleton, came home
in June from the Mixed Martial Arts European players Daniel Madeley, 18, Tom Teal, 17, and
Championships in Rome with a bronze medal. Alex Halliday, 17, beat Germany in the final,
whilst their fellow Rochdale teammate, Josh
Sturrock, who plans to pursue the sport at a Croney, played for Wales in the same contest.
professional level, has been involved in the sport
for six years, training at the Full Contact Perfor- The Rochdale Lacrosse Club is one of the five
mance Centre (FCPC) on Queensway and the oldest clubs in the UK with the sport having
SBG gym in Manchester. been played locally since 1888. Photo: Team GB

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