Wembley SSE Arena is used to music lights and action, but when 4,000 fans from all over England descended upon the iconic London venue, it was indoor hockey that took centre stage. It was a hockey spectacle with all the trimmings: as the teams entered the music blared and 4,000 smart phone lights shone out from the darkened hall; half time competitions and interviews with fans kept the buzz going and the whole event was pure, scintillating entertainment.
And the action on the pitch matched the build-up in the arena. England and Great Britain's Sally Walton led the way for Bowden Hightown as they demolished East Grinstead 4-1 in the women's Hockey 5s final at Wembley.
Michelle Liptrot, Bowdon Hightown Captain said: "It feels amazing to be champions. We were so disappointed after last year when we didn't really turn up, and this year we've trained hard and we've done a great job so we're absolutely delighted. Every year seems to be my last year. I'm very tempted to play next year. When you get into Europe, it's a very special thing for the team, so I'll definitely think about it - if I can do it, I might persuade Tina (Cullen) to do it too!"
In the men's final it went to the wire as East Grinstead withstood an inspired Canterbury in a 6-5 thriller.
The win for East Grinstead meant the club has now won seven consecutive titles, beating their own record of six wins.
Speaking after the men's final, Niall Stott, captain and tournament top goal scorer said: "We pride ourselves on indoor hockey. Seven is a milestone and we'll be back to try and make it eight next year. It's always a great atmosphere at Wembley, long may it continue."
