BAGS packed, these smartly-dressed folk were on their way for a weekend of sporting activity.

They were representing the Morris Motors’ Hockey Club and were heading to the Channel Islands for the Guernsey Easter Hockey Festival.

The picture was taken 60 years ago – at Easter 1949 – at Oxford railway station, as the party prepared to leave the city.

It comes from the archives of one of the players, George Springall, of Staunton Road, Headington. He is third from the right, with his late wife Barbara beside him.

The party included not only Morris Motors’ players, but players from other Oxford clubs, who were drafted in to make up the numbers in the squad.

Mr Springall recalls that Morris Motors sent teams to the festival in 1949 and 1950 – and the 1950 event was particularly memorable.

He said: “We had just got married and were on our honeymoon in Guernsey when the rest of the team joined us.

“We didn’t win any trophies or prizes – they were just jolly nice weekends.”

Other players he recognises in the photograph are Alan Barham, Ernie Orchard, George West, Derek Chapman, Matt Wickson, John Russell, Monty Dawson, Norman Minty, Vic Munsey and Bill Hawtin.

The Guernsey Easter Hockey Festival is still an important feature of the hockey calendar.

The organisers of this year’s four-day event, which ended last night, had promised a “good standard of hockey combined with lots of off-pitch activity – playing, drinking, dancing and generally making merry”.

There were games for men’s, women’s and mixed teams, with nights on the town and a fancy dress finale thrown in.

Morris Motors’ Hockey Club, however, has ceased to exist as a separate entity.

It has since merged with the Abingdon Atomics to form the Abingdon Men’s Hockey Club. It is based at Tilsley Park, Abingdon, and runs four league teams, a veterans’ team and a mixed team.