The all-conquering City of York Hockey Club Veterans squad take their 2009 campaign to a whole new level tomorow.

After losing out on strokes away to Plymouth last season in the quarter-finals, and following their success in the HA Vets plate in 2007, the current Yorkshire champions take on the National Cup holders, Ipswich HC, at Oaklands.

City Vets have been drawn away every round prior to tomorrow’s semi-final, and should be supported by a sizeable following for their first home outing.

The vibrant campaign started at Morpeth with a relatively easy 6-0 win, followed by a much tougher encounter in Birmingham against Bournville in the first of three games in the Midlands.

York were in fine form and came away with a thoroughly deserved 5-0 win against a good side.

An even more convincing 8-1 win against Ashby HC was followed up with the one blip in the cup run, a below-par single-success at Burton.

That teed up their best result and performance in a quarter-final showdown against the vets of Southgate, the former European club champions and national cup winners.

York shone from the off to take a 3-0 lead, and although Southgate came back at them as their pedigree suggested they would, York held firm to run out winners in a seven-goal thriller.

Tomorrow’s finalists Ipswich will provide their sternest test.

But York have shown their mettle in getting to the final by the hardest route possible.

Said captain Neil Collinson: “This is new territory for us now and there’ll be plenty of desire to go all the way to the national final.”