PUSH

news 

comment 

coaching 

inspiration

push ISSUE 37: 05.12

p us h i ss ue 37: 05.12.

eye on london www.pu sh hockey.co.uk

with less than 90 days to the Olympic Games – all the latest news

PLUS: School hockey, finals, EHL and much more

all yours 26 styles, 17 colours

CREATE YOUR HOCKEY TEAM KIT AND MAKE IT ALL YOURS Light up the game with your key colours in a fully customized mi Team kit.

1

CONTACT YOUR DISTRIBUTOR AND ASK FOR MI TEAM

2

CHOOSE THE LOOK THAT BEST REpRESENTS YOUR TEAM

DISTRIBUTOR - FOR FURTHER INFORMATION Specialist Sports Shoes Ltd Unit 610 | Ampress Lane | Lymington SO41 8LW Tel: 0 15 90 / 68 88 90 | email: sales@specialistsports.com | www.specialistsports.com

llllllllllllllllllllll upfront

05.12

contents Page 6 – 8 HOOKED!

Page 31 – 34 Sidelines

A lighthearted look at hockey

News and views from the edge

6 Injuries

31

Savage talk

8

31

Twitter cover up? with James Stock

HOOKED news

32 Gaynor Nash – pity the clubs Page 9 – 31 countdown to 2012

33

First amongst equals with Richard Smyth

EXCLUSIVE Olympic interviews and features

34

View from the East – he’s back and slapping

2015 Europeans are coming to London

10 Mo Furste – meet the German superstar

35 – 38 PLANET HOCKEY

12 Double feature – Georgie Twigg and Susannah Townsend

The game across the universe and closer to home

14

Picture special – a Royal visit for GB hockey

16

Beth Storry – the baking goalkeeper

20 End of the road for Ireland 23 Preparing for the Games with athlete services manager Phill Yetzes 25 Fast track – from national league player to international hockey in a month. How? 29

adidas launch GB hockey kit

30 Sarah Thomas enjoys a welcome in the valleys

35 England juniors strike gold in Holland 36 Euro Hockey League 38

Champagne Supernova – championship finals

Page 39 – 49 IMPROVE Skills, fitness, health and professional tips 50 – 52 CONSUME Product news and reviews 53 – 58 ROOTS This time – school hockey

Cover: Belgium midfielder Anouk Raes celebrates after home side Belgium win the Olympic qualifying tournament in Kontich on March 25 © Simon Webb. Inset images are credited when used inside the magazine

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 3

9

all power

adipower hockey distribution Specialist Sports Shoes Ltd Unit 610 | Ampress Lane | Lymington SO41 8LW Tel: 0 15 90 / 68 88 90 | email: sales@specialistsports.com | www.specialistsports.com

facebook.com/adidashockey

Contributors: The Stik, Peter Savage, Gaynor Nash, James Stock, Richard Smyth, Sarah Murray, Ross Bone, Stephen Findlater Photo Credits: Ady Kerry, Andy Smith, Peter Savage/hockeyimages.co.uk, Frank Uijenbroek, Treeby Images, Euro Hockey League, Action Images /Jed Leicester, Ian A Wood/@IWSportsPhotos, Adrian Boem, Chris Jackson/Getty Images, adidas, Hockey Australia, David Pratt Photography, Duncan Gray, Simon Webb, KNHB/ Koen Suy, Tom Cooper.

It is assumed that any images taken from sources which are widely distributed, such as on the internet, are in the public domain. However, since such images are passed freely between sources such as websites, the original source is not always possible to trace. It is possible that copyrighted material has ended up being treated as public domain as a result. If you see an image in this publication which is not public domain, please contact PUSH. Advertising: Jeremy T: 0844 4146 051 E: sales@pushhockey.co.uk Subscriptions: The Subs Team E: subscriptions@pushhockey.co.uk T: 0844 4146 052 write to the above address or visit www.pushhockey.co.uk and follow the link.

Editorial Contributions Tom Cooper T: 0844 4146 053 E: editor@pushhockey.co.uk Skype: editor.pushhockey Got a story or something to say? Send us your stuff! We reserve the right to edit items.

welcome!

llllllllllllllllllllll upfront

PUSH Magazine 32 Roberts Road Lancing BN15 8AR info@pushhockey.co.uk www.pushhockey.co.uk

2012...

Favouritism is a dirty word in journalism, but I’m going to muck up my patch by saying that if I could choose to be one player in the world it would be Moritz Fürste of Germany. Why? Well world cup winner indoors and out, Olympic champion and two-time EHL most valuable player is a pretty good start. And why he didn’t win world player of the year last year, I don’t know. In any era that didn’t have Jamie Dwyer, surely Fürste would have picked up that gong several times already. With ‘Mo’ coming to London, hopefully, at least twice this summer – for the Olympic Games and before that the Olympic test event, we thought we’d catch up with him, in Germany, to find out how Olympic preparations are going. That interview headlines an issue of PUSH with a distinct ‘world hockey’ feel. After all, the whole hockey world will be focused on London in a few months’ time, why not look outwards now and know what to expect?

We are particularly proud of the photographs we’ve managed to procure for this issue and hope they capture some of the excitement, passion and courage that make hockey a great game – a big thank you to all the hockey photographers who stand out there in the rain, cold and occasional sunshine to capture those moments that make us all remember why we play what is a great game.

Tom Cooper, EDITOR

Back issues The Subs Team (details above).

The views and opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the individual writers and may not necessarily reflect those of the publisher and editors. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without prior written consent of Push Hockey Ltd. Push Hockey Ltd takes no responsibility for claims made in advertisements featured in this magazine. Push Hockey Ltd can take no responsibility for unsolicited material.

To advertise in PUSH call Jeremy on 0844 4146 051 or email sales@pushhockey.co.uk Ady Kerry

Competition terms and conditions: 1 Details of winner can be requested in writing 2 Prize is subject to availability and may be substituted 3 No cash alternative 4 Prize is non-refundable/non-transferable 5 Promoter accepts no liability for lost/ damaged/incomplete entries 6 Proof of entry is not proof of delivery 7 Winner may need to sign a statement of eligibility/ liability/publicity release 8 Third party’s T&Cs may apply 9 Details of entries may be kept on a database 10 To the extent permitted by law, promoter excludes all liability for any loss in connection with the competition 11 Text messages charged at std network tariff

Printed in the UK by THE MAGAZINE PRINTING COMPANY www.magprint.co.uk PUSH ISSN 1749-4214 © May 2012

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 5

Subscription Rates: Six issues per year.

UK: £25 Europe: £35; Rest of World: £40

llllllllllllllllllllll HOOKED

hooked!

A quick sprint through the lighter side of hockey…

Caught on Camera!

We’re sure you’ve got worse! Send to editor@pushhockey.co.uk, facebook.com/ pushhockey or Tweet to @pushhockeymag “Ball to the face injury photo for your collection = broken nose, two stunning black eyes! #hot.”

Lucy Moore @LuckyMoore4 via Twitter

A ball from a shot hit Dan Smedley “I blame the shin pads as they caused it. Five stitches & a week off work.” @dansmed10 via Twitter “Having gone in low, the opposition goalkeeper booted his stick back up into his own face.”

Richard Norris Custom Sticks mgr at Blackpool Festival

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 6

Warming up at the Richard Docherty indoor tournament Grossflottbecker put a ball into the press area. “My wallet was certainly injured.”

Duncan Gray

“If you think it’s just bruised, and everyone else tells you its broken... listen to them.” This happened next!

RTS City of York HC

“@rob13moore getting in the way of a wayward clearance off the bouncy @mercianhockey boots.”

George Pinner @GCP01 via Twitter

llllllllllllllllllllll hooked

inBrief...

Euro troubles

Spain and Belgium: England’s representatives in the European Club Champions Cup – the toplevel women’s club competition in Europe – both finished last in their tournaments at Easter minus their GB players. Leicester travelled to San Sebastian in Spain losing to Uhlenhorster HC (GER) 6-0, SHVSM Izmaylovo (RUS) 3-2 and Atasport (AZE) 5-1. Reading travelled to Brussels and lost to Royal Wellington (BEL) 2-0, Klipper THC (GER) 2-1 and Ritm Azot Grodno (BLR) 2-1. Uhlenhorster HC, HC Hertogenbosch (NDL), Club de Campo (ESP) and Larensche (NDL) qualify for round three.

news hooked

Treeby Images

London calling

New Delhi: India men and South Africa women qualified for the London Olympic Games hockey tournament with gold-medal wins in the Olympic qualifiers in New Delhi. India smashed France 8-1 in the final on February 26, with Sandeep Singh netting five penalty corners. In the women’s tournament, South Africa defeated hosts India 3-1 in the final with goals from Shelley Russell (FG), Pietie Coetzee (PC) and captain Marsha Marescia (PC).

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 8

World Series

mumbai: Sher-E-Punjab won the inaugral Bridgestone World Series Hockey tournament with a 5-2 final victory over the Pune Strykers on April 2. India squad players did not participate in the tournament, and the involvement of overseas players was affected by the last-minute re-scheduling of the event. Nevertheless the tournament produced 327 goals in 59 matches and produced some exciting hockey and good TV ratings in India.

The tournament also highlighted the strength-in-depth of Indian hockey, including 18-year-old corner specialist Gurjinder Singh who won the eye-watering player of-the-series prize of 10 million Indian Rupees (about £120,000).

Gurjinder also picked up around £15,000 for being equal top scorer with Pakistan’s Syed Imran Warsi on 19 goals.

GB and Australia will meet in the pool stages of the London Olympic Games – above Kookaburra Matthew Butturini and GB’s Rob Moore (right) clash at the 2011 Champions Trophy in New Zealand

Olympic pools announced Great Britain men have been drawn in Pool A of the Olympic Games hockey competition alongside Australia (world-ranking, 1), Spain (5), Pakistan (8), Argentina (9) and the winner of the qualifying tournament in Japan (being played in Japan April 26-May 6, as PUSH goes to press).

South Africa (12) are the highest ranked team in that qualifier, but even if they win through to London, as expected, GB’s group looks preferable to Pool B with Germany (2), Netherlands (3), Korea(6), New Zealand (7), India (10) and Belgium(11).

The pools are decided by the International Hockey Federation based on world rankings. Australia are favourites for the gold medal and would be expected to take one of the semifinal places from GB’s group. But being in the same pool as the Kookaburras

means GB will not have to play them in the semi-finals. Meanwhile Pakistan have just sacked their coach and have performed erratically since qualifying by winning the Asia Games back in 2010.

So Spain – resurgent after a silvermedal in the 2011 Champions Trophy in December – look like GB’s biggest threat for the other semi-final place from the pool, although there are no easy games at the Olympics.

Over in pool B, India are playing their best hockey in years, Belgium continue to impress and New Zealand’s young stars are shredding up the Dutch Hoofdklasse this season. Reigning Olympic champions Germany look better than they did in the run up to Beijing and while the current Netherlands side is not the best we have seen, they do have the consummate knack of building well through a tournament.

Tickets are still available for the London Cup, June 5-10 at the University of Westminster Sports Ground, Chiswick.

GB (world ranking 4), Germany (3),

Australia (7), South Africa (12) and Ireland (14) women will play in the tournament.

See http://tinyurl.com/3bbxfew

Investec London Cup

England to host 2015 Euro champs on legacy site

H

ockey will be the first major post-Olympic championship event on Olympic Park with the EuroHockey Nations Championships to be held at the Lee Valley Hockey Centre in August, 2015.

The hockey centre will be built, post-Games, on the Eton Manor site which will host Paralympic tennis and temporary training pools during the Olympic Games.

As well as hosting the European Hockey Federation’s flagship event during 2015, the Lee Valley Hockey centre – which will open in early 2014 – will provide a venue for national finals and other high-profile games as well as being used extensively for club and junior hockey. The commitment is that the pitch will be the same standard as the Riverside Centre used for the Games, although whether the Olympic pitch will actually be relocated is still being discussed. There will also be a second pitch on the site.

For the European championships, the hockey centre’s standard 3,000 seat capacity will be expanded to

hold up to 15,000 spectators with two world-class pitches, dedicated media facilities, a supporters’ village and event management offices.

The hockey centre is part of a portfolio of post-Olympic facilities to be run by the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority.

Chief executive of the authority, Shaun Dawson, said Hockey was just one of the legacy venues the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority was to run within their philosophy of “community focused, commercially driven”.

“For hockey, the focus clearly has to be around schools, club development, pathways to the elite level and supporting major events,” he said. “This is about making sure the sport isn’t compromised. There are other venues which have much greater commercial opportunities – the white water centre, for example has a much stronger commercial theme with white water rafting. The velodrome too will have a very strong business focus.

“There will be an element of crosssubsidy going on across the whole business. When we look at hockey, as a sport, what we really have to do is

drive 52 weeks of the year activity. If we can do that then we can come very very close to having a neutral bottom line.”

An earlier bid to host the 2014 hockey World Cup was lost to the Netherlands with reports that the Dutch federation were able to put together a stronger commercial package. There will still be major international hockey competition in the UK in 2014, however, with the Commonwealth Games to be held in Glasgow.

UK Sport put £500,000 of National Lottery funds towards the 2015 European hockey championships bid.

The 2015 tournament will be vital to all European nations as it is one qualifying route to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero. It will probably only be the European Champions who will qualify directly for Rio, however, as the International Hockey Federation’s biennial ‘World League’ is due to start in August 2012. Only the continental champions are likely to qualify directly for the following Olympic Games or World Cup, the other seven qualifiers will come from the league. p

The bid partners of the EuroHockey Championships 2015 – back row (l to r): David Balbirnie (general secretary, European Hockey Federation), Philip Kimberley (chairman, England Hockey Board), Clive Little (Olympic Park Legacy Company), Simon Morton (director of major events and international relations, UK Sport), Debbie Jevans (director of sport, Locog), Iain Edmondson (head of events, London and Partners). Front row (left to right): Shaun Dawson (Lee Valley Regional Park Authority), Jorge Alcover (vice president competitions, European Hockey Federation), Susannah Townsend (England Hockey athlete), Hugh Robertson MP (Minister for Sport and the Olympics), Georgie Twigg (England Hockey athlete), Sally Munday (chief executive, England Hockey Board).

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 9

hockeyimages.co.uk

llllllllllllllllllllll countdown

He’s a playmaker with a real eye for goal, and one of the most complete players in the modern game – indoors and out. Push caught up with Olympic gold medalist moritz FÜrste to find out how Germany’s campaign to retain their Olympic title is shaping up.

So how are the preparations for London 2012 going?

Quite well. We are currently in our fourth camp of this season. We have to fit preparations in with the Bundesliga commitments of the players. We are together Monday to Thursday this week, then next week we play the pre-Olympic tournament in London. It is still the club season in Germany so it is quite tough at the moment and it is going to

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 10

Fu rste an d

How does the state of play now compare with the same period before the Beijing Games?

It’s very similar, except of course the team is different. We are pretty focused on being fit at the right time. So all the preparation is geared towards the end of July, early August – which is exactly how it was done four years ago.

Now we know most of the teams that will be at the London Olympic Games, how do you see the tournament shaping up?

In our group [Germany, Netherlands, Korea, New Zealand, India and Belgium], at least five of the six teams will be fighting for the semi-finals. We know that, and we will not be underestimating any side and will be focusing on each game.

Does having the tournament in Europe favour the European countries?

I don’t think so. In Beijing three European teams finished top four.

It is going to be really tough this time.

Obviously Australia are one of the big favourites. And, as I said, at least five teams in our group could play in the semis. I don’t think that has anything to do with where the Olympic Games is being played. If anything, there will be home advantage for Great Britain, but fortunately we don’t have them in the opening rounds. I think it is going to be a really exciting tournament.

How did you start playing hockey?

I was about five, at Uhlenhorster [hockey club] at the Kindergarten – not sure what that is called[!]. And I never stopped. My parents were playing so there was no choice for me – they were going.

am studying – doing my Masters thesis at the moment. Some of the squad are already working, but most of them are students. It isn’t easy to handle both things but having a dual-career is quite important in Germany.

llllllllllllllllllllll countdown

be like this until the beginning of June.

Then the Bundesliga finishes, so we can focus on our Olympic preparations.

We missed you in the Euro Hockey League before Christmas, why weren’t you playing?

I tore my ACL [anterior cruciate ligament – knee] That was pretty tough but now I am back on track and it is working well.

What stick do you use? adidas C24!

p

Can you be a full-time hockey player in Germany?

Every player in the German squad is doing something outside of hockey. I

fore most Leonhard Uijlenbroek/Euro Hockey League

Pictures – top and above right Moritz Fürste of Germany and (left) in Euro Hockey League action for Uhlenhorster HC

Date of Birth: 28.10.1984 Club: Uhlenhorster HC (Hamburg) International debut: vs Poland 11.11.2005, won 4-3 Major international tournaments: Olympic Games 2008 (gold); World Cup 2006 (gold), 2010 (silver); European Championships 2007 (4th) 2009 (silver) 2011 (gold); Champions Trophy 2007 (gold), 2008 (5th) 2009 (silver) 2010 (bronze) 2011 (5th); Indoor World Cup 2011 (gold) Perso nal honours: International Hockey Federation All Star team 2011, 2010, 2009, 2007; Euro Hockey League Most Valuable Player 2007-8, 2009-10, Club honours: Euro Hockey League championship 2007-8, 2009-10.

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 11

Moritz Fürste:

Young Guns Susannah Townsend & Georgie Twigg Image: Tom Cooper

Susannah

Georgie

It was only just over a year ago you came into the senior squad, now you are standing on the Olympic pitch talking to such a prestigious magazine like PUSH – is it all a bit unexpected?

My goal was to get into the central programme and to start training with the squad. So I can stand here and say, no I didn’t expect it, but I did feel at the time I was playing well enough. It is a different story with selection for London 2012 and that’s what my goal is! But it is incredible to think that this time last year I was just into the programme, now I am standing on the Olympic Pitch – it is hard to comprehend.

Are you noticing a surge in interest in hockey in this Olympic year?

Ever since our bronze medal at the world cup [in 2010] and then the silver medal at the Champions Trophy [in February 2012], with the BBC Red Button showing all the games in Argentina, the interest on Twitter and things like that is fantastic. More people are showing an interest in hockey and hopefully we can keep generating interest. That’s why having the Europeans here in 2015 is a fantastic opportunity to keep that interest going.

What’s it like being the new kid on the block?

You go into the squad and you are the new girl, but luckily I had been playing with most of the girls all my life – because hockey is, as they say, the hockey family, and everyone does know each other. I knew people from Canterbury and people like Georgie who were already in the squad. If people see you are pulling your weight and working hard, they welcome you.

Are you a full-time athlete now?

I have taken a year out of studying. Last year I was studying, finishing my second year of university. I found it very hard to manage to be able to give 100% to both [study and training].

That’s something I couldn’t do personally – other people can.

I rent a house near Bisham with two other girls from the squad – Georgie and Dilly Newton. We can afford to do that because we are National Lottery funded athletes.

And the prospect of a home Euros in 2015?

For me I’m thinking – that’s perfect, I’ll be 25-26. I don’t know if you have a prime for hockey – but I will be more experienced and, pending results, there will still be a programme after these Olympics that can further my development and other players’ development too. People that aren’t in the programme now can look towards the Europeans in 2015 and say that is going to be their goal too – so it is perfect.

Do we have the hockey talent to keep the success going after London 2012?

We’ve got a great setup with clubs, junior sides and the England U16 and U18s, and there is some real talent coming through. They are going to be pushing for our positions! That keeps making sure everyone keeps working hard to improve their own individual performances, because you have all these youngsters coming through.

Are you already thinking past London 2012 then?

At the moment London is the primary focus but I think it is really exciting to be having the Europeans here in London. To compete twice in your home country at a major international event is a really exciting opportunity. Hopefully there will be more and more major events in England and we can keep generating that public interest.

The Olympics being held in London is such a tremendous opportunity and it is just so important that we keep that momentum going and we keep inspiring children to be playing at the grassroots level. Hopefully we can go out there and really show and prove ourselves and get that gold medal we have been working for, day-in day-out to get.

How do you fit it all in, club hockey at Clifton, international hockey, university at Bristol?

Hopefully I should graduate this summer! I was lucky enough to split my final year over two years which is great because I can do my study and still do all my hockey in my free time. It gives me a bit of balance.

I’m very lucky I’ve been sponsored by Dick Lovett Mini and BMW in Bristol. That’s absolutely brilliant with the travelling I am doing.

What about the pressure of an Olympic Games?

You have to look at it in a positive way – we will have the home crowd with us – and take it as positive pressure. They will be wanting us to do well and they are going to be our twelfth man on the pitch. And, I think, we can’t escape that there will be pressure but we have to take it in our stride, embrace it and hopefully it will keep us all working harder.

So do you get mobbed in the street?

No! Maybe if I was wearing Team GB kit – but it’s OK at the moment! p

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 13

Before that, you went to Belgium to play in the 2009-10 season – what was all that about?

I went to Gantoise where the coach was the current Belgium coach Pascal Kina. He gave me individual coaching. I got touches on the ball every day and I lived just a couple of minutes from the pitch. In England at the moment it is improving – we are getting more club training sessions, there are more people playing and there is more money coming into our sport. But at that point in time I felt that I wasn’t playing well enough so I needed to do something different.

I was told to just work on core skills. It sounds very simple but just stopping the ball and v-drags, shooting at goal.

Because I wasn’t yet in the central programme I wasn’t getting those touches that all the GB players were!

llllllllllllllllllllll countdown

They are the shape of England’s post-2012 midfield with 21-year-olD Georgie Twigg already having a Commonwealth Games, World Cup and European championships behind her, while 22-year-old Susannah Townsend made her major tournament debut at the 2011 Europeans.

Push caught up with them both at London’s Olympic Park.

llllllllllllllllllllll countdown llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 14

A royal

The Duchess of Cambridge (above) shoots while Niall Stott and Emily Maguire look on (left) receiving her own Team GB outfit and (opposite page) with the GB squads and management teams

H

ockey received a publicity shot in the arm when Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge, an Olympic ambassador, visited the Great Britain squads training at the Riverside Stadium, Olympic Park.

The resulting pictures and video made the front pages of many of Britain’s national daily newspapers, and were prominent in news bulletins both in the UK and internationally.

The Duchess, who captained her school team at Marlborough College, joined in with the occasion and tried out the Olympic

All pictures: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

llllllllllllllllllllll countdown

pitch for herself during the visit on March 15.

Team GB London 2012 chef de mission and British Olympic Association chief executive Andy Hunt said: “Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge’s presence at the Olympic Park today has provided Team GB and the sport of hockey with a fantastic

boost ahead of London 2012.

“We are very privileged to have the support of our Team GB Ambassadors as we prepare Team GB to perform to the best of its ability at the greatest sporting event in the world this summer.”

GB squad member Georgie Twigg told Push: “It was a real honour for us for

her to come down and show an interest in hockey.

“She got stuck in, had a hit around and it was a real honour to meet her. She was really good too and it was quite a lot of pressure with all of us watching as well – I was very excited to meet her.” p

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 15

appointment

llllllllllllllllllllll countdown llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 16

Beth Storry

Whether it’s beating a plastic ball away from a cage or baking a cake, gb and england goalkeeper beth storry has a fierce desire to win. And at one of those things we reckon she is the best, as for the cakes Push hasn’t tried one yet (hint).

Ross Bone caught up with Beth to discover her recipe for success

Picture: Frank Uijlenbroek

Beth Storry (left) celebrates with GB team mates Crista Cullen and Hannah Macleod at the 2012 Champions Trophy in Rosario, Argentina

G

B and England’s number one goalkeeper is a woman of many talents. Beth Storry was selected as keeper of the tournament at the 2010 World Cup, is a fluent Dutch speaker, financial expert, and a baking enthusiast.

Perhaps surprisingly for someone who has flourished in hockey to such an extent, the 33-year-old never really made a conscious decision to become a hockey goalkeeper. As a girl she had always played in goal at football, so when her secondary school hockey team needed a goalkeeper she gave it a try and never looked back. Despite the obvious pitfalls of the position, Storry has embraced the challenges.

“Being a goalkeeper, you’ve got more pressure. If you make a mistake it tends to be a goal. It’s not like you

can make it better by scoring one at the other end, you can only make it better through your next save. That’s one of the down sides. I still really enjoy it, though.”

Despite her clear love of her chosen position, Beth admits that there have been occasions where the lure of the headline grabbing centre-forward role has seemed an attractive proposition.

“I tried it a couple of years ago in Holland, I had a run around in the indoor. It was brilliant. I know the lines to run, I can read the play and I know what I want to do, but I just can’t do it. I can’t stop the ball!”

She laughs as she tells that story, which inevitably leads us on to discussing her time in Holland, where she moved in 2003 after leaving Slough.

She went on to have spells at Hurley, Rotterdam, Kampong and SCHC.

Having missed out on the Athens Olympics in 2004, Storry decided she needed a new challenge and a fresh start. She originally only planned to go to Holland for a year, but took to the experience in such a way that she ended up staying for seven.

Understandably, the pain of missing out on Athens had knocked her confidence, both as a player and on a personal level. So it was a huge step for her, but one she is glad she took.

“It was a really good thing to go there, to know that you can live in a foreign country, meet different people and I loved the hockey. Above all else, it was great to rebuild my confidence on and off the field.”

It would have been easy to stay in England. Storry had a job (as a financial analyst), family, friends and a guaranteed place in Slough’s team. >>

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 17

llllllllllllllllllllll countdown

Storry xxxxxx

llllllllllllllllllllll countdown

However, it should come as no surprise to anyone who knows her that she is would relish the challenge. And she spent plenty of time working hard to ensure moving to Holland was going to be a success: “I put my hockey CV onto the Hoofdklasse website and a couple of clubs got in contact with me. I went to see them and to do a training session, and then basically moved there without a job. I spent a month [before I left] sending my CV to lots of different companies, hoping to get something.

Luckily enough I found a job with Nike in the first week! I fell on my feet, really.”

Storry returned to Britain in 2010 with a new-found appreciation for the way of life abroad. “I really like Dutch people’s directness. You do something wrong, you know about it. It was quite bizarre to begin with, but by the end it was quite refreshing – they don’t beat around the bush. They tell you exactly how it is, but there’s no malice in it, it’s not to be mean, it’s just their way.”

Her hockey too had blossomed.

Playing regularly in the Hoofdklasse, one of the best leagues around, meant she became the regular first choice for Great Britain and England. This culminated in a very successful tournament at the 2010 World Cup, a tournament Storry lists as her favourite hockey moment.

“The whole tournament was incredible.

It was a really great team feeling and experience. Everyone played well and it is a really happy memory.”

Of course, this is also the event where she was voted goalkeeper of the tournament, something about which she seems almost embarrassed. “That was part of it. I mean, I was really happy with how I played, but it’s more the memories I shared with the team and the performances everyone put in. It was just lovely to be part of and a great experience.”

Having excelled at one major

international tournament, next on the agenda for Storry and her Great Britain teammates are the London Olympic Games, and her anticipation is already clear as the Games come closer.

“It’s kind of weird at the moment because we don’t know who’s going or what the squad will be, but I’m excited regardless. It’s going to be an incredible event. The whole country is going to come alive and come together. It’ll be amazing.”

The Olympics offer an opportunity for the hockey team to stay in the athletes’ village, presenting them with the chance to mix with stars of other sports including the likes of Usain Bolt, Jessica Ennis and Paula Radcliffe, but Storry’s attitude to this gives some indication into the drive that has made her one of the best around.

“To be honest, you don’t want to [interact with other athletes]. In Beijing, as soon as we got there, we knew it was the Olympics but you treat it as just another hockey tournament. That’s my way of dealing with it. I know I’m at the Olympics, but I thought more like ’I’m here to do a job. I’m not here to see other sports, I’m here to do the best I can.’”

It would be all too easy for any British athlete to get caught up in the excitement of being a part of the Games in their home country, but Storry is characteristically keen to keep focus on the job at hand.

“Obviously it will be a wonderful event but it doesn’t matter who the match is against, and in which tournament, you should approach it in the same way. For me, that’s how I think about it and that’s how I deal with it.

More people are watching, it’s a bigger stage, but it’s still hockey. Just like all the other matches.”

You very much get a sense that Storry is not there to be a tourist or to make up the numbers, she feels that Great Britain have a real medal chance. She

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 18

Ady Kerry

is excited about some of the other players that will be on show, citing Park Mi Hyun for Korea as someone she particularly enjoys watching and acknowledging the obvious threat posed

by Argentina, Britain’s conquerors in the final of the recent Champions Trophy.

The respect is obvious, but Storry also points out that Great Britain have their stars too.

“I’m really excited about our squad.

We have some truly great players and a really good chance. We are all working hard and fingers crossed, things will go well for us.”

Even by her standards, this is shaping up to be a particularly hectic year for Storry. As you’d expect, training for the Olympics is almost like a full time job for the Great Britain girls. Whilst not currently working, Storry is still trying to fit in her accountancy qualifications alongside her preparations for London.

“When you get home from training and you’re tired the last thing you want to do is sit in front of books. You’re sometimes just not taking any of it in.

It’s hard having the discipline to get home, get studying and make sure you get something out of it. It’s hard getting the balance too, as hockey is not just training – there’s video work, physio and all the other extra stuff. You feel like you need to use all your spare time to study, but it’s tough to fit it in with all the hockey that’s going on at the same time.”

Speaking of balance leads on to another passion in her life, baking.

Storry is renowned in the hockey world for being an expert in the kitchen, so much so, that she has put her name down to enter “Beth’s Brownies” in the The Great British Bake Off. While she finds the baking a welcome distraction, none of her teammates can fully enjoy the fruits of her labour.

“I’ve had to cut down on the amount of baking, because people are getting fed up with me passing cakes on to them. I’m getting called a “feeder”! I don’t really pass them on to the girls as everyone’s on a strict diet, but I give them to Chantal [De Bruijn]’s colleagues, people in the hockey office, anyone really.”

Which begs the obvious question: would she prefer Olympic gold, or to win the Great British Bake Off? Her answer is unsurprising, but once again illustrates the determination that has ensured she has made it to where she is today, “I want to win both! Olympic gold without a doubt is better, obviously. I love baking, but it’s the competition that I really like. I want to win anything I enter. It’s my nature. I want that Olympic gold though. That would be incredible!” p

Beth Storry slides into action for England against Argentina in the 2011 Champions Trophy in Amsterdam

Action Images / Jed Leic ester

Star goalies swap notes

G

Name

Beth vs. Brad Beth Storry

Brad Friedel

Age

33

40

Height

5ft 8in (1.73m)

6ft 2in (1.88m)

Club

Reading HC

Tottenham Hotspur

International caps

101 (71 England, 30 GB)

82 USA

World Cups

2 (2006, 2010 – bronze medal)

2 (1998, 2002)

Olympic Games

1 (2008)

1 (1992)

Twitter followers

1739 @bethstorry

2256 @BradFriedel

Salary

Not sure, but definitely less than £3.5m

Around £3.5 million a year, we think

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 19

B/England goalkeeper Beth Storry and Tottenham Hotspur custodian Brad Friedel have swapped tips in a training session at the London club’s training ground.

The session was planned by Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeping coach Tony Parks in collaboration with the GB hockey goalkeeping coach, Steve Bayer.

Beth said: “The pressure of international and premiership football is so intense, I have huge respect for the way Brad has managed to stay at the top of his game for such an extended period.

To have an insight into his regime was of great value and a big boost for me as we head into this summer’s Investec London Cup and of course, the Olympics.”

Brad commented: “I have watched quite a bit of hockey and although the sports are very different, there are many similarities from a goalkeeper’s perspective. Positioning, footwork and reaction speed are fundamental to both Beth and I and it was great to learn more about her training programme.”

Investec sponsors both the GB women’s hockey team and Tottenham Hotspur, and recent weeks have also seen members of the GB hockey squad presented to the White Hart Lane crowd before a home fixture of the premiership club. For the record, GB players Chloe Rogers and Helen Richardson are both Spurs fans while team mate Ashleigh Ball is a supporter of arch North London rivals Arsenal.

end of Ireland

Ireland’s 2012 olympic hockey hopes ended during one cruel week, with the men’s and women’s sides both losing qualifying finals. After the brief glare of publicity in ireland, Stephen Findlater asks, what next?

llllllllllllllllllllll countdown

the dream so close...

All pictures: Adrian Boehm

F

or a moment hockey mania swept Ireland. Maybe it was the underwhelming performance in the Six Nations rugby or a low-key Cheltenham festival but the Irish public suddenly took to the sport, often dubbed ‘Protestant hurling’, and were gripped by a pair of Olympic qualifying campaigns.

On a day when Hurricane Fly was ousted in the Champion Hurdle, Cheltenham was bizarrely ousted from its usual, primary spot on the national broadcaster RTE’s 9 o’clock sports agenda in favour of hockey, as Paul Revington’s men snagged a scratchy draw against world number six side Korea.

Newstalk’s Off the Ball – the country’s flagship daily sports show – even produced a Bomb the Bass-backed sting, over-dubbed with the theatrical “Hockey Mania” tag-line as they covered hockey for the first time.

The bandwagon rolling, tales abounded of rugby jocks desperately chasing tickets to the sold-out final >>

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 21

Ireland skipper Ronan Gormley comforts Stu Loughrey after the side’s 3-2 loss to Korea in the Olympic qualifying tournament final in Dublin on March 18.

Korea scored the winning goal with seconds on the clock

llllllllllllllllllllll countdown

after tormenting their schoolmates for playing a girl’s game way back when.

Ireland’s president Michael D Higgins was in attendance as the day built to a gut-wrenching crescendo against Korea, once again, in the final, Nam Yong Lee’s agonising touch denying Ireland a first Olympic berth since the Games were in London in 1908 with just two seconds showing on the Belfield clock.

That umpire Murray Grime missed Lee’s touch initially almost offered a reprieve but the video referral – introduced solely for the final day – told the tale of a faint deflection, followed by a bigger one from John Jackson to defeat David Harte in goal.

Body language portrayed the truth long before the final decision was made, Mikey Watt burying his face in his shirt while Stu Loughrey collapsed to the ground.

Post-tournament came defiant noises from defender John Jackson, warbling through the tears: “If it’s not this week, and this Olympics, it’s going to be the next one. This team has taken a big step this week, and it’s never going to take a step backwards again. Our team are the strongest bunch, we’ll take it on the chin but we’re not going down.”

But the wonder is, will Ireland’s men ever be in a better place to reach the Games? They have scarcely taken a backward step since Paul Revington took over in early 2009, rising up from the depths of the European ‘B’ division to recording a best-ever fifth place in the top-level European nations championships in 2011.

A comfortable Champions Challenge II win in 2011 and success at the INSEP Five Nations in Paris last July – beating world number one Australia as well as

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 22

London bound - the victorious Korea team

Argentina, Korea and France to the title – added to the optimistic mood.

Indeed, leading into the week of the Olympic qualifier, Ireland were facing two Asian sides bemoaning the cold conditions – it barely rose above 10 degrees bar the final – along with gripes about the distance from the pitch to the changing rooms.

They were excuses which the Malaysian setup regularly lent on to explain slow starts against Ukraine and Chile but they gave the air of an unhappy camp, struggling for belief.

Korea, though, were always the big mountain to climb. And so they proved with a tactically smart showing to fulfil their pre-tournament ranking – if only just.

Whether they will be contenders in London is probably not so certain. How they squeezed the life out of an Irish defence shorn of Joe Brennan and latterly Conor Harte’s distribution skills through injury was clever thinking but not a luxury they are likely to enjoy in four months’ time.

That Korea took so long to break down Ireland is probably more informative.

Plenty of circle probing, their trademark tick-tack passing around the fringes created precious few threatening opportunities.

It left Seok Kyo Shin’s side having to twice chase a game as Ireland nailed two penalty corners to lead 1-0 and 2-1 with 14 minutes remaining.

But the boys in green appeared rattled by their place on the precipice of becoming a first Irish team of any sporting ilk to reach the Games since 1948. A rash tackle yielded the stroke which Hyun Woo Nam nailed for 2-2 and another loose dive handed Korea

their free hit millimetres outside the 23 metre line, starting the slow deathroll which will be embedded into Irish hockey fans for many years.

The manner was sporting drama at its most heightened but Korea were the better side, if only by a small margin.

Hyo Sik You and Nam Yong Lee – player of the tournament at last year’s London Cup – remain delightfully creative forces and they have plenty of corner options in Jung Hyun Jang and Hyun Woo Nam. But, as the clearest favourites on world ranking for the three Olympic qualifying tournaments, their travails suggest being contenders in the summer are of the hopeful variety.

Malaysia bid farewell to Muhammad Amin Rahim and, more than likely, Azlan Misron after a decade as mainstays of the side on a low-note while reports are that coach Tai Beng Hai offered his resignation in the aftermath of the competition.

The future, though, looks reasonably rosy for Ireland with only one retirement being mooted – that of drag-flicker John Jermyn. The Cork man was used increasingly sparingly in midfield and, as a full-time solicitor, is one of just a handful now still playing in Ireland and holding down a full-time job.

Building on the national publicity is the next challenge for the Irish Hockey Association and their women kept the bandwagon rolling by reaching their first final in a major qualifier.

They did so with a backs-to-thewall 3-2 victory over Spain in Kontich, Belgium, in the second women’s Olympic qualifier. That garnered a second successive Sunday with live international hockey on the television in Ireland.

Hosts Belgium duly belittled their hopes with a thumping 4-1 win to blow a second London dream up in smoke within seven days but back-page lead news was made once more.

That they missed out on the big win, though, is the big heartbreaker.

Cricket in Ireland exploded with a 75pc increase in youth playing numbers in the four years since Pakistan were beaten on St Patrick’s Day in 2007 in the World Cup. Two weeks in the London sun could have provided something similar for Irish hockey but whether a heroic failure will provide the same boost is scarcely likely. p

Preparing for the show

Tell us all about your job with Locog for the London Olympic Games.

My job title is athlete services group leader for the hockey competition. That basically involves leading and managing a team of 36 volunteers based solely at the Riverbank Arena (the hockey venue in Olympic Park). At the Olympic Games the athlete services team doesn’t follow the teams around to the Olympic Village or anywhere else, we are only based at the venue. There we are responsible for making sure the teams have everything they need. We also have to make sure the flows of the athletes are working properly – when they move from changing room to pitch, from training pitch to competition pitch and so forth. In hockey, athlete services also look after the team video towers where teams will go to video their own matches for their own analysis purposes. Then there are the coaches’ boxes and things like ice baths for the athletes, looking after the changing rooms and the athletes’ lounge as well.

So you are right in the thick of things – up close with the players.

That is one of the reason’s I am going to love the role because I’ll be in contact with the players, the coaches and the managers the whole time. In this sort of role you get to experience some of what the competitors experience in an Olympic hockey tournament. Of course, a lot of important work is done behind the scenes and part of my role involves that. The hockey management team has been in place for a couple of years now, and as group leaders, we are just coming in towards the end of all their hard work, to input into our areas of expertise – mine being athlete services.

The hockey test event the Visa International Invitational Hockey Tournament, May 2-6 will actually be a

big test for you and your team won’t it?

At the test event we need to make sure that the experience for the athletes is as close to the Games-time experience as possible. The same is true for the volunteers. All of the volunteer Games Makers who will be at the Olympic Games will also have to take part in the test event so they get the practice too.

We have to make sure that everything we need to have in place for the volunteers is working, and that all their roles are properly defined. If not, then we only have a couple of months before the Games to fine tune things. Many sports have had their test events – some a year or so ago – and they’ve had plenty of time to fix things. But, bearing in mind the Riverbank Arena is currently under construction, we haven’t had that opportunity. There is a huge amount of planning that goes into it all.

How are you fitting your Locog commitments with your work as a teacher?

I started with Locog in February and I’m working two days a week, sometimes three days but when it gets towards the test event I will work full time for about two weeks beforehand then full time through the tournament. Then I drop back to part-time again before going back to full-time through most of July and August.

My last teaching post was a maternitycover position that was always going to finish at the end of the last academic year. When I knew I had this job I decided to take on some supply teaching, so that I could decide when to teach and when not to, to fit in with this job. I was offered a permanent teaching job for this year but it wouldn’t have fitted in with my work at Locog, so I decided to take some time out, fill in with the odd day here and there of supply teaching, and concentrate on my work here.

Starting with the test event then, as a hockey enthusiast you must be pretty excited about the visiting teams – world’s number one men’s side Australia, number two and Olympic champions Germany along with Olympic qualifiers India, women’s world champions Argentina, Korea and Beijing silver medalists China.

I think it is one of the best lineups we could have had. To get some of the world’s best teams to compete in the tournament is fantastic and will be both good practice for all the teams involved and also a great experience for the spectators to come and see hockey

prior to the Games. In the women’s tournament, world number two Argentina, with seven-time world player of the year Luciana Aymar are one of the most skilful teams in the world. In Argentina hockey is as big as football.

When you think about the status Maradona holds – well the top women’s hockey players hold a similar status to him or David Beckham over here, for example. The Argentineans absolutely love their hockey and it will be great to have them here.

Tell us something about the other work you have done at hockey events?

I’ve been volunteering for the past ten years. My first event was the men’s World Cup qualifier in Edinburgh in 2001 [a massive 16-team event won by Argentina]. I was what they call a team liaison officer and I looked after the Spanish men’s team. My role there was to translate and interpret for them, to >>

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 23

After 10 years of volunteering at hockey events, philL Yetzes (right) has landed a paid job at the london olympic Games and finds himself right at the heart of the hockey action.

llllllllllllllllllllll countdown

guide them around the city, answer any questions and resolve any issues they had. Since then I have volunteered at several events including the women’s Champions Trophy in Nottingham in 2010. I’ve done the EuroHockey indoor nations championship III in Sheffield and the European nations championships in Manchester in 2007 – all in a similar liaison officer role. In Manchester I took charge of the liaison officers where we had a team of about 16, as well as having a team myself I had a responsibility for the other liaison officers there. Then at the Champions Trophy it was the same thing. I also often get asked to act on a one-off basis for individual test series where teams come to play Great Britain or England. I particularly get asked when Argentina or Spain come over, because I know them from other events.

Have your language skills played an important during tournaments?

Very much so with any of the Spanishor French-speaking teams. They prefer to have someone who can speak their language and they feel more comfortable and relaxed and probably more confident that I can help them out if I can understand what they are saying. Although, to be fair, most of the sides have at least one member of the management team or the playing squad who are very good at English. But, yes, the language skills have proved very useful even so far as going to press conferences to translate for them.

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 24

After the test event comes the build-up to the Games themselves - you must be pretty excited about that?

Yes! When I saw the London 2012 jobs advertised I just thought this is something I should go for. I’ve been building up to this for 10 years doing my volunteering and this is just the perfect role for me. Any time I mention to anyone that I am working at the Olympic Games they can’t believe it and think it is a fantastic opportunity, and it definitely is. It is almost a once-ina-lifetime opportunity. Yes there are people who have been to more than one Games, but to be part of a Games in your home country is a truly exceptional opportunity. I can’t wait – it’s going to be sad when it’s over actually - I don’t know what I’m going to do after the Games finish.

I guess after the Games, ‘legacy’ will be the buzzword. Do you think the experience people like you and the volunteers gain at London 2012 will benefit hockey in the longer term?

I know many of the hockey Games Maker volunteers already because they have been the stalwarts of hockey Olympic park in December 2011

volunteering for many years at all levels, from club to international. Their hard work and dedication to their sport has rewarded them with this fantastic opportunity. But similarly we have people who haven’t volunteered at a hockey event before, because it was an open recruitment process and there are skills that other people can bring to the event that we haven’t seen in hockey before. It is a really exciting time, to get previous volunteers together with new volunteers and hopefully get more people involved in hockey itself. After all, volunteers are the backbone of hockey, which, as an amateur sport, simply couldn’t run without them.

Hopefully we will be able to host more hockey events in the future. We’ve had the Champions Trophy in Nottingham and there is no reason we can’t hold World Cups, more Champions Trophies, European events and so on. We always need more volunteers. [Since this interview, England has been awarded the 2015 European championships see page 9.]

Hopefully the Games will increase the number of volunteers we have and also increase the number of people playing

Phil Yetzes:

Age: 30 Job: Athlete services group leader for hockey, London 2012 Olympic Games Started hockey: 8-9 years old Hockey qualifications: Level 2 umpire, Level 2 coach (just completing Level 3) Plays: ‘Occasionally when I can fit it in around coaching’ at Beeston Coaching: Assistant coach at Olton and West Warwicks (Investec women’s hockey league premier division); juniors coach at Beeston Owns: Nemysis Hockey coaching company (www.nemysishockey.com) University: Heriot-Watt University (Edinburgh) Profession: Teaches Spanish and French GCSE and A-level

hockey - particularly if GB do well and even finish on the podium. Then, hopefully, we’ll get more people into volunteering, into playing, into coaching and we will see hockey grow. p ODA

on the fast track Ok so it’s November in London and you’ve just knocked in a hat-trick for Slough against Bowdon – what happened next?

Pat Rowley – the hockey journalist – said he had been watching me over the past few games and was wondering why I wasn’t playing internationally. I said I had never really been asked!

He said he could put me in touch with South African hockey. Within a week of that I had an email from the South Africa coach, Giles Bonnet, saying he was just getting in touch, confirming I was South African and asking a few questions. He then gave me the opportunity to come to a training camp, in January in South Africa.

That must have been a tricky proposition with work etc?

I approached my work, in early December saying I had this opportunity and potentially I could be away for the whole month of January. They said it was too short notice and I would have to give my notice (resign) so they could find someone to cover me. I got back in touch with the coach and said I couldn’t make it – I’d lose my job. But Giles said ‘we can make it work no problems, just come on the weekends’ . And that was it Ian A Wood @IWSportsPhotos

literally all the weekends in January – three sessions a day, six hours a day.

Hang on a minute so you were flying to South Africa EVERY weekend, you must have been shattered!

Massively! The thing is I was working too and I was so busy, January is the busiest month for us which is why I couldn’t get the time off. I was leaving work at four, five o’clock of Friday, going straight to the airport with all my bags, getting to South Africa on Saturday morning – doing training sessions, playing a game. And then on Sunday it was straight to the airport, arrive back at Heathrow Airport on Monday morning and go straight back to work. It was quite hardcore!

So you made the squad, made your international debut against Spain (scoring a goal) and then were selected for that crucial Olympic qualifier in New Delhi – it must all have been a bit of a whirlwind?

It was very surreal and I think in essence the flying made it a bit easier.

I remember when I first met Piete Coetzee [world record goal scorer in international hockey]. It was quite a casual greeting. I walked in and she was just sitting there ‘I’m Piete, nice to meet you.’ When you’ve grown up watching internationals and Olympics - I used to watch Piete many years ago on the TV and to be playing with her in the same [South Africa] team was really surreal.

I knew a few of the girls beforehand because I used to play with them, but not the people who weren’t from Western Province, like Piete.

I did feel, after the first couple of training sessions training six hours a day, that my body wasn’t quite used to it. But it did get a lot easier towards the end. And it also gets easier as you get to know everyone and they encourage you.

They were really really lovely towards me. I think that made it a bit easier as well.

Having played for South Africa as a junior before you came to England on a gap year after school, was playing >>

Lauren Penny in league action for Slough

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 25

Push reckons Lauren Penny is the hockey player living closest to the Olympic pitch – 1 mile 124 yards. yet she has had one of the longest travelled, and most unusual journeys of any player to put herself in contention for an Olympic place. we caught up with Lauren in East london to find out how she went from national league player with Slough to South African striker in little more than a month.

llllllllllllllllllllll countdown

Lauren Penny:

llllllllllllllllllllll countdown

senior international hockey something you were always aspiring towards?

It was always something that I wanted to have done, but it was one of those dreams that I never thought was going to happen. Realistically, I was in another country and they weren’t seeing me play hockey. If anything, I had more hope in playing for England – and I knew that wasn’t possible with the structure England have. I would have to give up my full-time job to play for England, whereas with South Africa – because it’s not a paid position you have to rely on work outside of hockey, and they understand that – it has actually worked out a lot better for me.

But playing in the national league and scoring plenty of goals, you must have picked up on the fact that you were, well a bit good?

A couple of the England girls had mentioned playing internationally to me before. And a couple of people watching would half comment. It is one of those things where you don’t take it seriously but in the back of your mind you do think, ‘Maybe I could or maybe I should...’ It wasn’t something where I went out to make a point. With South Africa being my native country, and growing up there, it has always been my dream to play for South Africa. Then it’s difficult when you move to another country – you do lose hope for that because you don’t think it is going to happen.

You have played with some terrific players at Slough, both past and current internationals, has that really helped you develop into an international player?

Slough has been one of the biggest growing points for me. When I first came to Slough I was playing with Jane Smith, Mandy Nicholson, Fiona Greenham – all really experienced players. I learnt a

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 26

Lauren Penny:

Position: Forward Age: 25 Started hockey: At school in Cape Town, age 10-11 Came to England: 2005 – after school on a Gap year Current club: Slough Former clubs: Maidstone, Bellville (Cape Town) International debut: vs Spain, Sunday January 15, 2012 Major international honours: Gold medal, Olympic qualifying tournament, New Delhi, February 18-26, 2012

lot from Smithy. A lot of what I do now from her and I think that has probably been key in me doing well. When I went to the South Africa trials in January, I hadn’t actually played hockey for about six weeks before that. I rang Smithy and said I need a couple of sessions and she was very kind, coming down, and doing a couple of training sessions with me.

Fiona was instrumental in the Slough team and Mandy Nicholson, with her great experience in the defensive line, were all very key personnel.

Unfortunately, with none of them playing for us now, it is showing in the results this season. They have all been instrumental to my development as a player and in my understanding of the game as a whole – not just as a striker but in terms of defensive structure – that has really helped a lot.

Current GB squad members Ashleigh Ball and Nicola White are your teammates at Slough – any rivalries with them?

Ashleigh is one of my best friends – I get on well with Nic as well. They haven’t been around so much this season with all the GB stuff, but I have good banter with them! I actually know some of the GB girls better than I know the South Africans, so it would be weird if I was selected and were playing against them!

But it would be a great laugh – after the game, after we beat them!

That you are in with a chance of being selected for London 2012 is because of winning that Olympic qualifier in New Delhi. What was the experience of playing in that tournament like?

I thought I’d learnt a lot in the weeks playing against Spain and Belgium, but Delhi was something else. The pressure... We don’t really have the experience in playing tournaments like that because we are used to qualifying through the Africa Cup of Nations.

But being put in that position where everyone in the tournament wants to win, sometimes it’s a bit harder because even when you are playing against lower-ranked teams, they have that fight and spirit that other teams might not have.

And what was it like in those final few minutes of the final vs India when you were 3-1 up?

We were just watching the clock... there was something like a minute to go and we were watching the clock and thinking... can this time go any slower? We obviously knew we just had to make sure they didn’t score twice.

It was unbelievable, the feeling, the celebration, everything just coming together. We had been training really hard – it had been really tough all

through January, and not just for me travelling there, for all the girls. We had played something like 13 matches in a row. So it was a feeling of relief that after all that hard work everything had come together. It was a weight off our shoulders too – we had a lot to prove to people back home. It was a great feeling.

The whole experience was fantastic.

And I’m very grateful I was given that opportunity. One thing that helped us quite a lot in Delhi was the sponsorship we had from Investec and adidas. We had so much kit! It really does play a massive part in the team morale, in making us look the part and feel more of a professional unit as a team.

If all goes well with selection, you won’t be travelling so much for the next two big tournaments – the London Cup in June, then the London Olympic Games. Are you looking forward to playing right on your doorstep?

I feel comfortable here. I also understand the European style of hockey and how they play. The South African style is slightly different in some respects. I understand the English style, and I’ve been to a couple of the tournaments in Europe and played against the German and Dutch teams, so I look forward to playing in the London Cup and I am selected.

And the though that you might be playing in the Olympics Games, just a mile down the road?

It is bizarre really. It is the last thing I really expected to be doing with all the talk of the Olympics around London. I could just pop home if I need anything.

Having played at Maidstone and Slough as well, I know around 50 people who are going to be at the hockey at some point. Obviously family would come up as well, but just among friends I know about 50 people going to matches.

So that is a real focus is it now – making that Olympic Games team?

Now that I am in with a chance... When I was going to the camps originally there was a bit of a doubt because I didn’t know where I stood. But now I know I am in with a shot, I would do absolutely anything to be there. And speaking to people like Smithy, who have been to Olympic Games... she says she would cut off her right arm to be there. I would do the same to be honest. It is a once-in-a-lifetime p opportunity.

Lauren Penny in uncompromising style for South Africa Picture: Afsar Beg/South African Hockey Association

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 27

llllllllllllllllllllll countdown

HOCKEYDIRECT.COM

TEL: 01727 736 964

Grays GX 6000 Dynabow Hockey Stick Size Weight 36.5, 37.5, 38.5 L, M

Code 221092

RRP: £128

TK 6 GTS Hockey Stick

TK S - 6177 Hockey Stick Size 36.5, 37.5

Weight L, M

Size 36.5

Code 271093

Sale Price

Sale Price

Sale Price

£79.95

£64.95

£29.95 35% Off

35% Off

Kookaburra Phoenix Hockey Stick Size 36.5, 37.5

Weight L, M

25% Off

Size 36.5, 37.5

Sale Price

35% Off

Size 4-9

£69.95 27% Off

Asics Gel Blackheath 3 Women Hockey Shoe

Code 826225

Size 5-9

Sale Price

£54.95

£59.95 32% Off

£39.95 32% Off

Grays G 7000 Hockey Shoe Size 6-13

Size Code 6-14 826210 RRP: £60

Sale Price

Sale Price

Asics Lethal MP3 Men Hockey Shoe

Code 826230

RRP: £80

RRP: £90

RRP: £60

Colour Pink

Sale Price

Code Colour 277015 Red

Code 247016

Sale Price

Sale Price

£24.95

£24.95 32% Off

TK 1 Hockey Stick /Kit Bag

RRP: £40

RRP: £36

£39.95

32% Off

Kookaburra Revolution Hockey Kit Bag

Code 226001

Code 351014

Sale Price

43% Off

Asics Gel Neo Women L E Hockey Shoe

Weight L, M, H

RRP: £95

£198.95

£139.95

Size 36.5, 37.5, 38

Code 311044

RRP: £350

Sale Price

Dita Pro-Max 625 Hockey Stick

Gryphon Pro Tour Hockey Stick

Code 241088

RRP: £210

Code 271098

RRP: £40

RRP: £100

.95

Weight L

32% Off

38% Off

Hockey Direct

5 Metro Centre, Ronsons Way, St Albans Road Sandridge, Hertfordshire AL4 9QT

t: 0845 230 2591, f: 01727 736 969 Mon-Thu: 8am-8pm, Fri-Sun: 9am-6pm e: info@hockeydirect.com

Web: hockeydirect.com

FREE UK DELIVERY

For Orders over £50

llllllllllllllllllllll countdown

Image: Getty Images for adidas

adidas launch Team GB kit

a

didas, Official Sportswear Partner of Team GB and ParalympicsGB have presented the team kit that will be worn by the British athletes at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Designed by acclaimed British designer Stella McCartney, who was appointed by adidas as creative director for this project, the kit is the most comprehensive range that’s ever been supplied to a national team, combining the best in performance technologies and stand-out British style.

Stella McCartney said: “The first place to start on a project like this is to look at the Union flag. For me it’s one of the most beautiful flags in the world and it was important for me to stay true to that iconic design but also to modernise it and present it in a contemporary way.

Ultimately, we wanted the athletes to feel like a team and be proud with the identity we created.”

The kit was revealed in spectacular style at the Tower of London where over 30 athletes including hockey’s Richard Mantell and Denise Marston-Smith showcased the performance range

A close up of the women’s hockey top and skirt

including competition kit, training wear, the presentation suit, footwear and accessories.

Nick Craggs, Marketing Director, adidas UK said: “All eyes will be on the British athletes when they take the stage at the Games so we wanted to ensure that they would be the best equipped team through a combination of leading technologies, including

TECHFITTM PowerWEB and Climacool and a unified, striking team identity.” adidas will supply over 900 British athletes across the 26 Olympic and 20 Paralympic sports producing a total of approximately 175,000 items of clothing.

This is made up of 590 individual articles that have been created to ensure the British team will be the best equipped nation for the Games.

Andy Hunt, Team GB chef de mission and chief executive of the BOA, said: “This partnership has brought together the best in performance technology through adidas, the best in British design and creativity with Stella McCartney and the best in British sport with athletes from Our Greatest Team. Performance is our number one priority and the superb combination of adidas and Stella is sure to impact positively on Team GB.” Replica ranges of the British team kit went on sale in April, including football, tennis, cycling, basketball, athletics and swimwear. p

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 29

Hockey’s Denise Marston-Smith (left) and Richard Mantell (right) flank GB swimmers James Goddard and Joanne Jackson on stage at the official British team kit launch for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, designed by Stella McCartney, created by adidas.

llllllllllllllllllllll countdown

Wales aims for top 10 in Europe by 2020

M

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 30

erthyr Tydfil-born hockey Olympian, Sarah Thomas (pictured), took a break from her London 2012 preparations to come back to her hometown to find out more about Hockey Wales’ ambitious plans to develop the next generation of Olympians and grassroots hockey enthusiasts.

Thomas, 31, gave her full support to Hockey Wales’ radical revamping of the sport in Wales, at an Olympicthemed Easter camp at Cyfarthfa Comprehensive School in Merthyr Tydfil. Amidst delivering an inspirational coaching session for local youngsters, Thomas admitted to being “blown away” by the changing face of Welsh hockey.

She said: “I started playing hockey when I was 13 years old after trying the game in one of my PE classes. I enjoyed it so much that I asked my parents to take me along to the local hockey club, Dowlais Ladies. I went on to play for them competitively, for a number of years, and thoroughly loved playing hockey on the field and the social

side of a team sport. I have met some wonderful friends along the way.

“Things are so different now. Hockey Wales are making hockey much more fun and exciting with things like RUSH [hockey] and 46892 [ a progressive format for youngsters which goes from 4v4 to 6v6 and so on]. It’s freshened the game up and there are loads more opportunities for girls and boys to play hockey at whatever level they want.

“Obviously I’m here today to help inspire them to do their best and try to reach their potential, whatever level that is, just as long as they enjoy themselves. Who knows, there might be a young player here that might follow in my footsteps one day. But I’m sure we’ll have more Olympic hockey players from Wales in the future, as well as lots more people playing just for fun in local leagues.”

Thomas played a pivotal role in a barnstorming campaign for Great Britain at the Champions Trophy back in February. She scored the opening goal in their quarter final with Germany that took them to their first ever final

appearance against an eventually victorious Argentina. All sights are on London 2012 now where Thomas is bidding to compete in her second Olympic Games after being part of Team GB at the Beijing Games in 2008.

If successful she will again be the only Welsh hockey star in the Great Britain squad at London 2012, which is just one area that Hockey Wales are aiming to change.

Chief executive of Hockey Wales, Helen Bushell, said: “Integral to our long term vision is strengthening the foundations of hockey here in Wales, from the grassroots to the elite, to make the sport a bigger and more successful sport regionally, nationally and internationally. We want every primary and secondary school aged child to have a quality hockey experience and ensure that once they reach adulthood that there is far more recreational adult hockey provision to keep them hooked on our sport for life.

“We want to broaden our participation base to increase our membership to 60,000 across Wales. With that we’re cultivating a player development structure that develops international talent, like Sarah, for the future.

Ultimately we want Wales to be consistently ranked amongst the top 10 teams in Europe and to quadruple the number of Welsh players in the GB squad come the 2020 Olympics.”

For more information about Hockey Wales’ VISION 2020 visit www.hockeywales.org.uk p

TalkHockeyRadio’s Peter Savage thinks that hockey needs to change to get more TV coverage, but at what price?

I

enjoyed the interview with John Inverdale in the previous edition of Push. John focused some of his attention on a couple of points that I have been banging on about for centuries. As he is infinitely more famous than I am, perhaps people will now sit up and take notice. But first I would like to take a look at what we might be letting ourselves in for if we move hockey from sleepy hollow into the big wide world of mass media sport.

Back in the late 1980s there was a surge of interest in hockey, driven by the success of England and Great Britain men. Suddenly it was on the telly and everyone wanted a piece of the action. But there was a down side.

Many of the newcomers came from sports with quite different values to hockey, and for a few years I detected a very noticeable decline in things such as hospitality and respect for other players. Fortunately, we’ve mostly recovered from that, but we ought to be aware that success will bring more to hockey than fame, fortune and cash. You see, hockey is as much about the people who play it as the actual game itself. I am not adverse to expanding the sport, nor is any other hockey journalist. What little publicity hockey gets is on the back of underpaid or unpaid support from a number of people who just love hockey. It would be nice to get some decent reward for our efforts. But there will be a price to pay, and hockey could become unrecognisable, and not necessarily for the right reasons.

In the article, John Inverdale suggests that some radical changes need to be made if we want to get hockey accepted as a major spectator sport. I agree with most of what he says, but does hockey have the stomach for such change? For years I have advocated that one of the requirements for entry into the national

league should be a minimum ground standard, with an even higher standard for premiership clubs. For the top clubs this would include the provision of proper spectator facilities, if only a bit of terracing. If such a requirement was introduced today it would result in several premier division clubs being relegated and absolute carnage in the conferences. It would be a good start if some clubs would take their national league status more seriously. One conference club I visited recently had no spectator area, no programmes (both in contravention of league rules) and had left practice goals behind the back lines. Imagine how that would look on TV? John is right about names too. Why do Bath Buccaneers need ‘Team’ in front of their name and Barnes Hounslow Ealing should be prosecuted for crimes against typesetting. There are several other clubs that need major surgery to their names. These are just some of the things we need to think about if we want to make hockey ‘fit for purpose’. But first we need to make sure that it is a price we are willing to pay. I suspect that for some it will not.

Sidelines

Savage talk

James Stock is far from happy that hockey seems to have pulled off a Cold War-style cover up.

In the last few weeks, it seems three hockey players received bans. Whilst that’s not unusual by itself, for it to happen because of comments on social media is considerably more interesting.

The reason for the ban can be found in rule seven of the league concerned: “Clubs must abide by the intended spirit of how the game should be played... ensure that players treat umpires with respect before, during and after matches; and not put disparaging remarks about leagues or opponents in press reports or on the internet. The Leagues will apply severe penalties in cases of umpire abuse.”

First things first, umpires should not be abused. Yes, they make mistakes and they should be as open to criticism for poor performances as

players. But personal abuse is totally unacceptable, and regardless of what medium it happens through, it should be punished.

What should follow is a eulogy, praising the actions of the relevant league. Not only for the bravery to set such a precedent, but also to be open to new media to pick it up and for the vigilance with which the situation was handled.

However, it seems this episode will remain as announced as a fly swotting.

Within days of the original story, the statement was amended to remove any mention of bans.

Has the sport become embroiled in a scandal that may lose the country the Olympic Games? No. So why has this become such an unspoken affair when the original intent was to warn against potential similar pitfalls?

There seems to have been a monumental plethora of errors. Poor communication, inability to follow

through a precedent-setting action and then childishly pretending as though nothing had happened.

It is saddening to see such a sequence of events. Over the past few years the sport has developed by leaps and bounds in this country. At the same time the world has become smaller with social media bringing people together from all over the planet. And yet there are still people who believe that the best way to handle a controversial story in the world of hockey is to brush it under the carpet and pretend nothing happened.

Obviously.

A cynic would probably suggest there’s a link to Kate Middleton?

With stick sales up 283% since her appearance on the hallowed Smurf Turf, now would not be a good time for 140 characters of abusive language to ruin the party.

Follow @jamesstock89 on Twitter

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 31

Twitter, tailor, soldier, spy

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 32

Sidelines

Gaynor Nash Andy Smith

Club versus country is a debate in many sports; Leicester stalwart Gaynor Nash’s penned this piece ahead of her club’s European Easter campaign.

Compromises had to be made in this pre-Olympic hockey season but some of the decisions made could have longterm impacts.

P

retty much any sport worth its salt is confronted at some point by the club versus country dilemma. Of course, it’s a huge source of pride for a club to develop internationalstandard players, and in most cases the club can weather the storm caused by an international missing the odd game. But what if you are a club like Leicester and eight of your players are in the Great Britain training squad? That’s a bit more of a challenge and club stalwarts like me are left wondering why the powers that be see it as fair enough for club hockey, the bedrock of the game, to be so hard hit.

This Investec hockey league season began with Leicester facing tough opposition with what was virtually a second XI as our internationals took either a break after a hard summer of hockey or a year-long sabbatical from the club game. With promising youngster Lauren Turner trying her hand at a season of Dutch hockey and Irish international Emma Clarke lost to Ireland’s own centralised programme, it was a depleted side that took to the field against first Clifton and then Olton.

Two heavy defeats later and the league – well sponsored for the first time in ages – had a very unfamiliar look with Leicester right at the bottom with no points and a worrying goal difference.

The phased return of the international stars has seen a revival of fortunes with just one further defeat and a very solid second place for the Pukka Pie-sponsored girls. That defeat was against Reading when neither side had its internationals on show.

But when the two sides clashed at Leicester last autumn, both almost at full strength, the game they produced was a fantastic advertisement for women’s club hockey. Investec would have loved the tempo of a seesaw game that Leicester led only to be pegged back and then headed by Reading with two swift raids early in the second half.

Leicester’s fightback was superb with

Club hockey at it’s best – (left to right) Reading’s GB captain Kate Walsh, GB teammate Leicester’s Anne Panter, Liz Perry, Sarah Cockayne and GB international Sam Quek

Crista Cullen leading the way for a fantastic 3-2 home win.

That was the kind of game, played by female athletes at the top of their game, that Investec must have been hoping for when it put its considerable investment into not only our international women’s sides but our club league structure too. So, how do we end up with a situation where Leicester, representing England alongside Reading in the European Women’s Club Championship in San Sebastian, that Leicester will travel, at not inconsiderable expense, minus its eight star players?

The ‘management team’ will say that, when the centralised group of players got together with them to discuss preparations for this summer’s showcase Olympics, it was the players who determined that certain club sacrifices would need to be made in order to go for gold at London 2012. I cannot dispute that. And ultimately, if the women’s form continues to improve and they win an Olympic medal of any colour, I will be amongst the first to congratulate them and perhaps even admit the wisdom of their choices.

In the meantime, however, it is hard not to look at things after thirty-five years at Leicester through what are now orange-tinted spectacles. Some will say what a great experience we have been able to provide some of our youngsters and ‘unsung’ players with this season, but it was very tough for them during those first two league defeats. Their improvement showed when they were able to hold Bowdon Hightown to a 1-1 draw with most stars missing and perhaps they will astound

me in San Sebastian when they take on UhlenHorster and the Russian champs. If they win neither of these games they will be out of Europe, win one and they will almost certainly face the mighty Den Bosch with a place at the finals weekend at stake. Will Den Bosch be missing their internationals?

I doubt it somehow as the Dutch seem to see the value of top hockey whether that be at club or international level and recognise the way each can complement the other.

Should neither Reading, starless, or Leicester, progress to the finals weekend it could be that English hockey will not have enough accumulated points for our club sides, or at least both our club sides, to stay in the top tier of European women’s club competition next season. How will that be seen by Reading and the other women’s club that comes through the club championship play offs if they cannot compete at the highest European level next season? And what do we say to loyal sponsors Pukka Pies, so used to supporting Leicester in high end domestic and European competition, if that happens?

I know there’ll be plenty of people out there who’ll think me very curmudgeonly for even daring to doubt the wisdom of the management and players’ choices and who’ll say that in a home Olympics season all sacrifices are worth it. I really, really hope so and I know just how supremely proud I’ll be when I see those medals around the necks of our GB girls, especially our Leicester girls.

Follow @Gaynor54 on Twitter

Richard Smyth

amongst equals When it comes to temperature regulation, a goalkeeper’s lot is not always a happy one says Richard Smyth.

‘G

K kit is drying out in the sunshine,’ Great Britain goalie Beth Storry tweeted from the Champions Trophy in Rosario, Argentina, in February. ‘Amazing how much fluid I lose during a game.’

I would have turned green with envy if I hadn’t been blue with cold. Try leaving your sweaty shorts out to dry here at that time of year and you’d soon be left with a set of kit fit only for Ötzi the Iceman. The punishingly cold temperatures that marked the onset of 2012 would have had many a British goalie dreaming of Rosario’s sweltering 28˚C. Because when it comes to keeping warm, bulk isn’t everything. A goalie in

full kit might look toastily wrapped up, but stiff foam rubber isn’t the snuggest of insulators (you’ll notice that no-one makes pyjamas out of it). When the play is down the other end and there’s a Baltic wind a-blowing, earlobes freeze and feet and fingers go numb in those comfortless kickers and gloves.

Good base layers help, of course.

Stretches and sprints to the penalty spot and back keep your muscles warm and your heart pumping. Shouting at out-ofplace, idling or otherwise unsatisfactory full-backs is both warming and fun.

Singing is worth a try. Anything is better than switching off, stiffening up and losing focus.

But as the former GB great Simon Mason has pointed out in these very pages, top-level hockey is increasingly becoming a warm-weather game.

Since January 2011, for example, GB sides have turned out in South Africa, Frank Uijlenbroek

Great Britain’s Beth Storry saves in the Champions Trophy final vs Argentina in Rosario – heat and cold both provide special challenges for goalkeepers

Spain, Malaysia and California. This is a dreamlike development for anyone who, like me, spent their formative years shivering in exposed, wintry goalmouths (the mere mention of Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough can still cause me to break out in goosebumps) and it brings its own set of challenges.

The first thing to go when the temperature gets uncomfortably high is often the armguards, which can be constricting even at the best of times.

Ditching the throat-goard, too, can help the fresh air circulate more freely.

Obviously this has to stop somewhere, though – piece standing entirely disrobed in the D might permit the cooling play of summer breezes over previously unaired regions, but it’s not safe and frankly it’s something no-one wants to see. And the FIH insists that you at least wear a helmet.

Some goalies turn to specialised kit when the sun’s out: lighter-weight shorts, or cooling bandannas like those made by Ergodyne.

It’s also important to keep replacing lost fluids. In Rosario, Beth Storry lost around 2kg of fluid in the course of each of her superb performances in the Champions Trophy (‘cleaner has just used an entire bottle of air freshener in our room to get rid of GK kit smell,’ she reported, suggesting that the sun-drying treatment wasn’t entirely successful).

Ultimately, though, there’s only so much you can do. You’re going to be hot when it’s hot and cold when it’s cold. The only real option is to do what goalies always do, whether we’re dealing with extreme weather, a dragflick to a sensitive area, an umpire’s howler or a five-nil drubbing: grin and bear it, and get on with the game.

Follow @RSmythFreelance on Twitter

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 33

Sidelines

Fi rst

Sidelines

V

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 34

W

ell that was quick. It seems like just weeks ago VFTE was mourning the end of an unbelievably exciting indoor season, and now it’s the end of the season proper, there’s no games left to play (unless of course you’ve been good enough to get to playoffs or if you’ve been awful, but not that awful, and have gone to the other play offs.)

What will fill our weekends?

For a short list of reasons (short of breath, short hamstrings) VFTE spent large parts of this season watching from the sidelines and didn’t really get much of a view of the east at all. Much of his time was spent travelling the roads of the Hampshire Surrey Premier League. It really is lovely (apart from Fareham) but it struggles to compare to EHL Conference East.

And making the transfer is not recommended.

Firstly there’s none of the glitz and glamour of international superstars in matching track suits, and none of the capacity crowds. Sometimes they forget to put your goals on the website, and sometimes the umpires forget the rules.

Sometimes you win, more often you lose, and the pitches are based on sand.

Worst of all, the VFTE means nothing in the HSPL. Anonymity might be nice for some people.

Just going about their weekends waving a stick for exercise, but VFTE doesn’t do hockey for that. VFTE is in it for the headlines, for the press

iew from the East

England’s most under-rated hockey journeyman seems to have a dose of the end-of-season blues and launches a big slap in the face at the world of hockey conferences, for the female adoration, and for the front pages of Hello magazine. But hockey isn’t what it used to be, and that’s why VFTE will be hanging up his stick.

Nowadays to be a hockey superstar you need to marry a prince, look hot in pink jeans and captain the XI at an expensive school. You also have to be charming and female and have a sister with a celestial rear end. Sticking the ball in the goal with a bendy twig isn’t enough anymore, no matter how casual it looks.

Talking of bendy Twiggs, the Great Britain ladies did rather well in Argentina before playing out one of the most boring finals in sporting history to win a Champions Trophy silver medal.

It made Rush Hockey look exciting, but the result was, at least, promising for London 2012. And the GB men are doing good things too, they topped the English Premier League, disguised as East

Grinstead, in emphatic style.

It must be this continued international success that is driving the hockey bandwagon. That and a good PR push from Millie Mackintosh, who launched ‘The Biig Dribble’ in February. VFTE thinks England Hockey should maintain this press momentum.

Miss Mackintosh would be a perfect participant in a new England Hockey initiative that VFTE likes to call ‘The Hard Slap’.

Anyway, really, let’s hope the momentum continues. We’ve got tours, the Riverbank test event, the EHL finals, the league play offs, the IHL (or has that happened already?), the big dribble, summer hockey and the Olympics to keep us going before the Big Event.

Lets hope the public isn’t sick of our bully-offs and our roll-ins before the Jolly East Conference pushes off again in September.

Follow @ViewFromTheEast on Twitter

What comes after the Big Dribble? Ashley Jackson (left) Millie Mackintosh and James Tindall at the launch

Planet

e

hockey The great game across the universe, and closer to home

England U18 boys strike gold in the Netherlands Another Lewes HC player, England skipper Harvey Waller, was named U16 player of the tournament. Lewes club coach Chris Marchant told PUSH that Waller and U18 goalkeeper Brooks had done their country, their club and their parents proud.

“They are both very easy going boys and most importantly are always willing to learn and to coach.

“They have both achieved great success with the club, county, Saxon Tigers and now England. They are certainly good role models for our many juniors at Lewes and will often be found helping with the junior coaching whether it be at training or at camps.

“I am sure that if they continue to work hard and remain keen for the game, even greater success beckons for them and perhaps they could follow in the

footsteps of ex Lewes junior player Ben Hawes.”

England under 18 girls also won bronze in their Four Nations tournament in Germany, beating Spain 3-3 on penalty strokes in thrilling style.

The match was tied at 3-3 after 70 minutes and went straight to penalty strokes. Tied again at 3-3 after the first round, the second barrage of penalty strokes were sudden death. Spain missed their first while Surbiton’s Kate Holmes scored for England to secure the win.

But England Under-16 girls struggled in the tournament, losing out 0-10 to hosts Germany after suffering from injuries through the second half which depleted their options for replacements. p

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 35

E

ngland Under-18 boys won the Four Nations tournament in Holland on Easter Monday, beating their hosts on penalty strokes.

Scores were tied at 3-3 after 70 minutes, but England held their nerve and in the shootout and won 5-3. Goalkeeper Sam Brooks of Lewes HC saved all the Netherlands’ shootout attempts, while Bromley and Beckenham’s Rob Farrington and Beeston’s Chris Proctor both scored to clinch the win.

England trailed 1-2 at half time with Proctor their scorer. But two goals from East Grinstead’s Luke Taylor after the break helped push the game to a shootout where England held their nerve to win the tournament for the first time since 2009.

In the under 16s, England boys defeated Germany 6-5 to secure third spot. England were down 1-5 early in the second half with just a solitary first-half strike from Team Bath Buccaneers’ William Seward to their name. But then came a heroic fightback.

Wakefield’s Guy Mills scored on 43 minutes when he drilled the ball low into the bottom corner from a drag flick, and Canterbury’s Harry Roberts added a third goal on 46 minutes when he blasted it past the keeper from a narrow angle on the right. Oliver Nail, Havant, made it 4-5 with a 58th minute flick after finding space in the circle. And Roberts bagged his second – pulling England level at 5-5 – with a diving deflection after Conor Caplan (Old Loughtonians) had crossed on 61 minutes. The crucial last goal came on 63 minutes, Nail scoring with a deflection at a penalty corner.

llllllllllllllllllllll planet hockey

All images – Frank Uijlenbroek / Euro Hockey

League

Images (clockwise from left) – East Grinstead’s Niall Stott tries the Simon Child (Rotterdam) high hurdles, Beeston’s Mark Wadsley in front of Uhlenhorster’s Jonas Furste, and tense moments for Reading fans at the Euro Hockey League in Rootterdam

Knockout in

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 36

E

ngland’s three representatives in the Euro Hockey League all fell at the quarter-final stage of Europe’s top-level club competiton in Rotterdam at

Easter.

East Grinstead, in form and packed with GB interantionals, lost 3-1 to an impressive HC Rotterdam on Easter Monday. Two goals from skipper Jeroen Hertzberger gave Rotterdam a comfortable half-time lead. A Mark Gleghorne corner with 18 minutes to go put EG back in the hunt and the game wasn’t killed off until Roderick Weusthof netted for the host club three minutes from time.

Last year’s bronze medallists Reading fell by the same score to KHC Dragons of Belgium in a tight game

that went to extra time. Dragons took a 22nd minute lead through Ireland international Stephen Butler’s cool, flicked finish. Reading levelled through Andy Watts in the 44th minute. Jeffrey Thys produced a textbook, high-slapped finish (watch the video on the EHL website) in the eighth minute of extra time. The third goal (Renaud Pangrazio) came in the dying seconds when Reading went without a goalkeeper.

Beeston were unfortunate enough to run into a bang in-form two-time EHL winning Uhlenhorster side who stuck seven goals past them on Easter Sunday (final score 7-1). A Stephen Lawrence finished corner gave Beeston a glimmer of hope, restoring the score to 2-1 in the 17th minute, but the Germans showed some composed

finishing to run away with the game.

The Easter weekend had started well for the English sides with Beeston coming from behind to knock over Club de Campo of Spain 2-1 in the round of 16. A solo run and strike from Ben Arnold levelled the scores in the 58th minute before Carl Smith deflected home a long pass from Alastair Wilson to give Beeston the lead with seven to go.

East Grinstead cruised past French champions CA Montrouge 8-0 on Easter Saturday thanks in part to a ‘fullhouse’ hat trick form Ashley Jackson – penalty corner, penalty stroke and field goal. Over in the other half of the draw Reading put in a thoroughly impressive performance to put out German champions Club an der Alster

llllllllllllllllllllll planet hockey

with goals from Iain Mackay, Simon Mantell and Andy Watts.

In the other quarter-final, Amsterdam H&BC defeated Dutch rivails and 2009 EHL champions HC Bloemendaal 3-2.

The semi-final lineup will now be Uhlenhorster vs KHC Dragons and Amsterdam H&BC vs Rotterdam, both games to be played May 26, with the final the following day. The venue has been confirmed as the Wagener Stadium, Amsterdam. AH&BC’s home ground. Detailed match summaries, video highlights, images and much more information on the KO16 is available on www.ehlhockey.tv , the official website of the Euro Hockey League.

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 37

Rotterdam

llllllllllllllllllllll planet hockey

Leicester and Reading win

All pictures – Andy Smith

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 38

E

ngland’s domestic season produced an exciting climax with close-fought championship playoff wins to Reading (men) and Leicester (women).

Reading’s last gasp 5-4 win over East Grinstead was the pick of the matches.

A thoroughly entertaining affair saw East Grinstead take a 3-1 lead early in the second half. Reading hit back twice, before Darren Cheesman put EG back ahead with eight to play.

Then came a Euro Hockey League (EHL) style own goal to level for Reading setting up a grand finale with Andy Watts rebounding in a Richard Mantell penalty corner after time had run out. The home fans went nuts as did, justifiably, the players still smarting from a 8-1 thrashing from EG, earlier in the playoff series and another 8-1 loss in March.

The women’s final earlier the same day (April 15) also featured Reading but his time the home fans were not so happy as they watched Leicester and GB player Chloe Rogers coolly knock in a decisive sudden death shootout goal – the winner coming after Leicester keeper Maddie Hinch saved from GB compatriot Laura Bartlett on the preceding play. The shootout was to EHL eight seconds to score from the 25-yard-line rules. Hinch had also performed well in the 1-1 draw in regular/extra time and was chosen as player of the final.

With 13 GB internationals donning club colours for the women’s final, it was disappointing to have to wait 59 freezing minutes for the first goal as Lucy Brown put Leicester ahead sliding in front of Reading and GB goalie Beth Storry to deflect a corner high into the net. Reading hit back three minutes later with Amanda Poteiger finishing a well-worked move. To some extent the low scoring was due to the players knowing each other inside out – notably on penalty corners – but whatever the reason, more goals are needed to raise the spectator interest in women’s hockey.

Reflecting on the playoffs as a whole, the current abbreviated playoff system falls short of producing the sustained intensity of the Dutch Hoofdklasse (where best of three series take up most of May). And while it’s possible to

Top – Leicester celebrate their Investec Women’s Hockey League championship with Maddie Hinch opening the bubbly; right – Reading captain Richard Springham lifts the trophy

argue about who deserves what, topping the league after an 18-game season with the prospect of a championship depending on a single game seems to blend chance and pressure in an unholy combination. Leicester, East Grinstead and Reading, as clubs, have all been on the right and wrong-side of the results in recent times, so maybe it’s time for a rethink.

The men’s playoff system was changed this year to include an extra round (at the request of the clubs) which was a step forward. But the women’s system remained the same as last year. This, together with the adoption of EHL rules for the playoffs, but not the league season, added to an air of confusion – witness the number of spectator shouts for cards when players played the ball with sticks over their head.

But returning to the main point, competitions that combine league and knockout elements and have a SINGLE final game aren’t necessarily bad – see the UEFA Champions League. There are also tremendous marketing advantages in having one final. And while a bestof-three finish a la Hoofdklasse would be preferable, this might be possible.

However a longer play off series with best-of-three ties leading to a final would be a more appropriate endof-season competition for hockey in England. And it would produce the sustained and realistic ‘pressure’ we

want our players to experience. If cost and calendar prevent full-blown playoffs, then go back to the old system of league positions.

On a far more positive note, the involvement of Investec in the women’s game continues to impress.

With prize money at stake, a strong marketing sense, effective banners and display boards for presentations and even an over-sized zebra statue, their involvement brought an air of professionalism and purpose the Investec Finals Weekend –brilliant.

TC Men’s final goalscorers – East Grinstead 4 – Mark Pearn 29 (F),David De Prez 38,41 (F,F), Darren Cheeseman 62 (F); Reading 5 – Nick Catlin 9 (F), Chris Newman 49 (F), Richard Springham 61 (PC), Own Goal (64), Andrew Watts 70 (PC). For details see www.pushhockey.co.uk/club p

mprove Play better, smarter,

faster, stronger hockey

hitting mental game

Skills, fitness, health and professional tips to play better hockey FOR EVERY LEVEL

llllllllllllllllllllll improve

impact on your game with...

mprove contents 41 hit mbe with your best shot – Derek Pappas looks at the principles of the much neglected hit 47 the mental game: coping strategies with Sarah Murray

Cover picture: Netherlands’ Carlijn Welten © Andy Smith

Does anyone hit a hockey ball anymore – well perhaps they should. The upright is certainly something that is used less often than in days of yore – watch a video from the 1980s and see if you don’t agree – but it is a very important skill. In this issue Derek Pappas looks at the mechanics of the hit in a way we haven’t seen before. The article is mainly aimed at coaches, but there is something to be learned for everyone there. I’ve been using his ideas to fine tune my own (honestly really rather good!) hit – so I can personally vouch for them. Good striking!

Tom Cooper editor

push mp rove

• Countdown to 2012 with all the latest Olympic news • Training and tips from top coaches to keep you going through the year

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 40

• And much more!

• F ollow us on Twitter @pushhockeymag www.pushhockey.co.uk

llllllllllllllllllllll improve

hit me with your best shot! part 1: hitting makes a difference introduction why hit?

Hitting is the only skill in hockey that can transfer the ball at a high speed on the ground while the passer is running. In the Astroturf era, hitting skills have declined as the slap hit (or sweep hit) developed to move the ball at a higher pace than the traditional push. But the hit, when used correctly and with good technique, remains vital in areas of the game such as shooting, rapid clearances from defence, running crosses and long cross-field and diagonal transfers.

However, unless a player has the correct fundamentals – and a coach who understands and can coach them – the resulting hit may be off target, bouncing, or Treeby Images

not hit at the correct speed.

The hit involves footwork, timing, rhythm, and biomechanics. What needs to be communicated by coaches to players is a set of fundamentals. Every other sport involving a stick/bat/ racquet and ball does this well through books, videos, and even magazine articles.

Hitting remains a differentiator in international hockey. In the author’s opinion the Dutch women lost the 2012 Champions Trophy semi final to Argentina because the Dutch sweeper tried to sweep hit by pushing the ball in front of her (which took time), instead of “ripping” the ball up field with a quick upright hit. Her pass was intercepted which resulted in a counter attack/goal. This is not intended as a personal attack on this player. Rather this is a comment on the current state in the art of coaching hitting. A sweeper in the 1980s or 90s would have used a conventional hit in that situation. Perhaps the “safe skills” that coaches are teaching are not that safe after all?

Fundamentals matter Learning how to hit a hockey ball is like learning how to hit a tennis or golf ball.

There are different spins, footwork patterns, hitting off the right/left foot, hitting running in different directions, lifting the ball, chopping the ball – but no matter which hit is being executed there are certain fundamentals that need to be used in order to hit the ball cleanly and correctly.

Most of these fundamentals like the grip, elbow in the right side or close to it, stick pointing at the target are explained briefly in this article.

But there are no quick tips to be applied to a hockey hit, golf swing, or tennis stroke. Quick tips lead to bad fundamentals. Hitting faults due to bad fundamentals can be difficult to correct once they become ingrained in a player’s movements. objectives of a hit Good hitting skills mean being able to: * Hit a pass that teammates can receive, >>

Australia’s Renee Trost

Article and illustrations © 2012 Derek Pappas except where stated

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 41

the hit used to be the bread-andbutter of hockey but it is a skill that has declined in recent years. Derek Pappas explains that the hit is still an important part of the game, but it needs to be coached well

llllllllllllllllllllll improve

Hockey Australia

*

*

Evaluating a hit Coaches need to look at the path of the ball from behind the player to the target to assess the results of the player’s hit (Note: specialised hits like a slightly lifted hit or a shot on goal will have different results). The following is a list of characteristics of a conventional hit: Good results * The ball is rolling on the ground * The ball rolling with over spin * The ball is travelling on target * The ball is not bouncing * The ball is travelling at the intended speed Bad results * The ball is bouncing Australia’s Kobe McGurk * The ball has side spin correctly in all countries. * The ball is not on target Even then, many skills, such as hitting on * The ball is travelling at a low/wrong the run, cannot be performed correctly speed. at the highest level. Just watch the teams warm up before an international – just Outcomes under pressure how many are hit at the side boards/ There are a set of principles that govern corners of the goal? outcomes in games: * Good fundamentals hold up under pressure * Bad fundamentals cause bad hits under pressure * If you have good fundamentals then under pressure, when the adrenalin is flowing, you will hit the ball better Coaching objective * Under pressure, bad fundamentals Coaches needs to work one-on-one result in hits which are bouncing, miss with the players guiding them through the target, have side spin, are the simple movements designed to eliminate incorrect speed. the excessive movements that lead to compensations during the downswing compensations cause errors and result in inconsistent hits.

A player with bad fundamentals cannot hit the back of the ball without going Over-coaching through contortions on the downswing.

Coaches should keep in mind that players Compensations due to a bad grip, bad can only manage one thought during ball position and bad pickup all result in a the swing. Do not ask the players to think hit that has a higher probability of failure about more than one correction. Remind under pressure and when the player is the players to clear their mind of all other fatigued. Watch the best players in the thoughts other than the one swing world in the last ten minutes of a game – correction. that is how to tell who has a good hit.

Players with good fundamentals can Variations in player’s swings deliver a proper hit under extreme The following fundamentals must take pressure in match situations – that means into account the age, height and build on the ground, at the target, with no top of the player. Players will have different spin, and at the correct speed. “Gluing” angles to the ball and distances to the ball the ball to the turf when hitting under depending on their height. pressure requires good fundamentals.

If you look at the hits of the good players relative orientation you will notice that they do many of the The relative orientation of the stick should things mentioned in this article correctly – be maintained throughout the swing.

I ran this by two former Olympic coaches If the relative position of the stick is and they agree – moreover they agree changed during the swing then the player that the basics are not being taught will have to make a correction during

coaching the hit

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 42

the swing. As I have emphasised – players make compensations during the swing due to bad fundamentals.

The orientation will be changed if any of the following occurs: * Rolling the hands * Swaying the body * Lifting the head up.

making the receiver’s job easier Hit the ball at a target, goal, teammate, or gap between defenders Hit the ball so that it arrives at a point on the field at the right time.

Remember that corrections are easier to make when there is no pressure on the player.

biomechanics A set of hitting fundamentals is outlined below. Some of the fundamentals are counter intuitive.

Address Put the ball away from the body and on a line between the feet.

Many players incorrectly position the ball outside (ahead of) their left foot.

Bend the right elbow and wrist, waist, knees, right elbow, and ankles (stationary/motion). Many players stand too upright and their legs are straight.

Flat/not bent back. Many players have a curved back. *

*

*

Position of stick on the ball The ball should be positioned in the middle of the flat part of the stick, not towards the toe of the stick. Hockey sticks have a sweet spot and lining the ball ball up on the sweet spot is important. * The face of the stick is vertical. *

Grip (Coaches this is an unnatural position and the player will resist this change) The grip is the basis for the hit. * Point the v’s between the thumb and forefinger to the right chin * The top of the left hand and the left thumb should touch the bottom of the right hand.

Arms/Hands The coaching points are: * Arms hang down * Hands face each other on the stick * When viewed from behind the right elbow is slightly below the left elbow because the left shoulder should be slightly above the right shoulder and the left hand is above the right hand. So it is natural for the slightly bent right elbow to be slightly below the left elbow. Coaches – this is an unnatural position and the player will resist this change. * The angle between the arms and

llllllllllllllllllllll improve

the backswing Up to this point the player has not been asked to think about anything during the swing. Key points on the backswing are: head The eyes stay on the spot where ball is during the backswing * Keep the head down during the hit through the ball * The head moves down during the downswing and stays down during and after impact * Watch the spot where the ball is until the stick is at least two feet past the ball * Do not lift the head up above the starting point until well after impact. *

right wrist Keep the right wrist bent backwards during the swing (cup the wrist-do not bend it up or down). This is a difficult point to make. But once the right wrist straightens the hitter has lost control of the stick and released through the ball. Keeping the right wrist bent backwards is the key to controlling the direction of the hit * A bent right wrist is one of the keys to generating power and retaining the angle between the stick and the arms until the last moment prior to impact.

At this point things get a little complicated but if the player has executed the above points correctly then they have a high probability of executing the hit correctly, if they get the following points right:

*

centre of gravity The centre of gravity stays between the feet

*

Right elbow is below the elbow at address

The ball is lined up with the straight part of the stick and not the toe

The arms at the address position

*

* *

The player should not shift their weight so that they lean sideways, forwards or backwards Keep the weight centered over the arches of the feet at address Do not drift the weight out over the toes.

*

position, the end of the stick will be pushed below the horizontal line. This is a difficult point to understand and coach – see another illustration over the page.

Ask the player to relax their arm and hand so that the right hand remains in the correct position on the stick and the right elbow starts to bend gradually on the backswing.

An incorrect pivot point leads to all sorts of weird motions in the backswing which cause compensations in the downswing – leading to hitting faults, especially under pressure.

swing * Do not rotate the stick around the * stick-handle axis at any point during the swing with the hands unless it is just prior to impact and the intent is to disguise the hit * Do not push the hands away from the body or raise them up out of the swing path backswing * The toe of the stick should point up * Maintain a triangle between the two at waist high on the backswing and shoulders and the hands as seen from follow through the front during the take away * Rotate the shoulders around the spine. * Maintain the angle between the arms and the stick as seen from the back pivot point during the backswing The pivot point should be end of the * Arms are both straight until just below stick next to the left little finger (not the waist high on the back swing right forefinger which is the case of most * Elbow folds into the side at this point players) and may leave the side on a longer * To picture the pivot point imagine a backswing (and the elbow should horizontal line through the end of the return to the side on the downswing). stick next to the left little finger – see This is the critical point in the swing below. As the stick is drawn back the and where most players go astray: pivot point should remain on the line.

If the player incorrectly pivots off their * They rotate the stick around the axis of the stick handle so that the toe of the right hand, which is in a dominant >>

pivot point

Correct pivot point

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 43

*

the stick will vary, depending on the height of the player, when viewed from the back of the intended path of the ball.

Note the position of the ball. It is in a spot directly in the middle of the straight part of the stick.

llllllllllllllllllllll improve

right fore Þnger is the pivot point

right little Þnger is the pivot point

Problem: picking up the stick with the right hand instead of sweeping the hands back away from the ball.

Problem: pushing the left hand down instead of sweeping the hands back away from the ball.

Common pivot point faults

* *

*

Right elbow is below the elbow at address

Right elbow is near right hip bone, stick is between the shoulders

*

View from behind the target line at address (left) and at the top of the swing. The red line is an imaginary plane running from the ball, through the shoulders – the player should stay aligned with the plane through the swing

stick points not up at waist high but away from or towards the ball They push the end of the stick away from its pivot position At waist high they pull their hands back away from the ball behind their right hip so that the back of the left hand is facing away from the target line Instead of the upper right arm pointing directly down the upper arm faces backwards (the flying elbow) which results in looping or helicopter swing or the right elbow faces towards the ball and the player chops down on the ball instead of swinging through it The stick should be parallel to the target line and the toe should point straight up at waist high on the backswing and point at the target with the toe up on the follow through.

If the pivot point is the right forefinger then the stick will be out of plane at the top of the swing resulting in a “helicopter” hit”.

Top of the swing * The player has “set” the angle between the arm and the stick * The angle is less than 90 degrees * The player will retain the “set” angle well into the down swing * The left arm is straight * For a normal hit the weight is on the right foot * The stick is between the shoulders * The toe points down the target line and not left or right of the target.

Downswing Right elbow touching the player’s side – easy for the player check because they know whether the arm is touching their side * The hips lead the downswing * The left knee is bent (for running hits straightening the left knee at impact is going to cause long-term injuries for some players. The left knee was not

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 44

*

Right elbow is far away from the right hip bone

Right elbow is below the left arm

The hands have been swung behind the right hip

Incorrect pivot point (bottom) causes helicopter swing. Top shows correct position at top of swing

llllllllllllllllllllll improve

The hands have been swung behind the right hip

*

*

*

Shoulders and/or hips have not rotated a sufĂžcient amount and the hands are in front of the plane

*

Or the player has pivoted off of the right hand instead of the left hand

Problems at the top of the swing when viewed from the back (both diagrams above)

* * *

*

*

*

designed for that kind of impact on Astroturf) The player is pushing off of their right foot The right knee is driving into the ground Get the right elbow bent and tucked into the side on the back swing and downswing The right elbow can release during longer swings towards the top but needs to return to the side on the downswing The angle set between the arm and stick is retained until the hands are waist high Straighten the right arm prior to impact to release the right arm through the ball towards the target.

Impact The stick has been returned to its original position at address * The triangle between the shoulders and the hands has been restored * The right elbow is slightly bent * The back is flat * The hips, knees, and ankles are bent * The hips have turned slightly around the spinal column while the shoulders are square to the ball * The right lower leg is close to parallel to the ground * The ball is between the feet * The player is not leaning to the right. * The shoulders are parallel to the the target line (unless a deceptive hit is being used in an advanced technique) * The left knee is bent and the over the *

* *

middle of the left foot As the stick approaches the ball the player is releasing the right wrist and the right arm through the ball without rolling the wrists and the left arm is straight Maintain the flat plane between the left arm and the stick. Think about hitting the ball with the left arm through the stick to form a wall Hit the back of the ball at impact (if the player hits the top of the ball and raises the ball they probably used a baseball grip or rotated the stick on the backswing) The player must not roll their wrists through the impact area The left arm/wrist does not collapse The player stays bent at the waist.

Follow through Point the right arm at the target and at the ground during the release * At waist high the toe of the stick should point up and the stick should point at the target (unless a special side spin hit has been executed or the player has run around the ball to the left-then they need to use a blocking follow through like a forehand cricket shot and not release the wrists). * Note that on the follow through the player must not allow the left wrist to collapse or bend backwards. * After impact the triangle is maintained to ensure that the face of the stick still points at the target to avoid changing the direction of ball due to prematurely rolling the wrists. * After about 18 inches to two feet past the ball, the stick rotates around the pivot point and not the right hand * The two forearms should touch each other at waist high on the follow through * Do not push the left hand/the end of the stick down on the follow through.

The end of the stick is still a pivot point and should not be manipulated in any way >> *

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 45

Right elbow is below the left arm

Right elbow is far away from the right hip bone

llllllllllllllllllllll improve Correct swing and follow through

*

The right arm straightens after impact, points at the ground, and towards the target.

Important: Have the player stop their follow through of the stick when it is parallel to the ground. If the arms are not straight and the player’s stick is not pointing at the target and the two forearms are not touching then something has gone wrong.

Footwork during the swing The player must understand the footwork for a stationary hit more so that for a running hit. During a stationary hit the footwork and the hips are the primary initiators.

Address * Feet are flat on the ground * Weight is distributed evenly between the two feet

* *

Weight is not on the heels or the balls of the feet Feet can be together or apart depending on the type of hit being executed.

Back swing The left foot lifts up during the backswing and moves to the left * Alternatively both feet remain on the ground during the hit and the weight is more on the right foot to start with and shifts to the left during the downswing * The right foot does not roll to the right * The right foot provides a brace against the hip wind up. *

*

Downswing The right heel lifts off of the ground and drives towards the ball along with the right knee.

players to watch These players all have world class hits under pressure: * * * * *

Billy Bakker (Netherlands) Luciana Aymar (Argentina) Moritz Furste (Germany – right) Teun de Nooijer (Netherlands) Jamie Dwyer (Australia)

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 46

Their techniques should be studied carefully and communicated to the new generation of players.

Andy Smith

Impact Left foot is turned out toward the target * As a result of the right foot driving towards the ball the body is in a lunge position with the right heel off of the ground, the right knee is six inches off of the ground, the left knee is bent. This is result of the footwork and lowering the body during the downswing.

*

next time Putting it all into practice. Drills to coach and test hitting and an analysis of common faults. p

about Derek Pappas Derek has played hockey on three continents and in 10 different countries. He was on the US international training squad in the 1980s and now coaches skills, patterns of play, game tactics, and various teams.

He is CEO of GroupAngle http://groupangle.com

llllllllllllllllllllll improve

the mental game Andy Smith

part 3: coping strategies

Can control

iNTRODUCTION The last two articles focused on how increased self awareness and use of positive self-talk can enhance hockey performance. These are really effective psychological tools to master and as with any new skill they take time before they become embedded and you feel you have control of your performance. I am sure that most hockey players have played matches or had training sessions where they felt invincible and totally ‘in the zone’, during this it is usual that a player will have heightened self awareness, positive self-talk and an ability to manage mistakes effectively.......it feels great! when it doesn’t quite work However, there are times when despite thorough preparation (both mentally and physically) and feeling really positive about performing, it doesn’t go to plan.

This is when our focus often shifts from internal to external processes – instead of thinking about how well we have prepared and using positive self-talk, we feel that our performance is out of our control and tend to focus on external uncontrollables such as the opposition, the umpires, the pitch, the weather, our teammates.

How much control we perceive ourselves to have has a massive impact on self confidence which in turn influences how we perform on the

Argentine superstar Luciana Aymar cuts a forlorn figure in the rain – but dealing with those days when you aren’t ‘in the zone’ is important in sport

pitch. Feeling of control = greater self confidence= better performance.

A tool I often use with athletes to explore this is explained in the task below, it supports development of effectively coping with the unexpected/ uncontrollable, using awareness. The first step in mentally coping with poor performance is being aware of what you can and cannot control.

TASK Make a list in the box below of what you can and cannot control during a match, choose three to five areas to start off with. >>

Cannot control llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 47

In her first two articles for iMprove Sarah Murray of Performance Edge looked at developing our selfawareness and use of positive self-talk.

But regardless of how well prepared you are mentally and physically for the challenges ahead, there are just those days when things don’t quite go to plan – that’s when you need some coping strategies to get your performance back on track

llllllllllllllllllllll improve

For example: Can control * Intensity of personal warm-up * Pre-match nutrition and hydration Cannot control * Weather conditions * Opposition players * Umpires The next time you feel yourself becoming concerned about an area outside of your control, picture the diagram on the right and place your attention from the outside circle to the inside circle. This shift in focus enables you to feel that you do have control over your personal performance but more importantly that you control how you react to your performance i.e. focussing on positives, dealing with mistakes effectively and not allowing the umpires decisions or the slippery pitch to be used as reasons for poor personal performance (they are not controllable despite how you may wish them to be!)

There is little benefit in spending time worrying about things that are totally outside of your control, use the control circle as a trigger to become more aware of this during performance.

‘What if’ scenarios I have discussed the importance of feeling in control, this is particularly important when you find yourself in an unexpected scenario on the pitch. To cope with this, planning for how you may deal with unexpected issues before a match can be a performance enhancing exercise. The benefit is that when something does go wrong, valuable ‘head space’ is not used up trying to deal with it. Mental rehearsal of the situation should have already taken place, which results in less of a negative performance impact.

This allows you to focus on what you

Uncontrollable

controllable

Think inside the circle – take control of the situation The circle of control

want from your performance rather than how to deal with the issue. It is beneficial to have your own plans but also to discuss ‘what if’ scenarios with your team and mentally rehearse them together.

Andy Smith

It’s a good idea to involve all parties in this strategy (players, coaches, manager etc.) Whilst it is not possible to predict all situations, the fact that you have given ‘what if’ scenarios some thought and planning means that any new situation is likely to be more effectively dealt with.

The advantage of planning is that you will remain calm and accept the situation by either taking control or accepting that you cannot control what is happening (implementing your plan). Sometimes the planned response may not work, in this case be flexible and find a plan that does work for you or your team.

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 48

TASK Using the box on the following page, spend 5 minutes coming up with your own strategies for three of the more common situations.

Create your own ‘what if’ plans based on past experience and on discussions with teammates.

And finally...........

The coping strategies I have gone through in this article are designed to help a player recognise and deal with poor performance effectively by taking control.

Jonty Clarke (back) and Rob Moore celebrate Moore’s 68th minute winning goal for England against Germany in July 2011

What others should do?

Additional information?

Scenario 2 – What if we get stuck in traffic and arrive late for the match?

Scenario 3 – what if the pitch is slippery/sticky/bouncy etc?

Develop your strategies for common situations – after CI Karageorghis and PC Terry (2011) Inside Sport Psychology

Both the circle of control and the ‘what if’ scenario planning also require the player to be in the present moment. Much of the work I do with athletes centres on being in the present when performing.

The act of taking control of our thinking and our self-talk is what allows us to be present and stay in the moment. It takes practice but once you are aware of your self-talk and your controllables you are on the way to recognising which time-frame you are in (past, present or future). For example: a bad umpiring decision is in the past moments after it is made, yet if you are still thinking about the decision you are likely to not fully focus on the present

task (which may be match winning tackle needed to be made). Conversely, if you are thinking about the end result of the match and perhaps where that will put you in the league during the game this will also cause you to lose focus on the present task.

If there is one message I wish for my articles to have given it is that sport psychology is an integral part of what makes a complete hockey player and that it is not something that should only get used when there is a performance issue. You wouldn’t only go to training when you were playing badly, you go to maintain and continue to improve

performance, the same applies to sport psychology, it is about maintenance and improvement.

‘Whether you think you can or you think you can’t you are absolutely right’ – Henry Ford.

Performance Edge Consultancy – ‘creating winning minds’ Sarah Murray, BSc (Hons), MSc Sport Psychology sarah@performanceedge.org.uk Tel: 07786835780 www.performanceedge.org.uk p

llllllllllllllllllllll improve

What should I do?

Scenario 1 – What if the umpire seems biased or incompetent?

llllllllllllllllllllll consume

The ace of base Baselayers aren’t just for winter you know – here’s what the monkey man is wearing right now Sigvaris Pulse Road – calf sleeves and compression socks

RRP: Calf Sleeves £44.99 Socks £49.99 20% off for PUSH readers, see p.59

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 50

The Sigvaris Company has more than 140 years of experience in designing and producing compression wear. The company started in Switzerland and its background is in medicine and compression wear for patients after surgery. They have now produced compression wear for athletes.

The first noticeable difference from other types of compression wear / base layers is the fabric itself. The calf sleeves and compression socks are made from 76% polyamide 23% elastane and 1% polyester. The sock is ribbed and the material is slightly thicker than others, however there is no trade off with weight or bulk.

The socks are very light indeed.

Sigvaris Pulse Road – sock

Overall I think they are well worth investing in.

See www.sigsports.co.uk

2XU Compression Calf Sleeve

Sigvaris Pulse Road – sleeve

The same applies for the calf measurement with the compression socks. These cuffs allow the calf sleeve to stay in place during all activity and the fit is snug and very comfortable indeed.

Following a rigorous session my calves felt as good as new! In fact the quads and hamstrings ached the next day but calves were fine.

The material improves circulation / blood flow to the muscles and hence better oxygen delivery thus making the muscles work more efficiently. The ribs in the fabric stabilise the muscle and reduce vibrations on muscle fibres.

The socks/sleeves control the muscles thermally ensuring no overheating occurs. Another unusual aspect is they are made for land and water! So perfect for the hockey player as we are semi-aquatic creatures!!

RRP: £32.00 The elasticated top ensures the sleeve stays in place and does not drop towards the ankle when exercising. The stitching is blanket knit and joins the two panels that form the sleeve. This is a very comfortable product to wear and remains securely in position. The fit is comfortable with no discomfort at all,even with shin pads on. A trainer sock and match sock can also be worn comfortably I would recommend this product.

2XU compression calf sleeve

Everything you need to know about what’s out there. – product reviews, news and features.

There are two seams on the rear shoulder of the garment allowing a really snug fit. The brushed inside allows for the wicking of moisture away from the body leaving you dry and comfortable. Overall a very good base layer and I particularly like the feel and fit of this garment which is competitively priced.

G Force – Eclipse Core Top

2XU Compression Shorts

RRP: £50.00 2XU employs a circular high gauge knit fabric structure to deliver a 360-degree stretch compression. This allows for heightened circulation. The garments also work in both hot and cold climates.

The fabric wicks moisture away from the body and it is embedded with an odour and antibacterial application to minimise smell and prevent bacterial growth. The fabric also allows 50+UPV sun protection.

The shorts are comfortable to wear and available in white and black. The composition is 80% nylon on 20% Lycra.

There is a draw string waist with small internal pouch for keys or valuables.

There is blanket knit stitching running down front of quad and hamstring. The logo branding is on the lower part of the leg so it does show up under shorts.

Overall the fit is very good and the shorts are comfortable to wear.

I would recommend this product.

Available in men’s and women’s cuts.

See www.2xushop.co.uk

RRP: £18.26 The compression top sent to us by GYMPHLEX was the GForce Eclipse Short sleeve top. The garment has a crew (round) neck.

The top is a compression fit with high wicking properties – meaning that it keeps you dry taking moisture away from the body. In fact the garment is very good at this – keeping you dry during intense work outs. The wicking also helps regulate body temperature.

The stitching is flatlock blanket knit

names – directly on to the fabric. There is a minimum order of 10 pieces and lead time is between six and eight weeks.

However, you are also able to purchase this garment in a choice of 25 different colours. So if sublimation is not an option it is very easy to match your team or club colours.

The top is a good close fit and it does do what it says on the tin, wicking away sweat and keeping you dry during intense exercise.

Whilst the fit of the body of the garment is good the sleeves are somewhat loose fitting.

See www.gforcesportswear.co.uk

llllllllllllllllllllll consume

2XU Compression Shorts

Tempest Bio-Tec Baselayer

RRP: £25 Tempest’s base layer with its Bio-Dri moisture control and T-Tec equilibrium technologies meant that the garment fitted snug and was great at wicking moisture away from the skin. It felt comfortable and the back web meant that no matter what movement I made it stayed in place.

The great advantage of Tempest is that there are 11 colour schemes available off the peg – Black/ White,Navy/White, Royal/White, L.Blue/ Black, Yellow/Black, Orange/Black, Pink/Black, Maroon/White, Purple/ White, Dark Green/White, Lime Green/ White – so you can colour co-ordinate with your team strip for that extrasmart look.

Grays Long Sleeve Base Layer

G-Force Eclipse Core Top

which enables a nice comfortable fit. The fabric the top is made from is 220gsm.

GForce compression tops can be customised for your club as they will accept dye sublimation printing.

Sublimation enables you to print whatever you like –be it solid colours, graduated colours, club badges, bespoke colours, numbers or individual

Grays Long Sleeve Base Layer – also in white

Tempest Bio-Tec Baselayer

p

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 51

RRP: £35 The Grays base layer is once again the traditional crew neck. The fabric is 240gsm in a nylon and polyester mix.

The top is really comfortable and tight fitting – this is due to the small amount of spandex in the mix.

Grays base layers are available in four colours: black, white navy and royal. The seams are again of the flat-lock blanketstitched variety. for comfort.

llllllllllllllllllllll consume

sneak preview It’s the time of year the Stik loves the most – all the brands are knocking on the door asking him to road test their offerings for next season. Here is what has taken the maestro’s fancy so far...

TK Platinum P1

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 52

RRP 350 You have to feel it to believe it – it is the best stick I have tested and want one now! Forget Gold, Platinum is where it’s at. The TK Platinum uses Dynantex Technology which is a purification process for dry carbon strands. The carbon is straightened and rolled to give even more strength. But the stick does have IDS Integrated dampening system so you get amazing feel on first touch and dribbling.

Try one if you are in the market for a premium stick.

Gryphon Deluxe Dave Mercian PRO Carbon Shinguards

RRP £65 An old favourite, the cavernous Deluxe Dave (now 1060 x 240 x 225 mm) gets a workover for 2012. Gryphon have removed the small centre pocket and got rid of the cover bag that used to be zipped in, but it all works better as a bag with the two large pockets and less zips.

You can pretty much take everything and upwards of five sticks, while the backpack-style harness spreads the load and is handy for cyclists. With the changes, the price has gone up however.

The new colours follow the Olympic rings (plus navy) so that’s cyan, yellow, black, green, red, navy.

RRP £40 They are just so light!

A well shaped carbon shell backed by a removable washable medium density foam liner maximises protection whilst minimising weight. It’s time for those battered shins to fight back in war against carbon sticks.

The carbon fibre shell is made from the same aeronautical grade carbon fibre as the top composite sticks – so let battle commence. Has a single retention strap in the middle of the guard. Available in small medium and large.

Gryphon Tour Deuce II RRP £350 The Tour Deuce II has a thinned out toe so it turns much better for dribbling than before and the bow shape is 2013-rules compliant with a much smoother finish to the curve even though it is a 23mm bow and 205mm from the base.

This stick is designed for elite corner specialists and field players that like the ease of play that low-bows bring to their game Super-strong layup for top power. p

roots!

What’s going on at your club or school?

Email stories and pictures to editor@pushhockey.co.uk

Clifton win national U14 title David Pratt Photography

at Cannock February 29 – March 3, were Repton School (U18) and Arnold School (U16).

Clifton College will also be represented in the boys national finals to be played 24-26 April at Cannock, as Push goes to press.

Hockey facilities at Clifton include a

new international standard water-based hockey pitch.

Louise Catchpole, head of girls’ games said: “We are immensely proud of these talented girls. We have come close to winning the national finals on several occasions, so it is great to lift the trophy at last.”

GB stars drop in Great Britain hockey stars Dilly Newton and Maddie Hinch were guests of honour at UCP Marjon, Plymouth, on March 23 as part of the Hockey Nation programme, which will see British Olympic hockey players visit more than 450 secondary

schools over the next two months.

The ‘Come and Meet’ sessions gives thousands of youngsters the chance to try In2Hockey, a version of hockey for 10- to 14-year-olds, Plymstock School boys and Ivybridge Community College girls team won the five-a-side tournament on the day.

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 53

Clifton College have won the girls’ under 14 national school title with a 2-0 final win over Wakefield Girls High School in the college’s 150th anniversary year.

Goals in the final came from Ellie Holley and captain Izzy Watson.

Other winners in the Man National Schools Championships for Girls, held

llllllllllllllllllllll roots

Whitgift strides on

W

hitgift School’s list of recent national hockey titles singles it out as a growing hockey power in England.

Push talked to head of hockey at the Surrey school, Dr Karl Stagno, and the school’s three current England under 18 internationals to find out more about the school and facilities.

In terms of infrastructure, Whitgift has its own floodlit astro pitch, a modern sports hall and top-notch gym.

And then there is an impressive lineup of experienced hockey coaches led by Dr Stagno himself , a national premier league coach with Surbiton.

So how do those facilities and that expertise work together in practice?

School captain Rob Farrington joined Whitgift midway through year nine. Now established in the England team, he recognises a big improvement in his hockey since arriving at the school. “At under 14s, I was probably middle of the pack in terms of selection for the South, but since coming to Whitgift, I’ve gone from middle of the pack in the South to being part of the leadership group for England – that’s a massive improvement,” he says.

Of course that sort of success

doesn’t come easily. “There has been a lot of hard work from all three of us,” Rob says of fellow England U18 representatives Luke Taylor and Jonty Griffiths, “but Whitgift has given us the facilities to train more regularly, use the gym – and my fitness is one aspect of my hockey that has improved massively – and also gain knowledge about the game.”

Jonty came into the school at the under 12 level. Now 17, he has seen a general improvement in hockey at the school over that time. “There has been a progression coming through,” he says.

“Especially with the coaches coming to Whitgift – they have just got better and better, and now Dr Stagno. That has been really important. The coaches here are a great source of information and just working with them on a daily basis has really improved my game.”

Luke Taylor, current England U18 skipper, says playing indoor hockey at Whitgift has been important to his game. Joining at the end of year nine, he has won two national under 16 and two national under 18 indoor titles with Whitgift. “Indoor hockey really improves your basics,” he says. “Passing, trapping, moving with the ball - all the basics you need for hockey.”

The school’s indoor facilities are used, amongst others, by England ladies and premier league club Surbiton for training. “We have an £8million sports hall,” says Dr Stagno. “The strength and conditioning suite is one of the top ones in the area. And we have a strength and conditioning coach who works with all years. Every morning there is a year group coming in, whether it is hockey, rugby, cricket or football, so they do get top strength and conditioning coaching.

“The astro is pretty much open, and manned with a coach, just about every day of the week. So the boys can go along there and get one-onone coaching. The facilities and the infrastructure of hockey are very strong here, and in my experience working in schools, Whitgift is second to none.

“If you look at the fixture card, this season the boys have already played 41 games – you don’t even get that in the premiership. So you ask Jonty, Rob and Luke about whether their hockey has improved here – you look at the fixture card and you can see why it has.”

The school is not resting on its laurels, however. “Nothing seems to be too hard or too difficult for the school and we are continually trying to expand,” says Dr Stagno. “We’ve just taken on Marc Hardy

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 54

KNHB/ Koen Suyk

Whitgift School’s Luke Taylor lifts the Volvo Four Nations U18 Trophy after England U18s’ tournament win at Easter

Rachel Williams, Vice Chair of the England Hockey Board (EHB) National Youth Panel who has been appointed as coach for Bromley and Beckenham in the national league. We have appointed him as head of PE and he is also going to be working in the hockey programme.

We have also picked up another coach and we are negotiating for a goalkeeping coach too – so we are always expanding.”

Dr Stagno adds that the school ensures study and sport work together and any conflicts are quickly resolved, although academic results remain paramount. “In many schools there seems to be a divide between the sporting and academic sides. There might be a situation where a boy can’t go to an event because of an academic commitment, but here they find a way of letting the boy go to the fixture and then find a way of catching up with their work. The school, because of its success, gets branded in all sorts of ways from the outside. But the bottom line for us is that it is a school. The most important thing for us is making sure the boys’ academic results are right up there with the best in the country.”

Rob, with exams coming up, says striking that balance between school work and the commitment needed to play international junior hockey isn’t easy. “In terms of A-levels it does get quite tough, but the teachers are reasonable and there is a way around things if there is a clash. You do miss quite a lot of days whether it’s through school hockey or England commitments, but the job gets done in the end and, hopefully, I can produce some good A-levels in the summer.” And playing sport for Whitgift does have advantages. “It’s very enjoyable competing for the school - especially indoors,” says Rob. “This year the final was at Whitgift so we got a bit of a crowd going. Sport at Whitgift is huge, not just the hockey, so all the younger kids start to look up to you which is nice. And hopefully they are the next generation to continue the school’s success. “ In terms of those school fixtures, Dr Stagno says the emphasis is very much on developing the players. “We try and make our fixtures hard.

We don’t go for easy games. The most important thing for us is how the boys are going to be looking when they are 25.

“One weekend this season we had six boys away with England U18 and England U16 training and we put out a first XI that was actually quite weak. Many schools would have created a fuss or moved the fixtures around to accommodate. But we actually put out that weaker side and won the game – that has happened about five times this year. When it comes to the nationals, of course, we want to have all our best players available - but in terms of the fixture card, we don’t mind it tough and we don’t mind losing as long as we progress.”

Whitgift Hockey Roll of Honour

U13 national outdoor champions 2011 Under 14 national indoor champions 2006 Under 14 national outdoor champions 2006, 2011 Under 16 national indoor champions 2009, 2010, 2011 Under 16 national outdoor champions 2009 Under 18 national indoor champions 2011, 2012.

“GFORCE offers a unique and innovative solution”

GFORCE. Not just another stock teamwear brand High Performance Bespoke Sportswear With a passion for sport, GFORCE prides itself in knowing how important it is to deliver high quality, affordable, multi-sport apparel with low order quantities and quick turn–around times.

Up to 13,500 Colour Combinations

Low Minimum Order

G–SUB Dye Sublimation

Free Design Service

A BRAND YOU CAN TRUST

T: 01507 523243 sales@gforcesportswear.co.uk

www.gforcesportswear.co.uk

One of Britain’s finest independent schools for boys n All-round education of the highest

quality for boys aged 10–18 n Beautiful parkland site with outstanding

facilities n Excellent pastoral care n Generous scholarships, bursaries and

other awards n Easy access from London, Surrey,

Sussex and Kent New for 2013 An on-site, purpose-built boarding house offering full, weekly and flexi-boarding will be available from September 2013 For more information or to arrange a visit, please telephone the School Office on 020 8688 9222 Whitgift School, Haling Park, South Croydon, CR2 6YT

www.whitgift.co.uk

Hurst

A stunning campus v A thoughtful, caring ethos v A strong community v A true education

Hurstpierpoint College provides outstanding education for boys and girls between 4 to 18 years on its beautiful, safe, superbly equipped 140 acre campus close to both Gatwick and Brighton. Find out more at www.hppc.co.uk and then visit us.

You will be made very welcome. Just phone 01273 836936 for information about personal visits and Open Mornings.

Hurstpierpoint College College Lane

Hurstpierpoint West Sussex BN6 9JS

admissions@hppc.co.uk

A sports academy can be a great way of combining sport and education. We asked Ella Dagnall what goes on at Moulton College Hockey Academy in Northamptonshire, and how it was developing her hockey.

I enrolled at Moulton College in September 2011 where I am undertaking an Extended Diploma in Sports Development, Coaching and Fitness within the Hockey Academy, which gives us the opportunity to play hockey every day and have girls’ and mixed fixtures on college sport Wednesday.

Our coach Brett Holland, sends out a weekly planner that covers all the areas we will be training on that week, it also gives us the chance to see on which days we will be working on individual areas and which days are team sessions which brings great structure to each session.

Individual skills are usually set out as different tasks in a circuit – we work on aspects of our game such as shooting, ball retention, v drags and pull backs.

We also work on team play some days where we will cover 16-yard hit outs and how to use the ‘happy area’ for an attacking opportunities. Each training session has a set warm up and also some sprints and using your stick to position the body on your open and reverse side. Brett also includes games in the warm up sometimes which will make sure we are utterly warm As an academy we have performed a number of different fitness tests to improve our game such as suicide runs and sprints, all these results are displayed on our own hockey Internet MOODLE page and we get the

Name: Ella Dagnall Studying: Moulton College Hockey Academy Year: First year Age: 17 Position: Attacking midfield opportunity to improve this score each month.

I am a resident student at Moulton which means I have my own room in the halls that I stay in all week and potentially the weekend if I don’t go home.

Living on site makes it much easier to be a part of all the sports activities and social events. I have made great friends among the residents because a lot of people are in the same situation as me and a lot have the same interests in sports. Being a resident I have unlimited access to the gym which is where I get the chance to keep up my fitness, which I really enjoy.

I have been given many opportunities while I have been part of Moulton College Hockey Academy, starting with British College’s trials in Blackpool Another opportunity I have been given is the chance to play in an all-girls team, were I have made great friends and we

llllllllllllllllllllll roots

Life at a hockey academy have created a great team spirit which encourages everyone to play their best.

We also have a mixed team that believes in one another’s ability’s we have been successful in many games with great wins and have also entered cups that start in March.

But the biggest opportunity I have had is the chance to play at Northampton Saints hockey club. This opportunity occurred through playing an under 18 game, the Northampton Saints players were very friendly and asked me to come and join. I took their advice and decided to go to the next training session on the Tuesday night, however at dinner that night before training, I received the offer to go and play for their first team against Bedford. I took the opportunity and even though I hadn’t played with the team before they made me feel welcome. From that game I was offered the chance to train with the first team. Unfortunately, due to registration, I have not been able to play a firsts league fixture this season yet but have taken part in training games and also have the opportunity to take part in all friendly’s or cup fixtures. I am currently playing for the seconds which is still a huge step up from the league I was playing in Luton before I came to the college.

At the start of this year I wouldn’t have ever thought that by joining this college I would have been given the chance to play in such as high league. I have made some great friends, been part of an amazing team and had the chance to improve in the sport that I want to pursue in a career. I still have my second year of college to come and I am going to take all opportunities that head my way.

Oaklands College and St. Albans Hockey Club (SAHC) have announced the formal confirmation of a longterm partnership.

Two high quality sand-­dressed and floodlit hockey pitches have been built and a 25-­year agreement has been signed. The pitches will see action as early as April, and will be followed by the opening of a new sports hall, changing facilities and fitness suite in September 2012. To mark the occasion, manager of the GB Olympic hockey team Andy Halliday, SAHC president Adrian Stephenson, and Oaklands College principal Zoe Hancock, took to the pitches to strike the first ball.

The new Oaklands Hockey Centre, has received financial support from the England Hockey Board, the National Hockey Foundation and Lafarge Aggregates & Concrete UK, via their Landfill Communities Fund.

Left to right: Peter Beard (SAHC project lead), Adrian Stephenson (SAHC president), Andy Halliday, Zoe Hancock (Oaklands College principal), Phillip Martin (SAHC chief executive), Paul Fielding (Oaklands College capital project manager), Mike Grainger (SAHC hon secretary).

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 57

New pitches for St Albans Hockey Club

Hurstpierpoint win 4 titles

H

llllllllllllllllllllll Push Page 58

urstpierpoint College has swept the floor to become county hockey champions across four different age groups, in the boys’ Sussex Cup competitions.

The under 16s, 15s, 14s and 13s all claimed their titles by overcoming some of the finest opposition in the county.

The under 11s, too, reached the county final and were runners up to a strong St Bede’s squad. They nevertheless qualified for the regional finals and came a creditable third in their first appearance at this level.

The u16 team’s win was particularly impressive as they did not concede a single game, finally beating East Sussex champions, Eastbourne College, to take the county championship and thereby retaining their title for the second year running. The U15’s road to success was also without the taste of defeat –

drawing just one fixture with Ardingly.

Hurst’s standard of play was promising from the very beginning of the boys’ hockey season in January and, as the term continued, they rapidly built upon their earlier successes. As well as the four county championships, the Senior School as a whole (fielding many C and

D as well as A and B teams) finished the season having played 132 matches achieving a win/draw ratio of 56%.

Hurst’s Head of Hockey Chris Wilson said: “Our results this Spring are a tribute to the hard work put in by all our squads and their coaches. The standard of hockey played has been raised in 2012, our first year as members of the South Independent Schools League, in which we have met exceptional outof-county squads from schools such as Charterhouse, Tonbridge, Reeds and Epsom. In addition, the recent completion of Hurst’s second astroturf has enabled us to increase the frequency of our training sessions. Next year, I am confident that we will perform to an equally high, or higher, standard.”

Pictures - (top) Hurstpierpoint College’s 1st XI, (centre) U14 player closing down the St. Bede’s midfield, (bottom left/right) U14s breaking free of the defence and netting the winning goal

International player We rally around our clients with energy and dedication. We’re team players.

Providing an extensive range of products and services in capital markets, investment banking, asset management, wealth & investment, private banking and property investments. Please note that returns are not guaranteed and some of our products will place your capital at risk.

To see us in action visit www.investec.com Investec, proud sponsors of England and GB Women’s Hockey Teams

Australia Botswana Canada Hong Kong India Ireland Mauritius Namibia South Africa Switzerland Taiwan United Kingdom & Channel Islands United States Investec Bank plc (Reg. no. 489604) and Investec Asset Management Limited (Reg. no. 2036094) are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority and are members of the London Stock Exchange.

Registered at 2 Gresham Street, London EC2V 7QP.