Olympic gold leads to increased interest in hockey

A hockey coach says the success of Team GB’s women at the Olympics, including Dry Doddington’s Shona McCallin, has increased the popularity of the sport.

Former Newark Hockey Club player Shona and her teammates won gold at the Rio Olympics.

Paul Halfpenny, club coach at Newark Hockey Club, said when pre-season training started there were more new faces at the club than ever before.

He said: “The interest in our Facebook page has gone crazy. It really did have a knock-on effect.

“We have had a lot of former players in touch and the feedback we are getting from other clubs is that the reaction is just as incredible.

“We even had a 50-year-old gentleman who had never played hockey before, telling us he is fit and wanted to give it a go.”

Halfpenny, who will be leading the men’s first team this season, said the had Olympic success had attracted a lot of people to the club.

“There are faces I have never seen before and there’s more this year than there ever has been before,” he said.

“Seeing hockey being televised and seeing the players on shows such as Jonathan Ross has had a massive impact on the popularity of the game.”

Ladies 1sts begin their Notts Women’s Hockey League campaign against Ashfield Aztecs Ladies 1sts a week on Saturday.

They travelled to Leicester for a pre-season game, winning 2-1 after soaking up lots of quick counter-attacking and strong marking in the home side’s circle.

The 2nds also beat a Leicester side 3-1, having gone behind from an early counter-attack by the home side.

Ladies 3rds beat Bourne Deeping 6-1 in a well-worked team effort and Ladies 4ths recorded a 5-0 win against the same opponents.

The Mens 1sts, who weren’t in action at the weekend, begin their campaign in the MRHA East Midlands 1 against Oundle on October 1.

The 2nds won 6-0 at home in pre-season against local rivals Mansfield. Nigel Bett scored four with Adam Holland and captain Simon Higgs also getting on the scoresheet.

The 3rds, playing away at Mansfield, won 4-1. Dave Fellows, Tom Roper, Seb Hufton and Cam Roberts grabbed the goals.