Pivotal role for debutant

A former member of Newark Hockey Club has made his debut for England against the sport’s world and Olympic champions.

Adam Dixon (22) played in two away friendly matches against Germany, regarded as the best team in the world following their success in Beijing last year. The games ended in a 2-0 defeat and a 3-3 draw.

The former Grove School pupil, who normally plays right midfield, was picked in the pivotal central midfield position for the matches.

“It was quite daunting as Germany are regarded as the best one of the best, so being selected in that position was like being thrown in at the deep end,” he said.

In fast-paced international hockey, players are regularly swapped with rolling substitutes, but Dixon said he played more than half of both games.

The friendlies are part of an increasingly intense build up to this year’s European Cup in August, where Dixon is hoping to play his first competitive international matches.

On the way England will play friendly matches against Australia, Pakistan and India — all high-calibre teams.

“My short-term goal is to play in the European Cup in my first major international tournament, to showcase myself and hopefully get a medal,” said Dixon.

From there, the next target will be the World Cup and the Commonwealth Games, both set to be played next year in India.

But the pinnacle of any hockey player’s career is the Olympics, and Dixon has London 2012 firmly in his sights.

He said having support from not only family and friends but the whole country in 2012 would make it a special event.

Dixon is in his second year of a property investment and finance surveying course at Nottingham Trent University but said hockey would be his main focus up until 2012.

He now lives in Nottingham, where he plays for Beeston Hockey Club.

After first picking up a hockey stick as a young child at Newark, where his father Graham played, Dixon moved to Beeston at the age of 13 for the higher level of competition.

Beeston finished third in this season’s English Premier League, the highest standard of hockey in the country, and the team already boast a number of England internationals.

It is likely that his record of being the youngest person to play for Nottinghamshire will never be broken, having being chosen for the under-14 county side — the lowest age group — as an eight-year-old.

His prodigious talent saw him rise through the county ranks and into the England youth team at under-16, under-18 and under-21 level before achieving the highest honour of playing for the full senior team.

Long may his success continue, and hopefully all the way to the Olympic podium.