LEAMINGTON Hockey Club held their open day on Sunday as blazing sunshine greeted a visitor from the national team amidst 40 buckets of fund-raising cold water on what proved to be a roaring success of a day.
The day of sporty fun – held as part of England Hockey’s National Club Weekend – took place at North Leamington School and was a chance for players of all ages to give hockey a try and find out more about playing for Leamington.
The open day kicked-off with a focus on youth, as the club’s acclaimed academy ran skills sessions for junior players, including shooting practice, dribbling drills and sprint tests.
The juniors were also visited by Paul Smith from England Hockey, who watched the players going through their paces and donated a signed England shirt to the club’s raffle.
The rest of the day was given over to the club’s senior players, with a number of mixed matches offering club members old and new a chance to impress their coaches ahead of the new season, which starts later this month.
To round off the event, a group of club members also took part in an ice bucket challenge. They raised £85 for Myton Hospice, as well as nominating England Hockey to take the plunge themselves.
Club Chairman Mike Drury said: “The open day was a great success and it was fantastic to see so many people joining in and playing some hockey.
“We now can’t wait to get stuck into the new season and new players are still very welcome to come along to training (see our website for details). Thanks to England Hockey and our sponsors Alegria Health, Warwick Sports and Lidl for their help in making the open day go so well.”
For more information about Leamington Hockey Club, visit www.leamingtonhockeyclub.co.uk.
LEAMINGTON Hockey Club is running an eight-week coaching programme especially for adults who have never played or have not picked up a stick in a while.
The programme is part of England Hockey’s Back to Hockey initiative and will run every Sunday from September 28 to November 16 between 11.15am and 12.15pm.
It costs just £30 for eight weeks of coaching and is a fun, friendly and pressure-free way to get into playing a team sport.
