Bridgnorth players get the regional eye
Several young Bridgnorth Hockey Club players have put themselves in the regional spotlight.
They have been selected for training at Junior Regional Performance Centres across different age groups.
Charlie Eyke, Elliott Watters and Toby Jordan were picked at under-18, with Andy Speke and Peter Bills-Brown at the year below.
No fewer than six were chosen for under-16 training in Glen Thompson, Mitchell Fletcher, Rob Wealthall, Archie Pugh, Max Evenitt and Ben Dixon.
Alex Starr represented the club at under-15 and Maisie Kinsey at under-15 girls.
Eyke, Wealthall and Kinsey have all been recognised for their achievements by Shropshire County Hockey in winning player awards in their respective age groups.
Further down the age range, Bridgnorth boys finished runners-up in the Midlands Under-10 tournament played at Beeston after just missing out in the final on penalty strokes.
As Shropshire county champions they met other Midlands county winners. In their pool Bridgnorth beat Ashby, Burton and Edgbaston while drawing with Beeston, North Stafford and Stourport.
That put them second in their group, behind home club Beeston, and into a semi-final with the other group winner, Rugby and East Warwickshire.
An outstanding performance saw Bridgnorth secure a 1-0 victory to reach the final – a return encounter with Beeston.
Bridgnorth took an early lead before Beeston equalised about halfway through the match. Bridgnorth then put Beeston under considerable pressure but were unable to turn some excellent play into a winning goal.
The match ended 1-1 and golden goal extra time was also scoreless. That meant a three-player penalty stroke competition. Bridgnorth could not find the net and Beeston's one successful flick made the difference.
To finish second in the Midlands was an outstanding achievement for the Bridgnorth boys despite the heartbreak ending.
At adult level, Bridgnorth are flying high in the Shropshire division of the Midlands Summer League.
The Badgers A team have also performed well, winning their league with a 100 per cent record from six matches.
With the new season not too far away, pre-season fitness training under the direction of first team vice-captain Danny Wright started on Tuesday.
Pre-season astro training gets under way on Wednesday, August 19 (7-8.30pm) while men's and ladies' separate training will commence on Wednesday, September 2 (7-9.30pm).
Juniors', ladies' and men's training starts the following week on Wednesday, September 9 (6-9.30pm).
Training for juniors begins on Monday, September 14. Players aged seven to 11 (school years three to six) train from 6-7pm and those aged under 15 (school years seven to 10) from 7-8pm.
The club is keen to encourage players of all abilities to join and assures them of a warm welcome.
