Cannock Hockey Club has finished top of the Midlands 2nd XI Premier League with an unbeaten record all season.
The triumph was secured on March 6th when Cannock played Harborne, beating them 5-2, while competitors Leek lost against Stourport enabling Cannock to claim the title, 3 games before the end of the season and 12 points clear.
Cannock’s 2nd squad dominated their league throughout the season and this final victory has secured their position as the region’s top team for another year.
Andy Mitchell, club captain said: “We are absolutely over the moon to have won the league in such a decisive manner. The Cannock 2nd team have really stepped up to the challenge and thoroughly deserve this success.
The team has three highly talented and experienced players who are helping develop up and coming youngsters. David Mayer has won six national league titles as a coach, Andy Humphrey has over 100 caps for England and James Roberts, who played for the Great Britain U21 teams.
Andy Mitchell, continued: “I’m so pleased for the lads. We set the team up so that more experienced players could nurture youngsters and teach them new skills. This is the first year the team have played together so to win is a fantastic achievement.”
Cannock also continues its winning form to complete a hatrick of success, with both the U16 and U18 teams through to the national finals being held at Cannock Hockey Club on the 10th and 11th April.
The U16 comfortably won away to Sheffield Hallum 10-2, while the U18s achieved a 2-1 victory against last year’s winners Southampton.
A. Well both my parents played hockey for Cannock Chase High School staff team so they inspired me to go to some coach camps and before long I was playing on Sundays under Pete Pritchard! Aged 12 onwards I’ve been focused on hockey all the way.
Q. What is your best hockey memory?
A. Getting my first cap as an England Senior this summer playing against India. It was made even more special because we played at the University of Birmingham – where I went to uni.
Q. Why is Cannock so important to you?
A. I’ve grown up at Cannock; all my sporting success has been here at the club. The people here, all my coaches as I progressed up through the teams to the Firsts, have believed in me and inspired me to give my best.
Q. What do you want to achieve over the next 1-2 years?
A. I want to secure my place in the GB Squad for the 2012 Olympics. When I was 5 years old watching Daily Thompson at the Seoul Olympics I wanted to be competing like him – and hockey is my route to being an Olympian!
Cannock Hockey Club is pleased to announce that it will be hosting the following National Hockey events, on behalf of England Hockey, at Chase Park. Further details will be published on the website as they are received.
National Schools Girls Finals: Mon 01/03/10 – Thurs 04/03/10
EH U16 & U18 Girls and Boys Finals: Sat 10/04/10 & Sun 11/04/10
National Schools Boys Finals: Mon 19/04/10 – Thurs 22/04/10
English Hockey League Play Offs: Sat 01/05/10 – Mon 03/05/10
U17 JAC National Finals: Sat 08/05/10 & Sun 09/05/10
Cannock Hockey Club recently joined forces with 5 of the top hockey clubs in the region to start a new league to develop talented youngsters in the West Midlands.
The Midlands Challenge league will see Cannock compete against the best young talent from Loughborough, Birmingham University, Leek, Stourport and Beeston. The league was originally started to give the clubs second teams a chance to compete against each other but it has quickly become one of the region’s most fertile development grounds in the lead up to the Olympics in 2012.
Phil Gooderham, director of hockey said: “The Midlands has some of the most talented players in the country. This means we can select the very best players for our first teams but sometimes that means talented youngsters don’t get the chance to compete against equally talented opponents.
Cannock Hockey Club has finished top of the Midlands 2nd XI Premier League with an unbeaten record all season.
