Portsmouth coach will be ‘over the moon’ if hockey league season is suspended

They welcome Sunbury & Walton Hawks in the first round of Hampshire/Surrey Regional 2 games.

But coach Chris Wimshurst is adamant that England Hockey shouldn’t be allowing league hockey at their level to resume during the pandemic.

‘I don’t think we should be running the league,’ he stated.

‘That’s my view and it’s one shared by other coaches I’ve spoken to.’

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, hockey players will have to arrive at games in their kit as changing rooms are unavailable.

Dug-outs have also been closed off to help with social distancing.

‘It’s ok now when the weather is fine, but in winter you’ll be asking people to drive two hours into central London in their kit, possibly get soaked, and then drive home,’ Wimshurst outlined.

‘And as we’re an amateur club we’ll be charging them £10 to do so!’

Wimshurst believes a series of smaller geographical leagues should have been set up - in the same way that the Hampshire Cricket Board facilitated ‘micro bubble’ groups for Hampshire League teams in recent weeks.

‘We had already agreed with clubs like Havant, Chichester and Fareham to play a series of friendly games against each other if the league wasn’t taking place,’ he explained.

‘They would have been competitive games within a 20-minute radius.’

New Covid-related rules for players include the awarding of a green card (a two-minute stint in the sinbin) if they are found guilty of spitting during a game or of picking up the ball.

Wimshurst admits he would be ‘over the moon’ if his club’s league matches were suspended at any point in 2020/21.

‘They would have shown some foresight then,’ he remarked.

‘At the moment we can’t go and see our families, but we can play competitive hockey.

‘I don’t think this has been thought through, and we’re stuck in the middle.

‘At local level it’s not so bad, as there’s not much travelling, and at the top end it’s not so bad as the clubs have more money.

‘That’s another problem - some of our players have only just picked up a hockey stick again while the richer London clubs who own their own grounds have been training since August.

‘The league is actually starting a week earlier this year as well, so even less preparation time!’

Portsmouth hire pitches from the University of Portsmouth and Admiral Lord Nelson School, and for obvious reasons those facilities have not been available until recently.

CoP’s first XI finished fourth in the Hampshire/Surrey Regional 2 table in 2019/20.

They were two points adrift of second-placed Old Cranleighans, with two games left, when the campaign came to an abrupt halt.