Lindum Hockey‘s third team is preparing to contest in a national cup final for the first time.
The success of Lindum first team, securing a back-to-back promotion into hockey’s second-tier, has filtered down to the club’s other teams.
The ‘Yellow Submarine’s third team finished fourth in their division. However, their main success of the season has come in the national cup, where they have reached the final. They travel to the England hockey’s national stadium, in London, to face East-Sussex outfit Hailsham on Sunday, May 5.
Lindum beat London Edwardians in a tense shoot-out, known as ‘flicks’, to secure a place in their first-ever cup final.
Chris Hearn, Lindum Hockey vice-chair, said: “It’s lovely to see teams a little bit lower down the club get into these kinds of final. It’s a national competition, any teams at our level can enter it across the whole of the country. So, I think it’s a massive feather in the cap for Lindum to have a team get to the final. It really is a great achievement.
“Our goal as a third team is to promote the youngsters. The better youngsters that are coming through the club, for them the third team is that first stepping stone into the better quality hockey.
“We’ve got six or seven of the squad that is 18 or under, and that’s a massive achievement. All of those have all come through the Lindum youth system, with all that coaching that we do on a Saturday morning, and that’s all coming to fruition now.”
The team reached the semi-final last year, and won, but were thrown out of the competition. They had fielded an illegible player in their semi-final victory, meaning they were stopped from entering the final.
Hearn, who is also the third team’s captain, said: “Our first team has been fantastic, and where they have got to is an amazing feat, but we have to have everything in place behind that to continue to support that.
“That starts with the younger players, and if we can get it right at junior level, and provide that right sort of coaching, to help those guys and girls improve, then hopefully they can go through into the men’s second and first teams.”
Lindum beat University of East Anglia, Thirsk, Towcester and Leicester Westleigh, before sneaking past London Edwardians to book their place in the final.
They travel down to the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre, in the capital, as part of the finals weekend.
Hearn believes his team are in for a difficult test against Hailsham, who won their division this season.
However, he remains confident, saying: “It will be a tough game, they aren’t going to be a bad side at all. I think we’ve got a good chance, we’ve got a good squad going down there with a mix of youth and experience. If we all turn up on the day, I’m sure we can get the result.”
He added: “What better way to end the season that going to play at the national stadium in a national final. It’s going to be a great experience for everyone.”