Lindum Hockey created a slice of history during the bank holiday weekend, winning a national cup competition for the first time.
The club’s third team came from behind to win in a shoot-out over Hailsham at England Hockey’s national stadium, claiming the Tier Four Knock-Out National Cup.
East Sussex-based Hailsham took a 2-0 lead in the third quarter. That lasted until a couple of minutes from time, when Lindum cut the deficit in half, before they levelled in the final seconds.
The Lincoln outfit then won on penalty shuffles, a shoot-out similar to that used in ice hockey.
“It’s certainly a day I’ll never forget”:
Lindum vice-chair Chris Hearn captains the third team, and scored the crucial equaliser in the cup final.
He said: “It’s amazing to play at the home of England Hockey, which is where all the Olympic hockey was played in 2012. Just to say you’ve played on the same pitch as the Great Britain players, with all the stands, was a real special day. It’s certainly a day I’ll never forget.”
“It wasn’t the best game from our point of view. We started off quite well in the first-quarter, we dominated the first five or ten minutes and had some good chances. But, as the game went on, they got on top.
“We conceded two goals in the third quarter, so we were 2-0 down going into the last quarter. We lost one of our players to a serious injury too, so I think that galvanised us a little bit. We started to put them under a bit of pressure, but we took it right to the wire.
“We scored our first goal with only two and a half minutes to go, and then we scored the equaliser on the very last hit of the game. We got a penalty corner and I managed to score, it went in right as the hooter sounded. Somehow, I don’t know how, we managed to turn it around. We got there in the end.”
A Hearn family occasion:
Chris Hearn’s son, Lewis, kickstarted the Lindum comeback, before his father finished the job on the buzzer. It was Lewis’s 18th birthday on the day, and one that will live long on in the memory.
The third team chief said: “It was very emotional, but just an amazing day. I think it’s a birthday that Lewis will never forgot. We couldn’t have wished for anything better, you just couldn’t have written it.”
“For me, all my hockey career I’ve wanted to play with in the same team as Lewis. We’ve managed to do that over the last season and a half, but to play in a national final with him, on his 18th birthday, and for us both to score and win the cup, was just unbelievable,” he added.
A “great” moment for the club:
Lindum Hockey has enjoyed success this term. Their first-team made it into the national league for the first time, setting a record for Lincolnshire hockey.
https://twitter.com/LincSport/status/1788152445811450186
They marked their first season on the national stage with a almost flawless promotion, creating yet more history by reaching the English second-tier.
Hearn said: “The first team have had a fantastic year, and to do back-t0-back promotions is amazing, but it’s a club, not just one team. So, to have a team get to a national final, and for that team to be such a mixture of youth and experience, is great.
“It just shows to us as a club that we are doing the right things, we’re promoting those young lads, pushing them forward and giving them those opportunities, and they are grasping them with both hands.”
Feature Image Credit: England Hockey