‘They deserve this’ – hockey side ready for District Cup final
Shetland’s hockey players deserve to win a trophy, their coach says – and he is urging them to go out and grab the opportunity with both hands on Sunday.
The ladies team face Edinburgh University 4’s this weekend in the Scottish District Cup final, their biggest match since their last final appearance seven years ago.
Shetland Hockey have never won a national cup competition, and coach Derek Leask said they were eager to end that barren streak on Sunday afternoon.
“We always have an eye on the future but this week all the focus has just been on trying to win this cup,” he said.
“We had a message from one of the umpires to say, ‘the lasses have been working so hard, they deserve this’.
“We want Shetland Hockey to have something to show for all the hard work.”
With Shetland having scored 21 goals in four matches enroute to Sunday’s final, Leask believes Edinburgh “will not fancy playing us”.
Shetland lost to Orkney in the 2017 Scottish District Cup final, shortly after Leask took over as coach, and he admitted they “hadna really got going” at that time.
Sunday’s game is an altogether different beast, with the coach hoping his team are “a peerie but more comfortable” in their playing style now.
The team for Sunday’s match is as follows: Rhiannon Inkster (captain), Megan Nicholson, Emma Michael, Lynsey Morrison, Kristan Robertson, Sarah Williamson, Vicky Wiseman, Rhea Nicolson, Chiara MacColl, Alexis Robertson, Nicola Balfour, Cara Leask, Megan Hibbert, Aimee Keith, Kayleigh Irvine and Abbey Arthur.
Sunday’s match will be livestreamed on the Scottish Hockey Facbook page, with passback at 12pm at the National Hockey Centre in Glasgow.
The Shetland Times will also provide a link to the livestream and coverage of the match on its website.
Full interview in yesterday’s (Friday, 5th May) edition of The Shetland Times.
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