Hockey Bright Spark

28th November 2007

RICHARD Flint has pure talent on the hockey pitch. The 14-year-old picked up a hockey stick for the first time six years ago and it would have been hard to imagine then just how good he would be with it. In that time he has been picked for Cumbria, selected for the North West and is now gunning for a place in the England under-15s squad.

Margaret Mawdsley, one of Richard’s coaches at Glaxo Hockey Club, where he plays for the men’s first team, said he is a delight to work with, but comes with all the skills built in. “It’s all just natural ability, outstanding natural ability. “He listens, he takes on board what you say and he has got one of the best coaches in the county in Dan Reid at school.”

That school is Windermere St Annes, where Richard is a pupil. He lives nearby and has represented the school at numerous sports, including tennis, cross country and football. He has been spotted by Bolton Wanderers for his ability in the latter, while he ran for Cumbria at the English Schools’ National Cross Country Championships in Leeds in March. But it is on the hockey field where Richard truly excels. “I like the pace of the game. It’s a very fast game and I like the skill involved as well, you can express your skills in the games,” he said. “I enjoy playing it overall really. “When I first started, I didn’t really know much about it, but I started to enjoy it and I got into the school team, which did quite well in competitions. “When I moved over to Cumbria, the coach got me more involved in the game and I started to get better at it.” Dan Reid’s role at Windermere St Annes brought Richard to his attention and he soon had him playing for his club side Glaxo. Since then the youngster’s progress has been phenomenal. Richard added: “It’s really taken off for me. I started off by getting into the county team and the extra coaching helped me get beyond the county and play at regional level. “Playing for Glaxo is a good standard and it’s a big step up from playing junior hockey. It gets you involved with the more physical side of the game and it’s played at a lot faster pace and a lot harder then when you play junior hockey. “It gives me more experience of playing at a higher level and it helps me cope with the pace of the game at county level.” Playing and training with several different squads – Glaxo, Windermere St Annes, Cumbria and the North West – means Richard is able to benefit from training five times a week under coaches who provide him with different viewpoints on the game. And playing in the open age sides at Glaxo provided him with the insight into what came when he started playing for the county and regional sides. “The main difference between playing for the school and playing at regional level is the speed of the game,” he said. “When you play at a higher level you get closed down incredibly quickly, you’ve got to pick up the ball quickly and pass it off. “At school level it’s not so quick and you have got time on the ball. It’s just about the speed of the ball and the quality of the pass.” And on his England dream, he added: “There’s lots more to improve, I’ve got another year at under-15s level and I’m aiming to get into the England squad next year. “There’s still things I need to improve – passing, picking up the ball, scanning. “That’s my immediate aim, but I’m going to have to work hard to get there.”