GRASSROOTS SPORT
JUNIOR ICE HOCKEY
PUPILS are in for a smashing time at a tennis workshop at Tennis @ Churchill in Wallsend.
The event, on Wednesday April 26 (12.45-3.00) is organised by Game Set Match, a Newcastlebased sports events company specialising in organising and running tennis workshops for primary schoolchildren.
It will involve 120 youngsters aged between seven and 11. ■■SOUTH Shields youngster Haydn Pearce has achieved his first dan black belt in shotokan karate.
Pearce has worked through the grades from white to black belt in just under three years.
His instructor Rebecca Potts said: “Haydn works extremely hard in all sessions, is committed and dedicated to martial arts and is worthy of his black belt. “■■NORTH East six-a-side football teams are invited to compete in the 2017 Soccer Sixes UK Super Cup - and a £10,000 prize.
County heats will be held in the first and second week of June.
For more details, e-mail UkSuperCup@Soccersixes.net. ■■GREAT Park defeated Panthers 21-10 in Division Two of the Northumberland Spring Netball League’s Ladies’ League.
In Division Three, Concordia B triumphed 25-19 at Wansbeck C. ■■THE North East Midweek Cricket League holds its pre-season meeting on Tuesday, April 11 at Blue Flames CC (7.30). ■■FREE gifts worth more than £100 are on offer to teams signing up for a new six-a-side football league in Washington.
The league – run by Leisure Leagues - kicks off on June 7 and will play at Biddick Academy every Wednesday (7.00-9.00)
There is free entry for a limited time and all teams will receive a free kit. To register go to www. lesiureleagues.net or ring 03331 232 340. ■■PLACES are still available on Easter coaching courses run by Newcastle Community Football.
The courses - geared to four to 16-year-olds - will be held from April 10-13 and April 18-21 and cost £42 for four days.
For more details go to info@ newcastlecommunityfootball.co.uk or ring 0191 264 8060 or 07889 618 718. ■■TWO North cricket leagues will merge from 2018 after representatives from each voted in favour of the move.
The Northumberland Cricket League and the Tyneside Senior Cricket League decided to merge following a consultation earlier this year.
The aim is to increase the competitiveness of games and help minimise travelling times to matches for teams. A WHITLEY Bay ice hockey starlet has received another call-up to represent the Great Britain women’s team, writes SAM BLACKLOCK.
Casey Traill, who plays her hockey in Ontario, Canada, travelled with the team to South Korea for this week’s Division Two Group A World Championships.
The squad will take on opponents from Australia, North Korea, Netherlands and Slovenia in addition to hosts South Korea.
The tournament began yesterday and runs until Saturday.
Traill is one of eight members of the GB squad who currently play their ice hockey abroad.
She said: “I am absolutely delighted and honoured to be asked to represent my country.
“This is the test event for the Winter Olympics in Korea next year and will be a tough test for us.
“The South Korea team has been together playing for most of this season, including in North America.
“Likewise the Netherlands have come down from the division above and only lost their place in that division by one point.
“There will be no easy games at all in this tournament.”
Traill graduates from ice hockey school in Canada next month and has secured a place at Castleton University in Vermont, where she will be studying a five-year Masters degree in athletic training alongside playing dual sports in ice and field hockey.
The 17-year-old has been playing hockey since she was nine, when she signed up with the then Newcastle Vipers’ Academy.
Traill has enjoyed on-ice spells at Hillheads in both girls’ and boys’ teams, representing both the boys’ squad at under-13s and under-15s northern level.
In addition she represented the North of England girls’ under-16 team at the age of just 12.
Traill added: “I was really proud when I played for the North of England girls’ team.
“That was my first real opportunity to compete purely with other girls and was a team with lots of players I really looked up to.
“Four years’ age difference is huge at that age so that was exciting and opened the doors for everything that has happened since.”
The Whitley Bay-born youngster also represented team GB at the World Governing Body for Ice Hockey development camp in Finland at 15 and went on to be part of Team GB for four seasons running attending four World Championships and 21 international matches.
Traill also captained Whitley Bay under-16s boys’ team in addition to representing the boys’ North of England squads.
She said: It was great to represent the North of England Boys team when I was younger.
“To be honest at that time all I was playing was boys hockey so I did not really think it was unusual I was a girl. I was just part of the team.
“It is probably only afterwards when you realise how few girls are involved that you appreciate it was an achievement.”
Simon Leach, head coach of junior development at Whitley Bay Ice Hockey Club and assistant coach of the Great Britain under-18 team said: “Casey joined WBJIHC as an under-14 player after beginning her hockey career at the Newcastle Ice Hockey Academy.
“The following year she moved to the under-16s at Whitley Bay and in a very competitive environment was showing excellent promise.
“In her first year she was awarded the Best Defence accolade at the end-of-season awards night.
“The following season Casey was made captain of the under-16s as not only her playing skills were being noticed but her leadership skills also.
“Her captaincy appointment was great credit to her hard work and dedication, which saw her being selected for GB’s under-18 women’s squad, which she has represented a very impressive 21 times.
“Casey is now a part of the GB senior women team and will hopefully have reached 10 caps by the time she returns from Korea.
“All of this will be achieved before her 18th birthday.
“Everyone at WBJIHC is very proud of her achievements to date. “I can only see a an exciting future for her and many more caps at international level to follow.”