Hockey player to take on world’s best at 51
A CARMARTHEN sportsman has been selected to represent Wales at a top international competition.
Craig Jones will be part of the nation’s team at the Hockey Masters World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa in October.
Currently playing for Carmarthen Athletic Hockey Club, Craig, 51, from St Clears, must self-fund the trip and is looking for sponsorship.
Craig has already had a varied sporting life, having travelled the world with the Lawn Tennis Association, coaching and working with disabled players.
He also played rugby but had to cut short his career due to a shoulder injury.
At age 32, he took up hockey at the suggestion of a friend and currently plays in goal for Carmarthen Athletic Hockey Club, which meets weekly at the leisure centre in Johnstown.
Craig said: “The club entered the DE Cymru league in 2019 and we currently sit in division two, having been promoted.
“When the chance to trial for Wales came up, I was encouraged by other players to give it a try and everything fell into place from there, really.
“There are different age ranges of teams heading to Cape Town and I will be in the 50-55 squad, but there are several age categories.
“I’m really looking forward to it and hockey is actually a very physical contact game, which people usually don’t think it is.
“For myself in goal, it’s very much a contact sport and also
out on the field for players, that hockey ball is very hard, the game is fast-moving.”
The world cup in Cape Town will run from October 1-10 and is one of four world cups being played this year.
The 2020 World Cups were postponed as the pandemic took hold.