Fareham happy to put faith in their youth
Fareham Hockey Club are happy to put their faith in youth ahead of the new season.
The club are gearing up for life in the Conference West after finishing bottom of the National League Division 1 South in 2019/20.
There have been a lot of departures since their last competitive game in early March.
Jamie Rawlings, below, and
James Speke have joined Havant, James Meakin has returned to Loughborough University after a year working in Portsmouth, and Adam Bloomfield has moved to Chichester.
Gurmukh Bhamra is now at East Grinstead, while brothers Will and Rory Penrose and Will Raymond have left for university.
Teenage trio Sam Ratliffe, Dylan Coleman and Alex Beckett have been promoted into the first team squad.
Steve Baxter is a new face after being posted to the area with his Navy work, and Chris Tagg has rejoined the club.
Niall Stott is the newly-appointed captain after recovering from a broken leg sustained in the first league game of last season.
Speke broke his leg shortly after in what turned out to be a forgettable season.
‘I’ve been involved in hockey for 35 years,’ said Fareham manager Malcolm Davies. ‘I’d never seen one broken leg, let alone two at once.
‘We played some good hockey last season, but Division 1 is a very high standard.’
Fareham only won two of their 16 Division 1 games last term, losing 12.
There were problems at both ends; they scored the fewest goals (21) and also conceded the most (68).
But hope, as always, springs eternal and Davies has been delighted with Fareham’s pre-season form, which included a 4-3 win over higher division Southgate in the semi-final of the Tier 1 KO Cup.
Though Fareham were subsequently drubbed 9-1 by two divisions higher Beeston, from Nottinghamshire, in the final, Davies said: ‘It was a great achievement to get there.
‘Pre-season has given us a lot of confidence, and we’re in an exciting place.
‘But I’ll need to keep everyone’s feet on the ground, we have to respect the league.
‘It’s not an easy league, it’s still a national level, and we don’t know what other teams have got.’
Davies added: ‘We’re bearing the fruits now of our youth system. The group we’re bringing through have reached under-16 and under-18 finals in the last few years.’
Fareham start their league season in south Wales at Cardiff University this Sunday.
More hockey previews appear in tomorrow’s edition of The News.
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