Local lad Adam Dixon and Ipswich import Harry Martin are midfield partners for current national champions Beeston Hockey Club, as well as international regulars for both Great Britain and England. We popped along to discuss nights out in Nottingham, the highs and lows of the Olympics, and those pesky Panthers...
Beeston Hockey Club has a long history, but you didn’t win your first title until 2008. Is there any reason why it took so long?
Adam: The ambition has always been there. People behind the scenes, like Graham Griffiths (Manager) and the coaching set-up had been wanting this for years, so when we did finally win that national title it was euphoric really.
You’re defending champions now. Do you think you can retain your crown this season?Harry: Yeah. After today (a 3-2 win against Loughborough) we’re eight wins out of eight, so we’re pretty confident that we’ll make the playoffs.
Adam: With the way our league works, you can win the league and at the end of the year, you still won’t lift the trophy unless you win the playoffs. That’s quite a hard one.
Being English champions, how much room is there for the club to grow?
Harry: Our real aim is Europe. We really want to push ahead there. It’s just trying to bridge that gap between us and the top European clubs. Once we do that, it’s really going to put Beeston on the map in a European way as well.
How much would European success mean to you personally?
Adam: It’s something that not many English players have ever had. English club sides rarely do well in Europe, but we’ve got the experience now and we know what to expect from a German style of play, a Dutch style of play, and a Spanish style of play. I think our attention to detail is really what separates us.
Have you had any particularly memorable European trips, or been to any cities you’ve really enjoyed?
Adam: Our first trip to Paris was brilliant. We went on the Eurostar and won both games, which was great. We celebrated with a few beers and a few glasses of wine on the way back, and I can tell you it got out of hand (they both laugh). I think the coaches will be alright with me saying that. If you don’t enjoy it, what’s the point?
Harry, you went to the Olympics last year. What was that experience like?
Harry: It was incredible. In terms of being in and around the village and playing in front of that crowd, it was the best experience of my life. But it took a long time to get over the disappointment of not achieving what we thought we could (GB lost 3-1 to Australia in the bronze medal match). So mixed emotions overall. Dinner time was actually a highlight for me; the food was great. The last night was the Team GB party, Sir Chris Hoy was there and I saw Mo Farah.
Adam, many people were surprised when you were cut from the Olympic preliminary squad. How did that feel?
Adam: It was probably one of the toughest things I’ve been through because you’re so involved within the squad and the training leading up to the games. To work towards the hope of winning an Olympic medal and then to be told you’re not going to be a part of it is gut-wrenching. I had to take a bit of time away from the game. Luckily there was no club hockey at that point, so I went travelling around France in a campervan and came back refreshed.
How does playing for your country compare to playing for Beeston?
Adam: It’s almost two different worlds. Down here at Highfields we’re probably one of the better supported domestic clubs but we still maybe only get crowds of 200, tops. Obviously we’re looking to improve that and that’s all about improving the spectators’ experience when they come down. International stuff is brilliant; we’ve played in front of tens of thousands in India.You can’t even hear yourself think.
Nottingham – as I’m sure you both know – has a pretty intense sporting rivalry with Derby, but they don’t have a top-flight hockey team. Do you have any rivalries with anyone else to make up for it?
Adam: Loughborough is up there, but it’s diluted a bit now because we have a few guys who used to play for Loughborough – they saw the light and jumped ship.
Would you like Derby to have a side?
Adam: As a Forest fan I’d absolutely love it. For a while, Belper had a top flight team who have gone off the boil a bit now, but those games used to be really good.
Do you ever get recognised out and about in town?
Harry: I wouldn’t have thought so, no.
Adam: We’re not quite there yet. We did have a Pakistani international play for us who was the Olympic captain and flag-bearer, he got recognised on a night out which was brilliant. But no, we don’t get that at all.
Hockey has a reputation as a bit of a posh sport. Do you think that’s fair?
Adam: It probably is fair, but I went to a comprehensive school, grew up in Newark, and I remember beating all the private schools, all the posh kids, so I kind of worked my way up.
You mention that Nottinghamshire is a bit of a hotbed for hockey. Why do you think that is?
Adam: I remember being coached as a ten-year-old by England coaches who were coming down in their spare time to help out. So having those connections has definitely helped Nottinghamshire and Beeston Hockey. It’s also a vibrant, multicultural city and there are Sikh hockey clubs here that have been in the national league and produced many a fine player.
If you mentioned hockey to most people in Nottingham, they’d think of the Panthers rather than Beeston. Although it’s a completely different sport, is there a sense that you’re living in the Panthers’ shadow a bit?
Harry: I hadn’t actually heard of the Panthers. (They both laugh)
Adam: Maybe. We’re happy where we are, but the entertainment factor that ice hockey brings is unrivalled really. Even though we have the big football clubs in the city, for a night out, you can go to the ice hockey, have a few beers, there’s loud music. It’s a great spectacle, and that’s harder to achieve as an outdoor sport on a cold Sunday afternoon.
Ice hockey has a bit of a reputation for violence. Do you think that’s a factor in its popularity – is it more dangerous and manly than hockey?
Harry: The essence of the game means it is, but if you ask many [field] hockey players, they’ve had some pretty bad injuries. Since I’ve come to the club I’ve broken bones in my face and had stitches, hockey is a tough game.
So if the Panthers ditched their skates would they give you a run for your money?
Adam: Do they know how to run? They’re too busy skating around like Torvill and Dean.
Harry: So we’re on the ice as well?
No, on a hockey pitch…
Adam: Well we can only use one side of the stick, they use two. Hand-eye coordination is obviously a huge part and their game is very quick, so I’m sure they’d give us a good game.
Harry: We’d welcome it.
So in a double-header, you’d back yourselves to win?
Adam: We’d back ourselves to win the field hockey.
Harry: We might have some problems on the ice.
The hockey season continues in Beeston throughout January. For a full list of fixtures visit the website.
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