GREEDY UNI HEADS HOLD HOCKEY BACK

By Gavin Pearce

Westminster University bosses have ignored the needs of sporty students by building £1 million hockey pitches too far from Harrow, according to the hockey captain.

The captain, James Havlin, said the Chiswick location was chosen to make money - the university charges local teams to use the facility.

He said the location means they miss out on practice, stopping the team from “challenging the best”.

Havlin said his team cannot prepare properly for matches because they have to hire a minibus to train and play – and many players are not prepared to make the journey.

“If the University of Westminster is going to compete with the likes of Brunel and Loughborough then it needs all its sports facilities in one place - and better still at the main campus,” he said.

“We receive a regular income from local hockey teams like Richmond and Teddington who pay to play there. And the pitches’ international accreditation means they are also hired by the English hockey team,” he added.

His criticisms come two weeks after his team crashed out of the Southern England Sports Association (SESSA) cup quarter-finals, losing 6-2 to St. Mary’s.

The captain’s comments also reflect the views of a senior university source, who said the plastic pitches are “in the middle of nowhere for training”, and agreed they should have been built closer to Harrow campus.

But the provost of Marylebone campus, Michael Romans, who was involved in deciding on the location, vehemently defended the pitches.

He said: “The results are obviously more to do with the talent of the team than the location of the pitches.

“They don’t know they’re born - most students would give their eye teeth for facilities like these.”

The team play in the SESSA six-a-side tournament on 20 March at Chiswick.