Two Heavyweights Gunning For Promotion Into Men's Premier Division

Ahead of a crunch encounter, Rod Gilmour of The Hockey Paper speaks to the Kent side looking to return to the Men’s Premier Division. Pictures from Andy Mair

Reading v Canterbury. The fixture alone has a heavyweight ring to it. More so when you consider that the two clubs will slug it out on Sunday afternoon in the penultimate Men’s Division 1 South fixture of the season, both level on points at the top and promotion to England Hockey's top flight within touching distance.

“It feels big, it feels like we are all so close to getting back into the Premier Division, which is what everyone is hoping for. I expect a fiery game," says Canterbury’s player-coach Craig Boyne.

The two sides last played before the winter break at Polo Farm in what Boyne described as another 'huge' game. “It was 0-0 the entire time and one of the most enjoyable, scoreless games I’ve played in,” the Australian recalls.

“We then converted after time, it was President’s Day and hundreds were down watching which was really satisfying. We alway have a good fight with Reading, there is never an easy game and there have been a couple of times where we have been punished by them.”

Boyne, a director of sport at Wellesley House school, made an instant impact when he signed for Canterbury midway through the 2014/15 season. His goals helped them stay up that year. The former Kookaburra was also part of a team which survived another two promotion-relegation battles before being demoted to Division 1 in 2018, his first season as coach. 

Meanwhile, Reading, currently top on goal difference, were relegated from the Men's Premier Division in 2020, thus ending a run of 27 successive seasons in the top division. It gives added weight to Sunday’s match, while Team Bath Buccaneers, two points back, are also still well in the title hunt.

Canterbury’s run of form this season has been achieved after taking stock of their top flight experiences in recent years. Boyne says that Canterbury were losing on average 11 players per season during their three skirmishes with Premier Division survival. “It was impossible to maintain a team that way and I would be bringing in five or six players who then wouldn’t play again,” he admits.

“We decided as a club that we couldn’t sustain that level of performance to stay in the Prem like that. We have moved towards building our own junior programme. It seems to be working, we are retaining more players and producing some really good juniors. It’s a much more sustainable system as we look to get back to the top."

This season, Canterbury have fielded six players under 20 in their starting 15. Boyne adds: “That is a proud moment, where we are competing against teams and proper men in their mid to late twenties, while our youngsters have put up a really good fight.” 

Promotion, says Boyne, would also be a 'nice reward' from the vision invested in the club over the last four years. "We are still pushing for our facility to be the best it can be, getting our junior programmes right, and the men’s, women’s and juniors are all coming together," he admits.

“We are getting so close and it feels like we are in the right position. It is one more step to hopefully get back.”

As one of the squad’s more experienced players, Chris Rea concurs with his coach. After four years at Southgate HC, the goalkeeper is into his first season at Canterbury after moving full-time to Margate.

“We don’t feel any pressure from our side,” says Rea, who also runs hockey brand Y1. “We are a young team who have come through the ranks at the club and are making their way into the first team.”

Despite being only 30, he still admits to feeling old, yet the squad's energetic youth is feeding off players like Rea as the side heads into the biggest fixture of the season.

“The support at Canterbury is amazing,” he says. “It is one of the best I have played in front of. There is a great community who want to come out and be loud. As players, everyone puts a shift in behind the bar and gets to know the rest of the club. It would mean a lot for the club to be promoted.”

Rea says that coach Boyne also puts “a hell of a lot of time in the club” and is instrumental in bringing through the junior players, alongside assistant David Bunyon, the well-regarded former GB coach.

Another key cog in the Canterbury wheel is captain Tom Bean, the club’s top scorer with 19 goals this season. “‘Beano’ has been an inspirational part of the team and a great leader," Rea says. "The lads all look up to him. He has been putting away goals, but the important thing is that no one is a superstar in our team. It is all a collective effort with Canterbury.”

Sunday: Reading v Canterbury, 1:30pm