Planet Field Hockey

By Cathy Harris

TOM BERTRAM, the Reading, England and Great Britain defender, has condemned the lack of medical facilities at national league clubs in the aftermath of a bad facial injury suffered by a Sutton Coldfield player at a women’s premiership match last week.
Alison Mapp was lucky to be dealt with promptly by Justine Williams, the Wales international and a physiotherapist, who was playing for the opposition, Leicester, who had a good first aid kit. The game was held up for 21 minutes before paramedics arrived and Mapp was taken to hospital.

But Bertram, also a doctor, said: “I’ve often thought that the worst place to be with an injury was a hockey pitch and that’s a poor show. I know there’s not a lot you can do for fourth XI games and it’s tricky with games in the back of beyond, but league clubs should have kits of a minimum standard and there should be qualified first aid people present.”

League regulations at present state that clubs must only have ice by the side of the pitch.

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