This is the second of a number of articles where we will be bringing you some of the members of the club that you may know of, but have not yet had a chance to meet.

For this installment, we caught up with the lovely Alice who is captain to our ladies first team that currently play South Clubs' Women's Hockey League - Division 3A.

Thank you Alice for sharing with us!

Your position you play on the team
I would say my preferred position is right midfield, but at the moment I often play up front or central midfield. I’ve always prided myself on being a versatile player as I think it is crucial to have a few in the team who will play anywhere (except I draw the line at goalie!). I did have a spell at right back – but I have to say my tackling leaves a little to be desired and I had more than one green card in that position!

What star sign are you?
I don’t really believe in all that, however my birthday is rather embarrassingly on April Fools day’s, which probably says more about me! I think that makes me an Aries though??

What is your favourite colour?
Maroon and blue!

What is your favourite movie?
I absolutely love The Greatest Showman, not only is the soundtrack amazing, but Hugh Jackman’s alright too!

What one word describes you?
This is so tricky, and I am sure that in different situations people would say different things about me (not all good!). I do think I am a positive person, and always try to see the good in a situation…. So I guess I would go for positive.

What age were you when you started playing hockey?
I started playing properly around 11. I had been playing a lot of football and really loved it, but back then there weren’t anywhere near as many opportunities for girls as there are now. I settled on hockey as an alternative and grew to love it.
What are three reasons you like being part of a team sport?
I’ve always loved the banter and friendship of a team, but also being part of a team gives you that extra motivation to train and work hard as you don’t want to let your team mates down. I love it being part of something bigger, so I enjoy club life too.

What Is the dumbest way you’ve been injured during a match?
I was once receiving a pass from a team mate and tried to dink it over an opponent’s stick, unfortunately I misjudged the speed of the pass and the ball sprung up and hit me in the face. I had a cracking black eye, but to make matters worse I had to give a speech to parents at my school the next day. It was a little embarrassing to admit I had done it to myself.

Who is your favourite sports hero?
I think Maddie Hinch is a total legend. I have to take my hat off to all goalkeepers as being so brave/bonkers and she is the epitome of that. She also really puts the hard yards in outside of the game doing all her research into the opposition players and how they score their goals. She has a little book that she consults if the team concedes a flick as she has researched her opposition so much she can then predict how they will flick the ball. That sort of determination and commitment is pretty astounding.

Who do you wish was watching you perform at every match?
I really love it when my husband Andy and my 18 month old boy, Jack come along. Andy keeps threatening to bring along his trombone to the games but I tell him we might find it a bit distracting!

What is your favourite food to eat the night before a big game?
Can’t beat a big bowl of pasta or maybe a baked potato. I am also quite a fan of a curry on a Friday night…. Body is a temple and all that!

What is your favourite place/location to play?
I really enjoy playing home games, especially when there are other teams playing before or after us. I think Woughton is great facility and I love the club spirit at MK. I have to say though, the teas at Eastcote are amazing!

What challenges did you come across in getting to where you are at today?
I’ve had to recover from a fairly serious knee injury about 8 years ago. I had a complete rupture of my ACL and had to have an operation to replace it. The post op physio was pretty intense and mentally very tough as it is such a long recovery period, but I managed to build it back up and was so glad that I was able to play sport again. Coming back from having a baby in 2019 was also tough – but I tried to keep active through the pregnancy and I think that really helped me get back to full fitness pretty quick again.

What drives you to get up in the morning and train?
I actually really enjoy being outside in the fresh air, and enjoy running so I guess I am quite fortunate. If I am able to be outside in the great outdoors then I am happy to be doing exercise as well. I love the feeling of being totally exhausted from a good training session and sleeping well at night.

What music do you to listen to when you train?
I actually don’t – sorry to disappoint! I like to train outside, so tend to leave my ears free of headphones to listen to the sounds around me. I also value the time to think and get lost in my thoughts.

If you could play another sport what would it be?
I absolutely love skiing. Everything about it brings me joy, from the scenery and fresh air, to the hot chocolates or mulled wine, to the challenge of a difficult run.

What one piece of advice can you give for our young members who inspire to play in 1XI?
Take every opportunity to play as much hockey as you can. There is no substitute for time on a pitch, especially playing with more experienced players – so whatever opportunities you get offered, take them! Whether that might be festival, summer league, mixed or playing up or down for another team. The more pitch time you get the better a player you will be. The other thing is grit. I always value grit over talent. A raw determination to never give up and to always be hard to beat – that skill can be cultivated and is so important. I think sometimes it gets overshadowed by talent – but I would choose a gritty player to be on my team every time.