Watsonians set up fund-raising page for Turkey trip

Watsonians women have launched a major fund-raising drive to help pay for their participation in the EuroHockey Indoor Club Cup.

They need over £19,000 for the trip to Turkey later this month and are hosting a Race Night with a difference at Myreside on Saturday which they hope will net a sizeable sum.

Tickets at £5 at the door and the function (start time 7pm) is open to anybody interested. Cash raised from that will go into a pot which also contains money collected from clothing sponsors and other events, including Masterclasses and coaching.

Bethan Mann, the club captain, admitted it is a massive effort to raise money for the trip where the Capital combine face a tough schedule.

Two games are scheduled for each of the first two days with cross-over ties on the next and play-off fixtures on the final day to determine the finishing positions.

The dates are February 22 to 25 and the location is the Turkish seaside resort of Alanya, claimed to be one of the best tourist destinations on the Turkish riviera, where it is off season so the hotel rates are cheaper.

Watsonians, who secured the Scottish indoor title at Dundee last Sunday, go in against Spanish side Complutense and Sumchanka (Ukraine) on day one.

Day two sees them in against Slavia Prague from the Czech Republic and Gaziantep from Turkey.

Five international squad players are expected to make the trip, Sarah Jamieson, Ellie Wilson and Amber Murray plus Emily Dark and Katherine Holdgate with Tom Swarbrick travelling to man the camera. Keith Smith is coaching.

Mann, a vet manager is not making the trip, but said: “It is a big effort and everybody is involved. We are doing all we can to fund this and we are all finding time in our diaries to do what we can in between playing and training.

“We’ve been having a number of events like coaching but Saturday’s Race Night is a big one for us. It’s is not just a Race Night and there will be other fun elements.

“We have some clothing sponsors but we really need a title sponsor and if we got that then it would help enormously. The flights are the expensive element.”

The club have set up a JustGiving page https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/WHCLadies1X1 to raise £19,998 and the 12-strong squad is: Lucy Camlin, Amber Murray, Cailin Hart, Ellie Wilson, Emily Dark, Katherine Holdgate, Bex Jones, Gen Hussle, Jess Garden, Darcy Littlefield, Sarah Jamieson and Sarah McKay.

PICTURE: One from our library. Bethan Mann, captain of Watsonians, collecting silverware at Peffermill from Barry Cawte, CEO of Scottish Hockey.