HINCH INSPIRES PUKKAS TO END SEASON ON HIGHEST NOTE

Leicester won the Investec Championship Final at Reading in the most dramatic of finales, in a sudden-death penalty shoot-out.

With the scores level at one-all after regulation time, Lucy Brown having scored the Pukkas’ goal nine minutes from time, the match went into an extra period, but with no further goals, it then went to a penalty shoot-out. The Premiership player of the year Alex Danson, had the chance to win the title for Reading but brilliant goalkeeping from player-of-the-match Maddie Hinch denied her, and the match eventually went into a sudden=death shoot-out, and after Reading missed, Chloe Rogers calmly slotted home the championship-winning goal to the delight of Chris Mayer, the Pukkas coach, and all the Leicester travelling support.

The Pukkas end the season as both national indoor and outdoor champions, having beaten Reading in both finals. The match marked the end of two glorious careers at Leicester. Crista Cullen, who will be an Olympian once again this summer, is retiring from club hockey, and Lucy Brown heads off to Australia. The club thanks them both for giving so much to the club over so many years. Good luck to Crista and all the other Leicester players who are selected for Olympic duty. Enjoy the summer. We’ll update you on pre-season training in a couple of months’ time. And the club always needs new players for all teams, so if you are having any hockey conversations over the coming weeks, encourage people to come to the number one club in England .