Hockey: Reading in tough draw

OPPOSITION FOR Reading, the defending champions in the National Indoor Championship, includes Old Loughtonians and Southgate after the draw for the preliminary round of the National Indoor Championship was made yesterday. Old Loughts may be a formidable hurdle, having romped away with the East tournament at the weekend.

The event, played at two venues, consists of six teams competing in a round-robin at each venue, with the top three from each section qualifying for the finals at Crystal Palace.

In the South competition at Epsom College, Southgate looked equally impressive. The German international, Eiko Rott, was their star.

The second South qualifiers, West London Institute, relying heavily on the Canterbury club, could be out of their depth in the other half of the draw against East Grinstead and St Albans and Hull. The Midlands qualifiers are not known due to the abandonment of their event on Saturday after the death of Carl Price, the 37-year-old Olton goalkeeper.

Price died of a heart attack in the DTZ Midland's Indoor Club Championship at Worcester. He had previously represented Harborne in the National League, and also Coventry & North Warwick and Stourport.

INDOOR CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP (9, 10 January): Pool A (Glades LC, Kidderminster): East Grinstead; Midlands A; St Albans; West London Institute; Yeovil & Sherborne; Hull. Pool B (Cocks Moors Woods, Birmingham): Reading; Midlands B; Old Loughtonians; Southgate; Firebrands; Norton.