Clement the spearhead as Scots hockey savours a renaissance

THE kind of career landmark which few players ever experience has become an annual occurrence for Linda Clement. Last year, shortly before she captained the Scottish hockey team at the Commonwealth Games, she celebrated winning her 150th international cap. This year she made her 100th appearance as Scotland captain. A year or so more and she will have her 200th cap – and, still only 31, she shows no sign of stopping any time soon.

Her current cap tally of 174 comprises 156 appearances for Scotland and 18 for Britain, putting her within sight of the record number of appearances for Scotland which stands to Rhona Simpson with 181.

A certain self-satisfaction would be understandable in someone who had achieved so much, but not a scintilla of it is evident in Clement, who teaches PE at George Watson’s College in Edinburgh. Indeed, even after more than a decade in the team, she does not take her place for granted, accepting that at any time the coach might opt to drop her in favour of a younger woman.

Right now, however, there is little sign of that happening. The national team has made significant progress over the last year or so since Gordon Shepherd took over as coach, and Clement has played an important role in that improvement both on and off the pitch.

After losing narrowly to South Africa last year, for instance, the Scots have since drawn with them, and then more recently beaten them. That victory was a warm-up for the European B Division Championships in Poznan, Poland, where one promotion spot was available. Scotland claimed it, meaning that in 2013, when the next continental championships come round, they will be competing in the top flight. And in terms of the evolution of the team, the manner in which they won their division was as important as the simple fact of achieving promotion.

“In the last year or so we’ve recorded some impressive results against teams that are ranked much higher than us in the world,” Clement says. “Looking at results alone, Scotland have been performing well. Some of the results against teams ranked much higher than us have been regarded as a bonus because we were the underdogs.

“Going into Poznan was different, because we were among the highest ranked teams there, so it was a different sort of pressure – other teams regarded us as the team to beat, and the type of hockey they played reflected that. They’d sit quite deep and there wasn’t much space to play the fast, attacking hockey that we had done previously.

“So it was a good achievement. We were expected to do it, which brought pressure, but it was still a great achievement to get back into the top flight of European hockey. The A Division is where we want to be, especially leading up to the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

“We’ve had a bit of a yo-yo effect in European hockey, so first and foremost we need to make sure we stay up in A Division in two years’ time. A secondary goal would be to push for the top four, but there’s a lot of quality teams in Europe and that would be a tough ask.

“It’s achievable, though. You’d expect Spain to be in the top four in Europe, and earlier in the summer we beat them, so we’ve proven that we can compete against the top teams.”

Clement’s mention of 2014 prompts the obvious question: does she hope to remain in the team by then? She accepts it would be an attractive prospect, but insists she does not plan anything like as far ahead, instead abiding by a simple rule: as long as hockey remains enjoyable for her, and as long as she is selected, she will be there. “I’ve never mapped out my career. I play for the moment, and as long as I’m enjoying it I’ll keep playing. I’m loving it, and I still feel I can learn more and become better. Playing at home will bring added pressures, but I think a lot of people are really looking forward to that challenge.”

She still logs every game, noting the date, the team, the tournament and the score. But while those statistics are at her fingertips, the real value of having played in so many internationals is far less tangible. It lies in the vast experience she has accrued, and in the wisdom which comes with it. “More and more a situation comes up that has happened before,” she says. “It might have been ten years before, but it’s still fresh in the memory. I reflect back to previous experiences and games more and more.

“I often look back to a game in 2002 when we were 1-0 down against France, and equalised with two and a half minutes left on the clock. We were all celebrating because we’d just equalised, but one exception was Rhona Simpson, who at that time was our most experienced player. She grabbed the hockey ball and said: ‘Let’s not settle for a draw. There’s still two and a half minutes left.’ She had it in her mind that we could still win it, and I always remember that. And with 45 seconds left, we got the winner after having been happy to settle for a draw.”

She is happy to end the reminiscence there, and indeed tries to change the subject. But a question remains: who scored that winning goal? She reflects for a few seconds, then adds: “I scored it.” It is more a confession than a boast. That goal, and the lesson it rammed home, was an early landmark in Clement’s career. And, like all the other larger landmarks which have followed, she chooses not to dwell on it, preferring to march on to the next one instead.