Hockey Cup is a fitting tribute to Richard Docherty

THE inaugural Richard Docherty Indoor Hockey Cup, which has attracted a truly international field, takes place at Edinburgh Napier University’s newly-built Engage Sports Centre on the weekend of 7-8 January.

Sadly, the tournament was born out of tragic circumstances following the untimely death on 27 June 2010 of 27-year-old diabetes sufferer Richard Docherty, who was a hugely popular member of the Inverleith Hockey Club. In order to preserve his memory to the hockey family in Scotland, his close friend Graham Stuart, a goalkeeper with Inverleith, came up with the idea of a prestigious indoor hockey tournament as well as supporting Diabetes UK Scotland, the chosen charity of Docherty’s family.

Further, due to the support from Activcity, Apex Hotels, Engage Sports Centre, Stevenson College and DITA UK, entry to the tournament is free to all in order to ensure a capacity crowd to all the playing sessions. There will also be free coaching sessions with world-renowned hockey personalities during the course of the weekend.

A black tie gala dinner will be held at the Apex International Hotel in the centre of Edinburgh in conjunction with Diabetes UK Scotland, and the host is Scotland rugby legend Scott Hastings.

Six teams will contest the trophy, but it is the Dutch side HC RGD that has the greatest personal connection with the tournament because it has been put together by Docherty’s older brother, Laurence, specifically for the event.

Edinburgh-born Laurence originally played for Scotland and Great Britain but chose to take his hockey talents to the Netherlands in order to pursue his Olympic dream. The Scot has played for various leading Dutch clubs and he eventually gained Dutch citizenship, winning selection for the national side and finally representing the Netherlands at the Beijing Olympics.

The Dutch side is awash with international talent, but pride of place must go to the legendary Taco Van der Hornet and Floris Jan Bovelander – between them they have 456 international caps and three Olympic Games with a gold and bronze medal to show for their efforts. Both are no strangers to Scottish indoor events, having played for the Dutch Buccaneers in the prestigious Glenfiddich Invitational Indoor Tournament several years ago.

HC RGD are in the same pool as the Welsh side Celtic Panthers and the Scottish national squad under the guise of the Highland Jaguars, who are both preparing for the European Nations Champions later this month. Host club Inverleith, who won the Subway indoor national league for the first time in the club’s history under coach Stuart Neave, head the other pool alongside Grove Menzieshill, 17 times Scottish champions but runners-up last season. The clubs have already met in the league this season, with the Taysiders emerging 2-1 victors in a tightly-fought contest.

The Scots will be up against it as Germany Bundesliga outfit Grossflottbecker THGC are the other side in that pool. The Germans are not only the masters of the indoor game but their side boasts a number of players who won gold for Germany at the Beijing Olympics. It is an opportunity for the Scottish public to see the cream of world hockey in action – the statistics show there are players with more than 1,500 international caps along with 40 medals, including from World Cups and Olympic Games, in action.

Saturday’s games concentrate on the pool matches with the top two sides from each group progressing to Sunday’s semi-finals, and tournament ends with the gala final at 2pm.