Harleston Magpies opened up their pitches last week for the first of this year's hockey taster evenings for boys and girls in school years one ‎to seven.

An excellent response saw over 80 youngsters take part, almost all of whom were new to the sport.

After sticks were provided and warm-up exercises completed, the lead coaches, assisted by club members, introduced youngsters to the basic skills of the game before completing the evening with some mini hockey matches.

'We were thrilled with how well this evening went and to see so many new youngsters at Magpies,' commented James Smith, Magpies Boys' youth development officer. 'Hockey remains one of the highest participant sports in the country and is growing across the age spectrums year on year.'

The taster course continues every Friday up to and including July 7. For more details see www.magpies-hockey.co.uk