Saving to calling the shots for John Anderson

Growing up in Essex, he played as a goalkeeper for non-league football team Braintree Nomads and remembers all too well his reaction when a friend suggested he take up hockey.

The former Telford & Wrekin men's team boss explained: "I said 'hockey? I'm not playing that.' I just never had any interest in the sport.

"It was then my friend pointed out hockey was being played in mixed teams. As a teenage boy who wanted to meet girls, I suddenly decided it might be a good idea."

For Anderson, who now lives in St Georges, it was the start of a love affair with a sport which, almost five-and-a-half decades on, remains a huge part of his life.

There aren't many aspects of the game he hasn't seen, few jobs he hasn't tried his hand at, right from his early days as a goalkeeper with Colchester.

Then there's a long 30-year career as an umpire, which included time on the National Panel officiating international matches.

At various times in between, Anderson has also been a manager to a National League team and acted as a selector. Neither is his involvement in the sport likely to end any time soon.

Anderson recently acted as a technical official for the county championship final between Kent and Yorkshire at London's National Stadium.

He said: "That was a case of deja vu, as it was almost 30 years to the day since I had umpired a county championship final."

Anderson's playing career took him from Colchester to Richmond, before his work in telecommunications brought him to the Midlands and first Stone.

While modern observers are used to seeing keepers padded out in the latest state-of-the-art protective kit, things were very different in Anderson's day.

He said: "We didn't wear helmets, for starters. My standard kit was some pretty light gloves and cricket pads. You might say the game has moved on a bit."

He later moved to St Georges and, after hanging up his stick, managed Telford & Wrekin men's team during their two seasons in the National League.

But it was his work as an umpire where he enjoyed the most success and in which he takes greatest pride.

Anderson took charge of numerous county cup finals, as well as Great Britain warm-up games prior to the 1986 World Cup and 1988 Olympic Games.

He said: "The two matches I remember best are the London Indians v Germany before the Olympics and then the last Varsity match to be played on the outfield at Lord's.

"My father was a football referee in Essex so I guess I was following in his footsteps in many ways.

"It sounds a strange thing to say, but I knew I was good at it. I started to have a bit of success and was asked to umpire bigger and bigger games.

"The better you get at something, the more you enjoy it."

Anderson might now be 72 but he has no thoughts of retirement and plans to continue working as a technical official.

He said: "It's like a being a fourth official but more than that. You are in control of events before the game and make sure everything is in order, including the pitch.

"During the game, you are in control of the substitutes, while you can also make decisions on things the referee might have missed."

As for his motivation, five decades since first picking up a stick, that one is simple.

He said: "I just love hockey. It's a very skilful and competitive, but it is also a great social sport too.

"Every club will have a clubhouse. Over the years, I've made a lot of friends."