Lesley Munnoch, Hockey Player
I was born in a little village called Larbert, near Falkirk in between Glasgow and Edinburgh. (It used to be well known in Scotland as having the biggest mental health Hospital but that’s gone now, with houses built in the grounds.)
I’m the oldest of 3 girls and my father worked in his family business, fitting commercial furniture in hotels, pubs and clubs. I had a very happy childhood with many happy memories of family life and amazing holidays in the summer when we drove – yes drove! – from Scotland to South of France, Austria, Switzerland and even Rovinj in former Yugoslavia. During the school holidays I would work with my father in the family business which I also enjoyed.
I was a bit of a tomboy as a child and from an early age I loved sport. I enjoyed school and played every sport available to me – badminton, volleyball, hockey. I really wanted to be a sports teacher until I realised I didn’t have the patience to teach children!
At senior school I became captain of various sports teams I played in and ended up being School Captain as well. As I approached university years I was encouraged by certain teachers, to look at various careers but I wasn’t sure which direction to take.
Although I loved working with my dad in the family business I knew I didn’t want to continue the dynasty, I wanted to forge my own career.
I studied French and German at Glasgow University and when I graduated there were very few job opportunities other than teaching or civil service which I didn’t fancy. So I enrolled in a Post-graduate course in Marketing to help me get into the business world. After that, I saw a job based in Aylesbury where my friend was working for Rothmans. Thinking I could at least get an interview and visit her at the same time, I applied for the job and indeed got the interview and the job – with BP Solar division in Aylesbury making solar panels, (this was the 1980’s, they were way ahead of time!) as a Marketing Assistant.
I was involved in great projects like solar powered vaccine refrigerators for UNICEF and Save the Children to reach children in remote villages where there was no power. (Ewan McGregor, who is a UNICEF ambassador, did a great documentary about these fridges a few years ago – they are still going strong). We also made solar lighting and borehole pumps for WHO in Africa, Indonesia and South America. During this time, I had some adventures visiting Kenya. We climbed Mount Kenya (5199m) without a guide! Mount Kenya is located on the equator and my friend Cameron wanted to ski on the equator so he took his skis – probably the only time anyone has ever checked skis in on a flight to Nairobi! He did ski when we found some snow near the top. I also remember we took some “silly string” as it was New Year and we wanted to have a party – but when we tried it, it came out like rope due to the altitude!
I moved through a few jobs, each time coming further South and when I was working in Redhill, my partner was working in Bracknell. We wanted a house in between the two and the Dorking area seemed fitting. Being a country girl and missing the hills of Scotland and the fresh air up there, I thought the Surrey Hills were the closest thing I’d find. At Christmas 1999 we moved to Ewhurst and loved it; the community and beautiful walks in the hills – the area is called ‘Little Switzerland’ but I would call it ‘Little Scotland’!
While I was living in the Aylesbury area I played for Marlow Ladies Hockey Club, which has been established for over 100 years. It’s a really big club, playing at a reasonable level. And when I was there I played for Buckinghamshire at County level. So when I moved here in 1999 I decided it was time to get back into hockey again. I began to play for Cranleigh Hockey Club and have been a member for nearly 20 years. I love the team spirit of hockey. Though I play individual sport like golf and squash there’s something great about a team game, sharing the highs and lows and the strength of being together and supporting one another on and off the field. There’s a great camaraderie.
Although I never hit international sports level, I decided in 2012 the only way to participate in the London Olympics was to become a volunteer. I love meeting people from all cultures and backgrounds and talking to them. My language skills came in very useful. I was based at Westminster tube station, right underneath Big Ben which was extremely busy. The most frequent questions I was asked were ‘Where is Buckingham Palace?’ ‘Where can we get fish and chips?’ That’s all foreigners wanted to know! They also enquired where Winston Churchill’s war room was. There weren’t many questions about the Olympics or the Beach Volleyball round the corner at Horse Guards Parade.
I felt part of a team again as a volunteer guiding people here, there and everywhere. It was hard work on my feet all day but great fun. As a volunteer it’s unpaid though we had a tube pass and £10 a day to buy some lunch.
I’d enjoyed it so much in 2012 that this year I gravitated to the Paris Olympics, applying for the same kind of role. It’s such an enriching opportunity and speaking English (Scottish!), French and German obviously helps. I have a friend who lives just outside Paris and she gave me lodgings, saving me great expense.
The Paris experience of volunteering was very different from London because my official title was Athletes Services manager in the Yves-du -Manoir stadium (hockey stadium). This was the stadium that hosted the Paris 1924 Olympics – of Flying Finn runner, and Chariots of Fire duo – Abrahams and Liddell fame. The original part of the stadium still exists. In Paris there were a total of 45,000 volunteers from 155 different countries with 800 of these at the hockey stadium.
It was just pure chance I was at the hockey stadium as I didn’t request it. You don’t know where you’re going to be positioned when you apply to be a volunteer. I mean, I could have been on the streets of the Champs Elysee, handing out leaflets or in the velodrome but luckily for me I was placed at the hockey stadium.
Our duties included putting up players’ name tags in the changing rooms, making sure there were clean towels, disposing of dirty ones and checking the ice bath was up to the right temperature. We also assisted with showing the audience to their seats. It was really good as I felt involved seeing the hockey teams come and go. Some arrive singing, with their music booming in the changing rooms, getting all hyped up. The Germans were always late, apparently that’s their ‘thing’! They like to keep everybody waiting. I met the GB ladies team and one even swapped her shirt with me. Izzy Petter, former Cranleigh School pupil played in the GB women’s team so it felt great to have that local connection in Paris on the world stage.
I learnt to keep out the way of a team if they lost! It was funny one day when I was mistakenly identified as a lady called Maddie Hinch. She was the GB goalkeeper who almost singlehandedly won gold for the team in Rio 2016 during a shoot-out in the final against Holland. They wanted her to open the official ceremony at the stadium. I was waiting in the area where everyone congregated when a French journalist came up to me asking if I was Maddie. I apologised and stood back as the real Maddie appeared. At least I actually met her and looked after her bag!
One day I met a lovely older couple who must have been in their 80s, a man who everybody seemed to know. At this point I was with the spectators, where he was chatting to a journalist. His wife was standing beside him and I asked if she wanted a seat, while waiting for her husband. We started talking and discovered we were all Scottish and had a lovely conversation. Then I spotted the gentleman’s ID – it turned out he was Sir Craig Reedie the former president of the world Anti- Doping Agency and former chairman of the British Olympic Association who had played a major part in bringing the games to London 2012. They were so humble and easy-going, despite him being a real big wig – I got to talk with them on a normal level!
Apparently Andy Murray watched the GB women’s hockey but I didn’t see him. Princess Anne was there too. And international royalty including King Felipe of Spain and King and Queen of both Belgium and Holland as well as the German Chancellor, Olaf Sholtz came to support their teams. It was a wonderful opportunity in every sense and especially inspired me in my love of hockey back in Cranleigh.
I doubt many local people know about the hockey pitches at Cranleigh school. They’re top class astroturf pitches with lovely facilities. Our Cranleigh hockey team trains there on Wednesdays, 7.30 – 8.30pm. We play our home games there on Saturday mornings, going onto the pub or Cricket Club afterwards for teas. We’re a very sociable team and want to encourage people to consider playing hockey with us. It may seem a bit daunting as some clubs can be a bit serious and expect commitment at a high level. But Cranleigh’s probably the exception because we’re just happy to get anyone and everyone along and get active. We realise people have other things in their lives like work and family. I think the demographics of Cranleigh and surrounding area means we don’t have so many youngsters coming through. Our approach is – come and play, join us and commit to what you can, there’s no pressure.
Compared to other women’s sports such as soccer, women’s hockey is a more established sport, going back to 1887 when Molesey Ladies were the first women’s club to be founded. Some people think hockey is a dangerous sport but it really isn’t due to the rules and body protection. Hockey goalkeepers are fully protected with their full head-to-toe gear and the rules regarding dangerous play in hockey are very strict. Any deviation from these rules and you’re off the pitch. Every player wears shinpads and a mouthguard. I understand people might think football is easier because you just need to kick a ball but if anyone wants to try hockey, come along, borrow a hockey stick and have a go!
For insurance purposes we start at age 14 in our club. Our youngest member is Margot, age 16. We train together mid-week as a mixed men and women’s team. On a Saturday we play separately. The men have been promoted every season, so they’re doing really well and the ladies are holding their own in Surrey Division 2. The leagues were restructured a few years ago to make travelling easier. In the past we had many London games in Dulwich and Kennington which took ages to get to because of traffic. Often we were delayed and had to get changed in the car then run straight onto the pitch with the game already started and only a few of our team on the pitch. It was quite comical. Fortunately, we now have fixtures around the Woking, Guildford and Farnham area which makes journeys far more relaxed. Although we’re very competitive, our Ladies team are renowned for being very polite compared to some of the big London clubs – we should win a prize for saying the most “sorry’s” during a match!
Our annual *membership is normally £75, with an additional £10 per match. A junior member pays £2. Other costs to consider are the hockey kit, which can cost about £50 but we’re happy to lend kit to anyone who’s interested. They can find out if they like hockey before purchasing the kit. I believe we’re the cheapest club in the area by far as we haven’t got a Clubhouse to maintain. We have to cover insurance and pitch hire but apart from that our costs are minimal. *As a special offer for this season we are offering annual subscription and match fees completely free to anyone under 25 years old.
So, we invite anyone who is interested in playing hockey, wants some exercise and to join a fun, sociable, friendly team, to come along to Cranleigh school astro pitches on a Wednesday from 7.30 – 8.30pm. There’s no charge for mid-week training, it’s free. Our age range is 14 to 100, and every age in between. We’d really encourage people to come along, make new friends, get some fresh air and exercise and give it a go! LOVE SPORT!!
For further information email: or visit www.cranleighhockey.com
@Cranleigh Hockey Club
