When thumbing through the media pack at the Oceania Cup last week, New Zealand Herald sports writer Daniel Richardson spotted a date of birth which left him gob-smacked.
Samoa’s reserve goalkeeper Louis Strickland was born on 27th February 1954, making him 59 and one of the oldest players ever listed for an international hockey tournament.
Strickland represented Samoa in the 1970s and 1980s before turning his focus to playing squash when the team fell off the international radar.
When Samoa returned to international hockey around 2007, Strickland was recruited by a friend to be the treasurer of the Samoa Hockey Federation, which led to his return to playing.
Normally a defender for his club side, Scouts, Strickland has been forced in to goal by a lack of keepers in Samoa.
"When we started, we didn't have masks, we didn't have full goalie's gear," Strickland told Herald reporter Richardson. "And I said 'okay, give it to me'."
According to Strickland, age is no barrier for keeping fit either.
"If I've got nothing to do, I play squash. I have my mountain-bike. I do my riding mostly on Sunday, between two and four, when the sun's very hot."
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Awesome effort, Louis – we wish you many more years of hockey enjoyment!
