Liam’s hopes are blown

STAR player . . . Liam Charnock

A TALENTED teenage ice hockey player from Denshaw had his hopes of bringing an international trophy back for England dashed.

Liam Charnock is a member of the England Under 16s Ice Hockey Team who were left grounded Stansted Airport.

The team had been due to fly yesterday to Latvia for an international tournament they were one of the favourites to win.

Liam, who plays for Kingston-Upon-Hull Ice Hockey Team where he trains twice a week, would have been pitting his skills against the world’s best young players.

Mum Deborah, from Corbett Way, said: “They were supposed to get there yesterday to start the tournament, which lasts until Sunday. They were getting ready to leave and we got a phone call from another parent who had seen something on the news about the volcano.

“Then we got a phone call from the manager to say that Ryanair would not be able to get flights out.

“The England team just can’t get out there at all and the tournament will just carry on without them. They all got psyched up and have done all this training leading up to the tournament and then this happens.

“He’s disappointed. The whole team’s gutted. They won a tournament in Italy at Christmas and they were expected to do well.

“They go all over the country to train and they are on the ice until 12.30am as that’s when they get the free ice time.”

Liam has followed in the footsteps of his older brother Callum who took to the ice after being encouraged by an ice hockey playing relative.

A conference is held each year where the best players from each region face each other with England scouts choosing who will represent their country.

American scouts also watch and Liam was offered a place at an academy but it would have cost too much money.