Courier Summer 2021

Page 27 KEVICC Sporting Alumni Ollie Payne Ollie Payne, who left Kevicc in 2015, has been selected as number 1 goalkeeper for the GB Men’s Hockey team , due to take part in this summer’s delayed 2020 Olympics in Japan. Ollie was always a talented sportsman and played cricket for Dartington and Totnes and football for Exeter City academy up to the age of 13. However after leaving the Exeter academy he took up a new sport with local club Dart Hockey as a goalkeeper, making use of his kicking skills from football, and hand-eye co-ordination and reflexes from being a wicket keeper in cricket. At Dart Hockey he would play for older age group teams and was soon being selected for county and regional representative sides. After leaving Kevicc Ollie went to Exeter College to do a Sports Studies course and was playing for the Exeter University Hockey 1st XI in their National League team, despite not being at the University. In 2017 he started a Sports Science degree at Durham University, where he played in their Hockey 1st XI in both the National League and the British Universities championships, helping the team to win the final of the latter in 2018 in a penalty shootout. By now Ollie had also made it into the England under 21 squad and helped them to win the Sultan of Johur trophy in Malaysia in both 2018 and 2019, being named goalkeeper of the tournament in the second of these victories. The team also finished runners-up in the 2019 European under 21 championships in Valencia, Spain. In 2020 Ollie was called up to the England and GB senior squads and during the past season has played 6 times for Great Britain in the FIH Pro-Hockey League and played all 5 matches for England in the recent European Championships in Amsterdam. It was his performances in these matches that have earnt him selection as first choice goalkeeper for the Olympics this summer. The Olympic Hockey tournament involves two groups of six countries playing each other between 24th and 30th July with the top four teams from each group going on to the quarter finals. The GB men’s hockey team last won the gold medal at the Seoul Olympics in South Korea in 1998, but haven’t won any medal since then, so hopefully Ollie can inspire them to success this summer. Class of 2015 Ryan Stevenson Ryan was Kevicc from 2003 to 2010 and excelled as a sportsman in both cricket and golf, winning a scholarship to a US university for the latter, but choosing instead to stay in the UK and concentrate on his cricket. Ryan was a regular for the school side that at the time was strong enough to take on some of the top public school sides in the country. He also played for local club Dartington and Totnes and representated Devon at all junior age groups. After progressing to adult cricket and becoming the stand- out player for D&T in the third tier of the Devon League, in 2015 he joined Torquay, then in the Devon Premier League. That season Ryan was spotted by a coach from Hampshire County Cricket Club, who invited him to play some matches for the Hampshire County 2nd XI. After impressing in these Ryan was offered a professional contract with Hampshire and made his debut in the 1st XI later that summer. Unfortunately, Ryan’s career at Hampshire has been blighted by injury and he has struggled to gain a regular place in the 1st XI for their championship and one-day sides. However he has played over 20 matches in the T20 Blast competition. All words by James Hartridge Class of 2010