KINGTON stalwart Jenny Layton Mills is looking forward to a step up the hockey ladder next season after the club clinched promotion to the Premier Division Two of the South Wales Women’s League.

On a dramatic final day, Emma Bryan’s goal five minutes from time clinched a 3-2 win over Chepstow.

And this was followed by the news that closest rivals Sue Noake had lost out in their final match at champions Dowlais.

It’s all a far cry from where the Kington club was when Jenny began playing more than a decade ago.

“We joined the South Wales League about eight years ago in Division Four and we have worked our way up,” she said.

“Before that, we played in the KBS League.

“It’s going to be a huge step up for us now,” she acknowledged.

“Radnor, who are a local team to us, went up to this division three years ago but they came straight back down again.

“But they got promoted again and this season they have finished sixth which is a very positive result.

“We will be happy if we can stay up in our first season.”

Along with Bev Hyde and Ruth Alexander, Jenny, who has been with Kington for 14 years, is one of the club’s longest-serving players.

“I played a bit at Kingstone High School,” said Jenny, who grew up in Vowchurch and is now a partner at McCartneys in Knighton.

“And then I played when I went to university at Harper Adams.

“When I left university, I got a job working in Knighton and one of the other girls also played hockey for Kington so it just took off from there.”

While the team’s hockey skills and commitment are reflected in their rise through the divisions, there is more to the club than just playing on the pitch.

“The team is based around the social aspect,” said Jenny. “A lot of the team come from a farming or a Young Farmers background so we have plenty in common.

“We love our hockey but we also enjoy a chat and a beer afterwards.

“It’s probably more of a rugby atmosphere than a hockey one in that respect.”

The club are looking to develop through youth and now has a badgers team.

“Maurice Hazleman coaches the under-16s and they train at Lady Hawkins’ School,” said Jenny.

“The youth scheme has really helped us and we have a few players coming through now.

“Emma Bryan, who will be the runner-up as leading goalscorer, only started playing three years ago while our goalkeeper Becky Mussell started playing just last season.”

The club have successfully overcome the handicap of having to play most of their games outside of Kington.

“We play our league games on the artificial turf at Llandrindod Wells,” said Jenny. “But we always go back to Kington Football Club for a drink afterwards and they have been very good to us.

“We do try to play a couple of matches each year on the grass in Kington, though.

“Playing outside of the town can be a bit of handicap with some of the girls working on a Saturday morning - our matches start between 12.30pm and 2pm.

“With away matches, where we have to go as far as Cardiff and Swansea, there can be a lot of mileage and it’s a big commitment but we have always managed to get a team.

“We are urgently seeking an artificial turf pitch of our own, but that’s a big expense.”

Jenny acknowledges, however, that the step up in standard will require a few new players.

“We will be looking to strengthen our squad for next season,” she said.

“Anyone interested in joining Kington should contact our captain, Emma Turner, who teaches at Hereford Sixth Form College and is one of our key players, on 07816 181055 or emma_kington @hotmail.com, or our vice-captain Sian Morgan.

“We will be playing in the summer league at Leominster on Tuesdays during the summer months and we have our end-of-season dinner at the Burton Hotel in Kington on Friday, May 17 - contact Emma Turner for tickets.”