Hockey: Brighton new boy is already having a major influence (From The Argus)

Hockey: Brighton new boy is already having a major influence

2:31pm Monday 4th December 2006 in Sport

Brighton and Hove have a star in the making in recent recruit Lloyd Norris-Jones.

A seven-goal blast as Brighton crushed Richmond a fortnight ago earned Norris-Jones plenty of headlines but the wider hockey community had already earmarked the youngster as a player of great potential.

Brighton's links with South African hockey have been strong in recent seasons and it was no surprise when playercoach Craig Carolan returned to his homeland to strengthen the ranks when Charl van der Merwe was forced to give up due to work commitments.

However, rather than sign a player in the twilight of his career, like the goal machine Greg Nicol last year, Norris- Jones is just 20 years old - which fits in perfectly with Brighton's policy this season on focusing on development for the future.

Norris-Jones, a flying winger, marked his arrival on the hockey scene with some blistering performances for South Africa's under-21 side, scoring five goals in seven appearances, and in October he won the South African equivalent of the National League with his club side, University of Pretoria.

His form was recognised by the South Africa selectors in September when coach Paul Revington included him in the national squad for the World Cup in Germany.

Norris-Jones made a strong impression on his debut against one of the world's strongest hockey nations, Holland.

He said: "I was a bit nervous but playing against the best players in the world and testing myself as a player was great.

I had a point to prove, to the selectors and the people back home that I deserved my place in the side."

Norris-Jones clearly impressed as he played in all six of South Africa's matches. While the results may not have gone South Africa's way he did his reputation no harm with some excellent performances, although he admitted: "The effort levels we showed definitely did not show in the result of each game."

He is now looking forward to winning more international caps and cementing his place in the national side with upcoming friendly matches against Spain, Ireland and Belgium in the new year and the Olympic qualifiers in Kenya in July.

Carolan, who has worked with the South African team as team psychologist, encouraged Norris- Jones to develop his game further during the South African off-season by agreeing to join Brighton.

He has quickly made a good impression at Brighton with his professionalism on and off the pitch but it is his skills on the pitch that have most impressed the club.

It is no coincidence that results have improved. A 5-0 win over Purley Walcountians on Saturday made it four wins on the bounce for Brighton and five matches unbeaten in South Premier division one since the new recruit rolled up.

Carolan has been keen to stress it is not a one-man show, insisting the run is as much to do with the club's youngsters finding their feet after a tricky start to the season.

Norris-Jones, too, has recognised the hard work his new team-mates are putting into their performances. He added: "I'm particularly impressed with the passion and commitment they play with."

The player's influence will not just be felt on the pitch. Also during his time with Brighton he will be looking to impart some of his skills to help local players by coaching regularly at both Brighton College and Sussex University.

This in the long term can only help a Brighton side where Norris-Jones seems to be fitting in very nicely.