WELSHPOOL Hockey Club claimed third place at a pre-season tournament held in Mold last weekend.

Captain Sonja Evans led Pool was voted player of the day with a last gasp 1-0 win over Caernarfon and 2-0 defeats to Ardudwy and eventual winners Dysynni enough for third spot.

The tournament attracted the top clubs from across the region with Welshpool joined by Llanfair Caereinion, Ruthin, Ardudwy, Caernarfon, Dysynni and Bangor University.

However Welshpool have been joined by Llanfair Caereinion and Montgomery in being frustrated in their preparations for the new North Wales Women’s and Shropshire League seasons after Welshpool’s Flash Leisure Centre ruled its all weather pitch unplayable.

Each club uses the pitch as their home ground with the only other suitable venue at Newtown’s Maldwyn Leisure Centre.

Urgent works are set to take place at the venue after rain led to drainage issues.

A statement from Freedom Leisure read: “Unfortunately the astro pitch is unplayable due to the downpour last week which has caused the drain to overflow and we have silt on the pitch again.

“We have engineers on site on Monday to fix the problem.”

Vaughan Harding of Welshpool Town Junior Football Club vented his frustration at the loss of another training venue in the town following the loss of Salop Field to development.

Harding said: “We have lost our three grass football pitches this season, stopping our children from playing matches in the town.

“Now, even before the bad weather has arrived, Freedom Leisure has cancelled a number of sessions due to problems with the astro turf pitch leading to our boys and girls and all the other sports children not even being allowed to train.

“History tells us this will get worse as the year goes on.

“This represents another reason why Welshpool urgently needs a community 4G pitch for the children of this town.”