Ipswich Hockey Club's Jenny Hall has been named a runner-up in the prestigious Higgins Group Youth Hockey Awards for the third year running.

Stuart Watson

By Stuart Watson

Ipswich Hockey Club's Jenny Hall has been named a runner-up in the prestigious Higgins Group Youth Hockey Awards for the third year running.

The awards, only in their fourth year, were the brainchild of the late Derek Higgins OBE, a long-time member of Old Loughtonians Hockey Club.

With only two outright winners per year, the national awards augment the Higgins Group's

policy of encouragement for youth in general and for those who show hockey talent in particular.

Ipswich Hockey Club nominated 18 year-old Hall once again this year after she continued to impress in their Premier League women's first team.

Hall said: “It has been quite a frustrating season with injuries so I am really happy to have been named runner-up again for this award.”

Ipswich manager Donna Mills said: “Jenny has so much potential, she is already a natural goal scorer and she is not even 19 yet. She is certainly one to watch building up to 2012.”

Having moved to Ipswich from Old Loughtonians in 2006, Hall made her first team debut at the age of just 16. That year she ended as Ipswich's top goal scorer, also finishing as joint ninth leading goal scorer for the entire league.

International honours soon followed for Hall, the teenager progressing from the England Under-16s to the national under-18 side.

From there, Hall was selected for the Wessex Leopards squad in the inaugural GB Super League season during the summer of 2007. During that season Hall scored two goals as the Leopards went on to claim the title.

It is not just Hall's success on the field that led to her nomination for this award though.

After securing four 'A' grade A-Levels last year, Hall secured a place at Cambridge University's Selwyn College studying history.

The youngster has also fought through a number of injuries in the last year to emerge a better player.

Last July, Hall suffered a nasty broken collarbone in one of the last England U18 training sessions before the European Championships.

The injury required two operations and pins being placed in her shoulder and meant she did not play again until November.

Despite the long lay-off, Hall scored a fantastic hat-trick to lead Ipswich to a 5-1 win in her second game back, ironically over her previous club Old Loughtonians.

To complete her successful return to fitness and top level hockey Hall then received an invitation to attend England U21 trials.

Unfortunately though, the week before the trial, Hall suffered a broken thumb in a game against Chelmsford, an injury which kept her out again until the start of this year.

Mills said: “Off the field Jenny is very quiet, but when she is on the pitch she puts everything into her hockey, that is probably why she is more vulnerable to injury.”