AFTER more than a century apart, two hockey clubs in the town – both of them called Winnington Park – have merged.

Unsurprisingly, they’re keeping the name.

At a meeting last week, members of both the men’s and women’s versions of Park - the former started in 1905 before the latter followed a year later - gave their blessing.

“It’s the right time,” said Tony Taig, co-chairman of the new committee.

“Why has it taken this long? I’m unsure.

“The important thing is we’ve done it now, and we’re here. And that’s exciting.”

They have wasted no time, and have a badge already.

A new kit, in familiar navy and white, will follow.

Eight teams – four men's, two women's and two junior sides – will compete under the Winnington Park banner from next season.

Boys will play alongside girls in mixed line-ups at under 16s and under 14s level.

Taig said: “That’s an area we see as having the potential for biggest growth.

“It’s a benefit we’ve talked about most while discussing whether a merger was the way to go.

“By pooling the resources both clubs had and building on the relationships we have with nearby high schools, we hope to become an attractive option for young players.”

The club will use Winnington Park Rugby Club as a home, hosting opponents there after games and using the facilities for social functions too, and play matches on pitches at Sir John Deane’s College.

Meanwhile the ladies are hoping to play home fixtures in the Cheshire Women’s League at Grange School in Hartford, and not Moss Farm, in the future.

“It’s a significant moment for the sport in Northwich,” said Leona Wylie, who leads the new committee together with Taig.

“We’ve been unusual in existing as completely separate entities, although a merger has always been a topic kept on the back burner.

“It’s been revisited now and then, and talked about tentatively, but now we’ve had the right people around to actually make it happen.

“The women and girls have been behind it 100 per cent.”

She told the Guardian that the men’s and ladies’ clubs had shared a similar philosophy and, perhaps more significantly, were starting to face the same challenges.

Doing so with forces joined seemed an obvious next step.

“Sports clubs will tell you that attracting and keeping hold of volunteers is a difficult thing to do,” she added.

“Hockey is no different.

“It seemed crazy to us that teams from both clubs were turning up at the same venue, albeit at slightly different times, to practice.

“The catalyst has been how we think about juniors though, and creating a path they can follow from starting at school through to playing as seniors.”