TWO schoolchildren who feared they would have to put their love of their favourite sport on ice could soon be representing Scotland.

Harry and Stanley Hudson had been members of Murrayfield Junior Ice Hockey Club since they were just four years old.

However, the Edinburgh rink was shut during the Covid-19 pandemic, meaning the youngsters instead had to travel to Dundee and Fife to train.

Now, their hard work and determination looks like paying off after both were recognised by national selectors.

Mum Claire told the Courier: “I’m beyond proud. It gives you pins and needles.

“Each of them love ice hockey and they are really good at it.

“It’s not something where you can go down a local park and kick a ball around – they have had to put effort in to get where they are and they do.”

The duo started training in Kirkcaldy when the Capital’s ice rink remained closed during lockdown.

Training six hours a week, it is a commitment for the whole family, who live in Haddington.

Claire said: “We are travelling to and from Kirkcaldy. Murrayfield asked us to come back but they are totally settled.

“They have made friends and that is their club now.

“We go every Wednesday night for three hours and every Saturday for three hours from 6am.

“We leave here at 5am for a 6am start.”

And the hard work has paid off, with both the Haddington Primary School pupils travelling to Dumfries for national trials for their age groups.

Eleven-year-old Harry, who plays on the left wing, made the squad selection.

In August, he will travel to Latvia’s capital city Riga with his Scotland under-12s team-mates.

Younger brother Stanley, who is seven, has been put into a group for all Scottish coaches to keep an eye on in the coming years.

Parents are attempting to raise thousands of pounds to help the Scottish team get to Latvia.

Claire said that the youngsters would get no funding support from sportscotland and it was up to parents to cover the cost of the trip.

She highlighted Harry’s dedication to the sport – which he hopes could one day see him playing in the world’s top ice hockey league, the National Hockey League (NHL) in North America – and said: “They are putting in a lot of effort and commitment.

“Harry misses out on lots of things with his friends.

“They are sacrificing some things and he knows what he wants to do.

“We went to Canada on holiday and he watched a 16s tournament.

“It is where he wants to be and what he wants to do.

“He knows he has to be good at school to get a scholarship and he is willing to work hard to make it happen.”

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