Hockey umpires skirt over the issue of skorts

The coach of a female player who was refused by a local umpire to play in shorts and was asked to swap skorts with a team-mate behind the dugout has lambasted the decision as “total madness”.

The player was about to turn out for Telford & Wrekin HC, who play in the Midlands Division 1, but umpires insisted that she swap with a substitute. The incident took place before the season came to a halt last month.