Western Wildcats planning to celebrate 120 years in style

It will take place at Auchenhowie on the holiday weekend at the end of May and include a junior festival, charity matches organised with Hockey for Heroes and an anniversary dinner.

The junior festival will take place on Sunday, May 27, while on the Saturday Hockey for Heroes will play three friendly matches against a club select, a girls’ team and a Scotland select.

The matches will kick off a series of endurance tasks being undertaken the length of the country by the armed forces charity.

Founded in 1898, Western is the oldest club in Scotland and one of the oldest in Europe.

Players have enjoyed success at club, national and intenational level and this year three Western players - Rob Harwood, Becky Ward and ladies captain Kareena Cuthbert - are in Scotland’s Commonwealth Games team.

But as well as marking 120 years, Wildcats are also hoping to use the birthday celebrations to attract more sponsorship.

Kareena explained: “In sport these days you’re really relying on sponsors and people who are willing to invest money into the club.

“Unfortunately the grants and charitable stuff is drying up a little in sport and we’re just looking for as much support as we can.

“We’re a really thriving club, we’ve got the five men’s teams and three women’s teams and all of them need to be supported.

“It’s just little things, like strips and equipment. It’s nice to have all your teams looking good and having the right stuff to train with and a lot of the money goes into just the general running of the club. It’s always good to have that backing.”

Anyone interested in finding out more about available sponsorship packages should email [email protected] for more information.