Mason takes top award

HOCKEY Simon Mason and Karen Brown, two players at distinctly different stages of their careers, have been chosen as the 1994 Norwich Union UK Players of the Year by the Hockey Writers' Club, writes Bill Colwill.

Mason, of Firebrands, the England World Cup goalkeeper, is at the beginning of what promises to be a brilliant international career. At the age of 21 he has already made 21 international appearances in just a year and at the recent World Cup in Sydney was the only English player included in the world squad nominated by the international Press.

Brown, 32, who captained Slough to a Cup final victory last season and into Europe, appeared to be at the end of her international career when she won a bronze medal at the last Olympics after making 231 international appearances. However, she has been recalled to the England squad to play Russia in two internationals at Bisham at the end of the month.