Lauren Penny, left, in her Maidstone days

By Alex Hoad

Former Maidstone striker Lauren Penny had mixed emotions after missing out on a place in the South African women’s hockey squad for London 2012.

The 25-year-old – who was born in Port Elizabeth in South Africa but played for Maidstone in 2006/07 and 2007/08 after moving to the UK – was, however, named as one of two reserves for the Olympic Games.

Penny was only called into the international set-up at the start of this year after her fine form for Slough in the National Premier League.

Despite scoring on her debut and impressing in her first 13 appearances for the SA side, Penny’s dreams were crushed when she suffered a dislocated right shoulder after taking an off-balance shot in training on May 22.

She admitted: "I didn’t know the severity of it at first, but the deal was that I had to be back and ready for the Investec London Cup (which began on Tuesday) – and obviously I wasn’t. It has been very frustrating.

"The injury came at the worst time. With soft tissue damage it’s four to six weeks of recovery and even though I’m well ahead of schedule it’s going to be another two weeks before I am back to 100 per cent.

"I was feeling positive and confident about my chances of making the squad, but it wasn’t to be."

She added: "All I can do is stay fit and focused. I wouldn’t like to wish injury on anyone, but in sport anything can happen and I have to be prepared."