SKATER hockey fans won’t be able to watch or play the sport on the Isle of Sheppey any more. The Barbarians Skater Hockey Club folded over the summer.

The club, which formed in January 1996, have been struggling to attract new players of sufficient quality in recent years and have been forced to disband as a result.

In an attempt to improve standards, the club joined the Swale & Medway Inline Hockey Club league for the 2000-1 season, a decision which seems to have backfired.

Manager Rob Smith explained: “The new league attracts elite teams from around the South of England to compete. The higher standard of the teams and the level of player’s skill in the puck league made it harder for smaller teams without a player-development programme to make any impact.

“The Island, being a small community, has always had difficulty attracting new players into the game, especially as inline skating is now less popular than it was two to three years ago.

“And as the club’s players got older it was impossible to attract players with previous experience.”