Duncan, Biddle and Lewis sound like they could be a firm of solicitors but they are in fact three very good reasons why Lydney Hockey Club’s 1st XI could make it into the national league this season.

The team is very much a family affair, with three sets of sisters primed for important roles if the club are to get out of Premier Division One of the West Clubs Women’s League, something they threatened to do for the first half of the last campaign.

The sister power is made up of three Duncans – Lisa, Meghan and Kelly; two Biddles – Amy and Emma; and two Lewis’ – Grace and Jo.

Captain Lisa Duncan said: “Amy, Emma, Grace and Jo have been members of the club from a very young age and support the club in a variety of ways behind the scenes.”

The strong family theme isn’t exclusive to the 1st XI, however, as Cynthia Jones captains the 2nds while her husband Marcus is the club’s treasurer; and Rosie Redwood and her dad Glenn organise the 3rds.

And the role of secretary is shared between the husband and wife team of Bev and Richard Hamilton.

And that’s not all. Andy Lord is the club chairman and coaches the younger children on a Thursday evening and his daughter Annie plays for the club too.

It’s Lisa’s second season as captain although she was restricted to a watching brief throughout 2016/17 after tearing her Achilles tendon.

The team finished fourth and Lisa, who is passionate about her hockey, is hoping they can go even closer to promotion this time around.

“Yes, every year promotion is the aim,” she said. “We’ve beaten a lot of the bigger teams over the years but it hasn’t quite been our time to go up. Maybe this season.”

Lisa, 31, first played for Lydney in 2004 during her gap year and post-university rejoined the club five years later, due to its close proximity to her job as Head of PE and Girls Games at St John’s, Dean Close School in Tutshill, near Chepstow.

“I wanted to play hockey at a decent level,” she said.

But Lisa, like a good number at the club, doesn’t just give up her time playing because she coaches as well.

Last season, as well being off-the-field captain of the 1sts, Lisa also coached the 2nds/3rds and Vixens – the junior girls’ team. This season she will again coach the 3rds and Vixens and is also helping Cynthia develop a junior boys’ team.

“I’m very passionate about getting young people involved in hockey and in sport,” she said. “Hockey is such a great game and Great Britain are the Olympic champions, so it’s something we’re very good at.”

Clearly it’s something that all three Duncan sisters are very good at as well… but which one of them is the best?

“If you’re asking me,” said Lisa laughing, “I’d say me.”

And what if one of her sisters were asked the same question?

“If you asked Kelly, she’d probably say Meghan,” said Lisa, still laughing. “No, no, thinking about it she’d probably say herself.”

Duncan, Biddle and Lewis may not be a firm of solicitors but Lydney Hockey Club are certainly a family club!

The club train at Freedom Leisure Lydney on Wednesdays (6.45-8.15pm). Anyone is welcome to attend.