Posted on 20 March
Leeds College of Building (LCB) student Oscar Davis is preparing for his second opportunity to represent Great Britain overseas.
The Level 1 Multi-Skills student has been selected to play at the U18 World Championships for Ball Hockey.
Ball Hockey is an an off-ice variant of ice hockey played in trainers instead of ice skates, despite the difference in footwear the sport shares the same propensity for strong physical clashes.
The team spirit within the sport is suitably intense for this reason – “if you get hit badly then everyone else sticks up for you.”
Oscar, who is currently the top goal scorer for his domestic club Leeds Rams, says his country’s goal this year is “to either win a game or at least come close to it.”
Last season Oscar was part of the team that competed in the Junior World Championships in Czechia where he came up against “elite prospects” for the National Hockey League in America.
“These are teams with massive budgets and the best equipment. Whereas obviously here in the UK it’s a much smaller sport so we want to get over there and give a good account of ourselves.”
As there is no formal funding for the tournament, Oscar’s father Luke has set up a GoFundMe to cover equipment costs and travel expenses, and LCB is sponsoring Oscar’s kit and sticks.
The Adel-born player only went to his first ice hockey game as a spectator in 2020. He started playing shortly after, but when an injury called time on his career on the ice, Oscar trialled with the ball hockey club Leeds Rams and has played with them ever since.
From the age of six, Oscar was obsessed with playing sport, starting with football before moving onto rugby. He still counts Leeds Rhinos winger Ryan Hall as one of his sporting icons.
“When I played rugby, it was always Ryan Hall for me, and then when I got into ice hockey the Leeds Knights player Harry Gulliver was my hero.”
The two connected over Facebook and Oscar says he is still in regular contact with Harry, they talk whenever he needs advice from an experienced pro.
Balancing his college work with his sporting ambitions has been easy thanks to the support LCB has given him, “my tutors have really helped me out a lot, everything from apprenticeship experience to practical work.”
Nodding at his tutor Luke Storey, Oscar says “college has been very supportive, donating to, and promoting my GoFundMe is really helpful.”
Luke nods back and says “he’s brilliant, he works hard and does what I ask him to do. He’s a model student. If he doesn’t know something he’ll come and ask, he’s always willing to help others, and his practical work is absolutely outstanding.”
The 2026 U18 & U16 World Junior Men’s Ball Hockey Championships will take place in Slovakia in July.
To donate to Oscar’s GoFundMe click here, to find out more about the 2026 U18 & U16 Ball Hockey Championships click here, to follow the Leeds Rams click here, to find an LCB course that works for you click here.
