Reading Hockey Club is delighted to announce that James Lavers will return to Sonning Lane for the 2026/27 season, joining the Men's 1st XI from Brooklands MU.

James comes back to Reading with top-flight pedigree, having spent the 2025/26 season competing in the England Hockey Premier Division with Brooklands. A forward with a knack for important goals, he was instrumental in Brooklands' Division 1 North title-winning campaign in 2024/25 and he carried that form into the Premier Division, finding the net against some of the biggest names in the English game.

The club's Chairman, Tim Hunt, welcomed the signing: "Bringing James home is a special one. He knows this club, and he returns as a better player than when he left — a Premier Division forward who has won promotion and tested himself at the very top level of English hockey. Signings like this show the pull that Reading now has, and we couldn't be happier to welcome him back to Sonning Lane."

Head of Men's Performance, Todd Williams, added: "James brings something we value enormously — recent Premier Division experience combined with a genuine connection to this club. He scores big goals in big games, as his record at Brooklands shows, and his knowledge of what it takes to win promotion and compete at the top will be invaluable to this group. I'm really excited to have him back."

James will link up with the squad ahead of pre-season training this summer. Welcome home, James!