Sean Cronin has no gold medal ambitions, despite throwing himself into a sport on the Olympic roster.

Wealdstone’s stalwart centre-back kept himself fit during the bad weather by linking up with the Ruislip Eagles handball team, who are based at Northolt Leisure Centre.

The Cardiff-born defender enjoyed his run-out at a sport he claims suits his physique.

However, apart from keeping himself ticking over ahead of the run-in for promotion, Cronin revealed his night with the Eagles was more to do with nicking a few ideas for teaching the sport in his role as

PE master at Holy Family Catholic School in Walthamstow.

“I don’t think my call to Rio 2016 is coming any time soon,” he joked.

“I find just going for a run or going to the gym very boring, so I went down to where they train and had a great hour and a half’s workout – it was a really good blow and I got a proper sweat on. I really enjoyed it. It is a game that suits me as it is quite physical.

“I’m a teacher so part of the plan was to get some idea for lessons and broaden my knowledge of the sport.”

Cronin made quite an impression – or at least enough for him to be offered a game with the Eagles second team.

However, tempted a he might have been, when he discovered he would have to pay for the privilege Cronin decided to keep playing with his head and feet – at least for now.

“They wanted £30 off me to register, so I decided going from being paid to play football to paying to play handball was not a deal so I gave it a miss,” he said.

But the workout promises to serve him well with his former partner at the heart of the Stones rear-guard, club captain Wes Parker, edging closer to a return after a four-month injury lay-off.

The former Grimsby, Boston and Gainsborough United man will be a big threat to Cronin and his present cohort in the centre of the back four Tom Hamblin.

However, rather than looking over his shoulder, Cronin sees only positives in Parker’s return to action.

He added: “We have got a lot of games coming up and at times I’m sure the gaffer will rotate it when Wes comes back.

“We are going to need all the players we can get towards the end of the season with all the games that have been called off, so we will need strength in depth and Wes will certainly add that to us.”

It was another blank week for Cronin and his team-mates as the continuing wet weather meant Saturday’s Ryman Premier match against Lowestoft and the Middlesex Senior Cup quarter-final with AFC Hayes on Tuesday night were postponed.