Rewarding a number of the players that helped England qualify for the Junior World Cup (JWC), Head Coach David Ralph has included nine members of the England U21 side that finished fifth at the EuroHockey Junior Nations Championships last July, while eleven members of the talented young side also played in the Great Britain Youth team that won bronze at the 2009 Australian Youth Olympic Festival in January.
Loughborough Students is the best represented club with eight of the 18 athletes coming from the Premier Division club while their 20-year-old midfielder Nick Catlin is the only player to have played senior international hockey having made two appearances for
Furthering hockey's family-friendly image, 21-year-old goalkeeper Ian Scanlon is joined in the squad by his younger brother Martin, 19.
Speaking openly about the challenges his side will face, Head Coach David Ralph says, ÔÇ£The 2009 Junior World Cup will provide some major challenges for the squad. Not only do we face some of the top 20 junior teams in the World but the physical demands of the tournament will be tough as well. A grueling schedule means we face nine games in 14 days and the environmental conditions will be unlike any that the players have experienced previously.
ÔÇ£This is a wonderful opportunity for the players to experience a major global tournament in conditions similar to those frequently experienced by the senior teams.ÔÇØ
Talking about his team's prospects in
The England U21 squad for the 2009 Junior World Cup is as follows: Ben Arnold, James Bailey, David Beckett, Nick Catlin, David Condon, Richie Dawson-Smith, Marc Edwards, Simon Faulkner, Chris Gregg, Chris Griffiths, Ed Kelleher, Johnny Kinder, Sam Middleton, Ian Scanlon, Martin Scanlon, Ben Tibble, Henry Weir, Tom Woods.
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