The following players have been selected to represent England at the England Indoors Tri-Nation event at Fleming Park Leisure Centre, Eastleigh, from 19-21 December:
Men's Squad: Richard Alexander, Nick Brothers (GK), Jonty Clarke, Adam Dixon, James Fair (GK), Adamson Harper, Ben Hawes, Ashley Jackson, Glenn Kirkham, Richard Lane, Richard Mantell, Richard Smith.
Staff: Andy Halliday (Head Coach) David Ralph (Coach), Martin Langston (Manager), Lynn Booth (Physiotherapist), Roger Newcombe (Videographer)
Women's Squad: Ashleigh Ball, Natasha Brennan,Harriet Cunningham, Becky Duggan (GK), Jo Ellis, Charlotte Hartley, Rebecca Herbert, Kirsty Mackay (GK), Sam Quek, Nat Seymour, Sally Walton, Kerry Williams.
Staff: Nick Clark (Head Coach), Richard Organ (Coach), Dan Tilley (Manager), Ashleigh Wallace (Physiotherapist), Roger Newcombe (Videographer).
In the men's squad, Nick Brothers, Richard Smith, Adam Dixon and Richard Lane were all members of the England team that secured promotion from the EuroHockey Indoor Nations Challenge at Ponds Forge in Sheffield in January.
The squad also welcomes seven of Great Britain's outdoor Olympians, none of whom were involved in January due to Great Britain's Olympic qualifying campaign. Richard Alexander, Jonty Clarke, Ben Hawes, Ashley Jackson, Glenn Kirkham and Richard Mantell all played in the side that finished fifth in Beijing in the summer, while James Fair was one of the ÔÇÿP' accredited travelling reserves.
Six of the women selected for the Eastleigh tournament were also involved in England's EuroHockey Indoor Nations Challenge campaign. Becky Duggan, Kirsty Mackay, Natalie Seymour, Harriet Cunningham, Natasha Brennan and Sally Walton all represented England at Ponds Forge. Similarly to the men, two of the England women were among the 18-athlete Great Britain Olympic Games squad. Jo Ellis helped steer GB to their sixth place finish in Beijing while Rebecca Herbert was a ÔÇÿP' accredited travelling reserve.
The Christmas tri-nations event at Fleming Park will see England take on Australia and Scotland with each side playing each other twice in a round robin format. The series follows England's return to international indoor hockey last season after an absence of eight years and provides the teams with tough competitive fixtures in a season without EuroHockey Nations competition.
Speaking about the selection process Men's Head Coach Andy Halliday said, 'With over 30 players given the opportunity to experience International indoor training this year, selection has not been easy. However, the squad selected has great potential and provides an encouraging blend of youth and experience. We hope to use the extra pressure of International indoor competition to develop, enhance and improve individual and team skills. Ultimately, making players better equipped for the demands of top level outdoor hockey. We relish the challenge in Eastleigh; Australia and Scotland will test the progress we have made this year.'
The tournament also offers Women's Head Coach Nick Clark the opportunity to measure his side's progress: ÔÇ£We have selected a squad with a mixture of good outdoor and indoor experience. We had a good training weekend in Slough at which we worked on structure and playing style. We have a number of good athletes that will really benefit from a short but intense programme of indoor hockey. The tournament at Fleming Park will provide a good benchmark of where we stand and we aim to improve match by match.ÔÇØ
There were mixed emotions for England's sides last time out at the end of three pulsating days of European hockey. The men secured promotion to the next level up, the Trophy, thanks to round-robin wins over Croatia, Bulgaria, Turkey and Finland but with the women's competition featuring playoff matches to decide finishing positions, England narrowly missed out on promotion as they lost 3-2 to Denmark in the final.
Source: England Hockey
