England has announced its squad for the men's Rabo Hockey Junior World Cup in Rotterdam, Netherlands, with expectations on the team to progress deep into the tournament.
ÔÇ£Competition will be intense from the first game and England open their campaign against No1 seeds, Spain, followed by Mexico and Korea,ÔÇØ head coach David Bunyan said.
England expects to progress to the second round where they will undoubtedly meet the hosts Netherlands and reigning champions India.
ÔÇ£The squad blends more experienced campaigners, Lane, Mantell and Watts with the exciting young talent of Ashley Jackson and Darren Cheesman,ÔÇØ team manager Peter Nicholson said.
ÔÇ£We are also expecting strong performances from the likes of Richard Springham and Rob Pryce who are key players in this squad.
ÔÇ£Generally, our preparations have been good, although more recently the need to balance hockey and studying for exams has seen a more fragmented preparation than we would have liked. Added to this, the squad has recently been hampered by injuries but, hopefully, everyone will be raring to go on the 29 June.ÔÇØ
Adam Dixon, Chris Pryce and Warren D'Souza will join the squad in Rotterdam after completing their A levels on the 28 June.
Brothers, Rob and Chris Pryce are both selected for the tournament.
ÔÇ£This is a young group and much will depend on the more experienced players performing when it really matters; the outcome will obviously be dictated by how effective we are in both circles.ÔÇØ Bunyan added
ÔÇ£Confidence is high following a successful trip to Holland last weekend and all the players are looking forward to the next two weeks of training to put the finishing touches to our preparation,ÔÇØ captain Richard Lane said.
England Junior World Cup team
Darren Cheesman
Warren D'Souza
Adam Dixon
James Gollan
Andrew Halpin
Adamson Harper
Matthew Fairburn
Peter Flanagan
Ashley Jackson
Stephen Lawrence
Richard Lane
Iain Mackay
Simon Mantell
Jack Marfleet
Chris Pryce
Robert Pryce
Richard Springham
Andrew Watts
