Scotland Women take on tough European assignment in Belgium

Scotland Senior Women face their most important competition of 2013 when they travel to Belgium to participate in the EuroHockey Nations Championship from 17-25 August.

The Scots will take on the cream of the continent’s top international sides in Boom, including England, Germany and Spain in Pool B, while Belarus, Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands make up Pool A.

The target for the national side is to retain their place in the elite tournament for 2015 and looking forward to the challenge ahead, Scotland Senior Women Head Coach Gordon Shepherd said, “It is going to be a very tough tournament, and although it’s a cliché, there will be no easy games in Belgium. We’ve been drawn in difficult pool and the players will need to be focussed for the games ahead.

“Spain will most likely be the key fixture and we are targeting this game as an opportunity to get points on the board in the pool stage. If we can take something from Spain then we would probably need to win one crossover match to stay in the competition. If not, then the two crossover matches become vital. I expect we will come up against Belarus and Ireland, but you never know. The players will now train for this week and then we fly out to Belgium next Wednesday. The squad morale is good and we’re all looking forward to taking on the best Europe can offer.”

The stand-out fixture for the national side is the prospect of a mouth-watering ‘Auld Enemy’ clash with England in the third pool match and Shepherd is “It’s great to have a competitive game against England, as we’ve not played them for quite some time. It will be a great occasion and the players are looking forward to it.”

The EuroHockey Nations Championship will be broadcast live in the UK by the BBC via their Red Button and online services, and on Eurosport’s HD channel.

Scotland Senior Women Squad:

Shirt No.	First Name	Surname	Position	Age	Caps
2	Nicola	Cochrane	GK	19	11
3	Vikki	Bunce	Midfielder	30	160
4	Morag	McLellan	Midfielder	23	63
5	Alison	Bell	Forward	28	105
8	Catriona	Ralph	Defender	29	134
9	Samantha	Judge	Forward	35	193
11	Holly	Cram	Forward	29	131
12	Linda	Clement	Midfielder (captain)	33	210
14	Kareena	Marshall	Defender	26	62
15	Leigh	Fawcett	Defender	27	82
16	Rebecca	Merchant	Defender	25	63
17	Nikki	Kidd	Midfielder	25	120
18	Susan	McGilveray	Midfielder	25	35
19	Nicola	Lloyd	Forward	26	33
21	Alison	Howie	Midfielder	22	21
22	Nicola	Skrastin	Midfielder	20	25
23	Emily	Maguire	Midfielder	25	81
29	Amy	Gibson	GK	24	42