Ahead of the World League Semi Final in Johor,
Malaysia, England Men’s Head Coach Bobby Crutchley has named a squad of
20 athletes who will fly out to Malaysia next month to prepare for the
new FIH competition. The final 18 man squad will be announced closer to
the event which runs from 29 June – 7 July.
The line-up sees
six London 2012 Olympians returning to action, plus several other
athletes who bring a wealth of experience to the squad. Alongside them,
Crutchley has also named a number of less experienced athletes, three of
whom will be looking to secure international debuts.
Back
from a season playing for Dutch side HGC, England Captain Barry
Middleton is ready for the new challenge ahead, “I am really looking
forward to the tournament as it gives the squad a good chance to see
where we stand right now in World Hockey. We have a new group with a
good mix of youth and experience and there’s a real desire to get out
there and challenge ourselves against the best sides in the world. It’s
exciting to see the young talent we have coming through our development
pathways.”
Alongside
Middleton, Olympians Nick Catlin (Reading), Dan Fox (Hampstead &
Westminster), Ashley Jackson (East Grinstead), Harry Martin (Beeston)
and Richard Smith (Royal Racing Club Brussels) have all been named in
the squad, which will face some strong opposition out in Malaysia.
England
(FIH #4) have been drawn in Pool B and will face South Africa (FIH
#12), Pakistan (FIH #5) and Malaysia (FIH #13) in the group phase of the
tournament. South Africa and Pakistan are no strangers to the six
London Olympians as they faced them last Summer in the group stages
under the guise of Great Britain.
The
results from those fixtures saw a dominant 4-1 win over Pakistan and a
2-2 draw with the team ranked twelfth in the world. Ashley Jackson will
look to continue some of the same form he showed in those games,
contributing four out of the six goals for Great Britain. England’s
other opponents, Malaysia, will be on home turf and have enjoyed some
good results against some of the best sides in the world, including a
3-3 draw with Great Britain at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup last May.
In
the other Pool, Olympic Champions Germany (FIH #1) will face Korea (FIH
#8), Argentina (FIH #10) and one additional team that will be named at
the end of this week following the completion of the final World League
Round 2 tournament in Russia.
Speaking
about the selected squad and the tournament ahead, England Head Coach,
Bobby Crutchley said, “We know this will be a tough environment to jump
into, but it’s a challenge we’re relishing and we have some good young
players coming into the team. We travel to Belgium and Germany over the
next couple of weeks to play some practice matches so it will be great
to gauge where we stand against two very good sides. The less
experienced athletes are making progress in training, so it will be
great to play these five matches before we head out to Malaysia.”
Two
Olympians currently missing from the line-up are Rob Moore and Iain
Lewers. Iain Lewers continues to be monitored as he recovers from
surgery on his knee earlier this year. Rob Moore currently has work
commitments and therefore will not make the trip to Malaysia.
England’s
first game is against South Africa and will take place on Saturday 29
June at 13:00 (UK time). There will be live streaming of all the matches
from the FIH website. Further information will be released closer to
the tournament.
One
week earlier England’s Women will be playing in the Investec World
League Semi Final on home turf in London from 22-30 June 2013. Click here for more information about the event.
England Men’s Squad for the World League Semi Final (20 athletes have been named, this number will be reduced to the final 18 closer to the tournament).
Name Current Club Position
Ben Arnold Beeston Forward
James Bailey Reading Goalkeeper
Tom Carson Reading Forward
Nick Catlin Reading Midfielder/Forward
Darren Cheesman Reading Forward
David Condon Loughborough Students Midfielder
Adam Dixon Beeston Midfielder/Defender
Dan Fox Hampstead and Westminster Defender
Mark Gleghorne East Grinstead Forward
Michael Hoare Beeston Defender
Ashley Jackson East Grinstead Midfielder
Simon Mantell Reading Forward
Harry Martin Beeston Midfielder
Barry Middleton Holcombe Midfielder/Forward
George Pinner Beeston Goalkeeper
Phil Roper Sheffield Hallam Forward
Dan Shingles Southgate Midfielder
Richard Smith Racing Club Brussels Defender
Henry Weir Loughborough Students Midfielder/Defender
Oliver Willars Beeston Defender
