Great Britain Head Coach Bobby Crutchley has named seven Holcombe players in his 18 man squad to compete in the Hockey Champions Trophy in London later this month.
Crutchley has chosen a strong squad to take on some of the best sides in the world as they step up their preparations for the Olympic Games in Rio.
Great Britain open their campaign on Friday 10 June against Australia, the side they faced in a test series late on in May. The following day they take on India ahead of their other three clashes with Korea (13 June), Germany (14 June) and Belgium (16 June).
The finals of the tournament will be held on 17 June. Great Britain will be aiming to win the Hockey Champions Trophy for the first time in their history.
Barry Middleton will be playing in his sixth Champions Trophy having first appeared in the competition back in 2007. The 32-year-old has 362 international caps to his name and will captain the Great Britain side in London.
The Great Britain squad has a number of players who could reach landmarks during the competition.
Defender Dan Fox is in line to reach 50 Great Britain caps, currently he has 47. In addition to that, Fox’s combined total of England and Great Britain caps is 148, meaning he could reach 150 international appearances in the second match of the tournament.
Goalkeeper George Pinner needs just two more appearances to reach 100 international caps whilst Henry Weir (97 international caps) and David Condon (96 international caps) are also closing in on their centuries.
Head Coach Bobby Crutchley said of the tournament: “The Hockey Champions Trophy is part of our Rio preparation but it’s also a big tournament in its own right. We’re aiming to develop our squad for the summer and play some good hockey.”
“It’ll be a good chance to test ourselves against some of the best teams, different styles and different plans which will help us to adapt ahead of the Olympics. The Champions Trophy is a massive tournament and we’ve picked a strong squad because we want to do well.”
Tickets for the Hockey Champions Trophy are on sale now. For all the event details click here.
Full squad for Hockey Champions Trophy:
Name | Club |
George Pinner (GK) | Holcombe |
James Bailey (GK) | Wimbledon |
Henry Weir | Wimbledon |
Ashley Jackson | Holcombe |
Simon Mantell | Reading |
Harry Martin | Beeston |
Alastair Brogdon | Wimbledon |
Michael Hoare | Wimbledon |
Sam Ward | Holcombe |
Mark Gleghorne | Beeston |
Adam Dixon | Beeston |
Barry Middleton | Holcombe |
David Condon | East Grinstead |
Iain Lewers | Holcombe |
Nick Catlin | Holcombe |
Dan Fox | Holcombe |
David Ames | Beeston |
Ian Sloan | Wimbledon |