[img_assist|nid=3915|title=|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=180|height=76]The Great Britain women’s squad has been named ahead of hockey’s Investec London Cup in Chiswick. As a result of injuries and tournament regulations, the 18 athlete squad features several changes to that which was recently selected for the London Olympic Games.
Highlights of the tournament will be broadcast daily while Sunday’s finals day will be live on Sky Sports 3.
Leicester defender Crista Cullen and Reading forward Alex Danson will play no part in the Investec London Cup as they continue their rehabilitation for an ankle and shoulder injury respectively. Both athletes sustained the injuries during Great Britain’s 2-0 victory over Argentina at the Olympic Test Event in early May. Welshwoman Sarah Thomas will also miss the Investec London Cup after injuring her ankle in training. The 31-year-old from Merthyr Tydfil will miss this week’s tournament but is expected to recover in time for the Olympic Games.
With tournament regulations allowing teams to select a squad of 18, rather than 16 as is the case at an Olympic Games, Britain’s reserve athletes for London 2012, the Canterbury duo of Abi Walker and Natalie Seymour, are named.
Leicester forwards Rebecca Herbert and Kerry Williams, and University of Birmingham midfielder Susie Gilbert join the group in place of the injured trio Cullen, Danson and Thomas.
Commenting on his squad for the tournament, coach Danny Kerry explained, “Beckie, Kerry and Susie will replace Alex, Sarah and Crista who are making good progress in their rehab in time for the Olympic Games. The three replacements understand our play well and bring good energy and pace to the team.
“We will use the Investec London Cup to get good quality match practice in a home environment. Our pool opponents, South Africa and Germany will be tough opponents and their players will be looking to nail down a place in their respective Olympic squads. We will continue to refine our play whilst holding back set-pieces and specific tactics that we will use during the 2012 Games.
“We’re thoroughly looking forward to playing in Chiswick in front of a passionate home crowd. If they can bring the support they gave the team at last month’s Test Event to the Investec London Cup it will be fantastic.”
Great Britain begin their campaign on Jubilee Bank Holiday Tuesday afternoon against Investec South Africa, who opted to re-qualify for this summer’s Olympic Games through the Olympic Qualification Tournament, which they won in Delhi after finishing fifth at the Champions Challenge. World number one, the Netherlands, meet Australia in the opening match at the Investec London Cup on Tuesday. Germany and Ireland get their campaigns up and running on Wednesday 6 June.
Tickets to the main grandstand on Tuesday and Sunday have sold out although limited standing tickets are still available. Highlights of each day’s action will be broadcast on Sky Sports 4 with Sunday’s Finals Day live from Chiswick on Sky Sports 3.
The Investec London Cup also features a series of special events, for which tickets are still available. On Thursday 7 June, Sean Kerly, star of the 1988 Olympic gold medal winning men’s team, will share his medal winning memories including “that final”, his optimism for the upcoming Olympic Games and talk about his role as a BBC summariser at London 2012.
And on Saturday, the EHB will host its Annual Awards lunch at the Investec London Cup. Celebrating the best of hockey from across the country, the Awards recognise volunteers, players, coaches, officials, teams and clubs from grassroots to the pinnacle of the sport. Tickets to the event are still on sale, offering guests the opportunity to meet some of the athletes representing Great Britain at this summer’s Olympic Games.
Visit www.greatbritainhockey.co.uk/investeclondoncup for ticketing information.
GREAT BRITAIN WOMEN’S SQUAD FOR INVESTEC LONDON CUP
Name (Club) [Position] Home Nation Great Britain Caps/Great Britain Goals – Home Nation Caps/Home Nation Goals – Age
Ashleigh Ball (Slough) [Midfielder] England 20/5 – 48/1 – 26
Laura Bartlett (Reading) [Forward] Scotland 40/4 – 57/# – 23
Susie Gilbert (University of Birmingham) [Midfielder] England 32/3 – 40/5 – 23
Rebecca Herbert (Leicester) [Forward] England 28/4 – 67/8 – 25
Hannah Macleod (Leicester) [Forward] England 18/2 – 46/5 – 27
Emily Maguire (Reading) [Defender] Scotland 25/0 – 71/# – 24
Anne Panter (Leicester) [Defender] England 47/1 – 51/3 – 28
Helen Richardson (Reading) [Midfielder] England 80/6 – 146/22 – 30
Chloe Rogers (Leicester) [Midfielder] England 53/4 – 99/11 – 27
Natalie Seymour (Canterbury) [Defender] England 20/0 – 51/0 – 25
Beth Storry (Reading) [Goalkeeper] England 34/0 – 71/0 – 34
Georgie Twigg (Clifton) [Midfielder] England 15/1 – 28/2 – 21
Laura Unsworth (Loughborough Students) [Defender] England 27/1 – 47/0 – 24
Kate Walsh (Reading) [Defender] England 103/9 – 184/31 – 32
Abi Walker (Canterbury) [Goalkeeper] Scotland 18/0 – 65/0 – 30
Sally Walton (Bowdon Hightown) [Defender] England 21/1 – 86/7 – 30
Kerry Williams (Leicester) [Forward] England 23/2 – 61/0 – 26
Nicola White (Slough) [Forward] England 27/0 – 44/4 – 24
INVESTEC LONDON CUP FIXTURES
Tuesday June 5 2012
14:00 Pool A Netherlands v Australia
16:30 Pool B Great Britain v South Africa
Wednesday June 6 2012
17:30 Pool A Australia v Ireland
20:00 Pool B South Africa v Germany
Thursday June 7 2012
17:30 Pool A Ireland v Netherlands
20:00 Pool B Germany v Great Britain
Saturday June 9 2012
14:30 Semi Final 1 v Semi Final 1
17:00 Semi Final 2 v Semi Final 2
Sunday June 10 2012
10:30 5th v 6th
13:30 Bronze Medal
16:00 Final
INVESTEC LONDON CUP TV SCHEDULE
Wednesday 6 June – Day 1 highlights 19:00-21:00 Sky Sports 4
Thursday 7 June – Day 1 highlights 06:30-08:30 Sky Sports 4
Thursday 7 June – Day 2 highlights 19:00-21:00 Sky Sports 4
Friday 8 June – Day 2 highlights 04:00-06:00 Sky Sports 4
Friday 8 June – Day 2 highlights 14:00-16:00 Sky Sports 4
Friday 8 June – Day 3 highlights 22:00-00:00 Sky Sports 4
Saturday 9 June – Day 3 highlights 11:00-13:00 Sky Sports 4
Sunday 10 June – Finals Day Live 12:30-18:00 Sky Sports 3
Monday 11 June – Finals Day highlights 09:00-14:30 Sky Sports 4
