GB women have been given a welcome boost after captain Hollie Pearne-Webb pulled on the national shirt for the first time in a year at the weekend.
GB are currently involved in a five-match intra-squad series, while Pearne-Webb is returning after last featuring in Australia/New Zealand in February 2020 during the FIH Pro League.
“The last time I pulled on one of these shirts I had just returned from rehab from Op number 1,” she said.
“Shortly afterwards, with the Olympics postponed it was decided that the planned post Olympic Op was needed to be bought forward to see me through.”
The 30-year-old, who has revealed to The Hockey Paper that she is aiming for another Olympic cycle after Tokyo, also admitted that the Bisham matches were the first time in two years where she didn’t feel pain.
She added on social media: “So after a second Op last year and lots of rehab, today I played my first match since. The first match since 2018 where I haven’t been in pain.”
Pearne-Webb missed the European Pro League matches in the autumn after the decision was taken to bring forward surgery on her big toe shortly after the first lockdown.