Great Britain Head Coach Danny Kerry has named the 22 athletes to travel to Australia for a six-test series. With a slightly larger squad than the usual 18 taken to tournaments, Kerry has been able to add some players to the group who did not feature at the World League Finals in December 2015.
Kerry has opted to bring in seven players who did not play in Rosario with Giselle Ansley, Susie Gilbert, Sarah Haycroft, Sarah Robertson and Zoe Shipperley coming in alongside Shona McCallin and Sophie Bray who have returned from injury. Three players who featured in the World League Finals, Ashleigh Ball, Nicola White and Emily Maguire will not travel to Australia.
Kate Richardson-Walsh (Photo: Rhavi SK Ghowry)
A number of players are set to reach landmarks in their international careers during the series. Having reached the 350 cap milestone at the World League Finals, Captain Kate Richardson-Walsh is poised to become Great Britain’s most capped female player of all time. Currently on 353 caps, she has Karen Brown’s 355 in sight and could surpass the total in the third match of the series. Richardson-Walsh also has 49 international goals.
Olympic Bronze medallist Georgie Twigg currently has 45 Great Britain caps to her name and could go past the 50 mark if she features in five of the six matches. Hannah Macleod (above), another Olympic Bronze medallist is also in sight of the 50 Great Britain caps mark, also on 45. St Albans striker Ellie Watton needs just three caps to reach her half century of combined England and Great Britain appearances.
Geogie Twigg (Photo: Simon Parker)
Great Britain will face Australia six times over the course of the series with the first match set to take place on 12 February 2016. The series will provide excellent preparation for the team ahead of an important year where London will host the best teams in the world at the Champions Trophy before the Olympics in Rio in August where Australia and Great Britain are in the same pool.
Danny Kerry, Great Britain Head Coach: “We will be using the training and the test series to give the squad exposure to a different style of hockey to the one they would typically face in Europe. It is a good opportunity for us to develop as a group with an extended period of matches in an overseas environment.
I am delighted for Sophie Bray’s return. She has persevered through a challenging time to overcome injury. I look forward to seeing her back on the pitch. Sarah Robertson has also been included in the group. She is an intelligent hard working young player who has shown rapid development. We believe this experience will serve her well in that continued development.”
Great Britain squad for Australia test series
| Name | Club | ||
| Giselle Ansley | Surbiton | ||
| Sophie Bray | East Grinstead | ||
| Crista Cullen | |||
| Alex Danson | Reading | ||
| Susie Gilbert | Reading | ||
| Sarah Haycroft | Surbiton | ||
| Maddie Hinch | Holcombe | ||
| Joie Leigh | Clifton | ||
| Kirsty Mackay | East Grinstead | ||
| Hannah Macleod | St Albans | ||
| Shona McCallin | Holcombe | ||
| Lily Owsley | University of Birmingham | ||
| Sam Quek | Holcombe | ||
| Helen Richardson-Walsh | Reading | ||
| Kate Richardson-Walsh | Reading | ||
| Sarah Robertson | Holcombe | ||
| Zoe Shipperley | Buckingham | ||
| Susannah Townsend | Canterbury | ||
| Georgie Twigg | Surbiton | ||
| Laura Unsworth | East Grinstead | ||
| Ellie Watton
Hollie Webb |
St Albans
Surbiton |
Report courtesy of England Hockey
