TEAM SCOTLAND SQUAD LAUNCH
Posted by on 12 June 2014
Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland (CGCS) today confirmed the selection of the Senior Men’s and Women’s Hockey Teams for Glasgow 2014, with exactly six weeks to go until their competitions begin.
Over 11 days of action, 20 teams will compete for two Gold medals and Scotland will be looking to use home support at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre at Glasgow Green, to build on their previous Games outings and be competitive against some of the top hockey nations in the world.
The women’s team, there are also a number of familiar and experienced faces in the line-up that were part of the team that finished 7th in Delhi four years ago and a side that is largely unchanged from that which competed in the FIH Champions Challenge in Glasgow just over a month ago, where they finished in 7th position.
Coached by Gordon Shepherd, the team is preparing for some tough opposition in Australia, England, Malaysia and local rivals Wales.
Shepherd said: “Before the team selection, all of the players demonstrated desire and commitment to producing high quality output during the full-time programme, making it extremely competitive for places in all positions when it came down to selecting the group for the Commonwealth Games. I have now selected a group of players that I believe gives Team Scotland the best chance of reaching the target we’ve set for the hockey competition and it is a squad that has valuable experience of competing at the highest level of international hockey.
“I fully believe this squad can build on its recent successes, including retaining its place in the European Championships last summer, to deliver good performances in front of thousands of Scotland supporters in Glasgow.”
Linda Clement will captain the team as she steps out for her fourth Commonwealth Games and has led the team in over 100 international matches.
Key players in the midfield will be Great Britain internationals Vikki Bunce, Morag McLellan, Emily Maguire and Nikki Kidd. Kidd’s is particularly key with her role in the short-corner set-pieces and was ranked third in the English Premier League scoring charts this season and listed in the league’s Team of the Season.
At the back, Amy Gibson will provide a solid presence in goal supported by her defence that includes Catriona Ralph, Susan McGilveray and Leigh Fawcett.
In the final weeks of preparation, Scotland’s women will play a test series against Ireland and Spain on home soil this month before the men and women both travel to England to compete in the Investec Cup in early July.
