Scotland aiming to upset the odds in Champions Challenge

 

Set up in 2001 and organised every two years, the Hockey Champions Challenge 1 will set the stage for one qualification spot at the illustrious Champions Trophy in 2016.
We preview the teams playing in Pool A of the competition starting tomorrow at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre.
Scotland (World Ranking: 16)
Host nation Scotland may be the lowest ranked team in the Champions Challenge 1, but don’t let that statistic fool you into thinking that they have no chance of success in Glasgow.
The team coached by Gordon Shepherd have performed excellently in the last two editions of this event, claiming the bronze medal at the Dublin 2011 competition before finishing fourth in 2012, which also took place in the Irish capital. Scotland also have the advantage of playing at home, and with Commonwealth Games fever currently gripping Glasgow you can be sure that they will have plenty of fans cheering them on from the stands.
Shepherd has named a strong squad for this event, with six players having
surpassed the 100 international appearances marker: Vikki Bunce (160+ caps), Ali Bell (110+), Catriona Ralph (140+), Ailsa Wyllie (120+), Nikki Kidd (120+) and team captain Linda Clement (210+).
Star defender Emily Maguire has not yet reached that landmark, although she does have an Olympic bronze medal in her trophy cabinet thanks to her terrific displays for Great Britain at the London 2012 Games.
Discussing his selection of the squad, Shepherd said, “We have a good blend of youth and experience in the squad. It was very difficult to pick the team for Champions Challenge as all the players have been extremely competitive during the early stages of full-time training. I’m happy with the strength of the squad.
“It’s going to be a tough tournament as a lot of the competing teams are using it to prepare for the forthcoming World Cup in the Netherlands. However, we have had excellent preparation going into the tournament and are capable of a strong performance.
“We know that every team is ranked higher than us but we have always performed well in the Champions Challenge over the years, coming third and fourth recently. We always set out to compete against the higher ranked nations and we are aiming for a top four finish.”
Korea (World Ranking: 7)
Korea come into the Champions Challenge as the highest ranked team (7) in the competition and therefore amongst the favourites.
That being said, they have not had it all their own way over the past 12 months. The side missed out on winning the Asia Cup when they were beaten in the tournament final by lower ranked Japan last September, while an eighth place finish at the Argentina Hockey World League Final at the end of the year was certainly below expectations.
They will be fiercely determined to win this event and claim their place back among hockey’s elite at the Champions Trophy in 2016. A gold medal performance in Glasgow would be a welcome boost ahead of their participation in this summer’s Rabobank
One to watch: Park Mi Hyun. A livewire striker with an extraordinary ability to create chances out of nothing. The 28 year-old attacker was named on the ten strong shortlist for the 2013 FIH Player of the Year Award. She has the potential to fire Korea to glory in Glasgow.
Belgium (World Ranking: 11)
Belgium is one of the top performing nations of global hockey. Very much like their male counterparts, thewomen’s national team – known as the “Red Panthers” – have made massive strides forward in recent years, powering up the world rankings from 27th in 2005 to their current position of 12th.
Their performances in 2013 provided further evidence that they are a growing force on the world stage, with a fourth place finish at the TriFinance EuroHockey Championships and qualification for this summer’s Rabobank Hockey World Cup in The Hague, Netherlands being their two stand-out achievements. The team, coached by Pascal Kina, could be among the front runners for the title in Glasgow.
One to watch: Charlotte de Vos. Belgium’s captain fantastic. A superb attacking midfielder who is the team’s creative mastermind.
India
With an average age of just 21.9 years, India come into the Champions Challenge 1 with a youthful but extremely talented group of players who are more than capable of mixing it with the big guns in Glasgow.
The team contains seven members of the India U-21 squad that won bronze at last year’s Ergo Junior World Cup in Mönchengladbach, Germany, with Deep Ekka, Monika, Lily Mayengbam, Poonam Rani, Vandana Katariya, Namita Toppo and Sushila Pukhrambam all being selected by head coach Neil Hawgood.
Team captain Ritu Rani (160+ caps), Kirandeep Kaur (130+) and Deepika (110+) are the most experienced members in the squad, while youngsters Navneet Kaur (18) and Neha Goyal (17) – two of five teenagers in the group – will be making their senior tournament debuts for the Eves here in Glasgow.
Although India failed to qualify for this summer’s Rabobank Hockey World Cup, a strong showing at the Champions Challenge 1 would be a welcome success ahead of their summer return to Glasgow for the Commonwealth Games.

Set up in 2001 and organised every two years, the Hockey Champions Challenge 1 will set the stage for one qualification spot at the illustrious Champions Trophy in 2016.

We preview the teams playing in Pool A of the competition starting tomorrow at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre.

Scotland (World Ranking: 16)

Host nation Scotland may be the lowest ranked team in the Champions Challenge 1, but don’t let that statistic fool you into thinking that they have no chance of success in Glasgow.

Becky Ward v SA

The team coached by Gordon Shepherd have performed excellently in the last two editions of this event, claiming the bronze medal at the Dublin 2011 competition before finishing fourth in 2012, which also took place in the Irish capital.

Scotland also have the advantage of playing at home, and with Commonwealth Games fever currently gripping Glasgow you can be sure that they will have plenty of fans cheering them on from the stands.

Shepherd has named a strong squad for this event, with six players having surpassed the 100 international appearances marker: Vikki Bunce (160+ caps), Ali Bell (110+), Catriona Ralph (140+), Ailsa Wyllie (120+), Nikki Kidd (120+) and team captain Linda Clement (210+).

Star defender Emily Maguire has not yet reached that landmark, although she does have an Olympic bronze medal in her trophy cabinet thanks to her terrific displays for Great Britain at the London 2012 Games.

Discussing his selection of the squad, Shepherd said, “We have a good blend of youth and experience in the squad. It was very difficult to pick the team for Champions Challenge as all the players have been extremely competitive during the early stages of full-time training. I’m happy with the strength of the squad.

“It’s going to be a tough tournament as a lot of the competing teams are using it to prepare for the forthcoming World Cup in the Netherlands. However, we have had excellent preparation going into the tournament and are capable of a strong performance.

“We know that every team is ranked higher than us but we have always performed well in the Champions Challenge over the years, coming third and fourth recently. We always set out to compete against the higher ranked nations and we are aiming for a top four finish.”

One to Watch: Nikki Kidd has had an outstanding season for Canterbury and has become a potent threat from the penalty corner set-piece.

Nikki Kidd v Spain

Korea (World Ranking: 7)

Korea come into the Champions Challenge as the highest ranked team (7) in the competition and therefore amongst the favourites.

That being said, they have not had it all their own way over the past 12 months. The side missed out on winning the Asia Cup when they were beaten in the tournament final by lower ranked Japan last September, while an eighth place finish at the Argentina Hockey World League Final at the end of the year was certainly below expectations.

They will be fiercely determined to win this event and claim their place back among hockey’s elite at the Champions Trophy in 2016. A gold medal performance in Glasgow would be a welcome boost ahead of their participation in this summer’s Rabobank

One to watch: Park Mi Hyun. A livewire striker with an extraordinary ability to create chances out of nothing. The 28 year-old attacker was named on the ten strong shortlist for the 2013 FIH Player of the Year Award. She has the potential to fire Korea to glory in Glasgow.

Belgium (World Ranking: 12)

Belgium is one of the top performing nations of global hockey. Very much like their male counterparts, thewomen’s national team – known as the “Red Panthers” – have made massive strides forward in recent years, powering up the world rankings from 27th in 2005 to their current position of 12th.

Belgium

Their performances in 2013 provided further evidence that they are a growing force on the world stage, with a fourth place finish at the TriFinance EuroHockey Championships and qualification for this summer’s Rabobank Hockey World Cup in The Hague, Netherlands being their two stand-out achievements. The team, coached by Pascal Kina, could be among the front runners for the title in Glasgow.

One to watch: Charlotte de Vos. Belgium’s captain fantastic. A superb attacking midfielder who is the team’s creative mastermind.

India (World Ranking: 13)

With an average age of just 21.9 years, India come into the Champions Challenge 1 with a youthful but extremely talented group of players who are more than capable of mixing it with the big guns in Glasgow.

India

The team contains seven members of the India U-21 squad that won bronze at last year’s Ergo Junior World Cup in Mönchengladbach, Germany, with Deep Ekka, Monika, Lily Mayengbam, Poonam Rani, Vandana Katariya, Namita Toppo and Sushila Pukhrambam all being selected by head coach Neil Hawgood.

Team captain Ritu Rani (160+ caps), Kirandeep Kaur (130+) and Deepika (110+) are the most experienced members in the squad, while youngsters Navneet Kaur (18) and Neha Goyal (17) – two of five teenagers in the group – will be making their senior tournament debuts for the Eves here in Glasgow.

Although India failed to qualify for this summer’s Rabobank Hockey World Cup, a strong showing at the Champions Challenge 1 would be a welcome success ahead of their summer return to Glasgow for the Commonwealth Games.

One to watch: Ritu Rani. A classy midfielder with an eye for a goal. Ritu Rani is the most capped player in the current India team having made in excess of 160 international appearances for the senior side.

Please visit the FIH Champions Challenge website for all the tournament info including highlights, match previews, reports, fixtures, results and pool standings.

Tickets are also available to pre-order via EvenBrite right up until midnight before each competition day. Cash Gates will also be available. £10 Adults, £5 Concessions.


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