Scotland have European ambitions in mind for Celtic Cup

 


Scotland Men are back in action this forthcoming weekend when they
defend their Celtic Cup title in Cardiff, Wales from 17-19 June.
The Scots will play Ireland (17 June), France (18 June) and Wales
(19 June) in the four nations tournament, and are aiming to retain
the trophy following their triumph in Nice last season.

Consistency in squad selection is obviously important for head
coach Russell Garcia as the team prepares for the FIH Champions
Challenge II in Lille next month before travelling to Ukraine in
August for the EuroHockey Nations Championship II in
Vinnista.

“Participating in the Celtic Cup is really a continuation of our
preparations for the European competition later this summer. Whilst
we are there to compete against the other sides, our key focus is
still on team preparation and implementation of tactics for the
tournaments ahead. I’ve retained the same players and that will
obviously help the team to develop a pattern and rhythm to their
play”, said Garcia

Garcia names eighteen players for the trip to Cardiff, the vast
majority of which played international friendlies last weekend
against England, Germany and Spain at Inverclyde, Largs. Goalkeeper
Phil Carr of Loughborough is added to the squad as an injury
replacement for Bowden’s Jamie Cachia, while Ross Stott is also
unavailable due to injury.

“The guys also had the experience of playing against three of the
world’s top five international sides last week, which is vital for
continuing to improve our performances at the elite level of the
sport. Regular exposure to the skills and qualities these teams
possess will only serve to improve our players.”

Meanwhile, Wales and Ireland prepared for this weekend’s
competition with a three match series against each other. The Irish
edged the matches with two wins (3-2, 4-1) and a draw (2-2) against
their Welsh counterparts.

France bring a side comprising mainly youth internationals and ‘A’
squad players, although Yannick Schambert and Joost Jansen boast
over 100 caps for the national side, whilst their more senior
international players prepare for the European Championships in
August.

Scotland Men: Phil Carr (Loughborough), Alan Forsyth, Michael
Bremner, Michael Christie, Gordon McIntyre, Iain Scholefield,
William Marshall, Mark Fulton (all Glynhill Hotel Kelburne), Derek
Salmond, Adam McKenzie (Inverleith HC), Wei Adams (AMN Hillhead),
Graham Moodie (Edinburgh University), Gavin Byers (Grove
Menzieshill), Fergus Dunn (FC Barcelona), Dan Coultas (Durham HC),
Russell Anderson (Brooklands), Kenny Bain (HDM), Chris Grassick
(Surbiton).

Scotland Men are back in action this forthcoming weekend
when they compete for Celtic Cup title in Cardiff, Wales from 17-19
June.

The Scots will play Ireland (17 June), France (18 June) and
Wales (19 June) in the four nations tournament.

Consistency in squad selection is obviously important for head
coach Russell Garcia as the team prepares for the FIH Champions
Challenge II in Lille next month before travelling to Ukraine in
August for the EuroHockey Nations Championship II in Vinnista.

“Participating in the Celtic Cup is really a continuation of our
preparations for the European competition later this summer. Whilst
we are there to compete against the other sides, our key focus is
still on team preparation and implementation of tactics for the
tournaments ahead. I’ve retained the same players and that will
obviously help the team to develop a pattern and rhythm to their
play”, said Garcia

Garcia names eighteen players for the trip to Cardiff, the vast
majority of which played international friendlies last weekend
against England, Germany and Spain at Inverclyde, Largs. Goalkeeper
Phil Carr of Loughborough is added to the squad as an injury
replacement for Bowden’s Jamie Cachia, while Ross Stott is also
unavailable due to injury.

“The guys also had the experience of playing against three of
the world’s top five international sides last week, which is vital
for continuing to improve our performances at the elite level of
the sport. Regular exposure to the skills and qualities these teams
possess will only serve to improve our players.”

Meanwhile, Wales and Ireland prepared for this weekend’s
competition with a three match series against each other. The Irish
edged the matches with two wins (3-2, 4-1) and a draw (2-2) against
their Welsh counterparts.

France bring a side comprising mainly youth internationals and
‘A’ squad players, although Yannick Schambert and Joost Jansen
boast over 100 caps for the national side, whilst their more senior
international players prepare for the European Championships in
August.

Scotland Men: Phil Carr (Loughborough), Alan
Forsyth, Michael Bremner, Michael Christie, Gordon McIntyre, Iain
Scholefield, William Marshall, Mark Fulton (all Glynhill Hotel
Kelburne), Derek Salmond, Adam McKenzie (Inverleith HC), Wei Adams
(AMN Hillhead), Graham Moodie (Edinburgh University), Gavin Byers
(Grove Menzieshill), Fergus Dunn (FC Barcelona), Dan Coultas
(Durham HC), Russell Anderson (Brooklands), Kenny Bain (HDM), Chris
Grassick (Surbiton).

Match Schedule:

17th June, 16.00, Scotland v Ireland – Sophia Gardens,
Cardiff

18th June, 16.15, Scotland v Wales – Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

19th June, 11.00, Scotland v France – Sophia Gardens,
Cardiff

 

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