Rising England hockey stars train at University of Bath as students earn international calls
England Hockey U18 Boys will take on Team Bath Buccaneers men’s 1sts when they visit the University of Bath this weekend for a training camp.
Sunday’s visit continues the international theme during an outstanding month of hockey which has seen Buccs’ Liam Sanford called into the senior England squad and Chemistry student Eloise Laity help Wales Ladies record their best-ever finish at the FIH World League in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Fellow students Kate Holmes and Fiona Burnet, who also represent the University ladies’ 1sts, have been selected for the Scotland squad for World League 2 in Valencia, Spain – the next stage of the Hockey World Cup qualification process.
Jody Paul (pictured top) is head coach with both the University of Bath and England U18 Boys.
“We are building towards the European Championships in 2018 and it is a young England squad with a few U17 players in it, so this weekend will be a good experience for them,” he said.
“We have a full cycle of games coming up, culminating in a Six Nations event in Nottingham in July. As ever our main priority will be to develop the athletes to progress to the U21 group and beyond.”
Also gaining more international experience this month was Laity, supported by a Thompson Education Trust Scholarship, as she helped the Wales senior team to a fourth-placed finish in Kuala Lumpur.
She scored in the 3-0 group-stage win over Thailand which confirmed Wales’ place in the semi-finals, where they were edged out by Ireland.
Paul said: “We are extremely proud of Eloise and all she has achieved. She has shown great courage and determination to overcome injuries in the past few months. We look forward to having her energy and enthusiasm back in the University group when she returns.”
Click here to find out more about the hockey programme at the University of Bath.
