Over the Easter weekend, the England U18 Boys and Girls travelled to Utrecht for a 3 Nations event with games against the Netherlands and France. Meanwhile, the England U16 Boys and Girls were at Nottingham Hockey Centre, where England hosted a 4 Nations event, with teams from Scotland, Spain and the Netherlands travelling to play some excellent competitive matches.
The U16 Boys had the pick of the results, with resounding wins against Spain and Scotland and a draw against the Netherlands.
Lead Talent Coaches Mark Bateman and Lisa Letchford reflected on the weekend positively. Lisa Letchford commented: “The Easter weekend was, as always, a great weekend of growth for the players, with many receiving their first international caps across the squads and all teams making progress and highlighting some key focus areas.” Mark Bateman said: “Playing tough international opposition was an excellent opportunity for the players to see what is required in upcoming competitions – and to provide them with the experience of what they will need to achieve the goals they have set themselves.”
The squads meet regularly over the coming months, with training camps matches against Ireland, France, Belgium and Germany, before the U18s travel to Krefeld for the U18 European Championships from July 7-16, whilst the U16s will play in the 8 Nations in Granada from July 7-12.
Good luck to all our West Kent players as they strive for their nations success.
