Ashley Jackson in England men’s indoor squad for EuroHockey Indoor Nations Championships
Ashley Jackson has been named in England men’s indoor squad to
compete at the EuroHockey Indoor Nations Championships in Leipzig
from January 13-15.
Jackson, from West Malling, is one of nine players in the squad
that won England promotion to the elite championships from Europe’s
second tier two years ago when they topped the standings in
Poznan.
Despite missing the indoor World Cup, Jackson leads England’s
goal-scoring exploits going into the European tournament having
scored 20 in his 12 indoor international appearances.
His call-up comes on the back of helping East Grinstead
qualify for the Maxifuel Super Sixes Finals at Wembley Arena later
this month. They won the Maxifuel Super Sixes Championships
Men’s Premier Division on Sunday to secure their place in the
Wembley showpiece.
England men’s indoor head coach Andy Halliday said, "With the
Olympic Games only 200 days away, we are utilising the short indoor
season to support our London 2012 preparation.
"The European indoor competition is an ideal opportunity for
players in the Olympic training group to develop and hone tight
skills in a pressured environment. As a consequence, this is an
asset to our outdoor game.
"Primarily, selection for Leipzig has been made with outdoor
development in mind. However, injury status and fatigue have also
been taken into consideration.
"With the increased workload of an Olympic year some players
will benefit from spending time concentrating on their strength and
conditioning programme ahead of our return to outdoor hockey
towards the end of January."
In Leipzig, England’s men will compete against the continent’s
top exponents of hockey’s indoor format including 2008 European
Champions Russia, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands, with whom
they are grouped in Pool B.
Pool A features World Cup Winners and hosts Germany, defending
European Champions Austria, Spain and Switzerland, who also won
promotion from the second tier in 2010.
09/01/12
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