England select squad for Games

Several players based in Maidenhead and Marlow have been named in Team England's women's hockey squad for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham later this summer.

The 18 strong team was revealed on Tuesday lunchtime and four players - including Marlow's Holly Hunt - have been called up to their first senior international tournament.

The England team includes Maidenhead's Ellie Rayer, Shona McCallin, Giselle Ansley, Anna Toman, Hannah Martin and Maddie Hinch. Ansley and Hinch each have more than 100 England caps to their name, with Hinch having reached the milestone in England's recent FIH Pro League matches against the Netherlands.

These 18 players will also make up England's squad for the FIH Hockey Women's World Cup in the Netherlands and Spain and the Euro Hockey Championships qualifiers in Durham.

All of the Commonwealth Games matches take place at the University of Birmingham and England have been pooled with Ghana, Canada, India and Wales. Having won medals in all six Commonwealth Games since hockey was introduced the pressure will be on the squad in front of a passionate home crowd.

Their first match is against Ghana on July 30 and the final will be held on Sunday, August 7.

Toman said: "As a group we are incredibly excited about this summer's hockey, and it is a huge honour to be selected.

“The Commonwealth Games taking place in Birmingham is very special for all of us, especially for a group of us within the squad like myself who went to University of Birmingham as students, so to be back there again will feel incredible.”