CHRIS JOY OVER TEAM GB CALL-UP
Whitburn star makes step-up to Under-21s
Whitburn handball player Christopher White has been selected for the Great Britain under-21 squad for the International Handball Federation Trophy.
The call-up comes after a string of impressive displays for the under-18 side who he captained during the recent European Championships.
The 18- year- old will first take part in a week-long training camp in Portugal before making the trip to Georgia next month where he’ll compete against the top young players in the world.
Chris, who plays for Livingston Handball Club and hopes to turn professional, sees the challenge as an important step up in his career.
He said: “This will be the top tournament that I’ve been involved in and it will be at a higher age group than I’ve been used to playing in so it will be a challenge but I’m looking forward to it.”
As for his European Championship experience earlier this summer, a tournament which was also held in Georgia, he said he was delighted with the progress both he and his team- mates showed.
He said: “I think we gave a good account of ourselves against some top opposition. I was made captain and was given two man of the match awards so I’m pleased with how I played. But that was just part of a wider team performance.
“The team did well even though the results might not have been good. We really showed flashes of great potential and that’s what we want to be building on.
“It was a tournament and level of play that we weren’t used to as it took a wee while for us to get going but we can be really pleased with our displays.
“It’s all about taking steps forwards and taking positives from each game. That’s something I tried to emphasise with the team, not to let our heads go down and look for positives. It was a great experience to be part of and to be named captain was a great honour.”
From those performances, he was invited to play for Scotland under-21s in a friendly against England and impressed enough to earn a spot on the training camp squad before ultimately making the final cut for the IHF Trophy. And he’s bursting to make the most of the experience.
He said: “I’m looking forward to being part of the team and going over to Georgia and giving it our best shot.
“It will be a chance to really test myself at an even higher level. I can’t wait to play the games.”