By Lucas Ball
Holcombe have announced their travelling squad of 18 for the KO16 round of the Euro Hockey League in Barcelona from 6th-8th October.
Barry Middleton’s side will return to Europe following their second-placed finish in the Premier Division in 2022/23, losing to Old Georgians in the final.
Middleton has included new signings Alex Pendle, Brad Read and Louis Duprez in his squad, with Duprez potentially coming up against one of his former clubs with Holcombe drawn against Racing Club de France.
They will face the French side at 3:45pm local time on Friday, 6th October before taking on either hosts Real Club de Polo de Barcelona or CA Montrouge in the next stage or a classification match at 4pm on Saturday, 7th October or 12pm on Sunday, 8th October.
The squad also includes a wealth of international experience with Great Britain and England players Ollie Payne, Sam Taylor, Phil Roper and Nick Bandurak included alongside Middleton, Great Britain’s most-capped player, Rhodri Furlong (Wales), Hayden Phillips and Read (both New Zealand), Rob Field (Scotland), Mo Mea (South Africa), Louis Duprez (France), Tom Russell and Pendle (both Great Britain Elite Development Programme).
Holcombe kicked off their Premier Division campaign with a 4-0 win over Reading at the weekend and head to Southgate on Saturday (7pm) before two other league matches against Old Georgians at home (8:30pm, 28th September) and Surbiton at Sugden Road (6pm, 30th September) ahead of the Barcelona trip.
Image: Theresa Field