LUCKY 13 CONFIRMED FOR EUROPEAN TEST
British men's water polo coach Eelco Uri has named his final
squad of 13 ahead of the LEN European Nations Trophy which
kicks off in Manchester tomorrow (Sunday 8 July)
The Dutchman admits he had a tough task picking his final
13 from an extended list of 20, but believes his team is ready
for the competition.
The LEN European Nations Trophy is largest international
competition held in the UK for more than 10 years and is the
first senior European men's competition entered by a British
team since the late 1980s.
The tournament marks the start of the country's five-year
preparation for the 2012 Olympics where Britain will enter
a team for the first time 56 years.
Uri is hesitant to predict how well his team will fare in
Manchester, but believes competition for the final 13 spots
has made the squad focus their preparations for their biggest
test so far.
"The guys are ready," he said. "It's difficult
to predict the outcome for the team because the level is high
and teams tend to fluctuate in performance, but I'd be really
pleased if we could make the last eight. Anything above that
would be great.
"This is the first time we've had the full squad available
for selection and so it's the first time the team has played
together in an international competition. It's a massive experience
for all of them."
The eight-day tournament will allow the British team to see
how they rank against their European counterparts as well
as providing a series of lessons to learn if the sport is
to progress in the run-up to 2012.
"It's a big step up and the level of play and speed
of the ball will be different to what they've seen in the
past," explained Uri. "But you can only develop
if you compete at a high level.
"We have to remember we're still in the early stages
of building a team and the main focus is London 2012. Whatever
happens this week is part of that bigger picture. If we can
build on what we do here and learn from our performances it
will be good.
"The guys are keen and hungry and I think we've definitely
got it in us to make a few surprises.
The 13 athletes to represent Great Britain at the
LEN European Nations Trophy are:
1. Ed Scott (City of Manchester)
2. Sean Ryder (City of Manchester)
3. Mark Banwell (Cheltenham WPC)
4. Scott Carpenter (Sedgefield WPC / Lancaster City)
5. Craig Figes (CN Metropole / Bristol Central)
6. Andrew Squires (Lancaster City)
7. Alex Parsonage (Cheltenham WPC / Warley Wasps)
8. Tom Curwen (Lancaster City)
9. Rob Parker (Cheltenham WPC)
10. Adam Scholefield (Rotherham Metro)
11. Chris Gilbertson (Tyldesley)
12. Matthew Thresher (Bristol Central)
13. Matthew Birch (Rotherham Metro)
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