July 2022

23
High hopes
for hockey
Scotland coach Chris Duncan aims for success
at this summer’s Commonwealth Games
By NIGEL DUNCAN
CHRIS DUNCAN, head coach of the Scotland
women's hockey team, hopes the success of
other Scottish athletes in the Commonwealth
Games can rub off on his squad and push them
to new heights.
The Edinburgh-based playcaller has selected
what he believes is a well-balanced squad for
the Games which start in Birmingham on
28 July.
Scotland open their campaign against South
Africa, ranked No 16 in the world, on 29 July
and a day later they square up to New Zealand,
rated No 9 on the planet.
Kenya are next on 1 August, and they are
ranked No 36, and Scotland complete their
games in Pool B by playing Australia, rated No
3 in the world, on 3 August. Scotland are
ranked No 18 in the world.
It's a tough schedule but Duncan, who is also
director of hockey at The Edinburgh Academy,
is excited by the challenge.
He admitted selection had been tough for
the tournament for so many reasons
but he added: "From my perspective,
we have selected an extremely
exciting squad.
"There is balance in terms of
different characteristics and
personalities which, I think, really
bring things to life and I feel like
we’ve picked an amazingly strong
squad that allows us to go
down to Birmingham
and make a great
account of ourselves."
Duncan aims to
Chris
Duncan
show Scotland's brand of hockey to the world
and he added: "That’s the chance you have
when you play on the world stage, which is
something we don’t get all the time.
"We’ll go down there with high hopes to
show people what we can do. If we focus
on process, and do the best we can, then
results will take care of themselves.
“To see other athletes competing, and be
in and around the events will be great, but I
already feel like there’s a real sense of team.
We’ll not just be there as Scottish Hockey, we’re
there as Team Scotland and the success of
other athletes and teams will really help push
us to do something special."
The 18-strong squad is captained by
Borders-born Olympic bronze medallist Sarah
Robertson, a former University of Edinburgh
player, and is a strong blend of emerging young
talent and experience.
Nine players are making their
Commonwealth Games debut alongside nine
players who played in the last Commonwealth
Games in Australia's Gold Coast four
years ago.
Robertson is playing in her third
Commonwealth Games and said:
"Being captain offers a different
dynamic for me and it’s a huge
honour to captain the team at the
Commonwealth Games. The group is
in a really good place so it’s exciting
moving into the summer.
“The squad is a really good
blend of people who have
been there and done it,
and then some of the
players going for the
Scotland faced GB Elite
Development team in June
first time still have 50 or 60 caps. So we’ve got a
group who have played together for quite a few
years now."
Great Britain internationalists Amy Costello
from Edinburgh, Dundonian Charlotte
JL Preece
Watson, Glaswegian Jenny Eadie and
Helensburgh native, Fiona Burnet are in the
team and it will be a first Games experience for
talented youngsters Bronwyn Shields, from
Glasgow and Ellie Wilson, from Edinburgh,
who plays for Watsonians, and University of
Edinburgh talent Eve Pearson from
Dunfermline, who said: “I’m absolutely
buzzing. It’ll obviously be my first
Commonwealth Games and my first caps as
well. This is huge for me."
Scotland’s opening match will also be extra
special for newcomer Heather McEwan who
was born in South Africa, and will earn her
first Scotland cap in Birmingham against the
country of her birth.
McEwan, who plays for Royal Victory
in Antwerp, said: “Being selected is the best
feeling in the world. It’s going to be great
to be there to win my first cap, but to play
that game against South Africa is amazing.
I’ve come a long way and I’m just so excited to
be part of it.”