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| Human Interest | |
|---|---|
Sport Specific Information | |
| Club / Team | Holcombe: England |
General Interest | |
| Hobbies | Golf. (greatbritainhockey.co.uk, 01 Sep 2014) |
| Injuries | He had ankle surgery in 2013. (telegraph.co.uk, 24 Oct 2013) He was sidelined in early 2011 with a pelvic injury, and returned to action in August 2011. (guardian.co.uk, 18 Aug 2011) |
| Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs | He always writes the names of the important people in his life on his hockey stick, and warms up with the same partner. (greatbritainhockey.co.uk, 01 Sep 2014) |
| Other sports | He represented England at junior level in ice hockey, and had a four-week stint from December 2014 to January 2015 playing in the Great Britain National Ice Hockey League for the Invicta Dynamos. He also represented Kent in cricket at U18 county level. (zeenews.india.com, 20 Jan 2014; olympics.org.uk, 31 Sep 2009; telegraph.co.uk, 14 Jan 2015) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Why this sport? | Hockey was the main sport offered at his school. |
General Interest | |
| Hero / Idol | England rugby union player Jonny Wilkinson, Canadian ice hockey player Sidney Crosby. (greatbritainhockey.co.uk, 01 Sep 2014) |
| Awards and honours | He was named as the International Hockey Federation Young Player of the Year in 2009, and in the FIH All-Star team in 2009 and 2010. (englandhockey.co.uk, 18 Jan 2014; bbc.co.uk, 28 Jan 2010) He won the Player of the Tournament award at the 2009 European Championships in Amsterdam, Netherlands. (timesonline.co.uk, 28 Jan 2010) He was named as the UK Hockey Writers' Club Player of the Year in 2009, and also won the Young Player of the Year award in 2005. (theargus.co.uk, 27 Jan 2006; hockeywritersclub.com, 12 May 2016) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Name of coach | Julian Halls [club], GBR; Bobby Crutchley [national], GBR |
| Preferred position / style / stance / technique | Midfielder |
| Handedness | Right |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | He began playing hockey at age nine at Tunbridge Wells Hockey Club in England. |
International Debut | |
| Year | 2006 |
| Competing for | England |
| Opponent | Netherlands |
| Location | Netherlands |
Further Personal Information | |
| Occupation | Athlete |
General Interest | |
| Nicknames | The Worm [because of his inability to perform coordinated push-ups when he first joined the national squad]. (timesonline.co.uk, 28 Jan 2010) |
| Sporting philosophy / motto | "The name on the front means a lot more than the name on the back." (greatbritainhockey.co.uk, 01 Sep 2014) |
| Ambitions | To win a medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (metro.co.uk, 09 Apr 2013) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Languages | English |
General Interest | |
| Other information | FIRST He became the first English hockey player to be named the FIH Young Player of the Year when he won the award in 2009. (greatbritainhockey.co.uk, 01 Sep 2014; bbc.co.uk, 28 Jan 2010) EARLY DAYS As a junior he was a talented cricket and ice hockey player, but decided to focus on hockey when he was named in the England U21 squad at age 18. "I followed my heart and did not think about money. I wanted to do something which was fun and enjoyable, especially when it was an opportunity to represent the country." (zeenews.india.com, 20 Jan 2014) |