Great Britain hockey: Uncapped Welshman Rupert Shipperley named in squad
- Published
Rupert Shipperley plays club hockey for Hampstead & Westminster
Great Britain have named uncapped Welshman Rupert Shipperley in the men's squad for the FIH Pro League fixtures with Australia and New Zealand.
Shipperley is in line to make his GB debut and joins fellow Welsh international Jacob Draper.
In the women's team, all 18 players who saw GB book their place at Tokyo 2020 have been selected.
Grace Balsdon, Esme Burge and Ellie Rayer return but Sarah Evans, Emily Defroand and Amy Tennant are injured.
Shipperley is no stranger to international hockey, having played 70 times for Wales since his debut back in 2014.
"I was absolutely buzzing when I found out," he said. "It's been something I've been working towards for a long time so to finally get an opportunity to play is really exciting.
"I'm really looking forward to it. Obviously it's a really big moment. It will be nice to play with some of these players instead of against them in an international game."
Also in the men's team are Ashley Jackson, Mark Gleghorne, Liam Ansell, Luke Taylor and Chris Griffiths, who return having not featured in the FIH Olympic Qualifier against Malaysia in November.
Alex Danson-Bennett is back training but is not considered for the women's team this trip.
Danson-Bennett returned to the Great Britain hockey set-up 18 months after suffering a head injury that she says "tested her to her limits".
Recovering from head injury has been my biggest challenge - Danson
This will be the first time both teams experience the new format of the FIH Pro League, playing two double headers away from home this season before hosting Australia and New Zealand in London in 2021.
GB women to take on Australia (1-2 Feb) & New Zealand (8-9 Feb):Maddie Hinch. Laura Unsworth, Anna Toman, Hannah Martin,, Susannah Townsend, Sarah Robertson, Ellie Rayer, Tess Howard, Sarah Jones, Giselle Ansley, Hollie Pearne-Webb, Lizzie Neal, Shona McCallin, Sabbie Heesh, Lily Owsley, Jo Hunter, Esme Burge, Grace Balsdon, Amy Costello, Izzy Petter, Charlotte Watson, Leah Wilkinson
GB men to take on Australia (1-2 Feb) & New Zealand (8-9 Feb): George Pinner, Harry Gibson, Luke Taylor, David Ames, Alan Forsyth, Rupert Shipperley, Harry Martin, Chris Griffiths, Ian Sloan, Mark Gleghorne, Phil Roper, Adam Dixon, Ashley Jackson, Liam Ansell, David Condon, Jack Waller, James Gall, Liam Sanford, Tom Sorsby, Will Calnan, Zach Wallace, Jacob Draper