Wales name squad for historic Hockey World Cup debut

Wales have named their 20-man squad for their debut appearance at the Hockey World Cup in India next month.

The squad includes a captaincy trio of Luke Hawker - Wales' most-capped male - Lewis Prosser and Rupert Shipperley.

Shipperley and Jacob Draper recently featured for Great Britain in the FIH Pro League against Argentina and the Netherlands.

Head coach Danny Newcombe said selecting a squad for the tournament had been an "incredibly tough task".

"It is a testament to the quality of our squad that we are in a position where we must leave incredibly experienced and talented international players back in the UK," Newcombe said.

"I know this squad will carry the responsibility of playing for their nation with great belief, passion and pride at a level that only a team from Wales can."

The squad includes two travelling reserves as Wales prepare to feature in Group D along with hosts India, England and Spain.

They face England in their opening game on 13 January before taking on Spain two days later, with their final group game against India on 19 January.

"[The tournament in] India presents us with our first opportunity to play in the FIH Hockey World Cup in our history," Newcombe added.

"It is the highest level of competition that we as a nation can compete at and I am excited for us to take our place on the biggest stage."

Wales squad

Toby Reynolds-Cotterill, Rhys Payne, Gareth Furlong, Daniel Kyriakides, Hywel Jones, Ioan Wall, Steve Kelly, Lewis Prosser, Dale Hutchinson, Jacob Draper, Gareth Griffiths, Rhys Bradshaw, Rupert Shipperley, Fred Newbold, Ben Francis, Luke Hawker, James Carson, Jack Pritchard

Travelling reserves: Rhodri Furlong, Jolyon Morgan