EuroHockey Championship: How do you play hockey without sticks?

Scotland players were relieved to be reunited with their hockey equipment

The players have arrived, the training schedule is set and the first fixture is days away but wait - there are no hockey sticks.

That was the scenario facing Scotland as they arrived in Germany for the Euro Hockey Championships.

When the team arrived at Dusseldorf on Wednesday afternoon, 13 bags in total were missing. This included their hockey sticks, two full goalkeeper kits, physio equipment and some personal luggage.

After a lot of form filling, staff back in Scotland chased the missing gear.

"After four or five times of watching all the bags go round the baggage reclaim and everyone picking theirs up and not us, reality set in," said coach Chris Duncan.

"Our bags had actually come on one of the later flights. We were able to be reunited with quite a lot of kit. A lot of relieved faces back at the hotel."

"We quite often think, 'it would be a bit of disaster if our sticks don't arrive' but this is actually the first time it's happened to us," player Sarah Jamieson added on BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime. "We've seen it happen to other teams."

First up for Scotland is hosts Germany on Friday, with England and Ireland also in Pool B. The top two qualify for the semi-finals.

"We're playing against some of the world's top teams," said Duncan. "We've certainly got really big ambitions to go out there and show people of the hockey world what we're doing and what we're about."

And Jamieson said: "We're really excited. We can't wait to get going."