THE 16 man Irish hockey squad for the World Cup qualifying tournament in Kuala Lumpur from March 4th to 15th will be announced early next week after a training session at Blaris, Lisburn, on Saturday and Sunday.
The session will finish with a match against an Irish under 21 selection part of the age group's rehearsals for the four nations Celtic Cup in Wales from February 28th to March 2nd.
Ireland's preparation for Kuala Lumpur continues with the probable squad (and two reserves) going to a training camp in Holland next Wednesday. The four day programme will include matches against the Dutch senior and under 21 teams and two leading club sides.
The only change in the party from the recent Spanish trip is the inclusion of the seasoned Robert Taylor (Lisnagarvey) in place of Galahad Goulet (Avoca) who has not totally recovered from injury. The 18 players include four who did not participate in the preliminary World Cup qualifier in Cagliari - Nigel Henderson, JP Murphy, Mark Tumilty and Mark Irwin.
Henderson is set to travel to Malaysia as the number two goalkeeper, succeeding Peter Darley. One or two outfield places remain open, notably Goulet's berth.
