Six Bec korfball players have been called up to the national side as England travel to the Netherlands for the start of the European Championships this weekend.
England kick off their campaign tomorrow against Belgium as Bec coach Dave Buckland swaps club for country to take charge of the side, which is captained by Ben King.
The Tooting side’s captain Davesh Patel is also in the squad, alongside other Bec players Joe Bedford, Blake Palfreyman, Sara Roberts and Helen West.
Ranked second in Europe, England will be hopeful of achieving a medal this time round, having narrowly missed out as they finished in fourth place four years ago.
The Dutch hosts have dominated Europe, having won all five European Championships since the first one in 1998, but England will be hoping that they’ll be able to cause an upset.
“Having six Bec players in the team brings with it the benefit of us knowing each other’s game really well which is great for team chemistry,” said Patel.
“With such a talented squad, expectations are rightly high both within the camp and outside.
“To back the incredible talent with a wealth of experience will stand us in good stead to go out there and win a medal.”
But the squad appreciates it isn’t going to be easy, with a lot of talented teams competing at the tournament.
Captain King said: “We are in a tough pool with four other strong nations.
“The order of matches works well for us and if we get into a rhythm of winning games, we have just as good a chance as ever of getting an international medal.
“For now, we’re just excited to get out there and take it one game at a time.”
Ten teams will be competing at the Championships in Dordrecht, with England drawn in pool B alongside Czech Republic, Belgium and Poland, as well as a Portugal squad featuring Ana Rocha, another Bec player.
All of England’s games will be streamed live on ikfchannel on YouTube and the final will take place on Sunday, October 30.
