JERSEY hockey starlet Becky Slater is attending trials for Wales under-21s in Wrexham this weekend.
The 17-year-old Jersey College for Girls student, who qualifies via her Welsh mum, Kathryn, has moved over from the English route after being invited by West Region team coach Mike Leatt to attend Welsh trials.
Jersey coach Shelagh Herbert, who trains Becky alongside her Jersey men’s squad, said: ‘Becky is attending an U21 Wales training squad with a view to getting into it. Nothing was happening England-wise so Becky took up the offer to trial with Wales and she has already attended three sessions before this weekend.
‘It’s a very busy time for Becky at the moment because she has been selected for one of the six teams from around the country who will play in the GB Super League.
‘The League takes place at the end of the National League season and it gives selectors the opportunity to play the best junior and senior players together and against each other to assess them for current and future representative squads.
‘The 2012 Olympics are not that far away and I’m sure they are already thinking about them. To get into the set up you have to be good and this is a wonderful opportunity for Becky to be in the shop window.
‘Having these opportunities will obviously increase the amount of time she plays at a higher level and Becky can only benefit from that; it’s certainly good for her to be playing against girls and women of a similar standard to her.’
There are currently two GB Super league weekends due to be contested in April, one in Cannock, the other in Edinburgh.
Should Slater be selected for Wales she could then go on to play in the Celtic Cup tournament in Edinburgh in June and in the European Championships in Prague in July.
Article posted on 15th March, 2008 - 12.00am
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