Nicola gets her chance to lead

Photo: PICTURE: ADY KERRY

PRAGUE BECKONS... Nicola White.

HOCKEY:

OLDHAM star Nicola White is relishing the prospect of captaining her country for the first time at major tournament level this weekend.

She will lead England into the EuroHockey Indoor Championships in Prague.

Leicester forward White, 26 on Monday, already has more than 100 caps for England and Great Britain in the outdoor game. But indoor competition is a different proposition; England face a tough test in the eight-team tournament.

Shaw-raised White secured her first England indoor caps last weekend when she scored three goals in a four-match Test series against Scotland in Perth..

Head coach Jason Lee will take a similarly inexperienced 12-strong squad to Prague as the onus is to be on providing new athletes with an opportunity to get a taste of top international hockey.

Nicola said: “It’s a great opportunity for me to captain the squad in a tournament at this level.

“We know it’s going to be really tough with the teams we are facing, but everyone is relishing the

challenge. If we were able to secure a top six finish and qualify for the World Cup it would be absolutely fantastic.”

England are in Pool ‘A’ with the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and defending European champions Germany, who won the last tournament in 2012.