Grace Garbett going to Italy in GB hockey team
Shropshire schoolgirl Grace Garbett is jetting off to Italy to participate in the Inline Hockey World Championships.
Grace has been selected for the Great Britain Junior Women’s team, competing from July 21-29 in Asiago, in the Italian Alps. Despite being one of the youngest members of the team, the 14-year-old Thomas Telford pupil was chosen as assistant captain.
Proud dad Mike Garbett said: “Grace will be playing group stage games against Spain, Australia, Chinese Taipei and India. We understand the skill level will be really high, but we hope the team performs well.
“The junior women’s team is effectively an under-19 squad, so it is a real honour for Grace to be selected at just 14 and made assistant captain. We are very proud of her.”
Grace was selected for the team after a series of national trials at Rotherham, where she plays her club inline (roller) hockey for Norton Cyclones. This is her third international inline hockey tour, having twice travelled to California to play for Team GB in the Junior Olympics. She also plays ice hockey for Telford Tigers Under-18s. She is also the captain of Sheffield Shadows u16s girls team.
Mike Garbett added: “Grace has had a whirlwind year of ice hockey. Last summer she attended a high performance training camp at the Lake Placid Olympic centre in New York, she’s travelled to Finland and Slovakia with England women and to Granada in Spain with the Great Britain u18s women.
“It will be great to round off the year with an inline hockey tournament.”
The GB Junior Women fly out to Italy on Thursday.
