Following a series of trial events held over the winter, GB Slowpitch Team Head Coach Stephen Patterson has announced the addition of nine new players to the GB programme.
In addition, a number of current GB Development Team players are required to trial on an annual basis and eight of these were successful in retaining their place on the GB squad.
All of these players are now eligible to be selected to represent Great Britain in any of the major competition events coming up in 2015.
Successful players
Players who have been selected to the GB Squad for the first time following trials are: Mike MacDowell, Matthew Tomlin, Aaron Thomas, David Piesse, Lauren Futcher, Stephanie Gillard, Michelle Collier, Liz Keaveney and Sherry Kenyon.
The GB Development team players who retained their places are: Andy Grose, Stewart Butcher, Duncan Waugh, Baljit Ahluwalia, Kelvin Harrison, Kim Hendry, Roddy Hill and Natalie Woolley.
Stephen Patterson said, “The new crop of players identified through the trials helps to strengthen our chance of future success. It is very possible that those who were successful this winter will challenge for spots on Team GB’s European squad.
“The success of our trials would not have been possible without the diligent work and dedication of Team Manager Sara Vertigan and Assistant Coach Mike Ashley,” Stephen added. “To have the experience of the two of them when assessing potential talent makes building Team GB a whole lot more efficient.”
Sara Vertigan congratulated all the successful trialists and thanked those who helped with assessments. “The GB Team can look forward to the challenges ahead,” Sara said, “with a strong and exciting squad.”
New players entering the GB Slowpitch Team programme is the key to the team’s success. They may come in at different levels of ability, but GB coaching sessions are designed to tap into those abilities and maximise players' potential. The opportunity for players to develop is the key to ensuring that Team GB’s performances remain high in the immediate and longer-term future. In the most recent two-year competition cycle, 27 different Main Squad and Development Team players have traveled to and competed in European Championships and the ISF Slowpitch World Cup.
Upcoming events
All of the new players joined a GB training event on 29 March and all GB players will vie for European Championship selection at the bi-annual GB Challenge Tournament to be played on Saturday 18 April at Farnham Park.
GB players will also be on hand to support Team GB’s fundraising tournament, the GB Slowpitch Open, on Sunday 19 April, also at Farnham Park. Any team not yet entered or any individual who wants to play in the tournament should contact Sara Vertigan on: dizzy_16@hotmail.com.
The next official competition for the GB Slowpitch Team will be the European Slowpitch Championships in July in Dupnitsa, Bulgaria, where GB will be trying to win its 10th straight European title in competition with Germany, Ireland, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Bulgaria and Lithuania.
The possibility of the ISF holding the next Slowpitch World Cup in November is also being discussed.
GB Slowpitch Team coaches and players also lead numerous coaching sessions each spring for B-grade and C-grade teams and clubs, sponsored by the British Softball Federation, and it is hoped that the new players selected to the squad will join in these activities.
The team will also hold its annual raffle at the second Diamond Series tournament on the weekend of 13-14 June, thanks to support from the Diamond Series organisers.
GB Slowpitch Squad 2015
The full Great Britain Slowpitch Team roster for 2015 is:
WOMEN
Jenny Ball
Lucy Binding
Vicky Chapman
Emily Clifford
Michelle Collier
Areej Elmaazi
Lauren Futcher
Stephanie Gillard
Katherine Golik
Kim Hendry
Gelske Huyer
Liz Keaveney
Sherry Kenyon
Kirstie Leach
Chloe Llewellyn
Chiya Louie
Ruth Macintosh
Claudine Snape
Natalie Woolley
MEN
Baljit Ahluwalia
Richie Browne
Stewart Butcher
Brad Gilmour
Paul Gough
Roger Grooms
Andrew Grose
Danny Gunn
Kelvin Harrison
Adam Haywood
Steve Hazard
Roddy Hill
Ian Kulka
David Lee
Mike MacDowell
David Piesse
Ben Taylor
Aaron Thomas
Matt Tomlin
Dan Spinks
Ed Watkinson
Duncan Waugh
Michael Williams
Chris Yoxall