The GB Cubs Under-13 Girls’ Fastpitch programme has announced selections for two tournaments that the team will be attending this summer: a weekend invitational tournament in Croatia followed by the annual European Massimo Romeo Youth Trophy (EMRYT) 
competition.
The tournament in Zagreb, Croatia on 12-14 August will be an excellent warm-up competition for the GB Cubs before they travel on to Italy for the Massimo Romeo tournament in Collecchio on 16-19 August, where the team will play in the more competitive Sport Division.
GB Cubs Head Coach Jodie Rushin said, “Instead of the team doing a pre-tour camp at Farnham Park, as we have done in previous years, the staff decided to accept an invitation to a weekend tournament in Zagreb, Croatia just prior to EMRYT, where the team will play a number of games against local club teams and other countries who decide to participate.
“We will then travel to Italy,” Jodie added, “arriving on the Monday, where the team will train before the Massimo Romeo tournament commences on the Wednesday. The staff agreed that this would help the team develop further both on and off the pitch prior to the competition. We felt that with this age group, providing the athletes with as much competitive play as possible is what they require, and the two tournaments give us this opportunity.”
Selections
The players selected for the 2023 GB Cubs are:
Lily Rose Bateman
Sapphire Lyon Carroll
Kora Douglass
Clara Fontana
Grace Gaines
Erin Hart
Ella Heath
Ava Lelos
Ryo Lord
Alexandra Pointon
Jessica Rice
Olivia Riddle
Sydney Schmidt
The staff that will take the players to both tournaments will be:
Head Coach and Sports Therapist: Jodie Rushin
Team Operations Manager: Julie Spittle
Assistant Coaches: Dani Briggs and Holly Ireland
Pitching Coach: Dawne Edwards
Training
The team has already had a number of training sessions in the run-up to trials and selection, but has scheduled several more sessions before embarking on the tour.
Training sessions will be held on 4 June and 9 July at Farnham Park and on 18 June, 23 July and 6 August at Conniburrow in Milton Keynes.
Jodie Rushin said, “The athletes have been training with us since October, after we returned from Prague last year, and only had January off as a break period. We consistently train either at Farnham Park or Conniburrow. This allows the coaches to implement a schedule that covers both fundamental skills and gameplay, giving players adequate preparation time to trial for the national team. The training will now focus on game-specific preparation for both tournaments, and the selected players will train alongside the GB Under-15 Team. “
Team Operations Manager Julie Spittle added, “We are eagerly anticipating our extended tour. With the inclusion of new players alongside those who have previously toured, we are excited to witness the team's growth during our time away. It will be fascinating to observe the bonds and friendships that are forged among the players, as they unite and evolve into a cohesive team.”