Western Australians Named Ahead of Competition in Johor

WAIS hockey athletes Frazer Gerrard and Matthew Bird were recently announced in the U21 Australian Men’s Hockey Squad, the Burras, in preparation for the Sultan of Johor Cup to be held in Malaysia late next month.

Led by coach, Ben Bishop the side will take on England, Japan, Pakistan, New Zealand and Malaysia, where the competition will play an important part in the preparation for the 2017 Junior World Cup.

Bishop said that “this year, the Sultan of Johor Cup presents a further opportunity for us as our major competition focus in the lead up to the Junior World Cup. I look forward to seeing our Burras take another step up in their development in readiness for the Junior World Cup.”

Gerrard and Bird will enter this competition with some prior experience, having been selected to compete in the 2015 Cup as well.

The side came away in 2015 with just one win from five games, giving them a fifth place finish.

This result is one they will be looking to improve on at the 2016 Sultan of Johor Cup in order to place them in good stead heading into the Junior World Cup. 

The 2016 tournament is scheduled to begin on the 31st of October, concluding on November 6.