Coach praises hockey squad's spirit

Great Britain Olympic women's hockey coach Danny Kerry believes his squad has the "most powerful squad spirit" he has ever known.

The team, ranked fourth in the world, finished sixth at the Beijing games in 2008 but will be hoping to be among the medals on home turf this time around. Kerry named his 16-man squad on Friday ahead of a London Cup warm-up event next month. He admits he agonised over his squad selections but is optimistic he has picked a squad capable of success this summer. "Words cannot describe how difficult it has been to make the final decision in selecting this squad," he said. "Since we centralised our training programme in late 2009, our process has been continuous, making it our most thorough and exhaustive ever. "We have chosen what we feel is the best combination of players for the challenges of the Olympic Games. "Each and every one of the 28 athletes in the training group has committed so much and as a result we have the most powerful squad spirit I have ever known." Alex Danson and Crista Cullen have both been named in the squad despite carrying injuries. They will miss next month's warm-up tournament but are expected to be fit for the Games in July.