Fordham out of Olympics

Guy Fordham, the 20-year-old Army Officer and medical student, is the surprise omission from the Great Britain Olympic squad announced yesterday, writes Bill Colwill.

Fordham, the winner of 39 caps since his international debut in New Delhi in February 1995, has been an England ever-present until Sunday's game at Milton Keynes against Germany. His place goes to the 25-year-old Phil McGuire on the strength of his defensive qualities.

While the squad is an experienced one (eight players have more than 100 caps each, with the Seoul gold medallist Russell Garcia on 192) there is little evidence of flair. The captain, Jason Laslett, is still recovering from injuries but is expected to be playing again soon.

GREAT BRITAIN SQUAD (Olympic Games, Atlanta): J Laslett (capt), P McGuire (Teddington), R Thompson, S Hazlitt (Hounslow), R Garcia (Polo Barcelona), C Giles (Havant), D Luckes (East Grinstead), Soma Singh, J Shaw (Southgate), J Halls, N Thompson (Old Loughtoninas), C Mayer, Kalbir Takher (Cannock), J Wyatt, S Mason (Reading) D Hall (Guildford).