Hockey: Whitaker's way

DAVID WHITAKER, England's new coach, yesterday announced an experimental squad including 10 new caps to travel to Bombay in January for the Indira Ghandi Memorial Tournament, from which Australia has withdrawn because of the unrest in India.

Whitaker's squad includes only two players from the squad at the Barcelona Games - Don Williams and David Luckes - although there was the usual crop of retirements following the Olympics and a number of senior players made themselves unavailable for the event, from 8 to 15 January.

The party has been built largely around the England Under-21 squad, which will be going to Spain next summer for the Junior World Cup. Seven of the juniors who finished fourth in the European Cup in the Netherlands last summer have accepted invitations.

England's opponents will be Spain, Malaysia, Russia, the Netherlands, and the host nation.

ENGLAND SQUAD (Indira Ghandi Memorial Tournament, Bombay, January): D Luckes (East Grinstead), S Mason (Firebrands), B Waugh (Southgate), A Humphrey (Welton), J Wyatt (Reading), R Davis, P Gibbons (St Albans), A Degun (Barford Tigers), P McGuire, J Hauck (Teddington), R Crutchley (Hounslow), D Williams, P Nail (Havant), C Mayer, K Takher, J Chana (Cannock).

The Hockey Association confirmed yesterday that the international federation's experimental amendment to the penalty corner rule, prohibiting the hit out from being taken from outside the striking circle, would operate at all levels of competition this weekend. The English Women's Association has delayed implementing the change until 22 December.