The agonising wait is over for both Scots Laura Bartlett and Emily Maguire after they were named yesterday by Danny Kerry, Great Britain women's coach, in the final squad of 16 for the forthcoming Olympic Games.
Abi Walker, the Scottish goalkeeper will be one of two travelling reserves but Vikki Bunce, the VWS Dundee Wanderers midfielder misses out altogether.
Considering Kerry's recent selections for the Champions Trophy and the Olympic Test event in London, the fate of the four Scots was no great surprise but the coach said: "Words cannot describe how difficult it has been to make the final decision in selecting the squad. Since we centralised our training programme in 2009, our process has been continuous, making it the 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."
Kerry will be hoping that he has picked a squad to improve on sixth place at the Beijing Games four years ago and achieve a medal in front of the home crowd.
Recent form augers well for the GB women, they won silver at the Champions Trophy in January and only a couple of weeks ago defeated Argentina, the world No.2-ranked side, 2-0 to win the Test Event at the Riverside Arena in London.
London will be 23-year-old Bartlett's second Olympics, the Glasgow-born midfielder having been named as travelling reserve for Beijing before injury to England's Jennie Bimson gave the Scot her chance and she made her Olympic debut in a 2-1 win over Japan. She said: "To be named in the squad for London is the ultimate prize for the past four years of hard work."
London will be Maguire's first Olympic experience, but like Bartlett, the former Kelburne defender had already signed for Reading to play in a higher standard of competition. Maguire has been a permanent fixture in most of Kerry's selections, but her outstanding performance in the Champions Trophy in Argentina at the start of the year could well have sealed her Olympic place.
Great Britain squad for Olympic Games, London A Ball, N White (Slough), C Cullen, H Macleod, A Panter, C Rogers (all Leicester), A Danson, H Richardson, B Storry, K Walsh (all Reading), G Twigg (Clifton), L Unsworth (Loughborough Students), S Walton (Bowdon Hightown) – all England. S Thomas (unattached) – Wales. Bartlett, E Maguire (both Reading) – both Scotland Travelling reserves: N Seymour (England), A Walker (Scotland) both EuroCanterbury
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