With the new league season only three weeks away, Chelmsford Highway turn up the intensity of their pre-season preparations when they travel to Holland for a six team tournament over the Bank Holiday weekend.

They will play three games in two days and their opponents will include teams from both Holland and China.

The tournament will be the first match practice of their pre-season schedule.

Fitness training began at the beginning of July with Skills Sessions on the astro pitch at Chelmer Park being introduced more recently.

Chelmsford Highway make a return to the Premier Division of the National League this season and coach Pete Fordham has seen some new arrivals to help strengthen the squad.

Most of the new signings will make their debuts in Holland.

Tanny Nancoo, Hazel Mansfield and Natalie that all arrive from St. Albans while Sarah Fretwell joins the ranks from Sutton Coldfield.

Nancoo is the captain of the Trinidad & Tobago side who recently came fourth in the Pan-American Games.

Other new signings Maria Merrigan from Loughborough and Lorraine Marsden from Clifton students are unable to travel to Holland but will join the squad for the remainder of the pre-season preparations which include a training camp at Cranleigh in Surrey and a tournament at Southgate.

Steven Batchelor, one of Great Britain's gold medal winners at the 1988 Olympics, will be a welcome addition to the coaching staff at Chelmsford this season and he will be putting the players through their paces at Cranleigh.

The remainder of the Chelmsford squad are those who successfully gained promotion for the club last season.

It contains a good blend of youth and experience and manager Janet Sutton is hopeful that the trip to Holland will help the newcomers blend in with the existing squad both on and off the pitch.

"Our tremendous team spirit was a great asset to us last season" she said "a weekend away together will hopefully strengthen that ready for the new season as well as give us the opportunity to try things out on the pitch."

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