The Novotel Cup is an annual invitational tournament, staged by the Luxembourg Volleyball Federation for both senior men and senior women. The Head Coaches of the Scottish Teams were delighted to receive their invitations for the 2010 event, and quickly arranged the required increase in their practice schedules.
The venue for the event is the spectacular National Sporting and Culture Centre at d’Coque and the tournament takes place over the weekend of the 9th and 10th of January.
The men will face Austria, Denmark and Luxembourg – very tough opposition. New Head Coach Simon Loftus faces a baptism of fire, but feels confident that the players he has chosen will stand up to the challenge. Loftus has selected a balanced side with a range of experience, from Ally Galloway and Barry McGuigan having worked within the GB Programme, to Sean Hendry getting his first ever senior cap.
Head Coach for the senior women, John French relishes the chance to ‘lock horns’ with Austria, Latvia and Luxembourg. International play is about winning of course, but it’s also about performing at the required level. French points out that it has been a number of years since the National Teams played against higher level opposition and this year’s Novotel Cup therefore represents an opportunity to ‘bench mark’ the performances, and gain invaluable information into the performance level of the current Scottish team, as well as engage in the fight for the win!
We wish the best of fortunes to both Scottish teams and their coaching staff.
The Luxembourg Federation will recognise and celebrate the memory of Denitza Krivova at the event by presenting a commemorative trophy to the most valuable young player of the tournament. Denitza played for Luxembourg at both junior and senior levels, before she tragically died in a car accident in April 2008.
Senior Women – Team Selection
| Linsey Bunten | Troon Prestwick & Ayr |
| Elaine Krawcyzk | Troon, Prestwick & Ayr |
| Lindsay Coburn | Su Ragazzi |
| Kay Wheatley | South Ayrshire |
| Cathie Smy | City of Edinburgh |
| Klaudia Wieczorek | Leeds Met |
| Jill Runciman | Edinburgh Jets |
| Laura McReady | Su Ragazzi |
| Caroline Clayton | Troon Prestwick & Ayr |
| Laura Bolton | Edinburgh Jets |
| Claire Stewart | City of Edinburgh |
| Jen Thom | Great Britain |
Senior Men – Team Selection
| Steven Todd | City of Glasgow Ragazzi |
| Gavin Watt | City of Edinburgh |
| Alistair Galloway | City of Glasgow Ragazzi |
| Mike Penny | Team Fife |
| Callum Green | Sheffield VC |
| Sean Hendry | GB Programme |
| Euan Duncan | Kilmarnock |
| Andrew Stronach | Bon Accord |
| Brian O’Neill | City of Glasgow Ragazzi |
| Alasdair King | City of Glasgow Ragazzi |
| Stuart Edgar | Kilmarnock |
| Barry McGuigan | City of Edinburgh |