Quietly and with very little fuss, the Scottish men’s Young Senior Squad have worked their way through the long Winter months to be ready to play in the European Championship final in April.
This is the chance of a lifetime! A European Final, at home, in front of hordes of cheering fans – sounds too good to be true!
The journey to selection for the Scottish players started in September 2011. The squad activities included playing in the JNL, technical practice days, specialist clinics, a strength and conditioning programme, and an understanding that to be considered for selection the players had to make a minimum of an 80% attendance figure – a big ask.
There were 35 players in the initial squad; that was reduced to 23 for the main part of the development programme, then reduced to 18 for the final preparation. Saturday 17th March was the day the final selection was made. It was a very tough call – all 18 players were in contention right up till the last minute. But at the end of the very busy day the coaching staff finally agreed the player selection for the finals at Ravenscraig.
Many congratulations are due to the players who have been selected to represent Scotland in this ‘chance of a lifetime’ event. The Scottish team is;
| Grant Gwynne – Captain | Setter | Troon VC | ||
| Marc McLaughlin | Setter | Team Lanarkshire VC | ||
| Matthew Berry | Off-setter | Team Lanarkshire VC | ||
| Regan Kidd | Off-setter | South Ayrshire VC | ||
| Connor Boyle | Middle Blocker | City of Edinburgh VC | ||
| Mark Lawson | Middle Blocker | Kilmarnock VC | ||
| Ben Wright | Middle Blocker | Su Ragazzi VC | ||
| Scott Wilson | Swing Hitter | Troon VC | ||
| Matthew Wedlock | Swing Hitter | Su Ragazzi VC | ||
| Ross Kirkwood | Power Hitter | City of Edinburgh VC | ||
| Ross McKelvie | Power Hitter | Troon VC | ||
| Stuart MacKenzie | Libero | Su Ragazzi VC |
Commiserations are due to the players who missed the final cut. Their contribution to the programme has been significant, and they have helped to ensure that the Scottish team is as ready as is possible for the Finals.
You can help the Scottish cause, you can make sure you get along to Ravenscraig Sports Centre and support the players in their efforts to succeed. For the players the chance to play in Junior European Final might never come around again……but neither will the chance to support a Scottish team playing at home…….. Details of the match dates and times can be obtained from the SVA Office, and the website.
So well done again to the players who have been selected. Well done and thank you to the players who contributed so much to the development programme, and roll on the first match on Tuesday 3rd April.
Thomas Dowens
Head Coach YS Programme.
