Hockey: Roderick to make her debut in cup

THE WELSH international, Kate Roderick, will make her competitive debut for First Personnel Sutton Coldfield in tomorrow's All England Women's Hockey Assocation Cup fourth-round tie at Bracknell, writes Bill Colwill.

The European Cup-Winners' Cup holders, though, will be without the unavailable Mandy Davies, who made such an impression in their 3-0 National League defeat of Leicester last Saturday.

Hightown, the Cup holders, trek to Bournemouth while last year's League champions and beaten finalists, Slough, travel to Ormskirk. Both should be confident of figuring in next Wednesday's draw to be made live on Five Aside on Radio 5. The League leaders, Ipswich, will be looking for an impressive performance from Lucy Youngs against her old club, Harleston Magpies.

The PizzaExpress National League, meanwhile, resumes after its mid-season break with the leaders, Hounslow, entertaining last year's winners, Havant, who are four points adrift in third place. Second-placed Southgate, at full strength, are hosts to struggling Neston, whose relegation battle will not have been helped by the departure of the England Under-21 international, Justin Pidcock, to Cannock.

Chelmsford's recruitment of the former Indian World Cup players, Gundeep Kumar and Balwinder Singh, to help them avoid relegation from the Second Division has hit a snag. It appears that only Singh may arrive in time to play in their game at Harborne tomorrow.

Their first-choice goalkeeper, Colin Allkins, is fit again and returns to the side and a first appearance is expected from 17- year-old Chris Maitland, son of Henry Maitland, the former Scotland and Chelmsford centre-half.

Of their three Indian internationals who returned home for Christmas, Indian Gymkhana have only the goalkeeper Mark Patterson back in their side, but expect to include Iftikhar Mirza, back from Southgate, and the newcomer, Jaswinder Singh, who has been playing in Italy.