England CP squad named for IFCPF EUROs in Loughborough

The England cerebral palsy squad for the IFCPF European Championship has been named ahead of the tournament in Loughborough this August.

Para Lions head coach Andy Smith has picked a 14-man squad, which will be based at St. George’s Park throughout the competition which is being hosted at Loughborough University.

England were drawn out in Group A for the opening stage of the competition, and kick-off against Northern Ireland on Friday 15 August (6.30pm GMT) before playing current champions Ukraine on Sunday 17 August (6.30pm GMT).

They finish the group stage against Spain on Tuesday 19 August (6.30pm GMT), before the tournament heads into the semi-finals on Thursday 21 August and then the final on Saturday 23 August.

“We've had a really good build up and went over to Holland for a few days which was good, because we didn't play as well as we probably should have and I think that was a bit of a wake-up call for some of the lads at that time,” said Smith.

“But we've had really good preparation and been doing a lot together since, with a another camp coming up this weekend.

“I think we look a really good, healthy squad. The core of the team has lots of experience, with players that have been to multiple tournaments and we’ve got a couple of new additions in Corey and Cailen, after having had a similar squad for the last few years.

“We've got one young player coming in with Corey from the talent pathway system and we found another new player in Cailen, so this will be his first tournament as well.

“They've been very good and deserve their spots."

The Squad

1. Giles Moore
2. Liam Irons
3. Mason Dunbar
4. Cailen Beckford
5. Harry Baker
6. Matthew Crossen (c)
7. James Blackwell
8. Sam Dewhirst
9. David Porcher
10. Aaron Lucas
11. Corey Komorowski
12. Jayden Kenyon
13. Reegan McMillan
14. Matthew Robinson