World Cup call for rising star

Redcliffe Hockey Club’s Annelyse Tevant will take on the world next month as the youngest member of the Australia’s women’s indoor team.

The 18-year-old has been selected in a squad of 12 (plus two travelling reserves) for the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup in South Africa from February 5-11.

Playing in her first World Cup, Tevant is one of only two Queenslanders in the squad – the second being Aymee Dowell, from the Sunshine Coast.

Australia will face the US, New Zealand, Netherlands, South Africa and Austria in pool matches at the start of the tournament in Pretoria.

“I am hoping the team will come away with a gold medal and a sense of achievement that we did our country proud,” said the indoor attacker.

“I am hoping to lift my game to that extra level and do all I can to represent my country proudly - making everyone who has supported me along the way proud.”

Tevant, from Maryborough, started playing at the age of six and last year was selected for the Australian Opens - while still eligible for the junior team - and Queensland's Under 18s.

She was named in the Australian World Cup party after a squad of 23 players was put through its paces at a selection camp in Brisbane last month.

Tevant is this week playing for Queensland in the Australian Indoor Hockey Championships (January 3-25) at Brisbane Entertainment Centre.

Australian Women’s Indoor Hockey Head Coach Mark Sandhu said 11 of the 14 players selected for the World Cup have represented this country before.

“This is a strong team that combines experience with up-and-coming talent to give us the best chance of success at the World Cup,” said Sandhu.

“It has taken two selection camps to narrow the squad down from 34 to 12. The quality and depth of the squad is the best it has ever been which made the final stage of selection extremely tough.”

Every match of the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup 2023 will be streamed on Watch.Hockey.

Indoor hockey has teams of six (goalkeeper, two defenders, three attackers) on a pitch with boards along the sides keeping the ball in play.

Australian Women’s Indoor Team: Caitlin Burns (NSW), Erin Burns (NSW), Aymee Dowell (QLD), Elizabeth Duguid (WA), Samantha Economos (ACT), Litiana Field (NSW), Estelle Hughes (NSW), Kelsey Hughes (NSW), Emma McLeish (NSW), Madeleine Murphy (TAS), Emma Scriven (NSW), Annelyse Tevant (QLD). Travelling Reserves: Amelia Leard (NSW), Emma Reid (WA)

Australian Women’s Pool Matches
February 5 - Australia v United States (10:50am local time, 7:50pm AEDT)

February 6 - New Zealand v Australia (9:20pm local, Feb 7 6:20am AEDT)

February 7 - Australia v Netherlands (10:50am local, 7:50pm AEDT)

February 8 - South Africa v Australia (8:10pm local, February 9 5:10am AEDT)

February 9 - Australia v Austria (1:10pm local, 10:10pm AEDT)