Wotherspoon replaces Govers in Australian Hockey Team

Raipur, Nov 26: The Australian hockey team on Thursday said that Dylan Wotherspoon will replace the injured Blake Govers on the eve of the Hockey World League (HWL) Final to be held from November 27 to December 6.

New South Wales forward Govers, 19, fractured his left ankle during the Kookaburras’ opening Test match against India last Thursday, which ended in a 2-2 draw.

Queensland striker Wotherspoon, 22, played in all three Tests against India in the build-up to the eight-team year-ending tournament. He scored the Australia’s opening goal in the first Test, his fourth international goal in 17 appearances.

Australia is also bolstered by the arrival of a number of senior players who did not play the warm-up Tests, including captain Mark Knowles, Jamie Dwyer, Eddie Ockenden, Fergus Kavanagh, Glenn Turner and goalkeepers Andrew Charter and Tyler Lovell.

The Kookaburras’ campaign begins on Saturday against Belgium, whom they overcame in the final of the HWL Semi-Final in Antwerp in July. (IANS)