The Scotland and Great Britain hockey stars, Laura Bartlett and Abi Walker, have announced that they’ve decided to retire from the international game.
Bartlett (left) was the 2011 BOA Athlete of the Year, winning 107 international caps in total, 57 for Scotland and 50 for Great Britain. She explained that she had enjoyed “an amazing journey as a hockey player with both Scotland and Great Britain, making many friends along the way. Being part of three Olympic cycles has been fantastic and all the hard work was rewarded last summer when the team won the Bronze Medal at London 2012.
“However, I have the made the decision to step away from hockey and focus on a career outside of the sport. I am entering a new phase of my life where I have a new job that I wish to concentrate on and put my efforts into building a career. I would like to thank all the coaches, players and managers who have supported me throughout my international career and wish both the Scotland and Great Britain teams the very best of luck for future competitions.”
Scotland Women Head Coach Gordon Shepherd said that Laura would be “a huge loss to Scotland and she played some amazing hockey when she represented the national side. She was a great role model to the players within the squad and an absolute privilege to coach.”
The Scotland and Great Britain international goalkeeper, Abi Walker (right), has also confirmed her retirement from international hockey with immediate effect.
“Following the Olympics in London,” she said, “I have returned to work and my career is now my number one priority. The Commonwealth Games in Glasgow represents a huge opportunity for our young and exciting team and the team will enter full-time training to prepare for it. I have come to the decision that I will not be able to match that commitment.
“I’ve had some amazing moments with Scotland and Great Britain, with particular highlights being the Champions Trophy and the moment of gaining promotion back to the European ‘A’ Division in 2011.”
For Gordon Shepherd, “having Abi in the Scotland set-up not only gave us a fantastic, world-class goalkeeper but also someone that the other goalkeepers in the squad could look up to and aspire to be as good as. I would personally like to thank Abi for the time and effort she has given to Scottish hockey and I know that she will be our biggest supporter in the future.”
Walker gained her first cap for Scotland against England in 2009 and represented her country on sixty-five times in all competitions. Like Laura Bartlett, she last played for Scotland in 2011, when the national side won the EuroHockey Nations Championship II in Poland and claimed a bronze medal at the FIH Champions Challenge in Dublin. Both played vital roles following a dramatic penalty shoot-out against Spain.
Ms Walker now intends to focus on her full-time career as a surgeon. But that doesn’t mean she will be hanging up her pads for good, “Hockey will still be a big part of my life as I take on new challenges with my club team Surbiton”, she said. “I will miss being part of the Scotland team though and it is such a privilege to be part of that special group. I will look back on it with plenty of happy memories.”