There is not a top international athlete in the world who does not relish performing in front of their home-town crowd and Helen Richardson is no exception. The England and Great Britain midfield player grew up in Nottingham and has returned there to take part in the prestigious Samsung Champions Trophy, which starts on Saturday.
She will be playing in front of family and friends, battling it out for England against the top six sides in the world and using a state-of-the-art, innovative stick.
Richardson, 28, the UK player of the year, uses the recently released Dynabow, which features a curve nearer the head, rather than a bow in the middle. Because it is contoured round the bottom of the handle it is easier to control drag-flicks at short corners and hit aerial balls.
Neil Mallett, the former England captain and marketing manager of Grays, which initiated the radical bow, said: “There’s been a revolution in the last ten years. All leading internationals are using composite sticks made of carbon, aramid and fibreglass.”
The average club player would need to spend about £120 for a top-of-the-range composite stick, only slightly more than the price for a conventional wooden one.
“The bigger bow definitely helps flicking and with more friction on the head it’s better for trapping the ball,” Richardson said.
She admits that England will be under scrutiny as they begin the countdown to the World Cup in Argentina in September and the Commonwealth Games in Delhi a month later.
“Our performances really matter but our preparations have been superb,” Richardson said. “We’ve trained five times a week and had a lot of contact time on the pitch, which is crucial as a unit.”
England open their campaign against Argentina, the title-holders, on Saturday at Highfield Sports Club and Richardson will have her work cut out marking Luciana Aymar, the world player of the year. “She’s the most difficult player I’ve ever played against,” Richardson said.
A veteran of two Olympic Games and two World Cups, Richardson’s creativity alongside Kate Walsh and Crista Cullen, the outstanding defenders, is key to England’s chances.
The round-robin event features the Netherlands — the world and Olympic champions — Germany, China and New Zealand, with the final taking place on Sunday week.
Britain’s men are involved in a four-nations series against Germany, the Olympic champions, Japan and New Zealand next week, also in Nottingham.