Commonwealth Games: Hacker touches down as Wales coach

ENGLAND OPENED their Commonwealth Games campaign in the Bukit Jalil National Sports Stadium last night against Canada. They go on to play Kenya on Sunday, followed by Malaysia then Pakistan in their pool games.

A win against Canada should set them up for a semi-final place but, like the women, they will want to finish top of their pool to avoid a semi- final against the favourites Australia.

Canada will certainly stretch England's resources. In a play-off game in the World Cup in May, England escaped with a 2-1 win thanks to two penalty corner goals from Calum Giles.

The Canadians have had bad luck since the World Cup. In addition to the retirement of their captain, Patrick Burrows, four other players are injured.

Wales, in the other pool to England, open their campaign today against Trinidad and will be looking for better luck than they have had so far.

The coach, David Bunyan, who last month led them to next year's European finals when they won a qualifying tournament in Prague, decided not to go to Malaysia because of his fear of flying and failed to arrive at the airport. At the moment, with a replacement unlikely, it looks as if the captain, David Hacker, and senior international, Mike Williamson, who coached Wales a couple of years ago, will share the coaching.

ENGLAND SQUAD: B Waugh (capt), D Woods (both Southgate), J Wyatt, M Pearn, S Mason (all Reading), G Fordham (Hounslow), D Luckes, S Head (East Grinstead), B Crutchley, J Pidcock, B Sharpe, M Johnson (all Cannock), R Garcia (Harvestehuder, Hamburg), J Halls (Unattached), B Garrard, J Wallis (Teddington).

WALES SQAUD: D Hacker (capt), A Carruthers (both Canterbury), A Colclough (Teddington), K Priday, R Markham (Guildford), P Edwards, I Hughes-Rowlands, S Organ, G Terrett, C Ashcroft (all Cannock), O Griffiths-Jones, M Williamson, Z Jones (Hounslow), J Westerman (Stourport), G Egan (Bournville), T Moore (Whitchurch).