CANTERBURY Hockey Club will parade many of their big guns when the EHL national indoor championship begins this weekend with Europe the incentive for both teams.

The top two in each group go through to the semi-finals and final, with the winners representing England in the European Indoor Championships.

The men, beaten in last year’s semi-finals by Loughborough Students after qualifying as league winners, head for Cox Moor Wood at Kings Heath, Birmingham, while the women, play at the Royal Masonic School at Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire.

The men's squad includes England international David Mathews, Australian Aaron Goninon, Rob Playford, player-coach at Ashford, and Sam Bury, now with Firebrands.

Outdoor captain Stewart Keir is also involved and said: "We will be hoping to go one better than last season and Europe is very much our goal.

"I think our toughest game will be our first against East Grinstead, because Loughborough, who have dominated the competition in recent years, will be without their England internationals."

England pair Mel Clewlow and Becky Duggan will boost the women’s challenge, before flying off for a four-team tournament in Cordoba against the top three in world hockey, Holland, hosts Argentina and Australia.

The trip is preparation for the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, with the 16-strong squad set to be announced early next month.

Cathy Gilliat-Smith, who also travels to South America, plays indoors for former club Sevenoaks, with Frances Houslop completing Canterbury’s international quartet.

Meanwhile, Juliet Chapman and Hayley Brown have re-signed from Clifton ready for the resumption of the outdoor season.

Chapman is included in the indoor squad but England under-21 international Brown is recovering from an ankle problem.

Clewlow said: "We hope to win four out of four, and on paper we should win two, but the other two will be tougher.

"Finals night is at a new venue, the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham and will be screened live on Sky TV, so getting through will be an ideal opportunity to raise the profile of the club.

"Crystal Palace was always oversubscribed, but a great place to play, with the crowd very close to the pitch.

"I think this was an ideal opportunity to prolong the indoor season, with a five-month break in the outdoor fixtures because of the Commonwealth Games.

"I am not the only person to think that because playing indoors improve skills and fitness, and is far better than training in the freezing cold."

Each group involves nine clubs playing each other once over the next two weekends, with finals day on Sunday, February 5.

More than 1,000 tickets have already been sold for what is one of the biggest dates in the domestic hockey calendar.