Clarke is one of five Reading hockey players in the England squad

England hockey players Richard Mantell and Jonty Clarke say they are happy to travel to India for the World Cup.

The squad travels to Dohar for a training camp ahead of the tournament which starts on 25 February.

Clarke told BBC Berkshire: "I don't think anyone will feel 100 per cent comfortable until we get there

"But we have to trust our advisors and at the moment our security advisors are telling us the preparations are fine, so at the moment, we're going."

Five players from Reading Hockey Club are part of the squad, including Mantell, Clarke, Simon Mantell, Nick Brothers and Iain MacKay, although Simon Mantell has to prove his fitness as he recovers from a foot injury.

Richard Mantell said they are being kept up-to-date with security developments by the England Hockey Board.

"We're comfortable that everything's been looked at and assessed continually, so we're happy with the situation at the moment," he said.

"We've been getting regular updates. It's important for us to keep our eye on our training and the hockey side of things and that the England Hockey Board concentrate on the security, which they're certainly doing at the moment.

"It's individual choice whether we feel comfortable to travel. We want everyone there to feel comfortable and be able to perform because we're there to play hockey. At the moment everyone's happy to travel."

Clarke admitted to having a few personal reservations.

He said: "You read things in the papers which make you feel a little uneasy. We've never been to India or Pakistan as a team and I've never been there personally, so in many ways it's a step into the unknown.

"We've got Metropolitan Police officers travelling with us. We've had briefings from them from last October, to let us know what the general situation was and they've become more and more frequent.

"At the moment we're going, but these things can change very quickly I guess. But we're constantly monitoring the situation."

England face favourites Australia in their opening group game, but Mantell said they are going into the competition with confidence.

"It's a great opportunity for us to look to qualify for the semi-finals firstly," he said.

"We're coming off the back of winning the Europeans last summer, so we're a confident group and gaining experience all the time."

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