Glenn Kirkham appointed captain of England hockey team

Men's Champions Trophy
Venue: Monchengladbach, Germany Dates: 31 July - 8 August
Coverage: Match reports and highlights on the BBC Sport website

Kirkham made his first appearance for England in 2003

Glenn Kirkham has been named England captain for the Champions Trophy, which starts on Saturday in Germany.

The East Grinstead midfielder replaces Barry Middleton, who was forced to withdraw after breaking his toe.

The 27-year-old told BBC Sussex: "It's a disappointment for Barry to not to be with us at this tournament.

"But it's always an honour to be appointed as captain. It's something I've had experience of before and going in as captain makes it more special."

He added: "Barry will be a loss but I'm sure we'll have the strength and depth to cope with him not being here.

"We've had a lot of preparation over the past few months so we feel we're in good shape going into the tournament."

England, who qualified for the tournament by finishing fourth at the World Cup in March, get their campaign under way against Germany on Saturday.

They then take on Spain on Sunday 1 August, defending champions Australia on Tuesday 3 August, the Netherlands on Thursday 5 August and New Zealand on Saturday 7 August.