Simon Mantell's nose broken

By Graham Wilson

SIMON MANTELL will play the Olympic tournament with a broken nose - which has put a smile on the face of brother Richard.

The Mantells are the first brothers to represent Team GB at hockey and proud of it too.

But in training on Monday a cross from reserve utility player Niall Stott was deflected by No 2 goalkeeper James Fair into Simon's face.

That meant a few stitches and the capable hands of team doctor Mike Rossiter did the rest by straightening out the nose immediately.

Sporting a black eye, Simon put on a brave show in a low-key training match against Germany yesterday which Britain lost 3-1.

"The doc did a good job. Mike's with London Irish at home and he's putting back noses all the time," said Simon. "So I thought if the rugby players can handle it, I will. It was painful at first but I slept pretty well and was glad to get back out on the pitch. I had no trouble with my breathing."

"It was a bit of a crack putting it back and it is unlikely he will get hit there again," said Rossiter, nicknamed Shrek by women's striker Alex Danson, who he is also treating for a worrying ankle strain.

It was bit of a crack for Reading's Richard too. "Now I'm the handsome one," said the older brother, whose penalty corner technique will be vital for GB's chances when the tournament opens for them against Pakistan on Monday.

"Simon's nose is full of blood and we wanted to know how he would cope with breathing on the pitch," said coach Jason Lee. "It's also making sure his confidence is okay. Actually he played a little longer than expected."

Germany found the gaps early on with Sebastian Biederlack scoring in the first two minutes followed by Christopher Zeller and Matthias Witthaus while Matt Daly pounced on a cross to turn the ball head-height past the goalkeeper. Lee's men had four corners, three saved from Richard Mantell and one from Ashley Jackson. "It was an okay performance for a first time on the pitch here," said Lee. "We're happy with the way everything is going."

EAST GRINSTEAD are replacing their rising star Ashley Jackson with Germany's Under-21 captain Martin Haner. Team GB striker Jackson is leaving the club at the end of the Olympic Games along with Reading's Simon Mantell to join Britain's best player Barry Middleton at the Dutch club HGC. Haner is a midfielder and penalty corner taker.

Scotland's Niall Stott, Team GB's travelling reserve here, is leaving Kelburne to join German European champions Uhlenhorster.

"I was disappointed at not getting in the Olympic team," said Stott, 27. "I obviously don't want any one to get injured but I am here to support the squad in the best way I can. I decided about a month ago to move on. They have offered me a good contract in Germany and I wanted to enjoy a different style of hockey and different environment."

Source: http://www.fieldhockey.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5022&Itemid=1