Commonwealth Games: Gold Coast is latest stop off for seasoned Middleton

Barry Middleton has appeared at three Olympic Games and this will be his fourth Commonwealths.

The Doncaster-born 34-year-old previously represented England at Melbourne 2006, Delhi 2010 and Glasgow four years ago.

Middleton made his record 400th international appearance – more than 14 years after his debut – when England drew with Australia at the World League Finals in December.

His tally of 263 games for England, 145 for Great Britain and a further six indoor and has yielded 113 goals.

England's Barry Middleton battles for the ball with Canada's Keegan Pereira during the 2014 Commonwealth Games. (Pictures: PA)

He has also represented Great Britain at four Olympic Games, played for England in three World Cups and eight European Championships and been included in the International Hockey Federation’s All Stars team three times.

A former player for Doncaster, Middleton – who attended Skellow, Adwick and Hall Cross Schools – now lives in Marlow and features for Holcombe in the EHL Premier Division.

He was one of the penalty scorers when England beat New Zealand 4-2 in a shootout for the bronze medal four years ago, after a 3-3 draw.

Middleton will provide the experience in an England squad which includes nine players making their Commonwealth Games debut.

Hockey is one of the strongest sports at the Commonwealth Games and most of the world’s top teams will be competing on the Gold Coast. Team England have been drawn in Pool B, against 2014 runners-up India, Malaysia, Pakistan and Wales.

They begin against Malaysia on April 6 with the medal round starting eight days later.

Head coach Bobby Crutchley said: “As a squad we have been training very hard and very well and we are very much looking forward to building on what we achieved in 2017.

“We have a tough opening match against Malaysia and we are very much focused on that and making the semi-finals and ultimately looking to win a medal.”