Chloe De La Mare and Theo Garton have earned debut Great Britain call-ups for the upcoming FIP World Cup qualifier in Madrid.
The European qualification tournament for November’s FIP World Cup in Doha will take place at Pádel G24 club in the Spanish capital from 22-26 September.
In Madrid, 55 national teams from 29 countries will compete across the men’s and women’s events for four places (two men’s, two women’s) in the FIP World Cup draw.
Great Britain will feature in both the men’s and women’s draws and the squad features with five players ranked inside the world’s top 200.
Captains Libby Fletcher and Iciar Montes will lead a strong GB women’s team that includes British no.1 and world No. 91 Aimee Gibson, top-100 player Catherine Rose, and Tia Norton.
On the men’s side, captains John Leach and Agustin Silingo lead a squad headed by world no.157 Christian Medina Murphy. British no.2 Louie Harris and fit-again British no.3 Alex Loughlan are joined by London Premier Padel P1 wildcards Chris Salisbury and Alfonso Patacho.
Garton, who has climbed from 900 to 302 in the FIP rankings in the last year since relocating to Spain to train full-time, makes his first appearance in the open GB squad. There is no place for current GB no.3 Cameron Dollimore.
De La Mare, the 16-year-old from Guernsey, has competed in seven FIP circuit events this year and has won a host of titles on the LTA Padel British Tour and national junior tournaments. Victoria Nicholas returns to the women’s team for the first time since having her baby boy.
Full team list
Women’s Team
Aimee Gibson (WR.93)
Catherine Rose (WR.94)
Tia Norton (WR.147)
Lisa Phillips (WR.182)
Abigail Tordoff (WR.216)
Laura Jackson (WR.222)
Chloe De La Mare (WR.303)
Victoria Nicholas (WR.550)
Men’s Team
Christian Medina Murphy (WR.155)
Louie Harris (WR.257)
Alex Loughlan (WR.295)
Theo Garton (WR.302)
Jamie Lobo (WR.341)
Sam Jones (WR.519)
Chris Salisbury (WR.538)
Alfonso Patacho (WR.574)
About the FIP World Cup European qualifer
The precise format of the European qualifier will be announced nearer the start date.
Men’s entrants: Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Kosovo, Lithuania, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine.
Women’s entrants: Austria, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Kosovo, Lithuania, Moldova, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine.
Captains’ thoughts
Libby Fletcher, Great Britain women’s team captain, said: “The team is excited to travel to Madrid and compete for a place in the World Finals in Qatar later this year. Preparation has been strong, with players gaining valuable experience through international FIP tournaments across Europe.
“We will arrive in Madrid early to acclimatise and make the most of training base G24. This year’s women’s team combines both experience and depth, and our goal is clear, to qualify for the World Finals and test ourselves against the very best players in the world this November.”
John Leach, Great Britain men’s team captain, added: “We’re really looking forward to getting the team together in Madrid and competing for a place at the World Cup. We know qualification will be tough, with the standard across Europe continuing to rise, and we’re excited for the challenge ahead.
“We’ve got a great group of players who are ready to compete. Representing Great Britain is something we’re all incredibly proud of, and our focus is on performing at our best and earning our place at the World Cup.”
