Barry Middleton will be proud to lead Great Britain out at the Olympics as an East Grinstead player.

But the national captain insists playing for Great Britain is like a club anyway.

Middleton, 28, joined East Grinstead as an outfield player last summer, although he had already played for the club indoors.

Having qualified as hosts of the London Games, the national team have had extra time to prepares for these Olympics.

They have trained together for four years, which has changed their sense of belonging, for this event at least.

Middleton, who will be going to his third Games, will be alongside Grinstead team-mates Ashley Jackson, Glenn Kirkham and Iain Lewers at London but inter-club boasts or rivalries have long since disappeared.

He said: “It is good when a few of the guys play together at club level but we have been GB players who have gone out to our clubs, rather than the other way around, for a couple of years now.

“We have trained five or six days a week together as GB and then played for our clubs at weekends.

“We are GB players who play some club hockey whereas in the past we have been club players who have come together for internationals.

“We enjoy it when we are at East Grinstead and play good hockey but we are GB players and play together so much that it comes round that way.”