GIRLS HEAD TO MACEDONIA
08/05/2008 Macedonia is calling for the cream of England's emerging U18 women this week. 24/7 quizzed coach Deirdre Hayes at Heathrow before the squad skipped London for Skopje.

Macedonia is calling for the cream of England's emerging U18 women this week. 24/7 quizzed coach Deirdre Hayes at Heathrow before the squad skipped London for Skopje.

In four years London will welcome the world's biggest hoops stars for an all-singing, all-dancing Olympic party.

And for England's U18 women - heading to Macedonia for the European Championships this week - the dream of 2012 is alive and kicking.

Playcaller Deirdre Hayes is keeping tabs on several stars of the future as she bids to topple the likes of Latvia and Belgium this month.

And Team Northumbria's head honcho has some inside info on a player who has come from nowhere to co-captain her country in Skopje.

"I suppose I'll be keeping a particularly close eye on Ruth Davison, who plays with me up in Newcastle," she told 24/7.

"She's a shooting guard who has made phenomenal progress in the last 12 months and looks like a real prospect.

"Last year Ruth was a bench player but she looked at what she needed to do to become a role player for England and has worked extremely hard to get there.

"In the prep tournament this summer she was playing serious minutes and looks a different proposition.

"She works every morning with the Newcastle Eagles coach Fabulous Flournoy and has been part of the Eagles set-up for four or five years.

"She's done a huge amount of strength and conditioning work with Team Northumbria and I'm looking for a big tournament from Ruth, who's also our co-captain here."

Hayes is under no illusions as to the enormity of the task facing England in the former Yugoslav republic this week.

Group B rivals Latvia are gunning for a top two finish and Belgium beat England less than 12 months ago.

But Hayes has a number of aces in her pack including US-bound forward Hannah Shaw - another massive talent with obvious 2012 potential.

"For a number of the girls here for the next fortnight this is another step on the road towards London 2012.

"There's a great chance that several members of this squad will be pushing for a place in the senior squad in London in four years' time and I'm confident they will.

"You just need to look at someone like Hannah Shaw who's 6ft 5in and, if all goes to plan, will be going to the University of Miami in September 2009.

"It's one of the top basketball schools in the States and she's a huge prospect in every respect. I have very high hopes for Hannah and a few of the other players."