Frances Houslop will keep her cool when she bids for a place in the England under-21s World Cup squad.

The 18-year-old, from Horsted Keynes, flies to South Africa tomorrow with the team to prepare for the competition, which takes place in May in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Houslop will wear an ice-jacket as she trains for four matches against the Republic and two versus Holland.

She said: "They look more like life jackets and are certainly not a fashion accessory. But they are a good idea because they will keep us cool in very hot temperatures.

"We saw them used at the Olympics in Sydney. They are like blue wet suits lined with ice packs."

Sweeper Frances, who won European Nations gold for England under-18s and a silver medal at under-21s last season, rates the World Cup as her biggest challenge.

She said: "I will be working hard in South Africa to make sure the my preparation goes well. I have taken a year out partly because of my hockey.

"This is a big year for me. World Cup year is a big leap from European events.

"Argentina will be very hot and so South Africa should be an ideal place to acclimatise, particularly as there is only a couple of hours time difference from Britain.

"I have always dreamed of going to the Olympics and hopefully the World Cup will help that become a reality, although I have still got a long way to go."

England under-21s coach Dave Passmore said: "I am convinced Frances can go all the way in hockey. She has mental and physical strength. Nothing fazes her.

"If she doesn't trap a ball right she will go out and try and trap it 30 times until she has got it right. Her only trouble is that she would be overdoing it by training for four hours straight if I didn't watch her."

Ben Hawes, from Lewes, will fly to Barcelona tomorrow to prepare for the men's World Under-21 Cup, which takes place in Tasmania in October.

He is in an 18-strong squad and hopes to join England on a trip to South Korea at Easter.

Hawes said: "The only way to acclimatise is to play in countries outside Europe. I'm looking forward to it.

"I'm confident I'll make the final squad because I played in the European under-21s last year when we finished fourth.