Paul Barber (field hockey)
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| Full name | Paul Jason Barber | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
21 May 1955 Peterborough, Cambridgeshire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Paul Jason Barber (born 21 May 1955) is an English former field hockey player.
He was vice-captain of the gold medal-winning Great Britain squad in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. Four years earlier he had won bronze at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He also won silver with the England squad at the 1986 Hockey World Cup in London, and scored both the goals in the semi-final that helped England defeat West Germany 2-1 and progress to the final.
In a career that spanned over 25 years, Barber won 99 caps for England and 68 caps for Great Britain.
A player of uncompromising physicality and determination, he was recognised as one of the finest defenders and short corner strikers in the world. In 1983 Barber was awarded UK Hockey Player of the Year. Following the 1988 tournament, in which he scored 5 goals, Barber retired from international hockey at all levels, but continued to play for Slough Hockey Club until the early 1990s when he joined Newbury & Thatcham Hockey Club. He played on for several more years until retiring from all forms of hockey in 1998.
Barber was born in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, and went to Monkton Combe School in Bath. He lives in Bath with his wife, Jennie and has three sons, Michael, Stephen & Mark.