4 Nations Ultimate: Team Scotland

Thanks to the 4 Nations Ultimate committee, we’ve been granted early access to the team rosters, allowing us to type up some initial thoughts about each of the teams taking part in this new groundbreaking tournament. We also took the liberty of highlighting some players we think will make big impacts on the 4 Nations pitch.

First up in the series is Team Scotland! 

Captained by Cameron Mackie of Alba and Becca Hardman Carter of Glasgow Ultimate Mixed (GUX), Team Scotland is the only team to have held a trial to help with team selection. Whilst that initially may seem futile given the size of the Scottish ultimate community, they’ll have gained an advantage, already having a clearer picture of team chemistry.

Initial Impressions

Without even having to think about it, Team Scotland clearly holds a lot of power in its male-matching players with strong handlers and athletic receivers to boot. Captain and longrunning Alba star, Mackie, will surely bring some stability at the back and pair nicely with long-time teammates McNeil, Boxall and Agnew, with the latter two holding extensive experience representing Great Britain. Despite neither Boxall or Agnew playing competitive ultimate this season, they will still be regarded as key team assets. What they bring to the table rests on their preparation ahead of the tournament and whether they can positively tap into their ultimate experience when the time comes. 

If you were keeping up with the rumours, there’d been whispers of Great Britain Open and Clapham’s Connor McHale having Scottish heritage, yet his name is obviously missing from the Scotland roster. Andrew Warnock of Bristol, formerly of Alba and previously McHale’s GB teammate, is also not on the squad, but we presume he had other plans for the weekend. Happily, a name which does make an apperance is that of up-and-coming Great Britain Open under-24 player and Stirling University’s finest, Ronan Kelly – we’ll eagerly be looking out for his impressive layouts and colossal aerial ability. 

Comparatively to other rosters, the female-matching players on the Scotland side initially appear weaker on paper in terms of depth of senior outdoor national team experience, especially in mixed ultimate. However, and of course as a Scottish-run news platform we may be biased, we know how these women can rise to the occasion – paper is just paper, and it doesn’t speak for the years of experience and athleticism that they can bring to the table. We can expect big throws from ultimate stalwart Alex Hiley, unmatched explosive athleticism from captain Becca Hardman Carter and first-class plays from Rhona Gordon and Karina Aitken, who regularly put their bodies on the line for their team. We really could go on, but we’ll save the rest of our fan-girling for the tournament. Considering the strengths of the female-matching players here, we’re expecting them to be primarily in cutting positions at the tournament.

While still looking at the female-matching side of the Scotland roster, we were interested to see a few names missing. Ellie Taylor of London-based Iceni and many a-Great Britain team, plus (now retired) previous Great Britain teammate and former SMOG player, Hayley Dalmon, are two standouts. We can only assume they didn’t trial as not selecting them would make for a couple of questionable decisions. Looking further afield, Katie Flight, despite having been away from the game for a few years, would make use of her impressive ultimate career to positively impact the squad, assuming her disc skills are up to scratch. And finally, being one of the most talented female players in Scotland in recent years, Beth Dimitrova is an obvious choice – had it not been for the fact she’ll be around 7 months pregnant at the time of the tournament. 

Positively for Team Scotland, the Scottish Ultimate community is pretty tight-knit. These athletes have played together for years and there is so much playing history spread across the roster for Scottish teams like Alba, GUX, Black Eagles and SCRAM. Plus, there’s around 8 players stemming from Strathclyde University, most of whom were playing together in some capacity during their time there. Pairing this with the introduction of the Scottish Super League in 2023 means even further connection between players. Natasha Lim may be considered the biggest ‘outsider’ in this regard. Whilst like others, she doesn’t currently play for a Scottish team, her time in Scotland (playing for Edinburgh University and Black Eagles) took place a while before that of the other female-matching players, so she won’t have the same depth of connection with the squad. Regardless, her many years of experience, including on Great Britain squads, will surely allow her to slot in easily.  

Players to watch

Gemma Henry 

Welcoming Henry into the team, despite not being based in Scotland, is a smart decision by the team leadership. But also an easy one. Henry learned from the best whilst at Strathclyde University and played for SCRAM during her time here. Since making the move to Bristol, she’s come on leaps and bounds, proving her worth as a player time and time again and earning herself a coveted spot on the Bristol O-line.

Notably, Henry was selected for the Great Britain Women’s training squad for the World Ultimate Championships in 2024, which for those paying attention, comes as no surprise. Henry is a fast, patient and intelligent player with unbelievably sticky hands. Despite not being the tallest on the roster, she’ll collect any disc you put to her, making her an ideal isolation player. And finally, whilst she’ll excel in a receiving role, Henry is more than a solid receiver – she isn’t afraid to take on the role of playmaker when the time is right, as demonstrated in the 2024 semi-final of UK Nationals.

Alex Hiley

Having Hiley on Team Scotland is a no-brainer. Hiley was one of the first female-matching players to be selected in the Scottish Super League player draft last year, already demonstrating her positioning within the community.

After moving to Scotland from the US, Hiley became a core member of women’s team SCRAM before helping to set up the new Edinburgh-based mixed team, Heck, in 2024. Her natural leadership abilities and ultimate expertise will be an asset to the team in those inevitable crunch-time moments.

A player known for her elite deep throws, aerial dominance and dynamic cutting, those unlucky enough to mark her on defence will have their work cut out for them. Whilst Hiley might normally take on handling roles, we wouldn’t be surprised to see her in a hybrid/cutting role on this team thanks to her being safely in the category of players who actually use their height to their advantage.

Ian Tait 

If you were to pick a trophy cabinet of any player in Europe, you might be pressed to find one as illustrious as Ian Tait’s. Both indoors and outdoors, Tait has won everything there is possible to win at the European level.

After playing with Alba and GUX up in Scotland, Tait made the move down south in 2023 and trialled for Deep Space the following season. Following the team’s success at the European Championships last year, he’s presumably hoping for a repeat win and another gold medal. His prowess as a player is aided by his height; towering at 6”6 (198cm), Tait is easily one of the best receivers in Europe (he is currently 1-1 on European Indoor Championships vs Breakout Player of the Year in the mixed division), a skill he refined whilst competing with Strathclyde University. If there is one person on this team that knows how to shut down the best athletes and win a game of mixed ultimate, it’s the Auchterarder-born Ian Tait. Expect big things. 

Joel Terry 

Following several years playing in the open division with Alba, Terry has made the move back to the mixed division this year to play with GUX once more. Terry demonstrates great versatility as a player, morphing into whatever player he needs to be, be that a defensive cutter with the Great Britain Open team at the World Ultimate Championships last year, or an offensive handler this year with GUX.

And to say that he’s settling into this new role is perhaps an understatement – he effortlessly topped the player stats list of Spring Tour in Lund, racking up a whopping 24 assists across the weekend, after doing a similar thing in the 2024 Scottish Super League (of which he was awarded overall male MVP). Terry brings his ‘wow-worthy’ pulls, immense defence and extreme speed to Team Scotland – floaty discs hate to see him coming. Together with his tireless determination on and off the pitch, Terry has already put Team Scotland in a great position. 

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We’re looking forward to seeing what this Scottish side can bring to the tournament whilst on their home-turf. Check back in next week for details on another 4NU roster! 

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Four Nations Ultimate marks the first-ever showdown between the national mixed teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. 

Following the passing of Matt Tomlinson, a pillar of the Scottish Ultimate community, a fundraising page was put together by his family to support ultimate in Scotland. With portions earmarked for youth development, discussions also took place to do something with an impact and lasting potential.

COVID served as a roadblock to getting anything off the ground, but the organising committee (Cameron Mackie, Shaun Webb and Becca Hardman Carter) were determined for an event to take place in 2025. Whilst a few ideas were floating about, they kept coming back to a rugby style four nations tournament, and so 4NU was born. They, together with members of the Scottish ultimate community, have now turned the tournament into a reality. 

Four Nations Ultimate, or 4NU, will be held this year in Glasgow at Hillhead Sports Club, home to Hillhead Ultimate, on 9th August 2025. The tournament will be played using World Games rules with a mixed gender 6v6 format, and in true Scottish fashion, who knows what the weather will be like?