THE Greenock captain of the Scotland women's national hockey team has announced her retirement from international fixtures.

Kaz Cuthbert, who has earned 163 caps and netted 16 goals in her career leading her country, has decided to go out on a high.

She ended her professional sporting journey last year when she led the national team to a gold medal at the Women's EuroHockey Championship II in Glasgow.

Her hockey career started in 2010 after she competed and won a medal in her first tournament in Chile.

Since then Kaz has represented Scotland at two Commonwealth Games, three European Championships and two EuroHockey Championships competitions.

She says the memories of her international career will never leave her.

Kaz said: "My first tournament was in 2010 when I played in Santiago, Chile - it was an incredible experience.

"We came second and it was amazing to win a medal in my first tournament.

"I was buzzing to be selected and I learned so much from the experience.

"The team had such a high standard of Scottish players so it was intimidating to be stepping into the squad, but they were so supportive.

"This group gave me an insight into the professionalism and drive required to make it as an international player – these players are legends and it was such a great era to be part of."

The first EuroHockey tourney brought Kaz a gold medal in 2011 when Scotland triumphed - just a year after the incredible experience of representing her country at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

Kaz, who at that tournament played in front of 20,000 fans, said: "I remember scoring my first goal for Scotland against Wales in Delhi.

"My favourite ever goal was against England in London 2015 – the ‘Kaz corner’, originally called ‘the England Corner’ because it was developed to score in the England game, was perfectly executed and gave us the lead early on in the game.

"I always looked forward to this fixture against such a world class team and scoring that goal with all my family watching was such a big moment for me.

"I now claim it the ‘Kaz corner' as I’ve scored it four times and after three you get to name it."

With Kaz hanging up her hockey stick, she is incredibly thankful to everyone who has helped her progress in her career.

She said: "There’s so many people who have helped me and inspired me, from the youth coaches to the senior coaches, and from the staff at Scottish Hockey to all the amazing volunteers in the game.

"Hockey has given me an extended family, friends for life and memories that will last a lifetime.

"I want to thank my closest friends and family, but most importantly I want to thank the teams I have played with – without them I am nothing."