MUNOZ HAT-TRICK SAVES SPAIN'S BLUSHES. A round-up of today's hockey at home and abroad

Pictured (right), Spain's Silvia Munoz.

Spain’s women have qualified for this summer’s Olympic Games in Beijing - but only just. Having beaten Azerbaijan 4-0 in their round-robin match on Wednesday, the Spanish found them to be much sterner opponents in the final of the Olympic Qualifier in Baku today (Sunday). Spain opened the scoring after only three minutes when Silvia Munoz found the net. But Azerbaijan managed to equalise four minutes before the break with a penalty corner conversion by their captain Dilfuza Mirzaliyeva. Munoz restored Spain’s lead early in the second half but with ten minutes left Mirzaliyeva struck again in open play. With three minutes of play left, Munoz scored her hat-trick and the winning goal for Spain, from a corner. Final score 3-2 to Spain. Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Baku final positions: 1. Spain, 2. Azerbaijan, 3. Chile, 4. Ukraine, 5. Belarus, 6. Kenya.

A lot of English people will be unfamiliar with the Netherlands Antilles but they are in the Caribbean just off the coast of Venezuela. They also seem to have produced a remarkably good hockey team as results in the second women’s Olympic Qualifier in Kazan (Russia) are proving. After two days of play they are joint leaders with the USA, having beaten France 2-0 yesterday and India 2-1 today. Tomorrow is a rest day but the USA play France on Tuesday and the Netherlands Antilles play Russia later the same day.

The first matches in the 2008 qualifying tournament for the Slazenger England Hockey League were played today and they have not gone well for those clubs hoping to remain in the EHL. Kingston-upon-Hull went down 3-1 at Harborne, whilst Horsham’s women could only manage a 0-0 draw against Matlock Baileans. The front runners in the men’s table are Cardiff & UWIC, who beat Durham University 3-1, and Harborne. The other men’s match today, between Harleston Magpies and Fareham ended in a 2-2 draw. The only team to win in the women’s table was Spingfield UCLAN from the North who saw off West club Lansdown 2-0. Holcombe and Southgate drew 2-2.

In the GB SUPER LEAGUE AT CANNOCK Saxon Tigers established their dominance by further wins in both the men’s and women’s tournaments. In the men’s competition the Tigers overcame Celtic Panthers 3-0, whilst the Caledonian Cougars beat the Pennine Pumas 4-3. In the women’s matches, the Tigers beat the Pumas 7-3, whilst the Panthers recorded a 3-1 win over the Cougars. The competition, which is spread over two weekend’s this year, now moves on to Edinburgh.