AUSTRALIA CLINCH CHAMPIONS TROPHY by Susan Edghill in Rotterdam

In the final game of the 30^th Champions Trophy in Rotterdam Australia defeated Spain to take the title. Australia had the best of the exchanges in the first half as they took an early lead through Desmond Abbott but Spain equalised through a Xavier Ribas penalty corner strike to go in at half time on level terms. Australia had the better of the first of the second half and when the ball was stopped on the line by a Spanish defender from their first penalty corner of the half, Jamie Dwyer (pictured) stepped up to score from the penalty spot and give Australia the lead. Spain pushed forward in search of the equaliser but it was Australia who broke away and Eddie Ockenden scored his second of the tournament and Australia’s third to put them 3-1 in the lead. Spain pressed again but fine saves from goalkeeper Stephen Lambert kept Spain at bay. And in the final minute Eli Matheson broke away to score again for Australia and make a final score of 4-1. A sign of things to come in Beijing?

The Argentines finished in their highest position ever in the Champions Trophy as they took bronze medal in their match against the Netherlands after a penalty shootout. The Dutch opened their account after just five minutes with a superb team goal, finally put in the net by their talisman Teun de Nooijer. But Argentina hit back after fifteen minutes through Mario Almada. With only ten men on the pitch following a yellow card for Rodrigo Vila, the Argentines forced two penalty corners but it was the Netherlands who raced away and took the lead again with another super goal from Ronald Brouwer. In the second half the Netherlands earned their one and only penalty corner of the game but wasted a number of chances to further their lead and the Argentines scored an equaliser with just seven minutes left on the clock through Matias Paredes. 2-2 at full time and golden goal came into play to decide the winner. But with no score in the extra fifteen minute the game went to penalties. Lucas Vila, Juan Gilardi, Rodrigo Vila and captain Matias Vila all scored for Argentina, whilst Ronald Brouwer, Rob Reckers and Roderick Weusthof all scored for the Netherlands before a miss by Robert van der Horst left Argentina’s Lucas Cammareri with a chance to seal the victory for Argentina. He duly did so.

Keller netted once again for Germany to take his tally to 7 and the top of the goal scoring league as his team beat South Korea 3-1 to cement 5^th place in the Champions Trophy. Mistakes by both reserve goalkeepers, given a chance in this match, led to both number elevens scoring for their respective teams, Sebastian Draguhn for Germany and Woon Kon Yeo for South Korea, and 1-1 was the score at half time. In the second half Germany had more chances but it wasn’t until the last ten minutes that they confirmed their win with goals from Tibor Weissenborn and Florian Keller. They will meet again in the group matches at the Olympics.

Juan Manuel Vivaldi of Argentina was voted Best goalkeeper, Jamie Dwyer Best Player, and Eddie Ockenden Most Promising Player. Florian Keller took the top goal scorer with Spain taking the Fair Play award.

WALKER SUFFERS BROKEN NOSE IN ROTTERDAM FINAL. Report from the Women's Four Nations Tournament and the men's Champions Trophy from Susan Edghill

The Netherlands exacted revenge for yesterday’s defeat with a hat-trick from Maartje Pauman in their 5-0 thrashing of Great Britain in the women’s Four Nations Tournament in Rotterdam this afternoon. An early yellow card for Anne Panter for an overhead stop proved the sign of things to come in this final match of the ladies invitational tournament in Rotterdam. And worse was to come when Rachel Walker (pictured) suffered a broken nose as Great Britain were outclassed in the first half. The Dutch took a 2-0 lead into the break with yet more goals from Maartje Paumen’s stick, the second one a penalty stroke when Helen Richardson stopped the ball with the side of her head following a penalty corner. And it was more of the same in the second half as the Dutch girls finally managed to score from open play with goals from Kelly Jonker and Eefke Muller before another penalty corner strike from Pauman made it 5-0. Only more fine saves from Beth Storry stopped a complete rout. GB rallied in the final ten minutes to earn two penalty corners but the Dutch defence were up to the task of keeping the ball out of their own net.

South Africa revenged the defeat of yesterday and beat India 5-1 in the 3 / 4 play-off. South Africa led at half time through goals from captain Marsha Marescia and another from Kathleen Taylor, with a reply from the Indian captain Surinder Kaur. But in the second half South Africa took control and eased to the win with further goals from Vida Ryan (2) and Jennifer Wilson.

Janneke Schopman was voted Best Player of the tournament, with India’s Rani Devi voted the Most Promising player. The leading goal scorer, not surprisingly, Maartje Paumen with 7 goals.

MEN’S CHAMPIONS TROPHY

Spain raced to an early lead against Germany when they scored through Pol Amat after only twelve seconds, one of the fastest goals ever scored in the Champions Trophy, and without a German touching the ball. The remainder of the first half saw pressure from both sides and a number of chances but the score remained at 1-0 at half time. Germany came out fighting in the second half and earned an early penalty corner but they failed to score and a moment later the defence let in Spain and David Alegre for his third goal of the tournament and Spain’s second. Two minutes later and Spain ‘s first penalty corner of the half was converted by Santi Freixa, now Spain’s all-time top scorer in the Champions Trophy, to give Spain a 3-0 lead, and final score. They will now play Australia in Sunday’s final and Germany will play South Korea for the wooden spoon.

Australia needed a win against the Netherlands to ensure their place in the final and they did so, but only in the final ten minutes. After five minutes a fine run by Laurence Docherty led to the Netherlands first penalty corner and they took the lead through Geert-Jan Derikx. But right on half time Australia equalised through Grant Schubert and then took the lead in the second half through another Jamie Dwyer special. There were a number of chances for both sides but it was The Netherlands who equalised with fifteen minutes to go through Jeroen Hetzberger. The final say though went to Travis Brooks when he netted after a mistake by the Dutch defence to give Australia the win and a final against Spain.

Tomorrow Germany take on South Korea for 5/6 place, The Netherlands take on Argentina for 3 / 4 place and Spain face Australia for the final.

STORRY SHOWS HER CLASS. Report from Susan Edghill in Rotterdam.

In a prelude to the game tomorrow, the young Indian side narrowly beat South Africa to record their first win on the Four Nations tournament here in Rotterdam. They will hope to emulate this again tomorrow in the 3/4 play-off. But the big story of today is Great Britain’s performance against the Dutch. Beth Storry (pictured) showed why she is GBs number one goalkeeper as she made a number of saves from the Dutch strike force as the Netherlands dominated the first half. The Dutch drew first blood with a 21^st minute penalty corner conversion by Maatje Paumen. However, GB went into a half-time lead with goals from Crista Cullen and Alex Danson. The Netherlands came out fighting in the second half and thought they had equalised but the goal was disallowed and video replays showed the ball had come off the body of the Dutch forward. GB then took a 3-1 lead through Rachel Walker as the Netherlands continued to press. Although they pulled one back through Marilyn Agliotti, from yet another penalty corner, GB held on to score a well deserved win over the Netherlands. They meet again tomorrow in the tournament final.

MEN’S CHAMPIONS TROPHY

Argentina lead the table as they once again showed their class as they outplayed South Korea in another high scoring game. A goal from Matias Paredes gave Argentina a lead at half time. Soon after half-time Jong-Hyun Jang added to his tally from a penalty corner to pull South Korea level, but two goals from Rodrigo Vila and one from Juan Gilardi put Argentina in the driving seat until a penalty stroke from Jone-Hyun Jang made a final score of 4-2. Jang is now equal first with Germany’s Keller in the highest scorers table.

There were no other matches in the Champions Trophy today. Tomorrow (Saturday) sees the last of the preliminary round games, with Germany meeting Spain and the Netherlands playing Australia.

KELLER KEEPS UP RECORD BUT GERMANY CRASH TO FIFTH from Susan Edghill in Rotterdam

German Florian Keller kept up his record of scoring in every match in the Champions Trophy here in Rotterdam - and his lead in the goal scoring table - as his side crashed to a 3-1 defeat to Australia. Although during the game the two teams were even in the short corner stakes, Australia were by far the superior side. Goals came from Jamie Dwyer, Fergus Kavanagh and Eddie Ockenden, all from open play, and Austalia had a number of other chances throughout the game. There were a number of incidents in the match - an injury to an Australian player struck by a teammate in the very first minute; a much delayed and disputed decision by the video umpire in disallowing an Australian goal; and the first yellow cards of the tournament, two of them to the Australians Luke Doerner and Eddie Ockenden.

The Netherland suffered from the curse of being the second named team, none of whom have yet recorded a win in the tournament. South Korea went into this game with no points from their previous three games, having conceded sixteen goals, but having the best record of penalty corner conversions. Although the Dutch took an early lead through Teun de Nooijer, by half time South Korea had overtaken them with goals from Jong Kyun Jang and Jong Ho Seo. The Netherlands drew level in the second half through Roderick Weusthof and then took the lead again with Ronald Brouwer. But they made the basic mistake of not concentrating after scoring and South Korea drew level once more through a penalty stroke converted by Woon KonYeo. And two minutes from time another penalty corner conversion by Jong Hyun Jang gave South Korea a 4-3 win. The Netherlands need to get at least a point against Australia on Saturday and hope that other results go their way in order to avoid the 5/6^th play off.

Men’s Champions Trophy after four matches: 1. Spain 7 pts (+4), 2. Australia 7 pts (+3), 3. Argentina 7 pts (+1), 4. Netherlands 6 pts (+2), 5. Germany 4 pts (-3), 6. South Korea 3 pts (-7).

ENGLAND DEVELOPMENT SQUAD RESULTS

The U21 men's team played a Netherlands U21 team at Bisham Abbey yesterday (Wednesday), losing 4-0. In a repeat meeting this afternoon England had better luck, and although the Dutch were able to go into the break one up, goals from David Beckett, Richard Smith and Martin Scanlon put England ahead for a few minutes. However, two goals in a late rally by the Dutch brought the score up to 3-3, which is how the match ended.

GREAT BRITAIN MAKE HEAVY WEATHER by Susan Edghill at the Four Nations Tournament in Rotterdam

Great Britain made heavy weather of beating a South African side ranked two places below them. With a ratio of ten penalty corners to two, GB should have won easily. But it was South Africa who took the lead when, for the second time Crista Cullen, was caught napping on the ball. On the first occasion the South African forward fluffed her shot but GB were not so lucky the second time, and Kathleen Taylor scored her second of the tournament. GB equalised when Lucilla Wright followed up a penalty corner shot. But it wasn’t until their 9^th penalty corner that GB took the lead through Chloe Rogers (pictured) and held on for the win. They will need to play much better than this if they are to challenge the Dutch on Friday, despite the Dutch poor showing yesterday.

The Netherlands took an early lead in the match against India through Maartje Paumen, but India scored a surprise equaliser from their only penalty corner of the game through Chanchan Devi. Just before half time Wieke Dijkstra restored the Dutch lead. In the second half the game was played mainly in India’s half as two more strikes by Maartje Pasumen for her hat-trick gave Holland a 4-1 win over India. The air ambulance was called for Dutch midfielder Maartje Goderie after she was tripped and bounced off the pitch face down, but fortunately the doctor on board was able to give her oxygen. Although she had to go to the hospital for a further checkup she was able to walk around unaided.

GB WOMEN GAIN MUCH DESERVED WIN - Report from Rotterdam on the women's Four Nations Tournament and men's Champions Trophy from Susan Edghill

Great Britain women played the first of their four-nations tournament matches in a competition which is being played alongside the men’s Champions Trophy here in Rotterdam. Taking on India, goals from Helen Richardson and Lucilla Wright (pictured) gave Great Britain a much deserved win over India, with goalkeeper Beth Storry not having to make a single save during the match. Final score 2-0.

Florian Keller bagged a brace in his 100^th game for Germany and is the leading goal scorer after the third day of the Champions Trophy. His side took a 3-0 lead with Keller, Mathias Witthaus and Sebastian Draguhn finding the net. Although S Korea pulled one back with a penalty corner conversion by Byung Hoon Kim, another goal before half time – a penalty stroke conversion (the first of the tournament) by Keller - looked to have sealed the game. But in the second half the South Koreans stormed back with goals from Nam Yong Lee and captain Jong Ho Seo. Germany held on for a win 4-3 win. When asked after the match what he thought of Germany’s chances at the Olympics after Sunday’s defeat at the hands of the Netherlands, coach Markus Weise said “Winning the Champions Trophy is not important”.

Only fine saves by their goalkeeper kept Australia in the game as Spain failed to convert any of their six penalty corners. It was a fine run down the right and cross by Jamie Dwyer, turned in by Grant Schubert, that finally broke the deadlock. But Spain took a deserved point when David Alegre scored after a mistake by the Australian goalkeeper.

Having been rested in the previous game, Teun de Nooijer took the captain’s arm band as both Delmee and goalkeeper Vogels were rested in the game against Argentina. Both teams were evenly matched in the first half, with the score at 0-0 and 1-1 in the penalty corner stakes. There were some nice interchanges from both sides but still no goals, although both ‘keepers were kept busy throughout the game. But with one minute left on the clock Argentina won their third penalty corner of the half which was finally put in the net by Juan Ignacio Gilardi to give them a 1-0 win. This may well turn out to be a prelude to the final on Sunday with Argentina now leading the way and the Netherlands in second place.

OLYMPIC SQUADS ANNOUNCED

The squads to go to the Olympic Games in Beijing were announced today. You will find details in our on-line magazine, HockeyTalk, due out on Thursday. We are also producing a detailed Olympic Games page on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk, which will be available soon.

ARGENTINES WORTHY WINNERS by Susan Edghill in Rotterdam

Argentina looked worthy winners as they edged out Australia 2-1 in the first game of day two. Goals from Lucas Martin Vila (PC) and Tomas Argento Innocente in the first 15 minutes put them on their way. Australia pulled one back through Fergus Kavanagh but despite their forays into the Argentine half they could not get the equaliser. And luck was certainly on the side of the Argentines when an Australian shot hit the post and rolled behind the GK along the line before being cleared by the defence.

The match between Spain and South Korea saw the Spanish in goal scoring form, with goals from Xavier Ribas (PC) and two from Pol Amat. Spain were 3-0 up in the first half and 7-2 at the final whistle and it seemed every time that Spain went forward they scored. With two more goals from Pol Amat to give him a total of four - and the leading scorer at the end of day two - Ramon Alegre (PC) and Santi Freixa made it seven. The Koreans had a few chances to score from open play - both S Korean goals from Byung Hoon Kim and Jong Hyun Jang coming from penalty corners.

In the match between the Netherlands and Germany, Keller put Germany in the lead with two goals, one in the third minutes and the second in the twenty-fifth. It was not until the last minute of the first half that Holland pulled one back with a well taken penalty corner from Roderick Weusthof. With Taeke Taekema injured, Weusthof made the most of his return to the team after being left out for the last Champions Trophy in Kuala Lumpur. Robert Reckers brought Holland level after five minutes of second half play, and then another penalty corner from Roderick Weusthof gave them the lead. Goals from Ronald Brower, and the best goal of the game from local Rotterdam player Jeroen Hertzberger, took the score to 5-2. Germany down and out? Not a bit of it. Germany hit the post twice as they attempted to reduce the deficit. They put the ball in the net only to be awarded a long corner. In the end, they were awarded a penalty corner in the dying seconds of the game, which Jan Marco Montag converted to give the final score 5-3.

This was a match which started with some intriguing timekeeping. Rotterdam had recently hosted the EuroHockey League final where the rules require four 17.5 minute quarters to be played. After 17.5 minutes of the first half, the hooter went and the players started to troop off. The problem was not repeated in the second half.

AUSTRALIA LEAD CHAMPIONS TROPHY TABLE

The opening day of play in the Champions Trophy in Rotterdam saw Australia lead the table on goal difference with a 5-3 win over Korea, with goals from Eli Matheson, David Guest, Jamie Dwyer, Andrew Smith and Liam De Young. Former Scotsman, now Dutch citizen, Lawrence Docherty was on the score sheet for his adopted country as the Netherlands put three passed Spain. The other Dutch scorers were Teun de Nooijer and Ronald Brouwer. Xavier Ribas scored for Spain from a penalty corner in this 3-1 win for the Netherlands. Argentina is the only team in Rotterdam who will not be at the Olympics but they were clearly not fazed by taking on World Champions Germany. Florian Keller scored an early goal from a penalty corner, but Argentina went ahead with goals from Paredes and Rodrigo Vila. A last gasp penalty corner conversion by skipper Timo Wess gave the Germans a 2-2 draw.

Tomorrow Australia play Argentina, whilst Spain take on Korea, and the Netherlands play Germany.

TINDALL GIVES GB WIN IN AMSTERDAM

Great Britain's James Tindall scored the only goal in a one-off test match against New Zealand in Amsterdam this evening. His 24th minute goal from open play was enough to secure Great Britain the victory.

KERRY GOLD IN IRELAND by Peter Savage in Dublin

Right: GB skipper Kate Walsh with the Setanta Trophy.

First a reality check. Nobody in the German camp is going to lose much sleep over their failure to win the Setanta Trophy. This was not the Olympic Games. On the other hand, the comprehensive defeat that they suffered at the hands of Great Britain’s women in the final here in Dublin this afternoon cannot be written off as a fluke. A rock solid defence and a forward line that can find the net – for too long one of the major failings of the England squad – combined together to give GB a remarkable win and one a sense of optimism. No doubt the Germans were holding something back. The important matches are in Beijing in a couple of months’ time. But perhaps so too were the British? Make no mistake about it, the Germans are a good side, but a team that includes the likes of Keller, Rinne, Kuhn and Stockel, took almost two full halves of play to find the net, by which time the result was done and dusted. Sarah Thomas scored after only seven minutes and Charlotte Craddock made it two just before the break. Rachel Walker and Crista Cullen added to the tally in the second half. The German’s only goal was a consolation from a penalty corner, with four minutes left on the clock, scored by Anke Kuhn. Final score 4-1.

Danny Kerry’s mix of youth and experience has been a revelation in this match, with some of the younger members of the squad impressing, in particular Chloe Rogers, seventeen year old Charlotte Craddock, and Alex Danson. But make no mistake about it. The real test is yet to come.

GB men came third after an uneasy game against Ireland which could have gone either way. GB were first to find the net, seven minutes into the second half, off the stick of Matt Daly. Stephen Dick scored GB’s second eight minutes later. Stephen Butler scored for Ireland with just over ten minutes left.

CANADIANS ROB GB OF FINAL PLACE by Peter Savage in Dublin

Great Britain’s women progressed through to a final against Germany tomorrow (Sunday) in the Setanta Trophy here in Dublin. But there were no celebrations in the GB camp after their victory over Ireland, which bought them the ticket to the final. Although comfortably the best side on the pitch, it was a lacklustre effort on the part of the British girls against a side that has finished the round robin stages without a point. Two first half penalty corner goals, the first from Chloe Rogers and the second from Crista Cullen, put GB in the driving seat, and a third goal in the dying seconds from Charlotte Craddock wrapped the match up. Final score, 3-1 to GB. Germany, who had aleady qualified for the final, overcame South Africa 2-0 earlier in the afternoon.

The men’s fate was decided before they even took the pitch. Nobody would have put money on a draw in the meet between Canada and Pakistan but at 2-2, and with only a few minutes left, Pakistan were content to hang onto the ball and the Canadians seemed to have no interest in stealing it off them, both in the knowledge that a draw would give each five points and a place in the finals. Although the match between Great Britain and Ireland might have seemed like a formality and a mere dress rehearsal for tomorrow’s 3^rd/4^th place game, Ireland started out in spirited form and opened the scoring after sixteen minutes with a goal in open play from Michael Watt. Fortunately, GB were able to reply with three penalty corner conversions in the space of ten minutes, courtesy of Messrs Kirkham, Middleton and Richard Mantell. Mitch Darling managed to close the gap towards the end of the second half with a goal in open play but GB were able to cling on to their lead to secure their first win of the tournament. Final score 3-2 to GB.

The writer would really like to give the GB boys a break and say (as he has been told) that it is important that the team peak in Beijing and not now. But it sounds very similar to the same mantra that was being repeated when England under-performed at the Champions Challenge in Boom almost twelve months ago. Manchester was supposed to the the ‘peak’ that time around and we all know what happened then.

Our pictures show Chloe Rogers scoring GB’s first goal in the women’s match, and, despite appearances and David Harte’s attempts to get a glove to it, a GB penalty corner strike goes wide in the men’s match

ZUBAIR SHATTERS GB DREAM by Peter Savage in Dublin

Great Britain women progressed through to a potential final place with a workmanlike win over South Africa here at the Setanta Trophy in Dublin this afternoon. First half goals from Mel Clewlow and Alex Danson, and a second from Danson after the break, were enough to give GB the win and their first points. Germany beat Ireland later in the day with a single goal from Anke Juhn, which puts them at the top of the women’s table.

1. Germany 6 points (+2), 2. Great Britain 3 points (+2), 3. South Africa 3 points (-1), 4. Ireland 0 points (-3).

Tomorrow (Friday) is a rest day and GB are next back in action on Saturday when they face Ireland. A win, or even a draw, should be enough to set them up for a rematch against Germany in the final on Sunday.

This has not been a good tournament for Great Britain’s men. After the setback against Canada yesterday, they played Pakistan. GB were 3-0 up after 25 minutes, with goals from Richard Mantell, Richard Alexander and Ashley Jackson. But then, somehow they let victory slip from their grasp. Surprisingly they looked a little jaded in the second half, as Pakistan repeated their trick of yesterday and came back from the dead. Abbas opened their account in the 43^rd minute, followed five minutes later by the award of a penalty stroke, which was converted by Muhammad Saqlain. GB desperately hung onto their lead for a further ten minutes until Zubair found the net in open play. GB's hopes of picking up some points against a team, over which they have enjoyed some success in recent years, were shattered.

It was draws all round in the men’s tournament as Ireland and Canada fought out a 3-3 draw. Ireland were 3-1 until the 41^st minute, when Ravi Kahlon and Peter Short scored goals that puts them in the running for a place in the finals.

1. Pakistan 4 points, 2. Canada 4 points, 3. GB 1 point, 4. Ireland 1 point.

Our photograph shows Richard Mantell’s penalty corner strike evading the attentions of Ahmed Nasir in the Pakistan goal.

Images from Wednesday's matches in Dublin

Thanks to a high speed broadband connection in Dublin we are able to bring you additional images from yesterday’s Setanta Trophy.

In order of appearance:

Ashley Jackson, sporting a new style haircut, slips passed Canadian skipper Robert Short (white shirt).

Robert Short in action again as James Tindall threatens the Canadian goal, urged on by Graham Moodie.

Nial Sott receives some upper thigh massage, courtesy of Scott Tupper.

Natascha Keller escapes the attention of Beth Storry in the GB goal.

Germany’s Fanny Rinner on the ball, with GB’s scorer Susie Gilbert (left) and Alex Danson looking on.

GB POINTLESS AFTER FIRST DAY by Peter Savage at the Setanta Trophy in Dublin

Great Britain ended the first day of the Setanta Trophy in Dublin without a point, with one match ending predictably and one not.

On the predictable front was GB women’s performance against the European champions, Germany. Germany were the clear favourites but it was a match that did not even smoulder, never mind catch fire. To their credit, the GB girls never seemed in awe of their opponents and this was evident when, just after the break, Susie Gilbert managed to cancel out Natascha Keller’s first half goal with a penalty corner conversion. But Rachel Walker was sent to the sin bin two minutes later for a stick tackle and during power play skipper Marion Rodewald found the net for the Germans. Final score 2-1 to Germany. Somehow, one could not help feeling that the industrious Helen Richardson, sitting in the stands with an injury, might just have tipped this match in GB’s favour.

Looking through my photographs of the match between Great Britain’s men and Canada, the game was clearly more exciting than I remembered it It also appears that GB’s appeal for a penalty stroke was not without cause as there seems to be a Canadian foot between ball and goal line. In fact GB were robbed on two occasions, the second being when ‘keeper Michael Mahood tipped the ball round his far post from a penalty corner strike (see picture). GB never seemed to get to grips with this match and paid the price. Peter Short scored within seconds of the second half re-start putting Canada one goal ahead. Which is where they stayed until the final whistle. The most memorable thing about this match was Ashley Jackson’s new crew cut, making him look more like James Tindall than James Tindall. Canada were likely to be the easiest of GB’s three opponents in Dublin and their failure to breeze passed them must give cause for concern.

Those looking for value for money hockey would not have been disappointed by the meeting between the men of Ireland and the men of Pakistan. There really is only one way to approach a game like this when you are the underdogs and that is to come out fighting from the bell, which is what Ireland did. Two Tims, Tim Lewis and Tim Cockram put Ireland two ahead within ten minutes. Muhammad Waqas, Rehan Butt, Wauas Akbar and Muhammad Saqlain were able to avenge the slightly embarrassing start, although the final score, 4-2, does not really do justice to Ireland’s fighting spirit in this match. If they play like this tomorrow they are going to pose GB a real problem.

Earlier, Ireland’s women had gone down 3-1 to South Africa.

GB’s women open proceedings tomorrow with a match against South Africa, followed by the men who take on Ireland.

BLEBY CLEARANCE GIVES GB SPANISH DRAW

Great Britain drew the second of the two match test series against Spain in Terrassa this evening. David Alegre opened the scoring for Spain and the match went into the break with the Spanish holding the one goal advantage. Shortly after the restart Rob Moore scored to put the sides on terms. Alex Fabregas grabbed the opportunity to restore the Spanish lead but in the dying minutes of the match Jonty Clarke found the net to equalise. GB had a scare in the last minute when defender Jon Bleby was able to clear the ball off the line but the match ended at 2-2.

Both Great Britain men’s and women’s teams are next in action at the Setanta Trophy in Dublin, starting on Wednesday. TalkHockeyRadio will be there with regular daily updates and photographs.

TINDALL STRIKES EARLY IN SPAIN

Great Britain’s men played Spain in the first of two test matches in Terrassa this evening. GB took an early lead thanks to a sixth minute goal by James Tindall (pictured), who scored from a reverse stick deflection from a free hit taken by Richard Mantell. GB were able to maintain the lead until seven minutes into the second half, when Santi Frexia converted a penalty corner for Spain.

Final score 1-1.

Great Britain play Spain again on Sunday morning.

SPAIN FEAR OLYMPIC DISQUALIFICATION OVER DRUGS CHEATS ALLEGATION

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has released an official communication regarding allegations that two members of the Spanish women’s squad at the Olympic Qualifiers in Baku, had failed a doping test. The B samples from the players concerned have been tested and have shown the same adverse analytical findings as the A samples. Both players have been summonsed before a hearing of the FIH Judicial Commission, which will take place before the end of June. If the players are found to have taken banned performance enhancing substances it could result in Spain being disqualified from the tournament.

Spain's disqualification could result in the second placed team in Baku, Azerbaijan, being awarded the place vacated by Spain. However, this comes amid allegations from the Spanish camp following their return from Baku. These include four members of the squad being overcome by gas leaking from the air conditioning in their hotel, being given contaminated drinking water, and players being bombarded with telephone calls whilst trying to sleep in their hotel.

CHESHIRE WIN COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP by Peter Savage at Chigwell

Cheshire have retained the County Championship in a closely fought match here at the Old Loughtonians’ ground this afternoon. Playing Yorkshire, the match was well into the second half before the scoring was opened with a penalty corner conversion by Cheshire’s Ali Ghazanfar. The match remained in the balance but the match could have swung decisively Cheshire’s way when Yorkshire’s Stephen Harvey took an early shower for a second yellow card offence. Surprisingly, the loss of Harvey seemed to spur Yorkshire into action and, nine minutes after Harvey’s dismissal, David Smith found the net to put the score on 1-1. Just as it looked as if the match was going to strokes, Alex Edmondstone scored Cheshire’s second. In three minutes of madness Cheshire saw two of their players, Tom Ainsworth and Russell Anderson, sin binned. But time had run out for Yorkshire and the final whilst blew at 2-1.

Our photograph shows Cheshire captain, Stephen Smith, receiving the cup from England Hockey President, Martin Gotheridge.