In an unofficial match played 18 a side, with local umpires, one of whom was recruited at short notice delaying the start of the game by 15 minutes, Great Britain scraped a draw with an equaliser six minutes from time by James Tindall from an opening created by Richard Alexander. Belgium had led from the 12th minute when Thomas Briels receiving a free hit outside the circle drove through the packed British defence and smashed the ball through Alistair McGregor’s legs. Britain showed little penetration until the 32nd minute when Barry Middleton produced a stunning shot well saved by Cedric DeGreve. Four penalty corners produced no dividends. Richard Mantell had three shots saved and Ashley Jackson put one wide. Rob Moore might have stolen a win for Britain with three minutes left but his diving effort was well saved by DeGreve.
In a match with a surprisingly high number of nasty challenges given the proximity of the Olympics, the worst incident was an off the ball challenge on Stephen Dick (pictured) early in the game which, although leaving him off the pitch for the rest of the match with a bruised cheek needing stitches, did not result in a more serious injury. The teams meet again tomorrow evening (Friday).
