Despite bad omens from the earlier matches in which other sides from the British Isles suffered defeats, England's women got off to a fine start in the EuroHockey Nations Championships in Amsterdam, beating Russia 4-0, with goals from Helen Richardson, Jo Ellis, Nicola White and Sally Walton.
Earlier in the day Spain overcame Scotland 3-1 and Ireland suffered a 7-0 defeat at the hands of Germany.
TalkHockeyRadio will carry detailed daily reports and images from Amsterdam. See the Home page on our main site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk
