Photo: A relieved Richard Mantell after the match against the Czech Republic.The England indoor coach sometimes likes to describe his side as a very good outdoor side playing indoors. The Czech's have probably more experience on the boards, but England just managed to edge it thanks to a Glenn Kirkham goal and a penalty stroke converted by Simon Mantell. The match could have gone either way, although the Czechs blew their chances of equalising when Barry Middleton was sin binned. There was a flurry of action which amounted to very little before Middleton was back on the pitch. Final score 2-1 to England.
Namibia were given a lesson of what it is like to play with the big boys when they were trounced by the Germans 18-0. Although the African side clearly know one end of a stick from another, it was Germany's penalty corner shooting which proved lethal.
Pitch 2 where England were playing is a photographer's nightmare, but we hope to have a small selection of images from the match on our site at www.hockeyimages.co.uk this evening.
