HERTZBERGER ENDS ENGLAND'S MEDAL HOPES by Mike Haymonds

A HAT-TRICK by Jeroen Hertzberger ended England men's hopes as they were beaten 3-2 by the Netherlands in the bronze medal match at the TriFinance EuroHockey Championship in Boom, Belgium.

England led 2-1 after an evenly contested opening half but two Hertzberger goals in three minutes shortly after the interval proved decisive.

The Dutch lead from Hertzberger's strike at their first penalty corner in the ninth minute lasted just six minutes before Iain Lewers equalised from England's second set piece.

Richard Smith drilled in England's third corner a minute before the interval before Hertzberger's double strike gave his side an advantage they never looked like losing.

With under three minutes left England took off their keeper but the move proved in vain.

England coach Bobby Crutchley said: "It's frustrating not to get a medal but this is mixed with pride at the way we performed.

"We dropped our concentration for the first ten minutes of the second half and you cannot afford to do that against a team like Netherlands."

England's women lost to Germany 2-0 in a penalty shoot-out after a 4-4 draw in their final.

Their coach Jason Lee said: "I don't think I could have asked for more. As a coach I feel quite optimistic as I know there's lots of room for improvement for us as a team.

"I feel very upbeat about the future and what this side can do."

Germany beat Belgium 3-1 in the men's final to give them a second gold.  

WOMEN TAKE SILVER by Mike Haymonds in Boom

England's women had to settle for silver medals after coming frustratingly close to winning a dramatic final against Germany in the TriFinance EuroHockey Championship.

The Germans prevailed in a penalty shoot-out 2-0 after Susie Gilbert scored a 66th minute equaliser for 4-4.

The first half produced a rush of goals for both sides as the lead regularly alternated before the Germans took a 4-3 lead at the break.

Georgie Twigg gave England a third minute lead, banging in the rebound from a Kate Walsh penalty corner strike. but a minute later Eileen Hoffmann levelled at her side's second corner.

Walsh restored England's lead on eight minutes with a direct corner strike before Tina Bachmann moved Germany ahead with penalty corner and stroke goals.

Helen Richardson restored parity on the half hour after intercepting a wayward defensive pass but Hannah Kruger put her side ahead again from a fifth corner, one minute before the interval

The intensity of the first 35 minutes was not continued after the break and neither side made much headway until England equalised again until Gilbert's late leveller.

England could not repeat their shoot-out success of the semi-final with their first quartet - Walsh, Alex Danson, Laura Unsworth and Twigg - failing to beat Kim Platten while Maike Stockel and Jana Teschke were successful against Maddie Hinch, who had the consolation of being voted the goalkeeper of the tournament.

Netherlands beat Belgium 3-1 for the bronze medal.

ENGLAND WEATHER THE STORM TO REACH FINAL by Mike Haymonds in Boom

England's women reached the final of the TriFinance EuroHockey Championship after beating Olympic champions Netherlands in a penalty shoot-out.

The teams finished regulation time at 1-1 and England held their nerve to win the shoot out, which went to sudden death, 3-2 with Alex Danson (twice) and Helen Richardson on target.

England's keeper Maddie Hinch made four stunning saves to seal the victory after performing heroics in thwarting the penalty corner threat of Maartje Paumen and Eva de Goede during the game.

However, England's triumph was marred by an injury to Sally Walton, who was stretchered off late in the game with a serious leg injury.

England weathered the blitz of six penalty corners for the Dutch in the opening quarter and two more before half time.

The deadlock was broken in the 40th minute when a cross by Walton was turned into her goal by a Dutch defender under pressure from Lily Owsley.

Twelve minutes later de Goede equalised with a backhand shot and both teams were unsuccessful with late corners.

In Saturday's final England will face Germany, who beat Belgium 2-0 in a penalty shoot-out after the Germans equalised at 2-2 in the 68th minute.

England's men face a tough challenge when they meet Belgium in Friday's semi-final. The tournament hosts are playing way above their world ranking (ninth) and topped their pool unbeaten after beating Olympic champions Germany 2-1 in their opening game.

ENGLAND UNABLE TO MATCH BELGIAN HIGH TEMPO by Mike Haymonds in Boom

ENGLAND'S men could not match the feat of their women in reaching the final as they lost 3-0 to Belgium in their semi-final at the TriFinance EuroHockey Championship in Boom, Belgium.

Belgium's high tempo and fast counter attacks gave England constant trouble and they led at half time from a Thomas Briels strike.

Second half goals from Jerome Truyens and Florent van Aubel sealed England's fate.

England's opponents in Sunday's third place match are Netherlands, who lost 5-3 to Germany.

England's women meet Germany in tomorrow's (Sat) final knowing that a higher medal than the four bronze, won in the last Euro events, is already assured.

Both teams reached this stage after penalty shoot-outs with England prevailing in sudden death against Olympic champions Netherlands while Germany equalised in the last minute against Belgium.

England will be without Sally Walton, whose injury in the semi-final has been found to be torn ankle ligaments.

 

CARSON STRIKES TWICE by Mike Haymonds in Boom

TOM CARSON'S twin strikes were crucial as England's men qualified for the semi-finals with a 2-2 draw against Ireland at the TriFinance EuroHockey Championships in Boom, Belgium.

The Reading forward is one of the newcomers in the England squad but his reactions were sharp as he first deflected home a shot by David Condon and then steered a cross by Barry Middleton past the Irish keeper.

England only needed a draw to make the last four and they looked on the way to better that with a two-goal lead at half-time.

Neither side gained clear superiority in the opening half but Carson's double in the seventh and 19th minutes was the difference between them.

The second half belonged to Ireland and their efforts were rewarded with goals from two penalty strokes in the 51st and 57th minutes, both converted by Shane O'Donoghue, with the second being hotly contested by England. However, having lost their only video referral allowed early in the game, they had no option to challenge.
 
As both sides strove for the winner, the atmosphere became charged, with England defender Iain Lewers prominent in denying his former Irish team-mates as his side came under increasing pressure in the final stages.

England coach Bobby Crutchley said: "I think the game was always going to be tight and, though there is a significant gap in the world rankings between us, we are a young team and are going through a rebuiding stage.

"We knew how strong this Irish side was going to be.

"I'm really proud of the players today, coming up against a very strong side and getting the result we needed."

Of his goals Carson said: "I was fortunate the balls fell to me in the circle and that is something we have been working on really hard in training.

"But I couldn't score the goals unless the right balls are fed to me."

England's semi-final opponents will be Belgium who have confirmed here their vastly improved form in recent years.

In today's (Thurs) women's semi-final England meet Olympic champions Netherlands who are in imperious form, having won their pool without conceding a goal.
 

ENGLAND STRUGGLE AGAINST SCOTLAND by Mike Haymonds in Boom

SAM QUEK was the match winner with her first senior international goal as England's women strucggled to beat a competitive Scotland 2-1 in their final pool game at the TriFinance EuroHockey Championship in Boom, Belgium.

The win clinched a semi-final place for England, who will meet the Netherlands on Thursday, while the Scots, who lost all their games by a single goal margin, playing above expectations, face the relegation pool.

A large number of the England squad had been hit by a stomach disorder which could have been a factor in their below-par performance.  But they still made a strong start with Lily Owsley and Georgie Twigg coming close.

In a first half which they dominated England made nothing of their only three penalty corners of the game but they took the lead two minutes before half time when Susie Gilbert's cross to the far post was deflected home by Hannah Macleod.

Alex Danson had an early chance for England but from then on Scotland called the tune and deservedly equalised in the 49th minute with a Nikki Kidd corner strike after England lost a video referral. England's reply, much against the run of play, came four minutes later when Quek fired home from close range.

England had to withstand mounting pressure as Scotland won five penalty corners in the later stages but they just held on for the win.

England coach Jason Lee said: "Scotland played to a better standard than we did and caused us a lot of trouble

"I think against Germany we had a poor result but played well and today we were poor but managed to take the three points and take a place in the semi-finals.

"We've got  a sickness bug running through the camp with nearly all the girls suffering from it. So energy levels were low today and we just had to do what we could to get through the game."


England's men meet Ireland today (Wed) in their final Pool B game with both teams vying for a place in Friday's semi-finals. A draw will be enough for England, who beat Poland 5-2 and lost 2-1 to the Netherlands in their previous games. Ireland lost 2-1 to Netherlands before beating Poland 4-2.

ENGLAND GIVE BATTLING PERFORMANCE by Mike Haymonds in Boom

ENGLAND men gave a battling performance against the Netherlands in their second pool game at the TriFinance EuroHockey Championships in Boom, Belgium, but lost 2-1 to the co-favourites.

The Dutch had the better first half and went into the break with a two-goal lead. They were more creative up front with swift counter-attacks while England made little impact against a sound Dutch defence.

Billy Bakker opened the scoring in the sixth minute and Jelle Galema added a second after 24 minutes.

In the second half England kept the Dutch in check and skipper Barry Middleton gave his side hope with a 54th minute strike.

Despite the absence of Ben Arnold, rested after suffering concussion in Sunday's game with Poland, and Harry Martin tweaking a hamstring early in this game, England finished strongly but without reward.

England coach Bobby Crutchley said: "We started slowly and two mis-traps gifted them goals.
"But our second half performance was pleasing as our defending was tighter and we restricted the space for the Dutch.

"Our meeting with Ireland on Wednesday will be a crunch match with a sem-final at stake."

England's women face Scotland in their final pool game today (Tuesday) when a win will secure them a place in Thursday's semi-finals.

England have beaten Spain 3-0 and lost to Germany 2-1 while the Scots have lost twice against Germany (1-0) and Spain (2-1) and cannot reach the semi-finals.

Scotland will be playing for pride and to avoid relegation to the European second tier but previous history in meetings between the two countries is very one-sided.

This is their first meeting for seven years with England having the record of 97 wins in the 110 internationals played to date.

MIXED FORTUNES FOR ENGLAND IN BOOM by Mike Haymonds at the European Championships

There were mixed fortunes for England's men's and women's teams at the TriFinance EuroHockey Championships in Boom, Belgium, where the men beat Poland 5-2 while the women lost 2-1 to Germany.

David Condon scored his first senior international goals in England's men's 5-2 win over Poland.

Condon's brace within as many minutes early in the second half put his side on the way to victory after Poland had equalised a 14th minute strike by Adam Dixon four minutes earlier.

Poland pulled a goal back but late scores by Alastair Brogdon and  Tom Carson clinched a deserved win.

England's coach Bobby Crutchley said: "I think the scoreline flattered us. Poland gave us a lot of problems.
"I was pretty frustrated at times but that is often how first games of the tournament go"

England meet Netherlands tomorrow (Mon).

England's women lost their second Pool B game 2-1 to Germany after beating Spain 3-0 on Saturday.

Goals by Marie Mavers in each half trumped the equaliser from Giselle Ansley on the stroke of half-time.

A fiercely contested game ended with a flurry of video referrals with a last-minute 'goal' by Ashleigh Ball disallowed for use of the back of the stick.

England need a win in their final pool game with Scotland on Tuesday to clinch a semi-final place.

Other results:

Women –

Pool B:

Spain 2 Scotland 1;
Pool A:
Ireland 3 Belarus 2;
Belgium  0 Netherlands 2

Men -
Pool B:
Netherlands 2 Ireland 1

LATEST FROM BOOM

Our technical problems in Boom continue, with problems in accessing certain resources. 

England Women lost their match against Germany 2-1 this afternoon, following the men's 5-2 win over Poland earlier today.

Mike Haymond's full report on today's matches will follow later.

ENGLAND OFF TO WINNING START IN BOOM by Mike Haymonds at the European Championships

England women made a winning start at the TriFinance EuroHockey Championship in Boom, Belgium, with a 3-0 victory over Spain. However, it was a workmanline rather than inspired performance against opponents who offered little threat.

England were three up after 18 minutes and never relinquished the initiative. Hannah Macleod opened the scoring in the fourth minute, having been given generous space to convert a penalty corner rebound.

Skipper Kate Walsh drilled home England's third penalty corner in the 18th minute and Lily Owsley finished a fine build-up by Susanna Townsend and Nicola White in the 42nd minute.

England coach Jason Lee said: "It was good to score from two early corners and I think on another day we might have scored a few more.

"We played a diferent system in this game compared to the World League in Chiswick.

"We have effectively doubled our preparation time from the last tournament and the girls have got incrementally better in a lot of areas."

In the other Pool B game Germany, who England meet tomorrow, beat Scotland 1-0.

In Pool A Belgium beat Belarus 5-1 and Netherlands beat Ireland 6-0.

In the men's event in Pool A Spain overcame Czech Republic 6-1 while Belgium triumphed over Olympic champions Germany 2-1.

Tomorrow England men face Poland in the opening game.

ENGLAND MEN AND WOMEN HEAD FOR BOOM TIME. The squads for the European Championships in Boom.

England Hockey has announced the squads for the European Championships in Boom, Belgium, which start in just over a week’s time.

The men’s squad consists of: Ben Arnold, Adam Dixon, Michael Hoare, Harry Martin , George Pinner and Ollie Willars (all Beeston), James Bailey, Tom Carson, Nick Catlin and Simon Mantell (all Reading), Alistair Brogdon (Waterloo Ducks, Belgium), David Condon and Henry Weir (both Loughborough Students), Dan Fox (Hampstead & Westminster), Ian Lewers (East Grinstead), Barry Middleton (Holcombe), Dan Shingles (Southgate), and Richard Smith (Racing Club Brussels).

The women’s squad consists of: Giselle Ansley (Loughborough Students), Ashleigh Ball (Slough), Alex Danson, Susie Gilbert, Sam Quek, Helen Richardson, Susie Townsend and Kate Walsh (all Reading),  Sarah Haycroft and Georgie Twigg (both Surbiton), Maddie Hinch and Laura Unsworth (both Holcombe), Kirsty Mackay and Sally Walton (both Bowdon Hightown), Hannah Macleod and Nicola White (Leicester), Lily Owlsey (Bristol Firebrands) and Hollie Webb (Beeston).

DUTCH WIN NOW PENSIONS CUP.

Two own goals helped England’s men to a draw in the third in the three-match Now Pensions Cup in Wakefield.

The match got off to a disappointing start with a second minute goal from The Netherlands’ Mink Van Der Weerden.  But pressure from England forced an own goal and the sides went into the break at 1-1.

Van Der Weerden scored a second shortly after the restart, but England came back at the Dutch quickly with goals from Ben Arnold and Michael Hoare. The Dutch were then able to draw level again when Constantijn Jonker found the net.  With less than ten minutes left, another Dutch own goal gave England a 4-3 lead but, with the award of a penalty corner in the closing minutes of the match, Van Der Weerden scored his hat trick and the match ended 4-4.

The Dutch win the series by virtue of one win and two draws.

A TALE OF TWO SHOOT-OUTS. Results from the final day in Dublin and Monchengladbach.

It was a tale of two shoot outs for England's Women in Dublin and Monchengladbach today.

England’s girls took the bronze in the Girls European Under 18 Championships in Dublin this afternoon. 

Their match had to be decided on a shoot-out after the match ended 1-1.  A goalless first half was followed by an early French goal from a penalty corner, Ines Brabant the scorer. England were back in the match nine minutes later with a goal in open play from Pascale Massey.

The final between The Netherlands and Germany saw the Dutch win the match 1-0.

The final placings in the tournament are:

 1. The Netherlands

 2.  Germany

 3.  England
  4. France

 5. Belgium

 6. Russia

 7. Ireland

8. Wales.

Unfortunately, 7^th and 8^th place means that Ireland and Wales are relegated to the second tier tournament when next it is played.

The Under 18s luck did not follow the Under 21s to the Women’s Junior World Cup in Monchengladbach. 

It was another bronze medal match that had to be decided on a shoot out. Playing India, England found themselves trailing after 13 minutes following a goal from Rani. England equalised deep into the second half thanks to Anna Toman, and the match ended 1-1 in normal time.

The shoot out was a success or failure for both teams, depending on your point of view. Rani was the only Indian player to find the net in the first series of five. Despite this, they would have won the match at this point if it was not for Emily Defroand scoring from England’s fifth attempt.

Sudden death saw both Rani and Defroand find the net, but it was a successful attempt from Navneet Kaur that finally gave the match to India.

The final was inevitably between The Netherlands and Argentina, and the score was 1-1 a the end of normal time.  The match was finally decided on a shoot-out, which the Dutch won 4-2.

England’s fourth place will be a disappointment, but some of the other leading hockey nations did even less well. Australia finished 6^th and Germany 10^th.

The final standings were:

1. The Netherlands

2..  Agentina
3.  India

4.  England

5.  Spain

6.  Australia

7.   USA

8. South Africa

9.  New Zealand

10  Germany

11.   Korea

12.   China

13.   Belgium

14.   Canada

15.   Russia
16.   Ghana

DOUBLE DUTCH ACTION FOR ENGLAND. Results from Wakefield and Dublin.

England men put in an improved performance in the second of the three match series against The Netherlands in the Now Pensions Cup in Wakefield this afternoon.

England led for much of the first half thanks to a Tom Carson goal and, although Rogier Hofman equalised early in the second half, a Dutch own goal and a second from Carson gave England a brief 3-1 lead.

A second goal from Hofman, and an equaliser from Constantijn Yonker, saw the match end on 3-3.

England’s girls also faced the Dutch this afternoon. They played them in the semi-final of the European Under 18 Championships in Dublin.

Lily Elliott opened the scoring, giving England a 1-0 lead after 14 minutes But it was the Dutch all the way thereafter, with their Ginella Zerbo scoring a hat trick in an eventual 6-1 win.  England will play France for the bronze medal tomorrow.

It will be a busy day for hockey tomorrow (Sunday) with the finals and bronze medal matches of the Women’s Junior World Cup in Monchengladbach, as well as the Girls European Under 18 Championships. England’s men also play the third in their three match series against The Netherlands in the Now Pensions Cup