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.
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.
