Talk Hockey Radio News Blog

ENGLAND WIN PROMOTION IN DENMARK by Peter Savage at the Women's Indoor Championships in Slagelse

2012-01-22T16:28:00.001Z

It says something about the improved state of women's hockey that this nation of ours can effectively raise two - no, correct that - three quads to play simultaneously in international competition.

The fact that England have managed their second promotion on the bounce in European indoor competition whilst the GB squad is in Argentina is something of an achievement. And I say 'three squads' because there was even something in it for our friends North of the Border. That is not to say that England has found it's last two matches in the European Indoor Champions II in Slagelse easy. The defeat at the hands of France yesterday - a combination of a good French side and England not playing their best hockey - was a serious wobble on the road to promotion, and England looked uncomfortable on occasions against the Swiss in their final match this afternoon.

It was the Swiss who took first blood when Stephanie Walti scored early in the match. But Katie Long, who has had a quite outstanding tournament, was able to redress the balance, and Emma Thomas put England ahead early in the second half. Denise Marston-Smith increased the lead to 3-1 from a penalty corner two minutes later.

From that point the Swiss looked increasingly dangerous, with Maddie Hinch in the England goal having to work hard for her keep. Saskia Muller, the Swiss captain, was rewarded for her side's pressure when she converted a penalty corner to pull the score back to 3-2. We were then treated to 14 minutes of nail biting play, much of it in the England half of the court, but eventually the final hooter sounded and England emerged as the winners.

Where England finished in the final table depended on the outcome of the final match in the promotion pool, between France and Lithuania. Although Lithuania surprisingly won this game, they failed to inflict sufficient damage with their 2-1 win to bite into France's goal difference. As a result France win the Championships II and England are runners-up.

You have to shed a tear for our hosts, Denmark. After an improvement in form yesterday, they found the Slovak Republic too strong for them. The final score, 5-2, means that Denmark is relegated to Championship III in 2014. They will be joined there by Russia, who were beaten today 4-2 by Scotland. Only a day earlier there had been some gloom in the Scot's camp at finding themselves in the Relegation Pool, but they were eventually the only side to take full points from the final pools and they finish in a respectable fifth.

Full results and tables are on our main web site.

ENGLAND'S GOOD DAY FINISHES BADLY. Round up of today's play in the EuroHockey Indoor Championships in Slagesle, Denmark.

2012-01-21T20:57:00.000Z

England finished their Pool A matches in top position this morning and the squad went into the afternoon with the knowledge that relegation was no longer an issue. But the morning's news was not all good. Abi Harper turned her ankle in the match against Lithuania and will remain unfit for the rest of the tournament.

England's first opponents in the promotion pool were France, the nation that came second when England won promotion in Rouen two years ago. France had performed well, but England had the edge when the two sides met in 2010. This afternoon, however, was the first time in this tournament that it was apparent that England were not fielding a first choice team. The French have had an outstanding tournament so far in Slagelse, with their Peggy Bergere being the danger woman in front of goal.

There were early signs that England might be in trouble when Sam Quek stopped a penalty corner flick at waist height with her stick in the opening minutes of the match to keep the score at 1-1. Bergere showed her goal scoring prowess by finding the net twice in as many minutes shortly after.

Although England tried to compose themselves and take control of the match in the second half, the French skipper, Emilie Begue, gave her side their third. Sam Quek's 38th minute penalty corner for England was little more than a consolation goal and the match ended at 3-1.

England will have to calm their nerves when they play their final match of this tournament against the Swiss tomorrow. In theory, all four teams in the promotion pool can finish in the top two (and thereby gain promotion), but it is most likely that the second place will hinge on the England v Switzerland match.

The hosts, Denmark, have had a difficult tournament and lost there final Pool A match to Switzerland 6-1 this morning. So there was something of a cup final win atmosphere when they beat Russia 6-3 in the first of their relegation pool matches. They have been excellent hosts and it would be a shame to see them relegated. And it should not be forgotten that the were promoted to the Championships II four years ago when they beat England.

Scotland's hopes of survival rose when they played their first relegation pool match. After losing their last Pool A match 4-3 to France this morning, they went on to beat the Slovak Republic 3-2 to give them a lifeline to stay in the second tier tournament.

In the other promotion pool match, Lithuania started with promise against Switzerland, and they were leading until the final two minutes when Switzerland's Stephanie Walti scored twice from penalty corners.

Up to date scores and tables are available at our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk.

ENGLAND REACH PROMOTION POOL by Peter Savage at the Women's Indoor Championships in Slagelse

2012-01-21T10:42:00.000Z

It was a win and a double whammy to boot. Not only did England beat the overnight leaders in Pool B, the three points earned against Lithuania will be carried over to the promotion pool which plays its first matches this afternoon.

England were magnificent. Any sign of nerves - and this was an important match - were not apparent as England came out fighting. They got onto the scoresheet early when Denise Marston-Smith converted a fifth minute penalty stroke. A minute later, Katie Long made it two with a long ranging run which ended with the ball in the back of the Lithuanian net.

There was a wobbly moment early in the second half when Ina Kenstaviciute scored twice in less than a minute to equalise, and English fans were on the edge of their seats for five minutes until Long found the net again. But overall, a brilliant performance against one of the better teams here. The mixture of experience and youth seems to have brought home the goods for England.

The final score of 3-2 puts England on top of Pool B. Details of the promotion pool matches will appear later.

Results and tables can be found on our main web site at www.TalkHockeyRadio.co.uk.

ENGLAND CAN MAKE PROMOTION POOL. A round up of today's play in the EuroHockey Women's Nations Championships in Slagelse, Denmark

2012-01-20T20:25:00.000Z

It snowed this afternoon in Slagelse but events inside the Antvorskov Hall were too gripping for the weather outside to concern us.

Having picked up four points from today's matches (see earlier reports), and with a healthy goal difference, England can make it into the promotion pool tomorrow. They have one more match to play in Pool B and and that is against the stand-out side in the pool, Lithuania. We believe that England can win this game, which would mean that they would head the table. Even if they lose, England still remain in with a chance unless they let the Lithuanians chip too deeply into their goal difference and/or the Russians go on a goal scoring spree against the Slovak Republic.

In Pool A the situation is similar for Scotland, albeit that they have a thinner goal margin. Scotland play France tomorrow in what could be a titanic battle. The French, who were promoted alongside England in 2010, have looked very sharp. The Danes, who deprived England of promotion back in 2008, have had a difficult tournament, having lost to both Scotland and France. They cannot now escape the relegation pool and will have to hope that their form improves in the last two matches of the tournament.

Full results are available on our main web site.

ENGLAND DRAW SECOND MATCH by Peter Savage in Slagelse

2012-01-20T16:04:00.000Z

Despite peppering the Russian goal than more shots than I could keep count of, England were unable to find the target. Playing in their second match of the European Indoor Championships II, it was Katie Long who was again the star of the show, finding the net five minutes into the second half. But Tatiana Voronina's goal canceled out the English goal and the match ended at 1-1.

The Russian's were much improved over the side that lost to Lithuania earlier today and, although England played well, they had lost some of the bite they had shown against the Slovaks this morning. They will face their sternest test tomorrow when they play the very capable looking Lithuanian side.

ENGLAND WIN FIRST MATCH IN SLAGELSE by Peter Savage at the Indoor Championships II

2012-01-20T12:58:00.000Z

England's women got off to a fine start in their opening match in the European Indoor Nations Championships here in Salgelse this morning.

With England contributing the major part of the Great Britain squad in Argentina, the indoor squad here in Denmark consisted of experience plus a number of senior hopefuls. Calling them a makeshift squad however, would hardly be fair in mind of the performance they put in. Forty minutes of consistent pressure on the Slovak Republic took its time to get any result, and there were only two penalty corner goals as a reward, both from Denise Marston-Smith.

England's fitness at international level is almost becoming legendary, and when England players swamped their opponents, they were swiftly back to cover any danger caused. Katie Long, often to be found on the left, was constantly pressurising the Slovak defence, and after Sam Quek had made it three for England, Long was rewarded with two goals.

The icing on the cake came when Emma Thomas scored England's sixth, leaving the final score 6-1 in England's favour.

Earlier Lithuania beat a rather naive Russian side 9-2 in the other Pool B match.

TEST EVENT LINE UP ANNOUNCED AT THE WRITERS’ AWARDS

2012-01-18T09:46:00.001Z

LOCOG has announced the line up for the Olympic Test Event to be held at the Riverbank Stadium at the Olympic Park this May.

Invited to take part in the Men's Tournament are Australia, India and Germany, as well as Great Britain. Only India, from that group, has not yet qualified for the Olympics. Taking part in the women's tournament will be Argentina, China, Korea and Great Britain, all of which have already qualified.

The tournament starts on Wednesday 2 May and finishes on Sunday 6 May. Friday 4 May will be a rest day.

The Riverbank Stadium is the new name for the Olympic Hockey Centre. The change reflects the fact that the stadium will not be exclusively for hockey. It will also host the Paralympic 5 and 7-aside football tournaments.

Further details of the Test Event will appear in the next edition of our on-line magazine, HockeyTalk, which will be available to download on 26 January 2012.

The announcement was made at the Hockey Writers Club Awards in London's Knightsbridge, where East Grinstead's Mark Pearn won the Men's UK Player of the Year Award. The women's award went to Reading's Alex Danson.

The other awards were the Higgins Youth Awards, which went to Joanne Leigh of Clifton and Joe Sharp of Belper. The Higgins Junior Awards went to Martha Baker of Beeston and James Albery of Old Loughtonians.

VICTORY BUT RELEGATION FOR ENGLAND

2012-01-15T16:12:00.001Z

England's final match in the European Indoor Championships has ended in victory but resulted in relegation.

Russia's 3-2 win over Switzerland in the preceding match left a glimmer of hope for the England side as they took on Spain in the relegation pool. With the Russians on four points, with a goal difference of +0, they could be overtaken if England could win by a substantial goal difference. That would have meant sixth place and a return to the tournament when it is next held in two years time.

Despite a first half penalty stroke conversion by Ashley Jackson, England looked like heading for a defeat as the final seconds of the match ticked away. With Spain leading 2-1, and with two minutes left, Jackson found the net again, this time from open play, to equalise. Moments later Nick Catlin scored the winner for England.

The result puts England on four points, the same as Russia, but with a goal difference of only one separating them. As a result, England finish seventh and are relegated along with Switzerland who finished eighth. Both will play in the EuroHockey Indoor Championships II in 2014.

The final was won by Germany who beat the Czech Republic 4-0 in the final. The bronze was won by Austria.

Full results and tables are available on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk.

TalkHockeyRadio will be in Denmark for the Women's EuroHockey Indoor Championships II next weekend.

ENGLAND NOW LOOKED DOOMED INDOORS. The latest from Leipzig.

2012-01-14T19:33:00.001Z

With one match left to play, England's chances of staying in the top division of the European Indoor Championships were looking slim after today's games. Spain's opponents this afternoon were Russia, whose 3-2 defeat means that Spain now tops the relegation pool with 6 pts. England will now have to beat Spain by a healthy margin tomorrow and hope that the match between Switzerland and Russia ends in a draw or a narrow victory for the Russians.

The semi finals between Austria and the Czech Republic, and Germany and The Netherlands take place this evening. The winners play each other in the final tomorrow.

Full results are on our main web site.

JACKSON GOAL BLITZ FAILS TO RESCUE ENGLAND FROM BOTTOM PLACE. Report on the European Indoor Nations Championships in Leipzig

2012-01-14T14:18:00.001Z

The match against the Czechs was the first of two drawn matches, the second being a remarkable 8-8 draw against Russia this morning (Saturday). The match was remarkable for the fact that Ashley Jackson almost single handedly rescued the day for England at 8-3 down with a five goal blitz in almost as many minutes, with four of the five coming from penalty corners. Jackson's remarkable feat makes him the top scorer in the tournament at the end of the preliminary pools. He seems to be in his element in Leipzig, scoring three of England's five in their 5-7 defeat against The Netherlands yesterday.

Unfortunately, the draw leaves England at the bottom on Pool B, and they play the first of their relegation pool matches later this afternoon when they meet Switzerland. The second will be tomorrow against Spain.

Germany finish top of Pool A, with Austria in second place.

Full results and tables can be found on our main web site.

SPAIN’s MEN GET OLYMPIC PLACE AFTER SA WITHDRAWS

2011-12-21T10:14:00.001Z

The FIH has announced that Spain will be replacing South Africa as one of the automatic qualifiers for the 2012 Olympic Games men's hockey tournament. This follows the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee turning down their nation's direct entry into the games. They had originally qualified as a result of winning the Africa Cup.

In accordance with an agreement between the FIH and the IOC, the vacancy left by South Africa was offered to the highest ranking team that had not already qualified, namely Spain. Spain had been due to play in a qualification tournament in Japan in April.

The FIH has also announced that a number of nations have declined invitations to qualifying tournaments. There appears to be an error in the information currently released on this matter and we are seeking clarification from the FIH before publishing this.

BIRMINGHAM UNI, SOUTHGATE AND WOKING JOIN MAXIFUEL LEAGUE

2011-12-19T10:38:00.001Z

Birmingham University have won the Midlands qualifying tournament to play in the Maxifuel National Indoor League, beating Khalsa in the final at Lilleshall.

The South's qualifying tournament, held in Croydon, sees former National Indoor Champions Southgate return to the Maxifuel League, along with Woking.

GB MAKE IT FIVE OUT OF FIVE

2011-12-19T10:32:00.001Z

Great Britain's women return home with a 100% record from their five match series against the USA in San Diego.

Their final match, played yesterday (Sunday), ended 4-0 in GB's favour, with Wales' Sarah Thomas and Scotland's Vikki Bunce scoring two of the goals. The other goals came from England's Ashleigh Ball and Alex Danson, Danson scoring her sixth goal of the series.

GB WOMEN WIN AGAIN

2011-12-18T09:04:00.001Z

Great Britain's women have decisively won the fourth match in their five match series against the USA in San Diego. After a goalless first half, Laura Unsworth opened the scoring for GB from a penalty corner, with a goal from Helen Richardson four minutes later giving the visitors a 2-0 lead. Kathleen Sharkey pulled one back for the Americans, but further GB goals from Becky Herbert, Hannah Macleod and Katie Long increased the lead to 5-1 before Caroline Nichols scored a goal for the USA in the closing minutes. Final score 5-2 to Great Britain.

GB play their final match in the series this afternoon (Sunday).

GB WOMEN WIN THE SERIES

2011-12-16T06:48:00.001Z

Great Britain's women have won the five match series against the United States, with a 4-1 victory in their third match in San Diego. Although Michelle Kasold of the US opened the scoring, Alex Danson was quick to equalise for GB. A second half goal for Danson, and goals from Katie Long and Chloe Rogers, secured the win.

Great Britain play the final matches of the series on tomorrow (Saturday) and Sunday.

GB WOMEN WIN SECOND OF SERIES

2011-12-15T07:11:00.001Z

Great Britain's women won the second of their five match series against the USA in San Diego yesterday, despite a late rally by the home side. Katie Reinprecht gave the USA a first half lead which was cancelled out by two goals in less than a minute from Scotland's Laura Bartlett. Kate Walsh's second half penalty corner strike increased the lead to 3-1, and although Reinprecht scored her second in the dying minutes of the game, Great Britain emerged as the 3-2 victors.

On Sunday an Alex Danson hat-trick had given GB a 3-0 win in the first of the series. The second match was due to be played on Tuesday but was postponed until Saturday due to heavy rain. Other matches will be played today (Thursday) and Sunday.

GB CONDEMNED TO SIXTH PLACE

2011-12-11T08:53:00.001Z

A single goal from Germany's Thilo Stralkowski condemned Great Britain to sixth place in the Champions Trophy in Aukland today, which means that GB do not automatically qualify for next year's edition of the tournament.

The final between Australia and Spain was won by Australia. Although not an entirely surprising outcome, it took Australia all of 59 minutes to break down the defence of this revitalised Spanish side, who seem to have come on leaps and bounds since the European Championships in August. The only goal of the match came from a penalty corner conversion by Eddie Ockenden.

The Netherlands take the bronze medal after defeating New Zealand 5-3.

Full results can be found on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk.

GB ARRIVE LATE AT THE PARTY

2011-12-10T19:52:00.001Z

Great Britain arrived late at the party but took home all the presents as they played Korea in their second and final Pool D match in Auckland this afternoon.

GB were 0-2 down by the seventh minute of the second half, when James Tindall found the net to make the score 1-2. With ten minutes of play left Ashley Jackson equalised from a penalty corner, and Tindall scored his second a few minutes later to give England the lead. It was a short lived lead, as Nam Hyun-Woo scored from the penalty spot. An appeal to the video umpire failed to have the decision reversed after it appeared as if Hyun-Woo may have controlled the ball with his body as he entered the circle.

It was left to the oldest member of the team, 34 year old Mark Pearn, to clinch the match for Great Britain after a mix up in the Korean defence allowed Pearn time to control the ball and slot the ball home with the winner.

Final score, 4-3, and GB will play Germany for the fifth place tomorrow.

JAMIE DWYER, was awarded the FIH Player of the Year in Auckland this afternoon. The 32 year old Australian had previously won the award in 2004, 2007, 2009 and 2010 – more times than any other male player. The Young Player of the Year also went to an Australian, Matthew Swann. The women's awards will be announced at the Women's Champions Trophy in Rosario in February.

70th MINUTE HEARTBREAK FOR GREAT BRITAIN

2011-12-08T07:17:00.001Z

A 70^th minute penalty corner goal by Germany's Jan-Marco Montag sealed Great Britain's fate as they battled it out in Pool D of the Men's Champions Trophy in Auckland.

The writing was on the wall as Martin Zwicker scored for Germany after only four minutes. But a 22^nd minute goal by Glenn Kirkham meant that GB could have come away with this match with some points, and it took Germany until the last seconds of the match to score their winner. Final score 2-1 to Germany.

Great Britain play Korea on Saturday in their second and final Pool D match. They are currently lying third in the pool on three points, behind Pakistan on goal difference. The teams finishing first and second in this pool play for fifth place on Sunday to guarantee an automatic invitation to next year's tournament.

Full results and tables can be found on our main web site at www.TalkHockeyRadio.co.uk.

GREAT BRITAIN IN SHELL SHOCK RESULT IN AUCKLAND

2011-12-06T07:23:00.001Z

Great Britain manager Andy Halliday described his feelings after the match as 'shell shocked', and pundits will be reaching for their record books to see if his side's result against Spain in the Champions Trophy in Auckland has broken any records.

Barry Middleton's 23^rd minute goal for GB seemed a favourable enough start, but Spain managed to squeeze a shock reply between Middleton's goal and the half-time hooter. Eddie Tubau and Pau Quemada each managed to score in the space of a minute, and Santi Frexia and Gabriel Dabanch repeated the trick before the half ended.

George Pinner, playing his first ever Champions Trophy match and only his third GB cap, was subjected to a baptism of fire as Juan Fernandez increased Spain's lead early in the second half. But Great Britain's final indignity was yet to come. With five minutes left on the clock, Frexia scored his second and Spain's sixth. As the game moved into the dying minutes, James Tindall was sin-binned and Spain used the power play to net the ball twice more, both coming from Roc Oliva.

Final score 8-1 to Spain and GB finish Pool A in third place, above Pakistan. One crumb of comfort from the results is that GB go into the next round of matches in Pool D with points in hand from their Pool C match against Pakistan. They play their first Pool D match against Germany on Thursday. The other members of Pool D will be Korea and Pakistan.

Full results and tables are on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk.

MANTELL GIVES GB RAY OF HOPE.

2011-12-05T08:21:00.001Z

A 55^th minute goal by Simon Mantell offered Great Britain a ray of hope in what was always going to be a difficult match in the Men's Champions Trophy in Auckland.

Playing Australia, GB went down to an early goal from Matthew Butturini and went into the second half with a 0-2 deficit after Matt Gohdes found the net. Although Australia continued to dominate the game, a ferocious shot by Mantell beat the Australian 'keeper to keep GB in the match.

Two minutes later the ever dangerous Jamie Dwyer restored the margin with a well taken goal and, in the dying minutes, penalty corner specialist Luke Doerner increased the lead to 4-1, which was the final score.

Great Britain slump to third in Pool A after Spain beat Pakistan 4-2 to move into second place.

As a result of Sunday's programme being postponed to today due to torrential rain, GB will now play their third game in three days when they meet Spain tomorrow, without the benefit of a rest day.

Full results and tables can be found on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk.

DECIMATED ‘GRINSTEAD TAKE THE POINTS

2011-12-04T17:48:00.001Z

At TalkHockeyRadio we were curious to know how East Grinstead would fare in a Premier League match against Loughborough Students whilst their ranks were decimated by GB call-ups. EG have lost eight players, including South African international Gareth Carr.

Carr and the absent Ashley Jackson are 'Grinstead's usual penalty corner strike force, so it was with some surprise that their deputy had such an impact on the match. Loughborough Students, who are a good side but desperately in need of some points, went into the second half with the benefit of a goal from Sam Ward. But did not take long for Rick Gay to equalise from a penalty corner.

EG slipped behind seconds later when Chris Griffiths scored the Students' second. Some of the more experienced East Grinstead players are used to having the likes of Middleton, Jackson and Stott around them, and sometimes expected too much of their less experienced colleagues. But as the second half progressed they adapted to the conditions and, in the 59^th minute, Gay scored his second from a penalty corner to equalise.

It remained end-to-end stuff, and it looked as if the match was going to end in a draw – in some ways a fair result. However, a late penalty corner resulted in Gay scoring his hat-trick, and the match ended 3-2 to EG.

The result leaves the table positions of the two sides unchanged. This is more than could be said for the match between Bowdon and University of Exeter, which finished 4-3 in Bowdon's favour. This lifts Bowdon out of bottom place, which they have occupied since week four, into eighth. Their place is taken by the University. The result did not help Southgate who, despite an early Dan Shingles goal, went down 1-2 to Cannock. Southgate slip one place to ninth.

Some of the gloss seems to have gone off Beeston's season, with a 1-3 defeat at home to Reading. Their table positions were influenced by the result at Paddington Rec, where Hampstead & Westminster took the points in a 2-1 win over Surbiton. Reading climb to third place, two points behind Cannock, Beeston drop to fourth, and Surbiton slip down to fifth.

These are the last matches before the winter break. Hockey moves indoors next weekend.

Full results and tables can be found on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk. Images from the match will appear on our Pictures pages later.

RAIN HALTS PLAY IN AUCKLAND

2011-12-04T09:16:00.002Z

There has been no play in the Champions Trophy in Auckland today (Sunday) due to torrential rain. All matches have been rescheduled for Monday, which had been a rest day.

Great Britain were due to play Australia today.

LAST GASP DANSON GOAL BRINGS READING THE POINTS

2011-12-03T16:26:00.001Z

A 70^th minute penalty corner goal by Alex Danson allowed Reading to come away from their match against Clifton with maximum points when they met in the Investec Women's League this afternoon.

An Aileen Davis penalty corner conversion just before half time had allowed Clifton to take a 1-0 lead into the second half, but Danson scored shortly after the restart. Reading's Emma Thomas gave her side a brief lead, only to see Georgie Twigg equalise from a penalty corner. 29 minutes without further goals, finally saw Danson resolve the issue with her later winner. Final score 3-2.

Slough's results continue to be unpredictable, and they probably thought that they had this one in the bag when, at 1-1 against Sutton Coldfield, Alex Scott converted a 69^th minute penalty stroke. Less than a minute later Vicky Woolford equalised for Sutton from open play. Final score 2-2.

Olton & West Warwicks move up into fourth place after two goals in the last ten minutes robbed Bowdon Hightown of the points. The score there, 4-3 to Olton. University of Birmingham's woes continue as they lost 2-1 at Canterbury, thanks to two Jen Wilson goals. Things are worse at Cannock, who have failed to pick up a single point this season. They lost 0-5 at home to Leicester.

There was one other match in the Investec league today and that was the fixture between Liverpool Sefton and University of Durham, re-arranged from 5 November, which ended 7-1 to the students. They moved from fifth in the table to third. There are only four points separating the top five sides in the North Conference.

These are the last matches in the Investec league until after the winter break. The Premier Division of the indoor league commences next weekend.

GREAT BRITAIN START CHAMPIONS TROPHY WITH A WIN

2011-12-03T09:27:00.001Z

Great Britain got off to the best of possible starts in the Men's Champion's Trophy in Auckland, New Zealand.

Playing Pakistan, GB went behind to a Muhammad Imran penalty corner late in the first half. But some excellent play by Mark Pearn, who threaded his way past the goalkeeper and two defenders, to equalise ten minutes into the second half, put GB back into the game. Simon Mantell gave Great Britain the winner when he shot the ball high into the Pakistan net in the follow up to a penalty corner strike in the last five minutes of the match.

Final score, 2-1 to Great Britain, who go into second place in Pool A behind Australia. Australia have the benefit of a higher goal scored tally as a result of their 3-2 win over Spain.

In Pool B, Germany beat New Zealand 2-1. The Netherlands 2-0 win over Korea puts them at the top of the Pool B table.

Great Britain's next match is against Australia tomorrow.

Great Britain squad against Pakistan: Adam Dixon (Beeston), James Fair (Cannock), Mark Cleghorne, Ashley Jackson, Glenn Kirkham, Iain Lewers, Barry Middleton, Mark Pearn and Niall Stott (all East Grinstead), Ben Hawes (Wimbledon), Iain Mackay, Richard Mantell and Simon Mantell (all Reading), Harry Martin (Old Loughtonians), Rob Moore and James Tindall (both Surbiton).

WILSON FLIES HOME FROM AUCKLAND

2011-12-02T07:11:00.002Z

Beeston's Alistair Wilson has been forced to withdraw from the Champions Trophy in Auckland, which is due to start tomorrow.

Wilson has suffered a recurrence of tendonitis around the knee and will fly home from New Zealand to receive treatment. His place is taken by Surbiton defender Ken Forbes, who is already in Auckland training with the Great Britain squad preparing for the Champions Trophy, which starts on Saturday.

BARTLETT IS GB ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

2011-12-02T07:05:00.001Z

Scotland's Laura Bartlett has been named BOA Hockey Athlete of the Year. The 23 year old Scotland and Great Britain midfielder has had an outstanding year, taking a significant role in Scotland's bronze medal success in the Champions Challenge I, and winning gold in the European Nations Championships II.

The award is made to the top performing hockey athlete of the year and the winner is selected by Great Britain Hockey on behalf of the British Olympic Association.

Bartlett, who made her senior international debut in 2007, currently plays for English club Reading. She has 57 caps for Scotland and 22 Caps for Great Britain.

BARBARA MIROY DIES

2011-11-30T17:14:00.001Z

Pat Rowley writes on the passing of a great servant of hockey:

Barbara Miroy, a person who almost single-handedly ran English men's hockey for many years, died this morning (30 Nov) at the age of 91. She out-lived Neville, he husband and an equally prominent servant of the game, by 21 years.

Barbara was heavily involved in hockey for over 50 years. She will be best remembered for three things, being secretary and later personal assistant to two former Hockey Association Hon Secretary's; for organising for countless years the world famous Folkestone Easter Hockey Festival and for running the London and Home Counties Hockey Fixture Conference.

She was awarded the Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal when it was recorded "She holds a unique position in the administration of men's hockey in England. She has given unstintingly of her time and energy to a sport in which she is totally involved and to which she is utterly devoted". Robin Struthers, the then Hon. Secretary of the Hockey Association, was quoted as saying, "She is a walking encyclopaedia of hockey".

Her health had been deteriorating for some time. Last week she had a fall at home and broke her hip. It was necessary to operate but unfortunately she survived only a short time after the operation.

Barbara's funeral will not be held for at least a fortnight so that her American relatives can be present.

Editor's Note:

If, like me, you had been a fixture secretary in the days before league hockey became the norm, you would have really appreciated the work that Barbara did in organising the London Fixture Conference. I spent two spells as a club fixture secretary, on the first occasion with a brand new club. Managing to fill a blank fixture list without the Conference would have been virtually impossible, and so I am both grateful to Barbara and sad to learn of her passing.

SURBITON AND BEESTON PROVIDE THE MATCH OF THE DAY.

2011-11-27T18:58:00.001Z

When TalkHockeyRadio chooses which matches to go to, it is a matter of pot luck what we find. But we definitely struck gold this afternoon at Sugden Road to watch Surbiton play Beeston, in what surely must have been the match of the day.

The game started fairly routinely. A fair bit of action, but nothing special, saw the sides go into the break with the home team holding onto a slim lead. But things really started to hot up in the last 20 minutes when Phil Messent scored to make it 3-0.

Tim Pinnock scored his second to increase the lead, and Patrick Schmidt's 58^th minute goal for Beeston looked as if it was going to be little more than a consolation. But Schmidt found the net again three minutes later, followed swiftly by a goal from Carl Smith. Surbiton were rocked on their heals when Tim Whiteman scored Beeston's fourth to equalise. That's four goals in seven minutes if you've lost track.

Unfortunately the fairy tale ending for Beeston was not to be. We've described Tim Pinnock as 'dependable' in the past, and dependable he was again today. His 69^th minute penalty corner conversion for Surbiton was a heartbreaker for Beeston, but you've got to hand it to the visitors. They gave us a memorable match with nine quality goals from both sides.

Beeston's defeat means that they slip down the table to third, partly due to Cannock recording their sixth win of the season, 2-1 against Hampstead & Westminster, to move up to second.

Loughborough Students took an early lead at home to bottom placed Bowdon and finished the match 4-2. This moves the Students one place further away from the relegation zone into sixth. Reading keep up their charge to stay in the top five with a 4-2 win over University of Exeter.

The match between East Grinstead and Southgate was played last night and resulted in a surprise 0-0 draw. The one point for Southgate still leaves them perilously close to the relegation zone, with only three points separating them and Bowdon.

Results and table from all today's matches can be found on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk.

HIGHTOWN MOVE OUT OF RELEGATION AREA. Round-up of today’s matches in the Investec Women’s League.

2011-11-26T18:05:00.001Z

It was all change near the bottom of the Investec Women's League Premier Division this afternoon after two Tina Cullen goals gave Bowdon Hightown a timely leg-up the table. Bowdon had slumped to the relegation play-off spot last weekend but today's 2-0 win over Clifton moves them into seventh place.

Bowdon's promotion was at the expense of University of Birmingham, who lost 1-3 at home to Reading, and now occupy the play-off spot. Slough also move down one place after drawing 1-1 at home to Canterbury.

Leicester remain seven points behind the leaders, Reading. Leicester's 3-1 win over Sutton Coldfield saw their England players to the fore, with Hannah Macleod finding the net twice and a goal from Crista Cullen. But the big scorers today were Olton & West Warwicks who put seven past bottom placed Cannock for no reply, four of Olton's goals coming from penalty corners.

In the East Conference, Surbiton and St Albans are the teams to catch, both winning today. Sevenoaks slipped away from contention by losing 4-2 away at Chelmsford. The gap between them and second place St Albans opens up to five points.

In the North Conference Beeston consolidated their lead by beating one of the challengers, Brooklands Poynton. The score there 5-1. Loughborough Students are chasing hard, and now move into second place after beating Wakefield Bradford 1-0. Only three points now separate Beeston, Loughborough Students and Wakefield Bradford.

In the West Conference a 10 point gap has opened up between second place Swansea and third place Barnes Hounslow Ealing. Only six points separate the third and bottom placed sides in this division, which had resulted in at least one dramatic change in the table this afternoon. Barnes Hounslow Ealing is promoted from sixth to third as a result of a 4-2 win over Exe. Leaders, Buckingham remain unbeaten and won against Team Bath Buccaneers 2-0 today. Swansea keep in touch with the leader with a 2-1 win over Trojans.

Full scores and tables are available on our main web site at http://www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk/page51.html.

MINNOWS SWALLOWED UP BY BIG FISH. Cup and league results for 20 November.

2011-11-20T18:22:00.001Z

The last 16 of the Men's Cup was played today, with no real surprises emerging. Cannock, Bromley & Beckenham, Brooklands MU (as a result of a walkover), Beeston, Hampstead & Westminster, Canterbury, Southgate and Bowdon go through to the quarter final draw.

As usual there were some high scoring matches as some of the minnows came up against the elite teams from the Premier Division, but you could hardly find a greater gap between high flying Cannock and Brighton & Hove from the South Premier League. Despite being depleted by injuries from their previous day's tussle against Surbiton, Cannock should have been the odds on favourites to win this match but they probably have James Fair's deputy, Patrick Smith, to thank for coming away with a respectable scoreline.

Cannock's strength was their speed on the break, but they have an Oli Westbrook penalty corner to thank for their first goal. Ajan Chana made it two from a penalty corner just before the break, but it was honestly difficult to split the teams in terms of skill, enterprise and possession. Ben Crease's superb 67^th minute goal for Brighton just emphasised how little there was to choose between the two sides. The cheering from the home supporters was cut short however by Tom Moore's almost instant response, to clinch the result 3-1 in Cannock's favour.

Photographs from the Brighton & Hove v Cannock match are on our pictures site at www.HockeyImages.co.uk .

In the Investec Women's Premier Division, today's only match saw Reading open up the gap between them and second placed Leicester with a 7-0 win over Olton & West Warwicks. Reading currently lead the division by seven points and an incredible goal difference of +33.

In the Women's East Conference, Surbiton pulled away to put a two point gap between themselves and second place St Albans. This was after Surbiton beat Harleston Magpies, but St Albans could only draw 0-0 against lowly Old Loughtonians. Sevenoaks keep in touch with the leaders with a 6-0 win over Horsham, leaving the Sussex club at the bottom of the table with seven defeats in nine outings.

In the North, Beeston are still neck and neck with Wakefield Bradford, both on 20 points. Beeston bolstered the goal difference which separates them with a 10-0 win over Northampton Saints. Wakefield's effort was a comparatively modest 2-0 over Whitley Bay and Tynemouth.

In the West, Buckingham continue to lead the charge with a 4-0 win over Exe, whilst Swansea stay in touch with a 4-1 win over Staines. Buckingham are on 26 points and Swansea on 21. After that there is a sizeable gap with third place Gloucester City on 13 points.

FULL RESULTS AND TABLES CAN BE FOUND ON OUR MAIN WEB SITE AT www.TalkHockeyRadio.co.uk.

PAIN FOR BOTTOM CLUBS CONTINUES

2011-11-19T18:40:00.001Z

RESULTS AND TABLES FOR TODAY'S MATCHES CAN BE FOUND ON OUR MAIN WEB SITE AT www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk.

The pain continues for those clubs propping up the bottom end of the Men's England Hockey League Premier Division table. Bowdon went to Championship contenders Beeston, where they suffered a 4-1 defeat, despite their Nigel Croke opening the scoring after only five minutes. Hampstead & Westminster appeared to be in the driving seat when they played host to Southgate, going into the break 2-0 ahead. A second half flurry of goals from the visitors gave a final score of 3-3, but one point leaves Southgate in eighth place. University of Exeter will know their fate later when they play East Grinstead in an evening match at Saint Hill. They are currently occupying the relegation play-off spot.

Cannock, who face non-league Brighton & Hove in the Cup tomorrow, found Surbiton too much for them, going down 3-1. Reading slip one place down the table to fifth after scraping a draw at Loughborough Students.

The squabble between Brooklands MU and Sheffield Hallam at the top of the North Conference went in Brooklands' favour when the two sides met this afternoon. Brooklands' 5-4 win means that they now lead the table by one point. Barford Tigers are now five points adrift at the bottom of the table after they lost 3-2 to Doncaster and Preston drew 2-2 at home to Olton & West Warwicks.

TalkHockeyRadio was at the West Conference match between Ian Jennings' Guildford and struggling Lichfield. Lichfield got off to a cracking start with a Steven Bailey goal in the fifth minute, and for much of the first half they seemed to be dominating the match. Guildford's Jonathan Hayes put some sanity back into the scoreline with a late penalty corner conversion, and we suspect that coach Ian Jennings scorched the changing room walls with his half time chat judging by his side's second half performance, which saw Guildford emerge 4-1 winners. Lichfield remain one off the bottom and Guildford stay in fourth. Bath Buccaneers now have a four point lead after beating second place University of Birmingham.

In the East Conference both Canterbury and Old Loughtonians won today. If you were looking for a lot of goals in this division, Oxted was the place to be, where it could have been mistaken for thinking the game was Andrew Baggs versus City of Peterborough. Baggs scored all three of Oxted's goals from penalty corners in their 3-4 defeat at home.

There were four games in the Investec Women's Premier Division this afternoon. The fifth game (Reading v Olton & West Warwickshire) and Conference matches will be played tomorrow.

Today saw some significant movement in the bottom half of the Premier Division table. Lauren Penny's hat-trick at Slough against Bowdon Hightown drops Bowdon down the table from seventh to the relegation play-off place. Sally Walton had equalised for Bowdon in the 23^rd minute but the match finally ended 3-1 in Slough's favour. As a result of their win, Slough move up the table to sixth, displacing Birmingham University who lost 0-2 at home to Clifton.

Sutton Coldfield's 3-1 win against struggling Cannock moves them up the table from ninth to seventh.

Canterbury and Leicester's chances of catching Reading took a knock when they could only manage a 0-0 draw. Leicester missed out on the three points after Crista Cullen failed to convert a third minute penalty stroke.

STUDENTS GAIN POINTS AT EXPENSE OF CANNOCK

2011-11-13T17:38:00.001Z

The unpredictable results in yesterday's Investec League matches seem to have permeated the Men's England Hockey League matches this afternoon.

Cannock gave Loughborough Students a chance to clear the relegation play-off zone by losing 4-1. The Students stay in seventh place, but they have put space between themselves and Southgate who lost 2-0 at home to Reading. Cannock remain second in the table.

The crazier results were produced by Surbiton and University of Exeter, where the final results was a 1-1 draw, both goals coming in the second half. Bottom place Bowdon, who have had a difficult season, were visited by Hampstead & Westminster, where a Nigel Croke penalty corner secured Bowdon's second win of the season. Final score 4-3.

The match of the day, between East Grinstead and Beeston, was won with a 69^th minute Ashley Jackson penalty corner to finish 3-2 in EG's favour.

Today's Premier Division brought no major changes in the table, although Reading's win moves them up to fourth.

In the North Conference, leaders Sheffield Hallam are still knocking them in, putting seven past mid-table Belper in their 7-1 win at home. Their scoring rate is in excess of five goals per match. At the other end of the table, Deeside Ramblers managed to haul themselves up one place to eighth after a 3-1 win over Barford Tigers, thanks to an Ali Ghazanfar hat-trick.

In the West Conference, Bath Buccs have overtaken University of Birmingham to take the top spot. This followed a 5-0 win over Guildford, whilst the University lost to an improving Havant side, 2-0.

England international Ben Hawes was on form for Wimbledon in their East Conference match against Indian Gymkhana. Hawes scored a hat-trick in his side's 6-0 win. Wimbledon are one point behind the leaders, Canterbury, who recorded a 3-1 win at home against Oxted. Teddington added another three points to their tally when they beat Magpies away, with Warren D'Souza scoring one of their goals in their 2-1 victory.

Full results and tables are now on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk, where you will also find the results of today's matches in the Investec Women's Cup.

LEICESTER MOVE INTO SECOND AFTER A DAY OF CRAZY RESULTS

2011-11-12T18:49:00.001Z

It was a day for some really crazy results in the Investec Women's Premier Division this afternoon.

Possibly the craziest was the 11 goal encounter at Bowdon, where Bowdon Hightown played University of Birmingham. 3-3 at half time, four second half goals from Tina Cullen (2), Sally Walton and Natalie Wray gave the home side a 7-4 win. It was also a good day for the clubs beneath them, with Slough overcoming Olton & West Warwickshire 5-2, and Sutton Coldfield pulling off a surprise win at home to Clifton. Clifton found themselves trailing 3-0 at half time as a result of two goals from Jane Sixsmith and a goal from Sarah Mills, but managed to pull three back in the second half to finish the match 4-3.

Leicester jump from fourth to second after beating the leaders, Reading, 3-2 at home, with a goal from Lucy Brown and two penalty corner strikes by Crista Cullen. Down in Kent, Canterbury got their campaign back on track with a 5-0 win over lowly Cannock. The Staffordshire side have now played eight games without a point, and with a goal difference of -32.

At the top of the East Conference, Surbiton and St Albans remain neck and neck. Surbiton improved their goal difference with a 4-1 win over Oxford Hawks and stay top, whilst St Albans overcame Ipswich 2-1. The situation is similar in the North Conference, where Beeston and Wakefield Bradford are both on 17 points separated on goal difference after Beeston drew 2-2 at home against Louhgborough Students. They swap places with Wakefield Bradford, who lost away to Brooklands Poynton.

In the West Buckingham still enjoy a substantial lead, but they dropped their first points this afternoon when they could only draw 4-4 at Isca, after a second half rally by the home side. Staines drop to bottom after going down 6-3 to fellow strugglers Firebrands.

FULL RESULTS AND TABLES ARE NOW AVAILABLE ON OUR MAIN WEBSITE www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk

READING’S WOMEN WIN BATTLE OF THE SEXES. Summary of today’s action in the England Hockey League

2011-11-06T18:15:00.001Z

In a sense it was the battle of the sexes at Reading this afternoon, and the women came out top. Reading were playing a double header and, unusually, their opponents were both from the same club.

It was an experience that Cannock women would probably prefer to forget. They have already been propping up the table for several weeks without a point to their name. Playing the leaders was always likely to a challenge, but it turned into a disaster. Alex Danson started the ball rolling for Reading with a goal in the first two minutes, but it gave little clue of what was to follow. 15 minutes later Rebecca Halle knocked in a second, and after that the goals just kept coming. Danson's opener was just the first of a hat-trick, with a second from Halle and goals from Liana Smith (2), Helen Richardson, Sam Quek and Jessica Brooker. Final score 10-0 and Reading now lead the Investec Women's Premier League by eight points, whilst Cannock remain rooted at the bottom.

A single goal by Cannock's men was enough to give them the win at Reading and Cannock are now separated on goal difference from leaders East Grinstead. EG used the opportunity of playing bottom-of-the-table Bowdon to consolidate their position with a 6-1 win this afternoon. The match followed the official announcement of their sponsorship deal with the airline Emirates, which must have convinced their sponsors that they'd backed a winning horse.

Hampstead and Westminster demonstrated again that they don't take too many prisoners, with a useful 4-1 win at University Exeter. The Exeter are currently occupying the relegation play-off spot, just behind Southgate who lost 3-0 at home to Beeston. Surbiton have produced some hard to predict results this season but the smart money would have been on them winning against Loughborough Students, which they did, 3-0.

Reading's defeat means they slip down the table to sixth, and Hampstead and Surbiton move up to fourth and fifth respectively.

The North Conference table seemed to be set in stone until this afternoon, when Doncaster's 4-2 win against Preston moved them up from sixth to fourth. The leaders, Sheffield Hallam and Brooklands MU, both had big wins. Hallam's Phil Roper scored five of his side's goals in their 8-1 win against Barford Tigers, and David Seddon accounted for three in his side's 7-0 win over Belper.

In the West, Guildford crept up into fourth place after a 3-1 win at home to Havant, which saw Ian Jennings on the score sheet. Havant drop one place to be replaced in second by Bath Buccaneers, who bit Fareham away 3-2.

Canterbury maintain their lead in the East Conference with a 7-0 win at Bromley & Beckenham, but there was a reshuffling of the leaders when Indian Gymkhana lost 4-2 to Old Loughtonians. Wimbledon took advantage by beating Harleston Magpies 3-2 and move into second place. Old Loughts and Holcombe move up to third and fourth respectively.

FULL RESULTS AND TABLE FROM TODAY'S MATCHES CAN BE FOUND ON OUR MAIN WEB SITE. FOLLOW THE LINK ON OUR HOME PAGE.

SLOUGH WIN BUT FAIL TO MOVE UP. Round up of today in the Women’s Ivestec Hockey League

2011-11-05T18:41:00.001Z

Slough recorded only their second win of the season when they overcame University of Birmingham in the Investec Premier Division this afternoon. Slough had taken a 14^th minute lead, thanks to a penalty corner conversion by Laura Penny, but the University looked to have the game in the bag when Tina Evans and Alice Sharp scored early in the second half. But two goals in less than a minute, with 10 minutes left on the clock, stole the win for Slough. The scorers were Lauren Penny and Alex Scott. Final score 3-2 to Slough. Images from this match will appear on our sister site at www.HockeyImages.co.uk soon.

Slough would have climbed four points clear of the drop zone had it not been for a surprise 3-2 win by Sutton Coldfield at Canterbury. It was Jane Sixsmith who scored the decider there. Clifton climbed back into third place after a 3-2 win over Olton & West Warwicks, two of Clifton's goals coming in the last five minutes.

Leicester continue to clamber up the table and move into fourth after a useful 2-0 win over Bowdon Hightown. This puts three clubs on 13 points, with Olton and Clifton separated only by goals scored.

The top of the East Conference remains tight with Surbiton and St Albans both on 17 points, four points clear of the pack. Surbiton's 5-1 win this afternoon was at the expense of Old Loughtonians, who slump to the bottom of the table. St Albans won 2-0 away at Maidstone.

In the North Conference, Wakefield Bradford have a one point lead at the top. They beat Northampton Saints 4-0, whilst chasing Beeston kept up their challenge with a 3-1 win at Doncaster.

In the West Buckingham have a six point lead over Swansea, with a goal difference of 20 after seven games, helped by a 4-2 win at home to Gloucester City.

FULL RESULTS AND TABLE CAN BE FOUND AT OUR MAIN WEB SITE BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: http://www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk/page51.html.

Latest FIH World Rankings

2011-11-01T17:41:00.001Z

The International Hockey Federation has just announced its latest World Rankings for men and women.

The biggest shock is the relegation of Argentina's women from first to second. Their place is taken by The Netherlands. The demotion takes place after the USA beat Argentina 4-2 in the final of the recent Pan American Games in Guadalajara.

MEN'S RANKING TABLE TOP 10

1. Australia
2. Germany
3. Netherlands
4. Spain
5. England
6. Korea
7. New Zealand
8. Argentina
9. Pakistan
10. India

WOMEN'S RANKING TABLE TOP 10

1. The Netherlands
2. Argentina
3. Germany
4. England
5. China
6. New Zealand
7. Australia
8. Korea
9. Japan
10. USA

ENGLAND HOCKEY LEAGUE ROUND 3 DRAW

2011-10-31T15:46:00.001Z

All matches to be played on Sunday 20 November 2011.

Brighton and Hove	v	Cannock
Bromley and Beckenham	v	City of Peterborough
Brooklands MU	v	Deeside Ramblers
Doncaster	v	Bowdon
Fareham	v	Beeston
Hampstead and Westminster	v	Sevenoaks
Oxford Hawks	v	Canterbury
Preston	v	Southgate

FAREHAM GIVEN FRIGHT BY ST ALBANS. Today’s league and cup results.

2011-10-30T18:27:00.001Z

Most of today's action was in Round 2 of the Men's Cup Round 2, but there was match in the West Conference which saw Guildford beat Whitchurch 1-0 away. This moves Guildford into fourth place, but they have played one more game than all bar Whitchurch.

There were no surprises in today's Cup games, although one or two England Hockey League sides were given a fright by their opponents. TalkHockeyRadio was at Fareham to see the hosts play St Albans. The first ten minutes were not promising, with St Albans taking all of ten minutes to pay their first visit to the home side's twenty-three metre line. Both sides were guilty of sloppy passing, careless trapping, and there were more turnovers than you could make out of a box of apples.

Steve Hurworth's 19^th minute goal for St Albans put a flame under the match, and from that moment on it became addictive watching. Fareham soon recovered, and gained a 3-1 lead thanks to goals from Paul Hilton, Richard Jenkins and Luke Cornish. But St Albans responded strongly and Fareham were on their way out when, at 3-4, Fareham's Craig Peel scored an equaliser, pushing the match into golden goal extra time. It was Peel who settled the issue three minutes into extra time. Final score 5-4 to Fareham. Pictures from this match are on our sister web site at www.HockeyImages.co.uk

Elsewhere, Olton & West Warwicks scored two late goals to reduce Cannock's final win to 3-2, whilst at Rugby and East Warwickshire there was also a late rally against Beeston, who finally won 4-3. Canterbury found themselves trailing 3-2 at West Herts, but a second half hat-trick from David Matthews put the Kent side through to Round 3.

As usual in the early rounds of the Cup, one or two sides came away with uncomfortable results. Brooklands MU beat Didsbury Northern 9-0, whilst struggling Bowdon put ten past Belper for no reply.

Full results can be found here: http://www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk/page51.html.

DRAGONS SCORCH ROTTERDAM by Peter Colwill at the Euro Hockey League in Antwerp

2011-10-23T16:40:00.000Z

In front of a packed house, Dragons provided a final day fairytale when they beat Rotterdam 5-4 to win their group. The winning goal came from a penalty corner scored by Loick Luypaert in overtime. Although Dragons had led 2-0, they were behind 4-3 with only two minutes left when Charles Vandeweghe equalised.

There was no fairytale ending for Banbridge, who produced a spirited performance but lost 5-3 to UHC Hamburg, with Scott Caruth, Bruce McCandless and Stephen Dowds scoring. Montrouge (France) qualified in second place behind Hamburg.

Bruxelles were unable to emulate their opening match comeback and, needing only a draw, lost 4-0 to Campo de Madrid in the final match of Round 1.

READING FIVE MINUTES AWAY FROM DUTCH DRAW by Peter Colwill at the Euro Hockey League in Antwerp

2011-10-23T12:45:00.001Z

Reading lost their second and final group match 2-1 to Amsterdam, who will have the advantage of being group winners in the draw for the last sixteen.

The match was decided by the success of penalty corners. Amsterdam scored from two of their three and Reading just one from eight. Surprisingly it was Robert Tigges who was allowed to strike Amsterdam’s first corner in the tenth minute, a switch which caught the Reading defence cold.

Reading came back strongly, and after Richard Mantell had three corners blocked and two saved, the next one was switched to Simon Mantell who equalised with a well placed shot twelve minutes into the second half.

Although Reading continued to press, Amsterdam snatched the winner five minutes from the end. Taeke Taekema struck with a low flick past Nick Brothers. Reading’s best chance to equalise came in overtime, but Jonty Clarke failed to control a penalty corner re-bound.

JESSULAT SAVES THE DAY FOR ALSTER, Report on today's matches from Round 1.2 of the Euro Hockey League in Antwerp by Peter Colwill

2011-10-22T18:04:00.000Z

Amsterdam’s 10-1 demolition of Irish club Cookstown means that both they and Reading have qualified for the last sixteen of the Euro Hockey League. Mirco Pruyser with five goals and Floris Evers with three led the way. Gareth Cuddy, with a superb deflection of Matthew Rollins’ pass, scored Cookstown’s only goal of the weekend.

Irish hopes rest with Banbridge who simply need to beat Hamburg to qualify. Hamburg beat Montrouge from France 2-0. After an even first half, Hamburg completely dominated the second session, although they had to wait until the 51^st minute to open the scoring.

There was jubilation for Dragons, the host club, who qualified by winning their first match 7-0 against Rotweiss Wettingen from Switzerland. This result also ensures Rotterdam’s qualification.

Club an der Alster ensured their qualification when Julian Hofmann-Jeckel scored a dramatic winner with just over two minutes left, giving his team a 2-1 victory over Campo de Madrid who now need to beat Bruxelles to qualify. Earlier at 0-0 Tim Jessulat saved a penalty stroke from Madrid’s Eduard Tubau.

TOM - A BOON TO BRUXELLES by Peter Colwill at the EuroHockey League in Antwerp

2011-10-21T18:10:00.000Z

Rotweiss Wettingen defender Michael Keller received the biggest cheer of the day when he converted his side’s third penalty corner. The fly in the ointment was that Rotterdam were leading 11-0 at the time. There were four goals for Roderick Weusthof, including a hat-trick in the first 17 minutes, and also 4 goals for Jeroen Hertzberger, their captain.

Bruxelles were the great escape artists. At 5-2 down against Der Club an der Alster and with fourteen minutes left, they put Cedric Buchet on at kicking back and with three minutes left, they pulled level to draw 5-5. Tom Boon scored all their goals, three from penalty corners.
Banbridge were unlucky to lose the opening match 4-3 to French club Montrouge having led 2-1, and will need to beat Hamburg to progress.

Cookstown’s Red Army were the supporters of the day, although the singing award went to Club an der Alster.

The schedule of tomorrow’s matches has changed and the start time of the first match (UHC Hamburg v CA Montrouge) is now 11.15 CET.

THREE GOAL WATTS STRIKES FOR READING by Peter Colwill at the Euro Hockey League Round 1.2 in Antwerp

2011-10-21T13:24:00.000Z

Reading cruised to a comprehensive 5-0 victory against Cookstown from Northern Ireland in their opening match of Round One of the Euro Hockey League in Brasschaat near Antwerp this afternoon.

Richard Mantell converted two penalty corners for a 2-0 interval lead. The second one, which went in off the underside of the bar, was an absolutely superlative effort. Andy Watts increased the lead with an open-play hat-trick scored in a twenty minute spell in the second half. Jonty Clarke, who played in midfield and made a scintillating run for Watts’ second goal, shot wide earlier when well placed, and Iain Mackay also wasted a good scoring opportunity. Reading had five penalty corners and, although Mantell put one wide, two others were well saved by Ian Hughes.

Reading have a day off before meeting Amsterdam but will have qualified for the last sixteen unless Cookstown beat Amsterdam on Saturday.

CANNOCK DROP THEIR FIRST POINTS

2011-10-16T16:13:00.001Z

There was one match in the Premier Division of the Women's Investec League and a full programme of matches in the men's England Hockey League.

The one women's match was the rearranged fixture between Bowdon Hightown and Reading. On the result rested the opportunity for Reading to reclaim their top spot, surrendered to Olton yesterday. Goals from Jessica Brooker, Helen Richardson and Scots international Laura Bartlett were enough to give Reading a 4-1 win and a return to the top of the table. Bowdon's goal was scored by Natalie Wray, although it could have been two had not Beth Storry saved a 43^rd minute penalty stroke from Tina Cullen.

In the men's Premier, Cannock remain top, although they dropped points – their first of the season – when they could only draw 1-1 at East Grinstead. Southgate lifted themselves off the bottom of the table with a surprise 1-0 win over Surbiton. Southgate's scorer was William Cottam. Their place is taken by Bowdon who lost 1-2 at home to Reading.

Hamptead & Westminster move up one place after beating Loughborough Students at home, 4-0. Flushed with success from last weekend's EuroHockey League, Beeston beat University of Exeter 5-0. The result gives Beeston a meteoric rise in the table from eighth to third.

In the Conferences, in the North Sheffield Hallam keep their 100% record with an 8-2 win over Preston. There were even more goals at Brooklands when they beat visitors Deeside Ramblers 6-5. In the East it's all change again as David Matthews scored five of Canterbury's goals in their 6-3 win again Indian Gymkhana. This morning's leaders, Holcombe, suffered a 5-2 reverse at home to Oxted. Another high scoring match in the East saw a 4-4 draw between Teddington and City of Peterborough. Former England and GB penalty corner specialist Callum Giles accounted for three of Teddington's goals, two from corners.

In the West Conference, Whitchurch, who held the top spot for two weeks before slipping back to second, slipped down the table to sixth after losing 2-0 at Guildford. University of Birmingham retain their lead with a 2-1 win at Cardiff.

PLEASE NOTE THAT WE HAVE MOVED THE RESULTS AND LEAGUE TABLES TO OUR MAIN WEB SITE AT WWW.TALKHOCKEYRADIO.CO.UK. You can find the results and tables at http://www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk/page51.html.

OLTON OVERNIGHT LEADERS IN INVESTEC LEAGUE

2011-10-15T17:42:00.001Z

TalkHockeyRadio was at Polo Farm this afternoon to see Canterbury play host to Clifton in the Investec Premier Division. Clifton, who have had an impressive start to the season, were lying in third place this morning, and the opening exchanges suggested that they were intent on improving on that position. Georgie Twigg, the star up front for Clifton, gave her side a 17^th minute lead from a well worked penalty corner, but the sides went in at half time at 1-1 after Canterbury new girl Charlotte Craddock equalised.

The two sides appeared evenly matched but, as the game progressed, Canterbury seemed to have the edge and they were rewarded with a winner from Lucy Hyam with ten minutes of play left. Canterbury's win promotes them one place up the table to fourth, whilst Clifton drop two places to fifth.

Olton are the overnight leaders in the Premiership after a 3-1 win over Sutton Coldfield, thanks to a hat-trick by Emma McCabe. However, this may only last until tomorrow afternoon when Reading play Bowdon Hightown. A win by Reading will move them back into the top spot.

Two of the Premier Divisions big name clubs continue to struggle, with Slough and Leicester only managing a 1-1 draw. Slough remain in eighth place – unfamiliar territory for them – whilst Leicester remain in sixth. University of Birmingham move up to third place from fourth after beating bottom club Cannock 4-1.

In the East Conference, Surbiton move into the top place after their 5-0 win over bottom placed Horsham. This morning's leaders, Ipswich, slip to third after being beaten by Sevenoaks. In the West, Buckingham remain the only side in the Investec League after a 4-0 win over Staines.

Photographs of the match between Canterbury and Clifton are on our pictures web site at www.HockeyImages.co.uk

INVESTEC WOMEN'S LEAGUE RESULTS AND TABLES FOR 15/1O/11:

Women's Premier Division

Cannock	(0)	1	-	4	(3)	University of Birmingham
Jess Wood 57 - F						Liz George 6 35 - F F Ashlie Caddick 27 49 - PC PC

Slough	(1)	1	-	1	(1)	Leicester
Natalie Bell 32 - F						Katie Long 8 - F

Canterbury	(1)	2	-	1	(1)	Clifton
Charlotte Craddock 31 - F Lucy Hyams 60 - F						Georgina Twigg 17 - PC

Sutton Coldfield	(0)	1	-	3	(1)	Olton & West Warwicks
Celia Butler 49 - PC						Emma Mccabe 21 58 63 - F F F

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Olton & West Warwicks	5	4	1	0	17	4	13	13
2	Reading	4	4	0	0	7	0	7	12
3	University of Birmingham	5	3	1	1	16	11	5	10
4	Canterbury	5	3	0	2	11	10	1	9
5	Clifton	5	2	1	2	10	6	4	7
6	Leicester	5	2	1	2	7	10	-3	7
7	Bowdon Hightown	4	1	1	2	9	11	-2	4
8	Slough	5	1	1	3	6	9	-3	4
9	Sutton Coldfield	5	1	0	4	9	18	-9	3
10	Cannock	5	0	0	5	3	16	-13	0

Women's Conference East

Horsham	(0)	0	-	5	(1)	Surbiton
						Chloe Strong 33 61 - PC PC Vicky Bryant 48 55 - PC PC Abi Robinson 69 - F

Ipswich	(1)	1	-	2	(1)	Sevenoaks
Faye Curran 6 - F						Nicola Lloyd 28 - F Heather Batten 52 - PS

Maidstone	(1)	1	-	5	(1)	Oxford Hawks
Cara Jones 30 - PC						Beth Warne 17 68 - F F Kathryn Poulter 38 - PC Henri Coles 42 - PC Anna French 62 - F

St. Albans	(1)	2	-	1	(1)	Chelmsford
Sarah Cullum 5 - F Kerri Lendon 38 - PC						Julia Butterworth 16 - F

Harleston Magpies	(0)	1	-	0	(0)	Old Loughtonians
Anouska Hipperson 38 - PC

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Surbiton	5	4	1	0	11	1	10	13
2	St. Albans	5	4	1	0	10	4	6	13
3	Ipswich	5	3	1	1	9	4	5	10
4	Oxford Hawks	5	3	0	2	13	5	8	9
5	Sevenoaks	5	2	1	2	10	6	4	7
6	Harleston Magpies	5	2	1	2	5	7	-2	7
7	Maidstone	5	1	2	2	4	10	-6	5
8	Old Loughtonians	5	1	1	3	4	10	-6	4
9	Chelmsford	5	1	0	4	6	13	-7	3
10	Horsham	5	0	0	5	2	14	-12	0

Women's Conference North

Wakefield Bradford	(1)	4	-	3	(0)	Beeston
Cat Horn 7 68 - F F Heather Stafford 47 - F Gwen Smith 67 - F						Rebecca Eaton 36 - F Nikki Ward 40 - F Hannah Wraith 54 - F

Brooklands Poynton	(2)	3	-	1	(1)	Loughborough Students LHC
Helen Armishaw 14 35 - PS PS Laura Evans 65 - F						Kate Hewitt 6 - F

Doncaster	(3)	5	-	0	(0)	Northampton Saints
Lisa Garbutt 8 61 - F F Charlotte Tomlin 19 46 - F F Emma Pledge 35 - F

Liverpool Sefton	(0)	0	-	3	(2)	Whitley Bay and Tynemouth
						Emma Foster 20 - F Gabrielle Foster 25 - F Helen Jack 55 - F

Springfields	(1)	3	-	5	(4)	University of Durham
Kate Ollerenshaw 9 - PC Holly Stringfellow 39 - PC Leanne Sharples 48 - F						Louisa Boddy 2 - PC Harriet Moore 6 49 - PC F Elisa Filarmonico 26 - F Rose Winter 31 - F

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	University of Durham	5	3	2	0	22	6	16	11
2	Wakefield Bradford	5	3	2	0	9	6	3	11
3	Beeston	5	3	1	1	19	9	10	10
4	Doncaster	5	3	1	1	12	10	2	10
5	Loughborough Students LHC	5	3	0	2	14	4	10	9
6	Brooklands Poynton	5	3	0	2	15	7	8	9
7	Whitley Bay and Tynemouth	5	2	0	3	10	14	-4	6
8	Liverpool Sefton	5	1	0	4	4	12	-8	3
9	Springfields	5	1	0	4	5	21	-16	3
10	Northampton Saints	5	0	0	5	3	24	-21	0

Women's Conference West

Buckingham	(3)	4	-	0	(0)	Staines
Fiona Farley 12 35 - F F Joelle Weston 19 - PC Kitty Higgins 64 - PC

Exe	(0)	0	-	0	(0)	Trojans


Isca University	(0)	0	-	0	(0)	Gloucester City


Swansea	(1)	2	-	0	(0)	Barnes Hounslow Ealing
Bridget Radice 19 - PC Carys Hopkins 67 - F

Team Bath Buccaneers	(1)	2	-	4	(0)	Firebrands
Dani Black 12 - F Zoe Shipperley 69 - PC						Holly Savage 48 - PC Sophie Fynn 51 - F Kathryn Bache 54 61 - PC PC

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Buckingham	5	5	0	0	20	4	16	15
2	Isca University	5	3	2	0	12	2	10	11
3	Swansea	5	3	0	2	12	8	4	9
4	Barnes Hounslow Ealing	5	3	0	2	7	7	0	9
5	Exe	5	2	2	1	11	7	4	8
6	Gloucester City	5	1	3	1	8	9	-1	6
7	Firebrands	5	1	2	2	12	15	-3	5
8	Team Bath Buccaneers	5	1	0	4	5	16	-11	3
9	Trojans	5	0	2	3	2	8	-6	2
10	Staines	5	0	1	4	3	16	-13	1