England U21 and U16 squads were in action over the weekend. On Saturday England’s U21 men played the third and final test match against Belgium U21. Alastair Brogdon scored from open play in the opening minutes but the lead was wiped out by a Belgian penalty stroke in the 26th minute. Two goals in the closing stages of the first half, one from Jon Kinder from a penalty corner and the other from Peter Dobson in open play, enabled England to take a 3-1 lead into the second half. Jon Kinder scored his second just after the restart to give England a well-deserved 4-1 win. England lost the series 2-4, 2-3, 4-1.
In the EuroHockey Youth Nations Championships in The Hague on Sunday, England’s U16 girls were beaten 2-1 in the final by the Netherlands to take the silver medal. England had got off to a cracking start when Holly Brown converted a penalty corner in the second minute but a Dutch goal in each half gave a final score of 2-1 in favour of the hosts. The previous day England had reached the final via a super match against Spain, with goals from Holly Brown, Kate Maxie, Chloe Hunnable and Sophie Crosley. Final score 4-0. Final ranking: 1. Netherlands, 2. England, 3. Spain, 4. Ireland, 5. Belgium, 6. Czech Republic, 7. Lithuania, 8. Italy. England’s U16 boys did not fair as well as the girls, after finishing 3rd in their pool but managing to top the relegation pool and secure a final 5th place. Final ranking: 1. Netherlands, 2. Belgium, 3. Spain, 4. Russia, 5. England, 6 Ireland, 7. Austria, 8. Italy.
