LEE RESIGNS AS WOMEN'S COACH

Jason Lee has resigned as the head coach of the England women's team England Hockey announced today. The following is the text of the England Hockey Press Release:

England Hockey can today announce that Jason Lee has left his role as Head Coach of the women’s national team.

England Hockey would like to place on record its gratitude and appreciation for the work by Jason Lee as Head Coach of both the men’s and women’s national teams. He has been an excellent ambassador for the sport of hockey throughout his years working with England Hockey.

After a difficult Hockey World Cup tournament in June, and a review process, Lee is standing down from his position and leaves with the mutual consent of England Hockey. 

Lee represented England and Great Britain as an athlete prior to his coaching career – he made his international debut for England at 19 and represented Great Britain at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics. 

He retired from playing after the 1998 World Cup and embarked on a coaching career with Loughborough Students and England. When he coached Great Britain at the 2004 Athens Olympics, he was just 33 and one of the youngest national coaches in any British sport.

As men’s Head Coach, Lee’s England team won a Gold medal at the European Championships for the first time in 2009. He also took Great Britain to the Athens Olympic Games in 2004, Beijing in 2008, and to London in 2012 where the team finished fourth. 

Lee took over as women’s Head Coach following the 2012 Olympic Games, and guided them to a Silver medal at the EuroHockey Championships in 2013, as well as a Bronze medal at the FIH Hockey World League Finals the same year.

England Hockey Chief Executive Sally Munday commented: “We would like to thank Jason for his hard work and dedication as coach of both national sides. He has made an outstanding contribution to England and Great Britain’s hockey teams over a coaching career of more than ten years.”

Jason Lee commented: "I would like to thank those who took a chance appointing me as Head Coach back in 2003. It has been an honour to take teams to three Olympics and three World Cups.  It has been very disappointing that the last major event turned out as it did.  I wish my successor all the very best and hope that both Great Britain teams can make it to Rio."

England and Great Britain Performance Director, and former women’s team Head Coach, Danny Kerry will take charge of the team temporarily and this will cover the Commonwealth Games.   

Recruitment for a new England and Great Britain women’s Head Coach will commence immediately.E

OUR DAILY REPORTS FROM THE WORLD CUP (WHICH WERE ON OUR HOME PAGE) ARE NOW HERE.....

DAY 14 MEN'S FINAL

Well that’s the World Cup done and dusted for the next four years.  The headline news is that The Netherlands had a taste of their own medicine in the men’s final, going down to Australia 6-1, this despite scoring first.

Readers will probably be more concerned at the fortunes of England in the bronze medal match.  To be honest England was disappointing. Although possession was fairly evenly divided between the two sides, England failed to make anything of their opportunities.  On the other hand, the Argentines did not play their usual flambouyant style of hockey, and they would have punished England severely if they had.  As it was, Matias Parendes struck twice in less than two minutes mid-way through the second half to give Argentina a 2-0 win.

Overall, despite finishing fourth, England’s performance has not impressed. However, we take some comfort from coach Bobby Crutchley’s comments at the post-match press conference.  There were no excuses and an acceptance that improvements were needed.  A refreshing attitude from the coach.

OTHER RESULTS:

MEN'S 5th/6th place: Belgium 4 Germany 2
MEN'S 7th/8th place: Spain 1 New Zealand 1 (NZ win after shoot-out).

DAY 13 - WOMEN'S FINALS TODAY

WOMEN'S FINAL: Netherlands 2 Australia 0
Bronze medal match: Argentina 2 USA 1
PICTURES FROM BOTH THESE MATCHES ARE NOW ON OUR PICTURES PAGES.
Other results:
Men's 9th/10th place: India 3 Korea 0
Women's 5th/6th place: New Zealand 4 China 0
DAY 12 - MEN'S SEMI FINALS TODAY:
Men's Semi-final 1: Netherlands 1 England 0

It may be unkind to suggest that England are flattered by this score, but if it had not been fort some sterling work in defence, and particularly by George Pinner in goal, we could easily have seen a repeat of the infamous Olympic semi-final. 

A fast and skillful team, the Dutch made the running for most of the match, giving England little opportunity to mount a meaningful attack.  In fact it is much to England’s credit that their defence held firm for all of 31 minutes before Mink van der Weerden found the net from a penalty corner.

England seemed to gain more possession in the second half and were awarded a handful of penalty corners, none of which were converted. More importantly England’s defence held firm and denied the Dutch any further goals. The match ended 1-0 to the Dutch.

Unfortunately, despite a brave effort, there seemed to be light years between the Dutch and English, particularly when it came to individual skills.  And a problem we’ve seen in the women’s squad, namely giving away the ball too cheaply, was all too evident. 
It looks as if England will be playing Argentina for the bronze medal on Sunday. Keep an eye on our results for confirmation.
Second men's semi-final result: Australia 5 Argentina 1

Other results:
Women's 9th/10th place: Japan 0 South Africa 2
Men's 7th/8th place: Korea 4 Germany 2

DAY 11 RESULTS

Women's 11th/12th place: England 1 Belgium 1 (England won after shoot-out)

The match ended in a win for England but there was virtually no celebration.  Not only had England finished 11^th – their worst ever World Cup performance – but they did not win their last match in a very convincing style.

Sophie Bray’s 16^th minute goal had given England a slim lead for almost the entire match, but just as we thought the match was won, Belgium was awarded an overtime penalty corner.  Although there was an appeal to the video umpire, a goal was eventually awarded to Stephanie De Groof.

The resultant shoot-out proved a not very convincing affair for either side. Only three of the nine attempts resulted in goals.  Fortunately two scored by England, from Sally Walton and Susie Gilbert, and some typically fine ‘keeping from Maddie Hinch, were enough to give England the win.
Now the recriminations and investigations will start.  For the world’s third ranked team to finish 11^th is a mystery that needs some explanation.

Men's 11th/12th Place: Malaysia 2 South Africa 6.
Women's Semi-Final 1: USA 2 Australia 2 (Australia win after shoot-out).
Women's Semi-Final 2: Netherlands 4 Argentina 0

WEDNESDAY IS A REST DAY
DAY 10 RESULTS:
WOMEN'S POOL A: ENGLAND 3 GERMANY 1

Despite an amazing performance against Germany this afternoon, England’s women have finished at the bottom of Pool B and will play Belgium on Thursday for the dubious privilege of coming 11^th, their worst ever World Cup result.

What makes the whole thing more concerning is that England performed creditably against Argentina two days ago, albeit that they lost, and really showed some class against the Germans.  What went wrong in the three preceding matches?

In today’s match a goalless first half, which showed no signs of who would emerge winners, was followed by two England goals early in the second.  The first goal showed some coolness on the part of the scorer, Hannah Macleod.  Having a shot at goal potentially blocked by Barbara Vogel in the German goal, she executed a full turn to slip the ball past two defenders.  Susie Gilbert followed up with a second only five minutes later.

German fans were stunned when Susannah Townsend scored England’s third soon after, although Hannah Kruger pulled one back almost immediately. 

The last 14 minutes were tense ones for both sides.  Germany has not performed well in this World Cup, although they have done somewhat better than England. But England managed to hold on to their 3-1 lead and that is how the match ended.
England men play their semi-final on Friday. Tomorrow is a rest day.  England’s semi-final opponents will almost certainly be The Netherlands.
WOMEN’S POOL B FINAL STANDINGS: 1. USA 13pts (+11), 2. Argentina 11pts (+7), 3. China 8 pts (-1), 4. Germany 4pts (-6), 5. South Africa 3pts (-5), 6. England 3 pts (-6).

OTHER RESULTS:
MEN'S POOL B: Argentina 5 South Africa 1
WOMEN'S POOL B: Argentina 1 China 1
WOMEN'S POOL B: USA 4 South Africa 2.

DAY NINE RESULTS:

ENGLAND MEN BEAT BELGIUM 3-2 TO REACH SEMI FINALS. IMAGES ARE ON OUR PICTURES PAGE.

I must confess that the problems that the women are experiencing almost overshadowed the fact that England’s men were in with an outside chance of reaching the semi-finals.  Belgium only had to draw the final pool match against England to go through to the medal stage and consign England to a fifth place play-off.  Belgium certainly had all the credentials to reach the last four.  But I sensed something different about the England squad as they paraded out onto the pitch.  They seemed more relaxed than their Belgian opponents.

England started the match well enough, but went behind to a 13^th minute goal from Thomas Briels.  Fortunately English hearts were lifted after less than two minutes when a long run from Nick Catlin (our man of the match) saw the ball smashed into the Belgian goal to equalise.

Four minutes into the second half and a cross evaded Xavier Reckinger in the Belgium goal, and Ashley Jackson was there to deflect the ball into the net to give England the lead.  I spotted mum and dad in the stands. They must have been proud.

The last ten minutes saw frantic activity at both ends, but a penalty corner resulted in a Belgian equaliser from Tanguy Cosyns.
With four minutes left to play, England were awarded a penalty corner, which was stopped illegally on the line, and Iain Lewers stepped up to make the conversion and give England the lead.

The dying moments of the game saw England defend a series of penalty corners, but the defence held firm and England emerged as the 2-3 winners.
England will probably play The Netherlands in the semi-final depending on the outcome of today’s matches.

Pool A final table: 1. Australia 15 pts (+18), 2. England 10 pts (-1), 3. Belgium 9 pts (+5), 4. Spain 5 pts (-3), 5. India 4 pts (-5), 6. Malaysia 0 pts (-14).

Other results:
Women's Pool A: New Zealand 0 Australia 0
Men's Pool A: Australia 4 India 0
Women's Pool A: Netherlands 3 Korea 0
Men's Pool A: Spain 5 Malaysia 2
Women's Pool A: Japan 2 Belgium 2

DAY EIGHT RESULTS:

WOMEN'S POOL B: ENGLAND 1 ARGENTINA 2

We never viewed the England women as a bad team, but rather as a good team playing badly. There was some evidence of this in their penultimate match this afternoon.  Playing good old-fashioned unsophisticated hockey, they managed to take a seventh minute lead against Argentina thanks to Georgie Twigg.

Delfino Merino evened the scores just before half-time, and the second-half was almost scoreless save for two overtime penalty corner awards, the second of which was slotted home by Carla Rebecchi.

Earlier in the tournament coach Jason Lee made the unfortunate comment that when you are on the edge of a precipice there is only one way to go.  Perhaps if England can play like this in their final group match on Tuesday (against Germany) the landing will be a soft one.
England men play Belgium tomorrow evening.

Other results:

Men's Pool B: New Zealand 3 Germany 5
Women's Pool B: USA 4 v Germany 1
Men's Pool B: South Africa 1 Netherlands 7
Women's Pool B: China 4 South Africa 3
Men's Pool B: Korea 0 Argentina 5
DAY SEVEN RESULTS
MEN'S POOL A: ENGLAND 0 AUSTRALIA 5

Don’t panic anyone.  A 5-0 scoreline is not good, but Australia were on fire and any other nation would have struggled to hold them.  15 goals in four games tells its own story. This Australian squad are amazing.

The match reminded me of the final of the Champions Trophy between the two sides a few years back when Australia played at such a pace that England could not keep up with them. It was the same today. Some inexperience on the part of England did not help matters, and at best it might have reduced the score by a goal or two.  It was a terrific game to watch. It is a pity that it was England under the cosh.

Matt Gohdes started proceedings with a goal in less than 60 seconds. Twelve minutes later it was the turn of Liam De Young, followed just before half-time with goals from Jamie Dwyer and Kieran Govers.  England arrested what could easily have become a rout, with Aran Zalewski scoring  Australia’s only second half goal.

Our prediction, with one remaining match to play (against Belgium on Monday evening) is that England will finish third in the pool.  A little disappointing but reasonably respectable.  The women will be playing Argentina tomorrow, hoping to take something away from what has been a disastrous tournament for them.

Women's Pool A: Korea 4 Belgium 2
Men's Pool A: Spain 2 Belgium 5
MEN'S Pool A: India 3 Malaysia 2
Men's Pool A: Japan 1 New Zealand 4
Women's Pool A: Australia 0 Netherlands 2
DAY SIX RESULTS:
SOUTH AFRICA 4 ENGLAND 1

It was the worst result I think I have ever witnessed from an England women’s team. Two decades of writing about hockey has made me used to the changes of fortunes of both the men’s and women’s squads, but a 4-1 defeat at the hands of one of the lowest ranked teams in the World Cup is a bit of a shocker.

It is hard to pin down exactly what went wrong. For the first 15 minutes it was anyone’s game, but Kathleen Taylor scored a 17^th minute goal and any self-belief that England had seemed to evaporate.

In the post match press conference coach Jason Lee seemed to be saying that the two sides were equally balanced. That is not how it looked from my end of the pitch near the South African goal, where there was little to disturb the peace and quiet for long periods.  South Africa’s second, scored by Sulette Damons just before half-time seemed to finish England off, and two more goals in the second half from Shelley Russell and Dirkie Chamberlain just added to their misery.

There was a flurry of activity from England during the second half which saw Nicola White score, and a very good goal it was too, but England needed to play like that for the entire match.

Dubbed by some the ‘Zebra Trophy’ (both teams are sponsored by Investec), the defeat will require some work from Jason Lee to pick his team’s spirits up. This was not their finest hour.

Other results:
Women's Pool B: China 0 USA
Women's Pool B: Germany 0 Argentina 3
Men's Pool B: New Zealand 1 Argentina 3
Men's Pool B: Korea 0 South Africa 0
Men's Pool B: Germany 0 Netherlands 1

DAY FIVE RESULTS:

After a hesitant start to this tournament, England’s men find themselves in the fortunate position of remaining unbeaten after three matches and with seven points in the bag, which puts them in second position in Pool A.

They brought their tally of points to seven as a result of the match against Malaysia this afternoon.  Although a win was expected, there were signs of an improvement in the side and a 2-0 win probably under-represents their performance. The return of Iain Lewers to the squad after injury was perhaps a major factor.

England’s first goal came after only four minutes off the stick of Mark Gleghorne, and England had to wait until the closing minutes before scoring their second.  Ashley Jackson, the scorer from a penalty corner, was visibly in pain after the strike, and it has clearly taken more than a few rest days to restore him to full fitness.

England men face their toughest test when they meet Australia on Saturday in their penultimate match.  The Australians beat the much fancied Belgians this afternoon to keep them at the top of the table on nine poin

Pool A table currently looks like this (Revised 6/6/14): 1. Australia 9pts (+9), 2. England 7pts (+3), 3. Belgium 6pts (+3),  4. Spain 2pts (-3),  5. India 1pt  (-2), 6. Malaysia 0pts (-10).

England’s women, who watched the men play this afternoon, face South Africa tomorrow.

Women's Pool A: Belgium 2 Australia 3
Women's Pool A: Korea 1 Japan 1
Men's Pool A: Belgium 1 Australia 3
Women's Pool A: New Zealand 0 Netherlands 2
Men's Pool A: India 1 Spain 1.
WEDNESDAY WAS A REST DAY
DAY FOUR RESULTS:
ENGLAND WOMEN LOSE 0-3 TO CHINA

England women’s faltering hopes of reaching the medal stages took a nose-dive today as they were comprehensively beaten by China.  England got off to a good enough start to the match, with plenty of pressure on their opponents’ defence, but China turned on the pressure in the second half with three good goals

It was not so much that England played badly (although accurate passing still seems to be an issue), so much as China played well. Indeed, it is the best we have seen them play for a long time.

Final score 3-0 to China.  England now have zero points after two matches and stand fifth in the table. PICTURES FROM THIS MATCH ARE ON OUR PICTURES PAGES.
Women Pool B: South Africa 1 Germany 3
Men's Pool B: South Africa 0 New Zealand 5
****Men's Pool B: Argentina 1 Germany 0*****
Women's Pool B: Argentina 2 USA 2
Men's Pool B: Netherlands 2 Korea 1
DAY THREE RESULTS
ENGLAND 2 INDIA 1

Phew!  It was a skin of the teeth sort of match.  I don’t think I have seen the Indian side play as well for a long time, and you almost felt sorry that such a good effort came to nought. But it was England they were playing and so I suppose the match had a happy ending.  The damage was done by England at penalty corners, with a 27^th minute strike from Mark Gleghorne starting things off.  But India managed to even out the scores when Dharamvir Singh found the net soon after.

The two sides could hardly be more evenly matched, but as the seconds ticked down England were awarded a penalty corner.  Ashley Jackson, who has been suffering here from a problem shoulder, dropped to the ground in pain as he powered the ball towards the India goal, but all eyes were on Simon Mantell who drilled the ball home.  Final score 2-1 to England, but…..phew lads!  You kept us on the edge of our seats.

England men play Malaysia on Thursday. England women face China tomorrow.

Women's Pool A: Australia 3 Japan 2.
Men's Pool A: Australia 3 Spain 0.
Women's Pool A: Korea 1 New Zealand 0
Men's Pool A: Malaysia 2 Belgium 6
Women's Pool A: Netherlands 4 Belgium 0

DAY TWO RESULTS
LATEST FROM DEN HAAG - DEFEAT FOR ENGLAND WOMEN IN OPENING MATCH.
Women Pool B: England 1 USA 2.

You could have been forgiven for thinking that the USA had been studying carefully the strengths and weaknesses of the England women.  But perhaps they did not need to. After all, their coach Craig Parnham was once England’s assistant coach. But England themselves made a significant contribution to their own defeat with some badly misjudged passing. There also seemed to be a return to an old England failing, namely losing the ball to an outstretched stick.

The USA got off to a bright start with an early goal from Paige Selenski after only three minutes.  You could have put this down to a flash in the pan – how many times have I seen the team that scored first lose badly in the last few months – but Kelsey Kolojejchich made it 0-2 twelve minutes later.

The second half saw a little more action from England and they managed to force a penalty corner in the 56^th minute which was converted by Kate Richardson-Walsh.  But this was not a good performance and England will have to raise their game to stand a chance of a medal.  That said, coach Jason Lee commented after the game that it could be a wake-up call for England, and we have seen what that can produce in the past.

England Women’s second match is against China on Tuesday.

PHOTOS FROM THIS MATCH ARE NOW ON OUR PICTURES PAGES, plus pictures from Germany v South Africa.

Other Results

Men Pool B: Germany 4 South Africa 0
Women Pool B: Germany 1 China 1
Men Pool B: New Zealand 2 Korea 1
Women Pool B: Argentina 4 New Zealand 1

DAY ONE RESULTS
It may qualify as one of the oddest goals I've ever witnesses in a hockey match.  England men got off to a cracking start against Spain with Ali Brogdon scoring after only six minutes.  England seemed well in control, but two minutes into the second half Eddy Tubau took a shot from the edge of the 'D' which had George Pinner well beaten.  The umpire signalled for a 16 yard hit and we all breathed a sigh of relief.  There was near silence from the spectators and very little noise from the pitch, but the Spanish asked for the video umpire.  A few minutes later umpire Gary Simmonds signalled for a goal, and it was 1-1.  And that was how the match ended. England coach Bobby Crutchly tried to make light of the one point earned at the post match press conference, but he could not hide his disappointment.   England play India on Monday in their second match, and England women play their opener against the USA tomorrow (Sunday).
Men Pool A: Australia 4 Malaysia 0
Women Pool A: New Zealand 4 Belgium 3
Men Pool A: Belgium 3 India 2
Women's Pool A: Netherlands 6 Japan 1
PHOTOS FROM ENGLAND V SPAIN PLUS BELGIUM WOMEN V NEW ZEALAND ARE ON OUR PICTURES PAGES.

LEICESTER TAKE EURO TROPHY

Despite taking a second minute lead, Leicester were too good for Izmaylovo in the final of the Women's European Champions Trophy. Goals from Hannah Fair, the second from the penalty spot, gave Leicester a 1-2 victory.

LEICESTER IN WOMEN'S FINAL

Leicester women will play Russian champions Ismaylovo in the final of the Women's European Club Champions Trophy in Loughborough later today.

Yesterday a single goal from Leicester's captain, Vanessa Hawkins, against Sumchanka was enough to give her side a 1-0 win over their opponents to leave them seven points clear at the top of Pool B.

LEICESTER LEAD POOL B IN EURO TROPHY

Two first half goals from Kerry Whitehead were enough to give Leicester a four points lead at the head of Pool B after the second day of play in the European Club Champions Trophy at Loughborough. Playing Spanish side Complutense, the final score was 1-2 in favour of Leicester.

In the other Pool B match Royal Antwerp were beaten 1-6 by Sumchanka.

Pool B after two matches: 1. Leicester 10 pts (+3), 2. Sumchanka 6 pts (+4), 3. Complutense 6 pts (+0). 4. Royal Antwerp 1pt (-7).

LEICESTER OFF TO FLYING START IN CLUB CHAMPIONS TROPHY.

Far from the disappointments of the World Cup, Leicester women have got off to a superb start in the Women's Club Champions Trophy at Loughborough.

Penalty corner goals from Jo Hunter and Vanessa Hawkins gave the English side a 2-0 win over Belgian contenders Royal Antwerp.

Other results:
Victorya Smolevechi 0 Izmaylovo 8
Loreto 3 Metrostroy 2
Complutense 1 Sumchanka 0.

PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU CAN FIND WORLD CUP REPORTS AND RESULTS ON THE HOME PAGE OF OUR WEB SITE AT WWW.TALKHOCKEYRADIO.CO.UK. WE WILL BE COPYING THESE REPORTS INTO THE NEWS BLOG AT THE END OF THE TOURNAMENT,

BELGIAN SIDES FAIL TO MAKE FINAL. Report on today in Eindhoven.

We had picked out Germany’s Harvestehuder as the side most likely to succeed in this season’s Euro Hockey League, but 53 minutes into their semi-final match against Racing Club Bruxelles the bronze medal play-off match beckoned.

After a week of bright but chilly days, it was warm sunshine in Eindhoven for the last four.  And it was a bright morning for Racing Club Bruxelles’ fans as their number 13, Jonathan Beckers, found the net from two first half penalty corners.  For most of the half, and indeed the second half, Racing Club looked much the more promising of the two sides.  But there is something in the German DNA which tells them never to give up, and they didn’t.

It was another number 13 and another penalty corner that got Harvestehuder back into the game. This time it was the FIH Player of the Year, Tobias Hauke.  The Germans wasted no time to build on this, with a Xaver Hasum field goal two minutes later.

With the match looking as if it were heading for a shoot-out, Michael Korper scored the winner six minutes from time.

Attendances, which have been disappointing in Eindhoven, took a turn for the better when the host club, Oranje Zwart, took on KHC Dragons.  The Dragons have a noisy and passionate group of fans, whilst the Dutch were playing on their own ground. 

For some reason KHC Dragons usual blitzkrieg tactics did not seem to work against Oranje Zwart, who managerd to play a far more measured and controlled style of hockey. However, it took the Dutch an entire first half before they could find the net, just before the hooter. The scorer, Jelle Galema. 

Although the domination was not absolute, it was apparent that Oranje Zwart were getting the better chances and they were rewarded with a Mink van der Weerden goal six minutes into the second half. Gabriel Dabanch put the game beyond doubt by scoring their third 12 minutes later. And that was how the match ended, 0-3 to Oranje Zwart.

Spare a thought for the Belgians.  When the Euro Hockey League started seven seasons ago, the Belgians were regarded as outsiders with only two teams in the league.  They now have three, two of which met each other in the last eight, and now with two sides were in the last four.  It is, by any measure, a remarkable achievement.

SPANISH KNOCKED OUT IN ROUND THREE. Reports from today's European action.

With the English interest eliminated, today’s action allowed the remaining Brits in Eindhoven to relax and enjoy the hockey.  However, although we have yet to do the maths, there are still ranking points to consider and the possibility that England could be relegated to two entries in next season’s Euro Hockey League.

England’s interests would be best served by the Spanish not progressing any further, and the first match of the day involved Club de Campo playing Harvestehuder. The Germans look one of the potential Champions playing this week, and did a reasonably comprehensive job on Club de Campo.  But it was the comic way in which the match ended that makes the match memorable.

We are grateful to Ross Bone of ‘Top of the D’ fame for being close to the incident and being able to pass on his observations. Harvestehuder were leading 1-3 when they were awarded an overtime penalty corner.  Tobias Hauke was seen saying something to Xavi Trenchs in the Club de Campo goal, which we believe was to tell him that the shot would be a soft one.  However, clearly nobody told Michael Korper, who slammed the ball home against a surprised and somewhat casual defence.  Trenches expressed his anger very visibly against Hauke, who thankfully managed to calm things down.  Final score: 1-4 to Harvestehuder.

The second match of the day was the all-Belgian meeting between Waterloo Ducks and Racing Club de Bruxelles.  The Belgians have had a really outstanding tournament here, with all three of their clubs reaching the last eight.  The Brussels club dominated the match, with the Duck’s goals both coming from penalty strokes.  Final score: 2-4 to Racing Club.

Harvestehuder and Racing Club Bruxelles meet each other in the first Semi-final on Sunday. Tomorrow is a rest day.

The day’s third match turned into a cracker, despite the two sides being divided by the match’s only goal. Captain Felix Denayer’s goal just before half-time in the game against Rotterdam, means that KHC Dragons are the second Belgian side to reach this season’s Semi-finals.

Dragons will meet the hosts, Oranje Zwart, who beat the second Spanish club, Real Club de Polo de Barcelona, on a shoot out after the match ended goalless at the end of normal time. 

Meanwhile, in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Reading’s women were taking part in the Club Champions Cup. There they met Germany’s Uhlenhorster. Reading were able to take a 58^th minute lead, thanks to a goal from Susie Gilbert, but the Germans managed to take the match to shoot-out after Vivian Tahal converted a penalty corner in the final seconds.  Reading went on to lose the shoot-out 3-2.

Under the new format, the winner of that match goes straight to a Semi-final, which is due to be played on Sunday.  Uhlenhorster will play Amsterdam, who beat Atasport 9-0 earlier in the day.

The other Semi-final will be between Real Sociedad of Spain and the hosts, Den Bosch. Real Sociedad beat Berliner 0-1, whilst Den Bosch beat Railway Union 0-7.

On Saturday Atasport play Reading, and Berliner play Railway Union.  This is for ranking points only.

THREE ALL OUT. Today's matches in the Euro Hockey League KO16 in Eindhoven.

No England team will be competing in the KO8 of the Euro Hockey League this season after Reading, Beeston and Surbiton were each knocked out of Round 2 in Eindhoven today.

Surprisingly, the best effort probably came from new-boys Surbiton, who took on the hosts, Oranje Zwart. 0-1 down after only two minutes when Gabriel Dabanch opened the scoring, Surbiton regained some shape as the match progressed, and 15 minutes later Rob More scored an equaliser.

The sides seemed equally matched, until in the second half Oranje Zwart took control of the game and added two more to their tally thanks to Rob Reckers and Mink van der Weerden. Final score, 3-1 to Oranje Zwart.

Earlier we had seen Beeston get off to a promising start with a goal scored within seconds of the starting whistle being sounded.  We are curious to know whether this is an EHL record. The scorer, as you would expect from Beeston, was Sam Ward. But just before half-time Nicolas Vandiest equalized for the Ducks, and scored a second eight minutes into the third quarter.

The last ten minutes saw four goals scored.  Alexandre De Paeuw and Gilles Jacob brought the Ducks’s score up to 4-1, before Beeston went through a mini revival which saw San Ward reach his hat trick, with goals in the 66^th and 69^th minutes. Final score, 4-3 to the Ducks.

One black spot in the match was an injury to skipper Adam Dixon, who was felled by a crunching tackle which saw him leave the pitch for treatment.  He returned later but took no further part in the match.

Reading, England’s most experienced European campaigners, had a poor match against old adversaries, RC Polo de Barcelona.  Barcelona went into the second half leading 3-0, and although Andy Watts and Nick Catlin scored to put a potential win on the cards, Reading were sunk by a 69^th minute Xavier Blanco gaol. Final score, 4-2 to Barcelona.

In today’s other match, Racing Club Bruxelles progress though to the last eight after winning their match against Rot-Weiss Koln on a shoot-out decider.

Round 3, sometimes called the KO8, is played tomorrow, and sees three Belgian, two Spanish, two Dutch and one German team fighting it out for a place in Sunday’s Semi-finals. Quite apart from the disappointment of not reaching the last eight, England are in danger of losing their status as a country that has three entrants into the League. Belgium will maintain or increase their ranking points, whilst Spain has got both its clubs though to the last eight.

Tomorrow’s matches are:

Club de Campo v Harvestehuder
Waterloo Ducks v Racing Club de Bruxelles

Rotterdam v KHC Dragons

Oranje Zwart v RC Polo de Barcelona

DRAGONS PROVIDE ACTION ON CHILLY DAY. Lastest from the KO16 in Eindhoven.

It has been a bright but chilly day in Eindhoven for the first day of the KO16 of the Euro Hockey League. Unfortunately there was little action on the pitch to warm us up but, as is often the case, there was an exception.

The last match of the day was the much awaited meeting between the Belgians of KHC Dragons and the Dutch side from Utrecht, Kampong.  Dragons always play fast attacking hockey and today was no different. What added a bit of spice to the match was the fact that Kampong had clearly decided to meet fire with fire, which led to some great action on the pitch.

Jerome Saeys 40^th minute goal for Dragons turned out to be the equaliser and the match ended in normal time at 2-2, forcing the match to a shoot-out.

Early misses in the shoot-out competition by Kampong’s Lawrence Docherty and Sander de Wijn meant that Dragon’s fifth attempt, taken by Felix Denayer, proved to be the winner; 3-4 to Dragons.

Dragons will meet Rotterdam on Friday in the KO8. Rotterdam had a 6-1 win over Grunwald Poznan earlier today.

The all-German meeting this afternoon between Harvestehuder and Uhlenhorst Mulheim had promised much, but provided little in the way of entertainment.  That finished 1-0 to Harvestehuder and they will play Club de Campo on Friday in the KO8.  Club de Campo had a relatively easy 5-0 win over St Germain.

Tomorrow is the day in which an English club is involved in all but one of the four matches.  Reading take on Polo de Barcelona in the morning and, after a one match break, this is followed by Waterloo Ducks vs Beeston, and then by the host club Oranje Zwart playing Surbiton.

PICTURE FROM TODAYS MATCHES ARE AT www.HockeyImages.co.uk.

READING ARE CROWNED CHAMPIONS. Results from today's play-off matches.

In only their fourth season in the England Hockey League, Surbiton were this afternoon crowned the Investec Women’s League Champions at the play-offs at Reading. 

Their Final, against Canterbury, got off to the very best of starts when a penalty corner award resulted in Emily Atkinson scoring with less than two minutes of play on the clock. But, despite generally dominating the match, goals did not come easy, and it was not until 18 minutes into the second half that they scored their second. Hollie Webb was the scorer from a penalty corner. Jenna Woolven made it a third for Surbiton, giving them a 0-3 victory and the Women’s Championships. 

Earlier, Reading had taken third place after a match which showed every sign of becoming  a goal blitz, with Clifton on the receiving end of the blitz.  Becky Halle scored a hat trick, with other goals from Alex Danson (2) and Jess Brooker.  Final score 0-6 to Reading.

In the Promotion Play-offs Buckingham managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat by confounding form and winning their final match against Sutton Coldfield 2-0. But it was a close run thing, and Sutton Coldfield might count themselves as unlucky in not keeping their Premier Division status. Buckingham’s scorer was Zoe Shipperley and both were from penalty corners. 

Buckingham will be joining Holcombe in the Premier Division next season. It was already a done deal before this morning, but the Kent side put their stamp on the promotion table by running riot against Brooklands Poynton, beating them 2-8.

Final Promotion Tournament table: 1. Holcombe 7 pts (+12), 2. Buckingham 6 pts (+0), 3. Sutton Coldfield 4 pts (-1) 4. Brooklands Poynton 0 pts (-11). Holcombe and Buckingham are promoted.

Away from Reading there were important Relegation Tournament matches. In the NOW:Pensions Men’s League Brighton beat Khalsa 3-4 and stay in the League. In the Investec Women’s League. Boots lost at home to Chelmsford, and Chelmsford retain their East Conference status. 

We expect to have Pictures from Reading on our sister web site at www.HockeyImages.co.uk some time tomorrow.