NE14HOCKEY RSS News Feed for Wales

Promote your festival for free

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 06:24:03 -0000

Get new teams to your 2009 Festival or event

Whenever or wherever your festival is in 2009 it is always nice to have new teams as visitors, and it can always help boost the fund raising.

One of the main reasons NE14Hockey came into being was to help clubs to promote their events and help the fun side of hockey continue the tradition of the end of season bash. Promoting your event on the site is completely free unless you want to splash out on a banner add which we will design and publish for you for just £20. In the event listing you can enter in as much information as you want to, Detail the accommodation, promote the fun or competitive element and attract new teams to your part of the hockey world.

All you have to do to get your event details on the site is register as a basic member that's free as well and you can add in the details of your event. We will publish it on the site within a day or so. Alternatively if you don't want editorial control then send us an e-mail and we will enter the details for you.

To see how it could look here is the information for Canterbury Easter Festival 2009

Basic membership gives you access to our messaging system so you can keep in touch with your friends and other members. It also allows you to write news stories about your team or club, and help keep the hockey world informed about your region or country. You can also take part in our competitions and events, more news of which will be made in January.

The season end will soon be upon us so get your event on the site now

2009 will be a big year

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 04:36:19 -0000

Our revamp and upgrade is almost complete and we are about ready to announce our big event for 2009. It will be something you wont want to miss and we will announce the details in January once final arrangements have been made.

Look out for a new competitions after Christmas and chances to win a free website design for your club and free hosting for a year. This will give you the opportunity to get your club on the world wide web and make it easier to communicate to your existing members and attract new ones.

Just like other social network sites you can contribute to NE14Hockey at any time, so use the Forums, news create options, and club information areas whenever you want.

It only remains to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and we hope you continue to visit the site during 2009, and we will hope to see you in August at our event and charity fund raising.

GB Youth results from Spain

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 04:16:53 -0000

GB mens and ladies Youth sides warmed up in Spain with two matches a piece before they head off to the Youth Olympic Festival in Australia.

The match reports can be seen by clicking on the fixture

Spain U21 2 v 1 Great Britain Youth 2008-12-16 14:00
No Venue | Friendly (National U21 Men) | Match Report(s)

RC de Polo de Barcelona 4 v 1 Great Britain Youth 2008-12-16 18:00
No Venue | Friendly (U18 Boys) | Match Report(s)

Club Egara U18 11 v 0 Great Britain Youth 2008-12-17 18:00
No Venue | Friendly (U18 Boys) | Match Report(s)

Spain U21 4 v 2 Great Britain Youth 2008-12-18 11:00
No Venue | Friendly (National U21 Men) | Match Report(s)

YOUR CLUB website is waiting

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 12:45:00 -0000

If your club website is a little tired and needs an update, or you haven't got a site at all then CLUB-TRIX is the system for you and your teammates. To see the two club sites that have launched the system go to THE CLUB-TRIX SITE

The fixture and results pages link directly to NE14Hockey and so the information can be easily updated, and only done once. If you have a site already and would just like the results and fixture pages then we can offer you just a widget that will sit on your site and provide the information. CLUB-TRIX is a flexible and easy to use system designed just for field hockey teams, so there are no sections you don't need and nothing that needs adapting to our sport.

As many people in your club as you need can be given editing and administration rights so the job of writing match reports and keeping the site topical does not fall to one person. To be an administrator you just need to register on Ne14Hockey as a basic member, which of course is FREE, so why not do it today and get your club on the world wide web.

The best bit is that you don't need a degree in computing to use the systems. We will help you in the early stages if you have any problems getting used to the navigation and getting round the site. The match reports and news are as easy to write as e-mails and creating fixtures and putting in results is quick and simple too.

The design of the site is FREE but if you need us to host it for you then there will be a small charge for that and for the domain name

If you are interested in a site or a results widget then in the first instance contact us at sales@ne14hockey.com. We will get back to you either by e-mail or telephone whichever you prefer.

GB funding incresed for 2012

Thu, 4 Dec 2008 03:15:13 -0000

UK Sport, which funds the Olympic and Paralympic sports for their elite activities today announced that hockey would be receiving £14.1m for the four year period 2009-2013 for the build up to and preparation for the London 2012 Olympics. At about £3.5m per annum this is about a 25% increase on the annual funding that was provided for the recent Olympiad.

Richard Leman, President of Great Britain Hockey and a gold medallist from the 1988 Olympics said:

This is fantastic news for hockey. I am delighted the progress that we have made over the last few years has been recognised by UK Sport and that they have backed us with sufficient funding to deliver the necessary athlete support, run the right number of training camps and be able to participate in all the relevant tournaments in the next few years. We are aiming high for London 2012 and this will give us the tools to give our committed elite players the best opportunity for success.

Competing on home soil in 2012 will be a tremendous incentive for our athletes and I know that the whole group and the coaching support team will do their utmost to deliver success in 2012.

Team sports do require a high base level of funding for them to function and we are all appreciative that the government has backed UK Sports Mission 2012 programme.

Philip Kimberley, Executive Chairman England Hockey, which has the dual responsibility of preparing the squads on behalf of Great Britain Hockey said:

Im delighted with this funding news; for the last three months there has been a lot of uncertainty as to whether such funding would be forthcoming and we have lobbied hard both publically and behind the scenes. Now we can get down to the business of implementing our plans for the next four years.

I know that our fifth place finish for the men and sixth for the women in Beijing has given us a strong platform from which to build. Of the 33 athletes that went to Beijing, 26 went for the first time and many will be competing for 2012 places. This increased funding will enable us to give our athletes that little bit more support to put everything they need in place to maximise their chances of success.

GB youth head for OZ

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 01:26:27 -0000

The British Olympic Association (BOA) today announced the 16 women and 16 men who will compete for Team GB in hockey at the fifth Australian Youth Olympic Festival (AYOF) in Sydney in January. Two travelling reserves have also been named for each squad.

Four members of the 2007 GB Youth womens team will are set to return to Australia to defend the title they won two years ago. Laura Bartlett, Susie Gilbert, Maddie Hinch, and Sarah Page were all present in the side that won Gold after beating the hosts 4-2 in the final, while two more members of the 2009 squad, Katie Long and Dilly Newton, were travelling reserves on that occasion.

Laura Bartlett comes into the squad on the back of competing for Great Britain at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, where she replaced the injured Jennie Bimson for the games against Japan, USA and Australia. In addition to senior international Bartlett, Susie Gilbert has 12 Great Britain caps from her time in the senior training squad prior to the Beijing Olympics. She was also part of the BOAs Britains Olympic Ambition programme in the summer.

Of the 16 men only Nick Catlin and Gordon McIntyre have previous AYOF experience having been part of the side that won Silver two years ago after losing out to Australia in the final on penalty strokes after a 2-2 draw. However, the squads experience is bolstered by travelling reserve Tom Millington who also competed in Sydney in 2007 and Kenny Bain, who was a reserve that year.

In a youthful mens squad, where more than half of the athletes will still be eligible for the AYOF in 2011, Nick Catlin is the only full GB senior international having played against South Africa and Canada in January 2008 in Durban.

Mens Head Coach Bobby Crutchley has been pleased with how his young side has come through the selection process. The squad have shown a good work ethic which will stand them in good stead for these challenges, he says.

The AYOF gives potential senior GB players the opportunity to experience some of the pressures of the real thing, having to adapt to extreme travel and climate demands along with playing against some of the best under 21 teams in the world.

Speaking about his womens squad, Head Coach Craig Parnham is in no doubt as to the test that awaits them in Sydney. The Australian Youth Olympic Festival offers the squad a fantastic opportunity to experience a number of new situations. For the majority, playing competitive matches outside of Europe will be a first. The experience of playing against different opposition, all with differing styles and tactics, will help in their development and hopefully their progression to senior national teams and ultimately the pride of representing GB at future Olympic Games.

For a number of the squad, playing hockey for Great Britain runs in the family. Ross Stotts brother Niall played for Great Britain at the 2004 Athens Olympics and was an accredited reserve in Beijing; Simon Faulkners father David was a member of the 1988 Olympic Gold medal-winning side in Seoul; Chris Greggs father Terry played for Great Britain at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich while Lewis Prossers father Dave also played for Great Britain.

On Monday 15 December the squads will travel to Terrassa, just north of Barcelona, for a four day training camp and a series of matches against Spain U21s. They will then depart for the preparation camp at Macquarie University, Sydney, on Thursday 1 January ahead of the AYOF, which runs from 14-18 January. Great Britains fixtures for the tournament are yet to be confirmed.

As well as the athletes, Great Britain Hockey is sending two young umpires to officiate at the 2009 AYOF. Both Hannah Sanders and Paul Walker have risen through the ranks of England Hockeys National Young Umpire Promising List while Paul was the 2007 Young Umpire of the Year.

The purpose of the AYOF is to provide future Olympic athletes with an environment reminiscent of an Olympic Games and to promote the Olympic ideals of friendship, solidarity and fair play. Of Great Britain Hockeys 2007 youth teams, Ashley Jackson, Laura Bartlett and Charlotte Craddock all went on to compete at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

In order to mirror Olympic rules the two additional athlete places are given accreditation as travelling reserves in case of injury.

The two squads are as follows.

Great Britain Youth Womens Squad for 2009 AYOF

Laura Bartlett (Scotland & Milne Craig Western)
Sophie Bray (England & University of Birmingham)
Susie Gilbert (England & University of Birmingham)
Takara Haines (England & Trojans)
Jenny Hall (England & Canterbury)
Maddie Hinch (England & Loughborough University)
Katie Long (England & Leicester)
Dilly Newton (England & Clifton)
Sarah Page (England & University of Birmingham)
Harriet Pearce (England & Clifton)
Lauren Turner (England & Leicester)
Georgie Twigg (England & Clifton)
Laura Unsworth (England & Loughborough University)
Becky Ward (Scotland & Dundee Wanderers)
Hollie Webb (England & Cannock)
Nicky White (England & Loughborough University)

Reserves

Sophie Robinson (Wales & Leicester)
Amy Gibson (Scotland & GHK)

Great Britain Youth Mens Squad for 2009 AYOF

Ben Arnold (England & Beeston)
Kenny Bain (Scotland & Kelburne)
David Beckett (England & Loughborough Students)
Nick Catlin (England & Loughborough Students)
David Condon (England &Loughborough Students)
Richie Dawson-Smith (England & Bowdon)
Marc Edwards (England & Loughborough Students)
Simon Faulkner (England & Loughborough Students)
Chris Gregg (England & Loughborough Students)
Johnny Kinder (England & Fareham)
Gordon McIntyre (Scotland & Kelburne)
Lewis Prosser (Wales & Team Bath Buccaneers)
Ian Scanlon (England & Hampstead & Westminster)
Martin Scanlon (England & Loughborough Students)
Ross Stott (Scotland & Kelburne)
Henry Weir (England & Loughborough Students)

Reserves

Gavin Byers (Scotland & Menzieshill)
Tom Millington (England & Loughborough Students)

Ali McGregor GB Hockey Athlete of year

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 11:51:13 -0000

Goalkeeper Alistair McGregor has been named by Great Britain Hockey as its Athlete of the Year 2008.

The award is presented to the member of the Great Britain Olympic team deemed to have been the top performing athlete of the year.

McGregor began his goalkeeping career at home in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, after initially beginning life out field. After he refused to pass to his teammates Alis coach gave him a choice; sit out of practice or put on the pads. Thankfully the young McGregor chose the pads and has not looked back since, working his way up through the Scotland ranks at all age groups before making his senior debut against India in 2001. He currently has 82 caps for Scotland.

The 27-year-old PE teacher first appeared for Great Britain as a half time substitute against the Netherlands on 23rd October 2007 as GB went down 3-1 in Eindhoven.

After helping GB secure Olympic Qualification at the qualifying tournament in Chile in March, McGregors World Class performances in Beijing helped Great Britain to their best Olympic finish since winning Gold in 1988, with only Germany, Spain and the Netherlands conceding fewer goals in the Pool stages.

Speaking about what it means to be only the third recipient of the award, Ali was quick to praise the contribution of his Great Britain teammates. Obviously it is a massive honour to be named GB Athlete of the Year, he said. Its a great privilege but I certainly dont play for individual rewards. This is a credit to the entire team and the way we have played this year.

I think the fact that Im the first male recipient just goes to show how well the guys performed in Beijing and is testament to the success we achieved in finishing fifth.

Great Britain Mens Coach Jason Lee echoed McGregors comments: The team certainly played above the expectations of most of the World this year, and to my mind that was predominantly because of the combination of good ability and exceptional commitment from the group. None of the players exemplified this more than Ali McGregor. Having watched him closely over the last few years, he has made numerous match changing saves for Scotland and Great Britain.

In just a year, McGregor has been capped 29 times for Great Britain and he will be hoping to add to his collection with London 2012 already looming large on the horizon.

Moving forward, hockey has received a massive boost from the men and womens accomplishments at the Olympics. The medal success of Team GB has provided a massive lift for the nation but it will be a tough next four years for athletes with dreams of competing in London.

People dont see the effort that goes into preparing for a tournament like the Olympics; the early mornings and the gruelling training commitments. It is every athletes dream to compete at an Olympic Games in their own country but it will be a long road to reach that destination.

After the intensity of the past year, Great Britains Athlete of the Year is taking some time away from club commitments and is putting his Beijing experience to good use; Ive been doing a lot of coaching since I got back. When I was younger I would have loved to have been able to receive coaching from a current international. Im keen to give something back.

McGregor will return to domestic action with his club, Loughborough Students, after Christmas in preparation for Scotlands EuroHockey Nations Trophy campaign next summer.

Site Navigation Hints

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 01:11:40 -0000

Navigation round the site

We have had some feedback that people are finding it a little daunting with so many sections to the site so here is a little guidance to help you find your way around.

Firstly all the icons along the top of the page has an explanation of what each one does if you hover over it with your mouse.

Latest International and National News

The best place to look is on the home page or on your chosen country page, for example en.ne14hockey.com. If you want news about your club click on the gold shield club search icon, type in the club name and there is a link in the left hand box to the club news section. If you select your team from within your club you will find team specific news there. News of events your team might have been in will have a tag link from the event if the organiser linked it. If not go to the event listing to see if news has been written there. The event link is the calendar one. If you want to see every news item by date then the rolled newspaper icon will take you to our news archive.

Club/Team Listing

We only have a small number of clubs listed for most countries other than UK at the moment. If you want to add your club just go to the club page again and use the add my club link on the left. The form is easy and quick to fill in and once we make the entry live you can add teams to the listing so you can then add fixtures and match reports.

Entering Fixtures

If you want to enter fixtures or results for your team there are two ways to do it. Friendlies are entered via the team fixture page by clicking on the add link at the top right of the page. Click on the gold shield to search for your club then on teams to select the team you want.

Click on fixtures in the left hand menu and then add. Fill in the fixture details and save. Each time you enter a fixture it will refresh so you can edit it and check it. Click add again if you want to add another fixture straight away. Select confirmed from the drop down box at the end of the form if its a game in the future or played if its a result. Selecting played will let you enter the scores and automatically list the game as a result.

League fixtures should be added through the league page of the league you play in. The league icon is the fourth one in. Enter the league name in the search box on the left and choose the division you are in. Then use the fixture link on the left as before and the add link on the right to add your fixture The system will automatically enter the fixture/result in the right league.

Match Reports

Match reports should be linked to individual fixtures. To find a fixture look at your team within your club listing and then choose results in the left hand sub menu. Click on the arrow and that will take you to all the information there is on that game including the squad that played if that has been put on the system by someone at your club. If you click on fixtures when you are on the club page you will see all the remaining fixtures for every team in the club that we have fixtures for. Click results in the left hand box to see all the results for a club or team. If there is no match report write it yourself and sing about your own good performance.

Everything is checked before publishing

To avoid the problems some other social networks have of rubbish clogging up the system everything you write will first go into draft form for us to look at. If anything should get through by accident and offends please let us know and we will remove it and the individual responsible will be contacted and possibly removed as per our T&C's.

GB Under 21 Training Squads

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 02:10:55 -0000

Great Britain Hockey has today announced the mens and womens youth training squads (Under 21 age group) in preparation for the 2009 Australian Youth Olympic Festival.

The two squads will take part in a series of training camps in October, November and December prior to competing in the Youth Olympic Festival from 14-18 January in Sydney, Australia.

Included in the initial twenty athlete womens squad is Scotlands Laura Bartlett who was a member of the Great Britain senior team that finished sixth at the Beijing Olympics in August.

Talking about Bartletts selection Craig Parnham, Head Coach for the Womens Programme said, We have trimmed the training squad to 20 athletes who will participate in the next two training camps prior to the 16 being chosen to represent Great Britain at the 2009 Australian Youth Olympics. Included in the squad is Laura Bartlett who was not at the assessment as she was resting following her participation in the Beijing Olympics. Lauras training ethic and commitment will be a good indicator to the younger members of the group as to what is needed to become a Senior International.

Speaking after announcing his slightly larger training squad, Bobby Crutchley, Head Coach for Mens Programme said, Following the GB Youth Assessment camp we have selected a group of 22, including five players who travelled to Sydney for the 2007 Australian Youth Olympic Festival. The squad are aware that their understanding of, and ability to implement, the Great Britain style of play will be key to making the final squad of 16.

At the previous Australian Youth Olympic Festival in January 2007 Great Britains women returned home with Gold medals after beating the hosts 4-2 in the final. Last time out, the GB Youth men took Silver after narrowly losing out to Australia 7-6 on penalty strokes in the final.

After the November training camp at Bisham Abbey, the two squads will be trimmed to 16 athletes plus a further two reserves. As was the ruling at the Beijing Olympic Games, the reserves will travel to the tournament along with the final squads and may be used to replace players who withdraw from the squads due to injury.

GB Youth Mens and Womens Programme 08-09

10-12 October 2008 Training Camp Bisham Abbey
14-16 November 2008 Training Camp Bisham Abbey
15-18 December 2008 Training Camp Spain
1-19 January 2009 Australian Olympic Youth Festival Sydney, Australia

GB Youth (M) v AUS, MAS, NZ
GB Youth (W) v AUS, KOR, NZ

GB Youth Womens Training Squad

Laura Bartlett (Milne Craig Western & Scotland)
Sophie Bray (University of Birmingham & England)
Amy Gibson (GK) (GHK & Scotland)
Susie Gilbert (University of Birmingham & England)
Takara Haines (Trojans & England)
Jenny Hall (Canterbury & England)
Maddie Hinch (GK) (Loughborough Students & England)
Gemma Ible (GK) (Clifton & England)
Katie Long (Leicester & England)
Dilly Newton (Clifton & England)
Sarah Page (Millfield School & England)
Harriet Pearce (Clifton & England)
Sophie Robinson (Leicester & Wales)
Susie Townsend (Canterbury & England)
Lauren Turner (Leicester & England)
Georgie Twigg (Cannock & England)
Laura Unsworth (Loughborough Students & England)
Becky Ward (Dundee Wanderers & Scotland)
Hollie Webb (Cannock & England)
Nicky White (Loughborough Students & England)

GB Youth Mens Training Squad

Ben Arnold (Beeston & England)
James Bailey (GK) (Old Loughtonians & England)
Kenny Bain (Kelburne & Scotland)
David Beckett (Loughborough Students & England)
Gavin Byers (Menzieshill & Scotland)
Nick Catlin (Loughborough Students & England)
David Condon (Loughborough Students & England)
Richard Dawson-Smith (Bowdon & England)
Marc Edwards (Loughborough Students & England)
Simon Faulkner (Loughborough Students & England)
Chris Grassick (Inverleith & Scotland)
Chris Gregg (Loughborough Students & England)
Chris Griffiths (Stourport & England)
Johnny Kinder (Fareham & England)
Gordon McIntyre (Kelburne & Scotland)
Tom Millington (GK) (Loughborough Students & England)
Lewis Prosser (Team Bath Buccaneers & Wales)
Ian Scanlon (GK) (Hampstead & Westminster & England)
Martin Scanlon (Loughborough Students & England)
Ross Stott (Kelburne & Scotland)
Henry Weir (Loughborough Students & England)
Tom Woods (Exeter University & England)

We're almost finished

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 01:06:02 -0000

We are carrying out final testing and clearing up one or two bugs and then you will be able to add your news and fixtures. You will be able to create squads for games and add in goals and cards to produce league tables of the great and the good.

We hope you will enjoy using the features and help us build a resource that will help our sport worldwide. We have added a translation feature so our overseas friends can understand and read the site more easily.

Hockey World Rankings

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 09:12:43 -0000

After much deliberation the ranking system has undergone a few changes. Now that the results of the Olympic hockey tournament and qualifying events now entered into calculations, the updated ABN AMRO WorldHockey Team Rankings have a few changes.

In the men's rankings, Olympic Champions Germany claim the top spot, overtaking Australia, and Spain - thanks to their Beijing Silver - overhaul the Netherlands into third place. Korea stay in 5th place, while England climb from 8 to 6, New Zealand move from 11 to 7 and Belgium from 12 to 10 thanks to their participation and good final rankings in Beijing. On the down ward trend are Argentina who drop from 6 to 9 and India slip from 9 to 11. Neither qualified for the Olympic hockey tournament.

For the women, the top three remain the same, with World and Olympic Champions the Netherlands ahead of Argentina and Germany. Olympic Silver lifts China from 6th into 4th place, at the expense of Australia and Japan, who both slip one place down. Spain hold on to 7th place, while England climb one into 8th place, the USA climb two spots to take ninth, and New Zealand - courtesy of a disappointing performance in Beijing - drop three places from 8 to 11.

The biggest mover in the women's Top 30 is Wales, who, jump 12 places, moving from 41 into 29 to put qualification for the 2010 Commonwealth Games very much within reach.

Men's Top 20 Ranking

Germany
Australia
Spain
Netherlands
Korea
England
New Zealand
Pakistan
Argentina
Belgium
India
Japan
Canada
South Africa
Malaysia
China
France
Ireland
Poland
Egypt

Women's Top 20 Ranking

Netherlands
Argentina
Germany
China
Australia
Japan
Spain
England
United States
Korea
New Zealand
South Africa
Azerbaijan
India
Ireland
Italy
Chile
Ukraine
Netherlands Antilles
Canada

Ireland Wales Results

Mon, 8 Sep 2008 01:26:23 -0000

Saturday 6th, Cardiff, Wales MEN

Wales 3 v 2 Ireland HT 1-0 | 2008-09-06 16:00
Welsh Institute of Sport (Sophia Gardens) | Wales vs Ireland Series (National Mens) | Match Report(s)

Ireland's senior men today took on Wales in the first of two matches to be played this weekend in Cardiff, Wales in what can only be described as an exciting physical contest. There were few goal scoring chances in the opening fifteen minutes but it was the home side who had the first opportunity when they hit the cross bar in the 18th minute. Ireland replied in the 19th minute with a well taken penalty corner strike but the on form Welsh Keeper kept his sheet clean.

Wales opened their account in the 34th minute with a controversial short corner where the goal from Huw Jones was initially disallowed but after consultation and appeals the goal was allowed stand for a one nil lead a half time for Wales.

Half Times Ireland 0- 1 Wales

Ireland started brightly in the second half and equalised in the 37th minute after Mickey Watt and McConnell combined to lay on the ball for Jason Lynch who spun and hit the ball on the reverse low into corner of the net.

Ireland took the lead in the 39th minute when Lynch got his second by taking ball along around the defender and flicked the ball over the sprawling keeper. Wales equalised on the 49th minute with a reverse stick shot by Oliver Cooper. Cooper secured Wales' victory in the 60th minute when he deflected the ball into the net from a set piece play outside the circle.

"This was a good performance by Ireland considering the youthfulness of the squad and the short amount of time they have trained together, it was a good team performance and we look forward to tomorrow's match." commented Manager Peter Jackson.

Saturday 6th, Cardiff, Wales WOMEN

Wales 2 v 1 Ireland A HT 1-0 | 2008-09-06 14:00
Welsh Institute of Sport (Sophia Gardens) | Wales vs Ireland Series (National Ladies) | Match Report(s)

Ireland A Women's team today played their first of a double header this weekend in Cardiff, Wales and put in a fine performance that impressed senior coach Gene Muller.

The home side were quick off the mark and immediately put the girls in green under pressure by winning a short corner in the 8th minute but the Irish defence led by keeper Vicki Green in goals held strong. Only twelve minutes later Green was once again called into action when Ireland were caught on the break giving Wales a one on one, but Green was on form and met the striker at the top of the circle to prevent a direct shot. The resulting free in found Carys Hopkins in the right place to deflect the ball in to give Wales a one nil lead.

Ireland had a number of good chances to equalise before the break and excellent attacking style from Delaney and Watkins presented opportunities but an on form Welsh keeper kept a clean slate.

Half Time Ireland 0 - 1 Wales

Ireland came of the traps fast in the second half and only four minutes in were awarded a penalty corner, Michelle Harvey proved her marksman abilities with a low drag flick, levelling the sides. Moments later Ireland looked sure to take the lead with a Colvin free in finding Elkin, who today captained the side, for a deflection that was once again saved by an on form Welsh keeper.

But it was the Welsh who finally found a way through to copperfasten their victory in the 23rd minute when a goal mouth scramble and numerous deflections eventually resulted in a goal for Alys Brooks for the 2 -1 lead.

Despite dominating the remainder of the half and some great shots from Watkins and Daly the equalising goal continued to elude the girls in green as the Welsh battened down the hatches and ran the clock down. But this Ireland A side have much to be proud of and will be given another chance to taste victory tomorrow when they take on Wales again at 11am.

Commenting after the game was Senior Women's Coach Gene Muller "We played really well today and created quality chances I was surprised at some of our play it was creative and flowing if we play like this again tomorrow we will have a chance at a result"

Sunday 7th, Cardiff, Wales WOMEN

Wales 4 v 5 Ireland A HT 2-1 | 2008-09-07 11:00
Welsh Institute of Sport (Sophia Gardens) | Wales vs Ireland Series (National Ladies) | Match Report(s)

Ireland started brightly taking an early lead, when an on form Connery intercepted a Welsh ball to deliver straight to Elkin at the top of the circle, whose first time strike found the back of the net to open Ireland's account. Just two minutes later Wales cancelled out Ireland's lead with a fast break finding the attackers in behind the Irish defence for Dawn Mitchell duly converting to draw her side level. Only six minutes later Wales took the lead with a carbon copy of their first goal this time Beth Fisher sneaking in behind the defence to give her side the edge at two one.

The girls in green continued to push hard for the equaliser before the break but three penalty corners yielded no goals.

Half Time: Ireland 1 - 2 Wales

Wales didn't take long to extend their lead, catching Ireland on the hop just one minute after play resumed, and Ireland were punished for their lapse in concentration when Carys Hopkins scored Wales third goal of day. The girls in green were not content to trail and displayed their goal scoring prowess by netting three goals in four minutes to give them a four three lead. Two goals came courtesy for Cork's Aine Connery who looked calm in attack at one point flicking the ball high over the oncoming keeper in a one on one. Frazer gave Ireland the lead once again when Elkin broke free down the right to deliver a pin point pass for an easy tap in by Frazer for the 4-3 lead.

Wales began to pile the pressure onto Ireland but some good keeping by Stevenson during the set piece penalty corner's kept the Welsh at bay, but Ireland were exposed once again in the 60th when a long ball through again found the Welsh attackers in behind the Irish defence this time Sophia Robinson was on hand to convert and again draw the sides level at four all. With just four minutes remaining Ireland set up for their final penalty corner of the day, with Michelle Harvey stepping up to display her marksman abilities and convert with a low drag flick to seal the win for Ireland.

Senior Women's Coach Gene Muller was obviously pleased with the performance from this A side "It was a thrilling match and we did well to win from three one down. We scored some very well worked goals from open play and the team were very excited with their performance."

Sunday 7th, Cardiff, Wales MEN

Wales 2 v 2 Ireland HT 0-1 | 2008-09-07 14:00
Welsh Institute of Sport (Sophia Gardens) | Wales vs Ireland Series (National Mens) | Match Report(s)

Ireland took on Wales today in the second of a double header weekend. The boys in green opened strongly with the majority of possession in the opening quarter of the game. Ireland opened their account in the 20th when Darling collected the ball at the top of the circle to slip passed two defenders for a reverse hit shot to roof it into the net.

Both sides exchanged short corners but neither side converted and the first half closed out one nil to Ireland.

Half Time Score: Ireland 1 - 0 Wales

Ireland again opened strongly winning a number of short corners and their persistence finally paid off in the 57th minute when Darling scored a brace and doubled Ireland's lead from a deflected short corner.

Shortly after Ireland were reduced to ten men, when Shaw got sent to the bin for 14 minutes. Wales took advantage of the sending off when Huw Jones deflected in a short corner on the 59th minute. Ireland were again reduced by another man when David Ames was sent off for an unfair challenge but Ireland managed to mop up the pressure of playing with just nine men until Wales were awarded another short corner in the 67th minute they took their chance to level the score when marksman Oliver Cooper converted on the set piece.

"Overall this was a positive weekend for this young squad. They proved themselves today when the odds where against them, and were unfortunate not to come away with a more positive result." commented Manager Peter Jackson.

GB find 2nd half form

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 10:31:37 -0000

South Korea 2 v 5 Great Britain HT 0-0 | 2008-08-23 11:00
Beijing Olympic Green Stadium | Beijing Olympics (National Mens) | Match Report(s)

Great Britain achieved fifth-place their best Olympic finish since the Gold Medal winning performance of 1988 and three places above than their world ranking of 8 with a 5-2 victory over world no.5 Korea, condemning the 2000 Silver Medallists to their heaviest defeat of the tournament. A brace from Readings Jonty Clarke together with goals from Barry Middleton, Ashley Jackson and Glenn Kirkham secured the win for the hard-working British side.

Great Britain started what was a goalless first-half well, dominating the early period of play, and won their first penalty corner in the 2nd minute, but Richard Mantells strike was wide of the mark and in the 5th minute, a kneeling Stephen Dick at the post couldnt quite get to a stationary ball.

Koreas first penalty corner came in the 10th minute, but Jong Hyun Jangs flick was tipped over the bar by Alistair McGregor who finished the tournament in the fine form he has played in throughout. Their 23rd minute penalty corner was wide of the mark and McGregors foot denied an attempt from Nam Yong Lee in the 32nd minute after a cross from Jong Ho Seo in a quick counter-attacking move.

Richard Alexander had what was probably Britains best chance of the first-half just before the break when he won the ball just outside of the circle and dribbled towards goal, but his shot flashed past the post to leave it 0-0 with all to play for in the second-half.

Team GB again began brightly and won a 39th minute penalty corner but a good save from Don Sik Ko in the Korean goal prevented Richard Mantell from opening Britains account. It wasnt long however before the breakthrough was found when an unmarked Barry Middleton received the ball in the circle, taking it forward with an excellent first touch and finishing with good composure in the 44th minute.

It took just four minutes for Korea to rule out the goal with one of their own after a good penalty corner routine ended with their specialist taker Jong Hyan Jang putting the ball just out of McGregors reach, but Britain were back on top within a minute after they were awarded a penalty stroke when Alexander was deliberately brought down by Dong Sik Ko and Ashley Jackson made no mistake from the spot, firing his shot into the roof of the net.

A good strike from Seong Jung Kang was well saved from McGregor in the 53rd minute to prevent Korea from levelling the score for a second time and it was Team GB who was to get the next goal going 3-1 up in a counter-attacking move which saw a great run down the left from Rob Moore, feeding the ball forward to Dick who put a good ball across the face of goal for a diving Clarke to deflect home.

Captain Ben Hawes had the opportunity to get on the scoresheet, but his 60th minute reverse stick hit from the right went flying past the left post.

A 61st minute Korean penalty corner was well-defended by Alexander and shortly after, a shot from the edge of the circle was kept out by McGregor. Britain broke quickly and raced up the other end of the pitch and a good pass from Jackson found Clarke in open space who, one on one with Dong Sik Ko, coolly rounded the keeper and ended with a quality finish.

Koreas penalty corner specialist was sin-binned in the 63rd minute and with their opponents down to 10-men, Britain continued to push forward and in the 65th minute Moore supplied Dick in the circle, but his well-struck reverse stick hit was wide of the mark.

Despite the absence of Jong Hyan Jang, Korea converted a 67th minute penalty corner with Hye Sng Hyun placing a low drag-flick under the body of McGregor to pull back a goal, but the action was not over as Britain netted a last-minute goal when Glenn Kirkhams pass from the right was deflected into the back of the net off the stick of captain Jong Ho Seo with seconds left on the clock.

Captain Ben Hawes said after the match: I am pleased with that result and the way we played today. It was a difficult one as we have never had the experience of having so many days off between matches. It is testament to the sort of professionalism that we have got in the squad that we have done things properly over the last four days.

Before the game we had a long chat on the pitch and spoke about what it meant to be top-six in the world and what we have been through over the last 12 months together. One of the major factors coming through the Qualifiers was the intensity and amount of training that we have done together and as a squad, we get on brilliantly.

When we step on the pitch, we now believe we can beat anyone. I just hope we can keep the majority together for the next four years. It is proven that those squads who keep together over a double cycle make it into semi-final and medal games. I believe we have everything going for us.

Performance Director David Faulkner said I am delighted for the men because they have clearly demonstrated that the fifth place in the World Cup two years ago was not a one off. We are now competing with the top six sides in the world and now have a fantastic platform on our journey towards 2012.

Australia beat GB

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 09:23:29 -0000

Australia 2 v 0 Great Britain HT 1-0 | 2008-08-22 11:00
Beijing Olympic Green Stadium | Beijing Olympics (National Ladies) | Match Report(s)

Despite a 2-0 defeat against Australia a side who missed out on a semi-final place by goal difference Great Britain finished their 2008 Olympic campaign in sixth spot, three places above their world ranking. The top-six finish means that England will play in the 2009 Champions Trophy in Australia which will be a valuable experience for their 2010 campaign in the same competition on home turf in Nottingham.

A goal in each half was enough to secure the victory for the Aussies in a stop-start game which saw a goal apiece disallowed by the video umpire.

The first penalty corner of the game fell to Australia in the 11th minute, but the brilliant Beth Storry got low quickly to prevent a conversion. It took only three more minutes for Britain to win their first set piece, but Sarah Thomas could not quite get control of the rebound from Crista Cullens original shot before Rachel Imison in the Australian goal forced the ball out of play.

An early ball to Alex Danson in the 22nd minute saw her break into the circle, but she was caught by a defender before she had the opportunity for a shot.

Australia scored their first half goal in the 29th minute after a free hit outside the circle was deflected by Casey Eastham forcing a save from Storry, but the ball found its way back into danger zone where a waiting Madonna Blythe picked up a deflected ball, sweeping it into the back of the net.

With 21 seconds left on the clock in the first half, Britain had the opportunity to level the score, but they were denied at a penalty corner by an Australian defence quick off the line.

Three minutes after the break, the Brits won another penalty corner, but the routine which saw the ball injected by Anne Panter and then slipped left by Cullen back to Panter at the post was kicked to safety by Imison.

Then came the first intervention of the video umpire. A 45th minute penalty corner was taken by Panter out to Clewlow at the top of the circle. Clewlow fed the ball back into the circle where it was deflected off Panter to Thomas who thumped the ball home and Britain thought they had equalised. However, after a lengthy period, the video umpire ruled that the ball went in over the legal height for a first shot on goal and it was disallowed.

Both sides saw a penalty corner come and go in the 54th and 56th minutes before the video umpire was involved for the second time of the game. In the 62nd minute, Storry got down well to deny the Hockeyroos, but the loose ball was picked up by Hope Munro who chipped the ball over Storry into the back of the net. But after another lengthy period, the goal was ruled out as it was deemed to have hit Munros foot before she got her shot away.

However, she was to get onto the scoresheet with two minutes left on the clock after Britain had taken the decision to play the last three minutes without a goalkeeper with Cullen adopting a blue shirt and playing as kicking back in an attempt to throw everything left at the Aussies. Cullen was called upon quickly as she swung her stick at a free hit taken outside the circle to clear the ball off the line, but it was picked up by Casey Eastham who played it to Munro who took full advantage of the open goal to make it 2-0. Storry returned to the pitch for the last minute and a half.

Speaking afterwards, captain Kate Walsh said I felt it was a tight game. When it stayed at 1-0 (after disallowed goal) I thought we were still in with the fight and we had the lions share of possession, but we couldnt convert the chances.
When asked about her sides overall performance at the Games, she commented It was disappointing to come so close and not get to the semi-final, but we have to take some positives in coming into the tournament ranked as 9th and finishing in 6th place. It will be exciting over the next four years seeing some of our younger players come through.

Head Coach Danny Kerry added to Walshs comments by saying I am pleased with the way we tried to go about our game, although I felt we didnt penetrate the circle enough which Australia did very well.

When asked about the disallowed goal which would have levelled the score, he said I couldnt see from where I was sitting and it wasnt a great piece of TV work (for the replays), but we had other chances to score so we cant blame that.

Looking ahead to London 2012, he continued We have so many young players we will be trying to push through and Im very excited at this. We have some excellent players in the U18 age group, but Im not sure if they will be ready for 2012.

Performance Director David Faulkner said We are delighted with our top six finish and we must now set about moving on from this position.

Irish Squads for Wales Games

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 06:32:41 -0000

Irelands Senior Men and Irelands A womens side will both travel to Cardiff early next month to compete in a double header against Wales, on the 6th & 7th September.

Both Senior Irish squads have been on rest from competitive test matches since the Celtic Cup in July, but the Senior Womens side will have a bit more time off as Ireland A are sent to do battle.

Speaking about the mens squad Coach Passmores explains his selection which sees a number of senior players rested, 'this squad has been selected for development and assessment giving a broader group of players the opportunity to impress before a panel is chosen for next year's important season which includes the European Trophy and world cup qualification tournaments'

Ireland A Coach Guy Garrett is happy with the competition for his squad, which sees a number of young players that have come through the system selected These competitions are very important for the development of our Ireland A players. An opportunity to play a senior team is always welcome and we have a strong squad to compete against Wales.

Senior Mens Squad v Wales

Iain Walker (GK) Dublin YM
Conor Harte Pembroke Wanderers
Tim Lewis Pembroke Wanderers
Keith Black Cookstown
Joe Brennan Glenanne
John Jackson (VC) Loughborough Students
Graham Shaw (C) Glenanne
Andy McConnell Three Rock Rovers
David Ames Cookstown
Steven Redpath Annadale
Johnny Quigley Annadale
Geoff McCabe Banbridge
Alan Sothern Pembroke Wanderers
Jason Lynch Lisnagarvey
Michael Watt Grange HC
Mitch Darling Three Rock Rovers
Peter Blakeney Three Rock Rovers

Ireland A Women

Aine Connery UCC
Chloe Watkins Hermes
Ciara Murphy Trinity University
Emer Lucey Railway Union
Helen Stevenson Belfast Harlequins
Kate McConnell Pegasus
Katherine Elkin Randalstown
Katie Saunderson Sheffield University
Lizzie Colvin Armagh
Megan Frazer Ballymoney
Michelle Harvey Victorians
Niamh Small Loreto
Rachel Mulligan Armagh
Rebecca Dallas Randalstown
Victoria Green Victorians
Zara Delaney Loreto

Injured: Amy Stewart; Stephanie Quinn.

Match Schedule

Welsh Institute of Sport, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

6th September

14.00 Ireland A v Wales (Women)
16.00 Ireland v Wales (Men)

7th September

11.00 Ireland A v Wales (Women)
14.00 Ireland v Wales (Men)

Australia 3-3 GB

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:25:00 -0000

Australia 3 v 3 Great Britain HT 0-1 | 2008-08-19 20:30
Beijing Olympic Green Stadium | Beijing Olympics - Mens Hockey Pool B (National Mens) | Match Report(s)

A determined Great Britain put in a performance full of character to draw 3-3 with World No.1 Australia in their final pool-match of the 2008 Olympic Games. Barry Middleton put Britain 1-0 up just before half-time, but Australia's captain Bevan George levelled the playing field five minutes after the interval. Jamie Dwyer put the Aussie's 2-1 up before Richard Mantell pulled the scored level again. Rob Moore regained Britain's advantage, but the win was not to be as Eddie Ockenden netted with just two minutes left on the clock. Great Britain will now play Korea (world no.5) in the battle for fifth place, and as the eighth ranked side in the world, a top six finish will mark a successful campaign for the British team. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Should they overcome Korea and finish fifth, it will be Britain's (men) highest Olympic placing since their famous gold medal in 1988 and will be four places higher than their ninth place finish in Athens four years ago.

After absorbing a period of early pressure, Great Britain had a good chance to score in the 14th minute when a quickly taken powerful free hit taken by Richard Mantell just outside the circle was deflected by Matt Daly through the legs of a number of Australian defenders.

Australia earned the first of their two first-half penalty corners in the 19th minute and Britain, who had so far conceded only one penalty corner from 11, kept up that impressive record when the shot went wide of the mark, but the ball had hit a defenders foot on the way out giving the Kookaburras a second bite of the cherry, but the attempt went wide again. The ensuing play saw some very impressive defending and saw the Brits survive thanks to the quick thinking of goalkeeper Alistair McGregor and captain Ben Hawes. Grant Schubert's reverse stick shot was kept out by McGregor with the rebound attempt being cleared off the line by Hawes, but the ball was picked up again, this time by Fergus Kavanagh, and McGregor was again on hand to deny a further attempt from the Aussies before clearing it to safety.

In the 28th minute, Rob Moore won the ball just outside of the circle and passed to Barry Middleton, but he couldn't quite get full control of the ball and was prevented from taking a shot by the approaching Stephen Lambert in the Australian goal.

Middleton, who was hard-working and impressive throughout, turned from defender to his more accustomed position of attacker within minutes and in the 33rd minute denied Australia at one end, before finding his way up the other end to put Britain a goal up a minute prior to half-time. Some good work from Matt Daly down the right saw him dance around three defenders before passing to James Tindall on his left, who quickly supplied Jonty Clarke near the back-line who in turned crossed to a waiting Middleton to direct the ball into the back of the net.

The Australian's showed their intent early into the second half winning three penalty corners in the opening four minutes. Hawes came out quickly for the first surprising the Australian attack, but when the ball hit his foot, another penalty corner was awarded. This time, a straight strike was turned away by McGregor. Their third set piece saw an interesting variation in which the ball came out to the top of the circle and was slipped left before David Guest took a shot which was saved, but captain Bevan George was waiting to convert for the equaliser.

Shortly after, the Kookaburras took the lead for the first time in the match when double World Player of the Year (2004 & 2007) and former World Young Player of the Year Jamie Dwyer finished well to put his side 2-1 up.

A minute later though, Great Britain won their first penalty corner of the match and whilst Britain's defensive record in this tournament is impressive, their scoring record from these set pieces shows a complete contrast with only two converted out of 19. This record went up to two out of 20 as Richard Mantell's shot was deflected wide, but another corner was awarded and this time, the statistics read three out of 21 as Mantell's low drag flick straight down the centre of the goal gave Lambert little chance making it 2-2.

Team GB regained their lead after some good work from Hawes down the right ended with him crossing the ball into the circle from the back line. The ball came off Robert Hammond and fell to Moore who fired home to put the Brits 3-2 up in the 55th minute.

In the closing stages of the match, Australia piled on the pressure. McGregor was excellent again with a point blank save in the 64th minute and just after Hawes had coolly cleared the ball off the line, the Kookaburras threatened again with a 66th minute penalty corner but it was turned away by Richard Mantell. Their pressure finally told two minutes from time when Richard Mantell this time missed the ball in the circle and a diving Grant Schubert crossed to Ockenden for an easy tap in.

Goalkeeper Alistair McGregor, who has been outstanding throughout the tournament and again made a number of crucial stops today said "We can take some pride with how we played. To come out here and get a draw from Australia is very pleasing. They are a team that is always hard to beat so we have to be pleased with that result."

Great Britain will now finish in the top six of the Olympic Games and as the eighth ranked team in the world and seventh at the tournament, this will be an achievement. Head Coach Jason Lee was realistic about his side's performance at these Games: "When you put everything into context, we came sixth (out of eight) in the Europeans three years ago and went down to 11th in the world in 2006 (GB are currently 8th in the world), but this top six finish could mean we go up to seventh at this point. There are many areas of our game which we can improve upon. Ultimately we will always be technically weak, and this will always be an area of work for us as well as trying to advance the physical and psychological aspects of our game."

GB 0 - 0 US

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:42:10 -0000

Great Britain 0 v 0 USA HT 0-0 | 2008-08-18 18:00
Beijing Olympic Green Stadium | Beijing Olympics - Womens Hockey Pool B (National Ladies) | Match Report(s)

Great Britain survived a total of 10 USA penalty corners seven in the first half and three in the second and ended their final pool match 0-0 to take a point from their final pool match. The draw puts Britain level on points with second-placed Argentina, and whilst mathematically GB could still make the semi-finals, (it would mean that the world no.2 Las Leonas would need to lose by seven or more goals to New Zealand who are propping up the rest of the table at 1330 BST), the point has secured a third placed finish and has assured Team GB of at least the sixth position overall, which would be three places above their current world ranking of ninth.

The first of the USA's penalty corners came on the 8th minute but they were denied by the in-form Beth Storry and a minute later, their second penalty corner somehow stayed out of the net as Angela Loy, hanging by the post, couldn't control the loose ball and was quickly surrounded by British defenders.

The last of their first-half penalty corners came with 30 seconds left on the clock, but the shot was deflected high over the bar.

The USA took only five second-half minutes to earn their eighth penalty corner, but Storry was equal to the shot and deflected it over the bar.

In the 52nd minute, Chloe Rogers stole the ball in midfield and put a long ball into the circle, but there was no-one there to take a shot.

The woodwork denied the USA from a 54th minute penalty corner when Angela Loy's shot hit the post and the ball was somehow scrambled off the line to safety. A minute later, Rachel Walker and Charlotte Craddock combined well down the left, but the attack petered out when Craddock was stopped by Kelly Doton.

Some great play from Alex Danson down the right in the 59th minute ended with a cross, but found no-one waiting to tap home.

Great Britain earned the first of just two penalty corners with five minutes left on the clock, but Kate Walsh's shot was just wide of the mark and the USA were quick to mount a counter-attack from which they won their final penalty corner, but Storry made a double save, getting down well for the first shot and clearing the rebound attempt to safety to deny America yet again.

With just one minute left on the clock, Great Britain created a number of opportunities, and as the seconds counted down, earned a last-gasp penalty corner, but there was to be no last minute reprieve and after a number of attempts, the USA earned possession and cleared the ball out of the circle to finish 0-0.

Team GB midfielder Helen Richardson was quick to praise the efforts of goalkeeper Storry after the game, "Beth made some great saves. She picked the right ones at the right times. The same goes for our other players. We were all at the right place at the right time." Commenting on the overall performance of the team she said, "We played pretty well. The United States are a very tough team, very physically tough. They threw everything at us. We got some penalty corners towards the end, but we just couldn't put them in the back of the net this time."

Great Britain Head Coach Danny Kerry paid tribute to tonight's opposition, "I thought the United States closed off our options pretty well. Our lack of meaningful penetration just shows how well they played today. I am basically disappointed with our performance. But as a whole, we climbed the world rankings and beat some good teams. You have to look at the bigger picture. It was not good tonight, but overall (in the tournament) it was pretty good."

Team GB captain Kate Walsh was upbeat looking ahead to the classification match, "We want to go on to finish fifth in the competition and that is what we are going to do.".

Great Britain keep their hopes alive

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 10:21:03 -0000

South Africa 0 v 2 Great Britain HT 0-1 | 2008-08-15 21:00
Beijing Olympic Green Stadium | Beijing Olympics - Mens Hockey Pool B (National Mens) | Match Report(s)

Great Britain secured their second victory of the Olympic Games against a resolute South African team, who prior to this match had conceded 15 goals in two games. A goal in each half without reply was enough to take all three points from Britain's third encounter in their Olympic campaign and leaves them in third place in the table on six points behind Australia and The Netherlands with the full 9 points each.

James Tindall netted the only goal of the first half in the 20th minute when he picked up the ball and drove into the circle, finishing with aplomb by chipping the ball over the approaching keeper, Christopher Hibbert, to put the Brits 1-0 up.

Britain escaped a South African reply in the 25th and 26th minute when first of all a dangerous ball was put across the face of goal with no-one to finish, and then Rob Moore defending well to deny Emile Smith.

Matt Daly netted the second goal with four minutes left on the clock when some brilliant work from captain Ben Hawes down the right saw him beat three players to pass across the face of goal for a waiting Daly to tap in.

Britain's next match sees them play fifth-placed Canada who are yet to earn a point in this tournament. The match will take place on Sunday 17 August on the same day which sees a top of the table clash between Australia and the Netherlands.

Head Coach Jason Lee said after the match "We are very pleased with the result but I feel it was our poorest performance so far. The team looked more tired and lethargic than in previous games but the final result is very pleasing. We did well with our corners in the first two matches, but we didn't do so well today, and I think that reflected our nervousness in getting a good result out of the game."

Looking ahead to the rest of the tournament, he continued "We have had a plan for the Games well in advance and that includes a plan in place for the Canada match. We still have an outside chance of reaching the semi-finals."

Tindall Tackle may cost GB

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 05:05:21 -0000

Netherlands 1 v 0 Great Britain HT 0-0 | 2008-08-13 21:00
Beijing Olympic Green Stadium | Beijing Olympics - Mens Hockey Pool B (National Mens) | Match Report(s)

Great Britain men lost out to a solitary goal seven minutes from time against 2004 silver medallists the Netherlands in a hard-working performance which saw chances at either end.

The result sees Great Britain retain an outside chance of qualifying for the semi-finals but it will mean having to beat South Africa and Canada as well as table-toppers Australia, the worlds no.1 side, who have amassed 16 goals in two games so far. However, Team GB remain on course to finish higher than their world ranking of 8th which was the target set for the side before the start of the tournament.

When the Netherlands went down to 10 men with 10 minutes to go it looked good for GB to perhaps snatch a late winner. Unfortunately no more than 2 minutes after the first yellow card a second yellow was shown to Tindall as he chased down and bundled over the dutch forward in the 25. The resulting penalty corner was converted and GB failed to get the ball back into the Netherlands half.

Great Britain earn a draw

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 08:27:08 -0000

Argentina 2 v 2 Great Britain HT 2-0 | 2008-08-12 08:30
Beijing Olympic Green Stadium | Beijing Olympics - Womens Hockey Pool B (National Ladies) | Match Report(s)

In a fairly un-british manor the GB ladies took full advantage of a second half yellow card to draw level and earn a point against Argentina in their second pool B match. Full Report below:

Argentina squandered their second 2-0 half-time lead in two matches as Great Britain continued their Olympic campaign against the worlds second ranked team and current Champions Trophy holders. Team GB found themselves 2-0 down at half time following a brace of penalty corners from a side with good Olympic pedigree, looking to add the elusive gold to their collection having won the silver medal in 2000 and the bronze in 2004. The USA came back from 2-0 down at half-time against Las Leonas in the opening match on Sunday, and Team GB inflicted the same fate upon the South American side to put a real dent in their hopes of a gold medal. 32-year-old Mel Clewlow from Canterbury scored as she earned her 250th international cap in todays game, with Leicesters Crista Cullen, who will turn 23 next week, earning her 100th international cap. Helen Richardson, also from Leicester HC, earned her 50th Great Britain cap.

'Las Leonas' took the lead in the 10th minute from a penalty corner in which Claudia Burkart's shot ricocheted off the left post, only to see it well followed up by Soledad Garcia a veteran of the 2000 and 2004 Olympics who had taken the set piece to begin with.

Team GB had no real opportunities of note within the first half and couldn't make either of their penalty corners in the 17th and 18th minutes count, the second of which saw Cullen's strike easily saved by Paola Vukojicic.

Argentina increased their lead to 2-0 on the 27th minute when Noel Barrionuevo feigned to shoot and Burkart's shot was deflected into the back of the net over Storry's stick by Alejandra Gulla.

Two minutes into the second half, Storry did well to deny Argentina a third and then at the other end Team GB had a great opportunity when a reverse stick shot from Sarah Thomas was saved by Vukojicic who then did well to prevent Helen Richardson from making anything of the follow up.

Thomas was involved again shortly after when she drove into the circle and won a penalty corner, but the resulting routine came to nothing.

Storry was called upon in the 42nd minute to deny Gulla's shot on goal and then again in the 44th minute when she made an excellent save to stop a reverse-stick hit from the four-times World Player of the year Luciana Aymar 'La Maga' (the Magician), who is often compared to Diego Maradona.

Britain began their comeback by pulling a goal back on the 49th minute at the third attempt from a penalty corner Cullen's first shot was saved by Vukojicic as was Clewlow's follow up, but Richardson's strike from the top of the circle was deflected in by a well-positioned Thomas at the left post.

Team GB were then level through another penalty corner which was well-executed by Alex Danson and converted by Clewlow with a straight strike from the top of the circle.

Two-minutes from time, Great Britain were lucky not to concede when the ball was beautifully put across the face of goal by Carla Rebecchi, but a diving Rosaria Luchetti could not get her stick on the ball to deflect into an open goal, for Britain to take a point from a tough encounter.

Speaking after the game, Head Coach Danny Kerry said "Had we lost, my job (as Head Coach) would have been a lot harder in the next match, but as a squad, we can take confidence going into our next game against New Zealand."

"They play 4-4-2 which will be a change for us tactically. We beat them in Hong Kong in a warm-up match, but obviously that result doesn't count and you can't read a lot into it. Great Britain v New Zealand matches are always decided by the odd goal, so this could be a real hum dinger".

When asked how she kept her side motivated despite being 2-0 down, captain Kate Walsh said "I was still positive because we still had a lot of possession and chances even though we were 2-0 down. My role is to keep the team positive throughout and to keep the spark going and I never stopped believing we could get back into the game".

Veteran of the side Mel Clewlow earned her 250th international cap today and coach Kerry was asked for his thoughts on the milestone. "I'm delighted for Mel. We have a love-hate relationship" he joked. "She retired back in 2005 along with a number of other players who I thought had a lot left in them playing for GB and she was one of those, so I'm glad she came back. Her father died 18 months ago and I know he encouraged her to return, and I'm delighted for her that she scored on her 250th international appearance."

MATCH STATISTICS

Shots on goal: Argentina 5, Great Britain 2
Penalty Corners: Argentina 5, Great Britain 8

PREVIOUS OLYMPIC ENCOUNTERS

21 September 1988, Seoul, Argentina 0-1 Great Britain
18 September 2000, Sydney, Argentina 1-0 Great Britain

Australia open with a Canadian rout

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 03:40:26 -0000

Australia 6 v 1 Canada HT 3-0 | 2008-08-11 18:30
Beijing Olympic Green Stadium | Beijing Olympics - Mens Hockey Pool B (National Mens) | Match Report(s)

Australia open their olympic campaign with a 6-1 win over Canada with 3 goals in each half of their Pool B match.

Germany beat GB 5-1

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 05:04:17 -0000

Pool B

Germany 5 v 1 Great Britain HT 2-1 | 2008-08-10 21:00
Beijing Olympic Green Stadium | Beijing Olympics - Womens Hockey Pool B (National Ladies) | Match Report(s)

Great Britain's women were left to rue missed opportunities in Beijing earlier today after losing out 5-1 to reigning Olympic and European Champions Germany in their opening match of the 2008 Olympic Games. Fanny Rinne and Eileen Hoffmann both netted braces with Marion Rodewald adding Germany's fifth. Crista Cullen was the only player on target for Team GB as they now look to pick themselves up for Tuesday's encounter against World No. 2 Argentina who earlier today were held to a 2-2 draw with the USA, ranked 11th in the world.

As the rain poured down, it could have been the perfect start for Great Britain with Bowdon Hightown's Jo Ellis on the end of a long ball, but her deflection went just wide of the mark. Ellis again had an opportunity in the 7th minute, but the ball seemed to stick and she couldn't get her shot away as Kristina Reynolds in Germany's goal cleared the danger and on the 13th minute, Helen Richardson saw her shot from the top of the circle deflected wide.

Germany opened their account on the 26th minute with Fanny Rinne netting her 89th international goal with a drag flick from a penalty corner, but three minutes later, Britains penalty corner specialist Crista Cullen got her side back on level terms as she made the most of the set piece which had been injected by Ipswich's Jo Ellis.

However, a momentary lack of concentration led to Germany regaining their lead two minutes later when Eileen Hoffmann, one of two unmarked players in the circle, fired home from a quickly taken free hit from just outside the circle to make it 2-1 at the break.

On the 47th minute, Great Britain again went wide of the mark when Ellis (Bowdon Hightown) earned a free hit to the left of the circle, but the resulting shot went just past the post. At the other end, Germany quickly won another penalty corner which was duly converted by Hoffman to make it 3-1. Rinne made it 4 in the 52nd minute with an unstoppable shot and Rodewald put the final nail in the coffin with a goal on the counter-attack at the second attempt after Beth Storry had denied Germany's first strike.

Britain couldn't make a last-minute penalty corner count and will now be looking to make amends on Tuesday against Argentina.

Head Coach Danny Kerry was understandably disappointed after the game "Obviously it hurts a lot to lose by this kind of scoreline and the team is very quiet on the bus at the moment. We have to take the positives out of today's game in the fact that we had 10 corners and six shots, but Germany scored at some good points in the game and we were left chasing the match."

"I would describe our performance today as one with patches of isolated play. The team defence worked on their own rather than in units and we need to work more on that. Some haven't played at their best today. They know that and know they will have to do better in the next game".

So what about Tuesday's match against Argentina? "We have to look forward and can't dwell on today's result. We know what we need to work on and will look to improve substantially on Tuesday."

Great Britain's men will open their Olympic campaign at 0330 BST on Monday when they take on Pakistan in a crucial encounter.

Scotland sink England in the final

Sat, 2 Aug 2008 08:05:43 -0000

U18 Four Nations Championship

Scotland UI18 Girls

Scotland's U18 girls beat England 3-0 on penalty strokes, after a two all full time score, to take first place at the Four Nations Tournament in Cardiff today.

Manager Judith Marshall said: "It was a phenomenal game, the girls worked very hard and our fitness gave us the edge."

Louise Fleming (Merlins Gordonians) put in effort, scoring both of Scotlands full time goals. Fitness became vital as the Scots went down a player for 17 minutes after a yellow card in the second half and, after being up 2-1, a penalty stroke allowed England to equalise for a two all full time score.

Marshall added: "There were some calls we didn't agree with, we had a penalty stroke put against us and a few other things but the girls concentrated and stayed strong. We played the ball around well."

The Scots redeemed themselves from a 0-1 lost to England yesterday, Marshall explained; "Yesterday's game was very close, we weren't out of it. It was an interesting situation as both teams were trying not to go give away too much of their tactics in order to make impact in today's final."

She concluded: "The year's programme was in build up to this tournament, we came in undefeated, having beaten some of Europe's top teams, but we knew England as current European Champions were going to be the team to beat. The squad has great fitness, good skills and the girls have gelled together well to put in a real team effort; they deserve this."

The future looks promising as only seven players will move on and the squad is gearing up for the European Trophy in Madrid next year.

Scotland U18 Boys

Wales 2 v 1 Scotland HT 1-1 | 2008-08-01 11:00
No Venue | U18 Four Nations Championship (National U18 Boys) | Match Report(s)

Scotland's U18 men lost their fourth game straight against Wales today, a complete reversed result to the women, for a fourth place finish in the men's Four Nations, also in Cardiff.