Hockey: England pay for lack of attack
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Your support makes all the difference.England 0 Netherlands 4
ENGLAND EVENTUALLY succumbed to the world and Olympic champions in their last pool game in the Champions' Trophy here last night and will tomorrow play Pakistan in the game to decide fifth and sixth place with the losers missing out on the next Champions event in Amstelveen next June.
In a cat and mouse first half England defended well but at the expense of not a single shot on the Dutch goal. Indeed it was not until the 61st minute that the Dutch goalkeeper was called into action, saving a reverse stick shot from Calum Giles. It was only when England were two goals down midway through the second half that they showed any attacking urgency.
The Dutch came out after the interval with a clear directive to do just that and Simon Mason was called on to make four successive saves in one onslaught, with Brett Garrard finally clearing their lines.
England were eventually undone with powerful Dutch surges down the right. Marten Eikelboom came along the back line to open the scoring in the 53rd minute. Piet Geeris, with a similar move, scored four minutes later. Only now did England move forward, Giles testing the Dutch goalkeeper for the first time with a reverse stick shot. As England at last endeavoured to attack, the Dutch struck twice, Eikelboom netting second and Teun de Nooijer claiming the fourth goal. A disappointed Barry Dancer, the England coach, said: "We worked tirelessly in defence but had to chase possession for too long for us to control the match. We relied on being able to get a goal on the break but were unable to do so."
ENGLAND: S Mason (Reading); M Johnson (Cannock), J Wyatt (Reading), B Waugh (Southgate, capt), A Humphrey (Cannock); R Garcia (Harvestehuder, Hamburg), B Garrard, J Wallis (both Teddington); B Sharpe (Cannock), D Hall (Guildford), M Pearn (Reading). Substitutes used: S Head (East Grinstead), B Crutchley (Cannock), C Giles (Southgate), T Bertram (Bournville).
NETHERLANDS: G Vogels; E Jazet; S van der Weide, J Delmee, S van Heeswijk; S Veen (capt), J Brinkman, M Eikelboom; J D Buma, T de Nooijer, R van Wijk. Substitutes used: T van Meer, P Geeris.
Umpires: Jin Soo Han (Korea), C Siebrecht (Germany).
CHAMPIONS TROPHY day nine: Men: Spain 4 Korea 3; Australia 1 Pakistan 2; England 0 Netherlands 4. Final pool standings: 1 Australia 10pts; 2 Korea; 3 Netherlands 7; 4 Spain 7; 5 Pakistan 6; 6 England 3.
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