Hockey: Slack England punished

(First Edition)

ENGLAND paid the penalty of casual marking and speculative passing yesterday when they were beaten 3-1 by the Netherlands in their first game in a four nations' tournament, writes Bill Colwill from Madrid.

The Dutch took the lead in the sixth minute from their second penalty corner, Jacques Brinkman finishing off a four-man move. A reorganised attack saw Jason Laslett getting into the game for the first time at the beginning of the second half and it was the England captain who provided the pass for Rob Thompson to pull a goal back.

Then, two minutes later, Jason Lee was denied a penalty stroke by an unsighted umpire and the England recovery faded.

With 10 minutes remaining, Marten Eikelboom was put through by Floris Bovelander, who had played a powerful game in midfield, to lob the ball over David Luckes for the final goal.

Netherlands: R Jansen; W Drenth, J Delmee, E Jazet, W Van Pelt, J Brinkman (capt), F J Bovelander, K Gebbink, S Venn, T Van Den Honert, R Van Wijk. Substitutes used: T De Nooijer, B Nieuhwe Weme, M Eikelboon.

England: D Luckes (East Grinstead); P McGuire (Teddington), J Halls (Old Loughtonians), R Davis (Harleston Magpies), Soma Singh (Southgate), J Potter (Hounslow), D Williams (Havant), A Degun (Barford Tigers), R Garcia (Polo Barcelona), J Laslett (Teddington, capt), N Thompson (Old Loughtonians). Substitutes used: J Lee (East Grinstead), R Thompson (Hounslow), M Sutton Bournville), S Hazlitt (Hounslow).

Umpires: D Fraser (SA), E Silvano (Italy).