England U18 and U16 Boys Shine Against Ireland and Ulster

England hosted Ireland and Ulster at Bisham Abbey for a 3-match series that saw both U18 and U16 Boys playing their first international fixtures of the season. An exciting and competitive week saw some varied scorelines, a wealth of growth and learning and two series wins for the England sides.

England U16 Boys v Ulster

 Match 1: England 2 ^{(Smart, Powell)} - 1 Ulster
Match 2: England 4 ^{(Day 3, Bennett)} - 2 Ulster
Match 3: England 2 ^{(Holland, Mead)} - 3 Ulster

 England hosted Ulster at Bisham over February half term in a very entertaining and competitive three-match series. A unique opportunity to play the same team over consecutive days was a new challenge for both sets of players, with clear improvements and learning occurring over the course of the matches. 

Ulster used the aerial well throughout the matches, moving the ball effectively and creating numerous chances. Solid defending and some fast attacking and interlinking play proved valuable for England, as they were able to score through field goals and penalty corner routines over the three days. The highlight of the week was a hat trick by Toby Day on the second day, before the fog created a mystical feel towards the end. England’s never-give-up attitude was evident with goals scored late in all games, keeping the committed spectators riveted until the end. Both squads found the games valuable and gained good insights and experiences.

England U16 Head Coach Jimmy Culnane commented: “The boys are adapting their skillsets to an environment with a little less time and space. As the boys learn to bring their strengths to the international arena they will really start to fly, which will be very exciting to watch.”

England U18 Boys v Ireland

Match 1: England 3 ^{(Webb*, Bridge, Spreckley)} - 3 Ireland
Match 2: England 2 ^{(Webb**, Dowds)} - 1 Ireland
Match 3: England 4 ^{(Crowley, Edwards Javaid x2)} - 2 Ireland

England U18 Boys faced off against Ireland U18 Boys in a 3-match series at Bisham Abbey this week in a keenly contested encounter. 

In Monday’s game, both teams enjoyed good spells of possession with a strong third quarter seeing England take a 3-2 lead into the final quarter. England were unable to see out the game and a late Ireland equaliser saw the first game end all square at 3-3.

England came out of the blocks in game 2 but were unable to capitalise on a dominant first half, which saw Ireland equalise to leave all to play for in the second half, with the score line poised at 1-1. England’s industry edged it and they forced a winner at the death to take a 2-1 victory. 

Ireland fought back well in game 3 and largely dominated the opening exchanges, with England a little lacklustre and disorganised. In a role reversal of game 2, the dominant side were unable to make their dominance count and England scored a quickfire brace with minutes to play, to take a fortuitous 3-1 lead at the end of the first half. Ireland chased back into the game but England defended a number of penalty corners and added another goal of their own to see out a 4-2 win.

 England U18 Head Coach Mark Bateman said: “This was a hard-fought series against a tough Ireland team. Whilst we come away pleased to win the series, the lads have gained valuable insight into the fundamentals of international hockey, which will stand them in good stead as we continue our development towards the summer.”

 ^{*Webb – Team Bath Buccaneers - **Webb – East Grinstead}

The England Age Group programmes will see their next match action over the Easter weekend, with the U18s travelling to the Netherlands to play the hosts and France, while the U16s will entertain the Netherlands, Scotland and Spain at Nottingham Hockey Centre.