Strong Showing From England U16s; U18s In Action This Weekend

Saturday 3 July

England U16 Girls v Wales U16 Girls 8-1

Goal scorers

le Huray x 3, Edwards, O’Grady, Beer, Bingham, Butterworth

England U16 Boys v Wales U16 Boys 8-0

Goal Scorers:

Webb, Jenkinson x 2, Sturch-Hibbitt, Stone, Bridge, Gladman, J Edwards

On 3 and 4 July, Millfield School hosted England and Wales’ U16 boys and girls in a series of matches. Wales arrived coming off the back of matches against Ulster the previous weekend, while the two England squads were preparing to play their first junior international matches since February 2020.

With many players making their debuts for England, nerves were evident in the early exchanges of both the boys and girls matches. However, the two England teams found good form in the third quarter, taking control of the matches before running out convincing winners with England’s U16 Girls winning 8-1 and the U16 Boys triumphing 8-0 on the opening day of games.

Sunday 4 July

England U16 Girls v Wales U16 Girls 10-1

Goal scorers:

Butterworth x 2, Sherwood, Edwards x 2, Dunn x 2, Bingham x 2, le Huray

England U16 Boys v Wales U16 Boys 13-0

Goal Scorers:

Jenkinson, Sturch-Hibbitt x 4, Gladman, Stone, Sahota, O Edwards x 2, J Edwards, Webb x 2

It was important for the England teams not to show any signs of complacency in the following day’s matches, developing consistency in performance being one of the key messages from Head Coaches, Lisa Letchford and James Culnane.

The message seemed to sink in as both teams started brightly, the girls side taking the lead after five minutes and the boys after only two minutes of their respective matches. These goals set the tone for the remainder of the games with both England sides putting the Wales defences under relentless pressure and converting their chances.

England Hockey are grateful to Millfield School for hosting the event, our competitors in the form of Wales, the officials and umpires, and to all the spectators who supported the players through some treacherous weather conditions.

After the matches, both coaches gave their thoughts:

James Culnane, U16 Boys Head Coach, commented:

“It was great for the lads to have the opportunity to get their first caps and I know they enjoyed the experience. I was encouraged to see progress from game one into game two. We are seeing signs of a group who take on feedback, are able to make adjustments and take pride in their performances. We’re looking forward to the next challenge and continuing this development.”

Lisa Letchford, U16 Girls Head Coach, stated:

“The weekend provided players, families and the coaching team with a platform they could all be proud of. Just getting to this point after a torrid 16 months of uncertainty and new challenges is a credit to all involved. Our performances showed real promise as we look forward to building on the first experience of junior international hockey for many the girls.

What's Next:

Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 July sees the England U18 Boys and Girls called into action in the first of three back-to-back weekends as part of the GB & I Four Nations Series.

England will play Scotland on 10 and 11 July in Edinburgh before facing Ireland at Lilleshall on 16 and 17 July, and will complete the round robin of matches at Millfield on 24 and 25 July.

The series provides an exciting competition experience and further exposure to develop athletes who missed out on European Junior Age Group competition in 2021.

The competition has been developed in the wake of England’s decision – along with Ireland, Scotland and Wales – to withdraw from the 2021 EuroHockey U18 Championships due to restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The series takes on the model of FIH Hockey Pro League, playing two back-to-back games over one weekend with all games awarded points as follows:

Proposed Points System

Win – 3 points

Loss – 0 point

Draw – 1 point each, with an additional point for the winner of a penalty shootout.

The team with the most points at the end of the Series will be crowned the winner.

Scottish Hockey will be running a live stream of the matches this weekend (Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 July), more information can be found by clicking here. 

England U16s:

England’s U16s remaining activity includes a Thinking Forward Camp from 9-11 July. The squads will be joined by a dozen high potential U17 players. The playing groups will be split into two balanced squads, playing three games over three days in a Super Series.

The England U16 squads will complete their summer activity playing Scotland at the University of Leeds, Weetwood Sports Park.