Match Report - Mens O80s V Netherland O80s

Netherlands Over 80  3   England Over 80  1

On a hot day at BHV Push in Breda. England found it difficult to deal with a fitter and more skilful Netherlands team who rotated their larger squad to good effect. After a goalless first half, the Netherlands pounced on a defensive slip to give them a 1-0 lead and then converted a penalty corner with a firm strike from the top of the D to take a 2-0 but England managed to pull one back with a goal from Adrian Stephenson before the end of the third quarter. However as they pressed for an equaliser in the final quarter a sudden Dutch break led to a one on one between their most skilful forward and England goalkeeper John Young. The two-goal difference was re-established and England heads dropped for a while but the defence held out and the final score remained 3-1. The England squad will have to improve their fitness before they challenge the Dutch again for the European Cup at Ludwigsburg, Germany in August. In the B international the Dutch won 1-0 in a much closer contest than the same fixture at Canterbury the previous year. 

Over 80 hockey continues to flourish and amaze media audiences - the Dutch O80 team were voted team of the week by Dutch TV and there was wide coverage of the game in the Dutch press.