GREAT BRITAIN HOCKEY RESULTS SERVICE
Great Britain (women) v Australia Test Series, 16-18 June 2010
16 June 2010
GREAT BRITAIN (women) 0 (0)
-
AUSTRALIA (women) 4 (2)
Shelley Liddelow 29 (F)
Amy Korner 33 (F)
Nicole Arrold 37 (PS)
Fiona Boyce 64 (F)
Great Britain’s two match test series against Australia’s Hockeyroos got off to a disappointing start as they went down 4-0 to the visitors in sunshine more akin to Sydney than Buckinghamshire.
Head Coach Danny Kerry later blamed GB’s lightweight approach in the final third and credited the Australians for their hard-nosed attitude that saw them find the net three times in a period of eight minutes either side of the half time whistle. Despite enjoying the bulk of possession Great Britain found first half opportunities hard to come by and in the 29th minute the Hockeyroos’ patient approach paid off when Shelley Liddelow shot low into the bottom corner to give them the lead.
Just four minutes later an unmarked Amy Korner found the corner of Abi Walker’s goal at the back post and it got worse for GB just after the break when Crista Cullen was alleged to have fouled Ashleigh Nelson deliberately and Nicole Arrold stepped up to fire home the penalty stroke. Despite an improved attacking performance from Great Britain following the third goal they failed to find the back of the net and Fiona Boyce rounded things off for the Australians with a goal six minutes from time.
With the sun beating down on the pitch at the National Sports Centre, Australia, the world’s fifth highest ranked side, threatened early, forcing Canterbury and Scotland goalkeeper Abi Walker to pull off a good block from point blank range before Leicester’s Crista Cullen cleared the danger.
Following that, GB settled and enjoyed the bulk of early first half possession as Australia sat back, content to break with pace when the opportunity presented itself. One such opportunity came on 11 minutes when Walker was again forced into a save, albeit a relatively comfortable one on her near post from Amy Korner.
With quarter of an hour on the clock Australia won two consecutive penalty corners; following Crista Cullen’s illegal block with her foot Walker saved the second with her outstretched leg from Arrold’s low flick.
Great Britain survived another Australian set piece on 21 minutes, Cullen and Walker blocking consecutive efforts on goal from the penalty corner.
The hosts’ best move of the first half came in the 28th minute when Reading and England midfielder Helen Richardson played a one-two with Clifton’s Charlotte Craddock on the right hand side. Turning defence into attack at pace, Richardson received the ball back before finding former Leicester teammate Chloe Rogers on the left. Her ball up the left fed Nic White of Slough, whose cross pass into the circle was cut out just ahead of the onrushing Leicester forward Kerry Williams,
At the other end, Great Britain looked certain to fall behind when Amy Korner rounded Walker inside the circle and her rolled pass across the face of goal fell nicely into the path of 158-times capped Madonna Blyth. Inexplicably though she failed to make contact with the ball, rolling her stick over the top of the ball, which continued rolling just millimetres past the far post. GB breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Following the let-off, Great Britain countered and won their first penalty corner of the match. Reading’s Alex Danson made enough of a nuisance of herself in tight space in front of goal to win the corner but Cullen’s effort was deflected up and cleared.
A minute later and Great Britain were behind. After a save from Walker the Australians fed the ball back into the circle where Shelley Liddelow flicked the ball home low from the penalty spot for 1-0.
And things got worse soon after the half hour. A flowing Australian attack stretched the British defence and when the ball reached Amy Korner outside the back post she swept the ball home despite the best efforts of Walker diving across her goal.
2-0 was how it stood at half time but barely two minutes into the second half and the Hockeyroos were awarded a penalty stroke after Crista Cullen was adjudged to have deliberately fouled Ashleigh Nelson in the circle. Up stepped 23 year old Arrold to rifle the ball home high into the net for 3-0.
Responding to Australia’s ten minute purple patch Great Britain, playing in red, pressed higher up the pitch in an effort to create more opportunities. After some good work down the right midfield channel by Chloe Rogers, Emily Maguire, the Reading and Scotland defender, threaded a pass through the Hockeyroos defence but Nic White narrowly failed to get on the end of it.
Great Britain were upping the ante though and pressing Australia ever deeper. Midway through the half Charlotte Craddock’s square ball from the left baseline forced goalkeeper Rachael Lynch into a full length forward dive to cut the ball out before it reached Sally Walton and soon after it was Bowdon Hightown’s Walton looking to turn provider. Her cross to almost exactly the same position from Alex Danson but off balance and under pressure from the defender the ball hit her body and the pressure was relieved.
With GB pressing, Australia were always dangerous on the counter attack and they came close to adding a fourth as another pass across the British goalmouth failed to find a finisher.
On the hour mark Alex Danson did excellently to cut in from the right base line after riding out two tackles. Going away from goal she executed an excellent reverse stick shot to the back post but neither Kerry Williams nor Sally Walton could put the final touch to take it over the line.
Crista Cullen did what she does best at the other end, getting out quickly to block yet another Australian penalty corner at the top of the circle before Great Britain were awarded a penalty corner of their own. Cullen’s low flick to the bottom left corner was saved by Lynch and although the ball rebounded into the net it did so via Ashleigh Ball’s body as she dived in at the post and the ‘goal’ was correctly disallowed.
With just six minutes remaining Australia broke upfield and after Walker parried a shot on the angle down into the circle Fiona Boyce was on hand to follow up for Australia, knocking home for 4-0.
The final minutes saw Great Britain win three penalty corners but GB failed to seriously trouble the Australian defence and the game finished 4-0.
Afterwards, Head Coach Danny Kerry said, “Today, we were not good in the attacking circle. We had lots of possession but were lightweight in the circle. Australia were hard-nosed in our circle and we got punished. Australia won by a clear margin on that alone.
“Our corners were very poor and if you can’t deliver under pressure then tough!”
