England secure semi-final place

England secure semi-final place

by tuan.blogger.hettien ~ Friday, August 28, 2009

England reached the semi-finals of the EuroHockey Nations Championships and secured their place at the 2010 World Cup thanks to an 8-2 win over Belgium.

An Ashley Jackson brace and goals each for Richard Mantell and Jonty Clarke, sandwiched between two Belgium strikes, gave England a 4-2 half-time lead.

England dominated the second half with further goals from Jackson, Clarke, Richard Alexander and James Tindall.

"We're delighted," said England manager Peter Nicholson.

"Our first target here was World Cup qualification and the players have coped well with the expectation and delivered.

"Based on that performance I think we're a match for anybody."

England now await the result of Germany's match against Austria and the final Pool B matches to determine who they will meet in Friday's semi-final, with Spain, Netherlands and France all possible opponents in Amstelveen.