The England Age Group squads were in action over the bank holiday weekend with international friendlies against Germany and Wales.
England U18 Boys and Girls travelled to Potsdam, Germany to play three matches against Germany at Potsdamer Sport Union 04.
England U18 Boys drew their first game 0-0, missing a crucial penalty stroke in the final quarter to leave the scores even.
The following day, the boys put in a good performance to win 4-2, clinically finishing four penalty corners, with Kaden Draysey and Caspar Lea scoring two goals each.
The final game did not go to plan however, with Germany dominating the play and England failing to match Germany’s intensity. One goal for Toby Day saw the game finish 1-7.
England U18 Boys Head Coach, Mark Bateman, said: “This was a real test for the lads to demonstrate their skills with three games against a strong opponent. I thought that elements of our game were good, but Germany demonstrated why we need to be more consistent in crucial moments of play. This is something we’ll continue to work on and improve as we head into the summer tournament.”
The England U18 Girls started their series on the back foot, falling three goals behind in their first game. They had the best of the second half and pulled two goals back through Amie Hunt, but were unable to find the equaliser and the game finished 2-3.
In their second game, England were again punished with early goals from Germany. One goal for Lucy Barker, scoring for the first time in an England shirt, was a faint reply to Germany’s in-form strikers, and the game finished 1-5.
The girls had a much better third game, putting into practice the lessons learnt from the two previous matches and were unlucky to fall two goals behind during an even game. England removed their goalkeeper in the final quarter and immediately responded with two goals to level the score, through Martha Bainbridge and Evie Smith. With England still a keeper down, Germany converted two late penalty corners and the game finished 2-4.
England U18 Girls Head Coach, Brett Holland, said: “This was a great opportunity to deliver three tough international games in three days and a chance to work on some of our principles. We have lots of lessons to learn from the experience.”
Meanwhile, England U16 Boys and Girls hosted Wales’ U18 sides at Lilleshall over the weekend.
England U16 Boys were convincing 4-2 winners in their first game, with a brace for Josiah Wood and goals for Benedict Cannon and Jake Glew. The second game was a repeat performance; the game finished 4-2 with Tom Chapman, Jake Glew, Ethan Smythe and Alec Clayton-Jones on the scoresheet.
The England U16 Girls ran away with their first game in a clinical 12-0 win, with four goals for Phoebe Barnett, three for Biba Mills, two for Amelie Carter and one each for Izzy Yonge, Lettie Hughes and Evie Cronin. Their second game was a tighter affair, with England winning 3-0, with goals from Cronin, Cecily Moorhead and Martina Grace.
The next matches for the squads will be games against Scotland for the U16 Boys and Girls from 22-23 June, followed by games against Germany for both U16 squads in Canterbury from 28-30 June. The U16 Girls will finish their season at the 4 Nations in Glasgow from 14-17 July and the U16 Boys will be in action at another 4 Nations event at Lilleshall from 13-16 July.
The international season culminates for the U18 squads in Granada, Spain with an 8 Nations tournament from 11-17 July.
