Tuesday 27 June: England 6 – 1 Wales U21
An evenly contested first half saw both sides create some positive periods of play with Wales opening the scoring from a penalty corner. England levelled things up with Jonny Sturch-Hibbitt finishing well from close range. Each side had a few more chances within the half but both defences held them at bay and the score at halftime was 1-1. Ruthlessness was the key message at the break and the team duly delivered with England adding 4 goals in the third quarter with Monty Neave’s reverse hit the pick of the bunch. England refused to let up and added a sixth goal in the fourth quarter with Jack Webb scoring his second from a good counterattack.
Thursday 29 June: England 0 – 7 Germany
A tough day at the office for the England boys saw them suffer a heavy defeat to an impressive Germany side. The game started strongly for England who managed to create a few early chances and apply some pressure to their opponents, but they failed to convert these chances and were duly punished when Germany scored twice in the second quarter to take a 2-0 lead at the break. Germany were ruthless in the second half and added a further 5 goals to inflict a heavy defeat on the team who struggled to get a foothold after halftime.
Friday 30 June: England 1 – 4 Germany
A much-improved performance from the team today saw them level at halftime with Tom Spreckley scoring a good drag-flick after a German opener. England played with a greater intensity for much of the match and the Germans knew they were in a contest with both sides creating chances. A few lapses in concentration was all it took though for the Germans to pounce and they scored 3 late goals to take the victory.
England U18 Boys Head Coach, Mark Bateman, said: “It was a really enjoyable camp and despite the scoreline, I’m proud of how far we’ve come and where we can still possibly get to if we play to our potential. I’m excited to see how much the lads can push themselves this coming week as we head out to the Euros.
Thursday 29 June: England 3 – 4 Germany
England suffered a brutal start to the first match, with Germany scoring 2 goals in the first ten minutes. However, the girls gradually clawed their way back into the match and were rewarded with a goal in the middle of the second quarter from Liv Breed, after some good work by Mia Moore. Germany responded with a third goal to leave the score 3-1 to the away team at half time. After a robust team talk from head coach, Lisa Letchford, England started the third quarter on the front foot, and levelled the score at 3-3, with goals from Katie Alexander and Elani Sherwood. The match appeared to be heading for a draw, before Germany found the winner 5 minutes from the end of the game.
Friday 30 June: England 2 – 4 Germany
Match 2 started in much the same way as the first match. Once again, Germany applied early pressure, scoring their first goal after 5 minutes. The England girls were quicker to respond this time, levelling the score through Josie Hippe after 13 minutes, before Germany scored their second 4 minutes later. England were level by half time following Katie Alexander’s second goal of the series. The second half was evenly contested, but it was Germany who scored once in each quarter to win the match 4-2.
England U18 Head Coach, Lisa Letchford, reflected on the series: “It was disappointing that we allowed Germany to boss the early stages of the first game, and then allowed them to repeat the performance in match 2. Nevertheless, the girls showed real character by refusing to lie down, providing a robust response and demonstrating that they have the skills and character to compete well against very good teams. I was excited by some of the hockey we played and look forward to the challenges ahead in next week’s Euros.
