Great Britain reach semi-finals as fans flock to the Stoop
GB 2-0 NZ
Great Britain’s men reached the semi-finals of the FIH Pro League with victory over New Zealand on the pop-up turf at Harlequins’ Twickenham Stoop ground.
The expectation of a home victory was palpable as a carnival atmosphere descended for the double header of men’s and women’s fixtures.
That the rules of hockey were explained on the stadium’s big screens – while the men warmed up on the blue synthetic surface for the first of the afternoon’s matches – magnified the significance of this occasion.
With around 12,500 tickets sold, the event drew the largest attendance at a hockey match in this country since the London 2012 Olympic Games. Eager to etch their names in history at the first hockey match in a UK rugby stadium, Britain closed out a 2-0 victory.
Chris Griffiths continued his red-hot goalscoring form with a thumping shot to give Britain the lead after just five minutes, before Alan Forsyth tapped home late on. "When the first goal went in and you heard the cheer, it was brilliant and pretty special," Griffiths said. "Hopefully this will be more of a regular occurrence, The Stoop has been a great showcase for the sport.
"We tested the pitch a few months ago back at Bisham and it played a lot better here than we expected. Obviously with any pitch you’re going to get a bit of a skip and bounce, but the pitch played really well today."
Danny Kerry’s men knew nothing other than a victory against the Black Sticks would suffice if they were to finish fourth in the inaugural competition and progress to next week’s grand final in Amsterdam, with the possibility of pre-qualification for next year’s Tokyo 2020 Olympics at stake for the winners.
Buoyed by the knowledge that rivals Argentina had lost 4-1 to Belgium, Britain’s fate was back in their own hands.
The hosts flooded forward during the first half with a confidence bordering on arrogance that was epitomised by Rhys Smith’s outrageous dink over his opposite number before Phil Roper watched his effort fly over and Zach Wallace was denied by the bar.
Their 1-0 lead shortly before the end of the third quarter looked increasingly vulnerable as New Zealand earned three penalty corners in quick succession. Blocks from Ian Sloan and Brendan Creed kept Britain in front.
"We’ve learnt over the years, and particularly in this league, no matter how many goals you score, there’s always a chance in hockey – it’s such a quick game – that you can easily lose that," continued Griffiths.
"We spoke before half-time more about defence than attack to be honest because, while we had the lead, we knew we needed to tighten a few things up."
But just as New Zealand threatened to spoil the party, Ashley Jackson, who was making only his second appearance since returning from a three-year self-imposed exile from international hockey, burst forward from midfield before threading the ball through to Griffiths, who in turn fed Forsyth. The Scot fired the ball low past Richard Joyce, propelling himself onto the wet pitch in the process to secure an unassailable 2-0 triumph.
Kerry’s men will face league-toppers Australia in the semi-final on Friday in Amsterdam. Belgium face Holland the same day with the winners meeting in the final on Sunday.
