Mixed Results for England U18s In Latest Ireland Test Matches

Friday 16 and Saturday 17 July saw England’s U18 Boys and Girls host Ireland at Lilleshall in the second of three weekends in the GB & I Development Series, read below to see how the sides fared.

U18 Girls:

Match 1, 16 July:

England 0 - Ireland 1

Match 2, 17 July:

England 1 (Cookman 8’ PC) - Ireland 1

England win shootout 3-2

On Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 July, England’s U18 Girls played an Ireland U19 Girls team at Lilleshall in the second of three weekends in the GB & Ireland Development Series.

In the first match, both teams struggled to get the upper hand, with open play chances virtually non-existent. Although both sides won penalty corners, it was a conversion by the Ireland captain, Emma Paul, in the second quarter that settled the match.

The second game of the weekend saw a more positive performance from the England side. Tasmin Cookman gave the home team the lead from a penalty corner conversion early in the match, and the side continued to create good chances from open play. Ireland worked their way into the game and eventually struck back with a penalty corner conversion of their own in the fourth quarter. Though the sides couldn’t be separated in regular time, England were able to pick up the bonus point as they come out on top with a 3-2 win in the following shootout.

Head coach, John Bell, commented:

“It was a disappointing opening match, we lacked consistent intensity and effort. From here, we’ll look to improve key areas of our game, such as individual defending and connecting with each other as we play with speed and vision.

“I’m pleased with the competitive performance shown from the U18 Girls in match two. Our ability to connect across the lines with fluidity afforded the team some excellent goal scoring opportunities.
Our aim for the final weekend against Wales will be to show consistent effort, application, and performance across both games.”

U18 Boys:

England vs. Ireland U19 Boys:

Match 1: England 3 (Graves 20’ FG, Cuttle 30’ PS, Wilson 45’ FG) – Ireland 2

Match 2: England 1 (Petter 50’ FG) – Ireland 5

England U18 Boys started the two-match series against an experienced Ireland team at Lilleshall with a 3-2 win. Ted Graves struck first to give England the lead with 20 minutes on the clock, but Ireland fought back and won several penalty corners before finally converting minutes later. Moments before half time England were awarded a penalty stroke, Luis Cuttle stepping up and putting it in the roof of the net on the cusp of half time. In what became a tense, tactical battle in the third quarter, Rob Wilson’s field goal put England two goals to the good going into the final 15 minutes. Ireland came out aggressively applying the pressure, which was rewarded with a converted penalty corner after just three minutes. With Ireland on the front foot, England managed to defend well in the closing minutes of the game to maintain their lead before the final whistle.

After a positive result in the previous match, England’s U18 Boys’ second game of the weekend would end in defeat as they fell 5-1 to Ireland’s U19 Boys. Ireland started the game on the front foot and converted a quick low penalty corner into the bottom right of the goal with less than ten minutes played. Ireland’s pressure continued and, after some poor defending in the circle, the team profited from a rebound to take a 2-0 lead into half time. It didn’t get any easier for England after the break as the team conceded two goals in four minutes. England finished the game positively with Petter scoring an excellently worked goal, but it was too little too late in what would be a tough closing game.

Head Coach, Mark Bateman, commented:

“The weekend was a great opportunity to play an older, more experienced Ireland team, who provided both physical and tactical challenges for our players. It was honours even with a win for both sides, but we are disappointed with the result in the final game and will take a lot of learning into next weekend’s games against Wales where we are looking to finish the tournament strong.”

Both England U18 teams go into their final round of matches against Wales on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 July at Millfield School.

Tables after Match Weekend Two:

Boys

Girls