- FIH Pro League
FIH Pro League 2022-23: Great Britain’s men and women off to a flying start in New Zealand
FIH Pro League 2022-23: Great Britain’s men and women off to a flying start in New Zealand
The Great Britain Men's and Women's Hockey Teams resumed their FIH Pro League 2022/23 campaign with back-to-back wins in their respective first set of matches at weekend 1 of the New Zealand mini-tournament at the Nga Puna Wai Hockey Stadium, Christchurch.
-
After missing out on points in a tough opening tournament in Argentina last year, Great Britain’s Women's team resumed their campaign with two good wins against the hosts New Zealand and Australia.
Resilient Great Britain beat Australia 1-0
The Women's Team led by Hollie Pearne-Webb put up a solid defensive show as they earned a hard-fought 1-0 win over the World No.3 side Australia in their opening match of their New Zealand tour. It was Giselle Ansley who scored the lone goal of the match through a penalty corner in the 13th minute. GB’s defence was resolute as they managed to keep the Australian attack at bay to secure the first win of the season. The games also marked 2 major milestones for Hannah Martin with her 50th GB cap and Lily Owlsley with 200 combined GB and England caps.
Clinical Great Britain beat New Zealand 2-0
High on confidence, the women's team registered their second win on the tour as they beat the Black Sticks 2-0 on Sunday. Tess Howard scored both goals in the match, first through a penalty stroke in the 9th minute, while second came from a powerful turn and strike from open play in the 23rd minute. Great Britain dominated the possession throughout the game, limiting New Zealand to few chances, one in the final minutes, but goalkeeper Miriam Pritchard stood tall to bag a clean sheet.
-
Paul Revington's side moved up the table with clinical wins over the hosts and Australia respectively on weekend.
Great Britain Men beat New Zealand 5-2
The Men's team resumed their campaign with a dominant 5-2 win over New Zealand on Saturday. Zach Wallace drew the first blood with an amazing reverse stick volley in the 13th minute and James Oates (23') and Will Calnan (24') went on to give the visitors a 3-goal lead. The hosts pulled a goal back through their Captain Dane Lett's field goal in the 28th minute, but Nicholas Bandurak restored the three-goal lead with another remarkable finish in the 30th minute. Rupert Shipperley added the fifth to GB's tally deflecting a ball from Jack Waller in on the right hand post. The home side scored their second in the 49th minute through Connor Greentree, but GB retained control of the game to secure three points.
Great Britain edge past Australia 2-1
It was a comeback win Great Britain as they edged past Australia 2-1 in their second match of the New Zealand tour on Sunday. Australia took the lead through Ky Willott in the 10th minute, but Sam Ward made no mistake in converting the penalty corner to level the score just 4 minutes later. Scotland’s Lee Morton went on to score Great Britain's second goal in the 22nd minute, which also turned out to be a winner. The Aussies came out all guns blazing in the second half of the game, looking to score an equaliser, but the GB defence held strong to make it two wins from two matches in Christchurch. This game also marked 100 combined GB and Wales caps for Jacob Draper.
-
Both Men's and Women’s teams will play their second leg against Australia and New Zealand on the coming weekend April 29 and 29. Here's the full schedule -
Matchday 3 - April 28, 2023
Women's - Great Britain vs Australia at 06:10 AM UK Time
Men's - New Zealand vs Great Britain at 08:40 AM UK Time
Matchday 4 - April 29, 2023
Women's - New Zealand vs Great Britain at 03:10 AM UK Time
Men's - Great Britain vs Australia at 05:40 AM UK Time
-
All games will be broadcast live on BT Sport.
-
Our first home mini-tournament runs from 26 May to 4 June. GB men will be in action against India and Belgium, while GB women face China and Belgium.
The second mini-tournament runs from 16 – 21 June. GB women play Germany and the USA, and the men take on Germany and Spain. The Netherlands men and women are also in town to play Spain and USA respectively.
It’s a sell-out at Lee Valley Hockey & Tennis Centre for 28 May, with limited tickets left for 4 and 18 June. It’s not one to be missed!
Book your tickets now : https://shop.ticketing.cm.com/great-britain-hockey/