It was the Olympic champions versus the world champions at London's Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre on Saturday (15 June), with Rio 2016 gold medallists Great Britain producing arguably their best performance of the FIH Pro League but still ending on the losing side as a late strike from Netherlands ace Kelly Jonker broke British hearts.
The Oranje were made to work hard for their 13th victory in 14 FIH Pro League matches, with Great Britain having two goals correctly ruled out by the video umpire before Jonker scored a trademark striker’s goal, being in the right place to guide home a sensational backhand cross from Lidewij Welten. With their place in the FIH Pro League Grand Final - and also the FIH Olympic qualifiers - already assured, the Netherlands are edging ever closer to a first place finish in the league, which would mean that they face the team that finishes fourth in their first Grand Final match. Defeat leaves Great Britain in eighth position, but the quality of their performance should give the great confidence ahead of their final FIH Pro League fixture, a clash against New Zealand at the Twickenham Stoop next weekend. To see the current women’s FIH Pro League standings, click here.
Great Britain (FIH World Ranking: 2) thought that they had made the perfect start when Izzy Petter scored from close range in the third minute, but the Netherlands (WR:1) instantly appealed to the video umpire who spotted the ball hitting the foot of Lily Owsley in the build-up and was correctly ruled out. At the other end, a defence-splitting pass from 2018 FIH Player of the Year Eva de Goede set 2015 FIH Player of the Year Lidewij Welten through on goal, but Great Britain goalkeeper Amy Tennant confidently kicked Welten’s backhand shot away to safety.
The Netherlands put the hosts under considerable pressure in the opening minutes of the second quarter but could not find a way through a defensive line being expertly marshalled by GB captain Hollie Pearne-Webb. After Dutch pressure subsided, Great Britain pressed their opponents back and were perhaps unlucky not to have taken the lead ahead of half time. Netherlands defender Caia van Maasakker made a superb goal-line block from a Great Britain penalty corner, while Petter fired a backhand strike over the Dutch crossbar after some excellent approach play from Sarah Evans.
Great Britain had further chances to open the scoring in the third quarter but were also forced to defend two Dutch penalty corners ahead of an absorbing fourth period that had the crowd sitting on the edge of their seats. Tennant pulled off superb saves to deny Ginella Zerbo and Caia van Maasakker before Giselle Ansley sent a stunning penalty corner effort into the top right corner of the Dutch goal, but the wild celebrations in the stands were soon muted when a video umpire referral ruled out the strike as the ball had not left the circle before Ansley fired for goal.
Just as the match seemed to be heading for a shoot-out, the Dutch found their winner. Lidewij Welten accelerated down the left before firing pin-point accurate pass across the face of the British goal, with Jonker doing what she does best by guiding the ball into the net. The result was perhaps harsh on Great Britain, but once again the top ranked team in world hockey showed that they are more than capable of grinding out results when required.
“I think we had to work really hard to get these three points, but I’m really proud that we did it”, said Kelly Jonker after the match. “It was a tough match as GB were really good, so I’m happy that we got the three points. We have Argentina and Australia coming up at home in the Netherlands, which are really tough matches, but it’s really great to be in England again as we really enjoy playing here.”
Earlier in the day, China ended their FIH Pro League campaign with a comfortable 4-0 victory over USA. To read a full report on that match, click here.
There are five FIH Pro League matches taking place on Sunday (16 June), a day that could see a number of teams secure berths in the FIH Pro League Grand Final. Germany’s men and women take on Australia at the Crefelder Hockey Club in Krefeld, with Belgium playing host to the national teams of New Zealand at Antwerp’s Wilrijkse Plein. Argentina’s men are also in action, facing Spain at Club de Campos Villa in Madrid. To see the complete match schedule, click here.
Keep up to date with all the latest news on the FIH Pro League via the event website and through FIH social media channels - Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
FIH Pro League - 15 June 2019
Wujin Hockey Stadium, Changzhou (CHN)
Result: Women’s Match 63
China 4, USA 0
Player of the Match: Zhang Xiaoxue (CHN)
Umpires: Ivona Makar (CRO), Aleisha Neumann (AUS) and Rawi Anbananthan (MAS - video)
Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre, London (ENG)
Result: Women’s Match 64
Great Britain 0, Netherlands 1
Player of the Match: Anna Toman (GBR)
Umpires: Laurine Delforge (BEL), Ayanna McClean (TTO) and Jakub Mejzlik (CZE - video)
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