Hockey: Australia advance with ease

JACKIE PEREIRA and Alyson Annan, with second- half goals, gave Australia a comfortable 2-0 win against England in Buenos Aires on Saturday. England failed to take their chances and paid the penalty of limiting themselves to just two strikers.

Australia, yet to concede a goal, who look certain to win the Five Nations' tournament, meet Argentina in their last game while England play the United States.

In the Women's County Championship preliminaries, Herefordshire, with Leominster's Sue Williams prominent, were the surprise winners from the West at Bournemouth despite losing their final game 3-0 against Gloucestershire.

At Bisham Abbey, Berkshire, with strikers Lesley Hobley and Kate Parker teaming up again to cause mayhem in opposing defences, won all their games to reach the final play-offs.

In the North, Yorkshire came through and Lancashire, as defending champions, will also be at the finals over the weekend 31 April and 1 May at Prescot, despite finishing third. Kent qualified from the East.

Chris Mayer, the England winger who scored seven goals on Saturday for the defending county champions, Staffordshire, followed up yesterday with two goals as his county trounced Somerset 7-0 and another couple in a 7-1 pounding of Berkshire in their final game.