Hockey: Crutchley scores again then hobbles out of England squad

By Bill Colwill

BOBBY CRUTCHLEY took his season's League haul to 35 as Cannock ran out comprehensive 7-1 winners against Hounslow at Chiswick yesterday, before hobbling off in the 46th minute having aggravated an ankle injury he sustained last weekend.

With England physio Mohinder Surdar and the England coach Barry Dancer watching, the unlucky Crutchley was withdrawn from the England squad which departs this morning for Malaysia for the Sultan Azlan Shah tournament. Jason Lee, who was a late replacement for Rob Thompson at the Olympics, has received another late call to replace Crutchley.

In the match of the day at Canterbury the home side beat Southgate 3- 2 after losing a two-goal lead to maintain their challenge to Cannock. Two first-half goals by Dave Hacker gave the home side a good start before Bill Waugh and Adrian Simons brought the scores level. Canterbury's winner came from Paul Wicken after 47 minutes.

St Albans, after a torrid weekend, lost their final game 10-3 to Slavia Prague in the European Indoor A Division Championship in Hamburg which means that Reading, this year's English champions, will next year be relegated to the B Division.

Slough, with two goals each from Sue MacDonald, Ali Burd and Lucy Cope, beat Doncaster 7-0 to claim their sixth National League title in nine years with three games remaining. Always in command after their opening goal in the third minute, Slough owed their complete dominance to an unselfish display of controlled aggression from Mandy Nicholls and poor finishing from the Doncaster attack.