Hockey: Hightown hit natural low: Bill Colwill sees defeats for English men and women in the European Cup-Winners' finals

Hightown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

HGC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

HIGHTOWN gave HGC, the Dutch champions, a two-goal start in the final of the Women's European Cup- Winners' Cup competition in Birmingham yesterday and were never able to get back in the match despite a a spirited display.

Goals from Ingrid Deemen in the seventh minute and from Wietske de Ruiter, the Dutch captain, five minutes later, put the game beyond the Liverpool side's reach.

Hightown's goal came in the 21st minute after Chris Cook had moved into midfield. Tina Cullen intercepted a pass that split two Dutch defenders and crashed the ball high into the net from a narrow angle.

The Dutch played with a maturity that Hightown lacked, but the English side, in adding a silver to the European Indoor bronze they won in February, showed tremendous courage. Carolyn Reid, their goalkeeper, denied the great Lisanne Lejeune at six penalty-corners and defended successfully at two penalty strokes.

First Personnel Sutton Coldfield, the European Champions, beat CF Junior from Spain 3-0 with two goals from Lisa Bayliss and one from Lisa Lee to finish in fifth place.

Hightown: Reid; Crook; Mills, Marsden, Cook; Souyave, Lee, Carr (capt); Mawdsley, Cullen, Stokes. Substitute used: J Aspin.

HGC: Reemink; Lejeune; Herbold, Duyser, van Not; Fokke, van der Wielen, Holsboer; Deenen, de Ruiter (capt), van Grimbergen. Substitute used: S Plesman.

Umpires: C Asselman (Bel) and C Oelka (Ger).