Hockey: Spaniards cry foul at rules

SPAIN, ENGLAND'S opponents today in their third game in the Champions' Trophy here, yesterday went down 2-0 to Australia.

The Spanish coach, Toni Forrellat, bitterly criticised the new interpretation of the "foot" rule. In order to reduce the number of interruptions to the game, the umpires have been instructed to only stop play when the foot has been used intentionally or significantly to stop or re-direct the ball.

Forrellat felt that his side had been denied some 15 penalty corners which previously they would have been awarded.

England's manager, David Whittle, said after watching the game: "I thought they [Spain] looked a bit tentative and they are there for the taking. If we don't win we need our backsides kicked."

England have had two days in which to rectify their weakness in their games against South Korea and Australia, in which they shipped early goals and threw away too many scoring chances.

In the second men's game of the day, South Korea, who beat England in their opening game, dropped their first points of the tournament when they were held to a 2-2 draw by Pakistan, twice coming from behind to equalise.

In the women's competition Australia and the Netherlands maintained their 100 per-cent record, with the Dutch struggling to beat New Zealand 2-1 and the Australians overpowering Argentina 4-2. England's women, with goals from Mandy Nicholson, Jane Sixsmith and Jane Smith, finished their Australian tour with a 3-1 win against a strong Australian Institute of Sport side on the Gold Coast.