Britain grab the goals

Hockey: Great Britain 8 France

Hockey

BILL COLWILL

Great Britain 8 France 2

Great Britain eventually overwhelmed a ponderous and defensive French side in the first of their two-match Test series at Bisham Abbey yesterday, despite a first-half performance lacking direction and purpose.

After Jane Sixsmith had given Britain the lead at a penalty corner 16 minutes into the game, Britain lost their way for long periods, lacking the imagination to penetrate the French defence.

It was the conversion of a penalty stroke by Sue MacDonald which opened the floodgates. After two penalty corner strikes by Sue Fraser, another goal from Rhona Simpson and a second from MacDonald, also from a penalty corner, Pauline Robertson capped a powerful display in midfield with a fine goal seven minutes from time to complete the scoring. The teams meet again today at the same venue.

GREAT BRITAIN: H Rose (Sutton Canada Life); D Renilson (Edinburgh); J Mould (Balsam Leicester), K Brown (Slough), L Cope (Balsam Leicester); M Davies (Sutton Canada Life), P Robertson (Grove, capt): A Bennett (Slough); J Sixsmith (Sutton Canada Life), S MacDonald (Glasgow Western), M Nicholls (Slough). Substitutes used: T Cullen (Hightown), S Fraser (Grove); J Atkins (Bradford Swithenbank), R Simpson (Edinburgh).

FRANCE: S Taillaint; B Picard; V Delloye, A Noel, S Boccara; M Lazennec, S Levossec (capt), L Peyrelongue; C Vives, N Agis, J Clement. Substitutes used: S Renove, V Catagrel.

Umpires: D Prewett and V Sassall (Eng).