Hockey: Bennett's breakthrough: Double boost for England's women ahead of World Cup

ENGLAND'S women completed a weekend double over Spain, the Olympic champions, in Madrid yesterday. They followed up a 3-1 win on Friday with a 2-0 victory, and a timely boost to morale with the World Cup in Dublin less than five weeks away, writes Bill Colwill.

It was a happy weekend for the coach, Sue Slocombe, who on Saturday received the OBE in the Birthday Honours for services to women's hockey.

After squandering 12 penalty corners in the first half, England took the lead from another corner 20 minutes into the second. Tina Cullen exchanged passes with Anna Bennett before the 18-year- old schoolgirl scored her first international goal.

Cullen was on hand 10 minutes later to deflect a hard cross from Jane Sixsmith into the roof of the net. In Friday's game, England's goals came from Sally Gibson, Kath Johnson and Cullen.

ENGLAND (v Spain, yesterday): H Rose (Ipswich); J Atkins (Bradford Swithenbank); L Youngs (Ipswich), K Johnson (Balsam Leicester), C Cook (Hightown); S Lister (Ipswich, capt), S Gibson (Trojans), T Miller (Clifton); J Sixsmith (First Personnel Sutton Coldfield), T Cullen (Hightown), A Bennett (Slough). Substitutes used: M Davies, H Whalley (both Sutton Coldfield), S Wright (Slough).