Hockey: Double for Cullen inspires stylish England

England 5 Canada 3

ENGLAND YESTERDAY demon-strated an exuberant style all too rarely seen as they romped to a 5-3 victory over Canada which, with better finishing and a penalty-corner drill, would surely have reached double figures.

The visitors battled, but their sporadic counter-attacks were inadequate in comparison with the well-oiled English machine. Yet it was Canada who opened the scoring in the 11th minute through Kirsten Taunton. This was England's first outing since they finished a disappointing ninth in the World Cup in Utrecht in May. Yesterday's team, as selected for the Commonwealth Games next month, shows four changes, one of whom, Denise Marston-Smith, equalised at a penalty stroke four minutes later. Tina Cullen scored the first of her two goals 24 minutes into the game when she exchanged passes with Mandy Nicholls in a glorious move to put England ahead. Her second, four minutes after the interval, followed a mis-hit push out at a penalty corner.

Canada now had their best spell of the game, Christine Hunter catching out the English defence before Jenny Zinkan-McGrade, at a well-worked penalty corner, equalised at 3-3.

Jane Sixsmith restored England's lead in the 55th minute following a precision pass from Cullen. Within a minute Sixsmith herself burst through to provide Jane Smith with England's fifth. The teams meet again this afternoon.

ENGLAND: C Reid (Hightown), K Moore (Olton), M Clewlow (Canterbury), K Brown (Slough, capt), J Bimson (Olton), L Wright (Olton), K Kirsten- Bowden (Leicester), L Newcombe (Hightown), J Sixsmith (Sutton Coldfield), J Smith (Slough), T Cullen (Hightown).

Substitutes used: M Nicholls (Slough), D Marston-Smith (Clifton), J Empson (Canterbury), F Greenham (Olton).

CANADA: S Forbes, B J Steadwood, L Kopeck (capt), C Somerville, K McNeill, L Faust, S Armstrong, S Tingley, C Hunter, A McFarlane, K Taunton. Substitutes used: J Zinkan-McGrade, A Grimes, M Boyer, J Wong.

Umpires: J Knuckles (England), J McLintock (Canada).