Hockey: Easy victory helps Army to prepare

Army 3 Cambridge University 1

The Army, building up for next month's Inter-Services tournament at Portsmouth, had a comfortable 3-1 win against Cambridge University at a blustery Milton Keynes National Stadium yesterday, to add to last week's 2-1 victory over Oxford, but it took them until a minute before the interval to break through the student ranks.

After Cambridge's goalkeeper, Pawel Piotrowicz, had denied the soldiers an early goal, Cambridge took control of midfield but with Southgate's Peter Boxell in commanding form at the back and the Atlanta Olympian Simon Hazlitt marshalling the Army midfield, it seemed military goals would come.

The first arrived after a long ball from Bryan Hemmings found James Boyce wide on the right, and he made for the circle and lashed a powerful shot high into the net. Four minutes into the second half Paul Tapp deflected in the Army's second goal at a needlessly conceded free hit on the edge of the circle. Hazlitt then converted the Army's fifth penalty corner for a 3-0 lead.

With five minutes remaining John Mayer pulled a goal back for the students and two minutes later put a penalty stroke high and wide to end their fightback.

Army: Maj J Williams; Maj P Boxell; S/Sgt K Edwards, Capt D Evans, Capt M Thomas; Capt A Nye, 2nd Lt P Tapp (capt), Capt S Hazlitt, Lt N Colman; S/Sgt I Bowry, 2nd Lt J Boyce. Substitute used: Capt B Hemmings.

Cambridge University: P Piotrowicz; I Sands; D Churton, O Brew, I Bateman; J Mayer, T Gilman, M Meredith (capt), T Parr; G Playair, C Mannall. Substitutes used: C Lipscombe, D Heathcote.

Umpires: B Matson (CSHUA) and N Cherrill (ECHUA).