Hockey: Laslett runs free as Teddington take bronze

ATLETIC TERRASSA won the European Cup-Winners' Cup here yesterday in a cracking final against the Dutch holders, HGC, writes Bill Colwill from Terrassa, Spain. After a 3-3 draw the Spanish won the penalty-stroke barrage 5-4.

Teddington took the bronze medal with a 5-3 win over Harvestehuder, from Hamburg, after another outstanding performance by their captain, Jason Laslett, who enjoyed the greater freedom of his new role at centre-forward.

Laslett paved the way when he stole the ball from Christian Blunck, shrugging off a crunching tackle from the German captain to end a 35-yard run with the opening goal.

After 25 minutes Laslett sent Jon Hauck away down the right wing and Peter Gibbins crashed his cross into the roof of the net. Three minutes later Phil McGuire scored from a penalty corner, and although the Germans pulled a goal back through Alexander Brasche, four minutes into the second half Laslett latched on to McGuire's free hit to put Teddington 4-1 ahead.

The Germans' clinical penalty-corner drill provided goals for Stefan Saliger and Blunck, but with three minutes remaining Gibbins collected his second goal, from a penalty corner, to assure bronze.

Balsam, of Leicester, also won a bronze medal, in the women's competition in Cardiff. Two goals from Nicky Wright gave them a 2-0 win against Stade Francais.

Teddington: G Meredith; P McGuire, J Wallis, S Nicklin, A Colclough, J Hawk, C Camburn, T Moore, P Gibbins, J Laslett (capt), A Billson. Substitutes used: M Riley, R Benzies, S Blan.

Harvestehuder: T Schulz; M Green, D Staudinger, C Lohse, C Richter, C Stengler, C Blunck (capt), C-P Krueger, A Brasche, B Gerke, E Rott. Substitutes used: M Esser, S Saliger.

Umpires: B Disy (Belgium), P Bender (Netherlands).