England’s Olympic heroes steal show despite Argentina defeat
As the final whistle sounded at the end of a difficult and disappointing afternoon for England, there was no sign of the crowds streaming towards the exit doors. Instead, they flocked to the side of the pitch, on the hunt for a brief moment with some of the stars of one of British sport’s most spectacular triumphs in recent years.
It may be 10 months since the women’s hockey side claimed the Olympic title, but the reverberations of that memorable triumph in Rio continue to shake the sport back home. So this weekend’s Investec Internationals, a belated homecoming for hockey’s golden girls, is certainly an occasion to celebrate, even if this heavy defeat by Argentina was not.
Every player in Great Britain’s final in Rio was English, and seven of the starting XI here were in Brazil in August. There have been trips to South Africa and Spain since then, but this was England women’s first showing on home turf since the sport propelled itself so far into the mainstream that it famously delayed the 10 o’clock news.
Iconic captain Kate RichardsonWalsh has retired, while there are others, including Sam Quek, Georgie Twigg and Helen Richardson-Walsh, who are not involved in the current setup. That said, the team is still sprinkled with a healthy contingent of gold medallists, such as new captain Alex Danson, Lily Owsley and the brilliant Maddie ‘Mad Dog’ Hinch in goal.
Along with Richardson-Walsh, Hinch remains perhaps the most recognisable figure of the 2016 cohort, and it was she who garnered the biggest cheers in the Olympic Park.
Three times in the half-time break members of the crowd were asked to name their favourite player, and three times the answer was Hinch. Ever the competitor, the 28-year-old did nothing to harm that popularity in the two quarters she played, providing a string of last-gasp saves with both feet and hands. It was not quite enough to keep the Argentines at bay, though.
For as much as this weekend represents a chance for England’s best women to strut their stuff in front of a home crowd, it also provides a welcome snapshot of the growth in interest in hockey since the nation was so captivated by events in Brazil.
By all accounts, that growth has been strong. Around 10,000 new players have joined hockey clubs across the country, with particular success among young girls in middle-class areas. Meanwhile, England Hockey’s campaign to “become a nation where hockey matters” was recently named the Best Sports Governing Body Initiative. It all makes for an encouraging picture for the sport in England, especially as it comes amid ‘unprecedented’ interest in tickets for next year’s World Cup in London.
So it will therefore be a source of minor disappointment that a showdown between England, the world’s second best team, and Argentina, ranked third, could only fill around half of the seats of the relatively modest Lee Valley Hockey Centre.
Still, today’s clash with world-leading Holland is a sell-out, and those who did attend yesterday certainly seemed to enjoy themselves.
“It is clear that the hockey family is bigger than ever,” said Hinch. “People are recognising players and they have their idols in the team. To see youngsters who want to be like us one day is exactly what we want.”
By the end, there was perhaps less for the face-painted hordes to celebrate as Argentina turned on the style.
Argentina took the lead two minutes into the second quarter, as Agustina Habif fired home following a penalty corner.
England’s equaliser came just five minutes later when Hannah Martin slapped in after a goalmouth scramble, but that was about as good as it got for Danny Kerry’s side. Argentina controlled the tempo of the match, and looked comfortable in possession.
“Coming back here was always going to be a nervous weekend,” Hinch said. “There are a lot of eyes on us all of a sudden and a lot of expectation.”
Martina Cavallero notched for the visitors in the third quarter, before a late flurry turned the result into something of a drubbing. First Magdalena Fernandez found the net, then Delfina Merino, and finally Habif made it five.