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SATURDAY 3 JULY ENGLAND U16 GIRLS V WALES U16 GIRLS 8-1 GOAL SCORERS le Huray x 3, Edwards, O’Grady, Beer, Bingham, Butterworth ENGLAND U16 BOYS V WALES U16 BOYS 8-0 Goal Scorers: Webb,

Jenkinson x 2, Sturch-Hibbitt, Stone, Bridge, Gladman, J Edwards On 3 and 4 July, Millfield School hosted England and Wales’ U16 boys and girls in a series of matches. Wales arrived coming

off the back of matches against Ulster the previous weekend, while the two England squads were preparing to play their first junior international matches since February 2020. With many

players making their debuts for England, nerves were evident in the early exchanges of both the boys and girls matches. However, the two England teams found good form in the third quarter,

taking control of the matches before running out convincing winners with England’s U16 Girls winning 8-1 and the U16 Boys triumphing 8-0 on the opening day of games. SUNDAY 4 JULY ENGLAND

U16 GIRLS V WALES U16 GIRLS 10-1 Goal scorers: Butterworth x 2, Sherwood, Edwards x 2, Dunn x 2, Bingham x 2, le Huray ENGLAND U16 BOYS V WALES U16 BOYS 13-0 Goal Scorers: Jenkinson,

Sturch-Hibbitt x 4, Gladman, Stone, Sahota, O Edwards x 2, J Edwards, Webb x 2 It was important for the England teams not to show any signs of complacency in the following day’s matches,

developing consistency in performance being one of the key messages from Head Coaches, Lisa Letchford and James Culnane. The message seemed to sink in as both teams started brightly, the

girls side taking the lead after five minutes and the boys after only two minutes of their respective matches. These goals set the tone for the remainder of the games with both England sides

putting the Wales defences under relentless pressure and converting their chances. England Hockey are grateful to Millfield School for hosting the event, our competitors in the form of

Wales, the officials and umpires, and to all the spectators who supported the players through some treacherous weather conditions. After the matches, both coaches gave their thoughts: James

Culnane, U16 Boys Head Coach, commented: “It was great for the lads to have the opportunity to get their first caps and I know they enjoyed the experience. I was encouraged to see progress

from game one into game two. We are seeing signs of a group who take on feedback, are able to make adjustments and take pride in their performances. We’re looking forward to the next

challenge and continuing this development.” Lisa Letchford, U16 Girls Head Coach, stated: “The weekend provided players, families and the coaching team with a platform they could all be

proud of. Just getting to this point after a torrid 16 months of uncertainty and new challenges is a credit to all involved. Our performances showed real promise as we look forward to

building on the first experience of junior international hockey for many the girls. WHAT'S NEXT: Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 July sees the England U18 Boys and Girls called into action in

the first of three back-to-back weekends as part of the GB & I Four Nations Series. England will play Scotland on 10 and 11 July in Edinburgh before facing Ireland at Lilleshall on 16

and 17 July, and will complete the round robin of matches at Millfield on 24 and 25 July. The series provides an exciting competition experience and further exposure to develop athletes who

missed out on European Junior Age Group competition in 2021. The competition has been developed in the wake of England’s decision – along with Ireland, Scotland and Wales – to withdraw from

the 2021 EuroHockey U18 Championships due to restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Competition Dates Home Team Away Team Venue MATCH WEEK 1 Sat 10th & Sun 11th July Ireland v

Wales Belfast Sat 10th & Sun 11th July Scotland v ENGLAND Edinburgh MATCH WEEK 2 Fri 16th & Sat 17th July ENGLAND v Ireland Lilleshall Sat 17th & Sun 18th July Wales v Scotland 

Wrexham MATCH WEEK 3 Sat 24th & Sun 25th July Ireland v Scotland Belfast Sat 24th & Sun 25th July ENGLAND v Wales Millfield The series takes on the model of FIH Hockey Pro League,

playing two back-to-back games over one weekend with all games awarded points as follows: PROPOSED POINTS SYSTEM Win – 3 points Loss – 0 point Draw – 1 point each, with an additional point

for the winner of a penalty shootout. The team with the most points at the end of the Series will be crowned the winner. Scottish Hockey will be running a live stream of the matches this

weekend (Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 July), more information can be found by clicking here.  ENGLAND U16S: England’s U16s remaining activity includes a Thinking Forward Camp from 9-11 July.

The squads will be joined by a dozen high potential U17 players. The playing groups will be split into two balanced squads, playing three games over three days in a Super Series. The England

U16 squads will complete their summer activity playing Scotland at the University of Leeds, Weetwood Sports Park.