Ireland produce improved display in defeat to England

Ireland 0, England 3

Ahead of tomorrow’s fifth to ninth place cross-over game against France, Irish coach Riet Kuper was relatively satisfied with the run-out against their high profile opponents.

“I was delighted because it actually proved all our players are capable of playing at this level and I am pleased that they are up to the standard required,” she said.

England opened the scoring after seven minutes when Jane Smith crashed home from close in and thereafter Ireland were under pressure. The English had several more chances in the first period but failed to find the net. Indeed, Ireland had a great chance to equalise as the break approached and had Jenny McDonough seen Lynsey McVicker’s run late in the half, the score might have been levelled.

Within seconds of the restart, Karen Bateman was desperately unlucky when her fierce shot rebounded off the post. Then England got their second when Anna Bennett ran the ball into the circle and finished clinically.

Ireland were trying hard and Jenny McDonough had a shot graze the crossbar, but England wrapped it up in the dying seconds when Jo Ellis supplied the killer pass to Helen Grant who finished beautifully.

“Obviously England are the stronger team because they had better preparation over the past years and not just in the run-up to this competition and, in all honesty, it has been remarkable seeing their progress over the past four years,” Kuper commented.

“But, in saying that, I think our team has performed well over the five games they’ve played and in this game in particular, even though we lost, I was happy with the way it went.

“This was our last pool game and we have achieved 100% what we set out to do. We wanted to finish third in the pool and we wanted to fight for the fifth to ninth place finish and that’s exactly what we achieved,” the coach said.

They face France tomorrow in the first of the cross-over games.

Ireland: King, Caulfield, Cregan, Kohler, McDonough, McVicker, O’Brien, Orbinson, Sixsmith, Maybin, Burke. Rolling Subs: Bateman, Connery, Beaney, McKean and Symonds.

England: Reid, Bimson, Smith, Grant, Nicholson, Walsh, Houslop, Walker, Blanks, Ellis, Greenham. Rolling subs: Clewlow, Bennett, Wright, Danson, Panter.