Kookaburras' Pro League dream dies with England defeat
Australia's hockey men have fallen short in their bid to successfully defend their international hockey Pro League title, a 2-1 defeat to their old rivals England in London finally ending the Kookaburras' terrific unbeaten streak.
The defeat for Tim Brand's side, after a brilliant sequence of six straight wins in Argentina and Europe, finally put paid to their hopes at the Lee Valley Centre with the Netherlands sealing the title that the Aussies had won in 2024.
It was a frustrating end to their thrilling European push and they only had themselves to blame, Tom Craig having a penalty stroke brilliantly saved by a diving England keeper James Mazarelo and the team managing to convert only one of 16 penalty corners.
While England celebrated their first victory in hockey's 'Ashes' for 11 years, there was frustration for Brand as he reflected: "It's a shame to let that one slip today.
"But we've come away to learn on this tour, and second (place in the league) is still up for grabs. I'm very proud of what we've done so far, it's not over yet.
"We played well, created a lot of chances, we were physical and we had a lot of energy, but we just couldn't put the ball in the back of the net. We'll go away and look at that, it's a young group and we'll take a lot from this game."
Coming off a sensational 4-3 comeback win against the same opposition on Saturday, the Kookaburras had to win and also prevail in their final two league matches against the hosts in Germany next week to snatch the title from the Dutch.
But Brand proved the only Aussie to get on the scoresheet, tapping home following one corner to level the scores after England had taken the lead in the third quarter against the run of play through Jack Waller after the Kookaburras had already squandered 11 short corners and missed the penalty stroke.
Then Waller proved the home hero, scoring a brilliant winner in the fourth quarter to give the hosts their first win after nine straight losses against Australia since 2014.
"Our playing style at the moment is as good as anyone's, we can match anyone in the world," said Brand. "The game just didn't fall our way today."
Meanwhile, the Hockeyroos delivered a brilliant 4-3 come-from-behind triumph over Germany in Berlin to end their Pro League season on a high.
Just 24 hours after getting hammered 4-0 by the hosts in Berlin, the Aussie women turned the tables emphatically on a sweltering afternoon, overcoming a 3-1 halftime deficit to win thanks to 15-minute burst in the second half.
Goals from Greta Hayes, Courtney Schonell, Grace Stewart and Lexie Pickering earned the famous win in their last match before September's three-match World Cup qualifying showdown against New Zealand in Darwin.
"What a way to finish this Pro League season! It's been an up-and-down campaign over here in Europe," player of the match Hayes conceded.
The Hockeyroos are in fourth place in the standings with the Netherlands women having long since wrapped up the title.
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The Advertiser
40 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Kookaburra season in England has left one Aussie rapt
The Kookaburra cricket ball has been brought out to play in England's county cricket season - and one Australian quick bowler couldn't be happier. Liam Guthrie hadn't had the best of times with Northamptonshire so far this campaign, having not taken more than three wickets in any innings for Darren Lehmann's division two outfit all season. But that all changed at Northampton on Sunday when the Australian Kookaburra ball was introduced for the next few county games in place of the familiar English-produced Dukes ball - and Guthrie produced a six-wicket display against Middlesex, easily his best performance so far. Taking advantage of his expertise with the cherry he's more familiar with using, the 28-year-old ripped through the visitors' top-order taking three quick wickets to reduce Middlesex to 3-33. He also struck later in the day, getting rid of half-centurion Luke Hollman and ended with figures of 6-87 off 19 probing overs, with the battling unbeaten century from wicketkeeper-batter Joe Cracknell providing the main rearguard action as Middlesex battled back to finish on 8-397. "I play a fair bit with the Kook back home in Australia. It is a different skill to the Dukes. Guys who play with the Dukes over here obviously have skills that are different to what Australian seamers would have when they come over," said West Australian Guthrie, who has a UK passport and isn't considered an overseas player. "It's just about being clear with your plans and sort of hitting the deck hard, not sort of floating it when the Kookaburra's a bit softer." One more wicket tomorrow and Guthrie will go past his career-best first-class figures of 6-60 for Queensland against Victoria a couple of years ago. Elsewhere in the resumed county championship program, a couple of Aussie batters also seemed perfectly at home with the introduction of the Kookaburra, which is part of the English game's continued bid to give home players wider international experience. There were half-centuries for Gloucestershire captain Cameron Bancroft, who top-scored with 58 off 127 balls as they were skittled for 187 by Derbyshire at Bristol, and Sussex's Tasmanian opener Daniel Hughes, who made 60 off 110 balls against Durham at Chester-le-Street in their 9-322. It was a big day for debutant Ashton Turner at Blackpool as he was handed his Lancashire cap by his Australian teammate Chris Green, who took a wicket (1-63) on a rain-interrupted day as Kent finished the opening day on 3-213. Lancashire's captain for the first time in a county match was 42-year-old James Anderson, who was also the subject of a special presentation of his own as he received a bottle of champagne to mark his 300th first-class match. Anderson, who couldn't mark the latest landmark with a wicket (0-36), stepped in as skipper because Lancashire's Australian skipper Marcus Harris, the top-scorer in the county championship this season (825 runs), had flown home to attend the birth of his second child. The Kookaburra cricket ball has been brought out to play in England's county cricket season - and one Australian quick bowler couldn't be happier. Liam Guthrie hadn't had the best of times with Northamptonshire so far this campaign, having not taken more than three wickets in any innings for Darren Lehmann's division two outfit all season. But that all changed at Northampton on Sunday when the Australian Kookaburra ball was introduced for the next few county games in place of the familiar English-produced Dukes ball - and Guthrie produced a six-wicket display against Middlesex, easily his best performance so far. Taking advantage of his expertise with the cherry he's more familiar with using, the 28-year-old ripped through the visitors' top-order taking three quick wickets to reduce Middlesex to 3-33. He also struck later in the day, getting rid of half-centurion Luke Hollman and ended with figures of 6-87 off 19 probing overs, with the battling unbeaten century from wicketkeeper-batter Joe Cracknell providing the main rearguard action as Middlesex battled back to finish on 8-397. "I play a fair bit with the Kook back home in Australia. It is a different skill to the Dukes. Guys who play with the Dukes over here obviously have skills that are different to what Australian seamers would have when they come over," said West Australian Guthrie, who has a UK passport and isn't considered an overseas player. "It's just about being clear with your plans and sort of hitting the deck hard, not sort of floating it when the Kookaburra's a bit softer." One more wicket tomorrow and Guthrie will go past his career-best first-class figures of 6-60 for Queensland against Victoria a couple of years ago. Elsewhere in the resumed county championship program, a couple of Aussie batters also seemed perfectly at home with the introduction of the Kookaburra, which is part of the English game's continued bid to give home players wider international experience. There were half-centuries for Gloucestershire captain Cameron Bancroft, who top-scored with 58 off 127 balls as they were skittled for 187 by Derbyshire at Bristol, and Sussex's Tasmanian opener Daniel Hughes, who made 60 off 110 balls against Durham at Chester-le-Street in their 9-322. It was a big day for debutant Ashton Turner at Blackpool as he was handed his Lancashire cap by his Australian teammate Chris Green, who took a wicket (1-63) on a rain-interrupted day as Kent finished the opening day on 3-213. Lancashire's captain for the first time in a county match was 42-year-old James Anderson, who was also the subject of a special presentation of his own as he received a bottle of champagne to mark his 300th first-class match. Anderson, who couldn't mark the latest landmark with a wicket (0-36), stepped in as skipper because Lancashire's Australian skipper Marcus Harris, the top-scorer in the county championship this season (825 runs), had flown home to attend the birth of his second child. The Kookaburra cricket ball has been brought out to play in England's county cricket season - and one Australian quick bowler couldn't be happier. Liam Guthrie hadn't had the best of times with Northamptonshire so far this campaign, having not taken more than three wickets in any innings for Darren Lehmann's division two outfit all season. But that all changed at Northampton on Sunday when the Australian Kookaburra ball was introduced for the next few county games in place of the familiar English-produced Dukes ball - and Guthrie produced a six-wicket display against Middlesex, easily his best performance so far. Taking advantage of his expertise with the cherry he's more familiar with using, the 28-year-old ripped through the visitors' top-order taking three quick wickets to reduce Middlesex to 3-33. He also struck later in the day, getting rid of half-centurion Luke Hollman and ended with figures of 6-87 off 19 probing overs, with the battling unbeaten century from wicketkeeper-batter Joe Cracknell providing the main rearguard action as Middlesex battled back to finish on 8-397. "I play a fair bit with the Kook back home in Australia. It is a different skill to the Dukes. Guys who play with the Dukes over here obviously have skills that are different to what Australian seamers would have when they come over," said West Australian Guthrie, who has a UK passport and isn't considered an overseas player. "It's just about being clear with your plans and sort of hitting the deck hard, not sort of floating it when the Kookaburra's a bit softer." One more wicket tomorrow and Guthrie will go past his career-best first-class figures of 6-60 for Queensland against Victoria a couple of years ago. Elsewhere in the resumed county championship program, a couple of Aussie batters also seemed perfectly at home with the introduction of the Kookaburra, which is part of the English game's continued bid to give home players wider international experience. There were half-centuries for Gloucestershire captain Cameron Bancroft, who top-scored with 58 off 127 balls as they were skittled for 187 by Derbyshire at Bristol, and Sussex's Tasmanian opener Daniel Hughes, who made 60 off 110 balls against Durham at Chester-le-Street in their 9-322. It was a big day for debutant Ashton Turner at Blackpool as he was handed his Lancashire cap by his Australian teammate Chris Green, who took a wicket (1-63) on a rain-interrupted day as Kent finished the opening day on 3-213. Lancashire's captain for the first time in a county match was 42-year-old James Anderson, who was also the subject of a special presentation of his own as he received a bottle of champagne to mark his 300th first-class match. Anderson, who couldn't mark the latest landmark with a wicket (0-36), stepped in as skipper because Lancashire's Australian skipper Marcus Harris, the top-scorer in the county championship this season (825 runs), had flown home to attend the birth of his second child.
The Advertiser
40 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Kookaburras' Pro League dream dies with England defeat
Australia's hockey men have fallen short in their bid to successfully defend their international hockey Pro League title, a 2-1 defeat to their old rivals England in London finally ending the Kookaburras' terrific unbeaten streak. The defeat for Tim Brand's side, after a brilliant sequence of six straight wins in Argentina and Europe, finally put paid to their hopes at the Lee Valley Centre with the Netherlands sealing the title that the Aussies had won in 2024. It was a frustrating end to their thrilling European push and they only had themselves to blame, Tom Craig having a penalty stroke brilliantly saved by a diving England keeper James Mazarelo and the team managing to convert only one of 16 penalty corners. While England celebrated their first victory in hockey's 'Ashes' for 11 years, there was frustration for Brand as he reflected: "It's a shame to let that one slip today. "But we've come away to learn on this tour, and second (place in the league) is still up for grabs. I'm very proud of what we've done so far, it's not over yet. "We played well, created a lot of chances, we were physical and we had a lot of energy, but we just couldn't put the ball in the back of the net. We'll go away and look at that, it's a young group and we'll take a lot from this game." Coming off a sensational 4-3 comeback win against the same opposition on Saturday, the Kookaburras had to win and also prevail in their final two league matches against the hosts in Germany next week to snatch the title from the Dutch. But Brand proved the only Aussie to get on the scoresheet, tapping home following one corner to level the scores after England had taken the lead in the third quarter against the run of play through Jack Waller after the Kookaburras had already squandered 11 short corners and missed the penalty stroke. Then Waller proved the home hero, scoring a brilliant winner in the fourth quarter to give the hosts their first win after nine straight losses against Australia since 2014. "Our playing style at the moment is as good as anyone's, we can match anyone in the world," said Brand. "The game just didn't fall our way today." Meanwhile, the Hockeyroos delivered a brilliant 4-3 come-from-behind triumph over Germany in Berlin to end their Pro League season on a high. Just 24 hours after getting hammered 4-0 by the hosts in Berlin, the Aussie women turned the tables emphatically on a sweltering afternoon, overcoming a 3-1 halftime deficit to win thanks to 15-minute burst in the second half. Goals from Greta Hayes, Courtney Schonell, Grace Stewart and Lexie Pickering earned the famous win in their last match before September's three-match World Cup qualifying showdown against New Zealand in Darwin. "What a way to finish this Pro League season! It's been an up-and-down campaign over here in Europe," player of the match Hayes conceded. The Hockeyroos are in fourth place in the standings with the Netherlands women having long since wrapped up the title. Australia's hockey men have fallen short in their bid to successfully defend their international hockey Pro League title, a 2-1 defeat to their old rivals England in London finally ending the Kookaburras' terrific unbeaten streak. The defeat for Tim Brand's side, after a brilliant sequence of six straight wins in Argentina and Europe, finally put paid to their hopes at the Lee Valley Centre with the Netherlands sealing the title that the Aussies had won in 2024. It was a frustrating end to their thrilling European push and they only had themselves to blame, Tom Craig having a penalty stroke brilliantly saved by a diving England keeper James Mazarelo and the team managing to convert only one of 16 penalty corners. While England celebrated their first victory in hockey's 'Ashes' for 11 years, there was frustration for Brand as he reflected: "It's a shame to let that one slip today. "But we've come away to learn on this tour, and second (place in the league) is still up for grabs. I'm very proud of what we've done so far, it's not over yet. "We played well, created a lot of chances, we were physical and we had a lot of energy, but we just couldn't put the ball in the back of the net. We'll go away and look at that, it's a young group and we'll take a lot from this game." Coming off a sensational 4-3 comeback win against the same opposition on Saturday, the Kookaburras had to win and also prevail in their final two league matches against the hosts in Germany next week to snatch the title from the Dutch. But Brand proved the only Aussie to get on the scoresheet, tapping home following one corner to level the scores after England had taken the lead in the third quarter against the run of play through Jack Waller after the Kookaburras had already squandered 11 short corners and missed the penalty stroke. Then Waller proved the home hero, scoring a brilliant winner in the fourth quarter to give the hosts their first win after nine straight losses against Australia since 2014. "Our playing style at the moment is as good as anyone's, we can match anyone in the world," said Brand. "The game just didn't fall our way today." Meanwhile, the Hockeyroos delivered a brilliant 4-3 come-from-behind triumph over Germany in Berlin to end their Pro League season on a high. Just 24 hours after getting hammered 4-0 by the hosts in Berlin, the Aussie women turned the tables emphatically on a sweltering afternoon, overcoming a 3-1 halftime deficit to win thanks to 15-minute burst in the second half. Goals from Greta Hayes, Courtney Schonell, Grace Stewart and Lexie Pickering earned the famous win in their last match before September's three-match World Cup qualifying showdown against New Zealand in Darwin. "What a way to finish this Pro League season! It's been an up-and-down campaign over here in Europe," player of the match Hayes conceded. The Hockeyroos are in fourth place in the standings with the Netherlands women having long since wrapped up the title. Australia's hockey men have fallen short in their bid to successfully defend their international hockey Pro League title, a 2-1 defeat to their old rivals England in London finally ending the Kookaburras' terrific unbeaten streak. The defeat for Tim Brand's side, after a brilliant sequence of six straight wins in Argentina and Europe, finally put paid to their hopes at the Lee Valley Centre with the Netherlands sealing the title that the Aussies had won in 2024. It was a frustrating end to their thrilling European push and they only had themselves to blame, Tom Craig having a penalty stroke brilliantly saved by a diving England keeper James Mazarelo and the team managing to convert only one of 16 penalty corners. While England celebrated their first victory in hockey's 'Ashes' for 11 years, there was frustration for Brand as he reflected: "It's a shame to let that one slip today. "But we've come away to learn on this tour, and second (place in the league) is still up for grabs. I'm very proud of what we've done so far, it's not over yet. "We played well, created a lot of chances, we were physical and we had a lot of energy, but we just couldn't put the ball in the back of the net. We'll go away and look at that, it's a young group and we'll take a lot from this game." Coming off a sensational 4-3 comeback win against the same opposition on Saturday, the Kookaburras had to win and also prevail in their final two league matches against the hosts in Germany next week to snatch the title from the Dutch. But Brand proved the only Aussie to get on the scoresheet, tapping home following one corner to level the scores after England had taken the lead in the third quarter against the run of play through Jack Waller after the Kookaburras had already squandered 11 short corners and missed the penalty stroke. Then Waller proved the home hero, scoring a brilliant winner in the fourth quarter to give the hosts their first win after nine straight losses against Australia since 2014. "Our playing style at the moment is as good as anyone's, we can match anyone in the world," said Brand. "The game just didn't fall our way today." Meanwhile, the Hockeyroos delivered a brilliant 4-3 come-from-behind triumph over Germany in Berlin to end their Pro League season on a high. Just 24 hours after getting hammered 4-0 by the hosts in Berlin, the Aussie women turned the tables emphatically on a sweltering afternoon, overcoming a 3-1 halftime deficit to win thanks to 15-minute burst in the second half. Goals from Greta Hayes, Courtney Schonell, Grace Stewart and Lexie Pickering earned the famous win in their last match before September's three-match World Cup qualifying showdown against New Zealand in Darwin. "What a way to finish this Pro League season! It's been an up-and-down campaign over here in Europe," player of the match Hayes conceded. The Hockeyroos are in fourth place in the standings with the Netherlands women having long since wrapped up the title.
The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
Tubby tells Marnus to take a break
Australian cricket great Mark Taylor tells dumped Marnus Labuschagne to take a break from cricket to mentally refresh before a home Ashes series.
