The Netherlands has won the first edition of the Hockey World League with a 7-2 victory over New Zealand. The match took place in India on Saturday, January 18. The Oranje triumph mean the Netherlands has won both the men’s and the women’s Hockey World League titles. The Dutch women’s team won their event at the end of last year with a 5-1 victory over Australia. The Dutch team was 3-0 up at half time. ‘We played particularly well in the first half,’ coach Paul van Ass told NOS television. ‘We controlled the entire match. The lads did that very well.’
The bronze medal went to England who beat Australia 2-1 in the play-offs for third and fourth place. ‘It was agonising to lose in the semi-finals on a shoot-out, so it really shows the calibre of this team to pick itself up,’ said England keeper George Pinner. ‘The main thing that we did today was defend bravely.’
The Hockey World League was the last major test for the national teams ahead of the Rabobank Hockey World Cup that starts on May 31. The competition results will have an impact on the world rankings, which form the basis of the pool allocation at the World Cup. The complete match schedule for The Hague event will be published on January 31.
Full results: Hockey World League for men
1. The Netherlands
2. New Zealand
3. England
4. Australia
5. Belgium
6. India
7. Germany
8. Argentina
Dutch midfielder Paul Kemperman was named player of the tournament and England’s George Pinner was best keeper.
Photos: Koen Suyk
