England women’s hockey team defeated Australia to win a historic Commonwealth Games gold medal after beating New Zealand in dramatic penalty shoot-outs in the semi-finals
England defeated Australia in the Commonwealth Games final on Sunday
It was Holly Hunt who opened the scoring for England in the first half of the final
Tess Howard, who recently recovered from an ACL injury, added their second
Australia put themselves on the scoresheet with just 20 seconds left before the match
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England defeated Australia in the Commonwealth Games final and took home a historic gold medal in front of their home crowd on Sunday evening.
It was Holly Hunt who opened the scoring for England after she picked up the ball in the middle of the D and fired it into the bottom right corner.
Tess Howard, who recently recovered from an ACL injury, extended England’s lead by finding the back of the net before halftime.
England defeated Australia in the Commonwealth Games final to take home the gold medal
It was Holly Hunt (above) who opened the scoring for England after she picked up the ball in the center of the D and fired it into the bottom right corner.
Tess Howard (center), who recently recovered from an ACL injury, extended England’s lead by finding the back of the net before halftime
Tess, who plays her club hockey at East Grinstead, showed an exceptional level of hand-to-eye coordination to deflect Flora Peel’s cross into the top right corner of the goal.
England remained disciplined in their defense for the remaining two quarters, but conceded in the final 20 seconds of the game after conceding a short corner.
Speaking to BBC Sport immediately after the game, victorious England captain Hollie Pearne-Webb said: ‘I’m a bit lost for words.
“It’s the first time in history that we’ve ever done this. It’s a new group. I think it will be quite exciting in the next two years as we join the GB squad as the Scots and the Welsh come in.
“The public support has been absolutely phenomenal. I feel so lucky that it is in my career that we will have a Commonwealth Games at home.”
When asked what her immediate thoughts were after the final whistle, Pearne-Webb added, “Just pure relief.
“It was a bit of an up and down game. we played well in the first half, got out a bit in the second half, absorbed some pressure and eventually came out.’
Meanwhile, Sam Quek, former GB hockey player and Rio gold medalist, shared her thoughts on England’s historic victory after the game.
She said: ‘That’s so brilliant about being part of a team sport. To be able to have those moments as part of a team.
‘You go through everything together, thick and thin. The hard times, the brilliant times – so when you have those moments together, and in front of a home crowd, those are the ones to cherish.
“I get goosebumps when I see this. They are all role models who inspire the next generation. This is what matters. It’s about making sports cool, especially for the younger generation of young girls.
“It’s not about winning international medals – it’s about being part of a team and enjoying the moment.”
She added: ‘This win keeps the momentum going’ [after the Lionesses victory in the Euros] but we also see a sign from the women’s cricket and netball teams that it’s okay to lose too. We can’t win everything.
“Give it a few years and you’ll see those other teams bounce back. We will start winning again in cricket, hopefully in World Cups and there is talk of T20 appearing in the Olympics.
‘It shows what sport does. It takes you from the highs to the lows – it’s all character building.’
More to follow…