The long weekend takes toll on Ireland

Hockey: Ireland - 1 England - 5 A tiring Irish side, trailing 2-1 at half-time, capitulated to a slick England team in the final 30 minutes of their third test at Belfield yesterday.

Three further goals in the second half to add to four on Friday and two on Saturday may have added up to a heavy work-out for an Irish team facing into the European Championships in September but it amounted to a disappointing weekend. While Saturday's match was tight enough, yesterday England showed the gap in ability and exploited it fully.

Sure, heavy legs in the last 20 minutes were responsible for two of England's goals, not helped by Mark Irwin sitting out some of it after drawing a yellow card, but England once again set the standard to which Ireland will have to aspire come the Barcelona championships.

The Manchester series of tests a few weeks ago, in which Ireland drew one match and lost two narrowly, were played without England's Reading players, who were committed to winning the European Championship in Brussels with their club. With three players back, England this time were a different side.

Although Ireland scored first after good offensive running down the right wing from Cookstown's Andy Barbour to earn the corner for Stephen Butler to drill in on three minutes, they rarely held control in the game.

England responded through Dave Mathews from a flicked corner on 24 minutes and then took the lead just before the interval, Mathews again netting a corner, this time off David Smyth's head - luckily he was not seriously hurt.

The second half, though, badly fell away from Ireland as Rod Moore made it three after turning Jason Black on the crown and shooting past captain Nigel Henderson in goal. Finally a three-minute blitz just before the end, when Brett Garrard and Barry Middleton brought England's tally to five, closed an uncomfortable weekend for Ireland.

Middleton also got England's opening goal on Saturday from a penalty corner rebound.

England went two up in that game when captain Craig Parnham finished off a well worked penalty corner before Ireland responded with Justin Sherriff finishing off a fine move.

IRELAND: N Henderson, P Brown, D Smyth, E Lutton, J Black, C Jackson, S Butler, N Buttimer, A Barbour, J Sherriff, J Jermyn. Rolling subs: G Elliott, M Irwin, M Raphael, D Hobbs.

ENGLAND: S Mason, A West, R Todd, B Garrard, B Hawes, M Pearn, J Wallis, M Johnson, B Middleton, M Jones, D Mathews. Rolling subs: R Moore, D Hall, C Parnham, J Peckett.

Umpires: C Hutchinson (Ireland) and R Graham (England).