England Hockey Performance 'Disappointing'

Coach says team needs to step after The London Cup

Despite their victory over Belgium, England men's hockey coach Jason Lee called his side's performance in the inaugural London Cup 'disappointing'.

Held in Chiswick, the London Cup involved matches between the host nation, New Zealand, South Korea and Belgium. The competition was intended as a test event for the Olympic Games, giving the squad a chance to prepare and boosting the profile of the sport in the run-up to London 2012.

Lee said the England squad needed 'to step up' after they ended competition in third place with their 5-2 win in their final match against Belgium. However the coach remains optimistic ahead of England's European title defence in Mochengladbach next month.

"In all seriousness we really could win the Europeans back to back and that would be a phenomenal achievement; one that we could build upon and go on to be a genuine gold medal chance," he said.

The London Cup took place on the pitches at the University of Westminster's Quintin Hogg Memorial Sports Ground. Further details can be found at http://www.englandhockey.co.uk/

July 19, 2011