Eager to build on England’s triumph at last month’s European Women’s Football Championship, the Birmingham 2022 organisers have carefully constructed Sunday’s bumper women’s sport programme by putting the women’s hockey, cricket and netball finals in quick succession on the same afternoon. With England’s cricketers and netballers playing semi-finals on Saturday, the hockey players have now ensured part one is complete.
“I’m towards the back end of my career now so this is definitely something I’ve been so desperately wanting my whole career,” said Hinch of that elusive Commonwealth title. “I’ve been so close to it a couple of times, so I really hope it goes our way.
“Whatever the outcome, as long as we put out an incredible 60-minute performance, we can be really proud of what we’ve achieved already here.”
Shootout goalscorer Petter added: “We could make history. It’s really exciting. We want it so bad. When you have a crowd like that behind you it means so much more. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
English pre-match hopes were high on a glorious Friday evening in Birmingham after racking up 21 goals and conceding just one in four unbeaten pool stage matches. Up against the reigning champions, this would be their biggest test.
If the entire match was played at the frenetic intensity of the opening half-dozen minutes, it would have been an instant classic. Alas, it was not.
By that early stage, both sides had already been awarded two penalty corners apiece – Giselle Ansley unable to convert either of England’s – before decent chances at both ends of the pitch, with Holly Hunt smashing against the outside of the New Zealand post.
That, disappointingly, was the sum total of the action until half-time, by which point the two goal keepers had become mere spectators as 23 minutes of disjointed action passed by and New Zealand managed to ride out a yellow-card-enforced, 10-minute player deficit without the slightest alarm.
With the setting sun increasingly low in the sky, both sides went closer in a third quarter that ended with Hope Ralph receiving New Zealand’s second yellow card of the game to again reduce them to 10 players.
Still, England could find no way through, failing to convert four penalty corners in quick succession. Yet again, penalties would decide the winner. This time England would prevail to set up a final against Australia, winners of four out of six available Commonwealth titles.
