Birmingham — It finished England 4 Wales 2, the kind where game plans are almost ripped up. In card terms, this frenetic, rambunctious home nations clash ended England 4 (green) Wales 3 (yellow). That ultimately proved the difference, as the Welsh ran their hearts out with nine players for 10 minutes before England scored two late goals – aided by Nick Bandurak’s double – to seal victory.
This clash also made a mockery of the rankings. While England (or Great Britain) and the elite teams in world hockey hold the high ground, teams like Wales face obstacles in trying to pick up ranking points and matches usually consigned to non-cap status.
The last three encounters between these two rivals have paid testament to that notion. This was proper Test match hockey as Phil Roper and Jacob Draper hugged for several moments seconds after the hooter.
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