Becky Manton, of Wimbledon, scored with her first touch in international hockey as England women tested a host of debut players to the global game.
As it was, England went down admirably to Olympic silver medallists China, 2-1 in Hangzhou, as the Pro League got under way this weekend.
After a poor Olympics for GB, Ralph has opted for the bold approach in a bid to turn around the women’s fortunes. Reverting to England, with top players abroad and others taking time out of the programme, the Scot’s decision for a blank canvass – with the EuroHockey and World Cup on the horizon – looks to be a sound one.
With 12 debutants in China, Ralph started with seven as rolling subs. This was England 2.0 – led by captain Sophie Hamilton – after below-par Pro League form in recent times.
And England produced a start to savour when Manton, who played state hockey in Australia earlier this year, shot first time inside the first minute. She could barely believe it as a smile soon enveloped the Wimbledon forward.
There was a chance too for Megan Crowson as goalkeeper Miriam Pritchard started to play a part in the game before Zhang Wen equalised for China in the ninth minute.
Yu Anhui gave China the lead in the 39th minute with a penalty corner deflection at the right post.
England raised their intensity in the final quarter as China started to fade, creating opportunities and half chances at regular intervals. The best chances fell to Manton for a reverse stick shot, and Darcy Bourne in the final minute, but Ping shone in China’s goal.
In Amsterdam, there was another nerve-racking finish for the Dutch men who played out a second consecutive 1-1 draw – this time with neighbours Belgium – but then again claimed the extra point with victory in the ensuing shoot-out.
