Aussies in 11-goal masterclass, England cruise to victory

Emily Hurtz scored a hat-trick to set up Australia's 11-0 rout of Trinidad and Tobago in a Pool A women's hockey match at the Commonwealth Games here on Tuesday.

The Hockeyroos, who finished fifth in the World Cup in Argentina last month, fired four goals in the first half and seven in the second to leave their 26th-ranked rivals without any answers at the Major Dhyan Chand stadium.

Hurtz scored a field goal in the 19th minute and followed it up with two more in the 48th and 63rd minutes while Megan Rivers scored a brace.

Captain Madonna Blyth, Casey Eastham, Shelly Liddelow, Nicole Jessica Arrold, Jayde Taylor and Ashleigh Nelson were the other scorers for the defending champions, ranked number six in the world.

Three-time Olympic champions Australia have an enviable record at the Commonwealth Games, having won the gold medal twice (1998, 2006) since the introduction of the sport in 1998 in Kuala Lumpur.

Trinidad, who lost 12-0 to South Africa in their opening encounter on Monday, next face Scotland on Thursday.

"The first 10 minutes of the match were quite difficult," said 20-year-old Hurtz. "But thankfully we adjusted to the conditions as the match progressed."

In a Pool B match played earlier in the day, Crista Cullen also smashed a hat-trick as England posted a 4-1 win over Wales.

The 25-year-old drag-flicker put England ahead in the 10th minute before scoring her second goal in the 20th to help her side go into the half-time with a 2-0 lead. NEW DELHI, Tuesday, AFP