England sealed their place in the quarterfinals of the Hockey Junior World Cup with an emphatic 6-0 win over Canada on Wednesday in the final Pool ‘D’ game at the Major Dhyanchand stadium here.
Edward Horler was the star of the day, netting a hat-trick, as the Englishmen wreaked havoc in the Canadian half with their swift hockey.
Though the Canadians put up a brave fight in the opening minutes, they couldn’t avoid the inevitable as England took the lead in the 10th minute. Trapping a James Gall cross, Will Calnan hoodwinked his marker before smashing the ball into the bottom corner giving the Canadian goalkeeper Angus Grauer no chance.
Then it was all Horler who made the most of the penalty corners that his side earned, slotting in two goals before the half time and adding another post the break to give his side a comfortable lead.
Calnan scored another in the 23rd minute and Christopher Proctor completed the rout with a simple tap-in in the 54th minute.
Later, Australia continued their fine run with a 5-0 drubbing of Korea. Rio Olympian Blake Govers struck a brace (33rd, 34th minutes), while Kiran Arunasalam (68th minute), Max Hendry (61st minute) and Frazer Gerrard (25th minute) scored a goal apiece for the Aussies.
In the quarterfinals, they will take on the European U-21 champions the Netherlands, who finished second behind another European heavyweight Belgium in Pool ‘B’. The Belgians will face Argentina for a place in the semis.
Pool ‘D’ toppers India will take on Spain, while defending champions Germany will have to see off a stiff English challenge if they are to stay on course to become the first team to win a hat-trick of World Cups at the junior level. The quarterfinals will be played on December 15.
Results: Pool A: Australia: 5 (Blake Govers 33rd, 34th, Max Hendry 61st, Frazer Gerrard 25th, Kiran Arunasalam 68th) bt Korea: 0.
Pool D: England: 6 (Edward Horler 15th, 20th, 46th, Will Calnan 23rd, 10th, Christopher Proctor 54th) bt Canada: 0.
Quarterfinal line-up: Belgium vs Argentina, Germany vs England, Australia vs the Netherlands, India vs Spain.