CANTERBURY chairman Richard Goodenough admitted the club were delighted with the response by hockey followers to the two internationals staged at Polo Farm this week.

The games, on Monday and Tuesday, between England and Belgium’s men attracted a combined attendance of more than 1,000 - fully justifying English Hockey’s decision to play them at Polo.

It was the first time Canterbury had staged international matches and the hope is that they will be asked again in the future.

Mr Goodenough said: “The club were very pleased with the way things went. We had around 700 watch on the Monday game and another 300 to 350 on the Tuesday. We felt this was a good chance for local people to watch some top class hockey and they responded.

“Over the years we have been seen in the hockey world as a bit of an outpost, being as we are out on a limb in east Kent but everyone, including the players, was very complimentary.

“We’ve made no secret of the fact that we want to capitalise on our location and strengthen our links with mainland Europe.”

Only a late equaliser in the second game denied England of a win double after they had taken the first match under floodlights 2-0. Former Canterbury player Richard Mantell scored one of the goals with Jonty Clarke getting the other.

Ben Barnes, Ben Hawes, and Mark Pearn, in his 150th international, scored in Tuesday’s 3-3 draw, the Belgiums netting their equaliser with just nine minutes remaining.