Commonwealth Games 2010: England's hockey men into semi

2010 COMMONWEALTH GAMES
Venue: Delhi, India Dates: 3-14 October 2010 Coverage: Comprehensive live coverage across BBC TV, radio, online, BBC Red Button, mobile and BBC iPlayer services. Find full coverage details here. And a full schedule of events here.

England battle through to hockey semis

England's men's hockey team booked their place in the semi-finals of the Commonwealth Games thanks to a 2-1 victory over South Africa on Sunday.

England took a ninth-minute lead when Ashley Jackson found the roof of the net from a tight angle.

But Taine Paton equalised after the break to set up a nervous finale.

However, James Tindall's goal with four minutes left - his 50th for England - sealed victory and ensured Jason Lee's side finished top of their group.

England will now either play Pakistan or India depending on the result between the teams later in the day.

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"The ball fell kindly for me and I got the touch I wanted," said Tindall of his 50th goal.

"I did think the defender might get back to it but it had enough on it. It's fantastic to get 50, we needed that and Ash's goal was world class.

"We struggled in the heat a bit but we've got a day off now to plan for the semi final."

On whether he would prefer to face Pakistan or India in the last four, Tindall added: "To play India in this stadium with their fans would be an incredible experience but I've got no real preference. If it's Pakistan maybe the Indians will get behind us."

Speaking about Tindall's feat, head coach Lee added: "It's special. He's getting stronger and a few countries have offered me money for him to change nationality."

"It is important for us to go for medals in tournaments where people are watching. Our players were incredible in the way they applied themselves and I was proud to be associated with them."

The other semi-final sees New Zealand come up against Australia after the Black Sticks drew with Canada 1-1.

New Zealand had been trailing Canada 1-0 with just four minutes to go and replaced keeper Kyle Pontifex with striker Stephen Jenness and got the result they wanted with Hayden Shaw netting the equaliser in the 68th minute.