GB routed in Four Nations final

Paumen's hat-trick helped to condemn Britain to a heavy defeat

Great Britain's women were thumped 5-0 by the Dutch to finish second at the Four Nations tournament in Rotterdam.

A hat-trick for 22-year-old midfielder Maartje Paumen helped the hosts to a comfortable victory, with the British forced to defend for long periods.

Already missing Mel Clewlow through injury, GB lost Rachel Walker to a broken nose and Kate Walsh to an injury sustained defending a penalty corner.

"It is all part of a steep learning curve," said GB coach Karen Brown.

"The scoreline properly reflected the balance of play," she added, "but if you had told us before the tournament that we would play the Netherlands twice and win one and lose one, we would probably have taken that.

"It shows we have still got some way to go to achieve our goals."

The British squad will hope Clewlow, Walker and Walsh recover quickly, with the 18-woman Four Nations squad identical to the team that will travel to Beijing for the Olympics.

A yellow card to Anne Panter allowed the Netherlands to take the lead while GB were down to ten, as Paumen converted a penalty corner.

Paumen added a second through a penalty stroke once Walsh had left the field injured and, as the British tried to respond, Crista Cullen's flick flew over the bar as the break approached.

The Dutch immediately extended their lead to three on the restart and easily added a fourth, before Paumen wrapped up her hat-trick with a flick from the Netherlands' sixth penalty corner of the game.

In the day's other Four Nations game, South Africa hammered India 5-1 to take third place in the tournament.