Aussies enjoy big hockey double in den of GB rivals

Australia's Olympic-bound hockey teams have enjoyed a big day out in London, the Hockeyroos and Kookaburras both defeating their British hosts with outstanding performances in the FIH Pro League.

First up on Saturday, Rebecca Greiner struck a brilliant double as the women outplayed GB 3-0 at the Lee Valley Centre in London where the 2012 Olympics were staged.

The Kookaburras then followed up with Blake Govers proving, as so often, their goalscoring ace with two penalty corner goals in their 3-2 win over the home side.

Enjoying their first matches during the London leg of their Pro League campaigns with the Olympics just a month away, Greiner was the star in the world No.4 Hockeyroos' dominant victory over the No.5 side.

Australia, who racked up 13 penalty corners to GB's two, took until the second quarter to make their supremacy count, with Darwin's Brooke Peris squeezing the ball over the goalline after England failed to clear following Tatum Stewart's shot.

Greiner then sealed victory with two third-quarter goals in six minutes, the first from a neat swivel and thunderous shot, and the next a superb reverse-stick finish from an accurate aerial pass.

"Penny Squibb found some great passes to me," enthused Greiner.

"I was very thankful for that but what a team performance."

It was also a memorable day for West Australian Karri Somerville, who celebrated her 50th cap.

"The team is definitely very happy. We put out on the park what we were hoping to display and it was a really good team performance. We're really starting to have everything fall into place."

A couple of hours later, the Kookaburras were celebrating too after they twice came from a goal down.

Govers levelled four minutes after Gareth Furlong had put the hosts ahead, and the Kookaburras had to rebound again through a Tom Wickham goal just before halftime after Zachary Wallace had put the Brits 2-1 up.

Ultimately, it was Govers' deadly penalty-corner striking that won the day as he hammered home his 107th international goal in the 40th minute.

"Great Britain are a bloody good side and we knew that their brand of hockey is really tough to play against so we had to be switched on, and it was really promising that we could grind it out," said Wickham, while coach Colin Batch rated it one of the Australians' best wins of the year.

On a busy weekend, both Australian teams have a quick turnaround when they play Germany at the same venue on Sunday.