SIMON Mantell admitted he was “very proud” after reaching a milestone in his international hockey career, writes Dave Wright.

The Reading HC forward made his 200th combined appearance for Great Britain and England when GB held Australia to a 2-2 draw in Western Australia on Saturday.

And Mantell celebrated the occasion by scoring his side’s opening goal in the first half.

“I had been stuck in the nervous 190s for a while, so I was pleased to get to 200. I feel very proud,” he said.

“It was a tough game in tough conditions. It rained pretty hard and the pitch was a bit slow.

“Both teams could have won it, but 2-2 was probably a fair result.”

Mantell sat out the second Test which saw GB lose 4-3, but was back in the starting line-up for the final Test in Perth when the Aussies eased to a 5-1 win.

Reading team-mate Dan Shingles missed the first match but played in the last two.

GB will meet Australia again in the Champions Trophy at Lee Valley which starts on June 10.