Hockey: Five for the Final

The shadow that crept across the Peffermill pitch did not darken the attacking prowess of the home side in an entertaining derby in this Scottish Universities’ Confederated Cup semi-final which was dominated and won with style by Edinburgh's thirds.

Watt were first to press on goal, putting just wide in the second minute, but Edinburgh split the defence four minutes later, the ball sent on its way into the net by Harriet Fairlie.

A ten-minute midfield battle raged following three quick Watt short corners which were eventually smuggled away but the pressure told after twenty minutes as Watt equalised with a confident finish after clearing off their own line seconds earlier, counter-attacking well.

The Edinburgh attackers, meanwhile, seemed to have too much time and space, and a goal was not far off. After Kate Lemond’s one-on-one had been stopped, Balmer scored herself with a powerful effort from six yards out, putting Edinburgh ahead at the break.

Sustained pressure by the away side at the start of the second half should have brought a goal but the ball was topped and scuttled an inch wide. With their playmakers reduced to the odd flash of genius in their opponent’s D, from here on in it was all Edinburgh: helped by Emma Miller’s thrusting forward play, which drew praise from the bench, Balmer struck her second across the ground from a short corner. By sprinting to the byline to keep the ball in play, Cath Pearson had won the corner herself, and the team effort shown by Edinburgh made for great cup hockey.

When called into action, Edinburgh’s goalie was solid and reliable, a bulwark behind her team who tracked back and passed with ease. Lemond’s dribble and timid shot, which hit the Watt keeper’s foot, slithered like a snail towards the goal for Edinburgh’s fourth, and Fairlie got her second three minutes from time after being left open at the far post. If they soak the midfield up as well as they did in the game, the final should pose no problems for a well set-up side.