Women's Hockey: Scotland v Wales

Moments of both magic and tragedy permeated a stunning no-score draw in a game dogged also by whistles by the officials for niggling fouls. These broke up play considerably as players frequently sprinted into contact and hoped the officials would be kind to them. Many short corners were mishit but many prompted saves from the clean sheet-keeping goalies, Anna Kellner for the Scots and Charlotte Boyle, with torsos, feet and hands. The latter was passed after six minutes by a dangerously-high shot from Megan Barbour, the goal disallowed accordingly. Both sides were determined to impress, with many Scotland players familiar with the pitch as that of their own Edinburgh-based universities, and two-thirds of the Welsh side familiar with each other playing their hockey down for the same Cardiff-based team UWIC. The Welsh ladies, especially Victoria Whitehouse and Alex Naughlty, whose reverse shot on thirty-four minutes with nowhere to go was a moment of aforementioned magic, were excellent all game, surviving another ball in their net, disallowed for being outside the D, and three short corners in a row initially coming from Claire Bannerman’s thrusting forward play. The first half ended with a Scottish short corner after the half-time klaxon, unconverted but exciting as the goal would have been the last hit of the half.

Following this intrigue, the second half started bittily and it was Wales’ turn to ‘score’ from outside the D. Much midfield congestion followed and for both teams balls to the wingers were overhit, especially by Barbour whose positional play was great throughout. As the wind blew cold air into tired faces, mistakes would play their part for any winning team and a defensive lapse from Wales nearly let Rosie Lickorish in. Had the ball not got stuck under her feet, a goal was in the offing. The final five minutes were dominated by Scotland, with three short corners again consecutively, and at one stage, annulled by a whistle, the ball was cleared off the Welsh line. A minute from time, Kirsty Hay was too swiping in her defending and was yellow carded. With ten players, Wales held on, with Boyle blocking Jen Sturgess’ shot with her body prone on the ground and another shot finding the net again after a whistle, frustrating the ‘home’ nation again. The denoument of the match happened in Scotland’s own D, a mirror image of the end of the first half: a Welsh short corner was taken after the klaxon and, with the ball still in open play, the officials signalled the end of the game, obviously mindful of the Wales versus Scotland men’s Six Nations rugby game where Wales had scored after regulated time.

A lot of talent cancelled each other out in this knife-edge game, a balance beam from which neither side toppled. Scotland, looking to defend their women’s hockey Home Nations title, will need a little more vim, and less roughing, in the D. The Welsh team has enough flair to take the title themselves, but Northern Ireland look the most dominant of the four.