U-18 Girls, Four Nations Tournament
Cardiff (WAL), 29th July - 1st Aug 2008
Day 1: Tues 29th July
| 10:00 | Scotland | 2 | Ireland | 0 |
| 14:00 | England | 4 | Wales | 0 |
A passionate and determined Welsh performance managed to hold the current Under 18 European Champions to a half time lead of 0-1 but eventually the skill and experience of the opposition forced Wales to concede 3 further goals in the second half. An outstanding performance by Roseanne Thomas in the Welsh goal prevented England adding considerably to their score.
Wales went 1-0 down after 6 minutes but then managed to thwart England for the rest of the half. Just before half time Rhiannon Rogers was set free by a clever pass from Emma Speake. She skilfully beat the last defender and out-distanced the keeper but could not manage to get a shot away before she was closed down by the covering defence. A 1-1 half time score line would have been a huge boost.
Wales conceded 3 further goals within the first 13 minutes of the second half but continued to battle hard with great resolve and discipline until the end against a team of seasoned and talented international and English National League players. Wales were playing their first international of the season, whereas England already had two previous tournaments under their belts.
Day 2: Wed 30th July
| 10:00 | Ireland | 1 | England | 6 |
| 14:00 | Scotland | 8 | Wales | 1 |
The super-human efforts of the previous day had taken their toll as Scotland clinically outplayed a lack-lustre Welsh side that were a shadow of their former courageous selves. Also the defensive discipline that had been a key feature of the England game was missing. A goal on 6 minutes began to undermine the belief that a result was possible and a half-time score of 0-4 emphasised the huge task that Wales were facing.
Six minutes into the second half a neat passing movement between Charlotte Evans, Heather Morris, Sian French and Rhiannon Rogers enabled the latter to force Wales' first penalty corner. A slick routine ended with Helena Roberts' deflection and Wales first goal in the tournament.
Alas, Wales were unable to enjoy the moment for any length of time as the score went to 1-5 within two minutes. Scotland added three further goals before the end.
Day 3: Thur 31st July
| 10:00 | Scotland | 0 | England | 1 |
| 14:00 | Ireland | 3 | Wales | 1 |
This was by far the best Wales performance of the tournament so far with again Roseanne Thomas in-between the posts proving to be the Welsh heroine, pulling off a string of outstanding saves to keep her team in the game. The passion and determination that had been absent against Scotland the previous day, returned in abundance and combined with a much better tactical appreciation, saw Wales attacking consistently for considerable parts of the game.
Alas Wales conceded their now traditional goal in 6 minutes which put them on the back foot from the start. A penalty stroke was awarded for feet in the circle and although Roseanne Thomas got her stick to the ball she could not prevent it from crossing the line.
A half-time score of 0-1 gave Wales every hope and inside two minutes of the second half they were awarded their first penalty corner but Jaynaya Boyles' strike hit the post and deflected back into play. The dreaded early opposition goal duly arrived 3 minutes later at a penalty corner, followed by an excellent strike in open play five minutes later to put them 0-3 ahead. This then led to the best passage of Welsh play as they began to exert some measure of control on the game, forcing the Irish to defend inside their 23 metre line for considerable periods. A swift interpassing movement between Sian French and Sophie Oliver on a right flank counter-attack saw Oliver come along the back line and deliver a perfect pass to French whose first time shot beat the keeper at the near post.
Try as they might Wales could not force a further penalty corner or open play goal but the persistent nature of their attacking gave considerable optimism for the next day's re-match with the Irish side in the 3rd/4th place play-off. Also, no goal conceded for 25 minutes in the second half meant that the defence unit were starting to be more consistent and organised in their play with captain Charlotte Evans setting an outstanding example.
Day 4: Fri 1st Aug
| 09:00 | 3rd Ireland | 4 | 4th Wales | 1 |
| 13:00 | 1st England | 2 | 2nd Scotland 0-3 aps | 2 |
In all three of their previous games Wales had conceded an early goal within 6 minutes and this game was no exception. A defender got caught in possession inside the 23 metre area and Ireland were clinical in their finish. This meant that Wales were on the back foot from the start and the inspiration of being equal or in front was again unavailable. However, Wales did manage to compete on equal terms with Ireland for a further 20 minutes within good control in the right hand side of the pitch before goal number 2 arrived. A halftime score of 0-3 meant that Wales needed the stimulation of an early goal if they were to have any chance of getting back into the game.
It came within a minute of the restart when Sian French's cross from the right was picked up by Emily James. Her initial shot was blocked by the diving keeper but James quickly fastened onto the rebound to fire the ball home. Alas, an Irish reply at a corner on 9 minutes took the score to 1-4 and made the mountain too difficult to climb. Wales can take heart that for this half the score was 1-1 which represented the first time that Wales had not lost a period of play in the competition. This game showed further progress in the team's learning process and decision making at this level of international hockey.
Final Positions
1st: Scotland
2nd: England
3rd: Ireland
4th: Wales
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