EUROHOCKEY NATIONS TROPHY - Women
Rome (ITA), 19-25 July 2009
Pool A
Italy
France
Belarus
Poland
Pool B
Ukraine
Belgium
Lithuania
Wales
Wales lineup
DAY 1: Sunday 19 July 2009
Wales start with a 2-0 victory
Wales started the tournament with a well-deserved win against the Ukraine. Early pressure from the Ukrainians didn't result in any clear chances and it was Wales who opened the scoring in the 4' when Elie Mumford's pass released Dawn Mitchell down the right whose strike beat the Ukrainian keeper. The Welsh then doubled their lead in the 15' when Abi Welsford's drive along the back line created the chance for the pull back and captain Pippa Jones was on hand to put the ball in the net. The Ukrainians were awarded a penalty corner late on in the half but the half time score remained 2-0.
The 2nd half saw the Ukrainians create more chances but no penalty corners were scored and the Welsh midfield and defence were able to soak up the pressure. A controlled performance continued even after Leah Wilkinson had to leave the pitch with a blood injury to the head.
Overall the team created their lead in the 1st half and controlled the play in the 2nd half. Credit to the whole squad as the temperature necessitated almost a continuous stream of substitutions.
Coach Pam Richards commented: "A good start to the tournament, we took our chances in the 1st half and defended the 2-0 lead well in the 2nd half".
| 09.45 | B | Ukraine | 0 | Wales | 2 |
| 12.00 | B | Belgium | 3 | Lithuania | 2 |
| 17.45 | A | France | 2 | Belarus | 1 |
| 20.00 | A | Italy | 1 | Poland | 0 |
DAY 2: Monday 20 July 2009
Wales go down 0-1 in close encounter with Belgium
After a long wait Wales played Belgium in the less searing heat at 8pm on day 2. Sarah Thomas captained the side on her 100th combined GB & Wales cap. Having played two test matches at the beginning of June, both sides knew they were in for a tough match. Throughout the first half both teams stuck to their game plans and tactically cancelled each other out in midfield. Both sides looked for opportunities to break and both sides were awarded 3 penalty corners. Wales actually put the ball into the net before one of their attacking penalty corners was awarded!
The 2nd half again saw a hard fought battle. Maggs Rees made 2 world class saves early on, however following 1 attack Belgium scored off a penalty corner in the 9'. From then on they defended their lead and despite both sides having opportunities to get into their attacking circles the clock ran down and Belgium took the 1-0 win.
Coach Pam Richards commented 'An outstanding performance from the team, we competed on a level par with Belgium and are disappointed not to come away with points'.
Wales next take on Lithuania with a view to being placed as high up their group as possible.
| 17.45 | B | Ukraine | 3 | Lithuania | 2 |
| 20.00 | B | Belgium | 1 | Wales | 0 |
DAY 3: Tuesday 21 July 2009
| 17.45 | A | France | 4 | Poland | 2 |
| 20.00 | A | Italy | 5 | Belarus | 0 |
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Day 4: Wednesday 22 July 2009
Wales qualify for semi-finals
Kayleigh Humphries comes away with the ball supported by Ellie Mumford
Wales took on Lithuania in their 3rd pool match at the earlier time of 9am. With the temperature still in the 30's Wales found it difficult to settle into play and despite several attacking moves reaching the Lithuanian circle, it was the Lithuanians who were awarded penalty corners and then scored in the 24' following some poor marking from the welsh defence.
The Lithuanians doubled their lead early in the 2nd half with a ball swept high into the Welsh net. Midway through the half Wales put some patterns of play together and collectively put the pressure on Lithuania. Wales gained 4 penalty corners and it was with some skill that they converted their final 2 corners in the last ten minutes to bring the score level at 2-2. The first passed from Leah Wilkinson to Carys Hopkins to score and the second from Pippa Jones to Wilkinson and finished by Sarah Thomas.
Coach Pam Richards commented 'A disappointing performance however, a collective team effort in the final 20 minutes secured an important and significant result'.
Belgiums defeat of Ukraine means that Wales qualify for a semi-final berth against Italy on Friday.
| 09.00 | B | Lithuania | 2 | Wales | 2 |
| 11.15 | B | Ukraine | 0 | Belgium | 4 |
| 18.00 | A | Belarus | 6 | Poland | 2 |
| 20.15 | A | Italy | 4 | France | 1 |
Day 5: Thursday 23 July 2009
Rest day
Day 6: Friday 24 July 2009
Wales lose semi-final to Golden Goal
Following Belgium's victory over France in the 1st semi-final, Wales took on the hosts in the late push-back. With a gold or silver medal and a promotion place to the Championship at stake, Wales started strongly with Sarah Thomas driving the ball along the back line in the 3'. The pull back evaded the strikers and for the next 20' Wales had to contain the Italian attacks. After 2 Italian penalty corners Wales were awarded one of their own and although Wales had kept a clean sheet for 29' the 3rd Italian corner was converted via a drag flick. Wales fought straight back and were awarded 2 successive penalty corners of their own. Pippa Jones' strike was deflected in by Kayleigh Humphreys to equalise. Wales defended 1 more penalty corner before half time and with the score at 1-1 there was still everything to play for.
In the 2nd half the Italian crowd tried to lift their team but this also spurred on the Welsh girls. Maggs Rees in goal, again pulled off some world class saves in order to deny any more conversions on Italian penalty corners. It wasn't until the 56' that Italy again took the lead. The Welsh girls refused to let the Italians have it their own way and despite continued pressure from the Italian players and the crowd, Wales attacked and once again levelled the score in the 65' with an instinctive finish from Jones. The final 5' saw both teams balance out their attacking moves with defensive duties and following a changed decision after the ball went out of play the full time score ended 2-2.
With just a 5' turnaround both teams took to the field again for extra time with golden goal. Wales battled well above their weight in the match and in the end the superior set play conversion rate of the Italians told as they converted their penalty corner to win.
The final whistle saw the Italians celebrate as they had gained promotion to the Championship. The Welsh had run them extremely close and were obviously bitterly disappointed to have lost on golden goal after competing for 70 minutes.
Coach Pam Richards commented 'Wales gave an excellent performance against an experienced Italian side. On another day we could have made it to the final'.
| 09.00 | 4A v 3B | Poland | 2 | Ukraine | 4 |
| 11.15 | 3A v 4B | Belarus | 3 | Lithuania | 0 |
| 18.00 | SF1 | France | 2 | Belgium | 6 |
| 20.30 | SF2 | Italy (Golden Goal) | 3 | Wales | 2 |
Day 7: Saturday 25 July 2009
Wales take Bronze
After the bitter disappointment of the previous day, the Welsh players were determined not to leave the tournament without a medal. Having drawn with their opposition less than a month earlier at the Celtic Cup, the team knew they would be in for a tough battle. The first half saw Wales with the lion's share of the play. Sarah Thomas' drive along the back line gave Dawn Mitchell an early opportunity. Pippa Jones had a shot saved and Alys Brooks & Mitchell's play gave Wales an early penalty corner. The French worked their way back into the play but Wales finished the half with another 2 penalty corners and several long corners. Without a final finishing touch however, the score remained 0-0.
With both teams fighting for the win, the 2nd half saw a greater intensity and yet also saw more mistakes. Wales were finally able to put the ball in the net when Jones' shot was only deflected by the French keeper and Sophie Robinson was on hand to put the ball away in the 53'. The Welsh team held out for the remainder of the half and took the win that gave them the bronze medal.
As a tournament overview the players were proud to take home the bronze medal, with Italy taking the silver and Belgium the gold. However, the disappointment at not playing for gold and silver and securing a promotion place will stick with the whole team for some time to come. The development of the team over the past 6 months has shown the huge steps made towards competing with the higher ranked teams. Consequently the tournament ranks as a success, as a World Cup qualifying spot and a bronze medal prove.
All members of the team should be congratulated, particularly those who had less time on the pitch but played their part as a member of the squad.
| 09.00 | 4A v 4B | Poland | 8 | Lithuania | 2 |
| 11.15 | 3A v 3B | Belarus | 1 | Ukraine | 1 |
| 17.30 | 3/4 | Wales | 1 | France | 0 |
| 20.00 | Final | Italy | 2 | Belgium | 3 |
Final Positions
1st Belgium (Promoted)
2nd Italy (Promoted)
3rd Wales
4th France
5th Belarus
6th Ukraine
7th Poland (Relegated)
8th
Lithuania (Relegated)
Last Updated: 25/07/2009
