BDO MENS' WORLD CUP QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT - New Zealand
WCQ Blog now available
In view of the time difference between New Zealand and Wales, a blog has been set up to ensure that the latest information from the World Cup Qualifier will be available as soon as practical. Access the blog here or click the blog link button (above)
19th November 2009
WCQ Results Book
16th November 2009
Match Day 6: Austria 3, Wales 2
15th November 2009
Match Day 5: Scotland 2, Wales 1
12th November 2009
Match Day 4: Austria 2, Wales 0
10th November 2009
Match Day 3: Wales 1, China 2
9th November 2009
Match Day 2: Wales 1, Malaysia 2
8th November 2009
Match Day 1: New Zealand 6 , Wales 2
24th October 2009
Captain Matt Ruxton on WCQ
I am delighted to be writing about our participation in the forthcoming WCQ in New Zealand. Since our qualification at the recent Euro Hockey Nations Trophy in Wrexham, the squad has been put through a full spectrum of emotions. On the one hand we have had the excitement of qualifying for a prestigious tournament in such a fantastic country as New Zealand, whilst on the other hand we have experienced the worry of how we will fund such an expensive trip.
It is therefore with great delight that I sit here a week before we leave for Invercargill, safe in the knowledge that each member of the squad has managed to raise the necessary funds to attend the tournament. The sacrifice that members of the squad have undertaken and will continue to make as we try to retrospectively raise funds upon our return from New Zealand, will hopefully be rewarded when we touch down in Christchurch.
The squad has undergone some fairly significant changes since Wrexham. George Harris has retired, Josh Smith is missing through injury and Rhys Joyce and Ben Edge miss the trip through work commitments. This has however given opportunities for the exciting talents of Ben Carless, Owain Dolan-Gray, Dave Kettle and Iwan Williams to stake their claim as the squad moves forward over the next couple of years. In addition to this, the return of Ben Rogers to the squad following injury will bring additional pace and attacking options. The core members of the team from Wrexham are however still present and with experienced performers such as Huw Jones, Andy Cornick, Peter Swainson and Rick Gay making the trip, the squad comprises an exciting blend of youth and experience.
We are under no illusions as to how tough the competition will be in Invercargill but our desire to improve our world ranking, as well as to gain increasing respect within world hockey, will drive us on. I personally cannot wait to travel to the other side of the world with such a tight knit squad, to experience differing styles of hockey and to continue our development under the excellent guidance of Zac Jones, Tyrone Moore and Nazir Mohamed.
21st October 2009
Long term aim for squad
Zak Jones, the Men's Head Coach, is taking a long-term look at the performance progression of the Men's team. Following his recent team selection for the World Cup Qualifier, Zak observed that: "The Wales squad had a good balance of youth and experience and we are hoping that this will be the beginning of the long term aim of achieving a Championship division European place in 2 years time."
He went on to say: "The opportunity to play in the WCQ follows on from the advances made over the summer during the European Trophy on home soil, when the side were disappointed to lose in the semi final. This squad are looking forward immensely to testing themselves against teams from all over the globe in Invercargill, New Zealand. With limited preparation time we know it will be a huge challenge a long way from home but with the players having funded the trip themselves, there is huge and added motivation for us to continue to progress and earn respect at World level. The aim has to be to improve our world ranking further and give this group the opportunity to experience playing against the differing styles of hockey that the sides in New Zealand will present".
All Wales will be watching their progress.
20th October 2009
World Cup Qualifying Tournament: Men Need Support
New Zealand beckons for the Welsh men's squad! Invercargill is at the very bottom of South Island and the cool weather should suit the Squad. Delighted with their Grays kit, the squad have gone one better and will be sporting Grays hoodies to keep the cold at bay!
As the Senior Men's team make their final preparation for their excursion down under, they are still in need of support. If you would like to sponsor them in their World Cup Qualifying Tournament please contact Peter Swainson at [email protected] or Nazir Mohammed at [email protected]
BDO MEN'S WORLD CUP QUALIFIER
Invercargill (NZL): 7/15 November 2009
Participating Teams
Austria,
China,
Malaysia,
New Zealand,
Scotland,
Wales
MATCH DAY 1: Saturday 7 November 2009
Wales played New Zealand in their first match in the WCQ. The game was evenly matched and during the first quarter there was little goal mouth action, with both defences playing well. In the 17' the Kiwi's took the lead following a fortuitous deflection which left Nick Wilson in front of any open goal. Wales continued to play and compete with New Zealand throughout the half but were made to pay when by giving away possession cheaply the hosts converted two short corners through Andy Hayward to lead 3-0 at half time.
In the second half Wales came out with a more positive attitude and in the first 2 minutes Rick Gay converted his first short corner. In the 49' Rick doubled his tally to put the Kiwis under pressure and despite Wales having two other opportunities to equalise they could not take their chances. After 60' New Zealand scored their 4th through Nick Wilson and with Wales tiring New Zealand added a further two goals from Phil Burrows after 63' and Hayward for his hat-trick in the final minute to make the game safe.
Wales need to keep the ball and not give cheap turnovers, as at this level they will get punished. The camp is still positive and will look at getting a result against Malaysia in the next game.
| 12.05 | China | 2 | Scotland | 1 |
| 14.05 | New Zealand | 6 | Wales | 2 |
| 16.05 | Malaysia | 2 | Austria | 2 |
MATCH DAY 2: Sunday 8 November 2009
Malaysia opened the scoring in the 4' with their first attack, but struggled to get into their stride as a well drilled Wales team held them at bay. Wales created good opportunities to score but were unable to convert the chances and Malaysia then doubled their lead against the run of play in the 32' to lead 2-0 at half time.
In the second half wales dominated the game but again the chances did not go their way until after 55' when Rick Gay converted a penalty corner to make the last quarter a exiting finish. Wales pressed hard to get the equaliser but lady luck was not with them.
A very good performance but Wales are disappointed not to get a draw at the least but a harsh loss shows that they can compete with the teams ranked above us. The next game is against China when they hope to get the result today's performance deserved.
| 13:05 | Scotland | 0 | New Zealand | 8 |
| 15:05 | Wales | 1 | Malaysia | 2 |
| 17:05 | Austria | 1 | China | 2 |
Monday 9 November 2009 – Rest Day
MATCH DAY 3: Tuesday 10 November 2009
Another disappointing result for Wales today in the World Cup Qualifying tournament in Invercargill, New Zealand as they went down 2-1 to China. They put in a strong performance in the first half and went in at half time with the score levels at 0-0 but overall having the better of the chances with a good scoring chance falling to Lewis Prosser but the keeper made a good reaction save. Wales also won two penalty corners which they failed to convert, but went in still positive.
The Chinese came out strongly in the 2nd half and created a number of 25 and circle entries. The Welsh managed to hold out defensively and came through a rough patch and started to control the game. In the 44' Andy Cornick put away a fantastic reverse stick finish to put the Welsh in the lead. The Chinese responded well and converted a penalty corner a mere 4 minutes later. The game became a little more frantic as both sides sensed opportunities to score goals. The next chance unfortunately fell to the Chinese with a well taken field goal. Wales are now looking to finish the tournament with pool wins against the other European teams, Austria on Thursday and Scotland on Saturday.
| 14.05 | Austria | 2 | Scotland | 3 |
| 16:05 | Wales | 1 | China | 2 |
| 18:05 | New Zealand | 4 | Malaysia | 2 |
Wednesday 11 November 2009 – Rest Day
MATCH DAY 4: Thursday 12 November 2009
Wales created the first chance against the Austrians but were again unable to convert unlike the Austrians who converted their first short corner to take the lead. Wales had plenty of the possession but could not penetrate the Austrian defence. In the second half the same story applied, with Wales having plenty of the ball but unable to unlock the defence. In the 50' the Austrians doubled their lead. This was a game that Wales struggled to breakdown a solid defensive unit and was ultimately a disappointing result for Wales.
| 14:05 | Malaysia | 3 | Scotland | 2 |
| 16:05 | Austria | 2 | Wales | 0 |
| 18:05 | China | 1 | New Zealand | 6 |
Friday 13 November 2009 – Rest Day
MATCH DAY 5: Saturday 14 November 2009
A Celtic derby and a game in which goalkeeper David Kettle made his debut for Wales. A tense first half in which neither side troubled the score board with both teams seemingly stuck in a midfield battle. Early in the second half a Welsh defensive mistake resulted in field goal by Stephen Dickto put the Scots 1-0 ahead. Immediately the game increased in tempo and Wales, having been stung by the early second half setback went looking for chances to hit back but regretfully their efforts were in vain. Scotland extended the lead in the 51' when Mark Ralphnetted a penalty corner although 4 minutes later Wales through a Rufus MacNaught-Barrington penalty corner pulled a goal back. The final minutes were a frentic and Wales had a great chance to draw with a final minute short corner which they failed to convert. Another game that got away for Wales.
| 10:05 | Scotland | 2 | Wales | 1 |
| 12:05 | New Zealand | 4 | Austria | 0 |
| 14:05 | China | 0 | Malaysia | 3 |
MATCH DAY 6: Sunday 15 November 2009
Austria played Wales for the 5/6 th spot but in a dour match both the teams were deadlocked at the break.
Wales, the lower ranked team that came out firing in the second half and scored two quick goals, both from the field to Ben Croxall and Captain Matthew Ruxton in the 39th and 41st minutes.
Austria fought back with three goals in the second half; 42nd, 54th, 61st minute, two to Georg Jelinek and Michael Korper all from open play to take the win and fifth place.
A tournament for Wales that if mistakes were rectified would have finished higher. A big learning curve for all the players and staff but a thouroughly enjoyable experience showing that Wales can compete with the bigger nations.
| 10:05 | 5th/6th Austria | 3 | Wales | 2 |
| 12:35 | 3rd/4th China | 2 | Scotland (5-3 aps) | 2 |
| 15:05 | 1st/2nd New Zealand | 2 | Malaysia | 1 |
| New Zealand qualify for Men's World Cup 2010 | ||||
Thank you
The WHU and Mens squad would like to thank the following for their generous support of the team in their participation in the World Cup Qualifying tournament:
| Advalus | www.advalus.com |
| Andy Gowman | Cardiff and UWIC Hockey Club |
| Anthony Colclough | |
| Awaken Consulting Limited | www.awakenconsulting.com |
| Bob Richard | Richards Construction Ltd |
| D. J. Poultry | |
| David Gray | www.tbdavies.co.uk |
| Dr. Nick Webborn | www.sportswise.org.uk |
| Gilmour Sports | www.gilmoursports.com |
| Jon Wilks | www.ukhealthgateway.com |
| Malcolm May | Whitchurch Hockey Club |
| Mathew Rapson | www.pro-copy.co.uk |
| Mrs. Jean Carless | |
| Patrick Gray | Whitchurch Hockey Club |
| Phorm | www.phorm.com |
| Rix and Kay Solicitors LLP | www.rixandkay.co.uk |
| Rochesters LLP | www.rochesters.co.uk |
| Simon Webborn | swanseaclinic.co.uk / backwrap.co.uk |
| The Pick and Shovel (Brains) | www.pickshovel.co.uk |
| Wayne Mathews | www.classicsportswear.co.uk |
