Scottish Hockey

Germans lift the Richard Docherty cup

08 January 2012

RICHARD DOCHERTY INDOOR CUP - NAPIER UNIVERSITY ENGAGE SPORTS CENTRE  -  SUNDAY 08 JANUARY.

FINAL
HIGHLAND JAGUARS V GROSSFLOTTBECKER (GER)
Grossflottbecker from Hamburg showed why the Germans are the masters of the indoor game with a 6-5 victory over Scotland in a pulsating final of the Richard Docherty Indoor Cup in Edinburgh yesterday.  However, Billy McPherson`s charges must take a lot of credit for taking the Germans right to the wire with a spirited performance before the European Nations Trophy next weekend.

Scotland got off to the best of starts with a goal from Ross McPherson with the first attack of the game.  The Germans were certainly taken aback when the Scots doubled their lead from a penalty corner, Allan Law switched the ball to Grange`s Gary Cameron who promptly swept it home.  This setback spurred the Germans into action and Felix Schuess fired in a quick hat-trick in as many minutes to put Grossflottbecker into a 3-2 half-time lead.

The Scots were back on level terms within two minutes of the restart, at a penalty corner Allan Law switched the ball to Chris Wilson to score with ease.  The Scots then went 4-3 ahead, a Willie Marshall flick from the spot sent the German goalkeeper the wrong way after Andrew Thornton`s initial effort had been illegally saved on the line by a defender.  The Germans retaliated, Schuess was on target again for the equaliser, followed by a further goal from Alan Forsyth, ironically a Scottish internationalist guesting for Grossflottbecker.  

Marshall gave the Scots a life-line with a low shot to make it 5-5, but with three minutes left that man Schuess got his fifth goal of the game which proved to be the winner for the Germans.

BRONZE MEDAL PLAY-OFF
INVERLEITH V HC RDG (NED)
Inverleith recovered their composure to see off HC RDG 9-8 to take the bronze medal in a game that transpired to be a brilliant display of indoor hockey by both sides that thoroughly entertained the crowd.  The Edinburgh outfit raced into a 3-1 lead in the opening five minutes through Derek Salmond, Chris Grassick and Callum Duke.   It then took the Scots another ten minutes to add a fourth from Philip Hall for a comfortable half time lead.

In a thoroughly entertaining second half which contained a dozen goals between both sides, the Dutch tried vainly to get back on level terms but Inverleith managed to hold on to their lead through goals from Ross Jamieson, Chris Duncan, Duke, Grassick, and Dick.

5/6 PLAY-OFF
GROVE MENZIESHILL V CELTIC PANTHERS
The depleted Grove Menzieshill outfit finished in sixth place after falling 6-4 to the Welsh national squad under the guise of Celtic Panthers.  It all started well for the Taysiders, Andrew Suttie gave them an early lead from the spot and that was followed by a quick double from Josh Cairns for a 3-0 lead in only eight minutes.

Instead of Menzieshill consolidating their early lead, instead it signalled a Welsh come back through Ben Croxall, Joe Naughalty and Owaine Dolan-Gray.  The first half ended square at 4-4 with Cairns picking up his hat-trick goal and Croxall scoring again for Wales.

Menzieshill failed to find the net at all in the second half but Andy Siemann and Naughalty again provided the winners for the Panthers.

SEMI-FINALS

In the first semi-final the German side Grossflottbecker swamped HC RDG 15-3.   Philip Otte was top scorer with seven goals while Ferdi von Oetzen notched a hat-trick.

The all-Scottish semi-final between Billy McPherson`s national squad and Inverleith ended with the former running out comfortable 9-3 winners.  It took eight minutes before Chris Wilson gave the Scots the lead with a penalty corner that went in off the goalkeeper`s stick.  Scotland then scored a flurry of goals in the final minutes of the half, Wilson picked up his hat-trick with two goals from very narrow angles, followed by strikes by Gareth Hall and Allan Law for a five goal lead at the interval.

The second half was a slightly more even affair, Gary Cameron made it six only for Chris Grassick to open Inverleith`s account with a penalty corner shot that went in off the bar.  Scotland then raced into a 9-1 lead through a double from Willie Marshall and Wilson picked up his fourth of the contest.  In a late rally Stephen Dick scored a couple of late set pieces, but by then the result was never in doubt.

Scots featured prominently in the end of tournament awards, Scotland`s Allan Dick picked up the goalkeeper of the tournament award, Edinburgh-born HC RGD`s Laurence Docherty, elder brother of Richard whose untimely death at 27 was the occasion for the tournament, was top goalscorer while Grossflottbecker`s Philip Witte got the player of the tournament.