Final Scottish Masters round-up from International Masters Hockey Classic

Scotland’s Masters teams completed their games at
the World Masters championships in Singapore over the weekend.
 The O55 team had the chance to book a place in the finals of
their competition but in the way stood a well-organised and robust
Aussie team who ended up 3-0 winners.  With no play-of for
third place, this ended the O55’s interest in the tournament which
was eventually won by England on penalty flicks following a 1-1
draw with Australia.
With the O45 team already out of their competition,
that left the O40s and O50s contesting play off spots.  The
O40s met host Singapore in a battle for 5th/6th but despite a
heroic performance from a team with a lot of tired legs between
them, they ended up the wrong side of a 2-1 scoreline and in 6th
place.  This was rather less than they deserved, given that
astonishingly successful start when they went unbeaten in their
first 3 games, and being the only side to take a point of New
Zealand, the eventual finalists.
The O50s had a chance to take the bronze in their
play off with New Zealand.  Taking the game to the Kiwis from
the start, they created a hatful of chances but, to paraphrase
goalkeeper Scott Chisholm’s comments in an after-match interview,
their forwards appeared to be incapable of hitting the hind
quarters of large bovine with a banjo.  Instead of taking
control of the game and going into the interval two or three goals
to the good, half-time was scoreless.  The first 15 minutes of
the second period saw NZ kill the game with three well taken
chances and, although Scotland got a goal back through MacKenzie,
the Kiwis put the game beyond doubt with a fourth strike.
 Fourth represented a good performance for Scotland, but the
simple truth is that they, like other Masters teams, lack
firepower.  In three games against England, Australia and NZ
only two goals were scored, neither of which involved a recognised
forward.
The message is clear – whilst well organised in
defence and attack, Scottish Masters hockey needs former strikers
to come out of retirement and compete for places in the next World
Cup to be held in Canterbury from August 15th-25th 2012.  With
the European Championships following in 2013 and a World Cup to be
hosted in Europe in 2014, there is plenty more to aim at as
well.
But progress is at least being made.
 Scotland’s O45s were silver medalists in the European
Championships this year and the O50s won bronze in the same
competiton, in addition to securing a creditable fourth place in
the World Cup.  The O40s were unlucky to finish only sixth in
the World Cup following a tremendous start to the
competition.
And there’s always the grand old masters to think
of.  Our O60s team did not meet with much success in
Singapore, losing their games by wide margins to powerful teams
from England, Australia and NZ.  But they kept going right to
the end and none more so than former Stepps, Scotland and GB
goalkeeper, George Black.  George has been playing hockey for
longer than most of his team mates in the O60s have been alive,
proving once again that age is no barrier in sport.  This
octogenarian was one of the busier members of the squad and had his
moment of glory in one game, flying across the goal to save a
penalty flick with considerable alacrity.  It was a priceless
moment, apparently, and the tale of his exploit will no doubt grow
taller in its repeated telling over the dark months of the winter
to come

Scotland’s Masters teams completed their games at the
World Masters championships in Singapore over the
weekend.

The O55 team had the chance to book a place in the finals of
their competition but in the way stood a well-organised and robust
Aussie team who ended up 3-0 winners.  With no play-of for
third place, this ended the O55’s interest in the tournament which
was eventually won by England on penalty flicks following a 1-1
draw with Australia.

With the O45 team already out of their competition, that left
the O40s and O50s contesting play off spots.  The O40s met
host Singapore in a battle for 5th/6th but despite a heroic
performance from a team with a lot of tired legs between them, they
ended up the wrong side of a 2-1 scoreline and in 6th place.
 This was rather less than they deserved, given that
astonishingly successful start when they went unbeaten in their
first 3 games, and being the only side to take a point of New
Zealand, the eventual finalists.

The O50s had a chance to take the bronze in their play off with
New Zealand. Taking the game to the Kiwis from the start, they
created a hatful of chances but, to paraphrase goalkeeper Scott
Chisholm’s comments in an after-match interview, their forwards
appeared to be incapable of hitting the hind quarters of large
bovine with a banjo.  Instead of taking control of the game
and going into the interval two or three goals to the good,
half-time was scoreless.

The first 15 minutes of the second period saw NZ kill the game
with three well taken chances and, although Scotland got a goal
back through MacKenzie, the Kiwis put the game beyond doubt with a
fourth strike.  Fourth represented a good performance for
Scotland, but the simple truth is that they, like other Masters
teams, lack firepower.  In three games against England,
Australia and NZ only two goals were scored, neither of which
involved a recognised forward.

The message is clear – whilst well organised in defence and
attack, Scottish Masters hockey needs former strikers to come out
of retirement and compete for places in the next World Cup to be
held in Canterbury from August 15th-25th 2012.  With the
European Championships following in 2013 and a World Cup to be
hosted in Europe in 2014, there is plenty more to aim at as
well.

But progress is at least being made.  Scotland’s O45s were
silver medalists in the European Championships this year and the
O50s won bronze in the same competiton, in addition to securing a
creditable fourth place in the World Cup.  The O40s were
unlucky to finish only sixth in the World Cup following a
tremendous start to the competition.

And there’s always the grand old masters to think of.  Our
O60s team did not meet with much success in Singapore, losing their
games by wide margins to powerful teams from England, Australia and
NZ.

But they kept going right to the end and none more so than
former Stepps, Scotland and GB goalkeeper, George Black.
 George has been playing hockey for longer than most of his
team mates in the O60s have been alive, proving once again that age
is no barrier in sport.  This octogenarian was one of the
busier members of the squad and had his moment of glory in one
game, flying across the goal to save a penalty flick with
considerable alacrity.  It was a priceless moment, apparently,
and the tale of his exploit will no doubt grow taller in its
repeated telling over the dark months of the winter to come

 

 

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