A weekend of drama as Grand Finals await
Grange and Edinburgh University are out to attempt to complete the Men`s and Women`s treble respectively. Both have already taken the league title and Scottish Cup, but this weekend, they strive to win the top place in the European play-offs. Both sides are already assured of European hockey next season, that came with winning their respective league championships, but only by winning the Grand Finals on Sunday can they be guaranteed the number one spot.
The winners of Saturday`s penultimate stage progress to the final the following day with European places one and two up for grabs, and in the case of the men that could mean a place in the elite European Hockey League (EHL) next season.
Men’s Scottish Cup Final – Edinburgh University v Grange
In Saturday`s semi-finals Grange are at home to Western Wildcats who finished fourth in the table, and this encounter has a history of producing unpredictable outcomes. The last meeting of the sides at Fettes in March produced a 1-1 outcome, Andrew McConnell`s penalty corner conversion gave the visitors a half-time advantage, but Callum MacKenzie levelled for the Edinburgh side in the second half.
The Wildcats may be the underdogs in some eyes as their form since the winter shutdown has been unpredictable, but they did finish their programme with a trio of victories against Grove Menzieshill, Dundee Wanderers and Edinburgh University.
The other play-off tie could also be a close affair with former league winners Bromac Kelburne entertaining Grove Menzieshill. The Paisley side remained unbeaten since the winter break, and their 14th title seemed inevitable until their unexpected fall from grace in the final match against Uddingston, the 3-3 draw surrendered the title to Grange.
The closeness of Saturday`s encounter is reflected in the last league outing between the sides at Glasgow Green. It ended in a 3-3 draw with Kelburne ahead on three occasions but always pegged back by Grove Menzieshill equalisers. Overall, the Taysiders finished a comfortable third in the league, in general their form this season has been good but there have been a few difficult performances along the way.
The relegation play-offs are a four-way struggle involving Dundee Wanderers against Watsonians from the second division along with Hillhead and Uddingston. The winners of Saturday`s encounters will remain in the top flight next season while the losers fight it out on Sunday to avoid the drop to the lower league. The Grand Finals on Sunday are set to be a nerve-jangling slug-fest regardless of the participants – it’s a contest not to be missed.
Aberdeen Standard Gordonians will make their automatic return to the top flight after winning the National League 2 title.
Like Grange, Edinburgh University have already qualified for Europe but coach Sam Judge will want top spot to complete a successful season. But seeing off Judge`s charges and secure a place in Europe might be a bridge too far, although last time out, Edinburgh University only won 2-1, Caitlin Girdwood getting both goals that day. In the semi-final, the students will face a Watsonians side that have made it to the top four for the first time.
Watsonians rise to fame came on the back of a six-match winning streak that included victories over Wildcats, Milne Craig Clydesdale Western and Grove Menzieshill in the process, a sequence that propelled the Edinburgh side up the table.
Watsonians only secured fourth place last Sunday with a 4-2 victory over GHK, Ellie Wilson (2), Nikki Stobie and Heather Tait were the scorers, enough to top Wildcats on goal difference.
More sinister to Watsonians` ambitions would be the power play revealed by the students in the 4-1 defeat of Grove Menzieshill in last weekend`s Scottish Cup final, a repeat of that form could be too much for the upstarts.
The other semi-final brings together the traditional rivals of Western and Grove Menzieshill in what could be an enthralling contest, especially with the return of the Scotland players to their respective sides.
The teams met at Titwood last month and Western emerged 2-1 winners. Emma Tennant put the Taysiders ahead but the home side piled on the pressure and Emma McGregor and Jen Eadie supplied the winning strikes.
The relegation play-offs in the women`s competition start on Saturday with GHK at home to second division Inverleith and Hillhead entertaining Grange, the losers progress to Sunday`s one-off Grand Finals contest to avoid the drop.
However, certain to be playing National League 1 hockey next season are second division winners Glasgow University. They battled hard this weekend, gaining a 2-1 victory over Granite City Wanderers leading to the University to finish top of the league, further promoting them into National 1 for next season.
Ticket information for this weekend’s Grand Finals is HERE
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