Inverleith and Scotland on track

GROVE MENZIESHILL INVITATIONAL INDOOR TOURNAMENT AT
DISC, DUNDEE  –  28-30 DECEMBER 2011.

SPONSORED BY MONTROSE BASED INTERVENTION RENTALS
SUPPORTING THE NORTH SEA OIL SECTOR IN THE LOCAL AREA

Inverleith are creeping closer to a place in today`s
final of the Grove Menzieshill Invitational Indoor Tournament at
DISC in Dundee with a 5-2 victory over Highland Jaguars, the
scoreline may have been close but the Edinburgh side well were
worth their win. 

However, it was an inauspicious start for Stuart Neave`s men as
the Jaguars clawed their way into an early two goal lead, Iain
Scholefield notched the opener while Adam Mackenzie, ironically an
Inverleith player in Scotland colours, scored the second from the
spot.  Not long after Stephen Dick pulled one back for the
Scottish champions, and by the interval they were 3-2 ahead,
courtesy of two strikes in as many minutes by Chris Grassick.

The opening four minutes of the second half did not go at all
well for the Edinburgh side, goalkeeper Allan Dick was forced into
two spellbinding saves and Grassick missed from the spot. 
However, in the closing minutes Inverleith sealed the result, Derek
Salmond scored the fourth and Grassick made amends by sinking a
penalty corner for 5-2.

Jaguars moved into contention for the other place in the final
with earlier back to back wins over Grove Menzieshill and
Wales.  In the former encounter, Mackenzie and Scholefield
both scored twice and Chris Wilson got the other for a comfortable
5-0 win.  Mackenzie stole the points against Wales with a
winner two minutes from time after Gary Cameron`s earlier two
strikes had contributed to a 2-2 scoreline.

Caledonian Cougars also saw off the Welsh 8-2, Willie Marshall`s
hat-trick and two from Gavin Byers were the highlights, Michael
Ross, Gareth Hall and Alan Forsyth got the others.

Scotland`s women may be marching towards a place in the women`s
final, but the progression has been far from smooth for coach
Gordon Shepherd.

The encounter with a Vikki Bunce reinforced VWS Dundee
Wanderers, Subway national league champions for the past two years
and current leaders this season, was always a potential banana
skin, and so it turned out to be as Shepherd`s charges only emerged
5-4 winners.   The effervescent Bunce struck first,
Kareena Marshall quickly equalised, only for Amy Rowan from a
penalty corner to give Wanderers a 2-1 half-time lead.

Set piece conversions by Marshall and Nikki Lloyd provided the
senior squad a 3-2 lead in this ding-dong affair.  Bunce
levelled again from a penalty corner, but strikes by Nikki Kidd and
Susan McGilveray gave Scotland a 5-3 advantage with four minutes
left, so Bunce`s late hat-trick goal became little more than a
consolation.

Shepherd`s charges next match with the Capercaillies, Scotland`s
under 21 side, almost ended in blushes as the scores were tied at
2-2 as the final whistle sounded.  But the senior squad were
awarded an overtime penalty corner, Kidd`s initial shot was saved
by keeper Nikki Cochrane, only for Scotland captain Kat Cameron to
stroke home the rebound for a last gasp winner.  

Earlier Lloyd had given the Scots youngsters a breakaway 1-0
lead at the interval as the seniors contrived to waste several
penalty corner chances.  Lloyd double the score as a shock
looked on the cards, but Kidd from an acute angle and Amy Brodie
from a set piece brought the scores level with minutes left.

In Scotland`s final game it was all a bit of a struggle against
Wales as Kidd had her spot effort saved by the goalkeeper and
Brodie finally found the target with just 15 seconds left in the
first half.  The goals flowed more freely after the interval,
Brodie completed her hat-trick with another two along with Kidd
from a penalty corner and Morag McLellan.

However, Wanderers kept their final hopes alive with a
subsequent 8-1 crushing of the young Capercaillies.  Fiona
Bruce gave the Scots youngsters an early lead from the spot, but
that opened the floodgates, Bunce picked up another couple, Sam
Sangster scored a hat-trick of penalty corners and the other
strikes came from Julie Bryce, Amy Rowan and Ashleigh Bunce. 
Earlier the Scottish champions had seen off Wales 8-6, Bunce again
scoring twice and schoolgirl Jess Robb getting her first goal of
the tournament.

After a couple of earlier reversals against Scotland and
Wanderers, the United States are beginning to make a move, they
defeated the Scotland under 21 side 8-1, followed that up with an
8-4 win over Wales and then a 3-0 victory over host side Grove
Menzieshill.    Their cause was then not helped by a
4-4 draw with their own under 21 side.

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