Women’s Masters fall to strong English and Irish Opposition

Scotland’s female Masters headed to Swansea for their Home Nations last weekend and after a strong start against the Welsh, they faced tough opposition inthe form of England and Wales; roving reporter Jacky Burnett gives us a brief summary of the games from days two and three.

Saturday 28th June

Over 55s Scotland 0 – England 11
Scotland were overwhelmed by a fit, well organised English team that linked well to create scoring opportunities.  The ladies fought hard to contain the opposition but found it difficult to capitalise on their possession and few scoring opportunities.

Over 50s   Scotland 0 – England 1
The Scots stepped up a gear from Friday’s draw against Wales to give this strong English side a competitive, hard- fought game.  With good teamwork and strong defensive play England were disappointed to have a goal-less draw at half time.  Just after the resumption of play, England surprisingly managed to take the ball past Justice and Taylor to have a relatively easy opportunity to go a goal ahead.  Scotland worked hard to recover, pressing hard to create scoring chances.  Anne Menzies’s shot from a corner just slipping wide was our best attempt but it was not to be.  England were lucky to finish ahead of this improving team.

Over 45s   Scotland 0 – England 6
England came out fast and reaped the results – going four up in the first twelve minutes.  Scotland settled down and held them for the best part of an hour but lost another two goals just before the final whistle.  The Scots fought hard, working well together but could not overcome the well-oiled English machine.

Over 40s Scotland 0 – England 4
Similarly to the games that had gone before, Scotland’s Over 40s were faced with a fast, organised English team who obviously have played and trained together for a number of years.  Two goals scored in the 13th and 15th minutes made it an uphill task but the Scottish team continued to work hard to contain the opposition.  The second half saw a well taken goal conceded after 15 minutes but Scotland were unlucky to lose a fourth on the final whistle.  As usual Sharon Duncan and Karen Thomson led by example but were well supported particularly by Kerry Smith, Lee MacNamarra and Maggie Conacher. 

Sunday 29th June

Over 55s Scotland 0 – England 60s 3
The Scotland Over55s only formed as a team earlier this year and their lack of experience showed against an England team that has been playing together for many years.  Although they fought hard for 70 minutes they just couldn’t mount effective attacks and were well beaten. However the tournament, following two good matches against the Australian 55s at Aldershot in May, has been an excellent platform on which to build a squad that will continue to expand and develop into a competitive side.

Over 50s Scotland 1 – Ireland 2
Despite the score line Scotland proved the dominant team, despite sharing possession and territory with Ireland in the first half and it was in the second half Scotland controlled the game. Ireland scored both goals in the first half, the first from a well-executed penalty and the second with a breakaway.  Scotland controlled the second half and had over a dozen penalty corners.  Their inability to convert the penalties was frustrating and should dictate an area for improvement during the winter.  With some positional changes the team linked well, showing a high level of commitment and skill but sorely missed a dedicated striker. 

Over 45s   Scotland 0– Ireland 0 – Awaiting report

Over 40s Scotland 2 – Ireland 2 – Awaiting report

 

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