World Cup Masters 2012

Scotland’s Masters recently headed south to Canterbury
to take part in the Masters World Cup, competing against some of
the best and most experienced players from around the
world.

All age groups performed well, with the Over 40s men finishing
4th after losing a playoff with the Germans. The O45 men lost to
England to come 6th and the O50 men beat Wales to finish 5th. The
best male performance came from the O55s who convincingly beat
Wales in the Bronze Medal match, and the women’s over 40s put on a
sterling performance finishing up 4th.

 

Men’s Over 40s

The Over 40s men opened the tournament with a commanding 5-0 win
over New Zealand, who Scotland had never beaten before at this age
level, before going on to draw with Germany in their second game.
The Scots put in a strong performance against the Germans coming
back from 1-0 down, however, struggled to convert any chances to
take the lead, in the end settling for the draw.

The final group match saw the Scots face tough opposition in the
form of the Irish. Two early second half goals put Scotland in the
driving seat however, the Irish fought hard to get back in the game
with it eventually ending up in 3-3 draw, meaning Scotland finished
second in their group

The semi-final saw Scotland take on a strong Australian side who
had dominated their pool. Despite this domination, Scotland took
charge and put on an impressive performance leading 1-0 at half
time. The second half saw the Aussies step up their game and were
rewarded with an equaliser. The game looked set for penalties,
however, an Australian penalty corner was awarded with only seconds
to spare. The corner was played out before another was awarded,
only for the same to happen again, it was only on the third attempt
did Australia score the winning goal.

The loss to Australia saw Scotland up against an impressive
German set up in the bronze medal match but unfortunately lost out
3-0 and finished up in 4th place. The squad put in some exceptional
performances over the tournament and their hard work and efforts
over the past nine months were evident. Several of the squad will
be stepping up an age category including inspirational captain Jon
Williams, should anyone over 40 be interested in playing please
contact Stephen
Springthorpe.

 

Women’s Over 40s

Despite the lack of practice and preparation for the Scots, the
women’s tournament saw a good opening performance against New
Zealand. Unfortunately Scotland left the pitch suffering a 2-1 loss
despite Janet Jacks efforts in pulling one back for the Scots.
 With a game under their belts and increased confidence the
Scots went onto to play Wales with a hugely positive 4-1 victory,
playing in heats in excess of 35 degrees, with goals from Louise
Mitchinson (2), Sharon Duncan and Janet Jack.

A comfortable win was also produced against South Africa with
the Scots notching up a 4-0 result with goals again from Sharon
Duncan and Janet Jack (2) as well as Gail Nelson. Following a
well-earned rest day, up next up was Australia, who were always
going to be tough competition, however, Scotland were in good
spirits following two wins on the trot. Scotland took the lead
through Karen Thomson, however, despite their best defensive
efforts the Scots eventually lost out 2-1.

Playing in slightly cooler temperatures, the Scots went onto
play Ireland, displaying some excellent midfield play, resulting in
a 4-2 win with goals from Karen Thomson, Fiona Harfield and Janet
Jack (2). Having played five games in six days the Scots were
feeling the strain in their final game against a fresher faced
English team. Unfortunately the strong performances earlier in the
week resulted in a tired Scotland running on dead legs, unable to
hold off an impressive England who won 4-0.

All in all the Scots gave a number of positive performances and
showed particularly high fitness levels and fighting spirit.
Although no medals were won Janet Jack took away the title of top
goal scorer for the tournament.

 

 

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