Photo: Hopeful Three Rock Rovers fans before the start of their match against Leuven.WOMEN’S CUP WINNERS CUP IN MANCHESTER from Peter Colwill.
Bowdon Hightown will play their final Pool match against Amsterdam needing a win to reach Monday's final. The target against Alta-Korispol to overtake the Dutch side on goal difference was a 16 goals and the hosts came desperately close winning 13-0.
So dominant were Bowdon Hightown that they played the last 8 minutes without a goalkeeper. They had 19 corners without reply and Borispol suffered 3 yellow cards. Sally Walton scored 5 goals all from corners and Tina Cullen three from open play. Charlotte Hartley, Fay Nash, Nicky O'Donnell, Lindsay French and Annalisa Bishop scored the remainder.
Reaching the final will be a tough task for Bowdon Hightown. Amsterdam who beat Royal Uccle 6-0 have yet to conceed a goal and in Miek Van Greenhuizen they have the outstanding player of the tournament.
Bonagrass Grove will probably go into their final pool match tomorrow against Rot Weiss Koln needing a win to qualify for the Bronze medal match. They were goalless at half time against Lorenzoni but Ailsa Robertson missed two goal chances and there were strong claims for a penalty stroke following a foul on Susan Hamilton. The Dundee side started the second half more successfully. Nikki Kidd swept in a cross from Ali Bell in the third minute and Becky Merchant took advantage of limited pitch time to convert a corner nine minutes later. Further goals followed. Kidd flicked a corner, Linda Clement unleashed a ferocious shot which hit goalkeeper Sara Sorial but crept over the line and Robertson added a fifth in the penultimate minute.
Rot Weiss Koln who drew 2-2 with Campo Villa de Madrid with whom they finished the day level on points, will know the required margin of victory assuming Madrid beat Lorenzoni.
Day Two Results.
Pool A: Rot Weiss Koln 2 Campo Villa de Madrid 2; Bonagrass Grove (Sco)
5 Lorenzoni (Ita) 0.
Pool B: Amsterdam 6 Royal Uccle (Bel) 0; Bowdon Hightown 13 Alta-Borispol (Ukr) 0.
EUROHOCKEY LEAGUE DAY TWO FROM PETER SAVAGE IN HAMBURG
After Reading’s stunning win against Barcelona this morning, proceedings went rather flat. The match between Rotterdam and Grunwald (Poland) seemed unable to raise much enthusiasm from an uncommitted watcher. Having notched up four goals in 44 minutes, courtesy of Jeroen Hertzberger (PS), Sohail Abbas (2) and Johrus Gommers, Rotterdam took the foot off the gas for the last ten minutes and conceded two goals. Final score 4-2.
The third match of the day did provide some entertainment Maxime Luycx opening the scoring for Waterloo Ducks (Belgium) in their match against Amsterdam. It took less than a minute for Taeke Taekema to work his magic from a short corner, slotting in his second four minutes later. But the Ducks showed no signs of surrending easily and John-John Dohmen equalized just before the break. Unfortunately, the Ducks conceded another corner just before the half-time hooter, and Taekema stepped up to score his third. An early second half goal from Amsterdam’s Mico Pruyser was followed by 30 minutes of stalemate, with the final hooter sounding with the score at 4-2 to Amsterdam.
If ever a case was made for allowing a side to keep a video appeal if they won the appeal, it was made in the match between the Irish of Three Rock Rovers and Leuven of Belgium. Three Rock Rovers appealed against a clear umpiring error when they had a goal awarded against them where the ball had not crossed the goal line. Fortunately the error was corrected by the video umpire but that was an appeal used up. The match eventually finished 2-1 to Leuven, with Peter Blakeney scoring Three Rock Rovers only goal. Leuven now play Reading for a semi-final place on Monday.
