Reading lost their classification match 2-1 to Ritm-Azot Grodno from Belarussia in a game littered with errors by both teams. Shyntar Volha, the Grodno captain, fired her side into the lead from the second of their eight penalty corners in the fifth minute. She struck again five minutes before the interval at their fifth penalty corner. The initial shot was saved and the rebound was driven against the post but the ball came back to hit the prostrate goalkeeper and unluckily ended up in the goal.
Reading had not been without chances. Lisa Letchford produced a good save from the Grodno goalkeeper at a penalty corner. Emma Thomas shot tamely in open play and put a penalty corner wide and Meredith Bone also shot wide when well placed.
Two minutes before the end of the third quarter Liana Smith hit a post but she was more successful after the break taking advantage of good approach play by 18-year-old Alice Freeman to score. For Reading the absence of their current seven Olympic prospects was just too much to carry.
Campo Madrid and Larensche from the Netherlands qualified for the semi finals. The Spanish side beat Klipper from Hamburg 2-0 with both goals coming in the second period of extra time. Fifty seven seconds after the restart Barbara Malda converted a penalty stroke. Klipper immediately took their goalkeeper off but Natalie Luck’s first task at kicking back was to pick the ball out of the goal. Agustina di Bernardo launched a long overhead into the circle which Luck failed to deal with leaving Malda the easiest of touch ins for the second goal.
Larensche cruised into the semi finals with a 9-0 win against Royal Wellington the host club. Two early corner strikes by Willemijn Bos set the Dutch club on their way and there were further braces for Carlyn Welten and Macey De Ruiter.
