There was a time when any sort of result against the
Australians was unthinkable, but the Kookaboros went into decline and slipped
down the rankings. We now have the
slightly unusual position where both sides are in a rebuilding phase, although
in England’s case it is off of the back of relative success (as GB) in the
Olympics.
So how would England, with a number of inexperienced players
in the squad, fare? Quite well as it happens, as we saw yesterday in the
Investec Women’s World League Semi Finals in London. As we mentioned yesterday, England are not
quite the complete product yet, but the youngsters have impressed. We saw some
very mature technical skills on display, some excellent passing, and some cool
heads when not everything went to plan.
It probably fair to say that the Australian’s had more than
their fare share of the possession, and the nimble Maddie Hinch was again
England’s saviour on many occasions. Having said that, it is probably only
right to give credit to Rachel Lynch in the Australian goal, who pulled off
what might turn out to be the save of the tournament. The ball had probably gone past her right
shoulder when she plucked it out of the air with a flick of her stick.
After the opening encounters, which seemed to be largely
going Australia’s way, England enjoyed a long period of possession mid-way
through the first half, and got their just rewards when a penalty corner award
was converted into a goal by Hollie Webb, one of the side’s newcomers.
For much of the second half it was a game that could have
gone either way, but the balance of power noticeably shifted in Australia’s
favour as the match moved towards its concluding minutes. With ten minutes left
on the clock, it was the turn of Jodie Schulz to find the net from a penalty
corner, to bring the score to 1-1.
There were some nail-biting moments as the seconds clicked
away, including a penalty corner which was padded away by Hinch. As someone
commented, England has been well served by its recent goalkeepers, and although
her style is quite different to Beth Storry’s, she is a worthy successor.
The match ended at 1-1, which means that Australia lead Pool
B on four points, ahead of England on goal difference.
Throughout all three World League Semi Final rounds, most of
the results have been reasonably predictable.
There are exceptions that prove the rule, and the match between Italy
and the USA is an example. Coached by
Englishman Craig Parnham, the Americans may be out of the top flight, but
surely they were more than good enough for rank outsiders Italy? Having taken
an early lead, the USA found themselves on level terms after only a few
minutes, and were finally scuppered by a penalty corner at the last knockings,
sunk by Stefania Tosco. Final score 1-2
to Italy.
The Pool A match between China and Argentina was a feisty
affair. Two first half goals from Argentina put them in the lead, but China got
back into the match to bring the score to 2-2 with six minutes left to play.
Then Yannan Cao and Jiaojiao De were sent to the naughty seat with yellow cards
within four minutes of each other. Whether being down to nine players was a
factor in Carla Rebecchi scoring the winning goal for Argentina would be an
interesting point for debate, but it could not have assisted China’s cause. Final
score 2-3 to Argentina.
Argentina lead Pool A on maximum points, ahead of China on
three points. Surprisingly, Italy are in
the mix, also on three points, separated by goal difference, with the USA in
bottom place.
The last match of the day was in Pool B between South Africa
and Spain, the latter coached by Englishman Adrian Lock, which ended in a 2-2
draw. South Africa are in third place in Pool B, ahead of Spain on goal
difference.
Today (Monday) is a rest day.
The Men’s World
League Semi Finals in Rotterdam ended in what might have been a surprise
for some, but it’s been on the cards for years.
Having taken a 1-0 lead in the final against Belgium, thanks
to a penalty corner goal from Chris Ciriello, Australia found themselves 2-1
behind with only seconds left on the clock, after Tom Boon and Sebastian
Dockier had found the net. Australia
were saved by a last gasp goal from their Russell Ford.
The stay of execution was only temporary. Although it took 18 individual shoot outs to
settle it, it was Ciriello’s failure to find the net at Australia’s ninth
attempt that gave Belgium the victory.
The final tally in the shoot out, 7-6.
The bronze medal match ended in disappointment for New
Zeland who, despite opening the scoring, found the Dutch far too good for them.
Final score 1-4.
Shoot out deciders seem to be almost the norm for these
tournaments, and so it was with the 5th place match, which was won
by Spain after the match ended 2-2. The
shoot out proved a disappointment for India as they failed to convert their
third, fourth and fifth attempts. Final shoot out result, 4-2 to Spain.
The 7th place match, which was played on
Saturday, ended Ireland 6 – France 4.
The pool stages of the Investec Women’s World League Semi
Finals in London resume tomorrow.
