ROUND-UP FROM SATURDAY'S MATCHES IN BERLIN

Canterbury’s fortunes as they went into day two of the Women’s European Club Championships in Berlin relied heavily on the Scots beating their opponents from Azerbaidchan. A win for Bonagrass Grove would have left three teams on three points with the prospect of Canterbury winning their remaining two games and thus a ticket to the final. But the Scots seemed to have no strategy for dealing with their opponent’s close marking and too many defensive retreats turned into routs as the Scots were robbed of possession in their own half. An early goal by the Ata Sports skipper, Zeynab Nuriyeva, put the Scots onto the back foot, and a second half penalty stroke left Grove without a point from their two matches. As reported yesterday, Canterbury put on a fine performance against Ritm Grodno to take six points from two matches. Canterbury meet Ata Sports in the final Pool B game tomorrow. A win or a draw will see Canterbury through to the final. The question everyone is asking is whether the team from Azerbaidchan is good, or whether their opposition has been poor. We will find out later today.

In Pool A the host club were made to look very ordinary by the Irish side Pegasus, the two teams only separated by a goal from Berliner’s Annika Melchert. The other Pool A match was between the tournament favourites, ‘sHertogenbosch and the Spanish side CD Terrassa. The match might have been a foregone conclusion – many of the Dutch supporters stayed in the clubhouse out of the rain – but this enterprising Spanish side gave their opponents a scare by scoring an equaliser in the 15^th minute. The Dutch then stepped on the gas pedal and their supporters took to the terraces, and soon they were dominating the game. A moment of controversy – in the 39^th minute a corner strike by Donners hit the back of the net a foot above the backboard. After heated Spanish protests the umpires conferred but the goal remained, much to the disgust of the Terrassa supporters in the stands. Viewing the video afterwards it seemed as if the ball had struck a defender’s stick during its flight towards goal, and so the umpires appear to have been right. Final score; 5-1 to Den Bosch. With no points from two matches Terressa will find themselves playing to keep Spain in next years tournament in the classification matches on Monday. On what I have seen so far they deserve better.

Later today Den Bosch meet the out-of –form host club, Berliner, for which the Dutch must surely be favourites. Just how good Ata Sport is something which Canterbury will discover at 11:00 GMT today.

Back in England, Cannock have had the rare experience in recent years of not being amongst the front runners in a competition. Drawing 2-2 against Athletic Terrassa yesterday, they finish their pool matches in third place and play Stroitel Brest this morning. The losing team's nation is relegated out of next year's tournment, possibly the last before the introduction of a European Club's League.