Even Bloemendaal’s self proclaimed Orange Army had trouble raising a quorum today, after two days of filthy weather in Mulheim. The rain abated for the last game of the day, but the numbers of spectators has been sparse by EuroHockey League’s usual standards.
The surprise of the day has been the performances of the two Spanish teams here. Usually the more competitive of the nations taking part, RC Polo de Barcelona struggled against Pormazanin Torun, winning only by two goals scored late in the second half. They were not helped by some super goalkeeping by the Polish side’s Pawel Murszewski. Barcelona will play Beeston in both side’s final matches tomorrow.
Terrassa, who have a record of underperforming in the competition, kept to form against AHTC Wien. The Austrians took an early lead and managed to pull Terrassa back from a 2-1 advantage in the 59th minute. A penalty corner conversion by Ignasi Guerrero with three minutes remaining eventually gave Terrassa the win.
Olympia Kolos Sekvoia must have felt their hearts drop when they saw that they had drawn Bloemendaal in Round 1, and they had genuine cause for concern. The record win in the EuroHockey League, already held by Bloemendaal, is 14-0, and the Dutch side looked intent on beating their own record this afternoon. At 10-0 against Olympia, Bloemendaal seemed to take their foot off the gas. Nevertherless a bruising experience for the team from The Ukraine, although they should be credited for playing hockey right up until the final whistle.
Tomorrow morning East Grinstead play Grunwald Poznan, and this match is followed immediately by Polo de Barcelona against Beeston.
Our pictures web site www.hockeyimages.co.uk has a selection of images from all today’s matches.
