England finished their Pool A matches in top position this morning and the squad went into the afternoon with the knowledge that relegation was no longer an issue. But the morning's news was not all good. Abi Harper turned her ankle in the match against Lithuania and will remain unfit for the rest of the tournament.
England's first opponents in the promotion pool were France, the nation that came second when England won promotion in Rouen two years ago. France had performed well, but England had the edge when the two sides met in 2010. This afternoon, however, was the first time in this tournament that it was apparent that England were not fielding a first choice team. The French have had an outstanding tournament so far in Slagelse, with their Peggy Bergere being the danger woman in front of goal.
There were early signs that England might be in trouble when Sam Quek stopped a penalty corner flick at waist height with her stick in the opening minutes of the match to keep the score at 1-1. Bergere showed her goal scoring prowess by finding the net twice in as many minutes shortly after.
Although England tried to compose themselves and take control of the match in the second half, the French skipper, Emilie Begue, gave her side their third. Sam Quek's 38th minute penalty corner for England was little more than a consolation goal and the match ended at 3-1.
England will have to calm their nerves when they play their final match of this tournament against the Swiss tomorrow. In theory, all four teams in the promotion pool can finish in the top two (and thereby gain promotion), but it is most likely that the second place will hinge on the England v Switzerland match.
The hosts, Denmark, have had a difficult tournament and lost there final Pool A match to Switzerland 6-1 this morning. So there was something of a cup final win atmosphere when they beat Russia 6-3 in the first of their relegation pool matches. They have been excellent hosts and it would be a shame to see them relegated. And it should not be forgotten that the were promoted to the Championships II four years ago when they beat England.
Scotland's hopes of survival rose when they played their first relegation pool match. After losing their last Pool A match 4-3 to France this morning, they went on to beat the Slovak Republic 3-2 to give them a lifeline to stay in the second tier tournament.
In the other promotion pool match, Lithuania started with promise against Switzerland, and they were leading until the final two minutes when Switzerland's Stephanie Walti scored twice from penalty corners.
Up to date scores and tables are available at our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk.
