Grand Masters European Trophy Boom, Belgium 2-5 June 2010

Grand Masters

Murdoch Shirreffs

Murdoch Shirreffs with scars of battle

Scottish Thistles played in Pool A of the Grand Masters tournament along with Alliance, Belgium, England LX 1 and Netherlands 2 and finished bottom of their pool after managing only a draw against Netherlands 2 in the first match, the goal coming from a Bryce short corner. Lack of specialist forwards cost them dear as their overall play did not deserve such a lowly position, and in fact they could have beaten Belgium in the last group match to claim third place in the group, had they been able to capitalise on their almost total domination in the first half. Murdoch Shirreffs took a sore one in the Belgium match and must have frightened most of his patients on the following Monday morning.

The Scots found themselves facing the Welsh once again and took the lead in the second half, again through a Bryce short corner. Unfortunately, with five minutes left, a Welsh short corner shot was deflected in off a Scottish stick when going wide and the game ended in stalemate. Unlike the previous two occasions in Lille earlier in 2010, the penalty stroke competition went the way of Wales, who comfortably claimed ninth place with a 4-2 score.

Alex Cathro

Grand Masters Captain Alex Cathro still able to smile

Grand Masters Squad

Bain, Bryce, Caren, Cathro (Captain), Chisholm, Downie, Dunbar, Golightly, Leighton (GK), McIntosh, McLintock, Margerison, Shirreffs, Weir.

Cassell from the Over 65s pool also played for the Over 60s side in the last two games in places of the injured Chisholm and Strachan took the place of Golightly in the play off match against Wales.

Great Grand Masters

Adrian Robertson scores for England LX1 v GGM

Adrian Robertson shoots for England LX1 against Thistles GGM

The Great Grand Masters tournament was a round robin involving Alliance, England LX1 and LX2, Netherlands and Scottish Thistles (surprisingly, Germany did not enter a team). As with their younger counterparts, the Over 65s had no punch up front and failed to find the net at all. However a disappointing 0-0 draw in a game they dominated against Alliance proved enough to give them fourth place on goal difference.

Scottish GGM Defence v England 1

Great Grand Masters defence against England LX1

Great Grand Masters Squad

Andrew, Black (GK), Bremner, Cassell (Captain), Di Rollo, Forster, Keddie, Lloyd, Morrice, Paterson, Philip, Strachan.

Bryce, Downie, Margerison and Weir from the Over 60s were also listed in the Over 65s squad and played cameo roles in all the games except the Friday morning game, when both sides were playing at the same time.

Umpires

Moore, Toner

Grand Masters Pool A

3 June

Netherlands 2

Scot Thistles

1

1

 

Scot Thistles

Alliance

0

1

4 June

Scot Thistles

England LX 1

0

6

 

Scot Thistles

Belgium

0

1

5 June

Scot Thistles

Wales

1

1

Great Grand Masters

3 June

England LX 1

Scot Thistles

4

0

 

Netherlands

Scot Thistles

2

0

4 June

Scot Thistles

Alliance

0

0

 

Scot Thistles

England LX 2

0

3