2019 European Cup - Grand Masters (Over 60)

Thursday 20 June

Netherlands 2 Ireland 0

Spain 6 Italy 1

Friday 21 June

Netherlands 2 (van Geel, van Rijn) Scotland 1 (A Hay)

Fantastic team effort today against one of the top ranked sides, Netherlands. They came at us hard out of the traps and Sjef van Geel put the Dutch one up after only two minutes, a Scottish defender deflecting the ball past our keeper. The boys dug in though and managed to get into the Dutch circle and win a couple of corners without managing to take advantage. At half time it was still 1-0 to the Dutch but with all to play for. Scotland were playing good possession hockey by now and denying the Dutch their favourite passes. With 55 minutes on the clock, Murray Graham made an excellent save from a short corner and it looked as though the danger was cleared only for the Dutch captain Maarten van Rijn to rifle another shot into the goal. Past Scottish teams may have just accepted their fate but these guys upped their game and came at the Dutch. A flowing move led to a great strike by Ali Hay to reduce the deficit. Scotland threw everything at the Dutch in the final 5 minutes by could not get the equaliser. Spain up tomorrow at 12.30 in a must win to keep a semi final place open.

Saturday 22 June

Spain 2 (Wesney, Vidaurretta) Scotland 2 (A. Hay, Duhre)

A penalty corner goal scored by Gurdial Duhre at the very end of the match gave Scotland a much needed draw against the team which had kept them out of the World Cup semi finals in 2018.  It was always going to be a tough ask to play Spain the day after the Netherlands and so it turned out. Enough excuse to fill a school teacher's drawer: poor pitch, heat of the sun but in truth just not quite there. An opening goal well set up for Ali Hay just before half tim gave Scotland the lead but they allowed an immediate response from Roger Wesney to equalise for Spain. A rebound goal Jean Vidaurretta in the third quarter set the Spanish up for the three points. A strong fourth quarter, in which the Scots finally followed coach Adam McInnes's game plan, saw more entries into the Spanish 23. A last minute penalty corner strike by Gurdi Duhre to make the final score 2-2 saw the Scots gain the draw that leaves the semi final place still a possibility. Day off tomorrow and then Ireland on Monday, early morning and forecast 24 degrees.With Ireland picking up three points against Italy, Scotland are in fourth place but the top two sides faced off next and Scotland's hopes were boosted after a 2-0 Dutch win which kept Spain within reach of Scotland for a place in the semi final. Netherlands, still with one match to play, were guaranteed to qualify for the semi final.

Ireland 2 Italy 0

Sunday 23 June

Netherlands 2 Spain 0

Monday 24 June

Netherlands 11 Italy 0

Scotland 0 Ireland 0

There are times when playing good, possession hockey is just not enough. As top coach Shiv Jagday always says, you still need to score more than the opposition. Today was one of those days. For the majority of the game Scotland dominated Ireland but the inability to create clear cut opportunities in the opposition circle may now have cost them a semi final place. Ireland doggedly stuck to their long ball game plan with Scotland playing good possession hockey and springing centre back Neil Sharp into attack on a regular basis. What was lacking for the Scots were the connections in the circle. The final score of 0-0 left the Scottish team frustrated and disappointed. A semi final place for the Scots now rests on Ireland drawing with Spain and Scotland scoring at least four goals against Italy early the following morning. Meanwhile Netherlands crushed Italy 11-0 to qualify in first place in the pool.

Tuesday 25 June

Scotland 9 (Robertson, Duhre 3, Bennett, A. Hay 3, MacBeth) Italy 0

Scotland needed a convincing win and the right result in the other pool match to make the semi finals and both came to pass. A strong and positive start was needed and Arthur Robertson's strike from a penalty corner after only two minutes was followed by an open play goal scored by Gurdial Duhre, and John Bennett made it three before the end of the first quarter from another penalty corner. The Scots needed at least four goals to have any chance of getting through and a second quarter that matched the first saw Gurdi complete his hat trick with two more field goals after Ali Hay had added the vital fourth goal from a penalty corner. Coach Adam McInnes encouraged his charges to maintain their focus in the second half but fatigue and concentration took their toll in the third quarter with only one further goal being added by Colin MacBeth. Ali Hay completed his hat trick with two field goals at the very end of the match to finish the scoring at 9-0. Over on Pitch 2, the match between Spain and Ireland was still going on with the score at 1-1 and there was an anxious wait before it ended still a tie, and Scotland were through to the semi finals on goal difference ahead of Spain and Ireland. They will face England knowing that they had given a good account of themselves against the Auld Enemy in the Four Nations in Aberdeen.

Spain 1 Ireland 1

Altiusrt results and information

Grand Masters Pool A

	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pt	GD
Netherlands	4	4	0	0	17	1	12	16
Scotland	4	1	2	1	12	4	5	8
Spain	4	1	2	1	9	6	5	3
Ireland	4	1	2	1	3	3	5	0
Italy	4	0	0	4	1	28	0	-28

The teams finishing first and second in each pool will play off for positions 1-4 in the standard semi-final/final format, and the teams finishing third and fourth will play off in the same way for positions 5-8. The fifth place teams in each pool will play each other twice, the aggregate result determining positions 9 and 10.

Cross Over/Final Ties

Thursday 27 June

Italy 0 France 4 9-10 Match 1

Belgium 1 Ireland 0 5-8 Semi Final

Spain 0 Wales 1 5-8 Semi Final

Netherlands 6 Germany 0 1-4 Semi Final

England 2 (Jawanda 2) Scotland 0 1-4 Semi Final

As in the recent Four Nations match between the teams in Aberdeen, a very strong and aggressive England performance forced Scotland on to the back foot from the start of their Grand Masters European Cup semi final. A full court press made it difficult for the Scots to move the ball with their normal confidence and rhythm. The Scottish back four and goalkeeper stood firm and kept their goal intact well into the first quarter against a tide of England attacks until an opportunist goal by Balkar Jawanda towards the end of first quarter saw England take a deserved lead. Scotland started to come more into the game and had their own forays into the England end but without creating clear cut chances. The Scots stayed within sight of the equaliser until late in the third quarter when Balkar Jawanda struck again to double the English lead. A strong fourth quarter saw Scotland pressing the England defence, and creating a few corners and goal scoring opportunities, but Scotland were unable to convert any of them. England ran out deserved winners and Scotland now face Germany for the Bronze medal on the final day in Brasschaat, while England and Netherlands play for Gold.

Friday 28 June

Italy 1(1) France 4(8) 9-10 Match 2
France won 8-1 on aggregate

Wales 1 Belgium 4 5-6 Final

Spain 1 Ireland 3 7-8 Final

Saturday 29 June

Germany 3 Scotland 4 Bronze Medal

The Bronze Medal match swung back and forwards between the two sides, Germany opening the scoring with a penalty corner goal in 5 minutes scored by Uwe Menzel and a reply, also from a penalty corner, by Gurdial Duhre in 14 minutes. The end of the second quarter saw a flurry of goals, Peter Pankau converting another penalty corner for Germany and Alan Kerr replying with an open play goal, and then two minutes later converting a penalty stroke to put Scotland 3-2 up at half time. With no scoring in the third quarter, Scotland increased their lead when Niall Sturrock scored a field goal, but a minute later Hans-Gunter Jednat pulled one back. Scotland held on for the last few minutes to finish winners at 4-3 and claim Scotland's first ever Grand Masters European Cup Medal, though they had won bronze thirteen years before, in 2006, in the previous European Superveterans Championship.

13:30 Pitch 1 England Netherlands Gold/Silver
England won the penalty shoot out 1-0

Final Standings

Gold England | Silver Netherlands | Bronze Scotland

4th Germany | 5th Belgium | 6th Wales

7th Ireland | 8th Spain | 9th France | 10th Italy