SOUTH AFRICA vs NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand held off a spirited challenge by South Africa to claim the BDO Women’s Champions Challenge 1 hockey tournament at Hartleyvale in Cape Town.
Unlike the pool match between the teams earlier in the week, the Black Sticks took the initiative from the start and put the hosts under pressure. The defence was holding, but cracks were showing as the physically stronger Kiwis. South Africa did have an early chance but Shelley Russell’s slap shot was saved by goalkeeper Beth Jurgeleit. The opening goal came five minutes later. Anita Punt scored from scrappy play inside the circle, the first time South Africa had been behind during the tournament.
New Zealand continued to press hard and had several chances to increase the lead. The South Africans had a let-off when conceding the first penalty corner as umpire Soledad Iparraguirre reversed her decision after consulting colleague Julie Ashton-Lucy. SA had some runs at the NZ defence, but were too slow on the counter-attack allowing the Black Sticks to regroup. They were also losing hard-earned possession. From the first penalty corner award, Clarissa Eshuis sent a powerful drag flick to the right of Mariette Rix to make the half-time score 2-0.
The pattern continued in the second half even though SA began to enjoy more territory and possession. They also made effective use of the aerial ball. The Kiwis suffered a setback when Charlotte Harrison was shown the yellow card in the 55th minute but were unable to exploit their advantage. They eventually forced their first penalty corner as late after a good run by Cindy Brown, but Farah Fredericks shot wide. Eventually the breakthrough came as Kate Woods fired in a powerful drag flick with six minutes left to play.
Urged on by a capacity crowd, SA threw in wave after wave of attack. A great chance came when Kate Mahon missed an overhead pass to allow Jennifer Wilson, but none of the strikers could latch on. Two more attacks also saw the ball thrown into empty spaces as the sands of time ran out for the home team.
The win qualifies for New Zealand for the 2010 Champions Trophy, which will be held in England in July. Although the home team will be bitterly disappointed, they performed well throughout the week and will be hoping to see an improvement in their ranking of twelfth. There was some consolation as South Africa received the Fair Play award and Mariette Rix was named the best goalkeeper. Farah Fredericks and New Zealand’s Eshuis shared the trophy for the leading goalscorer and New Zealand’s Gemma Flynn was named Player of the Tournament.
Final: South Africa (0) 1 New Zealand (2) 2
Goalscorers:
South Africa: Kate Woods (64th)
New Zealand: Anita Punt (17th), Clarissa Eshuis (30th)
JAPAN vs SPAIN
Japan finished as popular bronze medalists after a hard-fought win over Spain. One of the pre-tournament favourites, they brought a squad of eighteen containing no fewer than ten uncapped players.
The first half was evenly contested although neither side was able to develop clear cut chances. Japan pressed hard in the second half and kept the pressure on the Spaniards while snuffing out the good work of Nuria Camon and Gloria Comera. The tall defenders Keiko Miura and Akemi Kato were strong in defence.
On attack Sachimi Iwao was always a threat on the right flank. As time ran out so Japan dominated more and more. With golden goal extra time looming, the winning goal came three minutes short of full time. It was not a classic as captain Rika Komazawa forced it hope, but a small contingent of Japanese supporters and many of the neutral fans were in ecstasy.
3rd/4th place: Japan (0) 1 Spain 0
Goalscorers:
Japan: Rika Komazawa (67th)
ITALY vs CHILE
Italy claimed fifth place with a comfortable win over a plucky Chile team. The first half saw a reasonably open flow of play but neither side could set up many chances. The Italians pressed hard as the half-time break approached but failed to break the deadlock.
Julieta Franco put her team ahead as her drag-flick beat Chilean keeper Cabach Catalina early in the second half. With ten minutes remaining she scored from another penalty corner and team-mate Jasbeer Singh completed the scoring five minutes before the end.
Chile, a replacement for the USA in the original line-up, will be pleased with their efforts to upstage at least one higher-ranked team in Azerbaijan. Their brave displays during the week won them many friends.
5th/6th place: Italy (0) 3 Chile 0
Goalscorers:
Italy: Julieta Franco (39th, 60th), Jasbeer Singh (66th)
AZERBAIJAN vs WESTERN PROVINCE INVITATION
Azerbaijan ended a miserable tournament with another defeat against a team comprised mainly of local players. The third goal for the Invitation side typified the week as reserve goalkeeper (no 1) came out of her circle, fluffed her stick clearance for Henna du Buisson to round her and score easily.
Azerbaijan (1) 2 WP Invitation (1) 4
