EuroHockey Trophy

1st June  v Ritm Grodno   6 - 0 Loss

Swansea found themselves in the final cross-over game facing a team which had gained the same number of points in Pool B as the Scots and the Irish, the two teams involved in the promotion cross-overs. Ritm Grodno were in the relegation cross-over game due only to a slightly inferior goal difference. Nevertheless, Swansea, buoyed by the excellent performance on the previous day, set about their opponents confidently. In the third minute Robyn Wilford got in a good shot which struck a foot in the circle and Swansea had the first PC of the game.  The Belarussians confidently cleared the corner but the ball came to Kat Budd who set off on one of her trademark runs and won a free hit near the circle. The ball was blasted in hard, wasn’t controlled and Swansea got another penalty corner. The straight strike hit the keeper’s pads and the ball was cleared but the Swansea girls were matching their opponents’ physicality, with Natalie Blyth to the fore. Then, after not seeing much of the ball, the Belarussians made a quick break, got the ball to their stand out player and captain, Hanna Dakutovich, and she drove the ball into the corner of the goal on six minutes. Soon after, they won another PC but Kat was out well to nullify the first strike. The Belarussians’ fondness for the aerial ball as an attacking option nearly exposed the Swansea defence on 10 minutes and the ball was only just scrambled away. Swansea forced their way back into the game and on 16 minutes Sian Fowler split the field with a long through ball up to Bridgette Radice who went forward into the D and was unlucky to be baulked as she shot. However, a penalty corner was awarded and Swansea’s stock routine was just cleared away by the keeper. Swansea were getting amongst their opponents effectively during this phase of the game. Sian got back well to win the ball as the Belarussians attacked, distributed to Robyn who then set up Jaynaya Boyles nicely on goal. Angharad Griffiths delivered a great ball up to Bridgette and soon after executed a searing cross field pass to set Sian free. This was real Swansea pressure and at this stage the Belarussians, tired from two draining drawn games, were rattled and flagging. Always dangerous, however, they broke quickly again and Sarah Lowman did fantastically well to get back to challenge and for Fran Williams to finish the job with a strong tackle. Swansea, however, couldn’t keep up the momentum and conceded two soft goals as half time neared. Firstly, a fluffed shot from Dakutovich deflected into the goal off Angharad’s stick on 28 minutes and then some careless passing out of defence presented Nataly Varabiova with a simple push into the goal on 34 minutes. 3-0 down at half time was certainly not a true reflection of the play.

Swansea made a good start to the second half. Danielle Jackson, Sian and Robyn worked well together to get the ball into the circle but the defence prevented it from reaching Bridgette. The ball went back down to the Swansea circle for Dakutovich to work her skills to win a short corner and for Alesia Vasilvova then to step up and crack the ball against the backboard with a straight strike on 44 minutes. As the tempo got a bit frenzied and physical, Fran, Angry and Robyn were laid low but Sian, Dan, Kat and Sarah were all getting stuck in and halting the Belarussians as they tried to open up the game with some flowing hockey. Swansea now gave their younger players some European game time and they acquitted themselves well. The senior players kept working hard but in the end the pressure told and, as the ball went loose in the circle on 67 minutes it was lifted into the goal by Nataly Stsiafutkina. Finally, in the last minute Ritm Grodno converted another short corner to make the score 6-0 and end Swansea’s time in the European B Division. However, that was probably decided in the closing 20 seconds of the game against the Czechs.

Thanks to Rob Fowler for the report