Day one of the EuroHockey Club Cup got underway in Alanya with Belgian Racing Club taking the first points on offer with a solid 6-0 win over Railway Union. This is the first time this event has taken place since 2020 (Covid-19 and last year’s earthquake seeing the past three editions put out of action), so the teams were unsure of how their opposition would stack up. Speaking with Jill Boon post-game she said they were happy with their start, knowing that some games they would try to win and others would be more complicated. Staying in the division is their main target for the event.
Match 2 saw England’s Buckingham take the honours with a narrow 2-1 win over Rot Weiss Wettingen. Lotte Porter was delighted with their first-ever win at this level of event! “Having gone down 1-0, I was happy that we came back with a 2-1 win”.
Game 3 was an evenly played game with a cat and mouse game as Complutense went ahead and Watsonians equalised twice. A pc strike high into the net from Complutense’s Jiminez saw Complutense go ahead again, but Watsonians came back to draw the game. 2 more goals and the Spanish side took all five points 5-3
In the 4th game of the day the hosts got off to a cracking start with a comprehensive win over Slavia Praha 6-0
The second session started with a hard-fought win for Racing over Buckingham 3-1. A tough contest saw the Belgians earn a second 5pts to finish the day top of the pool on 10pts.
Düsseldorfer laid down the gauntlet to any team thinking of challenging them for the title with a stunning performance and a 13-1 win over Railway Union. A double hattrick (her first!) from Mabel Brands helped them reach the double-figure win. Railway was disappointed, but aware ahead of the game that this would probably be their toughest challenge at the event.
Pool B concluded with Complutense earning a 6-3 win over an unusual lack luster performance from Slavia Praha and the final game of the day saw Watsonians draw with the ever-present Sumchanka 3-3, which felt like a win as they snatched victory from Sumchanka with a last-minute goal from Emily Dark.
Watch the games live on www.eurohockeytv.org
Or follow the scores live here
Photograph: Watsonians celebrate their last-minute draw v Sumchanka (world sport pics (c))
