COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2010
Delhi (India), 4th - 14th October 2010
Wales have the honour of playing New Zealand in the first hockey match of the Delhi Commonwealth Games. The International Hockey Federation (FIH) and the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) have released the hockey schedule for the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, with four women's matches to kick-start the competition on October 4.
A total of ten men's and ten women's teams will compete in the 11-day hockey tournament, to be played on two pitches of the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in the Indian capital, the same venue as the Hero Honda FIH World Cup in March this year. The draw sees teams allocated across two pools.
Men
Pool A: Australia, Pakistan, India, Malaysia, Scotland
Pool B: England, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Trinidad & Tobago
Women
Pool A: Australia, South Africa, India, Scotland, Trinidad & Tobago
Pool B: England, New Zealand, Canada, Malaysia, Wales
The women's tournament opens with a match between New Zealand and Wales, followed later in the day with host India talking Scotland in a Pool A clash. The men's tournament will start on Tuesday 5 October, with India facing Malaysia in the evening match. The women's final is schedule for Wednesday 13 October, while the men's teams will compete for the gold medal one day later.
Match schedule (all times local, all matches on Pitch 1 unless stated)
Monday 4 October
(Wales match available @ 06:00 BST on 'Red' button, Freeview, Cable, Satellite & BBC On-line)
| Women Pool B | 10:30 | New Zealand | 5 | Wales | 1 |
| Women Pool A | 12:30 | South Africa | 12 | Trinidad & Tobago | 0 |
| Women Pool B | 16:00 | Canada | 2 | Malaysia | 3 |
| Women Pool A | 18:00 | India | 1 | Scotland | 1 |
Wales succumb to a strong New Zealand
Wales went down to the 'Black Sticks' 1-5 in the Commonwealth Games opening match.
With New Zealand ranked 20 places above Wales at 7th, it was always going to be a hard game but Wales fought well in the opening skirmishes. NZ piled on the pressure which resulted in a number of penalty corners, all of which were well defended until 18' when a deflected shot left Welsh 'keeper Maggs Rees wrong footed. Wales had their own opportunities but the final pass always seemed to be destined for an opposition stick. However, Wales forced their 1st penalty corner after 33' and after a goalmouth scramble, Abi Welsford struck the ball home from just below her shoulder to pull her team level at the break.
The superior skills of the New Zealanders began to show in the stifling heat and it came as no great surprise when they regained the lead shortly after the break (37') following a flowing move. The opposition continued to pressurise Wales and despite having a penalty flick well saved by Rees, contunued to convert a number of penalty corners leaving them 4-1 up with 10' left. Abi Welsford was awarded a green card after 63' but for some unknown reason was kept off the pitch far longer then the usual 2', leaving Wales short-handed. A final penalty corner conversion (their 10th pc of the match) after 68' left NZ 5-1 victors.
Wales can take heart, particularly from the first half performance and will look to improve on their passing game before they take on the top ranked team in the tournament, England, tomorrow.
Tuesday 5 October
(Wales match available @ 03:55 BST on 'Red' button, Cable, Satellite & BBC On-line)
| Women Pool B | 08:30 | England | 4 | Wales | 1 |
| Men Pool B | 09:30 | New Zealand | 7 | Trinidad & Tobago | 1 |
| Men Pool A | 10:30 | Pakistan | 3 | Scotland | 0 |
| Women Pool A | 13:30 | Australia | 11 | Trinidad & Tobago | 0 |
| Men Pool B | 14:30 | Canada | 1 | South Africa | 4 |
| Women Pool B | 15:30 | New Zealand | 5 | Malaysia | 0 |
| Women Pool A | 18:30 | South Africa | 2 | Scotland | 1 |
| Men Pool A | 20:30 | India | 3 | Malaysia | 2 |
Wales go down fighting to the end against England
Goalkeeper Maggs Rees proved to be the Welsh 'star' of the show after making a string of top class saves to keep out England and restict them to a 4-1 win.
Wales needed to be at the top of their defensive game right from the first whistle as England, fresh from their World Cup success, applied pressure from the off. Although conceding penalty corner goals (both to Crista Cullen) after 10' and 20', the Welsh players stuck to their tasks and showed great cohesion in applying their press skilfully and effectively.
Cullen completed her hat-trick of corners after 41' but after their disappointing second half performance against New Zealand, Wales delivered their game plan well. On the whole they showed greater maturity and composure in their basic skills resulting in the goal of the game with a supurb individual effort from GB Olympian Sarah Thomas.
Wales will now look forward to their remaining pool games with Canada and Malaysia with added confidence.
Wednesday 6 October
| Men Pool A | 08:30 | Australia | 9 | Scotland | 0 |
| Women Pool B | 10:30 |
Canada | 1 | England | 4 |
| Women Pool A | 13:30 | India | 1 | Australia | 2 |
| Men Pool B | 15:30 | England | 4 | Trinidad & Tobago | 0 |
| Men Pool B | 18:30 | New Zealand | 4 | South Africa | 2 |
| Men Pool A | 20:30 | Pakistan | 4 | Malaysia | 1 |
Thursday 7 October
(Wales match available @ 10:00 BST on 'Red' button, Cable, Satellite & BBC On-line - subject to change)
| Women Pool A | 11:00 | Scotland | 6 | Trinidad & Tobago | 1 |
| Women Pool B | 13:00 | Malaysia | 1 | Wales | 2 |
| Men Pool B | 16:00 | Canada | 1 | England | 1 |
| Men Pool A | 18:00 | India | 2 | Australia | 5 |
Wales record 2-1 win
This was a vital day for Wales to make an impression on Pool B in what was another extremely hot and humid day. Malaysia were quickly into their stride and Wales had to defend hard in the early minutes. Wales soaked up the pressure and began to build their own game attacking the opposition goal with some intent. Wales opened the scoring from a penalty stroke in 23' which was confidently converted by Leah Wilkinson. Shortly after half time Malaysia scored from a penalty corner but unfortunately for the Asian team their ferocious stick tackling regularly reduced them to 10 players. After having a period of pressure Wales then converted their own penalty corner through Claire Lowry in the 55'. This lead was fiercely protected by Wales for the closing stages despite being a player short on the bench for the whole of the second half as Dawn Mitchell sustained a leg injury just before half time.
Wales delivered some exceptional patterns of play and individual skills which resulted in a consistent performance.
CEO Helen Bushell commented "We are delighted to have shown that Wales is a strong competitor within our pool and very proud of the squads performance amongst difficult conditions. The support from Welsh supporters was invaluable both here in Delhi and at home in Wales. We now enter tomorrow's final pool game against Canada with confidence after having scored goals in every game and a convincing win against Malaysia".
Wales are currently lying 4th in their pool with Canada, (5th) to play tomorrow.
Friday 8 October
(Wales match available @ 16:30 BST on 'Red' button, Cable, Satellite & BBC On-line - subject to change)
| Women Pool A | 08:30 | South Africa | 1 | Australia | 1 |
| Women Pool B | 10:30 | New Zealand | 4 | England | 1 |
| Women Pool A | 13:30 | Trinidad & Tobago | 0 | India | 7 |
| Women Pool B | 15:30 | Wales | 1 | Canada | 2 |
| Men Pool B | 18:30 | South Africa | 5 | Trinidad & Tobago | 3 |
| Men Pool A | 20:30 | Malaysia | 2 | Scotland | 0 |
Wales suffer late heartbreak against Canada
Today Wales's hockey squad held their own destiny in their hands - a win guaranteed 5th/6th plays off. Despite Canada's superior World Ranking, Wales set about the game with confidence. The ball was put in the back of the net in only 1 minute 49 seconds but was not awarded as a goal. This however increased the passionate Welsh girls to work harder and maintain their focus to the game plan. The hockey from both teams was entertaining, the crowd clearly enjoying the skill and athletic ability from both sides. It was a strongly physical game and despite Wales being lighter in stature, they stood up well to the Canadian girls. Neither teams showing in terms of goal shots. Wales earned their first PC in the 27' but failed to convert. A brilliant battling run form Batten moving from the left into the circle resulted in a fine goal putting Wales ahead after 30' and thus breaking the deadlock. Welsford created another great opportunity in the 34' with a great dive narrowly missing the goal.
The second half was tense - Canada eager to gain the upper hand and Wales needing to maintain superiority and composure. Wales defended two PCs in the 50' and 53' minute but with both teams tiring due to the heat and humidity substitutions from the Welsh bench became more frequent to keep the momentum and freshness of movement.
In the final few moments Wales succumbed to the pressure and made some expensive errors allowing Canada their much needed opportunity to score in the 68' minute. Wales failed to recover from this and Canada were very much back in the game and proved that they were unwilling to accept even a draw - and struck again in the 70' with 30 seconds left on the clock.
Batten, Wilkinson and Mumford all had good games. Brooks showed maturity and is developing into a quality player and Mitchell still produced the goods despite receiving stitches in her shin from the previous match.
These last three minutes of lack of composure and holding onto the winning scoreline could prove very costly as Wales (-7 goal difference), Canada (-3) and Malaysia (-5) all have 3 points with the final pool positions now dependent on tomorows results. For Wales to qualify for 5th/6th place play-off, both Canada (against New Zealand) and Malaysia (against England) will need to lose by the requisite number of goals. New Zealand will be looking to retain top spot after their shock win over England earlier today with England having a must win match to ensure they retain 2nd spot so the Welsh 'rest day' will not be very restfull!
Current Pool B Table
P |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
Diff |
Pts |
||
| New Zealand | 3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
14 |
2 |
12 |
9 |
|
England |
3 | 2 |
0 |
1 |
9 |
6 |
3 |
6 |
|
Canada |
3 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
5 |
8 |
-3 |
3 |
|
Malaysia |
3 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
9 |
-5 |
3 |
|
Wales |
4 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
5 |
12 |
-7 |
3 |
Saturday 9 October
| Men Pool B | 08:30 | New Zealand | 2 | England | 5 |
| Women Pool B | 09:30 | England | 3 | Malaysia | 0 |
| Men Pool A | 10:30 | Pakistan | 0 | Australia | 1 |
| Women Pool A | 13:30 | Australia | 5 | Scotland | 2 |
| Women Pool B | 14:30 | New Zealand | 3 | Canada | 1 |
| Men Pool B | 15:30 |
Trinidad & Tobago | 0 | Canada | 2 |
| Women Pool A | 18:30 | South Africa | 1 | India | 3 |
| Men Pool A | 20:30 | Scotland | 0 | India | 4 |
Wales to face old rivals Scotland in 7th/8th playoff
With results not quite going the way of Wales, they will end their Commonwealth Games experience with a match against fellow Celts, Scotland on Monday at 20:00 (15:30 BST). Although England won by enough to demote Malaysia to the 9th/10th playoff, New Zealand could only win by two clear goals and not the 5 required to leave Wales in 4th place in their pool.
Sunday 10 October
| Men Pool B | 12:00 | England | 2 | South Africa | 1 |
| Men Pool B | 14:00 | New Zealand | 1 | Canada | 1 |
| Men Pool A | 17:00 | Australia | 7 | Malaysia | 0 |
| Men Pool A | 19:00 | Pakistan | 4 | India | 7 |
Monday 11 October
(Wales match available @ 15:30 BST on 'Red' button, Cable, Satellite & BBC On-line - subject to change)
| Women 9-10 | 08:30 | Trinidad & Tobago | 2 | Malaysia | 1 |
| Women semi-final | 11:00 | Australia | 1 | England | 0 |
| Women 5-6 | 13:30 | India | 3 | Canada | 0 |
| Women semi-final | 17:30 | New Zealand | 1 | South Africa | 0 |
| Women 7-8 | 20:00 | Scotland (aps) | 1 | Wales | 1 |
Wales lose in the harshest way
Wales went into the match a very determined side and controlled the early stages with the game being played almost entirely in the Scottish half. However after 8' following a quick breakaway Robinson found herself on a one-on-one position with the Welsh keeper, Maggs Rees who was left stranded as the Scots took the lead. Undeterred by this setback, Wales continued to apply pressure and won a number of penalty corners, the second of which was skillfully deflected in by Sarah Thomas for the equaliser. On the very next penalty corner Emma Batten suffered a nasty facial injury but was back on the pitch a few minutes later. Wales continued to dominate but could not find a way through a resolute defence before a miss hit Scottish pc nearly caught Wales out but Rees was equal to the task. Halftime came with the scores level with Scotland starting to push higher up the pitch with both sides beginning to tire in the oppressive heat and humidity.
Scotland had the early pressure after the break with Rees called upon to make a fine save to keep the scores level. A Welsh defensive error led to another Scottish penalty corner but despite having three opportunities to hit the target, fortunately for Wales the opposition spurned the chances. With the Scots reduced to 10 players following a yellow card Sarah Thomas went close with her shot being deflected over the crossbar. Rees came to Wales' rescue again when she deflected a goalbound shot just wide of the post - so close that initially the umpire awarded a goal! Scotland earned another two penalty corners in the last 2' of normal time but thankfully for Wales, like most of the Scottish corners, they came to nothing.
With the scores still level after the end of normal time, 2 x periods of 7 1/2' Golden Goal came into play. Both teams tried to finish the game but neither realistically came close to breaking the deadlock in either period. The result all now depended on a penalty stroke competition in which three saves by the Scottish goalkeeper made the game safe for her team - a result which seemed particularly harsh on the Welsh team who completely dominated the first half of normal time.
A disappointing end to the tournament for a Welsh team (as well as their band of fervent supporters) who played well above their FIH ranking and achieved their best ever finishing position in the Commonwealth Games.
Tuesday 12 October
| Men 9-10 | 08:30 | Scotland | 7 | Trinidad & Tobago | 0 |
| Men semi-final | 11:00 | Australia | 6 | New Zealand | 2 |
| Men 5-6 | 13:30 | Pakistan | 2 | South Africa (G Goal) | 3 |
| Men semi-final | 17:30 | England | 3 | India (aps) | 3 |
| Men 7-8 | 20:00 | Malaysia | 2 | Canada (G Goal) | 3 |
Wednesday 13 October
| Women Bronze Medal | 10:30 | England | 1 | South Africa | 0 |
| Women Gold Medal | 13:00 | Australia (aps) | 2 | New Zealand | 2 |
Thursday 14 October
| Men Bronze Medal | 09:00 | New Zealand (aps) | 3 | England | 3 |
| Men Gold Medal | 11:30 | Australia | 8 | India | 0 |
Final Positions:
Women Men
1st Australia Australia
2nd New Zealand India
3rd England New Zealand
4th South Africa England
5th India South Africa
6th Canada Pakistan
7th Scotland Canada
8th Wales Malaysia
9th Trinidad & Tobago Scotland
10th Malaysia Trinidad & Tobago
