Hoci Cymru's senior women and men competed in the EuroHockey Championships qualifiers in late August, travelling to Glasgow and Dublin respectively and both eventually securing spots at next year's EuroHockey Championships II.
The women kicked off their campaign with a 7-0 romp of Croatia, with six different goalscorers earning the team’s semi-final place.
As Ella Jackson made her milestone 50th appearance for the side, Betsan Thomas gave Wales the lead in the first quarter, before Freya Diamond and Holly Munro ensured Wales went into half-time 3-0 to the good. The third quarter was where Wales truly wrapped things up in style, with Munro bagging her second while Amy Cradden, Rachel Goodwin and Caitlin Witham put the gloss over a fantastic performance.
Meanwhile in Dublin, the men inflicted a 17-0 defeat on a despairing Luxembourg side to get things up and running. Ten players got their names on the scoresheet and, with the score at 7-0 at the halfway point, it took just seven minutes of the third quarter for Jolyon Morgan and Jack Pritchard to secure their hat-tricks as Wales added ten more in the final half-hour of the tie.
Up next for both sides would be semi-final bouts against Czechia.
The ladies booked a place in the final courtesy of a strong 4-0 victory which saw captain Elizabeth Bingham striking early on. Cradden also once again found the net, while Olivia Hoskins scored either side of the midway break to bag a brace.
Photo Credit: Terry Morgan
Over in Ireland, the men also found their way to the final as Owain Dolan-Gray earned his 150th cap in style. Six goals before half-time did the trick, as Wales eventually boasted a 7-1 semi-final win over the Czechs. Fred Newbold, Alf Dinnie and Rhys Bradshaw ensured the Welsh bolted out of the gates as they each found the net to put their side 3-0 up after 11 minutes, while Gareth Griffiths’ five-minute double and Jamie Rawlings’ strike put Wales 6-0 up inside half an hour. Hywel Jones’ early third-quarter goal might have been pegged back by a late Lukas Plochy strike, but there was no way back for the Czech outfit as Wales progressed.
Both of Wales’ senior sides had to settle for qualification for the EuroHockey Championships II, however, as respective 2-1 defeats against Scotland’s women and Poland’s men saw Wales leave both tournaments with runner-up finishes.
Campaigns littered with goals and dominance should evoke huge encouragement for Wales’ senior sides as they look ahead to the EuroHockey Championships II next year.
The EuroHockey Championships II also provide a great opportunity for our women and men, as tournament wins would earn qualifications for the main EuroHockey Championships next time out.
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