The first tournament of the 2011 season was held on Saturday 7th May, in The Hague.
The weather was perfect for the occasion, and after 9 months of solid preparation Zürich Inneoin travelled with strong panels in both Hurling and Camogie. This in itself was an achievement after Zürich had not been represented in The Hague since 2006 .
A separate report will be posted to focus on the Camogie, but the hurling team got under way against the hosts. Both teams seemed to be a little rusty in the early exchanges but Zürich got to the pace of the game a little quicker, and carried a lead at half time. In the second half Zürich pressed home this advantage and ran out comfortable winners, 4-5 to 1-9.
The second match paired Zürich with Luxembourg. Clinical finishing demoralised the opposition with plenty of scores from all over the field. Although the final score of 2-15 to 0-8 isn't a totally fair reflection on Luxembourg, Zürich had a ruthless edge during the game to dominate the scoreline.
The Zürich team then gathered to watch The Hague take on the last remaining rival, Belgium. In a close fought game, Belgium were beaten by a resurgent host team. This put Zürich in pole position to reach the final as the only unbeaten team.
In their final group match, Zürich faced Belgium. A tense and nervy first half ended with Zürich just ahead, 0-4 to 0-2. However it was Belgium who held their nerve in the second half, and the match ended in defeat for Zürich, 1-5 to 0-7.
This result meant that Zürich were confirmed a place in the final, and Belgium were left to await the result of the last group match to see if their score difference would be enough. The Hague defeated Luxembourg by more than the 6 points they needed to set up a re-match of the opening game of the day.
Both sides seemed nervous in the final but again it was Zürich who made the early advances, carrying a narrow lead into the half time interval. In the second half, The Hague responded and after a tenacious battle they levelled the scores to force extra time. Despite a stalwart effort, Zürich were edged out by just 2 points in a thrilling final to be left wondering what might have been.
Despite the disappointment at the outcome, there are many positives to take from the day. Firstly, the team scored well for the overall Championship standings, and can look forward to building on this result over the season. Secondly, the whole panel showed real strength and character, and it's clear that the hard work in training over the winter has paid off. Finally, the team gained vital experience of a truly competitive final, and will have learned the hard lesson of how to push over the line and earn the victory on the day.
For the individuals, we have to mention Billy O'Caoimh and Karl Cogan who both shone as stand-in 'keeper for the day. In particular there were two incredible saves from Karl in the final and the reliability of the puck outs provided the platform for the whole team to perform well. Chris Brennan also deserves credit for taking home the Player of the Tournament trophy, awarded not just for his excellent play in all the games, but also for the positive and supportive attitude that he brought to the team.
The club would also like to congratulate The Hague on organising and running an enjoyable tournament - and evening entertainment afterwards! - and our thanks to Tony Bass for his efforts refereeing on the day.
Finally we have to pass on all our best wishes to Brian Murphy who sadly suffered a broken ankle during the group game with Belgium. All of us at the club wish Brian a very speedy recovery and our thoughts are with him.
In conclusion, although we didn't bring home the trophy we had hoped for, the club is still well placed to compete & win the European Championship in 2011. We know now that it won't be easy, both The Hague and Belgium will no doubt be pushing us right up to the last whistle of the last match, but if we can continue to show the strength, character and team spirit that was on display in The Hague, then we know that we can bring the Championship trophy back to Zürich where it belongs.
No comments:
Post a Comment