Heartbreak for legend Margaret after going so close to elusive title
IT was heartbreak for the legendary Margaret Johnston in last night’s marathon British Isles Championship Fours semi-final at Belmont.
The Irish record-breaking medal winner was after the only title she hasn’t lifted in a career that has spanned 30 years.
And just when it looked as though she and her Ballymoney team-mates Megan Morrow, Mandy Tennant and Barbara Logue had booked a slot in the final, the wheels dramatically came off when they lost a count of seven on the 20th end.
It was a disaster that they never ended up recovering from as they cruelly lost the game on the last end.
The triple of Carole McQuade, Ann Gillan-Murphy and Christine O’Gorman did well to win their preliminary tie with Jersey 27-8, but their glory day ended in the semi-final against the Welsh side, skipped by Carla Davies, who rallied to an 18-10 win.
There was heartbreak in the singles for Alicia Weir who was involved in a hectic battle with Jersey’s Jean Holmes.
And it was the lady from the Channel Islands who held her nerve to claim the winner.
Jean Lyden and Ann Sloan will be disappointed with their finish in the pairs semi-final against England’s Sue Alexander and Ellen Faulkner, eventually losing out 27-15.
THERE are certain nations that are synonymous with top level ice hockey: America, Canada, Russia, Finland, Sweden etc. Now throw Great Britain into the mix.
It’s a fairytale story of how the nation reached the top table of world ice hockey by winning Division 1A of the World Championships, and right in the middle of it all was Belfast Giants forward Colin Shields.
Britain’s all-time leading goalscorer, this was what the 38-year-old had been waiting for his entire career, and now he’s finally got it.
“It’s something I’m really proud to be a part of, knowing we’re going up to the next level, and I don’t think it’s set yet,” he says, before laughing: “Maybe when we’re chasing Canada around it will!”
To put it into context, GB had only been promoted to Division 1A from 1B a year previous. All the experts and pundits had them as good as relegated coming into the tournament.
“Our goal was to stay in the group,” Shields states.
“Obviously we wanted to win the group or get a medal, but I think looking at the way the group was laid out and some of the top quality teams in it you’d have gotten pretty good odds on that!”
But they got off to a good start in Budapest. Recently-relegated Slovenia were dispatched 3-1 in their opening game, although Kazakhstan brought them back to earth with a 6-1 drubbing.
Game three against Poland would determine where GB’s destiny lay — again they proved everyone wrong, winning 5-3.
With their status in 1A secured, focus switched to promotion, with GB knowing two wins, over the Italians and hosts Hungary, would be enough to get them that gold medal.
On paper, Italy was GB’s toughest game, but again completely against GRAHAM Ford believes there is enough talent in the Ireland squad to move up the world Twenty20 rankings — and in time to qualify for the next global finals.
Six months after Ford succeeded John Bracewell as head coach he got his first sight of the team playing in the shortest format, the odds they dug out a dogged 4-3 win.
Having done the impossible, beating teams they were never expected to give a contest to, all GB had to do was make sure they took the game to overtime against Hungary for gold.
What happened next was quite simply amazing. and his honest assessment ahead of this weekend’s double header against the Netherlands was “we need to improve quite a lot”.
A Netherlands team missing nine first choice players won the first two games of the Tri-Series here in Holland by four runs and four wickets — margins which flattered the Ireland squad who are currently 17 th out of 17 in the rankings.
But Ford insists “the talent is there, it’s about fine tuning it”.
Faced with the possibility of gold, nerves took over. Hungary scored twice and GB were 2-0 down with just 18 minutes to salvage their campaign.
“We knew that wasn’t going to be an easy game, especially with the home crowd behind them and going down 2-0. We were definitely on the back foot,” Shields admits.
“There were such a great number of GB fans there for all our games, and it was funny because for most of our games they were right behind our bench, but for the final game
He added: “I don’t want to single out individuals, but some players have improved their cricket, some really take to this format (Simi Singh and James Shannon in the first two games) but every single player in the group has a lot to offer in T20 cricket, it is just about taking their game forward.
“I am quite excited about the make-up of the group and excited by the talent in the squad. There’s a lot of hard work needs they were about as far away from our bench as possible!
“You could hear them. It was an electric atmosphere.”
GB knew it was all or nothing, and they got back within one when Robert Dowd fired home, but then Hungarian forward Janos Hári was pulled down when through on goal. Penalty shot.
“For them to get that penalty shot, oh boy,” Shields recalls. “If they’d scored that you could be talking game over.”
Hári took it, GB netminder Ben Bowns the only thing in his way. Hári shot high, the netminder thrust a leg up in the air, and the puck missed.
And so, the game came down to the dying seconds, Hungary defending desperately and GB firing shots relentlessly at goaltender Adam Vay, hoping one would sneak through and in.
Then, with 25 seconds to be done and the boys are up for it, but it’s about sharpening the skills before the next World Twenty20 Qualifiers.”
That tournament is probably at least 18 months away, so by that measurement, time is on Ford and Ireland’s side, but before the end of this month they face the might of India in two internationals, and if they do not want to be embarrassed in front of a capacity Malahide crowd they have only this weekend’s