Ruth’s jumping for joy after hockey win
Perth High student’s team success
Ruth Blaikie netted a memorable goal as Scotland’s under-18 squad lifted the Girls’ EuroHockey Championship II crown.
The Perth High School student played a starring role throughout the tournament in Rakovnik, Czech Republic and scored in the final.
Former Perthshire Hockey Club player Ruth netted the opener in the showdown game against Russia before the Scots moved on to win 2-1.
As well as the gold medal, the win also secured promotion to the top tier of European U18 girls’ hockey.
“It was an amazing experience representing Scotland and being able to play in a European competition,” said Ruth (17), who played as a forward.
“Our goal throughout the whole year was to get promotion so achieving that was huge for us and we were all buzzing.
“Winning the gold with such a close knit team made the experience even more special.
“We felt confident going into the final game knowing that we’d already beaten Russia.
“But we knew they had been improving throughout the tournament and would come out stronger than before.
“When we scored the first goal, it felt so exciting but it came as a relief because it was late on in the game and we deserved to score.
“After Russia equalised it was very tense but we continued to focus on the process and knew the outcome would come.
“The last minute winner was a very memorable moment and I felt very proud being part of the team.”
Ruth, who plays her club hockey with Dundee Wanderers, believes the secret to the Scottish success was the team’s togetherness.
And she added: “We trained full days every Saturday and Sunday for five weeks leading up to Czech.
“All of this training meant that we became so close as a squad, on and off the pitch.
“We also had two series of matches against Ireland and England who were both playing in the division above us at Euros.
“The games gave us experience playing at a high level and confidence that we could tackle any team at Euros.
“From the first time we sang the anthem we proved how strong the team spirit was and it clearly intimidated the other teams.
“This year’s team has a very strong bond and we hope to move up throughout the age groups and maybe play together at senior level.”
Scotland U18 girls’ head coach, Keith Smith, said: “It was a great way to win the tournament, I’m absolutely delighted for the girls.
“The players have spoken a lot about leaving a legacy – they all have friends and family in the age group below so they wanted to leave a legacy for them.
“They did that so I’m absolutely delighted that they get a reward for
Ruth Blaikie (right) helped Scotland win gold in Czech Republic themselves with a gold medal.
“Overall I think we played the best hockey in the tournament and deserve to come out as winners.
“The players proved they can control games and play in different styles. All-in-all there’s some really good signs for the future.”
There was further success for the country’s under-18 boys’ team, who also secured promotion into the top level of European hockey.
Perth’s John Stephen was in the Scottish squad for the silver medal winning performance in Cardiff.
The Scots defeated Austria in the semi-final before losing out to Russia 6-3 in an enthralling battle.