Hockey: Both Scots sides are left frustrated

THE Scottish sides struggled in their respective European Nations Championships yesterday, with the men drawing 2-2 with Austria in Vinnitsa, while the women surprisingly lost 2-1 to a strong Belarus outfit.

Both sides will now have to win today to secure a place in the crucial semi-finals and maintain their hopes of promotion, with the men playing Belarus and the women facing Poland.

Striker Kenny Bain opened the scoring for the Scots men midway through the first half, but Austria levelled when a penalty corner shot went in off Jamie Cachia's toe. The Scots restored their lead when Gordon McIntrye slid the ball home from one yard out. But with victory in sight, the Scots conceded an equaliser.

The women never really got to grips with a physical Belarus outfit and had goalkeeper Abi Walker to thank for keeping them in the game for so long. Gordon Shepherd's charges took the lead just on the interval as Nikki Kidd's shot from a penalty corner seemed to have been saved by the goalkeeper but the ball squirmed over the line.

Belarus dominated the second half and levelled in 54 minutes before Iryna Kazachok fired the winner high past Walker with three minutes left from a debatable penalty corner.