Scots youngsters face tough tasks

Scotland's U21 men and women begin their European campaigns in Vienna and Lille respectively today under the guidance of coaches Derek Forsyth and Rhona Simpson, the men competing in the Trophy and the women the Championship.

Forsyth will be aiming for promotion ,while Simpson will be looking to consolidate her team's position in the elite top tier.

Although the Scots men are favourites to top a pool involving Wales, Italy and Azerbaijan, hard work will be required to ensure qualification for the vital promotion crossover stages. The women find themselves in a group containing Belarus, Spain and champions Germany as the initial obstacles in their pool stage.

The teams begin their campaigns with matches against Wales and Belarus.