England coach eyes bronze medal as European Ladies' Golf Championship dream fades at Fulford
11:00am Saturday 13th July 2013 in Sport 
By Tony Kelly, Deputy sports editor
MEDAL up for grabs ? so let?s bag it.
That was the defiant rallying-cry issued by national coach Steve Robinson after England suffered semi-final pain to Spain in the European Ladies? Amateur Team Championship at Fulford Golf Club.
England?s battlers lost 4?-2? to a Spanish team posted as one of the pre-tournament favourites and who further underlined the Iberian nation?s sporting prowess.
That means that gold and silver medals have escaped England in today?s flight ?A? final between Spain and Austria.
But the bronze medal is there for England if they can see off Finland, who were flattened 5?-1? by the Austrians.
As Robinson declared: ?The girls, the squad, the backroom staff and myself are all disappointed.
?But I?ve told the girls that the difference between amateur golf and professional golf is that as a pro you?ve always got something to play for.
?You go up the leaderboard, you get more money.
?Now we have got something to play for. Now it?s up to us to finish third. That?s what is up for grabs on the last day so let?s win it.
?The thing about this championship is that you get nothing if you finish fourth.
?So if you come fourth then you might as well have finished 20th.?
Of the semi-final, Robinson said the Spanish opposition were just too tough to crack.
?We played some great golf out there, but Spain just keep chucking birdies at you,? he said.
?They putt well, they don?t give much away and they play with flair.?
He cited how the fighting spirit of England was typified by Bronte Law, who despite being three down with three to play, hit the pin with a glorious approach that eventually yielded an excellent birdie on the par-four 16th.
?But the Spanish girl did just the same and hit a birdie to win the match,? added the England coach, who is the head pro at Sandburn Hall GC.
He also explained that today?s bronze-battling rivals Finland would prove daunting opposition.
?They finished third in the world championships last year, so we will have to be up for them as it will not be a stroll in the park,? said the coach. ?But we have something to aim at.?
Added non-playing captain Emma Brown, of Malton & Norton GC: ?Three months ago I said that if we were to get a medal it would be a good week. We are still in with a chance of that medal.?
Today?s bronze medal play-off schedule is: foursomes ? Georgia Hall and Hayley Davis v Krista Bakker and Sanna Nuutinen (8.20am), Meghan MacLaren and Sarah-Jane Boyd v Marika Voss and Oona Vartiainen (8.30am); singles ? Georgia Hall v Annika Nykanen (1.20pm), Hayley Davis v Sanna Nuutinen (1.28pm), Bronte Law v Oona Vartiainen (1.36pm), Meghan MacLaren v Marika Voss (1.44pm), Lauren Taylor v Krista Bakker (1.52pm).
dallas fort worth airport texas tornados seattle seahawks new uniforms wisconsin recall wisconsin recall doris day buffalo sabres
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.