Defence, debut and full court pressure sets up re-match with Feathers.
The Scottish Thistles have stormed into the final of the inaugural Celtic Cup with a convincing 53-40 victory over the Northern Ireland Warriors at Emirates Arena in Glasgow.
The Thistles made one change to the starting line from the first two days with Emma Love grabbing the start at WA with Iona Christian and Hannah Leighton sliding back to C and WD respectively. For the Warriors, Michell Magee took over the captaincy and the start at GD with Fionnuala Toner being rested.
The Warriors began much the better of the two sides, converting the first three goals of the match to show they meant business. The Thistles found their groove after the opening nerves and reeled off 12 of the next 13 goals to take control of the quarter. As has been the case through each match of the tournament, Cerys Finn was proving to be a disruptive influence at GK for the home side. After 15 minutes the home fans were happy with the Thistles leading 16-7.
The second quarter saw both teams focus on lock down defending and goals for both teams were harder to come by. The Thistle lead reached 12 before the Warriors manufactured some momentum of their own, trimming the margin back to single digits courtesy of some sound marksmanship from GS Orlaith Rogers and GA Emma Magee. The last minutes of the half saw the Thistles extend their advantage significantly. A rush of goals leading to a 15-7 quarter and a commanding 31-14 scoreline.
The second half commenced with a significant change for the Thistles. Evie Watts became Thistle #227 with her first cap for Scotland. Watts, one of the stars of the recent 21’s World Youth Cup Qualifying tournament made her mark on the scoreboard shortly after.
The Warriors showed plenty of determination during the quarter and reduced the margin to 11, taking the honours in the quarter 16-11.
The final quarter saw Emma Barrie return at GS for the Thistles while the margin hovered around 12. Watts found a good combination with Love and then Christian as she settled in after some early nerves. 12-10 in the fourth quarter in favour of the hosts and an appointment with the Feathers tomorrow.
Scotland will take on Wales at 2.00pm Sunday in the final of the Celtic Cup while Northern Ireland will have a rematch with Zimbabwe in the 3rd place match immediately prior at 12.00pm.
Milestones:
Evie Watts became Thistle #227 when she took the court to begin the third quarter.
All matches can be viewed on BBC iPlayer.
Scotland: Emma Barrie (GS), Niamh McCall (GA), Emma Love (WA), Iona Christian (C – Co-Captain), Hannah Leighton (WD), Emily Nicholl (GD – Co-Captain), Cerys Finn (GK). Kelly Boyle, Hannah Grant, Anna Fairclough, Evie Watts, Charlotte Dunkley
Northern Ireland: Orlaith Rogers (GS), Emma Magee (GA), Evelyn McCagherty (WA), Frances Keenan (C), Niamh Cooper (WD), Michelle Magee (GD), Lauren Walshe (GK). Ciara Crosbie, Maria McCann, Rosa McCloskey, Georgie McGrath, Orla McGeough.
Shooting statistics:
Northern Ireland
Orlaith Rogers 5/7
Emma Magee 12/16
Rosa McCloskey 13/13
Georgie McGrath 3/4
Ciara Crosbie 7/8
Scotland
Emma Barrie 18/25
Niamh McCall 24/25
Evie Watts 11/16
