Novotel 2010 started poorly when the flights were cancelled and only last minute rescheduling allowed the group to travel via Amsterdam. Gail Wilson, you are a genius. But then we knew that.

The journey was uneventful and we arrived, unscathed, at a magnificent sporting venue. Swimming pools, table tennis halls, restaurants and a super volleyball arena greeted us on arrival

We trained early doors, on the Friday and the addition of Jenn Thom from GB enhanced our prospects.

The Scottish defence struggled against the serving tactics of the consistent home side and soon found themselves chasing the game. However, Laura McReady stabilized the passing unit and Jill Runciman got free of her defensive shackles and brought Scotland back into the game. The teams battled and exchanged point for point until 16-16 when the Scottish side went into self-destruct and unforced errors allowed Luxembourg to take the set 25-16.

Linsey Bunten demonstrated her leadership and playing ability early in the set. She served tough, cajoled and barked at those around her, and made them play. They responded, and the passing unit stepped up to the mark. Change made and the next two sets were dominated by Scotland and they played themselves into a winning position.

The momentum was maintained well into the fourth set and Elaine Krawczyk ran a positive offense. Result was a match winning opportunity at 21- 18.  The, in time honoured Scots fashion, they threw away the initiative. Five successive errors and the hosts said thank and good night. Set lost 25-21.

So, as the last three matches, the scene was set for a fifth set. And more the Luxembourg started strongly and pushed ahead. Scotland showed a rare streak of resilience and came back to 11-14. Claire Stewart brought us closer to 13-14 and then one final error opened the door for Luxembourg and closed it for Scotland.

Scotland vs. Luxembourg 2:3 (18-25, 25-22, 29-27, 21-25, 13-15)

Denmark started strongly in the second match but the resilient Scottish defense limited them to an 8-6 lead going into the first technical time out. The Danes started utilizing their superior speed and height to outscore Scotland in the next phase and stretched their lead to 16-11.

Transition opportunities and well-worked middle net combinations wore Scotland down to a 15-25 loss.

Second set followed a similar pattern with Jen Thom, probing at the Danish defense and making some inroads into their defense. She offered a token resistance, with a shortage of support was unable to force any real challenge to the Danish superiority. Scotland ran their bench, but it was more of the same and the Danes won 25-18.

You could not fault the work rate in the third set but Scotland was always chasing the game. This resulted from their inability to translate hitting opportunities into points. The 25-12 score was a measure of the gulf between the sides.

Scotland v Denmark: (15-25: 18-25: 12-25)  

Straight into day three and Austria provided the opposition.

Klaudia Wiecorek came into the game for Jill Runciman.  Scotland served tougher. They matched the Austrians at the net and outscored the opponents Scotland went into the first technical time out leading 8-5. They went to 9-9 and from there the opposition serve dominated. Scotland was unable to kill the ball and from the frequent transition opportunities the Danes ran a destructive offensive pattern.

By the time Scotland recovered an element of momentum it was too late. Jenn Thom desperately required attacking support and Laura McReady searched for a defensive ally.  They came in the shape of Kay Wheatlie and Lindsay Coburn, who provided attacking options, which brought Scotland back into the game, in the early stages of the second set. However, at 9-9 the Scots capitulated once to the serving of Lihua Mai. Her seven serves opened up a gap that the Scots worked hard to retrieve but eventually the Austrians close out the set 25-18

The Scots focused in the early stages of the third set and matched the Austrians. However, the physical and technical superiority of the Austrians allowed them to stretch an 8-6 lead to 16-9.  The serving unit was unable to cope with the speed, variation and placement of the Austrian serve and the game drifted to a 25-14 victory for the Austrian. This result gave them the overall title.

Scotland v Austria: (13-25: 18-25:14-25)

The tournament provided match play at a higher level and this, allied to the speed of the game, is something which Scottish teams require to match if they are to challenge at an appropriate level in Europe. It further provided an opportunity to bed down a system with several new caps.

It continues to be a steep curve for players and coaches alike and, at time, the team matches but fails to sustain a level that ensures we are not playing catch up. The next round of matches take place at Leeds in the first weekend in May that gives us a further opportunity of match play before the Europeans in Liechtenstein in June.

John French
Scotland Women