EuroHockey Club Trophy, Division One: Grange 5, Grasshopper Club Zurich 4 (in Vienna, Austria).
Grange travelled home from Vienna after finishing third in the EuroHockey Club Trophy, Division One, knowing they could have done better.
The Edinburgh side, who currently lead the men’s Premiership in Scotland, edged Grasshopper Club Zurich, Switzerland, 5-4 after holding leads of 4-1 and 5-2.
Martin Shepherdson, Grange’s team manager, admitted: “It was a tough game but we took our early chances to get ahead. Grasshoppers came back well but we took two chances on the break to get ahead again.
“We are happy with the performance over the weekend but we know we could have done better. It was, however, a good effort all round.”
Dylan Bean broke the deadlock in the third and fourth place game after 13 minutes converting a penalty stroke and Albert Rowling converted a penalty corner to make it 2-0 13 minutes later.
Lucas Harte pulled one back for the Swiss side five minutes after that but two goals in a minute saw Grange move 4-1 ahead, Bean netting his second after 42 minutes from a penalty corner and Scottish international, Duncan Riddell, the fourth from open play after 43.
Harte scored his second for Grasshoppers a minute later from a penalty corner for 4-2 but Rory McCann settled nerves with Grange’s fifth only a minute later to end from open play to end the Edinburgh side’s scoring.
The Swiss piled on the pressure and scored two goals from penalty corners in the last eight minutes. Artur von Ruffer pulled one back after 52 minutes and Oliver Haberthur made for a nervous last four minutes when he netted after 56 minutes.
PICTURE: Martin Shepherdson by Nigel Duncan
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