The second leg of the women’s Four Nations Tournament is well underway in New Zealand. At the halfway point, Australia and host New Zealand lead the way with a win and a draw each. USA is in second place with one win and a loss, while India finds itself at the back of the pack with two losses.
On Saturday, the Round Robin phase of the event will be completed and it will be followed by a first-place game and a third-place game on Sunday.
In men’s action, Qatar won a five-game series against Brazil with a 4-1 advantage. The series was historic for both teams as the Qatar men’s national team picked up its first international victory. Meanwhile, Brazil continues to collect valuable international experience in preparation to host the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Next up for Brazil is the Olympic Qualification Tournament in Kakamigahara, Japan which begins next Thursday.
The build-up for the Four Nation Visa Invitational Olympic Test Event continues to grow. India was the latest nation to name its squad for the event as the four men’s and four women’s squads have just one week before they will officially get to test the official London pitch. The schedule for the event is:
Wednesday 2 May
11:00–12:30 Argentina v China – women’s preliminaries
13:15–14:45 Great Britain v Korea – women’s preliminaries
16:15–17:45 Australia v India – men’s preliminaries
18:30–20:00 Great Britain v Germany – men’s preliminaries
Thursday 3 May
11:00–12:30 Argentina v Korea – women’s preliminaries
13:15–14:45 China v Great Britain – women’s preliminaries
16:15–17:45 Germany v Australia – men’s preliminaries
18:30–20:00 Great Britain v India – men’s preliminaries
Saturday 5 May
09:30–11:00 China v Korea – women’s preliminaries
11:45–13:15 Great Britain v Argentina – women’s preliminaries
14:45–16:15 Germany v India – men’s preliminaries
17:00–18:30 Australia v Great Britain – men’s preliminaries
Sunday 6 May
09:30–11:00 3rd v 4th – Women’s bronze medal match
12:15–14:15 1st v 2nd – Women’s gold medal match
15:45–17:45 3rd v 4th – Men’s bronze medal match
18:30–20:30 1st v 2nd – Men’s gold medal match
In non-national team news, the npower Big Dribble got off to a strong start over the weekend with the ball already making its way quite a fair distance. This weekend events will be held in Nottingham, Sheffield and Conventry to name a few of the major cities taking part in the event. For more information on the Big Dribble, visit the official website at: http://www.thebigdribble.com/
