2007 Women's Hockey Champions Trophy

The Women's Champions Trophy is an annual field hockey tournament for the world's leading national women's teams. The 2007 edition of the tournament was held in Quilmes, Argentina from January 13 to January 21, 2007.

The seventh match of the 2007 Champions Trophy, the encounter between Spain and Australia on Tuesday January 16 was the 250th match in the Women's CT history. Of the fourteen previous women's Champions Trophies, six have been won by Australia, including an uninterrupted streak from 1991 to 1999. Four editions of the tournament were won by the Netherlands, and one each by South Korea, PR China, Argentina, and Germany.

Teams winning on home soil include the Netherlands in 1987 and 2000, Australia in 1999 and 2003, and China in 2002. The worst finish by a team on home soil was Argentina's sixth place in 1995. Teams which have participated, but never won include Canada, England, Great Britain, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, United States and Japan.

2007 debutantes Japan are the 14th country to participate in a Champions Trophy. The only other country to have participated only once is Canada with their only appearance in the first edition in 1987. Australia are the only team to have participated in all fifteen editions of the Champions Trophy, with the Netherlands a close second with fourteen participations.

A new joint record was set at the Champions Trophy 2007 in Quilmes with Nadine Ernsting-Krienke (GER) and Magdalena Aicega (ARG) each making their 10th Champions Trophy appearance. When Ernsting-Krienke played her first Champions Trophy in 1991, the youngest player in the current Champions Trophy, Georgina Oliva (ESP) was barely 14 years old.

Of the 108 players in this Champions Trophy, 56 have never played in a CT before. With three players new to hockey's top annual event, the Netherlands have fewest debutantes, while Japan in their first ever CT appearance obviously have most debutantes with all their eighteen players novices to the event.

With three goals in the first five matches of the tournament, Nadine Ernsting-Krienke has overtaken Jackie Pereira as the all-time topscorer for goals scored in Champions Trophy tournaments. Pereira had been the leading scorer with 21 goals, while Ernsting-Krienke is on 22 with one match to go in this event. Ernsting-Krienke however needed ten Champions Trophy editions to achieve this feat while Pereira competed in only five.

The oldest player competing in the this edition was Akemi Kato who turned 36 in December 2006. The youngest player is Georgina Oliva from Spain who will turn 17 next July and is thus not even half Kato's age. The average age of players in this tournament is 24 years and 5 months, with five players 18 years or younger at the start of the event, and eleven players 30 years or older. The oldest team is Japan at an average age of 26 years and 2 months, while Spain are the youngest team at just over 23 years and 4 months.

Format

Each of the six teams plays each other once in a round robin format to complete five preliminary round games.

The top two teams at the end of the preliminary round matches play off in the final. The 3rd and 4th placed teams play for the bronze medal, while the 5th and 6th placed teams meet in the 5th place playoff.

If teams are equal on points at the end of the preliminary rounds, they will be ranked according the following criteria (in order):

1. Matches won
2. Goal difference
3. Goals for
4. Result between equal teams in preliminary round

If teams can't be separated after the criteria above are applied, then a penalty stroke competition will be played.

Team rosters

 Argentina

 Australia

 Germany

 Japan

 Netherlands

 Spain

Round-robin

Standings

Results

Play off matches

Final ranking

Awards

Best Scorer

• •  Noel Barrionuevo (ARG)

Best Player

• •  Minke Booij (NED)

Best Goalkeeper

• •  Lisanne de Roever (NED)

Fair Play Trophy

• •  Argentina

External links

• Official website