Cumbernauld handball side Tryst 77 lose out in Scottish Cup Final

Tryst 77 (in yellow) and Scottish Cup Final opponents Edinburgh

So the the players from Cumbernauld’s Tryst ’77 handball Club were feeling a range of emotions when they took to the court at the National Performance Centre for the recent Women’s Cup Final against Edinburgh.

They were proud, nervous, excited and looking forward to a game against their season long rivals.

The contrast in personnel between the two teams hinted at an intriguing game to come.

Edinburgh brought an abundance of experience with players from across Europe bringing their handball knowledge to Scotland through study, work and living in the city.

In contrast the core of the Cumbernauld side came through the club’s junior development programme and was young and enthusiastic but also determined to give their all against the team from the Capital.

Tryst did have some experience with Sarah Carrick, Taylor Hoven and Kayla Wallace having been over this course before and they were also boosted by the return of Megan Quinn after a period of study away from the club.

In the early stages of the game, both sides had chances but the Edinburgh goalkeeper was the initial difference, thwarting a number of Tryst attacks and making crucial saves from all manner of players and positions.

This allowed Edinburgh to grab an early lead, a fairly significant lead and as half-time approached they had maintained the advantage and stayed in control of the game.

You sensed it was going to be tough for Tryst to find a way back in but there was still a long way to go and the team were not going to give up.

There was the occasional spell when Tryst were on the verge of giving Edinburgh something serious to think about but then their opponents’ experience shone through and they staved off the threat.

Tryst also possibly lacked a little bit of belief but that was understandable and will hopefully act as a lesson for the future.

Ultimately the game was settled in Edinburgh’s favour by 30 goals to 23 but Tryst had put up a good account of themselves and done themselves proud against an excellent Edinburgh who ran out worthy winners.