Burke spearheads goal spree

It's a measure, perhaps, of the strength of their ambition at this tournament that there was a trace of disappointment in the Irish camp in Amiens yesterday after the team had beaten Uruguay 6-0 to keep their target of a top two finish in the pool and automatic qualification for next year's World Cup finals in sight.

Granted, Ireland had enough chances to double their goal tally but much fancied India could only score twice against Uruguay on Monday so that put the margin of yesterday's victory into a more positive perspective.

Three goals in the last nine minutes ensured the scoreline more accurately reflected the game, one in which the South Americans rarely left their own half and Ireland won 14 short corners (just three of which were converted). A second-half hat-trick, to add to her 18th minute penalty stroke, gave Jenny Burke a four- goal haul, with Lynsey McVicker scoring twice.

McVicker's first, after just six minutes, was the goal of the game, with the Ballymoney player-coach setting off from the halfway line on the left wing, winding her way past six Uruguayans before drilling the ball into the roof of the net. Burke's stroke, awarded after Eimear Cregan's progress in the circle was halted by a defender's foot, made it 2-0 but that was the end of the first-half scoring.

A visibly displeased Riet Kuper urged her team to play with more width in the second half, to circumvent the massed ranks of Uruguayans crowded in the centre of defence, and to be more imaginative with their corners, and while they failed to fully satisfy her demands, they at least trebled their lead, giving themselves a healthy goal difference (plus seven) in the pool.

Burke deflected home Jill Orbinson's penalty corner strike two minutes into the second half before McVicker scored her second when she finished off some fine work by Rachael Kohler in the circle.

Burke then converted two corners in three minutes, the first a beautifully judged lob over the head of the prone Uruguayan goalkeeper, the second a reverse-stick shot in to the bottom left corner of the goal.

"They were hard to play against because they were so defensive but we had been warned not to get frustrated and just to be patient," said Burke. "All we really wanted was to better India's win over them so we've more than done that.

" Six points, seven goals and none conceded in our first two games. We're happy with that. I don't know where the confidence is coming from but it's there, we're delighted with our start."

Ireland have a free day today but a demanding weekend ahead - they play England in Abbeville tomorrow and France in Amiens on Sunday.