THIRTEEN can sometimes be lucky for some.
Ailsa Wyllie certainly thinks so having worn the number on her hockey kit for as long as she can remember and there is mounting evidence that suggests she is right to continue to laugh in the face of superstition.
Two goals yesterday for the Dundonian - one in either half - would prove enough to see off a spirited if somewhat limited Malaysia side and get the Scottish women's team off to the perfect Commonwealth Games start.
They had to be patient initially, Wyllie's first goal not arriving until there were nine minutes remaining of the first half but, in sweltering heat, the Scots rarely looked discomfited by their visitors.
With Malaysia below them in the world rankings, this was a match Gordon Shepherd's side really had to win if they are to maintain realistic ambitions of reaching the semi-finals and they saw it through with verve.
By the end, a jubilant home support was doing Mexican waves in celebration. This was the 31-year-old Wyllie's 141st international cap and it would yield goals numbers 23 and then 24.
The first of that brace was a fair old thwack on the volley after Leigh Fawcett's strike had been pushed out by the Malaysian goalkeeper, the ball bulleting into the net at breakneck speed.
The second arrived five minutes into the second half and confirmed Scotland would end this opening match as victors. There was a touch of good fortune about it, Wyllie's attempt at a cross ricocheting back to her from where she was able to squeeze the ball in from the tightest of angles. Given that, as a team, Scotland had 22 shots on goal throughout the game there is an argument they should have won by more, but Wyllie was still satisfied with their opening foray.
"We had been focused on this game for the last four months so it was great to get a start like that," she said. "It's a team game so it doesn't really matter who ends up on the scoresheet but it's really nice to get a couple of goals in game one, especially with that home support cheering us on."
And what of her fondness for the number 13? A smile. "I've always had that as my number for club and country. It's unlucky for some but it seems to work the other way for me."
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