News 02 February 2014
All the news for Sunday 2 February 2014
Netherlands take third match honours
Kim Lamers’ double paved the way for the Netherlands to overcome the Hockeyroos in the third of their four practice matches in South Africa on Saturday. The experienced Dutchwoman’s 21st minute opener put the Hockeyroos behind before Carlien Dirkse van den Heuvel doubled the deficit five minutes before the break.
For much of the second period that was how it stayed until Lamers’ late goal, in the 65th minute, handed her side a 3-0 win.
The two sides meet for the last time on Sunday.
Hockey Australia media release
Kalinga Lancers register their first win against Mumbai Magicians
Tazeen Qureshy
Debut team Kalinga Lancers finally ended their disappointing streak in the Hockey India League after registering their first win against Dabur Mumbai Magicians 2-1 at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The Lancers had lost the previous two matches against Punjab and Delhi by a margin of three and more goals and hence had not earned any points so far.
In Saturday’s match however, much to the relief of the crowd, the Lancers looked confident and well prepared to face the Mumbai challenge.
After the attack of Mumbai captain Prabhjot Singh in the first minute, the Lancers bounced back, launching attacks after attacks. Argentinean star Lucas Villa struck the first goal for Lancers .The second goal came in the 26th minute by Zaleiwski when his rebound went straight into the nets, with Sreejesh getting no time to react.
Mumbai, however, looked better in the second half and had better circle penetrations. They reduced the score margin in the second half when Glenn Turner scored off a Penalty Stroke. Harjot Singh was completely beaten as he dived towards the right but Turner flicked on the left.
However, Penalty Corner was cause of concern since the Lancers failed to convert all the 5 penalty corners it got.
Harjot Singh was declared Man of the Match.
With this win, Kalinga Lancers have earned 5 points and stand above Mumbai Magicians who have 3 points in their kitty from the three loses they faced.
Stick2Hockey.com
First win for Lancers
Kalinga Lancers registered its first win in the Hero Hockey India League with a 2-1 victory over Dabur Mumbai Magicians at the Kalinga Stadium here on Saturday.
Lancers went ahead in the seventh minute through Argentine Lucas Villa.
The Lancers continued to dominate and got the second in the 26th when Aussie Aron Zalewski scored despite being outnumbered inside the striking circle.
Magicians reworked their strategy during the break and began to have more possession. The pressure did work as the Lancers conceded a penalty in the 38th minute which was gleefully converted by Glenn Turner.
The final quarter was the most entertaining with both teams in full flow. Magicians earned its first penalty corner in the 53rd minute and Gurjinder Singh’s push was saved by a confident Harjot. In the next minute Zalewsky was denied by Sreejesh.
The host earned three penalty corners in quick succession but failed to utilise even one as Man-of-the-Match Harjot stood like a rock. Zalewski was credited with the golden goal of the match.
Narrow win for Rhinos
At Lucknow, defending champion Ranchi Rhinos eked out a 2-1 win over Uttar Pradesh Wizards to consolidate its position in the points table.
The results:
Kalinga Lancers 2 (Lucas Villa 7, Aron Zalewski 26) bt Dabur Mumbai Magicians 1 (Glenn Turner 38).
At Lucknow: Ranchi Rhinos 2 (Ashley Jackson 18, Barry Middleton 26) bt Uttar Pradesh Wizards 1 (Edward Ockenden 50).
The Hindu
Magicians hit new low, go down to Kalinga Lancers
Sambuddha Chakraborty
BHUBANESWAR: It took two matches and 12 goals for the Kalinga Lancers to finally get their act together against the beleaguered Mumbai Magicians here at the Kalinga hockey stadium on Saturday.
And when they did, Terry Walsh's wards looked every bit the formidable and impressive side that everyone had expected them to be, grabbing their first full points of the Hockey India League with a 2-1 victory.
Playing their second game at home, the Kalinga Lancers began on a positive note as they dominated the midfield, cornering the Magicians in their own half.
However, it was Lancers keeper Harjot Singh, who pulled off the first vital save of the match when a cross from the right flank was left unmarked. The Lancers, who had defended deplorably in their first two matches, showed resilience as they mounted regular attack on the fragile Mumbai defence.
The move paid rich dividends soon enough as Lucas Vila broke the deadlock for the Lancers, scoring their first goal with a terrific sliding finish, inside the D, as Gurjinder Singh & Co were left clueless.
The move, which had its origin in the midfield courtesy the irrepressible Ryan Archibald and Glenn Simpson, found its way through the shaky Mumbai defensive unit before Vila found the back of the net against PR Sreejesh.
A goal down in the first quarter itself, Mumbai, inexplicably, adopted a defensive approach which led to their conceding a second goal in the very first minute of the second quarter.
The Times of India
Uttar Pradesh Wizards lose on home turf
Asheem Mukerji
LUCKNOW: After two away wins, Uttar Pradesh Wizards tasted defeat at home as they went down 1-2 to Ranchi Rhinos in their Hockey India League match on Saturday.
Rhinos looked a superior side as they dominating the proceedings from midfield. After having lost their opening match to the Wizards on the Republic Day in Ranchi, Rhinos came charging back, adjusting well to the heavy turf at the Dhyanchand stadium.
Except for some minutes in the opening and final quarters, the home side did all the chasing, much to the disappointment of the home crowd on a sunny evening. Ashley Jackson and Barry Middleton scored for the winners while Edward Ockenden scored fro UP.
Moritz Furtse, the Rhinos' pivot, played a crucial role by creating openings for the forwards and keeping the flow of the game intact. The German was precise with his through passes, and also fell back to defend when the situation demanded. He was declared the man-of-the-match.
Rhinos' English player Barry Middleton also had a good game. Their defence, patrolled by Reid Ross of South Africa and Amit Rohidas, looked sure in tackling and gave very little space to the Wizards forwards inside the striking circle. The only time they failed to mark Edward Ockenden, the Australian scored for the home team in the 50th minute.
They got another chance to score in the third quarter when they earned a penalty corner but VR Raghunath's drag-flick flew over the bar after clipping the rusher's stick.
The Times of India
Hockey India restructures Nationals
In order to ensure a level playing field, Hockey India (HI) has restructured the conduct of the National hockey championships from this year.
Matches between unequal teams have always been a low point of National championships and HI hopes that the introduction of two divisions at each level will make the events more interesting.
“We will get the 20 stronger teams in one competition (‘A’ division) and the minnows in a different competition ('B' division). If all of them play together, then the stronger sides beat the weaker teams by big margins. It makes the event monotonous and proves demoralising for the weaker teams,” HI Secretary General Narinder Batra told The Hindu on Saturday.
“The sides which finish at the bottom of the table of the ‘A’ division will be relegated and the top two finishers in the ‘B’ division will get promoted. This format is applicable for all the senior, junior and sub-junior events in men and women's sections. This will enhance the interest in the National championships.”
The National ‘B’ division men’s championship, to be held in Lucknow from February 27 to March 13, will be the first event to be played under the new format. The ‘A’ division competition will also be organised at the same centre from March 11 to 23.
The ‘A’ and ‘B’ division National championships for women will be held at Bhopal from March 13 to 20 and March 18 to 23 respectively. “The other reason behind breaking up the National championship is that any centre which hosts around 40 teams finds it difficult to handle so many people simultaneously. Holding different competitions will help the organiser conduct these in a better way.
“We are also trying to allocate National championships to those centres, which are well-connected. This will make things much easier for the players as well as the officials.”
Batra also informed that in future different centres might be allowed to host individual division of a National championship.
The Hindu
Multiple centres likely for 2018 Hockey World Cup in India
Chander Shekhar Luthra
Delhi Waveriders captain Sardar Singh smacks one during their match against the Punjab Warriors in New Delhi on Friday. The hosts lost 3-1 PTI
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has proposed to its executive body to consider holding 2018 World Cup matches in India at three different venues. If accepted, it would be the first such instance when World Cup league matches would be held at two different centres and the knockout semifinals and final would be held at a third venue.
Disclosing the plans to dna, FIH president Leandro Negre said a proposal in this regard has already been finalised and would be placed in the next executive committee meeting.
“There is so much of craze for hockey in India and that’s the reason FIH feels that it would be in everyone’s interest to hold the World Cup at different centres,” said Negre. He is in the Capital to watch the ongoing Hockey India League.
During the 1975 World Cup in Malaysia, a couple of matches were played outside the original venue — Kuala Lumpur.
dna has learnt that Mohali, Bhubaneswar and Delhi are the three centres that have been listed by FIH.
Hockey India secretary general Narinder Batra had announced during last month’s Junior World Cup that he wants future hockey matches to be held in the smaller cities because getting clearances in Delhi was becoming a headache.
“There cannot be any ticket-selling counter within the one kilometre circle of the Delhi High Court, so that makes it difficult for HI to set up counters outside this (Dhyan Chand National Stadium) venue,” Negre said. “India has always been a good host, but our only concern is lack of spectators. We were not satisfied with this in the Junior Hockey World Cup and we have to find a solution.”
DNA
Tough opening match for Malaysia in World Cup
By Aftar Singh
A file picture of Malaysia hockey coach K. Dharmaraj. He has said that Malaysia would try to finish at least fifth place in their group to qualify for the playoff for the ninth and 10th placing in the 2014 hockey World Cup.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will face a tough opening match against defending champions Australia in the World Cup hockey tournament at the Kyocera Stadium in The Hague, Holland, on May 31.
Twelve teams will feature in the tournament and world No. 13 Malaysia’s other Group A matches are against world No. 5 Belgium on June 2, world No. 4 England (June 5), world No. 10 India (June 7) and world No. 9 Spain (June 9).
The semi-finals are slated for June 13 and the final is on June 15.
Olympic champions and world No. 2 Germany are drawn in Group B with Holland (No. 3), New Zealand (No. 6), South Korea (No. 7), Argentina (No. 11) and South Africa (No. 12).
The target for the national team, who are playing in the World Cup after a lapse of 12 years, is to finish among the top 10.
Malaysia last played in the World Cup in Kuala Lumpur in 2002 where they finished eighth among 16 teams.
National chief coach K. Dharmaraj is aware that they will face a torrid time against Australia, who are ranked number one in the world.
“They are just too strong and we need a miracle to beat them.
“So, we will not focus too much on this match against the two-time world champions,” said Dharmaraj.
He added that they would also face tough encounters against Belgium and England, who are the top two teams in Europe.
“Our first three matches will be difficult to win. So, we will go all out to get the better of India and Spain in the last two matches to avoid finishing last in the group,” said Dharmaraj.
He said that they would try to finish at least fifth place in their group to qualify for the playoff for the ninth and 10th placing.
There are 31 players in the training squad and Dharmaraj is expected to name his best squad of 18 players two weeks before the World Cup.
Malaysia will begin their season with the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh from March 13-23 followed by the Champions Challenge 1 tournament in Kuantan from April 26-May 4.
The Star of Malaysia
France opt out of Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
By Aftar Singh
KUALA LUMPUR: France will not make their debut in the 23rd edition of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, which begins next month in Ipoh.
Perak HA secretary M. Selvakumaran said that China would replace France, who have withdrawn because they have opted to play in other tournament in Europe.
“We are happy that China, who were on the waiting list, have agreed to play in the tournament,” said Selvakumaran, who is also the organising secretary of the tournament.
Besides Malaysia and China, the other teams in the fray are world champions Australia, South Korea, Pakistan, Canada and South Africa.
China will arrive in Malaysia in two weeks’ time to play a few friendlies against the national team.
National chief coach K. Dharmaraj wants to use the tournament to try out some of the players who featured in the New Delhi Junior World Cup in December.
For Dharmaraj, the Champions Challenge 1 in Kuantan from April 26-May 4 is more important and should be given priority.
However, the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup organisers want him to name his best squad for the meet.
“All the other six countries have agreed to send their first choice players and we also want Malaysia to name their best players to make the tournament more interesting and competitive,” said Selvakumaran.
There is no target set for the national team at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.
However, it will be a good tournament to gauge the strength of world No. 1 Australia, who will play the opening match against Malaysia in the World Cup on May 31 in The Hague, Holland.
There are now 31 players in the training squad and Dharmaraj has to rotate his players as they will feature in five major tournaments in seven months.
Besides the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in March and Champions Challenge 1 in Kuantan, Malaysia will also feature in the World Cup in Holland from May 31-June 15, Glasgow Commonwealth Games from July 23-Aug 3 and Incheon Asian Games from Sept 19-Oct 4.
The Star of Malaysia
Dharmaraj wants to give juniors a chance
By Jugjet Singh
NATIONAL chief coach K. Dharmaraj is planning to field a healthy dose of juniors for the Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh from March 13-23.
This is to give them a chance to prove themselves before Dharmaraj prepares a side for the World Cup and Asian Games.
"I might field a large number of juniors for the Azlan Shah Cup as I want to give them a chance and also have a better understanding on the team to pick for the World Cup and Asian Games, which are the targets this year," said Dharmaraj.
Meanwhile, the Azlan Shah Cup is also in danger of losing its glitter as after India declined the invitation, Pakistan might withdraw due to lack of funds.
Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) secretary Rana Mujahid said on Friday their participation is in doubt due to non-availability of funds.
Mujahid said he had sent confirmation to Malaysia although the federation now didn't have money to send the team as they cannot even pay salaries to PHF employees.
As for the World Cup, Malaysia open accounts against Australia on May 31.
New Straits Times
Telkom thrash Strathmore in hockey league encounter
By ELIZABETH MBURUGU
Africa Club Champions and Kenya's National Hockey Women’s League defending champions Orange Telkom thumped Strathmore 4-0 in their national league encounter yesterday at City Park Stadium.
In what seemed a repeat of the finals of the just concluded Africa Hockey Club Championships, runners up Scorpions succumbed to pressure once again to allow Orange snatch victory.
Orange head coach Jos Openda, who was pleased with the results, had praise for his players saying they played as champions.
“My players have played as champions, being a champion is not easy as everyone is out to dethrone you, I’m glad my players are putting up a hard fight,” he said.
He particularly commented his defence unit saying: “The defence has done a fantastic job, they have conceded only one goal in the league,” he added.
Veteran Jacqueline Jow opened the scores for the champions in the 25th minute from a Judith Apiyo pass from the left after Strathmore goalkeeper left her work station unattended. Captain Betsy Omala converted a penalty corner in the 30th minute to put Orange up in the 30th minute.
Orange dominated the better part of the second half, making the students struggle for ball possession.
Jow was at it again in the 47th minute making it three the 15-time national champions. Midfielder Margaret Rotich sealed the victory in the 56th minute scoring a superb field goal that caught the Scorpions’ defense unawares. Strathmore play their second weekend match against Kenyatta University today.
Collins Musani’s 70th minute goal earned Kabarak University their first victory of the men’s National League after they beat Multimedia University (MMU) 2-1. Kabarak opened the scores in the 35th minute through a Morgan Kiptoo field goal for a 1-0 lead before the breather.
In the second half, the match was balanced both teams attacking with MMU defending to avoid a second goal. Their efforts paid off in the in 49th minute when Arnold Masaja leveled the scores through a fantastic field goal.
Kabarak captain Allan Jakait was pleased with the team’s performance saying the victory was important for them.
The Standard Online