News 12 February 2014
All the news for Wednesday 12 February 2014
Black Sticks Women edged by Great Britain
The Black Sticks Women have been narrowly beaten 2-1 by Great Britain in the opening game of their three nations tournament in San Diego.
After leading 1-0 at halftime, the Kiwis allowed Great Britain back into the game in the second half and they capitalised by scoring two goals to snatch the win.
The Black Sticks had earlier opened the game strongly and were in control throughout the first half, creating plenty of scoring opportunities but unable to convert them onto the scoreboard.
Anita Punt delivered her side’s lone goal with a pin-point penalty corner drag flick 10 minutes out from halftime.
It was captain Kayla Whitelock’s first outing as a married woman, while young Canterbury midfielder Jordan Grant was impressive in her debut match for New Zealand.
Black Sticks Women’s assistant coach Sean Dancer said the team will need to eliminate their second half mistakes ahead of tomorrow’s game against USA.
“We will certainly take some positives away from today’s game, especially in the way we played the first half. We were in good control of the match but let Great Britain off the hook in the second half.
“In the second half Great Britain opened the game up nicely, and at times our basics were poor so that’s something we will really be focussing on for tomorrow.”
The Black Sticks play USA at 11am tomorrow morning (NZ time) in their second game at the tournament.
The three nations tournament includes New Zealand, USA and Great Britain and runs until 18 February.
Hockey New Zealand Media release
New Zealand women fall to Britain in San Diego
The New Zealand women's hockey team has let slip a halftime lead to lose their opening match of the Three-Nations tournament in San Diego today.
The Black Sticks led Britain 1-0 at halftime courtesy of a first-half strike from Anita Punt but conceded two goals after the break to fall to a 2-1 loss.
New Zealand had opened the game strongly and were in control throughout the first half, creating plenty of scoring opportunities but were unable to convert them.
Punt delivered her side's lone goal with a pin-point penalty corner drag flick 10 minutes before halftime.
Black Sticks assistant coach Sean Dancer said the team will need to eliminate their second half mistakes ahead of tomorrow's game against the United States.
"We will certainly take some positives away from today's game, especially in the way we played the first half," he said.
"We were in good control of the match but let Great Britain off the hook.
"In the second half Great Britain opened the game up nicely, and at times our basics were poor so that's something we will really be focusing on for tomorrow."
It was captain Kayla Whitelock's (nee Sharland) first outing since marrying Crusaders rugby player George Whitelock, while young Canterbury midfielder Jordan Grant was impressive in her debut match for New Zealand.
The tournament runs until next Tuesday.
Stuff
New Bay tourney brings in big names
By Anendra Singh
Three-time national champion Erin Weber can't wait for the Hawke's Bay Festival of Hockey to begin late next month. Photo/Duncan Brown
The Black Sticks blokes have the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup to go to in March every year but the women have been left high and dry for the past 22 years.
But all that will change as Hawke's Bay aims to become the Mecca for elite women's teams from around the world to converge on at the corresponding time with its inaugural Festival of Hockey.
The 71-game hockey smorgasbord, which offers an eight Bay schoolgirls' teams appetiser from late next month, will become a full-course 65-game international, national, representative and provincial fare in Hastings and Napier during the nine-day tournament in April.
The international schedule at the soon-to-be-completed new, tier-one Unison Hockey Stadium at the Hawke's Bay Regionals Sports Park, Hastings, will feature world No2 Argentina (International Hockey Federation ranking), No4 Australia, No5 New Zealand, No7 China, No8 Korea and No9 Japan crossing sticks against each other from April 5-13.
Tickets go on sale from 9am today on www.ticketmaster.co.nz although it was "intentionally limited numbers this year".
"Most people in Hawke's Bay, outside the hockey community, probably don't realise how big this is and what a coup it is," said Bruce Mactaggart, the executive chairman of NZ Entertainment and Events Corporation.
It is the brainchild of Mactaggart who broached the tourney idea with Netball NZ CEO Hilary Poole, who was familiar with hockey at a national level, after the international body, FIH, approached Hockey New Zealand to host the world championship when India lost its rights in September 2011.
"Hilary approached me and it was do-able. The event was enormously successful for Hockey NZ and FIH."
The quality of facilities and TV audience were pivotal, striking a chord with FIH.
"With the men competing in Ipoh, Malaysia, each year [Azlan Shah Cup] there was no equivalent for women at that time anywhere in the world."
The FIH proposition found traction with the Hawke's Bay Regional Council, Hastings District Council and regional sports park trust, who trumped up with funds.
"I was at the regional sports park watching athletics one day when I was speaking to [Hastings mayor] Lawrence Yule and asked him if he'd consider hockey," he revealed, not long after an article in Hawke's Bay Today caught his eye on the province losing the velodrome bid to Waikato.
He said his wife, the late Robyn Mactaggart who succumbed to cancer in late-2012, was passionate about hockey.
She coached Bay school and development teams and the couple, who arrived from Australia five years ago, were instrumental in the "micro sponsorship" of the Black Sticks men and women's teams to the London Olympics.
Bruce Mactaggart, who was on the Australian Open tennis organising committee in Melbourne for nine years, said the facilities at the regional sports park made it possible to turn the hockey turf into New Zealand's first tier-one venue.
"It has dressing rooms, drug-testing facilities and media centres all helped save millions of dollars into what was relatively minor works to meet tier-one requirements."
Mactaggart said it was a great opportunity for players to savour elite competition within the country and overseas as well as watch world-class teams compete.
World-class tournament officials and referees will be in control, including three whistle blowers who have officiated at the London Olympics - Amy Hassick-Baxter (USA), Michelle Joubert (South Africa) and Miao Lin (China).
It is envisaged the international segment will evolve into an eight-nation one next year. Requests are coming in from schools, including Australia, and reps teams. An independent study on the festival's economic impact had revealed international teams had already booked thousands of motel and hotel room nights, especially in Napier.
The festival has enticed men and women's teams such as Australian Country, NZ Seniors, NZ Masters (35-plus,) NZ Maori and NZ Indian to compete against Bay rep sides. These teams will play in Hastings as well as the Park Island turfs in Napier.
The Bay Invitation Women's captain, Erin Weber, who has three national titles with North Harbour after playing for five years in Auckland, said it was exciting to know the Bay would become a world-class venue.
"It's great that top teams can come to experience the Bay, too," the 26-year-old former Napier Girls' High School pupil said.
The midfielder/striker, who feels she might be getting a little old for a Black Sticks berth but "you can never say never", said it would be great to see the venues packed when the tourney begins.
Weber said it would be a great treat to watch international teams compete here.
"You don't often get teams such as Argentina and Australia come here so hopefully we'll fill the stadiums."
Gisborne Girls High School, Havelock North High School, Iona College, Napier Girls High School, Taradale High School and Woodford House will play round-robin games leading into and during the international tournament in an invitational under-17 secondary schoolgirls' tournament.
Finals matches for all three competitions will be held at the Unison Hockey Stadium across the final weekend of the festival.
The New Zealand Herald
Narrow loss for Scotland Senior Women in South Africa warm-up
Scotland Senior Women played a training match against South Africa earlier today, losing out by a single goal in a 2-1 loss.
Scotland Senior Women Captain Linda Clement was the goalscorer for Scotland in a warn-up that saw twenty four players used throughout the match.
After the match, Scotland Senior Women Head Coach Gordon Shepherd said, “It was a positive performance all things considered. South Africa have played twelve internationals so far during their summer against the Netherlands, Australia and Belgium, so they are obviously match sharp. This was our first outdoor match in a considerable time.
“There was also an opportunity to give players such as Jennifer Eadie, Robyn Collins and Heather Elder experience of international matches at this level. I thought the players were great.”
South Africa had the early chances in the match with Scotland goalkeeper Nicki Cochrane making a good reflex save after the ball had been deflected off a home defender following a drive into the Scottish circle.
Cochrane was on hand again in the 21st minute to make a diving stop to her right hand side from a penalty corner, while Linda Clement also charged down a penalty corner attempt in the 26th minute.
Scotland had two chances to take the lead shortly before half-time; Becky Merchant drove the ball into the circle only for Heather Elder’s deflected attempt to go wide of the post before a combination of Vikki Bunce and Ali Howie led to Elder being thwarted by a strong defensive block.
With neither team able to break the deadlock in the first half, it was Scotland who made the first breakthrough in the 44th minute. Good work from Nikki Lloyd on the right led to a cross which Clement neatly swept past the South African ‘keeper to make it 1-0.
However, two minutes later, the home side were back on level terms from a penalty corner set-play, the shot beating Scotland goalkeeper Siobhan Cowie in her left hand corner.
The Scots were nearly back in front when good inter-play between Nicki Skrastin and Clement led to a first Scottish penalty corner. Merchant struck the subsequent penalty corner but a good save denied the Edinburgh University defender.
In the 57th minute, South Africa took the lead; a real melee broke out in front of Cowie in the Scotland circle but despite good blocked efforts from Kareena Marshall and Susan McGilveray, the ball was bundled over the line to make it 2-1.
A strong finish from the national side in the last five minutes saw a combination between Ailsa Wylie and Elder saw the ‘keeper smother the former’s effort, before penalty corner efforts from Merchant and McGilveray being saved.
Scottish Hockey Union media release
U21 4 Nations Mossley HC
Ireland got off to a winning start in the U21 4 Nations in Mossley Hockey Club this afternoon defeating Scotland by 5-1. The conditions were far from ideal as snow started to fall.
Ireland were 3-0 up at half time with goals from Matthew Bell and 2 from Kirk Shimmins one of which was a penalty stroke awarded just on the half time hooter. Scotland got themselves back into the game early in the second half when Jack McKenize finished nicely. Ireland were always in control and extended their lead after nice work from John McKee set up Irish Skipper Nick Burns who finished smartly. The 5th and final goal was from Ireland's 6th PC of the game when a Matthew Bell strike was tipped at the near post by Jamie Wright. Ireland played out the half to finish comfortable winners over their Celtic neighbours.
The second game of the day between England & Germany had to be postponed as the snow continued to fall and temperatures dropped to -1.
A decision on the when this game will be reschedule will be made later this evening and posted on www.hockey.ie
IRELAND 5 (Kirk Shimmins 2, Matthew Bell, Jamie Wright, Nick Burns)
SCOTLAND 1 (Jack McKenzie)
Wednesday 12th February
17.00 Germany v Scotland
19.00 Ireland v England
Thursday 13th February
17.00 England v Scotland
19.00 Ireland v Germany
Irish Hockey Association media release
Scotland U21s lose Four Nations opener against Ireland
Scotland U21 Men opened their Four Nations Tournament account with a 5-1 defeat at the hands of hosts Ireland in Newtownabbey earlier this afternoon.
Glynhill Kelburne’s Jack McKenzie secured the Scottish consolation goal ten minutes into the second half, in an otherwise disappointing result for the young Scots.
Following the match, Scotland U21 Men Head Coach Graham Moodie said, “For the forst twenty-five minutes we competed with Ireland, and we had three or four chances to take the lead early on. However, ten minutes with lapses in concentration led to us going into the half-time break three goals down, which really killed us.
"We scored early in the second half, which I thought would give us some more momentum but Ireland responded well. I'm disappointed but this is a fairly young side so there is lots for the players to learn from."
Despite holding the home side at bay for the first twenty-five minutes of the match, Scotland found themselves 3-0 down at half-time following two quick-fire goals from the Irish.
In the 25th minute, Matthew Bell registered the opening goal from a penalty corner, dispatching the ball past Sean Hadfield in the Scottish goal.
Hadfield then denied Bell with two top class saves immediately after, before Kirk Shimmins found a way past the Scottish goalkeeper to double Ireland’s advantage in the 28th minute.
Six minutes later, Scotland were penalised inside the Irish circle after good work from Jake Wright and Shimmins stepped forward to beat Hadfield from the penalty spot and leave Moodie’s side with an uphill task to get back into the match, trailing 3-0 at the interval.
Nevertheless, Scotland pulled themselves back into the contest in the 45th minute when Jack McKenzie found the back of Ben McMillan’s net with the away side’s first goal to reduce the deficit to two.
Any chance of a comeback was put beyond Scotland’s reach in the 51st minute, however, as home captain finished past Hadfield after good work by Johnny McKee to make it 4-1. Three minutes later, Ireland were home and dry after Jamie Wright deflected home a Bell drag-flick at the back post to leave the final score 5-1.
Scotland now face Germany tomorrow at 17.00. "The match against Germany is an opportunity for the players to play against the world champions," said Moodie. "It's not often that chance comes around so the experience, more than the result, is the important thing for the team."
Scottish Hockey Union media release
Scottish Hockey confirms Men’s Five Nations competition in Glasgow
Glasgow National Hockey Centre
Scottish Hockey today confirmed that it will host a Men’s Five Nations competition featuring Scotland, Argentina, Belgium, England and Pakistan at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre from 23-29 April.
The Men’s Five Nations is the second international competition to be staged at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games hockey venue this year, in addition to the FIH Champions Challenge I event taking place from 27 April-4 May.
David Sweetman, Scottish Hockey Chief Executive, said, “The confirmation of the Men’s Five Nations competition at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre is hugely exciting and another fantastic opportunity to showcase international hockey and the world’s top players here in Scotland. We look forward to welcoming the participating teams.
“With both the Men’s Five Nations and FIH Champions Challenge I events being held in Glasgow at the same time, it will truly be a feast of hockey for supporters of the sport to enjoy.
"We will be releasing an exciting ticket offer for our members very shortly and we look forward to seeing a passionate and noisy crowd on each day of the competition. We will also be releasing a batch of tickets free to all schools and local community groups.”
The competition will offer Scotland Senior Men’s Head Coach Derek Forsyth and his players the opportunity to test themselves against four of the world’s top nations ahead of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games in the summer. England and Belgium are ranked fourth and fifth in the world respectively, while Pakistan are ranked ninth and Argentina eleventh.
William Marshall Euros vs France
Ticket information for both the Men's Five Nations and FIH Champions Challenge will be released very shortly.
Match Schedule
Wednesday 23th April
Pakistan v England, 5pm
Argentina v Scotland, 7pm
Friday 25th April
Belgium v Argentina, 5pm
Pakistan v Scotland, 7pm
Saturday 26th April
Scotland v England, 3pm
Pakistan v Belgium, 5pm
Monday 28th April
Pakistan v Argentina, 9am
Belgium v England, 11am
Tuesday 29th April
Belgium v Scotland, 9am
England v Argentina, 11am
Scottish Hockey Union media release
Kalinga Lancers hold Punjab Warriors to draw
Hindol Basu
MOHALI: A lion-hearted performance by goalkeeper Harjot Singh saw Kalinga Lancers hold favourites Punjab Warriors to a 3-3 draw in their Hero Hockey India League match at the International Hockey Stadium on Tuesday.
The Warriors had won the first leg between the two teams in Bhubaneshwar 7-3.
The game started at a frenetic pace with both teams attacking consistently. Punjab had the better of exchanges but the opening goal was scored by the Lancers.
It was poor marking from Punjab defender Sandeep Singh which helped Lancers striker Gagandeep Singh catch the Warriors defence napping with a fast hit down the middle which gave goalkeeper Bharat Chhetri no chance.
In the 14th minute, Sandeep had a chance to redeem himself but he couldn't convert Punjab's first penalty corner. The Warriors equalized in the 18th minute through a penalty corner.
It was an intelligent dummy sold by Aussie Kieran Govers to the Lancers defence and Christopher Ciriello did the rest with a slap shot that ended in the back of the net.
The Times of India
Lancers match Punjab Warriors step by step
Indervir Grewal
Mohali - Second-placed Punjab Warriors were frustrated by minnows Kalinga Lancers to a 3-3 draw in the Hockey India League here today. The Warriors will be feeling really frustrated by the number of chances they missed, especially from penalty corners. Despite three drag-flickers, they scored only once from eight opportunities.
Simon Orchard, Jake Whetton and Christopher Ciriello scored for the Warriors, while Gagandeep Singh, Mandeep Antil and Ryan Archibald scored for the visitors.
Despite the draw it was a breathtaking performance by the Warriors, who played with an insatiable hunger for goals. The team’s speed and an uncompromising quest for goals that saw it defending high reminded one of the Australian style of hockey.
But despite dominating the whole match, they found themselves trailing twice – a concern which coach Barry Dancer had expressed before the match. Other than the goals, the team was pretty sound in defence, barring a few scary moments. Early in the match, Sandeep Singh couldn’t trap a back pass and almost gave it away on top of the circle but the ball ricocheted away from the opponent forward. Another mistake by Sandeep, when his flopped scoop clearance was intercepted, resulted in Kalinga’s second goal.
The lapses notwithstanding, the Warriors displayed some of the smoothest moves of the tournament that got the crowd, which had turned up in a greater number compared to the first two matches, screaming hoarse.
The third goal, the second time the Warriors equalized, had the fans going berserk. Kalinga had taken the lead through Archibald in the third quarter. After much frustration and many missed chances, the Warriors found the equalizer at the start of the final quarter through Orchard, who has been the spine of the team throughout the tournament. The long-legged Australian intercepted a loose pass just inside the opponents’ 25 yard line and fired a reverse hit into the top corner.
Dharamvir Singh’s searing run, in the first quarter, from the centre line should have resulted in a goal but his brilliant cross went through two forwards in the middle. Satbir Singh, after being put through by Robert Hammond, got a clear run into the circle but instead of trying for goal he fired in a cross which whizzed past his teammates.
Kalinga sneaked in a goal in the 10th minute against the run of play when an unmarked Gagandeep deadened a bouncy cross in front of goal. With no pressure on him all the 20-year-old had to do was tap the ball in past the wrong-footed goalkeeper.
Almost as if enraged by the goal, the home team increased the pressure with some fast well-linked moves that baffled the Kalinga defence. One such move resulted in their first penalty corner but Sandeep, egged on by the loud home crowd, rammed the drag-flick into the defender.
The home team got another penalty corner in the last minute of the first quarter and this time Ciriello found the net though a variation. Another mistake at the start of the second quarter in defense saw the visitors equalize through Antil.
TODAY’S MATCH
DELHI VS RANCHI (8 PM)
LIVE STREAMING ON STAR SPORTS
The Tribune
Team USA off to Successful Start at Youth Olympic Games Qualifier
The Women’s Under-18 Squad is 1-1 at the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Qualifier with completed competitions against Argentina and Uruguay. The U.S. is being led under the experienced guidance of an elite coaching staff consisting of Tracey Fuchs and Tamara Durante.
During the opening match of the tournament, the U.S. team came out strong and pressured Uruguay from the first whistle. In the initial minutes of play, Team USA’s Austyn Cuneo (Waterford, NJ) gathered a teammate’s pass from the right side, cut the ball on an angle and brought it to her reverse, protecting it from an incoming Uruguayan defender. Just before the defender could disrupt the play, Cuneo fired a reverse shot in the lower left quadrant of the cage to give Team USA a one-goal lead.
With the local crowd and drummers behind them, Uruguay did not need much time to even the score. In the 7th minute of play, the Uruguayans penetrated the U.S. defense and scored off a rebound to notch the game at 1-1.
The second period saw a lot of play at both ends of the pitch, but neither team could capitalize. Standing strong in goal for the U.S. was Kelsey Bing (Houston, TX). Bing denied team Uruguay on several strong counter attacks during the last two periods of the match.
Team USA battled until the very end and was rewarded in the last minute of play when Cuneo connected with a mid-air rebound off of the Uruguay goal keeper’s pads. The goal put the U.S. in the lead and remained the game winning play.
For the second match of the tournament, Team USA faced Argentina. After a sluggish start, Team USA found itself in a 4-goal deficit seven minutes of play into the match. The U.S. fought back to stay in the game by scoring its first goal of the game at the nine minute mark. A shot by Sophia Tornetta (Plymouth Meeting, PA) found Margaux Paolino (Villanova, PA) in front of the goal, ready to tap it in for the score. Team USA cut the lead in half at the 12 minute mark when Julianna Tornetta (Plymouth Meeting, PA) threw a ball across the goalmouth for Madison Morano (Hammonton, NJ) to finish and make it 2-4.
After a second period goal by Argentina, Team USA struck again in the 16th minute of play from a turnover by Argentina deep in its own end caused by a relentless Sophia Miller (Medford, NJ), who put the ball on goal and retrieved her own rebound to flick it over the goalkeepers left shoulder. The U.S. made it 4-5 with a great endline run by Ashley Hoffman (Mohnton, PA), who dinged one off the post and S. Tornetta was strategically placed to knock another USA goal in. Later in the period Argentina capitalized on two “Challenge calls” to increase their lead and finish the period leading 7-4.
To begin the third period, Argentina scored to double their lead (8-4) in the 25th minute. Hoffman blasted a shot from the 30 which deflected off players in front of the cage and landed in Cuneo’s hands. Cuneo took full advantage and finished the shot in the 27th minute. Team USA’s final goal of the day was scored by Cuneo. She retrieved her own rebound to put the ball over the keeper’s shoulder to make the final score USA 6-8 Argentina.
“I’m happy with how the team fought to stay in the game after such a slow start,” said Durante. “It is a great opportunity to learn and grow as we strive to improve each match.”
For updates on Team USA’s quest for scoring a bid to the 2014 Youth Olympic Games, regularly check usafieldhockey.com.
USFHA media release
Congratulations to 2014 Disney Showcase Champions
The 2014 Disney Field Hockey Showcase gathered over 3,000 field hockey enthusiasts to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World in suburban Orlando, Fla. to enjoy sunshine and show off their hockey skills. While the rest of the country was shoveling snow, showcase participants dodged the cold front by venturing to the warmth of Florida. Elite clubs from the U.S. and Canada competed on 15 pristine pitches at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in the hopes of bringing home the gold.
“The ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is truly a remarkable facility and the hockey was nothing less than exceptional,” said Karen Collins, USA Field Hockey’s Director of Event and Logistics. “We appreciate all of the assistance from the Disney Sports staff who helped to make the weekend a possibility and we look forward to next year’s event.”
USA Field Hockey sends our congratulations to this year’s winners who walked away with polished medals and the highly sought-after pride that accompanies the title of champions.
Congratulations to the following winners:
U19 Results
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U16 Results
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USFHA media release
Tengku Abdullah urges Syamin to reconsider
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah wants Mohamed Syamin Yusof to reconsider his decision to pull out of the Sultan Azlan Shah and World Cup squads.
“I hope he will reconsider his decision to take a break. He can take a break but not give up on hockey. Maybe he is very tired and decided to quit. I want to give him another chance,” Tengku Abdullah said after chairing the MHC executive committee meeting here on Tuesday.
Syamin, 21, is said to have pulled out of the 35-player squad for personal reasons.
He was the fourth player to pull out from the national squad who are currently preparing for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, scheduled from May 13-23. The others are Harvinder Singh, Azreen Rizal and Engku Abdul Malek.
The national squad have also lost penalty corner specialist Mohamed Razie Rahim due to a dislocated shoulder, an injury he picked up while playing for Dabur Mumbai Magicians in the Hockey India League.
Tengku Abdullah urged those called up for national team training to give their full commitment in order to lift the status of hockey in the country and the international arena.
He said that the success of the National Juniors at the Junior World Cup in New Delhi last December must act as a fillip for them to continue to excel.
“We are preparing for the World Cup in May and I hope the players will give their undivided support. I have full confidence in coach K. Dharmaraj. Many countries are now showing a lot of respect for Malaysia,” he said.
Tengku Abdullah also announced that the inaugural National Women’s Hockey League, which will be held from March 16, will have eight to 10 state and club teams.
The Star of Malaysia
Dharmaraj warns veterans against complacency
By Aftar Singh
Goalkeeper Roslan Jamaluddin in a file photo. Out of the 31 players fighting for a place in the World Cup squad, he is the only one to have featured in the tournament previously, at the 2002 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian chief coach K. Dharmaraj has warned the seasoned hockey players not to take their places in the national hockey team for granted.
Dharmaraj said that he would name the squad of 18 players for the World Cup in The Hague (from May 31-June 15) based on current form and not experience.
“I will not consider a seasoned campaigner for the World Cup even though he has more than 200 international caps to his credit.
“The players named for the World Cup will be based on current form. I want players who can give their best in the World Cup as we will be facing top-ranked teams in the world,” said Dharmaraj.
There are 31 players in the training squad and all the players will be fighting for a place in the World Cup as none of them have ever featured in the tournament except for goalkeeper Roslan Jamaluddin, who played in the 2002 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur.
Twelve teams will feature in the World Cup and Malaysia are ranked 13th, which is the lowest ranked team in the tournament.
Malaysia will open their Group A campaign against world champions and world No. 1 Australia on May 31.
This will be followed by matches against world No. 5 Belgium (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 will be 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.
Dharmaraj said that all 31 players in the training squad would feature either in tournaments like the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh from March 13-23 and the Champions Challenge 1 in Kuantan from April 26-May 4 before he names the World Cup squad in May.
The national team will also feature in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games from July 23-Aug 3 and the Incheon Asian Games from Sept 19-Oct 4.
The winner of the Asian Games will gain an automatic berth in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
The Star of Malaysia
Hafizuddin the sole goalkeeper named for Perth tour
By Aftar Singh
A file picture of Mohd Hafizuddin Othman (left). He will play in the six matches lined up for the national team in Perth.
KUALA LUMPUR: Mohd Hafizuddin Othman must have impressed national chief coach K. Dharmaraj.
He is the only goalkeeper named for the playing tour to Perth next week.
Dharmaraj has named only 15 players for the six matches in Perth – two against the Australia High Performance team and four against the Western Australia team.
The players will leave on Feb 19 and return on March 2.
Dharmaraj said that he has named only 15 players for the tour as he wants to gauge the performance of all the players in the six matches.
“I will name the team for next month’s Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh based on the players’ performance on the tour,” said Dharamraj.
Among the other players going to Perth are Mohd Madzli Ikmar, Ahmad Kazamirul Nasruddin, Azlan Misron, Baljit Singh Charun, Meon Mohamed Azuan Hasan, Shahrun Nabil, Mohd Marhan Mohd Jalil, Norhizzat Sumantri, S. Selvaraju and Tengku Ahmad Tajudin.
“I have named Hafizuddin as the only keeper for the tour as he has been performing well in training.
“I want to see how well Hafizuddin, who was the first choice keeper in the Junior World Cup in New Delhi last December, copes in the six matches,” said Dharmaraj.
Besides Hafizuddin, there are three other keepers in the national training squad.
S. Kumar, who is the country’s top keeper, is currently featuring for Uttar Pradesh Wizards in the Hockey India League.
Veteran Roslan Jamaluddin, 35, is down with an ankle injury while the fourth keeper is Mohd Hazrul Faiz Ahmad Sobri, who also featured in the Junior World Cup.
Dharmaraj said that the national team would also play four friendly matches – two each against China and Canada before they play in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.
Besides Malaysia, China and Canada, the other teams to feature in the tournament are Australia, South Korea, Pakistan and South Africa.
The Star of Malaysia
Juniors barred from playing in Division One
By Aftar Singh
The National Juniors in training last year. National Juniors coach S. Arulselvaraj wants them to train together in preparation for next year’s Junior Asia Cup.
KUALA LUMPUR: The National Juniors will be barred from playing in Division One of the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL), which begins on March 16.
Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, who chaired the executive board meeting on Tuesday, said that the juniors would not be allowed to feature in the MHL “because of national interest”.
“National Juniors coach S. Arulselvaraj wants them to train together in preparation for next year’s Junior Asia Cup, which is the qualifying tournament for the 2016 Junior World Cup, which will be held in New Delhi.
“We want to prepare a solid team for next year’s Junior Asia Cup ... and also put up a strong challenge in the 2016 Junior World Cup,” said Tengku Abdullah.
Malaysia finished a respectable fourth in the Junior World Cup in New Delhi last December.
Arulselvaraj will use the ongoing Under-19 MHC-Milo-NSC Malaysian Junior Hockey League (MHJL) to call up about 45 players for training.
The MHL Division One is expected to end on May 18.
Tengku Abdullah, however, said that the National Juniors will feature in the Razak Cup in Kuantan in August.
“The Juniors will also play in the Premier Division of MHL in October,” said Tengku Abdullah, who hopes to get at least eight teams to feature in the national women’s hockey league, which also begins on March 16.
The closing date for entry to the women’s league, which offers a total prize money of RM33,000, is Feb 28.
The Star of Malaysia
A Dutch engineer’s tryst with Indian hockey
Uthra Ganesan
Joris Oolsthorn
Twenty-five-year-old Joris Oolsthorn, with a degree in mechanical engineering in hand, knows he has a bright future ahead. Only, the Dutchman is not sure if he wants it, enamoured as he is with hockey.
Oolsthorn’s Asia trip started in Hong Kong, where he joined a group of friends from Holland, before moving to India.
In the two weeks he has been here, Oolsthorn has coached underprivileged kids from government schools across Delhi in collaboration with One Thousand Hockey Legs, an NGO run by K. Arumugam, which aims to promote hockey in the country. “I just wanted to travel after finishing engineering because I have never been out of Europe. I play at and also coach a club called Concordia in Holland and since my travel coincided with the Hockey India League (HIL), I wanted to watch a few games as well.
But my interaction with these kids and their commitment to the game has been an amazing experience,” Oolsthorn says, keeping one eye on the nearly 50 kids playing at the Siri Fort Sports Complex.
Plenty of talent
According to him, the talent and skills he has seen here are simply not present anywhere in Europe. And, unlike most others, he favours youngsters starting out on grass before playing on artificial turf.
“One-two years on grass is very good for developing basic skills. For example, kids here are natural at hitting the ball and controlling it, which is necessary on grass turf.
“Some of them have far better skills than I. Back home, I have difficulty trying to teach because everyone plays on turf and they don’t know what a hit is.
“That said, the talented players should move to turf as soon as possible to develop their game to the next level. It is a fine balance,” he says.
Asked about the vast gap in teams at the international level, Oolsthorn credits the Dutch structure. “ In Holland, we have clubs at every level and our domestic structure is the strongest and toughest.”
HIL a boon
About the HIL, Oolsthorn believes it will help young Indians the most.
Oolsthorn is now planning to complete his Masters in teaching to have more time for hockey. “I know I can make very good money as an engineer, but I will have to quit hockey for that. I also know that teaching doesn’t pay much in Holland but it will give me more time for the game.
“Engineering is my choice, hockey is my passion. Tough call,” he says with a laugh.
The Hindu
Uddingston support hockey charity in India
Last year Scottish club Uddingston Hockey Club member Tony Rinaldi and his wife Florence returned from a trip to India where they visited an amazing project in rural Rajasthan, India set up by a German hockey player named Andrea.
Hockey Village India was set up around 3 years ago to provide education and coach hockey as a way of giving the kids a way to change their lives. In India if you have a good education and are a skilled hockey player your chances of bettering your situation are greatly increased.
Florence and Tony were totally blown away by Andrea and her team of volunteers' dedication and commitment.
Thanks to the generosity of Uddingston Hockey Club members they took out lots of gear; shoes, shirts, gloves, bags, and more. However during their visit they discovered they are desparately in need of funds.
Running a school and attempting to finance the participation of the kids in tournaments and trials in a country the size of India is a massive undertaking and a constant drain on their meagre resources. Through discussion with some senior members it was clear the club wanted to continue their support for the Hockey Village India project.
To this end end Ross McWilliams and Uddingston Hockey Club organised a series of auctions and raffles of hockey gear and other donations to raise money for the project.
The auctions and raffles came to an end before Christmas with the final total reaching £1600.
In January this year, Tony and his wife Florence revisited the project, they were joined by head of youth coaching at U.H.C. Ross McWilliams and Club member Stewart Fraser.
During their stay in the village they assisted with coaching the kids, taught in the school, and provided help with infrastructure projects.
When they visited they also made a significant financial contribution to the Hockey Village India project. £1600 was donated for future hockey development initiatives.
As well as the much needed financial help, the party took out a considerable amount of hockey equipment, including sets of strips, shoes, tracksuits, grips, and teaching aids. They also donated a digital camera to the school for their new girls photography project.
If you would like to learn more about the work of the project you can visit;
Web. hockeyvillageindia.com.
Facebook. Bua Sa Hockey Village Indien
Uddingston Hockey Club would like to thank all their members who have taken part and the companies and individuals who's incredible generosity made this endeavour possible.
Scottish Hockey Union media release