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All the news for Tuesday 25 March 2014

Hockey league joy for Canterbury and Mel Clewlow

By Graham Wilson   
   

Clewlow was thrilled to get her hands on the title Clewlow was thrilled to get her hands on the title [GETTY]

AFTER 24 years of trying, double Olympian and Canterbury stalwart Mel Clewlow finally saw her club finish top of the national league after beating Clifton 2-0.

With it, goes qualification for Europe. Not bad, considering at the start of the season she and coach Jen Wilson had set their sights only on survival after missing out in the play-offs last year and losing a host of players.

“We are dumbstruck we are in Europe,” said Clewlow.

“We have some really nice players, self-funded, and they have bought into the ethos of playing for the badge and it is just fantastic to win the league for the first time.

“Our captain Grace Balsdon has led by example and fully deserves to be in the GB programme. We complement each other at the back, we have defended well from the front as a team and sneaked through with some 1-0 wins which gave us our confidence to do well.”

And the South Africa triple Olympian Wilson has had her own role to play, having overcome a serious back injury to influence a whole group of youngsters in the squad.

Said Clewlow, 37: “We expected Jen to be more coach than player but she has put in the hard work. A three-time Olympian knows what it takes to get a goal and she has been flying all around the place. We have 15-year-old Lizzie Neal, who was a ballgirl last season and was too young to play until her birthday. She has been outstanding for us, as has two 17-year-olds Anna Baker and Jen Masters.”

The Kent club’s preparations for the away match to Clifton had been affected by the previous week’s pullout of relegated Olton & West Warwickshire, who cried off after after being unable to field a goalkeeper. Canterbury were eventually awarded a 12-0 victory rather than the usual three-goal margin.

Said Clewlow: “We played against a men’s team instead which probably did us more good and we did our homework in midweek. We have always had a good record against Clifton and we had a lot of our supporters come away to watch the match.
 
“There are still the Investec championship play-offs to come at Reading on April 12. We won’t change our mindset but it is nice to know that we are in Europe.”

And there is no stopping Clewlow. “I will give the Euros one more crack with our midfielder Nikki Triggs,” she said. “You cannot play any higher than flying the flag for your club and country.”

Committed, you bet. Both team-mates played the next morning after Saturday’s victory to reach the final of the veterans cup.

The onus now falls on Reading, who beat Bowdon Hightown 5-1, to show their strength in the play-offs if they want to keep their title and make Europe.

East Grinstead finished top of the men’s NOW: Pensions League on goal difference over champions Beeston and so securing their European spot next season when they saw off the threat of Surbiton 6-5. Mark Gleghorne, Ashley Jackson and Mark Pearn all bagged two goals each for EG while James Tindall hit a hat-trick and Matt Daly a double for Surbiton.

That made Daly the division’s highest scorer on 22 goals edging out Beeston’s Sam Ward on 21, who only scored once in the 2-1 win over Cannock. The Bees will play hosts Reading in the title play-offs on April 5.

Their man of the match Stephen Lawrence said: “We collected 44 points, the highest in our history, and achieved the best defensive record in the league. With players slowly coming back from long-term injuries we are confident that we can once again lift the championship trophy.”

EG manager Matt Jones said: It’s mission accomplished finishing top of the league and a very large box ticked from our initial set of objectives for the season to sit alongside winning the national Indoor title for the sixth year in a row. Now it is time to get down to business at the championship play-offs safe in the knowledge that we have secured our place back in Europe next season. We will also be boosted by the return of David Condon and Niall Stott for our semi-final match against Surbiton on April 5.”

Loughborough Students said an agonising farewell to the NOW premier division after 13 years in the top flight. They were held-up in traffic for an hour, delaying their match against Reading and were automatically relegated after losing 4-2. Sheffield Hallam’s Liam Ansell and Mike Shaw scored two late goals to give them a surprise 5-4 win over Wimbledon which put them in the play-offs against Southgate, Cardiff and Brooklands Manchester University.

Daily Express

Sheffield Hallam secure lifeline on dramatic last day as Canterbury women reach Europe

By Rod Gilmour


Pure joy: Shefiield's Mike Shaw (second left) celebrates scoring the winning fifth goal Photo: ADY KERRY

Wimbledon 4 Sheffield Hallam 5

A last-minute penalty corner from Mike Shaw saw Sheffield avoid automatic relegation in thrilling circumstances. With Sheffield relying on Reading beating Loughborough – they won 4-2 – the Yorkshire side scored three times in the last six minutes as Shaw bagged a late brace. Gareth Furlong had opened the scoring before Sheffield “went to sleep” as Wimbledon struck back to take a 4-2 lead. They then had to await their fate after Loughborough's match was delayed due to heavy traffic. A relegation play-off now looms for Sheffield.

Quote of the day

“We had 70 minutes to save our season and it was one where everyone dug in.”
Vicky Joel, Sheffield head coach

Elsewhere in the division…

East Grinstead secured their return to the Euro Hockey League after finishing ahead of Beeston on goal difference. The Sussex outfit beat Surbiton 6-5, Ashley Jackson and Mark Gleghorne bagging a brace each, while James Tindall fired a hat-trick for the Londoners. Beeston beat Cannock 2-1.



WOMEN'S ROUND-UP:

Canterbury dream of Europe
Clifton 0 Canterbury 2

Canterbury secured a deserved place in Europe after goals from Nikki Lloyd and Kim Young. The Kent side knew that only a win would be sufficient to keep them ahead of Reading and Jen Wilson’s side dug deep to qualify for a prized European spot for the first time in eight years. Goals either side of half-time secured victory and Wilson, in her first season in charge as player-coach, will now travel with her side to play-off weekend in fine fettle.

Tweet of the day

"We've only just gone and won the league aka best hockey team in the country!! So happy right now!"
Susie Rowe, Canterbury

Elsewhere in the division

Reading must now look to the play-offs to pick up a spot in Europe despite a resounding 5-1 win over Bowdon Hightown. Emily Atkinson and Giselle Ansley secured Surbiton’s 2-0 win over Beeston. Sutton Coldfield went down 2-1 to University of Birmingham in the local derby, the former already confirmed as the relegation play-off side after their 15th defeat of the season.
       
The Telegraph

Charlton excited to play on home ground


Photo caption: Sam Charlton in her early days at Somerville Club.

Sam Charlton has played 78 tests for New Zealand since her debut in 2010, but this Friday’s test will be a first game of a different kind – she is playing her first ever official test match on her home ground.

“I started playing at Somerville Club as a five-year-old when it was a sand turf, my uncle Simon Joyce coached myself and my cousin Ben when we first started. So I have lots of good memories playing on that turf!” said Charlton.

The Black Sticks Women have two tests against seventh-ranked Korea this weekend at Auckland Grammar School in Mt Eden – the home of Somerville Hockey Club – and Charlton can’t wait to play.

“A lot of my family are involved with the club, all my cousins and my sister played for Somerville and my uncle is the current treasurer for the club.  So those family that are still involved will be coming along to watch,” said Charlton.

Charlton isn’t the only Black Stick from the club - Julia King, Liz Thompson and Belinda Smith (Development Squad) are all long-time members, as well as Black Stick Rosie Keddell who joined the club when she moved up to Auckland for university in 2012.

Head coach Mark Hager will be rotating the full National Squad during the two tests against Korea, with a team of 18 being announced on Sunday 30th March for the Hawkes Bay Festival.  The team he selects will also play two tests against China on the 31st March and 1st April in Taupo.

The Hawke’s Bay Festival, held in Hastings from 5-13 April, will see the Black Sticks Women take on Australia, Argentina, China, Korea and Japan.

The Festival is the final tournament ahead of the FIH World Cup in Holland – the team’s pinnacle event for the year.

“The World Cup only comes around every four years so we are all vying for a spot in that team - and currently all the girls have a chance.  Everyone has been working so hard at training to prove they have what it takes,” said Charlton.

Event Info
Black Sticks Women vs Korea
6pm, Friday 28 March
4.30pm, Saturday 29 March
Both games to be played at the Fuji Xerox Hockey Centre, Auckland Grammar School Turf, Normanby Road, Mt Eden.
Tickets, including discounted family passes, are available at www.ticketdirect.co.nz. Gate sales also available. 

Hockey New Zealand Media release

Wainuiomata reinvigorates hockey back into the Valley



Formerly known as Nappy Valley and famous for producing rugby World Cup winners, league legends and hockey players Niniwa and Aniwaka Roberts to name two.  Wainuiomata Hockey Club has for the first time in 25 years finally got a bit of grass that they can call their own.

Saturday the 15th March for most across New Zealand was about preparing for Cyclone Lusi, whereas in the valley of Wainuiomata, Barbara Meiklejohn (club captain) and her fellow stalwart committee members were busy putting up a marquee and getting the barbecue ready for the onset of old and new hockey players and the opening of their new hockey turf.

The turf that has been laid really suits the diverse and ruggedness that Wainuiomata is, with half of the turf coming from the old National Hockey Stadium 2 turf and the other half coming from the support of the Infinity Foundation.  The new turf was laid down at the Wainuiomata High School by members of the local community and hockey club.

To support the opening, a gala was held at the high school where past members, new members and families were encouraged to join in a game on the new surface.  The day went off without a hitch, with Nin Roberts cutting the ribbon and encouraging all new players to come along and have a go at playing hockey.

Wainuiomata Hockey Club are looking forward to expanding their numbers by running the Active Post Small Sticks programme with Fun Sticks on a Friday evening starting at the end of May and which Barbara is hoping will re-invigorate the sport of hockey back in the valley.

Hockey New Zealand Media release

India start preparatory camp ahead of Champions Challenge 1

PATIALA: A three-week long preparatory camp for India's senior women core probables for the FIH Champions Challenge 1 on Monday started at the National Institute of Sports (NIS) and will continue till April 12.

The FIH Champions Challenge 1 is scheduled to be held at Glasgow from April 27 to May 4.

India is placed in Pool A alongside Korea, Belgium and hosts Scotland while USA, South Africa, Spain and Ireland form Pool B. Indian eves opening match is against Korea on April 27.

Indian senior women's team will depart for Ireland on April 10 to play a three-match Test series against the Irish national side as part of preparation and acclimatisation ahead of the Champions Challenge 1.

The FIH Champions Challenge 1 is a crucial tournament for Indian senior women's team as post that they will play for other major events like Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.

"The preparatory camp is set to take off today and we are expecting to create the finest of the senior women's squad for the upcoming championship and future challenges as well. The team has got a strong squad lined up and the preparatory camp is going to smoothen out the rough edges. This preparatory camp will help deliver bigger and better results," Hockey India secretary general Narinder Batra said.

The 33 senior women core probables for the preparatory camp are:

Goalkeepers: Yogita Bali, Savita, Rajni Etimarpu. Defenders: Deep Grace Ekka, Deepika, Kirandeep Kaur, Sunita Lakra, Sandeep Kaur, Manjit Kaur, Monika Malik, Sushila Chanu, M N Ponnamma, Asunta Lakra, Joydeep Kaur, Jaspreet Kaur.

Midfielders: Ritu Rani, Namita Toppo, Chanchan Devi Thokchom, Lilima Minz, Liliy Chanu, Navjot Kaur, Amandeep Kaur, Renuka Yadav, Soundarya Yendala.

Forwards: Vandana Katariya, Rani, Poonam Rani, Ritusha Arya, Navneet Kaur, Jaswinder Kaur, Neha Goyal, Anupa Barla, Anuradha Devi.

The Times of India

Can't blame us for hockey player Harbir Singh Sandhu's case, says IOA

New Delhi: Indian Olympic Association on Monday said it would write to 2014 Commonwealth Games organisers and the British High Commission here to furnish the reasons for refusal of accreditation to hockey player Harbir Singh Sandhu but insisted it cannot be blamed for the incident.

IOA secretary general Rajiv Mehta told PTI that Harbir was the only one who was denied accreditation by the orgainsers out of the provisional list of 700 Indian athletes for the 2014 Glasgow Games.

"We sent a provisional list of more than 700 athletes. Except for Harbir, there was no issue for any other athlete. The communication from 2014 CWG organisers was that the player was denied accreditation after a background check by UK Home Office. We had written twice earlier to furnish the reason but each time we have been told that UK Home office can only tell the reason," he said.

"In this situation, there is little IOA could have done. But we want our athlete to take part in the Games and we are taking the issue seriously. So, we are writing to 2014 CWG organisers again as well as to British High Commission here to give us the reason through the Home Office," he added.

Mehta also said that the player himself can also approach the British High Commission here to furnish the reason of refusal of accreditation to him.

"He (Harbir) can ask for the reasons. There is a procedure. He should first deposit a check of 10 pound to the British High Commission and submit an application to furnish the reasons," said Mehta.

A miffed Hockey India had earlier asked the IOA to withdraw the men's hockey team from the Glasgow Commonwealth Games after it came to light that the full-back had been denied accreditation by the organisers of the 2014 CWG.

24-year-old Harbir is a promising full-back hailing from Punjab and has been part of the Indian team in many international tours.

The matter came to light after Commonwealth Games Associations Relations Manager, Robert Vergouw wrote a letter to IOA President N Ramachandran and Mehta on March 10, informing them about the refusal of accreditation to Harbir.

"It is with great regret that I must inform you that one of your delegation members (Harbir Singh Sandhu) has had his request for a Glasgow 2014 accreditation refused due to a UK Home Office Background Check (BGC) result," Vergouw had written in his communication.

IBNLive

SSCB, BHA, Odisha record wins in jr men's hockey national

CHENNAI: Services Sports Control Board (SSCB), Bengal Hockey Association (BHA), and Hockey Gangpur (Odisha) made winning starts to their campaign in the fourth Hockey India Junior Men National Championship (Division on Monday.

In the opening match of the day Hockey Gangpur (Odisha) thrashed Puducherry 14-1 in a Pool A encounter.

In Pool B, BHA defeated Vidarbha Hockey Association 4-1 while SSCB spanked Hockey Bihar 10-2.

In other matches of the day, Kerala and Goa drew 3-3 while Tripura beat Jammu and Kashmir 5-1.

Results of the day: Pool A: Hockey Gangpur-Odisha 14 Deepak Lakra(7th min), Sudeep Kerketta (13th), Pratap Lakra (20th and 69th), Rasananda Khalkho (22nd and 39th), Arbeen Kujur (24th and 61st), Sibren Lakra (38th) vs Puducherry 1 V Veerathaminzhan (58th).

Pool B: Bengal Hockey Association 4 Avoy Ekka (8th, 21st and 25th), Kundan Kujur (55th) vs Vidarbha Hockey Association 2 Ahfaz Pathan (23rd) and Prafulla Lohangarge (36th).

Pool B: Services Sports Control Board 10 Kunjappa (3rd, 54th and 66th), Naveen Minz (12th), Navpreet Singh (23rd), Bishram Dodray (37th), Naveen Minz (53rd), John Barla (55th), Ramandeep (56th) and Mangra Bhengra (57th) vs Hockey Bihar 2 Prem Ranjan Ekka (41st) and Subash Sanga (66th).

The Times of India

KL in attack mode

By Fadhli Ishak

KUALA Lumpur sent out a clear warning to the pretenders at the Milo-MHC National Under-16 tournament after they notched a thumping 5-1 win over Sabah in Perlis yesterday.

The five-time winners showed no signs of difficulty adapting to the 7.15am start as a brace from Ahmad Firdaus Azmi in the second (field goal) and 12th minutes (penalty corner) as well as a hat-trick of field goals from Wan Haziq Hisyamuddin (41st, 61st, 70th) gave them a comfortable win in the Group B encounter.

Sabah's solitary reply came via a Mohd Shafie Jamdin penalty corner goal in the 41st.

Kuala Lumpur coach K. Embaraj said he was happy with the improvement his charges had shown from their 2-1 win over Johor on Sunday but is hoping for more consistency against Penang today.

"It was a good win as Sabah's players are stronger than us physically but are perhaps only held back by their relative lack of experience," said Embaraj.

"Our boys showed a lot of improvement compared to the match against Johor and have become more used to playing on the new pitch here. However, I feel there were times where we had lapses in focus during the match.

"Penang have also won both their games and will be a threat. We have to play to our full abilities to beat them and cannot afford to take anything for granted."

Defending champions Perak (Group A)  succumbed to their first defeat in the tournament after earlier beating Pahang and Perlis as they were edged 3-2 by Selangor.

Results -- Boys' Group A: Selangor 3 Perak 2, Pahang 2 Negri Sembilan 2; Group B: Kuala Lumpur 5 Sabah 1, Penang 2 Johor 1.

Girls' Group A: Penang 2 Johor 0,  Pahang 2 Terengganu 1; Group B: Selangor 8 Perlis 0, Negri Sembilan 2 Kelantan 1.

Today -- Boys' Group A: Perlis v Kedah (7.15am); Group B: Kelantan v Sabah (9am), Kuala Lumpur v Penang (3.15pm), Johor v Terengganu (5pm) -- matches at Kangar Stadium.

New Straits Times

Champs Perak suffer surprise loss in U-16 hockey

By S. Ramaguru

KUALA LUMPUR: Defending champions Perak are walking on a tightrope after going down to a surprise 3-2 defeat by Selangor in a Group A match in the MHC-Milo Under-16 hockey championships in Kangar.

Perak need to win their two remaining group matches – against Sabah and Kedah – if they hope to make the semi-finals.

In yesterday’s game, Mohd Fikri put Selangor ahead in the 11th minute with a field goal. Perak fought back to equalise in the 34th minute through Mohd Najme.

Selangor regained the lead through Faqrazin Safri Afiq’s 38th minute strike before Mohd Syazwan made it 3-1 in the 57th minute.

Perak reduced the deficit in the 62nd minute through Mohd Alif Ikhmal.

Perak assistant team manager Hairul Nizam Rani admitted that they have their backs against the wall after the loss.

“Yes, it was a poor performance. But I’m confident we will bounce back in the last two games. The semi-final berth is still wide open,” he said.

“The players missed a lot of chances against Selangor and our penalty corner executions did not go the way we planned.”

Perak had won their two earlier matches – beating Perlis 2-1 and Pahang 3-1.

Yesterday’s win was Selangor third in as many matches and their remaining games are against Pahang and Kedah.

In Group B, former champions Kuala Lumpur topped the group with maximum points after thrashing Sabah 5-1 for their second straight win.

Mohd Haziq Hisyamuddin scored a hat-trick in the 21st, 61st and 70th minutes while Ahmad Firdaus Azmi bagged a brace in the second and 12th minutes.

Sabah’s consolation goal was scored by Mohd Shafie Jamdin in the 41st minute.

In another Group B match, Penang edged Johor 2-1.

Mohd Amirul Hamizan scored both the Penang goals in the 29th and 61st minutes while Johor replied through Mohd Shafiq in the 53rd minute.

The Star of Malaysia

Dharmaraj's attacking philosophy

THE coach with a Midas touch.

By Jugjet Singh


Malaysia’s Faizal Saari (right) tries to get past Australia goalkeeper Charter Andrew during their Azlan Shah Cup final in Ipoh on Sunday.

K. Dharmaraj's brave-heart attitude has seen his charges win the Sultan of Johor Cup, the Junior Asia Cup and finally the national juniors graduated to finish fourth in the Junior World Cup in New Delhi last December.

And when he was promoted to the position of senior coach after Paul Revington gave up, he found himself plagued with injury problems and a host of other problems from outside which made his task of selecting a squad for the Azlan Shah Cup almost a nightmare.

Some quarters had questioned his choice of naming seven uncapped players from the Junior World Cup side for the  Azlan Shah Cup, as they claimed it might just flush the millions spent to organise the tournament down the drain.

But in reality, Dharmaraj never had a choice, as  regular goalkeepers S. Kumar and Roslan Jamaluddin are injured. 

So he had to name  Junior World Cup goalkeepers Hafizuddin Othman and Faiz Hazrul.

Also on the injury list are regular defenders Baljit Singh and Razie Rahim, who is also Malaysia's best penalty corner flicker, and with another handful of experienced players showing fatigue and aging legs, Dharmaraj brought in another five uncapped players who helped Malaysia finish fourth in New Delhi.

The five who deserve a standing ovation are Azri Hassan, Meor Azuan Hasan, Rashid Baharom, Shahril Saabah, Shazril Irwan.

"I had no choice but to take a gamble and field a big number of youth in my first assignment with the senior side, and the boys showed they have guts, and together with the regulars, they only lost to Australia.

"Now I have a bigger pool to choose from for the Champions Challenge, World Cup, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games,"  said Dharmaraj.

Australia are Malaysia's opening match opponents in the World Cup.

"Playing them twice in Ipoh was a chance of a lifetime as we prepare for the World Cup, where (No 13) Malaysia must strive to finish in the top-10 bracket to improve our world ranking."

The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) had set a quarter-final target for the Junior World Cup last year, yet the team made the semis and finished fourth. For the Azlan Shah Cup, the MHC target was bronze but the team won silver.

And nobody would be surprised if Malaysia finish No 10 in the World Cup as the major difference between Dharmaraj and his predecessors is the word 'attack' as compared to 'defend'.

In the 2002 Kuala Lumpur World Cup, this scribe had interviewed German coach Bernhard Peters and asked him how did he change the fortunes of his team from finishing fifth in the 2000 Olympics, to world champions two years later   and the answer was 'attack'.

Peters had then said: "I have the same players who played in the Sydney Olympics. The previous coach told them to defend and they finished fifth, and when I told them to play attacking hockey, they won the World Cup."

This is what Dharmaraj is striving to do.

New Straits Times

Leaky defence a concern for Malaysia hockey team

By Aftar Singh


The Australian hockey players celebrate after scoring against Malaysia in the final of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup on Sunday. Malaysia lost 8-3. - Filepic

IPOH: As much as the weakened national hockey team deserve praise for making the final, they also deserve flak for their dodgy defending in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament, which ended on Sunday.

Their poor defending stood out like a sore thumb in the two matches against world champions Australia.

In the round-robin match last Saturday, Australia outplayed Malaysia 6-2. Then, in the final, they trounced coach K. Dharmaraj’s men’s 8-3 – handing them the heaviest defeat in the tournament since its inception in 1983.

That’s 14 goals conceded in just two matches – albeit to the world No. 1 team.

Even skipper Azlan Misron admitted that the backline was their weakest link.

“Conceding eight goals – five penalty corners and three field goals – in the final was a huge blow in final.

“It clearly shows that the backline cannot cope with pressure, especially against a world-class team like Australia,” said Azlan, who marshalls the defence.

The other defenders are Faiz Helmi Jali, Mohd Izad Hakimi Jamaluddin, Ahmad Kazamirul Nasruddin and newcomer Shazril Irwan Nazli.

But the 30-year-old Azlan, who is most senior player with 329 international caps, pointed out that the team were without several dexperience defenders, like Mohd Razie Abdul Rahim, Baljit Singh Charun and Mohd Madzli Ikmar.

Razie is nursing a shoulder injury, Baljit has a back injury and Madzli was rested.

“We need to rectify the defensive problem fast as we prepare for the coming tournaments, especially the World Cup (in The Hague from May 31-June 15),” said Azlan.

Ironically, Malaysia will open their World Cup Group A campaign against Australia on May 31.

But it’s not just Australia that the Malaysian defence will have to contend with in two months’ time, they will also be facing other top ranked teams like England, Belgium, Spain and India.

Olympic champions Germany, Holland, Argentina, New Zealand, South Korea and South Africa are in Group B.

“We’ve qualified for the World Cup after a 12-year lapse and we don’t want to become a laughing stock with our poor defending,” said Azlan.

Malaysia last featured in the World Cup in 2002, when Kuala Lumpur was the host.

Azlan, however, was pleased to see the forwards hitting their stride in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, netting 20 goals in six matches.

“The forward line has shown an improvement and that’s a good sign for the national team,” he said.

All the strikers – Faizal Saari, Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin, Mohd Firhan Ashaari, Mohd Shahril Saabah and Mohd Rashid Baharom – scored in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup tournament.

Malaysia’s next outing is the Champions Challenge I in Kuantan from April 26-May 4.

The Star of Malaysia

Canadian Teams announced for Indoor Pan American Cups

The men’s and women’s Canadian Indoor National teams for the upcoming Pan Am Cup were announced Monday, March 17th. The two teams will head to Montevideo, Uruguay (April 7-12) to compete in the tournament and vie for an entry into the Indoor World Cup next year.

The following players have been selected to represent Canada at the 2014 Pan Am Cup:

Canadian Men

 Canadian Women 

Tournament Schedule: check the full tournament schedule on the PAHF web site:
Men: http://www.panamhockey.org/en/competitions-31
Women: http://www.panamhockey.org/en/competitions-34

The winners of the Indoor Pan American Cups will earn a berth into the 2015 Indoor World Cup.

If you would like to support your national teams on their road to the Pan Am Cup, visit the men’s and women’s Chimp pages and donate to the teams:
https://chimp.net/groups/team-canada-indoor-field-hockey-women
https://chimp.net/groups/canadian-men-s-indoor-field-hockey-team

The men’s team will be hosting a fundraising dinner on March 28th, as a send off to the tournament. The event is $75 a person and will take place at Natraj Banquet Hall. For information about the dinner contact Reggie Pereira: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Field Hockey Canada media release

Changing hockey to four quarters for Rio Olympics will disrupt momentum of matches, says Sean Kerly

Player who led Britain to gold at 1988 Olympics issues warning over new format

By Rod Gilmour


Take a break: FIH rule change will see four quarters of 15 minutes Photo: ADY KERRY

Sean Kerly, whose eight goals led Britain to gold at the 1988 Olympics, believes changing to a four-quarter format will have an effect on the momentum in matches at international level.

From Sep 1, hockey will no longer be a game of two halves, four 15-minute quarters replacing the previous two 35-minute periods as the sport looks towards raising its appeal ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Kerly also believes that the new ruling – matches will be cut by 10 minutes, though 40 second time-outs after goals and penalty corners have been introduced – means that teams under pressure will be able “to take stock and adjust the balance”.

He said: “With 35 minutes each half and no stoppages for short corners, you built a natural momentum because there is no time to rest. There are different perspectives when you’re playing and momentum is a big part of it.

“Hockey is so quick that the pressure is kept on the opposition. It gives sides an opportunity to get out of a hole and will have an effect on the momentum of the game.”

“You can get lost in the momentum and not have time to think. If I was a coach I would use the 40 seconds to reset my players’ brains, if they find themselves under pressure.”

International Hockey Federation (FIH) chiefs last week admitted they had looked at basketball, American football and others in their research on ways to add excitement to the sport. The rule tinkering also follows last month’s $250 million television deal between the FIH and Indian broadcaster Star Sports.

“From a viewing perspective, television producers are always struggling to get replays in such is the speed of the game, so this rule will give more time to the viewer and a chance to offer opinion,” said Kerly.

Last year, hockey faced the prospect of Olympic exclusion from the 2020 Games and the FIH recently admitted to Telegraph Sport that the near-miss was a “catalyst to take a long hard look at our sport and where we wanted to go.”

“Hockey is under threat from Olympic exclusion,” admitted Kerly. “It is an expensive sport to run and doesn’t quite have the connections that equestrian and sailing has [in IOC circles]. Kings sail and ride horses, but don’t play hockey, do they? It may be that hockey has a difficulty in that respect.

“TV effectively drives participation. And it is the quality you watch that is also important. Not just the quantity, but also the tweaking could be trying to up the quality of the coverage in order to make it appeal to more people.”

The new format has already been tried in the Euro Hockey League and in the Indian Hockey League and will get its first major international airing at this year's Asian Games in September.

However, Kerly believes that the four-quarter move is unlikely to yield much of an impact at elite level.

“The sport can still retain its intensity, players will swap around every six or seven minutes with the midfield and forward crew,” he added.

“The rule sounds a lot but there doesn’t seem a great deal of change here. It has just formalised what’s been happening to the game’s intensity anyway.”

The Telegraph