News 12 May 2014
All the news for Monday 12 May 2014
Captain Baljit leads by example
Sapura players celebrating their success yesterday.
SAPURA HC beat UniKL Young Guns 1-0 in the TNB-Malaysian Hockey League Division One final for the President’s Cup at National Hockey Stadium yesterday.
Captain Baljit Singh fired home the winner in the 52nd minute from Sapura’s fourth penalty corner after both teams were involved in an intense 70-minute battle.
For Sapura, it was a double celebration in front of 2,000 fans as they also won the League title after edging TNB Thunderbolt on a two-goal difference.
Baljit, who scored 16 goals in the tournament, received the President’s Cup from Datuk Aminudin Mohd Amin, TNB Senior General Manager for Corporate and Communication.
Sapura went home richer with a total of RM50,000 (RM30,000 for winning the President’s Cup and RM20,000 for the league title). UniKL Young Guns collected RM27,000 (RM20,000 as President’s Cup runners-up and RM7,000 for finishing third in the league).
Sapura team manager, Louis Gregory, said: “It was a touch and go affair and an exciting match until Baljit scored the winner. We had some senior players with experience who did well to guide the younger players.”
UniKL Young Guns coach Arul Selvaraj said: “I have a very young squad. There are 13 players in this team who are actually playing for the first time in this league.
In the playoff for third placing, TNB Thunderbolt pulverised Ipoh Municipal Council (MBI) 7-3 with a five-goal blitz from Mohd Amin Rahim (8th, 20th, 58th, 65th and 67th) while Mohd Najib Abu Hassan (32nd) and Muhammad Firdaus Omar (69th) completed the rout.
MBI replied through Mohd Akmal Tajudin (14th and 33rd) and Abdul Rauf Nazri (47th)
The National Women’s League, which is introduced for the first time this year, witnessed Armed Forces Pernama emerge as the inaugural champions following a 2-1 win over favourites UiTM Lions in the final.
ATM walked away with the champions’ trophy and RM15,000 winning purse while UiTM Lions picked up RM10,000. The third and fourth-placing playoff, which was an all-Johor affair, went SSTMI Thunderbolt’s way as they outclassed Johor Municipal Council (MBJB) 3-0.
Nur Amirah Abu Samah gave UiTM Lions an early boost with a ninth minute goal from a penalty corner but ATM clawed back through Siti Noor Amarina Ruhani in the 28th minute to level 1-1 at half-time. ATM’s winner came from Izzuin Ismail three minute before the hooter.
RESULTS — Men’s Final: Sapura HC 1 UniKL Young Guns 0; 3rd /4th Placing: TNB Thunderbolt 7 Ipoh Municipal Council (MBI) 3.
Women’s Final: ATM Pernama 2 UiTM 1; 3rd/4th: SSTMI Thunderbolt 3 MBJB 0.
ROLL OF HONOUR (MEN): PRESIDENT’S CUP — Champions: Sapura HC (RM30,000); Runners-up: UniKL Young Guns (RM20,000); Third: TNB Thunderbolt (RM10,000); Fourth: MBI (RM5,000)
LEAGUE CUP – Champions: Sapura HC (RM20,000); Runners-up: TNB Thunderbolt (RM15,000); Third: UniKL Young Guns (RM7,000)
Player of the Match: Baljit Singh (Sapura HC)
Top Scorer: Baljit Singh (Sapura — 16 goals)
Best Goalkeeper: Mohd Hairi Abdul Rahman (Sapura)
Player of the Tournament: Shazrul Imran (UniKL Young Guns)
Fairplay: Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS)
ROLL OF HONOUR (WOMEN) — Champions: ATM Pernama (RM15,000); Runners-up: UiTM Lions (RM10,000); Third: SSTMI Thunderbolt (RM5,000); Fourth: MBJB (RM3,000).
Player of the Match: Siti Nurhafiza Zainordin (ATM Pernama)
Top Scorer: Hanis Nadia Onn (STTMI Thunderbolt — 5 goals)
Best Goalkeeper: Farah Ayuni Yahya (UiTM Lions)
Player of the Tournament: Izzuin Ismail (ATM Pernama)
Fair Play: Terengganu PHT-MSNT
New Straits Times
Baljit’s only goal helps Sapura to hockey double
By S. Ramaguru
The ATM-Pernama team celabrate after clinching the inaugural women's National Hockey League title at the National Hockey Stadium on Sunday. They beat UiTM Lions 2-1 in the final. - SHAARI CHEMAT/ The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Former international S. Baljit Singh was the hero as Sapura bagged a double in Division One of the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL).
Having bagged the league title last month, Sapura clinched the President’s Cup at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Sunday when Baljit fired home the winner off a penalty corner in the 52nd minute to beat Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) 1-0.
Baljit also picked up two individual awards. He was named the man-of-the-match for the final and also clinched the tournament’s top scorer award with 16 goals.
Sapura took home RM30,000 for winning the Cup while UniKL collected RM20,000.
TNB-Thunderbolt finished third when they outplayed Ipoh City Council 7-3.
Meanwhile, ATM-Pernama won the inaugural women’s National Hockey League when they defeated UiTM Lions 2-1 in the final at the same venue.
ATM were slow starters, conceding a goal after nine minutes through a penalty corner conversion by Nur Amirah Abu Samah. But they stormed back to equalise in the 28th minute when international Nur Amarina Ruhani converted a penalty corner.
Just when the game seemed headed for a penalty shootout, Izzuin Ismail netted a field goal three minutes from time to give ATM the crown.
Both ATM and UiTM had gone through the seven-team league unbeaten. The two teams played to a 0-0 draw earlier in the league.
UiTM had topped the standings with 16 points after five wins and a draw while second-placed ATM had 14 points from four wins and two draws.
ATM won RM15,000 for their efforts while UiTM picked up RM10,000.
SSTMI took home RM5,000 when they defeated MBJB 3-0 in the third placing playoff.
The Star of Malaysia
Mirnawan calls for hockey team to aim higher
Former national hockey player Mirnawan Nawawi (centre) having a chat with the national team during a meeting at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Sunday. - SHAARI CHEMAT/ The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Eleven members of the Malaysian 2002 World Cup hockey squad turned up to give morale support to the national team heading for the World Cup in The Hague, Holland, from May 31-June 15.
Led by skipper Mirnawan Nawawi, they met the current batch of 30 players at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Sunday. Besides Mirnawan, the others who turned up were S. Kuhan, Maninderjit Singh, S. Shankar, Fairuz Affendy, Mohamed Rodhanizam Radzi, K. Logan Raj, Mohamed Nasihin Nubli, Chairil Anwar, Nor Azlan Bakar and Roslan Jamaluddin.
Roslan, a goalkeeper, is the only player still in the current team.
Mirnawan called on the players to remain united and to back their coaching staff.
“We finished in eighth place in 2002, but I hope the present team will aim higher. It is important for the players to stay focused throughout the Finals. There are bound to be distractions in The Hague and the players must remember that they are there to do a job and play as a unit,” he said.
Datuk Nor Azmi Ahmad, the senior vice-president of the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC), also said the players should aim higher than the top-10 target set by MHC.
“The top 10 is just a preliminary target. The players should aim higher and try to secure the best position they can.
“It all boils down to the commitment of the players. They should not be just satisfied with having qualified for the World Cup. They have to use this as a stepping stone for the future,” he said.
Meanwhile, the 30-member team will resume their training on Monday after a three-day motivation camp in Port Dickson.
National coach K. Dharmaraj is expected to name his final 18-man squad on May 17.
The team will also attend a luncheon hosted by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in Putrajaya on Monday.
The Star of Malaysia
Maties and UJ march on
Varsity Hockey powerhouses Maties and UJ both recorded important victories in Stellenbosch on Sunday.
Maties held on in front of their home crowd to notch a 3-2 victory over NMMU, whilst UJ saw off UCT 6-0 to continue their unbeaten run.
Maties took control of their clash with the Madibaz early on as Shannon Boucher scored from a drag flick and it was not long until Matt de Sousa had made it 2-0.
Dylan Swanepoel found Boucher with a great ball and he needed to invitation to stretch the lead to 3-0 before the Madibaz launched a late revival.
Striker Ignatius Malgraaf got the ball rolling with a drag flick of his own, but they would come up just short as Maties held on for the win.
In the other game in Stellenbosch on Sunday table-toppers UJ cruised to a comfortable 6-0 victory over UCT who have been decimated by injury.
The Johannesburg side dominated the game, with Taylor Dart opening the scoring before James du Plessis grabbed a double to give them a 3-0 lead at the first break.
The second chukka was decisive as they scored from a short corner before captain Gareth Heyns put them 5-0 up.
Another goal five minutes from the end put the final nail in UCT’s coffin as UJ sealed a 6-0 victory.
Varsity Sports
Tuks give Kovsies the slip
Two late goals saw UP-Tuks claim a vital 2-0 victory over home side Kovsies in Bloemfontein on Sunday.
It was a hard-fought encounter between the two sides who were both coming off good wins on Saturday, with little quarter given either way.
There were no goals in the first two chukkas, but the Pretoria side made their move in the final period as a drag flick from Matthew Guise-Brown gave them the lead.
The victory was sealed by an impressive effort from Richard Pautz who produced a spectacular overhead shot to seal the win for the visitors.
The second match saw Rhodes and Wits end deadlocked at 1-1 after a tough match which saw both teams dominate in periods.
The first chukka ended goalless, but Rhodes took advantage soon after the break when Cody van Wyk finished well after a long corner from Jeremy Hart.
Rhodes could have gone 2-0 but a p-flick was put wide and Wits equalised soon afterwards when Jarryd Povall put a rebound in the back of the net.
Rhodes had a late opportunity to clinch the win after Van Wyk was taken out, but once again the p-flick was saved and it ended level.
Varsity Sports
Big guns fire in Stellenbosch
Varsity Hockey big guns Maties and UJ both recorded convincing victories in Stellenbosch on Saturday.
Neither side conceded a goal as hometown favourites Maties cruised to a 4-0 win in their local derby against the UCT Ikeys, whilst tabletoppers UJ were as convincing in their comfortable 2-0 victory over NMMU.
Maties took control of their game early on, with Charlie Bowren netting their opening goal in the first chukka.
The Stellenbosch side had the powerplay at the start of the second chukka, and got their second goal soon aferwards as Matt de Sousa finished well after Keenan Horne had created the opportunity.
UCT trew everything at them in the final stages but Maties got two late goals from striker James Drummond to wrap up a resounding victory.
Dylan Swanepoel was the FNB Man of the match, Matt de Sousa was the Samsung Superstriker and UCT goalkeeper Matthew Becker was the FNB Supersaver.
UJ were clinical in their 2-0 victory over the NMMU Madibaz, with Taylor Dart scoring early and James du Plessis adding another in the final chukka.
Varsity Sports
Tuks and Kovsies dominate in Bloem
Tuks and Kovsies both showed that they know how to score goals with impressive Varsity Hockey Victories on Saturday.
Tuks brushed off Rhodes 5-1 before home side Kovsies held off a determined and resurgent Wits side to take a 6-4 victory.
Tuks were simply too strong for Rhodes who were forced to defend from the outset as the Pretoria side took control through goals from Matthew Guise-Brown, Kewan Harries and Michael Murdoch-Eaton in the opening chukka.
Rhodes refused to drop their heads and rallied well to get a consolation goal at the death.
Home team Kovsies also made a storming start to their clash with Wits, as goals from Jaco Fourie and Berne Burger put them 2-0 up early on.
The second chukka was going just as well Ruan Kleinhans capitalised on an opportunity created by Burger before a Gilbert de Villiers shot deflected in to make it 4-0.
A drag flick from AB Ras made it a healthy 6-0 lead for the Bloemfontein side, but Wits fought back well to give them a real scare.
Goals fr Devon Campbell and Jarryd Povall saw the Kovsies scrambling to defend their lead, but they hung on to claim a 6-4 victory.
Varsity Sports
SA junior Malgraff selected for hockey World Cup
Ignatius Malgraff © Full stop communications
NMMU hockey star Ignatius Malgraff is jetting off to the Netherlands in just over a week after being selected for the national senior World Cup team on Friday.
The first-year mechanical engineering student is one of only two juniors included in the South African side that will be up against the best in the world in The Hague from 31 May to 15 June.
"This is definitely the highlight of my hockey career," said the East London-born striker. "It is such an honour to represent my country on the world stage and to play alongside such experienced players."
Malgraff was one of 30 hopefuls who participated in a rigorous selection camp at St Alban's College in Pretoria recently.
"Last week each of us received a personal call from the coach informing us about our selection, but we had to keep the news to ourselves until it was released to the media on Friday.
"I was ecstatic when I received the good news.
"And, to top it all off, I am one of only two juniors (the other being Dylan Swanepoel from the Western Cape) to have made the team."
Malgraff and the rest of his teammates will not be wasting any time and will be attending an intense two-day training session in Gauteng from 18 May, two days before they leave for the Netherlands.
The South Africans will have their work cut out for them as they have two of the world's best teams - Germany and the Netherlands - in their pool.
"It is going to be tough, but we have many experienced players and Olympians in our team," said Malgraff.
Although the Madibaz player is one of the youngest in the squad, he is definitely not lacking in the experience department.
He started playing while at St John's Road Primary and continued throughout high school at Hudson Park High.
He first received SA colours as an under-16 player in 2009 and made his debut for the senior side at the FIH Champions Challenge in Argentina two years ago.
Last year, Malgraff was selected for the under-21 team that competed in the Junior World Cup in India.
"His inclusion in the World Cup squad means a lot to us as a university and shows that we are continuing our proud tradition of producing national players," said Madibaz coach Cheslyn Gie.
He added that Malgraff was an exceptional player and that his teammates were very proud of his achievement. "When they heard the news they surrounded him and congratulated him."
When the young hockey genius is not on the turf, he spends his time behind his textbooks. "I am considering playing club hockey abroad, but I first want to complete my studies."
WORLD CUP TEAM:
Rassie Pieterse, Jethro Eustice, Clint Panther, Julian Hykes (all Southern Gauteng), Gowan Jones, Wade Paton, Tim Drummond (all KZN Coastal Raiders), Rhett Halkett, Austin Smith (capt), Dylan Swanepoel (all Western Cape), Justin Reid-Ross, Lloyd Madsen, Jonty Robinson (all Northern Blues), Lungi Tsolekile, Lloyd Norris-Jones, Pierre de Voux (all Western Province), Ignatius Malgraff (Eastern Province).
Supersport
Cowie keeps Notre Dames ahead
Nigel Simon
Cristina Abreu, left, of Ventures and Paragon’s Avion Ashton battle for the ball in their T&T Hockey Board Women’s Championship Division match at the National Hockey Centre, Tacarigua on Saturday. Paragon won 1-0 on an 11th minute goal from captain Alana Lewis. Photo: Anthony Harris.
National captain Darren Cowie scored the lone goal as Notre Dame battled past defending champions Petrotrin 1-0 to maintain a one-point lead over Queen’s Park CC in the T&T Hockey Board Men’s Championship Division at the National Hockey Centre, Tacarigua on Saturday.
Cowie netted in the 33rd minute for the Dames, now with 22 points from nine matches, one more than the Parkites who clipped Courts Malvern 3-1 led by a brace from Dominic Young.
Young scored in the sixth and 29th minute while veteran player, Raphael Govia got the other in the 18th before Peter Edwards fired in a 49th minute consolation for Malvern.
Over in Tobago at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Training Field, Bacolet, Javon Woodward amnd Nicholas Wren led visiting Defence Force past Paradise 2-1.
Woodward opened the scroing in the 44th but Handel Thom replied for the host ten minutes later, only for Wren to snatch a late winner in the 66th.
Lewis extends Paragon women lead
Alana Lewis, the senior national women’s team captain was also the lone scorer for her club Paragon as it extended its lead at the top of the Women’s Championship after a 1-0 triumph over cellar-placed Ventures.
Lewis netted as early as the 11th minute for Paragon, now with 16 points from seven matches, five clear of Shandy Carib Magnolias and two-time defending champions Notre Dame.
Paradise narrows Parkites Trinity advantage
In the Trinity Men’s Division, Desmond Archer scored a pair of goals as host Paradise blanked Carib 4-0 to cut Queen’s Park lead at the top to three points with two matches in hand.
Archer found the back of the net in the 28th and 31st minute after Handel Thom opened his team’s account in the 23rd while Omari Brathwaite added the fourth in the 66th.
Paradise now has 21 points from seven matches, and needs to pick up four points from its remaining two encounters against Shape and Courts Malvern to claim the title ahead of the Parkites who completed their nine-match campaign with 24 points.
And in the Trinity Women’s Division, Shaniah De Freitas and Stacey Siu Butt scored two goals each for Shandy Carib Magnolias as they racked up a fifth straight win, 7-3 over Courts Malvern.
De Freitas netted in the seventh and 40th, Siu Butt got her double in the 12th and 38th while Olton sisters,
Samantha Olton (13th) and Kaitlyn Olton (16th) as well as Fiona O’Brien (25th) also netted to carry their team to maximum 15 points, two ahead of Paragon which has played a match more.
Results
Friday
Trinity Women
Courts Malvern 6 (Mia Mitchell 41st, 49th, 56th, Kherdine Gonsalves 34th, Kaya Edwards 45th, Rachel Davis 59th) vs Notre Dame 3 (Nicole Whiteman 31st, Cheryl John 62nd, Anola Paul 65th)
Saturday
Men’s Championship
Defence Force 2 (Javon Woodward 44th, Nicholas Wren 66th) vs Paradise 1 (Handel Thom 54th)
Queen’s Park 3 (Dominic Young 6th, 29th, Raphael Govia 18th) vs Malvern 1 (Peter Edwards 49th)
Notre Dame 1 (Darren Cowie 33rd) vs Petrotrin 0
Women’s Championship
Paragon 1 (Alana Lewis 11th) vs Ventures 0
Trinity Men
Paradise 4 (Desmond Archer 28th, 31st, Handel Thom 23rd, Omari Brathwaite 66th) vs Carib 0
Under-19 Boys
Paradise 7 (Omari Brathwaite 16th, 49th, 64rd, Nave Roach 31st, 43rd, 59th, Keanu Brathwaite 14th) vs Carib 1 (Nathaniel Mc Williams 32nd)
Fatima 9 (J. Vieria 20th, 37th, M. Perriera 52nd, 58th, Che Modeste 14th, J. Nieves 21st, M Gonsalves 25th, C Rahim 40th, J. Nieves 49th) vs Notre Dame 0
Trinity Women
Magnolias 7 (Shaniah De Freitas 7th, 40th, Stacey Siu Butt 12th, 38th, Samantha Olton 13th, Kaitlyn Olton 16th, Fiona O’Brien 25th) vs Malvern 2 (Danielle Martin 58th, 64th)
Upcoming fixtures
Today
Men’s Championship: Notre Dame vs Defence Force, 8pm
Tomorrow
Women’s Championship: Ventures vs Shandy Carib Magnolias, 8pm
Wednesday
Men’s Championship: Courts Malvern vs Defence Force, 8pm
Thursday
Women’s Championship: Harvard Checkers vs Courts Malvern, 8pm
Friday
Mixed Veterans: Courts Malvern vs QPCC, 7pm
Men’s Championship: Defence Force vs Notre Dame, 8.30pm
Standings
Men
Teams P W D L F A Pts
Notre Dame 9 7 1 1 27 13 22
QPCC 8 7 0 1 20 7 21
Petrotrin 9 4 1 4 20 16 13
Malvern 9 3 0 6 12 27 9
Paragon 9 2 2 5 26 24 8
Paradise 6 2 1 3 9 9 7
D/Force 3 2 0 1 9 10 6
Fatima 9 1 1 7 8 25 4
Women
Paragon 7 5 1 1 14 7 16
Magnolias 6 3 2 1 15 7 11
Notre Dame 7 3 2 2 22 16 11
Malvern 6 3 1 2 14 12 10
Checkers 5 1 1 3 3 7 4
Ventures 6 0 1 5 5 16 1
Trinity Men
QPCC 9 8 0 1 55 7 24
Paradise 7 7 0 0 22 3 21
Notre Dame 8 6 0 2 23 12 18
Malvern 8 5 1 2 20 10 16
Paragon 9 5 1 3 29 20 16
Fatima 9 4 0 5 15 20 12
Shape 8 3 0 5 13 28 9
Carib 8 1 0 7 5 27 3
Police 6 0 0 6 2 22 0
Petrotrin 8 0 0 8 3 38 0
Trinity Women
Magnolias 5 5 0 0 34 3 15
Paragon 6 4 1 1 12 4 13
Checkers 5 4 0 1 17 2 12
Ventures 6 2 1 3 5 9 7
Notre Dame 6 2 0 4 6 21 6
Police 7 1 2 4 7 24 5
Paradise 6 1 1 4 4 10 4
Malvern 5 1 1 3 11 23 4
Mixed Veterans
Notre Dame 7 5 1 1 34 8 16
QPCC 6 5 0 1 48 8 15
Fatima 7 4 0 3 46 37 12
D/Force 6 3 0 3 32 34 9
Malvern 5 2 2 1 24 10 8
Carib 5 2 1 2 13 13 7
Police 6 1 0 5 9 23 3
Shape 6 0 0 6 4 77 0
Under-19 Girls
Magnolias 3 3 0 0 22 0 9
Notre Dame 3 3 0 0 11 6 9
Paragon 4 2 1 1 12 5 7
Malvern 5 2 1 2 23 19 7
Checkers 6 2 1 3 7 16 7
Ventures 4 1 1 2 12 5 4
Raiders 5 0 0 5 0 36 0
Under-19 Boys
QPCC 7 6 0 1 52 11 18
Malvern 4 4 0 0 73 3 12
Fatima 6 4 0 2 57 12 12
Shape 7 4 0 3 46 19 12
Paradise 5 4 0 1 22 9 12
Notre Dame 7 3 0 4 18 33 9
Carib 7 1 0 6 6 68 3
Paragon 3 0 0 3 2 19 0
Raiders 6 0 0 6 1 101 0
The Trinidad Guardian
Meet the team... Team USA prepare to make their mark on the Rabobank Hockey World Cup
Will hard work pay off for Crandall and co?
"We are a team that works as hard as we can everyday, because we know that what we do on a Tuesday or a Wednesday any week in Pennsylvania will pay off when it comes to a big tournament." Lauren Crandall is captain of the USA women's hockey team and one of only two of her team to have played in a previous world cup. "I know that we are known for our physicality, but we now have the hockey skills to match," she added.
Although the team is relatively inexperienced, they do have some old-timers amonst them. Both Lauren and Rachel Dawson have amassed more than 200 international caps and have played in two Olympic Games and a previous World Cup. And on the coaching staff working alongside head coach Craig Parnham is Janneke Schopmann, who was a member of the gold-medal winning Netherlands team of 2006.
Team USA missed out on qualification in the 2010 World Cup, but go into this year's competition ranked 10th. The team has just won the Champions Challenge 1, qualifying for the 2016 Champions Trophy in the process. The victory in Glasgow means the USA go to The Hague on a high, having beaten fellow World Cup qualifiers Korea, South Africa and Belgium over the course of the tournament.
FIH site
Late heroes of 1975 World Cup given cold shoulder by Hockey India
Deepankar Sharda
The proud family of Gurcharan Singh 'Bodhi' misses the legend in Jalandhar. Balbir Singh (Sr) goes down memory lane and shares some anecdotes with The Tribune from the triumphant World Cup campaign at his Chandigargh residence on Sunday. Milkait SIngh/Pradeep Tewari
Chandigarh - When members of a sports team pass away, do their performances, their records automatically diminish, do their memories fade away? Not for their teammates, their fans; but the sports officialdom does seem to believe that they don't need to be remembered and honoured.
Hockey India's decision to honour the 1975 World Cup-winning team is laudable. But due to an incredibly small-minded act, Hockey India has decided to honour only the 13 living players - the three players who have passed away don't merit the honour, Hockey India seems to believe. Surjit Singh, Mohinder Singh and SR Pawar are the members of the victorious team who have passed away, but it would only have been a nice and gracious gesture if Hockey India had decided to invite their family members and honoured them in New Delhi this Wednesday.
Forgotten heroes
Ajit Pal Singh, the captain of the 1975 team, says: “Hockey India should have invited their families. Mohinder Singh, Surjit Singh and Shivaji Pawar had played a great role in the team's win. Hockey India should have invited their families and given them the respect they deserve.”
“This is harsh on the part of Hockey India. Every person of the contingent had played a great role in the victory,” Varinder Singh, who played half-back in the 1975 team, told The Tribune. “The families of the deceased players, and that of the deceased coach Gurcharan Singh Bodhi, deserve to be honoured.”
If Hockey India could ignore Balbir Singh, the three-time Olympic champion who was the chief coach and manager of the team, why would it remember Bodhi, who had been a very good player with Punjab Police and the deputy chief coach of the 1975 team?
“Gurcharan Singh 'Bodhi' was a real gem of a person and no one can match his contribution,” Balbir Singh told The Tribune. “During the long coaching camp and in the tournament in Kula Lumpur, he worked very hard. I still remember the long discussions, the decisions... His efforts to make everything work perfectly. He put in all his experience to make sure that the decision to hand over the preparatory camp to Punjab government should succeed.” The then Punjab Chief Minister, Giani Zail Singh, had offered to host and train the team after India finished with the silver after losing 0-2 to Pakistan in the Asian Games. K.S. Bains, then Director of Sports in the Punjab government, remembers the hard work Balbir Singh and Bodhi put in to train the team. “It had become a high-profile camp, since the chief minister himself was interested in the project, and no expenses were spared to make the camp a success,” Bains says.
Bodhi, a brotherly figure
Bains remembers Bodhi, who died in 1988, as a very fine and dedicated coach, and Balbir Singh says that Bodhi was a brotherly figure to him.
Bodhi's family, living in Jalandhar, says that it would have been nice if his contribution had been remembered. After returning to India, in an interview, Bodhi said that the World Cup was the biggest achievement of India in hockey. “After we lost to Argentina, it was all over for us, but with god's grace and hard work we performed well thereafter... I am happy not only for the boys but also for my India,” Bodhi had said.
“Hockey India should also honour other team members and supporting staff of the team... I remember, my father used to supervise all the camps organised in Jalandhar and we brothers used to visit those camps,” Bodhi's son, Captain Manjit Singh, who works with Air India, says. “Giani Zail Singh had called my father and other legends to supervise the camp in Panjab University. It was a memorable day for us when the team came to our home after winning the trophy and my father was on cloud nine.” Manjit Singh's brother, who was a district sports officer, died in 2002.
HI fails legends
Surinder Singh Saini, who has been associated with hockey in Punjab for long, was one of the closest associates of Bodhi. “These legends had played their part but Hockey India has failed them,” he says. “Hockey India could have invited the families of legends like Gurcharan Bodhi, Surjit Singh, Mohinder Singh and the others who contributed so much to the team's win.”
“I am pleased with Hockey India's decision to felicitate the players... However, the officials could have done this in a better manner. Bodhi was a close aide and more than that he is a brotherly figure to me. His contribution should not be forgotten,” Balbir Singh adds.
Exactly 39 years ago, almost to the day, India won the world title for the first and only time; the Indian team has declined so much that in next month's World Cup, India would be delighted to merely finish among top six.
Maybe it's only right that we've fallen on bad times, for we don't commemorate the past achievements, honour the heroes. Petty officialdom may not understand this, so it won't be surprising if Hockey India officials think that this grumbling is due to the Rs 1.75 lakh it is awarding the 13 living players.
The Tribune
SAI beat Assam 6-0 in Sub Junior Men's Hockey Championship
VADODARA: Sports Authority of India (SAI) registered their second consecutive win by defeating Assam 6-0 in the second match of Pool A of the fourth Sub Junior Men National Hockey Championship on Sunday.
Sports Authority of India looked composed and attacked from the very 1st minute of the game. They did not let Assam to score a single goal throughout the match.
It was Abdul Hussain who scored the first goal for Sports Authority of India in the 6th minute of the game through a field goal.
In the 17th minute, Shubhan Verma scored another goal for SAI and took a lead of 2-0.
Soon after in the 20th minute, Minaj Ali, the captain of SAI scored another goal for the team through a field goal. In the 31st minute, SAI got a penalty corner and Prashant Kabeer Sen converted it into a goal without making any mistake and took the lead 4-0 in the first half of the game.
In the second half, Assam tried to come back and kept on defending the attack of SAI. In the 54th minute of the match Shubhan Verma again scored goal for the SAI by converting a penalty corner into a goal.
The last goal was scored by Jyotimoi Borah in the 65th minute of the game and helped the team to register an emphatic win over Assam 6-0.
In the 1st match of Pool D, Rajasthan defeated Citizens Hockey XI by 4-1 and registered their 1st win of the tournament. For Rajasthan, Urmil Kumar Sharma (12th minute), Krapal Singh Rajput (15th), Bajrang Sain (29th) sounded the board as the score at the half time was 3-0.
In the second half, Citizens Hockey XI bounced back and Amit Prasad scored the first goal for the team in the 47th minute of the game making the score as 3-1.
But in the very next minute, Shivraj Shahu scored another goal as Rajasthan finished with a score of 4-1.
In another match of Pool B, Himachal Pradesh beats Puducherry by 9-1.
In the first match of Pool A today, Vidarbha Hockey Association beats Jammu & Kashmir by 3-2.
The Times of India
India, Pakistan Women Hockey Teams face-off in Solan
Solan: The 'HIM GOLD CUP' hockey tournament which kicked off on Thursday and will conclude on Sunday saw the Pakistan's Punjab women hockey team giving a tough fight to their Indian counterparts in Solan in Himachal Pradesh.
Six teams from India and Pakistan participating in a four-day women hockey tournament witnessed Pakistan's Punjab Women Hockey Team outshining their Indian counterparts throughout the tournament.The tournament was organised in a bid to strengthening bilateral ties between the two neighbours.
Coach of Pakistan's Punjab Women Hockey team, Mustak Ahemad said that the team had trained well and had also performed well during the tournament.
"According to me the Punjab women hockey team from Pakistan is very well prepared for the 'HIM GOLD CUP' Tournament. This match is a friendship match with the message of love for both India and Pakistan. I believe that our team will play very well," Ahemad said.
The hockey players from different state teams and academies participated in the tournament with full enthusiasm and competitive spirit.
Captain of Pakistan's Punjab Hockey team, Fakhara Tabassum said that the team was confident of winning the tournament.
"Our team has practiced a lot and has taken many training sessions. We have full confidence and we would surely win the tournament,"Tabassum said.
Capping the event on a progressive note, the team members from Pakistan who participated in the tournament believed that the hockey tournament and many such sporting events would boost cordial relations between India and Pakistan.
DNA
O'Donoghue and Good continue Dragons' Irish connection
Euro Hockey League bronze medalists KHC Dragons have strengthened their panel by adding Irish internationals Shane O'Donoghue and Kyle Good to their roster for the 2014/15 season.
It comes in the same week that Florent van Aubel has confirmed he will stay with the club for the upcoming year.
The club have a long association with Irish players with Stephen Butler - previously Ireland's record caps and goals scorer - playing two stints with the Brasschaat club while Joe Brennan, Graham Shaw, Eugene Magee, Mikey Watt and Geoff McCabe have also had spells with the club.
Both O'Donoghue and Good have previous EHL experience. O'Donoghue played with Glenanne in the 2009/10 and 2010/11 seasons, reaching the KO16 the second time around. Good, meanwhile, played for Three Rock Rovers in their run to the KO16 in the 2008/09 season, drawing with both KHC Leuven and Atletic Terrassa.
O'Donoghue played the last three seasons with UCD and has established himself as a regular in the Irish senior team with 34 caps while he also captained the Irish Under-21 team in 2013.
Good, who plays either in midfield or in the forward line, helped Monkstown to the last two Irish Hockey League crowns and has 25 international caps to his name.
Euro Hockey League media release