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All the news for Monday 16 June 2014

Australia men stun Netherlands to win Rabobank Hockey World Cup

Ciriello hat-trick helps Kookaburras to 6-1 win over host



Australia powered to a sensational 6-1 victory over host nation the Netherlands in the men's final of the Rabobank Hockey World Cup, with drag-flicking defender Chris Ciriello scoring a hat-trick to help the Kookaburras retain the title that the won four years ago in New Delhi, India.

The Aussies fell behind to an early goal from Jeroen Hertzberger, but Ciriello (3), Kieran Govers, Glenn Turner and Jamie Dwyer all netted to give the Oceania Champions a resounding victory over the home favourites.

Two Kookaburras players were also honoured in the individual awards, with team captain Mark Knowles being named Rabobank Player of the Tournament, while Jeremy Hayward was given the Hero Junior Player award.

The game brought the curtain down an extraordinarily successful joint men's and women's tournament at the Kyocera stadium, a venue that has welcomed well in excess of 200,000 fans over 14 wonderful days of competition. 

 "The boys played really well today, I was just lucky to be at the end of it finishing it", said Australia's hat-trick hero Chris Ciriello. "It is not just a hat-trick for me, it's for the rest of my team and Australia as well."

Jamie Dwyer, who as well as scoring in the final became Australia's joint highest caps holder alongside Jay Stacy, said: "We have played really great hockey throughout the tournament, it's the best hockey I think we have ever played.  The game is getting faster and more attractive, and the Dutch played a really good game but thankfully we got the better of them."

The Kookaburras had the host nation up against the ropes in the first minutes of the game, relentlessly pushing on in the search of the early opening goal which had been a major feature in all of their previous fixtures at the Rabobank hockey world Cup.  However, a lightning quick counter-attack from Netherlands star Billy Bakker resulted in the opening penalty corners of the game, with Kookas' keeper Andrew Charter being forced to make two near identical high glove saves from Mink van der Weerden drag-flicks.

Van der Weerden's efforts gave the partisan crowd hope, but Hertzberger's blistering opening goal sent the stadium into delirium. Fourteen minutes into the match, the man in the number 11 shirt picked up the ball outside the 25 metre line, skipped past his marker and unleashed a thunderous back-hand strike into the bottom left corner before wheeling away in celebration. 

If the home crowd thought that Hertzberger's classy strike would rattle the 2010 world champions, they were mistaken. The mighty Kookaburras continued to pressforward at a staggering speed, and were rewarded when Ciriello drag-flicked his team back into the game with a 20th minute penalty corner strike. Oranje shot-stopper Jaap Stockmann managed to get a toe to the ball, but it was not enough to stop it travelling into the net. 

Four minutes later the Aussies were ahead, with Govers producing a spectacular first time back-hand strike that was at least equal to Hertzberger's opener. The 26-year-old didn't worry about taking a touch to control the ball, instead lashing a first time effort into the goal that gave Stockmann absolutely no chance of saving.

Australia's first half dominance was reflected by their incredible circle penetration statistics, having made 17 entries into the Netherlands scoring area in comparison to just three from Oranje. That dominance was turned into another goal at the start of the second half when Turner netted from close range following excellent work down the right from Simon Orchard, who was playing his 150th game for the Kookaburras.  

It proved to be something of a knock-out punch from the Australians, who quickly moved the score from 3-1 to 5-1 with Ciriello getting two more goals with powerful penalty corner flicks to complete his hat-trick. 

Australia's sixth goal was a moment of sheer magic from five times FIH Player of the Year Jamie Dwyer, who marked his 321st international by jinxing his way along the back-line before drilling the ball into the goal.

Despite Australia's massive advantage on the score-board, the Netherlands never gave up the challenge and came close to pulling a goal back with another Van der Weerden penalty corner rocket, but again Charter produced the goods to deny the prolific Dutchman. 

It was a truly remarkable performance from the Kookaburras, a team that has produced the most impressive of title defences here in The Hague.

Rabobank Hockey World Cup 2014 Tournament Awards - Men

Rabobank Best Player:  Mark Knowles, Australia
Hero Best Junior Player: Jeremy Hayward, Australia
Volvo Best Goalkeeper: Jaap Stockmann, Netherlands
Hero Top Scorer: Gonzalo Peillat, Argentina
Ten Cate Best Goal: Sebastien Dockier, Belgium

FIH site

Men 3/4th: Paredes brace bags bronze for Los Leones

Coach Retegui completes bronze medal double as Argentina defeat England


(Photo: Stanislas Brochier)

Result Men's 3/4th: Argentina v England 2-0 (0-0)

Argentina coach Carlos Retegui claimed his second Bronze medal in two days with a 2-0 triumph against England, with Los Leones striker Matias Paredes netting a quick-fire double to shatter English hopes of a place on the Podium at the Rabobank Hockey World Cup in The Hague.

Paredes bagged goals in the 55th and 56th minutes to complete a remarkable double for Retegui, the man who guided Argentina's women to Bronze just 24 hours earlier. It is the first time that Argentina's men have ever claimed a medal at a Hockey World Cup, with their previous best being 6th placed finishes that they achieved both in 1986 and 1996.

Not for the first time this tournament, the 11th ranked team upset the odds by battling to a wonderful win over a team that currently sits seven places higher than them in the FIH World Rankings.

"It means so much to all of us", said overjoyed Argentina captain Lucas Rey after the match.  "What can I tell you, we are so, so happy. We came here in the hope of finishing fifth, but we have kept fighting all tournament." 

The Bronze medal match started in cagey fashion, with both the Argentinean and English defences looking almost impenetrable for most of the opening period. Argentina came closest to opening the scoring when a speculative shot from Guido Barreiros' hit the outside of the post, while tournament top scorer Gonzalo Peillat forced England goalkeeper George Pinner into making terrific diving glove save in the 30th minute. 

England's best chance came on the stroke of half time thanks to a surging run along the backline from the ever-impressive Barry Middleton, who earned a penalty corner for his team. However, Ashley Jackson's drag-flick was charged down by an on-rushing Argentine defender before being deemed dangerous by umpire Martin Madden. 

England dominated the early stages of the second period, pressing Los Leones deep into their own territory before eventually winning a penalty corner. Ashley Jackson handed flicking duties over to Mark Gleghorne, who brought fine save from Argentine shot-stopper Juan Vivaldi with a high, goal-bound effort.

England's organised high press made it extremely tough for Argentina to get out of their own half, and when they did they found themselves outnumbered by the Europeans who put in an incredible amount of leg-work to nullify the considerable counter-attacking threat posed by the South Americans.

As the half progressed there were signs that the momentum of the match was beginning to shift, as the live wire Argentinean strikers began to find cracks in the England armour. Peillat saw a powerful penalty corner superbly charged down by an England defender before Matias Paredes turned the match on its head with two goals in two minutes. Both were excellently taken, with the first a composed backhand shot before a terrific close range volley effectively killed off England's chances of winning a medal.

FIH site

Dockier blockbuster seals 5th for Red Lions, Black Sticks take 7th in shoot-out

New Zealand take shoot-out win over Spain, Olympic Champions Germany finish 6th


(Photo: Stanislas Brochier)

It is the final day of the Rabobank Hockey World Cup 2014 in The Hague 2014. Before the bronze and gold-medal games later this afternoon there are two classification matches. In the earlier game New Zealand and Spain drew 1-1 in regulation time and Black Sticks' Simon Child finished a shoot-out goal to help his team take 7th place. Battling for 5/6th were Belgium and Germany. Sebastien Dockier scored a back-hand stunner in the 4-2 Belgian win over Germany. Olympic champions Germany failed to create chances and finish 6th in the event.

MEN 7/8th: New Zealand v Spain 1-1 (0-1) (1-4 SO)

Devon Manchester produced a goalkeeping masterclass to help New Zealand to a 7th place finish at the Rabobank Hockey World Cup courtesy of a shoot-out victory over Spain. New Zealand's Kane Russell and Xavi Leonart of Spain  were both on target as the two sides finished the match locked together at 1-1, but Manchester produced fantastic saves to deny both David Alegre and Roc Oliva as the Black Sticks powered to a 4-1 in the shootout. New Zealand converted all four of their opportunities in the shoot-out, with Hugo Inglis, Blair Hilton, Steve Edwards and Simon Child getting the goals.

Read more...

MEN 5/6th: Belgium v Germany

A stunning strike from Sebastien Dockier helped Belgium's Red Lions to a fifth place finish at the Rabobank Hockey World Cup, securing a 4-2 victory over reigning Olympic Champions Germany in a breath-taking 5-6 classification match. Dockier's fabulous backhand strike from a seemingly impossible angle gave Belgium a two goal advantage with only five minutes remaining, condemning world number 2 Germany to a 6th place finish here in the Hague.  

Read more...

For videos, highlights, stories and more visit RabobankHockeyWorldCup2014.com.

FIH site

World Champions

Chris Ciriello's hat-trick helps Kookaburras win World Cup gold



Australia’s men’s hockey team, the Kookaburras, has been crowned world champions once again after an emphatic 6-1 win over World Cup hosts and Olympic silver medallists, the Netherlands.

A hat-trick from penalty corner specialist Chris Ciriello helped the Kookaburras to a second consecutive world title as they stunned the hosts to become only the third team to successfully defend a world crown, following in the footsteps of Pakistan and Germany.

For the first time in the tournament Australia had to come from behind to earn the result but Ciriello’s hat-trick and strikes from Kieran Govers, Glenn Turner and Jamie Dwyer demonstrated a devastating response to Jeroen Hertzberger’s 14th minute opener.

Kookaburras coach Ric Charlesworth, who has now coached four World Cup winning teams, said afterwards, “You dream about winning the final of the World Cup by a big score. I have done that many times and I always thought it was possible but today we gave effect to that so I’m very, very proud of the team.

“Our aim is always to dominate our opponents and to defend better and attack better and to control the ball in the midfield and I think we did all of those things.

“We fell behind but I thought we started ok, we just made one error, they got a corner then we lost a bit of momentum and a very good goal by Jeroen Hertzberger. But maybe what was good about our team is we just kept playing. 70 minutes is a long time and I think that we believed that if we could keep playing with our tempo, our tone, our energy then we could overcome any team. Thankfully, in the end, that’s what happened.”



Kookaburras captain Mark Knowles, playing in his third World Cup final, was named Player of the Tournament while 21 year-old Jeremy Hayward, playing in only his 17th senior international match, was named Young Player of the Tournament.

On the biggest of stages, Simon Orchard made his 150th appearance for the Kookaburras while five times World Player of the Year Jamie Dwyer drew level with Jay Stacy as Australia’s most capped player ever with 321 appearances in the green and gold.

The Kookaburras bounced back in style after falling behind for the first time in the tournament to Jeroen Hertzberger’s perfectly placed low backhand shot, which flew into the far corner of the goal. Australian goalkeeper Andrew Charter had already pulled off two excellent high saves from the Netherlands’ dangerous penalty corner expert Mink van der Weerden but there was little he could do to prevent the hosts from taking the lead.

Dutch goalkeeper Jaap Stockmann’s goal had already been threatened by Matt Gohdes in response to Hertzberger’s strike but it was Ciriello who pulled the Kookaburras level with a trademark penalty corner flick in the 20th minute.

And the Australian men didn’t have to wait long to take the lead. Latching on to a loose ball at the edge of the circle, Kieran Govers’ rasping tomahawk caught Stockmann unaware as it flew into the back of the net, silencing the 15,000 strong partisan home crowd.

Glenn Turner gave the Kookaburras the perfect start after half time as he flicked home at the second attempt after his first was cleared off the goal line. The reflex strike came after Australia were given the umpire’s advantage inside the Dutch circle and Turner was the ultimate recipient making it 3-1.



Ciriello’s second was a carbon copy of his first as he slung a low flick from right to left into the bottom corner beyond Stockmann’s outstretched right foot, and he completed his hat-trick in similar style six minutes later.

With just six minutes remaining, Jamie Dwyer got in on the act, rounding the goalkeeper before shooting Australia to 6-1.

A heart-warming moment late in the game saw Australian goalkeeper Andrew Charter substituted to a rousing ovation from the crowd. Despite the end result being all but confirmed, his replacement Tyler Lovell was still called upon to make a good save to deny the Dutch a late consolation.

Hat-trick hero Chris Ciriello said afterwards, “It hasn’t sunk in yet. The way Ric sort of programs you is play every minute – minute after minute after minute - so it was good to get the first one, then switch off and worry about the next tackle, the next pass. I think it won’t sink in ‘til a bit later when I don’t have to buy any drinks."

Acknowledging the work of his teammates, he added, “It’s not just me that gets to flick the corners. It’s all the strikers, the pressure and hard work that they’ve done to be able to get the corner. And it’s just about being lucky enough to be in the right position in the right place if you’re on the field. And you never know what Ric’s going to call. There’s a hundred variations and three other world class flickers; you’re just sort of praying you get the chance.”

Kookaburras captain Mark Knowles said, “I’m very honoured to win the title again. What we play hockey for is to play in big matches. We were very disappointed after London 2012 [where the Kookaburras won a bronze medal] and we made some changes. We wanted to be better.

“That’s the big thing within this group – it’s about improving. Certainly it’s a team that’s growing and you want to keep moving. I think that’s the greatest thing of this tournament for us; we moved forward.

“Very rarely do you play top quality matches, top, top performances in big games and I’m just so honoured and so proud of the guys from today… that’s a performance that we can all be proud of. It’s what you hope will happen in big matches but you don’t always expect it.

“It’s pretty amazing for our sport in the country and I feel really, really proud of the guys and the coaching staff and what we’ve been able to achieve tonight. That’s just the fairy-tale end to a World Cup that’s been very, very good.”

After the team returns to Australia on Tuesday the focus shifts to next month's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow where the Australian men will be looking to win a fifth consecutive Commonwealth gold medal.

World Cup Final

The Hague, Netherlands
KOOKABURRAS 6 (2)
Chris Ciriello 20, 47, 53 (PC, PC, PC)
Kieran Govers 24 (FG)
Glenn Turner 37 (FG)
Jamie Dwyer 64 (FG)

NETHERLANDS 1 (1)
Jeroen Hertzberger 14 (FG)

Bronze medal match result
Argentina 2-0 England

Final Standings
1. Australia (Gold medal)
2. Netherlands (Silver medal)
3. Argentina (Bronze medal)
4. England
5. Belgium
6. Germany
7. New Zealand
8. Spain
9. India
10. Korea
11. South Africa
12. Malaysia

Kookaburras’ squad v Netherlands
Athlete (Hometown, State) Caps/Goals [Age]
Started
Andrew Charter (Canberra, ACT) 70/0 [27]
Chris Ciriello (Melbourne, VIC) 140/85 [28]
Tim Deavin (Launceston, TAS) 91/4 [30]
Jamie Dwyer (Rockhampton, QLD) 321/206 [35]
Matt Gohdes (Rockhampton, QLD) 94/26 [24]
Kieran Govers (Wollongong, NSW) 93/47 [26]
Fergus Kavanagh (Geraldton, WA) 185/14 [29]
Mark Knowles (Rockhampton, QLD) 239/20 [30]
Eddie Ockenden (Hobart, TAS) 215/54 [27]
Simon Orchard (Maitland, NSW) 150/46 [27]
Aran Zalewski (Margaret River, WA) 37/4 [23]

Used Substitute
Liam De Young (Brisbane, QLD) 312/35 [32]
Rob Hammond (Townsville, QLD) 256/28 [33]
Jeremy Hayward (Darwin, NT) 17/5 [21]
Tyler Lovell (Perth, WA) 28/0 [27]
Matthew Swann (Mackay, QLD) 107/5 [24]
Glenn Turner (Goulburn, NSW) 112/79 [30]
Jake Whetton (Brisbane, QLD) 62/25 [23]

Photos from The Rabobank Hockey World Cup site

Hockey Australia media release

Australia retain hockey World Cup with big win

By S. Ramaguru

THE HAGUE: Australia won their third hockey World Cup with a masterclass performance at the Kyocera Stadium here.

They completely dominated the match against Holland and won 6-1 in what will be remembered as a high scoring final between two top teams.

The Australians went through the tournament unbeaten and bade their coach Ric Charlesworth a winning farewell as he is due to step down after the Commonwealth Games next month.

Charlesworth became the only coach to win the World Cup as a player in 1986 and then back-to-back titles as a coach. He was also the coach in 2010.

For the first time in the tournament, the Australians failed to take the lead. The Dutch who attacked with greater numbers found the target in the 14th minute.

Jareon Hertzberger collected the ball in the 25 yard line and then dribbled past the Australian defenders before unleashing a hefty reverse hit which went past goalkeeper Andrew Chater.

The reigning champions came back with a vengeance and in the 20th minute earned their first penalty corner and Chris Ciriello scored his fifth goal of the tournament.

Kieran Govers then gave Australia the lead four minutes later with a shot from the top D that easily beat goalkeeper Jaap Stockman.

Australia started the second half strongly and capitalised on a rare Dutch defensive lapse. Glenn Turner gleefully took advantage and slotted home from close range to put the champions 3-1 ahead.

Ciriello then added two more goals in the 47th and 57th minute before Jamie Dwyer scored the final goal in the 64th minute.

The Dutch simply had no answer to the Australians onslaught and were left in tears after the match.

Argentina secured their first ever podium finish when they defeated England 2-0 in the third placing classification match.

Their hero was Mathias Paredes who scored both goals in the 55th and 56th minutes from field attempts.

It was also a double celebration for coach Carlos Retegui. On Satur­day, he led the women’s team to third placed as well.

The Star of Malaysia

Australia crushes Netherlands to win hockey World Cup


An ecstatic Jamie Dwyer holds aloft the symbol of supremacy, as teammates cheer, after champion Australia destroyed the Netherlands in front of the latter's home crowd on Sunday.

Australia retained the men’s hockey World Cup title by outplaying Olympic silver medallist The Netherlands 6-1 in the final at the Kyocera Stadium here on Sunday.

Chris Ciriello’s three penalty corner conversions was the feature of the contest that saw the Kookaburras retain the trophy it had won in New Delhi in 2010. The successive title wins was a present the Australian team had promised to its coach Ric Charlesworth, who had won it as a player in 1986 and as a coach four years ago.

The Netherlands opened the scoring in the 14th minute through Jeroen Hartzberger but the Australians came back strongly to slam six goals to make it the most one-sided World Cup final ever.

Australia, which equalised in the 19th minute through Cirello’s first penalty corner conversion, gained ascendancy with a 24th minute field goal through Kieran Govers’s reverse hit from top of the circle to go into halftime with a 2-1 lead.

Glenn Turner beat goalkeeper Jaap Stockmann with a flick from close three minutes into the second half before Cirielo scored with successive penalty corners in the 46th and 53rd minutes.

Jamie Dwyer rounded off the scoring in the 64th minute when he picked up a through ball on the left flank and darted into the circle to shoot home.

Bronze for Argentina

Earlier, Argentina took the bronze medal, defeating England 2-0, while Belgium defeated Germany 4-2 to take fifth place.

New Zealand beat Spain 4-1 in a penalty shoot-out to take seventh place after the regulation time ended 1-1.

The results:

Final: Australia 6 (Ciriello 20, 47, 53; Govers 24; Turner 37; Dwyer 64) bt The Netherlands 1 (Hertzberger 14).

Third place: Argentina 2 (Paredes 55, 56) bt England 0.

Fifth place: Belgium 4 (Boon 25, Cosyns 40, van Aubel 59, Dockler 65) bt Germany 2 (Zeller 18, Fuchs 56).

Seventh place: Spain 1 (Lleonart 54) drew with New Zealand 1 (Russell 30). New Zealand 4-1 in shoot-out.

The Hindu

Australia thrash Netherlands 6-1 to retain hockey World Cup

THE HAGUE (The Netherlands): Australia retained the men's hockey World Cup title by outplaying Olympic silver medallists The Netherlands 6-1 in the final at the Kyocera Stadium on Sunday.

Chris Cirielo's three penalty corner conversions was the feature of the contest that saw Australia retain the trophy they had won in New Delhi in 2010.

The successive men's World Cup title wins was a present the Australian team had promised to their coach Ric Charlesworth, who had won it as a player in 1986 and as a coach four years ago.

Playing their fourth successive World Cup final, Australia made up for the disappointment of losing two successive summit showdown to Germany.

Before Australia clinched their second successive World Cup, Germany were the only nation to have won two consecutive times.

The Netherlands opened the scoring in the 14th minute through Jeroen Hartzberger, but the Australians came back strongly to slam six goals to make it the most one-sided World Cup final ever.

Australia equalised in the 19th minute through Cirello's first penalty corner conversion.

Australia gained ascendancy with a 24th minute field goal through Kieran Govers's reverse hit from top of the circle to go into halftime with a 2-1 lead.

Glenn Turner beat goalkeeper Jaap Stockmann with a flick from close three minutes into the second half before Cirielo scored with successive penalty corners in the 46th and 53rd minutes.

Jamie Dwyer rounded off the scoring in the 64th minute when he picked up a through ball on the left flank and darted into the circle to shoot home.

The result denied the Dutch a double title in front of their fans after their women's team defeated Australia 2-0 in the final yesterday.

The Netherlands were seeking to improve on their performance in the 2012 Olympic Games in London, where they won the women's gold medal, but the men lost the final to Germany.

Even in 1998, the only previous time that the International Hockey Federation sanctioned joint hosting of the men and women's World Cups - in the Dutch city of Utrecht - hosts Netherlands came close to achieving the dream double.

The Dutch men won the 1998 World Cup defeating Spain in the final, but the women lost the title clash to Australia.

Earlier, Argentina's men defeated England 2-0 to clinch the bronze medal. This is the first men's World Cup medal for Argentina, whose women also got a bronze.

For the Argentine women, this was their fourth successive World Cup medal. They won the title in 2002 and 2010, but had to be satisfied with a bronze in 2006.

The Times of India

Aus crush Dutch to win hockey WC

Drag flick specialist Chris Ciriello scored a hat-trick as defending champion Australia beat the Netherlands 6-1 to take their second consecutive men's field hockey World Cup in the Hague, Netherlands.

The Dutch got off to a good start as Jeroen Hertzberger opened the scoring in the 14th minute, dribbling past a defender to drive the ball in from near the top of the circle.

But that was the high water mark for the Netherlands, as Ciriello equalised on the first of his three successful penalty corners six minutes later, wrong-footing Dutch goalkeeper Jaap Stockmann.

Australia then began a long stretch of dominance, keeping possession and pinning the Netherlands on their half of the field.

Kieran Govers, Glenn Turner and Jamie Dwyer also scored for the winners. Stockmann, who was voted 'keeper of the tournament, was beaten more decisively on each penalty.

"The boys played really well, I was just lucky enough to be on the end of it, finishing it," said Ciriello.

"We had a good push and trap today, and our strikers worked really hard, so it's not just a hat-trick for me, it's for the rest of the team and for Australia," Ciriello said.

SuperSport

First ever HT in WC Finals by Kookaburras

by B.G.JOSHI (Dhar- Indore , India)

First ever hat trick is scored in World Cup Finals by Chris Ciriello of Australia in 6-1 triumph over hosts Netherlands in The Hague. Born on October 1, 1985 Chris Ciriello played 145 internationals and scored 88 goals. Complete list of 8 numbers Hat tricks in Finals in FIH/IOC tourneys are given below:

Fieldhockey.com

England finish fourth as Argentina take Bronze


Ashley Jackson at the Rabobank Hockey World Cup 2014

Argentina’s head coach Carlos Retegui won his second bronze medal in as many days with a 2-0 victory over England in the 2014 World Cup 3rd/4th play-off. England Captain Barry Middleton and his side can be proud of their two week journey at the World Cup as they matched their world ranking position of fourth, but that was little conciliation for England as they fell to their knees at full time.

Head Coach Bobby Crutchley’s side gave everything across the 70 minutes but were unable to convert the chances they created. It was Los Leones’ Matias Paredes who shattered any dreams of a medal for England with a quick-fire brace in the 55th & 56th minute to seal the 2-0 victory.

Retegui’s side came into this tournament ranked 11th, but have finished with their first ever medal at a World Cup and will be assured of a rise in the rankings following the tournament.

Speaking after the game, England Captain Barry Middleton said: "We made a couple of mistakes and they scored a couple of good goals. It's demoralising to lose the game in a couple of bad minutes where the game's been so tight - we played how we wanted to and just didn't do enough in the end. It's hard to take right now, but it's been an amazing tournament."

Crutchley added, "When you get to the big games it’s brilliant. When you don’t end up with a medal it’s devastating. 12 months ago the team was brand new and we had a lot of work to do. We’ve come a long way but we have plenty of guys in our side who are winners and who won’t accept this as good enough. We have to push on and I’ve had a dose of reality too. Players learning international hockey is a steep learning curve and the attacking stuff, the bit going forwards, is the hardest bit to learn.”

Argentina had the first real chance of the game, Lucas Vila dribbling un-challenged into the English circle but shooting wide to the right of George Pinner’s post in the England goal. Otherwise it was an even opening to the match, with England just shading possession.

With 12 minutes gone Harry Martin had a great chance for England driving along the right hand base line into the Argentine circle, but with Goalkeeper Juan Vivaldi standing his ground, Martin was unable to keep control of the ball.

There followed a quiet 15 minutes, with no clear-cut chances, both teams unable to generate meaningful circle penetrations, despite Nick Catlin and Ashley Jackson’s attacking approach from midfield for England.

Five minutes to play in the first half Argentina won the first penalty corner of the game, for an Iain Lewers foot in the circle. Gonzalo Peillat’s shot brilliantly saved by Pinner diving to his left, with Middleton backing up well on the line as he had done all tournament.

Shortly afterwards Argentina received a green card – Lucas Martinez with two minutes in the sin bin for a push on Michael Hoare.

Just before half time Vila took a brutal ball to the hand, just below his throat, with gasps from the crowd amid fears the ball had hit him in the face. Thankfully he was ok after some time off the pitch.

There was still time for England to win a penalty corner, created by Barry Middleton’s pace driving into the circle from the right. But the resulting shot was blocked and that was half time.

Five minutes into the second half, and England won a penalty corner from a ball into the circle by Ashley Jackson. Mark Gleghorne’s shot was saved high by Vivaldi - from the resulting play Jackson took a snapshot from the baseline which was also well-saved by Vivaldi.

Argentina then received another green card, Joaquin Menini penalised for contact with Barry Middleton. At this point England had enjoyed more possession but Argentina double the circle penetrations of England.

Argentina drew a save from Pinner with 20 minutes to go, Agustin Mazzilli dribbling cleverly in the English circle but with no support. Four minutes later Menini won Argentina a penalty corner, which was bravely blocked by a very committed Dan Fox.

15 minutes to play and Argentina took the lead. Matias Peredes found space in the circle, and despite Pinner’s desperate attempts to block, Peredes finish well.

Almost immediately, Paredes then doubled Argentina’s lead. A drive up the right base line by Vila was pulled back for Paredes to provide a brilliant finish.

England went searching for goals. Good dribbling from David Condon produced a save from Vivaldi, and a penalty corner. A superb move from England with Jackson firing into a sliding Middleton from the right channel, was met with an outstanding save by Vivaldi who read the move perfectly.

Ten minutes to play and Argentina captain Lucas Rey got a yellow card and five minutes off the field giving England a chance to get back in it. England took Pinner off and went to an 11-man outfield with a kicking-back brought on in place of Pinner.

The chances kept coming, but Michael Hoare received a yellow card and England decided to put Pinner back on, while Argentina defended with numbers. Four minutes to play Pinner was back off as England threw everything at getting a goal.

Jackson won England a penalty corner was yet more excellent dribbling skills on the edge of the Argentina circle. His flick from the corner was brilliantly saved by Vivaldi’s stick diving to his right. He’d been superb in the Argentina goal.

After a desperate final few minutes, Argentina held out to secure the bronze medal, to the delight of the Argentine players and supporters, and the despair of England who’d given it everything.

ARGENTINA 2 (0)
Matias Paredes 55, 56 (FG, FG)

ENGLAND 0 (0)

England Hockey Board Media release

Hockey England lodged an official protest today following the Argentina v England bronze-medal match

England Hockey lodged a protest following their match on 15 June 2014 due to a two minute and 26 second period of the second half when Argentina had 12 players on the pitch. The score at the time of the incident was 0-0 and remained 0-0 at the end of that time period. England Hockey stated in their protest that the incident could have affected the outcome of the game.

The Tournament Director reviewed the terms of the protest, interviewed England and Argentina’s management teams, viewed relevant video footage and determined that there was a breach of the Rules of Hockey but that the breach was unintentional. It was decided that the result will stand and the Argentinian team have been sanctioned by way of suspension to the captain for one match in the next FIH event.

The FIH regrets this unfortunate incident and commends England Hockey, their players and management team on their sportsmanship in dealing with this matter.

Argentina offered their sincere apologies for this unintentional and unfortunate incident.

The FIH intends to review procedures related to this matter to ensure this situation does not occur in the future.

Rabobank World Cup Site

Statement in response to the FIH statement regarding the Rabobank World Cup bronze medal match

This is a statement issued by England Hockey in response to the FIH statement regarding the Rabobank World Cup bronze medal match.

Click here to read the FIH statement.

Following the Rabobank World Cup bronze medal match against Argentina, it came to light that during the second half Argentina fielded 12 players for a period of two minutes and 26 seconds.  At this point the score was 0-0.  During this time, England conceded a penalty corner, which was successfully defended and counter-attacked, but this took place against an extra player.

After two minutes and 26 seconds the extra Argentinian player left the pitch but the infringement had not been noted by the technical table. Had the technical table been aware of this infringement, the rules state that Argentina would have had their captain temporarily suspended therefore playing for the following five minutes with 10 players.  One minute and 56 seconds into this period Argentina scored two goals in 60 seconds and we believe that this situation materially affected the outcome of the game.

England Hockey identified three issues:

1. Argentina fielded 12 players and the relevant officials did not recognise this.
2. The Argentinian player withdrew from the field of play without another player replacing him therefore recognising the infringement, but did not make this known to the technical table
3. The necessary and appropriate actions were therefore not implemented; specifically the temporary suspension of the Argentinean Captain.

The FIH has a procedure to deal with situations of this nature where there are material breaches of a rule.  Following legal advice, England Hockey considered it appropriate to invoke that process, which involved the lodging of a protest.

England Hockey sought:

1. A public statement of the facts.
2. Acknowledgment from the FIH and Argentina that these serious irregularities had occurred. This would involve a recognition that the two goals were scored at a time when, under the rules, Argentina should have been playing with 10 players.

The decision of the FIH Tournament Director was that there was a breach of the rules of hockey 2.1.  His decision was that the Captain of the Argentinian men's hockey team will be suspended for the first match of the next World Level event.

England Hockey respects the process and the decision that has been reached and has chosen not to appeal either the finding or the penalty imposed.

Philip Kimberley, England Hockey Chairman and Head of Delegation for England at the World Cup said, “It is most regrettable that we have been placed in this position, but we believed it was appropriate to invoke the process that exists for these situations.  We feel it is important that the facts are in the public domain and to ensure that the management of games is tightened up to avoid a repetition of this situation.  Following discussion with the management team, we owed it to the players to make this protest as we strongly feel that the game was materially affected.”

England Hockey Board Media release

Finishing to blame for England's Hockey World Cup third-place defeat

NICK CATLIN blamed England’s finishing as they lost 2-0 to Argentina in the bronze medal match at the Rabobank World Cup in The Hague.

By Mike Haymonds


The England team charge down a penalty corner in The Hague[Ady Kerry]

Fourth place was a repeat of England’s final placing at the 2010 World Cup and Great Britain’s finish at the London Olympics. Australia defended their title by beating Holland 6-1 in the final.

Catlin said: “We didn’t create and take enough chances and it was always going to be difficult for us.

“But, with many of the squad being inexperienced players, to get to the semi-finals was a great achievement.”

In a closely contested game two strikes within a minute midway through the second half by Matias Paredes proved England’s undoing.

England’s four penalty corners were unsuccessful as was the use of two additional outfield players in the final seven minutes.

England coach Bobby Crutchley said: “We’re obviously devastated. If you make a semi-final it’s a horrible position to come fourth and that’s where we are at the moment. We had a bit of a dose of reality today.

"We defend solidly and we have some good players but we don’t quite have enough in terms of creating chances and scoring goals.

"That’s something we’ll have to change. We are tough to beat which is great but we need to score some more goals and that’s the hardest thing to coach someone. Our players will put their bodies on the line and run all day, but that will only get you so far.”

He added: “When you get to the big games, it’s brilliant. When you don’t end up with a medal it’s devastating. Twelve months ago the team was brand new and we had a lot of work to do.

"We’ve come a long way but we have plenty of guys in our side who are winners and who won’t accept this as good enough. We have to push on and I’ve had a dose of reality too.

"Players learning international hockey is a steep learning curve and the attacking stuff, the bit going forwards, is the hardest bit to learn.”

England captain Barry Middleton said: “We have to bounce back from this. We’ve shown so far in the tournament we can do it. We came back from the Australia game to win a massive game against Belgium.

"We played against the Dutch in the semi-finals and we were really disappointed as we came so close. Today didn’t go for us and we need to come back from it but that doesn’t start today, it starts when we get back home and start training again.

"When you make a semi-final, fourth is the place you really don’t want to come. We’ve done it a few times now and it’s starting to hurt.”

On the upcoming Commonwealth Games, he said: “We have to prove in the Commonwealth Games that we can deal with the big games. Semi-finals are always against tough teams and we didn’t want to be in this game, we wanted to be in the final. We’d have been happy with third but it wasn’t what we came for.”

After the game England launched an official protest because Argentina had played with an extra man for 2mins and 26secs and because of that should have had their captain suspended for five minutes when they scored the two goals in a minute that won them the game.

England said the incident occurred with the score goal-less. During this time, England conceded a penalty corner, which was successfully defended and counter-attacked, but this took place against 12 men.


Nick Catlin takes the ball forward for England [Ady Kerry]

The Argentinian player withdrew from the field of play without another player replacing him therefore recognising the infringement, but did not make this known to the technical table. Officials should have noticed this and the Argentina captain should have been suspended for five minutes because of the infringement.

“One minute and 56 seconds into this period Argentina scored two goals in 60 seconds and we believe that this situation materially affected the outcome of the game,” said England Hockey.

England asked for a public statement of the facts and acknowledgment from the FIH and Argentina that these serious irregularities had occurred. This would involve a recognition that the two goals were scored at a time when, under the rules, Argentina should have been playing with 10 players.

The decision of the FIH tournament director was that there was a breach of the rules of hockey 2.1.  His decision was that the captain of Argentina will be suspended for the first match of the next World Level event.

England said they respect the process and the decision reached and chose not to appeal either the finding or the penalty imposed.

Philip Kimberley, England Hockey chairman and head of delegation for England at the World Cup, said: “It is most regrettable that we have been placed in this position, but we believed it was appropriate to invoke the process that exists for these situations. We feel it is important that the facts are in the public domain and to ensure that the management of games is tightened up to avoid a repetition of this situation.  Following discussion with the management team, we owed it to the players to make this protest as we strongly feel that the game was materially affected.”

Daily Express

Black Sticks Men take seventh at World Cup


Photo: Dirk Markgraf, www.265-images.com

The Black Sticks Men have defeated Spain 4-1 in a penalty shoot-out to secure seventh place at the Hockey World Cup in The Hague.

Kane Russell scored for the Kiwis just out from halftime before Spain equalised late in the second half to take the 7th/8th classification playoff to a one-on-one penalty shoot-out.

The Black Sticks converted all four attempts thanks to Hugo Inglis, Blair Hilton, Steve Edwards and Simon Child while goalkeeper Devon Manchester made two crucial saves to seal the result.

While the New Zealand men had higher ambitions at the tournament, the seventh place finish equals their best ever placing at a Hockey World Cup.

Head coach Colin Batch said it was pleasing to win the shoot-out and finish the tournament in a positive way.

“All around I’m pleased we won the shoot-out and finished seventh. It’s not the position we wanted but was as good as we could do in the end,” he said.

“We slowly got into our stride in the first half and in the second half I thought we were well on top and created some good chances so it was a bit frustrating not to score another goal.

“We know we need to improve in a few areas and we still sit below the best teams, but there are some promising signs there and we were very competitive throughout the tournament.”

Kane Russell opened the scoring in the 30th minute after a tight and physical first half, firing a penalty corner drag flick low and into the right corner.

Spain were able to build pressure in the second half and equalised after earning a penalty corner with 16 minutes on the clock. Manchester saved the initial shot from Xavier Lleonart Blanco but the deflection bounced back and into the goal.

The Black Sticks lifted the intensity inside the final 10 minutes and created two prime scoring opportunities only to have them turned down by video referrals, taking the game to a shoot-out.

Yesterday the Black Sticks Women defeated China 4-0 in their 5th/6th classification playoff with goals from Anita Punt (2), Kayla Whitelock and Krystal Forgesson.

Later today in the men’s fixtures Argentina plays England in the bronze medal match before the Netherlands go head to head with Australia in the final.

BLACK STICKS 1: (Kane Russell)
SPAIN 1: (Xavier Lleonart Blanco)
Black Sticks won shoot-out 4-1
Halftime: Black Sticks 1-0

Hockey New Zealand Media release

Punt impressive in encouraging finish to World Cup

By David Leggat


Anita Punt in action. Photo / Christine Cornege

Midfielder Anita Punt capped off a strong tournament with a stellar display to help New Zealand round off the World Cup with a 4-0 win over China in The Hague.

The result means the Black Sticks finished fifth, matching their world ranking.

Punt scored twice from penalty corner shots, was full of running and a constant threat to the Chinese defence.

The other goals came from captain Kayla Whitelock, with a penalty stroke, and striker Krystal Forgesson, who scored with a clever overhead shot.

Her five goals at the tournament left Punt equal third top scorer, while Forgesson finished with three goals.

Even allowing for the encouraging finish to the cup, New Zealand were left wondering what if. They won two, lost two and drew one of their pool games.

Had they not lost 1-0 to Korea in a game they had targeted to win, they would have made the semifinals.

"It's a bit of a hollow feeling," coach Mark Hager said. "We let one slip in the pool round against Korea, but I'm very pleased to finish the way we did.

"One thing our team is striving for is not just to participate, we want to play in finals and I think we grew over the tournament but still have a bit to go. While we're disappointed, we are pleased to have got the result today to finish in the top six."

The benefit out of the tournament was giving a younger group of players plenty of game time. The likes of strikers Sophie Cocks and Michaela Curtis, and defender Liz Thompson Dennison, will have benefited from the experience.

World No 1 the Netherlands won the final 2-0 against Australia while Argentina beat the United States 2-1 to finish third.

The men's Black Sticks finished their campaign against Spain last night, playing for seventh and eighth places.

The New Zealand Herald

Indian Hockey brings only tears

S Kannan

Indian players like skipper Sardar Singh seemed out of their depth during the hockey World Cup.

In medical jargon, a post mortem is done to find the cause of death - usually an unnatural one. There are some extreme cases when a post mortem has to be repeated to pinpoint the exact cause of the person's demise.

Perhaps taking a cue from this, Hockey India has constituted another expert panel to find the reasons for the demise of Indian hockey. There is something missing however - forensic experts have not been roped in to find out why this team copped it in the FIH World Cup in Holland. Call it pain or anguish, anger or outrage; emotions are always at an extreme when the Indian team flops in international competitions. Over the last two decades, it has become almost a habit to ponder over 'what ails Indian hockey'.

Now that this has become a phenomenon, perhaps we need to give a quiet burial to this team and resurrect a side only after a suitable break. As a rule, a sports lover is an optimist. Yet, after so many defeats, one can only feel sorry for Indian hockey.

One thought after the Indian team failed to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, there would be introspection. You and I shed tears, but it did not matter to the people who ran the sport or played it.EARLIER, the lament was that the Indian team did not get proper support or exposure. The team now needs support to an extent that players have to be propped up on crutches on the field and exposure has reached another level: getting exposed.

So what really ails Indian hockey is a question which can be asked any number of times with no answer. Blaming coaches and federation officials is very easy but the real villains are the players who step on to the field and simply freeze. At a time when every sport in the country other than cricket struggles for funds like a terminally ill patient on a ventilator, Indian hockey has got everything. Gone are the days when the team stayed in Paharganj or Karol Bagh in the Capital.

Today, the national campers get five-star comfort. Apparel, equipment, the best energy drinks, a good diet - everything one can ask for is provided to the players. Yet, on the field, the team stutters. Mentioning names is pointless. From skipper Sardar Singh to V.R. Raghunath, Rupinder Pal Singh, Mandeep Singh, Manpreet Singh and S.V. Sunil, each one labours to play hockey. Mind you, not one penalty corner was converted by the Indian 'experts' in the World Cup.

The sight of losers on the field with such poor body language makes for pathetic viewing. Time and again, we have heard Indian coaches are useless, so hire the foreign experts at top-dollar prices.

The attrition rate of foreign coaches is so high that the hall of infamy is choc a bloc. Let's welcome two new faces to this room, Terry Walsh and Roelant Oltmans. These gentlemen were hired as coach and high performance director respectively and we actually started thinking there would be resurgence in Indian hockey.

Heck, this is no different from the lows of the London Olympics on the blue turf where the team shed tears, not sweat, after every match. In the two years since, nothing has changed.

For that matter, when the last FIH World Cup was played in India in 2010, we finished eighth, one notch higher than today. Crores of taxpayers' money has gone down the drain in pursuing a dream called success in hockey. By the last official estimate, `22.5 crore was spent in the last financial year on the sport. This is a colossal waste when you compare this amount to what sports like badminton and wrestling get. Mind you, these are sports which win us medals and not cause anguish. TODAY's national hockey player does not necessarily come from some village in Punjab or Jharkhand.

Each of them has been groomed in many ways, except in the skills and the heart to play robust hockey. When cricket's Indian Premier League is played, the club versus country debate is stirred. Players who shine in the slambang T20 format but flop in the international arena are castigated. Each time the Indian team does badly in Australia or England, we ask for Mahendra Singh Dhoni to be sacked. That it does not happen is a different thing.

Likewise, the Hockey India League has seen players making good money. Players like Sardar and Ramandeep Singh get good pay packages in the HIL but when it comes to national duty, they fail. Yes, Ramandeep was injured in Holland before the first match and did not play. Today Indian hockey has support from the federation and the government. Such is the outrage at the team's flop show that people want the foreign support staff to be sacked. Sacking coaches won't make any difference and asking for the federation officials to be sent to the gallows won't work either.

It's the sense of pride which is missing in the players. If the seasoned stars are not performing, overhaul the side. At least then we will come to know if the "talented reserve pool" of players which is being talked about is fact or fiction!

India Today

Masters of their trade

Aussie Masters show the world how it's done with medal winning performances



As the men’s semi-finals took place in the Kyocera Stadium on Friday, in Rotterdam the finals of the FIH Masters 40+, 45+, 50+ and 55+ were being played. The day began at 9.00 with the 50+ men’s teams from England and Germany and ended with the Netherlands – Australia in the 40+ event.

“This was the best Masters tournament ever” said Jan Meurer chairman of the FIH Masters organising committee. “I hope this event will help promote hockey for older age groups all over the world.”

Usual suspects

Australia, the Netherlands, Germany, England and South Africa – all the usual suspects – dominated the Masters finals. “But we also had teams from Ghana and Egypt,” said Meurer. “They did not win medals but it was great to have them as part of the hockey community.” Australia emerged as the big winners, taking four of the nine titles on offer. England won three, the Netherlands one and Germany one.

Success

In total, Rotterdam hockey club hosted 74 teams (men and women) from 21 countries during the tournament, which lasted 11 days. “The enthusiasm, the public, the dynamics, the friendship, the weather – everything went very smoothly,” said Meurer. "Once the winning teams are handed their medals, then they realise ‘we are world champions’, says Meurer. “That is a fantastic moment. I’m so pleased to have been a part of this.”

Canberra

After the medal ceremony, complete with national anthems, the flag was symbolically handed over to Australia - the organisers of the next FIH Masters World Cup. That event will take place in Canberra in 2016.

Final Results
W40 The Netherlands - Australia 1-1 (SO 2-3)
W45 The Netherlands – South Africa 2-0
W50 England - Australia 2-1
W55 England - The Netherlands 4-0
W60 England  - Australia 0-3
M40 The Netherlands - Australia 1-1 (SO 1-2)
M45 England - Australia 3-3 (SO 1-2)
M50 Germany - England 1-0

M55 England - The Netherlands 1-1 (SO 4-2)
M60 The Netherlands - Australia 1-2

Australian results
W60 Gold
W50 Silver
W40 Gold
M40 Gold
M45 Gold
M50 Bronze
M55 Bronze
M65 Silver
M75 Gold

Hockey Australia media release

Indian women register fifth successive win against Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: The Indian women's hockey team was on course for a clean sweep in the six-match series against Malaysia as it blanked the home side 2-0 in their fifth game.

The six-match series against Malaysia is a part of the team's preparations for the Commonwealth Games 2014.

Ritushah Arya (12 minute) and Vandana Kataria (35th) were the goal scorers as the Indians outplayed their opponents to register their fifth win on the trot.

The Indians ran away with the match in the first half itself with Ritushah Arya showing fine form to open scoring in the 12th minute. Just before the half time whistle, Vandana Kataria pierced in a goal to make it 2-0.

The second half did not produce any goal from either side with the Indians displaying strong defensive skills.

"The team is happy with today's win as we now look forward to take the series with a clean sweep in our favour. Today's score could have been much better. It was only in the second half that the game went a little slow but the team is confident in putting up a better score on board in the next match," Indian captain Ritu Rani said after the match.

India play their final match of the series on June 17.

The Times of India

Hockey will be a four-quarter game

Hockey’s transformation from a 70-minute game divided into two halves, to four quarters with a total playing time of 60 minutes will start with the Asian Games in September.

Leandro Negre, President, of the International Hockey Federation (FIH), said the FIH was excited at the new rules coming into force this year.

Negre said the four-quarter format will come into effect with the Incheon Games.

“Our rule changes are aimed at making hockey a more exciting sport for the audiences, and the feedback we have received about the four-quarter format from the HIL and the European League has been very positive,” said Negre.

The FIH is looking at the four-quarter format as the future for the sport and it will be on show during the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The Hindu

Wynne keeps Dames in Big-Four hunt

Nigel Simon

National forward netted a pair of second-half goals as Notre Dame blanked Courts Malvern 2-0 to end with seven points from their three matches in the T&T Hockey Board Women’s Championship Division “Big-Four” competition at he National Hockey Centre, Tacarigua, yesterday.

Wynne got her goals in the 47th and 52nd minutes for the Dames, who needed Shandy Carib Magnolias (two points) to deny newly crowned league champions, Paragon (five points) a win in regulation-time in their clash last night to secure the title.

Should Paragon win in the 70-minute contest then it will finish with eight points, one clear of the Dames, while a shoot-out victory will earn it two points to end level with the Dames on seven each and the title to be decided by goal-difference.

On Saturday night, four different players were on target for Paragon in its 4-1 come-from-behind whipping of Malvern to add to its penalty-stroke shoot-out win over Notre Dame when the tournament flicked off on Wednesday night.

The Malvernites, who were coming off a penalty-stroke shoot-out loss to Magnolias on Thursday took the lead in the fourth minute through former national forward Oire Trotman.

However, that lead only lasted two minutes as Zene Henry drew Paragon level before national and club captain Alanna Lewis and international team-mate, Kristin Thompson scored in the 26th and 32nd minute respectively for a 3-1 advantage at the half.

Six minutes into the second-half, Pauline Joseph put the icing on the cake for Paragon with her team’s fourth goal.

The Dames meanwhile, edged Magnolias 2-1 with Patrina Brathwaite scoring a 59th minute.

Earlier on, Tamia Roach had fired the Dames into a fourth minute lead but two minutes before the break, Elise Olton got Magnolias the equalizer, only for Brathwaite to grab all three points for the Dames late on.

In the Men’s Championship Division Big-Four race all four teams were still in the hunt after Saturday’s matches.

Firstly, Defence Force squandered an early 2-0 lead against Queen’s Park before a 3-3 regulation-time draw and 2-4 loss via penalty-strokes shoot-out while Notre Dame edged defending champions Petrotrin, 2-1 led by a brace from national forward Shaquielle Daniel.

Results:

Yesterday

Women

Notre Dame 2 (Blair Wynne 47th, 52nd) vs Courts Malvern 0

Saturday

Notre Dame 2 (Tamia Roach 4th, Patrina Brathwaite 59th) vs SC Magnolias 1 (Elise Olton 33rd)
Paragon 4 (Zene Henry 6th, Alanna Lewis 26th, Kristin Thompson 32nd, Pauline Joseph 41st) vs Courts Malvern 1 (Oire Trotman 4th)

Men

Defence Force 3 (Nicholas Wren 8th, Kirth Davis 10th, Anthony Morales 45th) vs QPCC 3 (Stephan Mouttet 15th, 18th, Kadeem Fortune 22nd) - QPCC won 4-2 via penalty shoot-out
Notre Dame 2 (Shaquielle Daniel 58th, 60th) vs Petrotrin 1 (Wayne Legerton 54th)

The Trinidad Guardian