News 20 June 2014
All the news for Friday 20 June 2014
Hockey bonanza - not for the Asians.
By Shahid Khan
Over the past fortnight, with both the men’s and women’s hockey World Cups taking place simultaneously on the same venue in Holland, hockey has enjoyed unprecedented television coverage ever accorded to the sport in Britain.
Such a mega event with both the World Cups being held on one venue has taken place only once before in the history of the sport, which ironically was also in Holland in1998 at Utrecht. According to the comments of the FIH President due to the cost involved it probably will be the last time as well.
With all 76 matches this time being broadcast live as well as comprehensive match build up and post-match analysis, hockey has had excellent exposure at least for the Sky Television viewers.
In the past, television coverage of international hockey on British television was limited to the odd matches every four years at the Olympics or World Cup in which British teams had some interest or a few seconds of action in the news items at major competitions
With the glut coverage of the event many viewers who have witnessed a hockey game after a long time, have observed the high pace at which the sport is now being played compared to the time when they last watched or played the game.
The older generation have noted the change in rules as well as the surface on which hockey is now played i.e. synthetic surface whereas it was originally played on turf. Gone are such of the previous era such as bully off, roll in from the side lines and off-side rules amongst many others. Therefore the complexion of the game has totally changed especially from the time when the sub-continental teams were dominating the sport.
The keen sub-continental fans, which were attracted to the sport by the domination of the game by teams from their shores in the past, still have a burning passion for the sport. However with the recent television coverage they have realised if they needed any confirmation that Australasian and Europeans teams are the new power houses and not the Asian teams.
Such partisan supporters who travel worldwide to support their teams were disappointed to note that the Asian challengers this time in the Men’s tournament India and South Korea finished in 9th and 10th position respectively, and the record four timers winners Pakistan did not even qualify.
Pakistan last won the World Cup exactly two decades ago in Sydney (1998) and it worthy to note that Australian Jamie Dwyer who won his second successive World cup gold medal still has a long way to catch up with the most successful World Cup player, Pakistan’s Akhtar Rasool who amazingly won 3 gold and a silver medal.
Today’s sub continental followers still long for such household name of the past who won laurels for their countries such as India’s Ajit Pal Singh, Askhok Kumar and from their neighbouring country Pakistan – Samiullah, Hassan Sirdar and Shabaz Snr to name a few.
With the changing face of hockey these fans can only reminisce of their countries past glories which did not receive the extensive television coverage which was enjoyed by the recently concluded mega event.
Exclusive for Fieldhockey.com
Shahid Khan is a senior hockey journalist who has covered all major hockey events since 1997. Contributing to BBC Asia Network and other media outlets.
Rob Hammond retires
Olympic gold medallist & double World Champion calls it a day
Kookaburras midfielder Rob Hammond has announced his immediate retirement from international hockey following the Australian men’s recent World Cup triumph.
After 256 appearances for the Kookaburras, the 33 year-old from Townsville, QLD, has called time on a glittering career that has seen him win Olympic gold and bronze medals, two World Cup titles and two Commonwealth Games gold medals. He retires as one of only seven players to play more than 250 matches for the Kookaburras.
Since making his senior international debut in May 2001 under then-coach Barry Dancer in a 3-1 win over New Zealand, Hammond has represented Australia at two Olympic Games, three World Cups, two Commonwealth Games, six Champions Trophy tournaments, three Oceania Cups and the Junior World Cup.
As a 23 year-old he was a member of the Australian men’s team that claimed the Olympic gold medal in Athens in 2004 before going on to win the silver medal at the 2006 World Cup. That defeat to Germany was avenged four years later as Hammond was part of the Kookaburras team that won the 2010 tournament. In between, he was part of the Australian team that collected the bronze medal at the Beijing Olympic Games. Amongst his 28 goals for his country, he netted Australia’s fourth in a 6-2 win over the Netherlands in the bronze medal play-off in Beijing.
Persistent injuries forced him to miss the entire 2011 campaign before a broken wrist ultimately ruled him out of a third Olympics in London in 2012. He bounced back to reclaim his place in 2013, helping win qualification to the World Cup via the World League semi-finals tournament before ending with last Sunday’s emphatic triumph in The Hague.
He made his 250th appearance for the Kookaburras in the opening match of the World Cup earlier this month as Australia beat Malaysia 4-0, going on to win the title in style as they scored 30 goals, conceding just three.
Announcing his decision, Hammond said, “After playing for the Kookaburras for 14 years I've decided the time is right to end my playing career with the Australian national team.
“Following the London Olympics I chose to commit to team success at the 2014 World Cup and this has been my primary driver over the past two years. Having won so emphatically last Sunday in The Hague I can now retire proud of our team success and of my own individual career.
“The most satisfying moments of my time with this world class team are the breakthrough gold medal win in the 2004 Athens Olympics, the 2010 World Cup championship and, most recently, the dominant performance of our 2014 World Cup team. Make no mistake about just how hard each of these squads worked to achieve the ultimate success. 
“To retire as an Olympic champion and dual World Cup champion has left me truly humbled by my journey with the Kookaburras. The lessons learnt about the perseverance, courage and toughness it takes to play for these titles, and the titles lost with the Kookaburras, are amongst the most valued experiences of my time with the team.”
Paying tribute to those that contributed to his career, Hammond added, “I would like to thank, in equal parts, both Barry Dancer and Ric Charlesworth along with their respective coaching and support staff as they have had an incredible impact on my development as a player and as a person. David Bell for recognising my talents as a 17 year-old and recruiting me to the AIS in 1999. Greg Browning for his role in shaping my game early in my career with the Queensland Blades and Matt Wells for his role in helping to recreate my game over the past few seasons with the Blades. Also to my first coaches with the North Queensland Barras and the associated junior coaches that helped to develop and shape my early career.
“I have been in the Australian Institute of Sport / Hockey Australia High Performance Program for 16 years and without the support and guidance of its coaches, strength and conditioners, psychologists and staff I would never have achieved such a long and successful career.
“There are many others that I would like to thank within the hockey community. Firstly, the team of Jonathon Petterson, Peter Haselhurst and Yoshi Sashiki at Gryphon Hockey. They have been long time personal friends and sponsors who have been behind me for the entire journey, and their friendship and support is immeasurable. Stephen Davies for his mentorship; Troy Elder, Bevan George and Brent Livermore for their encouragement, lessons and examples when I was a young Kookaburra, through to present day teammates and those that I have played alongside for the majority of my career, including Liam De Young, Jamie Dwyer and Mark Knowles. These guys are true friends and incredible teammates. I would also like to thank all of the players I have played with in the green and gold over my career, many of them world class players who lead from the front and whom are too numerous to list. These guys are like my brothers and are the reason I loved the game and playing for Australia so much.
“Finally my family, those in Townsville with my parents and brothers and my new young family in Perth…thank you for all your support and love over the journey, especially my wife Samantha whose unwavering support has allowed me to play at the top for so long.
“The Kookaburras will always be close to my heart.”
Ric Charlesworth, who has coached Hammond since 2008, said, “Rob is one of the bravest, most courageous players that I’ve seen in the men’s game and one of the most versatile players in the squad over the six years that I’ve been there. His versatility and longevity is the result of his possessing a wide range of skills; the physical capacity, the technical skill and that competitive quality. You need elements of all of those if you’re to endure as long as he has.
“Over the last two years since London, on and off the pitch, he’s been one of the most significant drivers of our culture. He probably didn’t play as many games as he should have because of injury and he was sadly missed in London. The professionalism he played with epitomises the Kookaburras.”
Life after the Kookaburras will see Hammond focus on his career in the electrical trade and spending more time with his young family, catching up on all of those things they chose to put aside while chasing what Hammond calls “the dream.”
Rob Hammond’s Career
May 2001 – Makes senior international debut for Kookaburras against New Zealand in Oceania Cup.
October 2001 – Represents Australian junior team that finishes sixth at the Junior World Cup in Hobart.
August 2002 – Plays in his first of six Champions Trophy tournaments as Australia finishes fifth.
August 2003 – Wins first medal at a world level event – silver at the Champions Trophy in Amstelveen.
August 2004 – Wins Olympic gold medal, the Australian men’s first ever Olympic gold, at Athens 2004.
March 2006 – Wins Commonwealth Games gold medal on home turf in Melbourne.
July 2006 – Narrowly misses out on bronze medal at Champions Trophy as Australia lose to Spain on penalties. Hammond scored his penalty in the shoot-out.
September 2006 – Wins World Cup silver medal going down to hosts Germany in the final. Hammond scored against Argentina during the tournament.
December 2007 – Helps Kookaburras to Champions Trophy silver medal in Kuala Lumpur.
June 2008 – Wins Champions Trophy gold medal with Australia in Rotterdam.
August 2008 – Wins Olympic bronze medal at Beijing 2008. Scores against Netherlands in the bronze medal playoff, a 6-2 win.
August 2009 – Wins Oceania Cup to qualify Australia for the 2010 World Cup.
November 2009 – Scores against Korea in the opening match of the Champions Trophy in Melbourne. Goes on to win second consecutive Champions Trophy gold medal.
March 2010 – Helps Kookaburras win World Cup. A first Australian World Cup title since 1986.
October 2010 – Scores against Scotland in opening match of the Commonwealth Games as Australia go on to win fourth consecutive Commonwealth Games gold medal.
June 2012 – Plays in Olympic warm-up series against New Zealand in Cairns, scoring twice. Misses Olympic Games after fracturing wrist.
June 2013 – Helps Kookaburras qualify for 2014 World Cup as Australia finish second at World League semi-final tournament.
November 2013 – Wins Oceania Cup in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand.
June 2014 – Wins World Cup for second time. Plays his 250th match for Australia in the tournament’s opening fixture.
June 2014 – Retires from international hockey.
Hockey Australia media release
Scotland face familiar foes Ireland as Commonwealth Games loom large
Scotland defender Leigh Fawcett in action against Ireland at the European Championship last summer.
With just over a month to go until the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, Scotland Senior Women continue their preparations for this summer’s showcase with two international matches against familiar foes Ireland at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre this week.
Following last week’s team announcement in Stirling, Head Coach Gordon Shepherd will now work with the sixteen selected players and four named reserves during the forthcoming internationals to shape his final plans for the Games.
Scottish vice-captain and Grove Menzieshill defender Leigh Fawcett is in line to win her 100th international cap in the first match against the Irish.
Discussing his side’s chances against Ireland, Shepherd said, “Now the team announcement is public the girls are a bit more relaxed. The process of selection for those in and out is always a tough one. They have been in a training phase, working hard and have been really looking forward to the games coming up. Now it’s about going out and seeing if we have made the improvements we needed, which I think we have as the girls have been working hard.
“It will be a real test against Ireland; when they played in Glasgow they finished second in the Champions Challenge so we know we have to step up our game but that’s what it’s about. The games against Spain coming up and the Investec Cup in London too, it’s all about improving all the time and we are all really looking forward to it.
The national side have clashed against their Celtic opponents several times over the last few seasons, with the two teams evenly matched, although the Scots can claim a slim superiority after winning a relegation decider to dump their adversaries out of the European Championship last summer.
Ireland come into the series in good form after claiming a silver medal in the Women’s FIH Champions Challenge staged in Glasgow last month.
For Irish Head Coach Darren Smith and his charges, the games against the Scots represent the start of his side’s preparations for the World League competition on home soil next year.
Scotland Senior Women: Nicola Cochrane (Edinburgh University), Vikki Bunce (Dundee Wanderers), Morag McLellan (Clydesdale Western), Alison Bell (Grove Menzieshill), Rebecca Ward (Dundee Wanderers), Catriona Ralph (Clydesdale Western), Sarah Robertson (Edinburgh University), Holly Cram (Clydesdale Western), Linda Clement (Grove Menzieshill), Ailsa Wyllie (Grove Menzieshill), Leigh Fawcett (Grove Menzieshill), Rebecca Merchant (Edinburgh University), Nikki Kidd (Canterbury), Susan McGilveray (Clydesdale Western), Nicola Lloyd (Canterbury), Alison Howie (Clydesdale Western), Nicola Skrastin (Clydesdale Western), Emily Maguire (Reading), Aileen Davis (Clifton), Amy Gibson (Old Loughtonians).
Match Schedule:
20 June - Scotland Women v Ireland, Glasgow National Hockey Centre, 7pm
22 June - Scotland Women v Ireland, Glasgow National Hockey Centre, 1pm
Scottish Hockey Union media release
Malaysia confident of winning hockey World League Round One
By Aftar Singh
Nadia Abdul Rahman (centre) will captain the national women's hockey team to the World League Round One in Singapore. - IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia, who were beaten by India in all their five friendly matches in Kuala Lumpur last week, are confident of winning the women’s hockey World League Round One, which begins tomorrow at the Sengkang Sports and Recreation Centre in Singapore.
Seven teams will feature in the competition, which is a qualifying tournament for 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
Malaysia, who won the World League Round One in Kuantan last year, will open their Group A campaign against Sri Lanka tomorrow. They will wrap up the fixtures against hosts Singapore on Sunday.
Group B comprises Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, Thailand and Myanmar.
The semi-finals will be played on June 25 and the final is slated on June 26. The top four teams will qualify for Round Two of the World League.
National coach Mohd Nasihin Nubli said the forward-line was the weakest link in the friendlies against India.
“We failed to score a single goal in the first four matches. It was a dismal performance,” said the former international.
Malaysia lost 0-4, 0-2, 0-2, 0-2 and 2-5.
To boost the strike force in Singapore, Nasihin has included newcomer Hanis Nadiah Onn of Johor.
“The forwards need to be sharper in the semi-circle. Despite the poor results against India, I am optimistic that the players will rise to the occasion to win the tournament.
“I am also banking on Juliani (Mohamed Din) to deliver the goals from penalty corners,” said Nasihin.
Malaysia are ranked 21 in the world and they are the highest ranked team in the tournament.
The Star of Malaysia
WNC Squads Round out Pool Play and Secure Crossover Match Ups
LANCASTER, Pa. – Under sunny skies, athletes, coaches and umpires took to the pitch yesterday to round out the final day of pool play at the 2014 US Women’s National Championship at Spooky Nook Sports in Lancaster, Pa. Coming into the day, USA Freedom led the leaderboard for Pool B with six points and 11 goals, while USA U21 was just barely above USA Blue in Pool A with four points and goal differential of five. Yesterday's matches set the stage for Friday’s crossover matches.
U21 and Red were the first squads onto the Spooky Nook Sports pitch yesterday morning, with Red hoping to earn its first three points of the event and U21 looking to pull further ahead in the standings. At the 10 minute mark, Nikki Parsley (Milford, Del.) connected with the backboard to give Red the first lead of the match and a 1-0 score which held through halftime. U21 came out strong in the second half and Anna Dessoye netted their first goal at minute 40. In the 55th minute, Moira Putsch (Media, Pa.) put U21 in the lead and just five minutes later, Izzy Delario (Rehobeth Beach, Del.) sealed the match with a goal of her own. U21 earned the three points with a 3-1 victory over Red.
Blue paired up against White in the second match of the day. While the turf saw much back and forth action, the scoreboard at halftime read 0-0. Katelyn Makovec, Hannah Prince (Gorham, Maine) and Kelsey Smithers (Suffolk, Va.) controlled the center of the field with structure and vocal reinforcement, allowing White to generate attacking moments and accelerate counter opportunities. Casey Dinardo (Virginia Beach, Va.) and Kelci Hromisin (Larksville, Pa.) fought through Blue defense to formulate key offensive movements. In the 49th minute, Erin McCoy (Lititz, Pa.) found the back of the cage for White to go up 1-0. Not ready to go down without a fight, Ainsley McAllister (Ann Arbor, Mich.) tied up the game for Blue in the 61st minute, finishing a penalty corner. Last minute offensive attacks were thwarted and the final whistle signaled a 1-1 draw for the match.
Next up, the Patriots and Courage faced off for seeding position in Pool B. After a flurry of activity in the Patriots defensive circle, Courage was awarded a penalty stroke in the 11th minute. Ali McEvoy (Gilbertsville, Pa.) struck gold with her form and put Courage up 1-0. Just four minutes later, Shelly Montgomery (Fairfax, Va.) added another tally for Courage. The Patriots came out fighting in the second half and Lisa McCarthy (Evanston, Ill.) put away a goal during a penalty corner to shrink the gap. Tough defense by both teams shut down scoring opportunities and Courage walked away with the 2-1 win.
Finally, Pool B’s top two teams, Freedom and the Eagles, took to the pitch. Freedom got on the board early when Molly Doyle (Havertown, Pa.) made a diving save to get the ball to Emily McCoy (Lititz, Pa.), who assisted Ali Ahern (Getzville, N.Y.) in netting a goal in the 3rd minute. Just before halftime, Natalie Cafone (Fairfield, N.J.) showed off her sticks skills, beating several players along the baseline and fed the ball to Megan Plank (Glen Mills, Pa.) for one more score for Freedom to head into the break leading 2-0. The Eagles diligently fought back in the second half, but were unable to break through Freedom's staunch defense and the final score read 2-0 in favor of Freedom. Freedom's keepers Lizzy Millen (Whitehall, Pa.) and Maggie Olson (Wyndmoor, Pa.) made several crucial saves to maintain the shutout.
After a rest day today, Pool A’s top dog U21 will take on the Eagles on Friday, while the leader of Pool B, Freedom, faces Blue. White matches up against the Patriots and Red pairs up against Courage.
USFHA media release
Arminen hot favourites for Austrian title
Austria's Raiffeisen Final Four to determine the top men's side in the country will play out this weekend in Vienna with Friday welcoming the semi-finals before the national champion is made known on Sunday in the final.
It is part of an extensive four days of action with the women's title and the 'C-title' also up for grabs while there will also be relegation playoffs taking place at the home of HC Wien.
The hosts will meet defending champion and regular season top dogs SV Arminen in their semi-final (Friday, 3pm), one which looks to be Arminen's for the taking after two big wins - 8-0 and 5-2 - during the regular season.
Speaking about the weekend, Arminen's sporting director Stephan Scharner says: "We hope to win the semi-finals and then the final. Except for our long term injuries, Yani Buda and Andreas Wellan, all our players are fit again." Wien coach, Tomasz Szmidt, for his part, is hoping his side can cause a shock.
On paper, the second semi-final looks more evenly matched with NAVAX ATHC taking on VeriFone WAC (Friday, 6pm). Verifone won their first match-up of the season 3-2 before NAVAX replied in the return fixture with a 7-2 result.
NAVAX coach Frank Hanel says his side have had "a plague" of injuries this season but is keen to finish strong. "It is something I've never experienced before. I do not know how much bad luck we have had but we want to produce a beautiful finish and get to the final. That will be difficult enough, VeriFone WAC is strong. Of course, Arminen is the clear favourite for the title."
The final will be played on Sunday at 4pm.
Euro Hockey League media release