News 05 August 2014
All the news for Tuesday 5 August 2014
No changes in Asiad preparation for Malaysian hockey boys
By S. Ramaguru
KUALA LUMPUR: The national hockey team will continue their preparations for the Asian Games immediately upon their return from the Glasgow Commonwealth Games on Wednesday.
The first order of business after a short break is for the players to regroup and a selection made to trim the team to 24 players. They will then leave for Utretch on Aug 11 for a three-week stint in Holland.
From the 16 players who played in Glasgow, six will be dropped from the squad. The other 10 will join the remaining 14 players for the trip to Holland, which will also see them playing at least 10 friendly matches.
The big plan is to hold training sessions and play quality practice matches as part of their preparations for the Asiad in Incheon, South Korea from Sept 19-Oct 4.
The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) has set the team the target of winning the gold medal in Incheon. The Asian Games is a qualifier for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Only the winner will gain an automatic berth.
MHF secretary general Datuk Mohamed Johari Aziz said there is no change in the plan to send the team to Holland at the moment.
“But we will wait for the team to come back (from Glasgow) before finalising all the details. We also need to meet with the National Sports Council (NSC) to reconfirm the agreement we had earlier to send the team for the stint. I believe that this has not changed,” he said.
The national team had a poor outing in Glasgow where they finished in seventh place.
They beat Canada 2-0 in the preliminary round but lost to England (1-8), Trinidad and Tobago (2-4) and New Zealand (1-6) in the other group matches. In the playoff match for seventh place they defeated Scotland 2-1.
The 24 players for the Holland stint are expected to be named later this week and those dropped will be allowed to play in the Razak Cup which will be held in Kuantan from Aug 15-24.
The Star of Malaysia
We are mentally stronger now: Sreejesh
NEW DELHI: India's quest for a maiden Commonwealth Games title remained unfulfilled after losing to Australia in the final but goalkeeper P R Sreejesh feels they have become mentally more stronger now and have shown great improvement in the just-concluded quadrennial event.
India lost 0-4 to world champions Australia in the final of the Glasgow Games on Sunday and squandered yet another chance to avenge upon their 0-8 thrashing at the hands of the same opponents in the 2010 Delhi edition of the Games.
"We were not thinking about the Delhi Games final (going into yesterday's match). We have played Australia in the recent past and while we lost 0-4 in the World Cup, the margin was 2-4 in the league match of the Glasgow CWG. It shows that we are improving and can beat top teams like Australia in future," Sreejesh said.
"Indian players are mentally stronger now. We are not at the desired level but we have improved for sure. We have shown that in the semifinal against New Zealand in the manner we came back and won despite conceding two early goals," he said.
Sreejesh feels India should now focus on winning more against higher ranked opponents.
"We should focus on beating world ranked 3rd and 4th teams. This is a young side and will play with more confidence after gaining experience at the top level," he said.
He said that India were well deserved silver medalist in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
"We have played with consistency and were deserved finalist. This medal will inspire us to do better and instill the confidence that we can achieve podium finishes at the top level," said Sreejesh.
Sreejesh said the next goal for India now is to win the gold medal in the upcoming Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.
"We want to maintain the rhythm. The results show that our preparation is going on the right direction but we have to maintain consistency," he said.
Asked about India's weak links, he said the team should avoid conceding goals in the initial stages of a game.
"We were used to conceding goals in dying moments but in this tournament we have given some silly goals in early minutes. We have to work on this. Our penalty corner conversion was better (here) but we will have to work harder," said the ace goalkeeper.
Asked if the team was more aggressive in the semifinal against New Zealand due to the suspension of captain Sardar Singh, he said: "We have prepared to play in such a way that the absence of any key player could not affect our performance. Our coaches should be given credit for that. We did not let Sardar's absence affect our performance."
The Times of India
Indian hockey team to tour Bangladesh for 3-match series
NEW DELHI: Fresh from a Commonwealth Games silver medal in Glasgow, the Indian men's hockey team is now eyeing the Asian Games and will tour Bangladesh for a three-match series starting August 6 to tune-up for the challenge in Incheon, South Korea.
The series is expected to provide international exposure to the young players just before the Asiad in South Korea from September 19 to October 4.
In this regard, the core probables for the Asian Games team will find the series an appropriate opportunity to test their skills against an international opponent. The performance of players during this series will help selectors and coaches to select the best team for the 2014 Asiad.
The team will be captained by the experienced defender Vickram Kanth while midfielder S K Uthappa will be the vice-captain.
The team will depart for Dhaka on August 5 for the scheduled matches on 6 August 6,8 and 9 and will return the next day of the final game.
Speaking on the upcoming series, Hockey India (HI) general secretary Narinder Batra said, "We feel that while one unit of the core probables for Asian Games has gained experience from the XX Commonwealth Games where they won the Silver medal, this set of players will also have an opportunity to familiarise themselves in an international environment. Bangladesh has some very competent players and it will be good to play against them to review our own capabilities."
"The experience of playing under pressure on an international platform always adds to the skills of the players and even helps in identifying the areas where the player lacks and the training required thereafter. This three-match series will help the team to get in rhythm according to the international requirements of playing away from home and even working upon the concerned areas henceforth," he added.
The Times of India
Third Dhamal Series: Saket wins today to level the exciting Series
K Arumugam
Trailing by a match, Saket Govt Boys senior Secondary school won the second contest 3-1 to level the exciting series 1-1. The fate of the third edition of the Series between the two Non Governmental organizations – Delhi based One Thousand Hockey Legs and Rajasthan based Hockey Village India – will be decided tomorrow when the third and last test match will be played tomorrow at today’s victor’s home ground.
Playing against the full school crowd, Saket scored a last minute goals to add up to the slender 2-1 half time lead today as if to avenge 0-2 loss of the series opener on Sunday.
Dhamal Series between OTHL and Hockey Village India is a much awaited annual contest, which always evoked keen interest in these two organizations.
The event normally held in the first week of July has this time been held a month later, due to various factors including non-availability of turf.
Due to cumbersome procedure involved in getting either Shivaji Stadium or National stadium in Delhi, the series this time was held on the natural grass ground of Saket school, where the OTHL has just installed goal frame, and levelled the ground with heavy machinery.
This however did not dampen the spirit of the team, which showed enormous fighting qualities. Yesterday, well co-ordinated visitors easily overcame the hosts with a goal apiece in each session. Today of course was different.
Though it was the visitors who took the lead, good defence later by Sushil Chauhan and Pawan, aided with immaculate central role by brothers Sonu and Vikrant, helped the hosts turn the tide. Fed by Sushil from deep inside rival’s area, Pawan, who just swifted to forward position for a change, struck. Then hard-working Nigam struck a brace.
The match was witnessed by the whole school crowd, which created a festival atmosphere virtually.
Stick2Hockey.com
Hockey star Kate Richardson-Walsh ponders retirement
England's women's captain Kate Richardson-Walsh is still pondering her retirement plans.
By Tom Cooper
Kate Richardson-Walsh represented England at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow[GETTY]
Ahead of the World Cup in June, Richardson-Walsh announced that 2014 would be her last year of international hockey but the exact timing was left up in the air.
Now, with a Commonwealth Games silver medal in hand and having carried the Team England flag at the closing ceremony, the 34-year-old may be considering pushing her retirement plans back,maybe even as far as the Rio Olympics.
Richardson-Walsh refuses to be drawn. But her mood and her on-field performances are back to their resilient best after a rollercoaster summer, including the World Cup embarrasment of only narrowly avoiding a last-place finish.
Glasgow 2014, however, has reminded the veteran of the Sydney, Beijing and London Olympics that she actually rather likes playing hockey. That realisation dawned despite a gold medal slipping through England's grasp with a dying seconds equaliser from Australia, followed by a shootout loss.
Richardson-Walsh has had some highs and lows in her 15-year international career but never so many in just one summer.
"The World Cup was devastating," she says. "It was one of the lowest points in my life inside or outside of hockey. To have turned it around and worked so hard with this team, it is exciting again."
Retirement decisions, she says, should wait until the Games 'bubble' bursts, when memories of finals, medals and flags bump against the realities of fitness tests, sapping gym sessions and relentless practice.
Daily Express
NCAA Settles Head-Injury Lawsuit
The recent head-injury lawsuit against the NCAA has been settled, determining the role that the NCAA will play in concussion diagnosis of collegiate student-athletes, including field hockey players. The NCAA will provide $70 million for concussion testing and diagnosis of current and former NCAA student-athletes as a part of its agreement to settle claims in several consolidated concussion-related class actions.
The settlement agreement, which also includes educational initiatives and $5 million in concussion research, will resolve the pending class actions, which are now consolidated in federal court in Chicago. The agreement conditions are subject to approval by Judge John Lee of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
“We have been and will continue to be committed to student-athlete safety, which is one of the NCAA’s foundational principles,” said NCAA Chief Medical Officer Brian Hainline. “Medical knowledge of concussions will continue to grow, and consensus about diagnosis, treatment and management of concussions by the medical community will continue to evolve. This agreement’s proactive measures will ensure student-athletes have access to high quality medical care by physicians with experience in the diagnosis, treatment and management of concussions.”
Under the proposed settlement agreement, all current and former NCAA student-athletes in all sports and divisions who competed at an NCAA member school within the past fifty years may qualify for physical examination, neurological measurements and neurocognitive assessments. The agreement covers academic accommodations for student-athletes with concussions, return-to-play guidelines, educational programs, research and plaintiffs’ attorney fees. Bodily injury claims are not part of this settlement.
A number of return-to-play guidelines, several of which have already been adopted by the NCAA, are addressed by the settlement, including:
- Baseline concussion testing of NCAA student-athletes.
- Student-athletes with a diagnosed concussion will not be allowed to return to play or practice on the same day, and must be cleared by a physician.
- Medical personnel with training in the diagnosis, treatment and management of concussions must be present for all games and available during all practices.
- Establish a process for schools to report diagnosed concussions and their resolution.
“From the research partnership with Department of Defense to playing rules, equipment requirements and medical best practices, the NCAA has been on the forefront of safety issues throughout its existence,” said Donald Remy, NCAA chief legal officer. “The NCAA will continue to identify advancements to address head injuries in NCAA sports.”
*Article courtesy of the NCAA
USFHA media release