News 07 August 2014
All the news for Thursday 7 August 2014
India edge out Bangladesh 2-1 in hockey series opener
NEW DELHI: Riding its fine form after bagging a silver in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, the Indian men's hockey team edged out Bangladesh 2-1 in the opening Test of the three-match series that started today in Dhaka as part of the Asian Games tune-up.
Bangladesh drew first blood with a Farhad Ahmed Fhitul strike in the 30th minute, but India, who have picked a young squad for the series including some Asian Games probables, soon bounced back in the game and stole the thunder from the home team within a matter of five minutes.
Trailing 0-1, Indian defender Gurjinder Singh replied through a field goal in the 32nd minute of the match and helped the visitors draw level.
Mid-fielder Harjeet Singh quickly took the visitors ahead before half time when he made no mistake in converting a penalty corner in the 34th minute.
India then held on the 2-1 advantage till time as Gurjinder received the Man of the Match award.
Speaking on the win, coach Tushar Khandker said, "Many players in the team are playing their first international match. This series will prepare them for the upcoming Asian Games. The players are getting exposed to various techniques and training on tackling the ball in different situations during the game. The team has much more potential than what they have shown today and we expect even better results in the remaining matches."
India will now play their second Test match against Bangladesh on Friday.
The Times of India
A Second Half Scoring Frenzy Gives Way for US Men’s National Team
Sundeen Earns 50th Cap
CHULA VISTA, Calif. – A near standstill, first half score escalated with excitement for the fourth game of the U.S. Men’s National Team vs Mexico series. Despite a gradual build up in the first half, the United States was able edge out Mexico 5-1 to keep their polished summer series record alive.
“We wanted to improve in several areas after yesterday and that is what we did today,” said Head Coach Chris Clements. “We set some clear objectives and the players continue to accept these challenges with some positive performance outcomes.”
The starting whistle sliced through the warm California day causing the national teams to catapult off of the midfield and into the thick of action. Team USA earned attack opportunities but couldn’t connect achieved penalty corners into goals. The first half showed a battle between the 25 yard lines. The scoreboard stayed stagnate until standout striker William Holt (Camarillo, Calif.) ripped a well-executed drag flick off of a penalty corner in the 26th minute to pull ahead going into halftime. There was a shift in play opening the second half when Holt cranked another ball off of a penalty corner into the net in the 38th minute. From there the squad jumped into action and Ranjot Sangha (Sacramento Calif.) crushed a ball past Mexico’s keeper in the 55th mark. Dangerous game flow transferred into Mexico’s offensive end but a big interception landed play into USA athlete Tyler Sundeen’s (Simi Valley, Calif.) possession for a shot to goal changing the score to 4-0. Eager to get on the board, Mexico drove fast
into their attacking end in the 69th minute to claim their first goal. The game continued at a fast pace as the seconds trickled down. In the 70th minute, Team USA defender Johnny Orozco (Ventura, Calif.) capitalized on a penalty corner to create a final score of 5-1.
To add the final cherry on top, match goal scorer Sundeen celebrated his 50th cap today.
“I am proud to be part of Team USA,” said Sundeen. “We continue to get better every day, and I am looking forward to continuing to be part of the program.”
The USA started the series with a 6-1 win over Mexico. The following day, the National Team created a victory of 8-0. Halfway through the series Team USA captured their third win with a score of 2-1. The next match in this series takes place on Friday, August 8 at 10:45 a.m. PST. Follow USA Field Hockey on Twitter @USAFieldHockey for live updates and be sure to visit the official website for more event information.
USFHA media release
Pakistan hockey skipper Imran terms India as ‘big threat’
KARACHI: National hockey team captain Muhammad Imran believes that India, who bagged a silver medal at the recently concluded Glasgow Commonwealth Games, will be their toughest opponents at the 17th Asian Games that will kick off in September in Incheon, South Korea.
The full-back was speaking on the sidelines of a training camp for the continental Games, whose third phase started on Tuesday. “We missed out on the Commonwealth Games, which is a huge loss for us as we didn’t get a chance to gain experience playing with international teams,” Imran lamented.
Imran was part of the gold-medal winning Pakistan at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.
“India, South Korea and Malaysia were our strongest competitors in the last edition of the Games, but this time India seem a bigger threat than any other team.”
However, Imran is also confident about the players being trained under head coach Shahnaz Sheikh.
“After watching the performance of the players at the training camp, I feel optimistic that Pakistan can defend their title that we won four years ago in Guangzhou,” said Imran. “The training programme that Shahnaz has planned is producing really good results, especially for the youngsters who will face international players for the first time,” he added.
Meanwhile, Shahnaz said that the third phase of the camp would include three steps: finalising skills learned in the last two sessions, international tours and selection of the final sixteen players.
“All probables have been trained equally during the last two phases. Now whoever performs well will be picked by the selection committee in the presence of the Pakistan Hockey Federation officials,” Shahnaz concluded.
The Daily Times
Top outfits to vie for honours in All-Pakistan NBP Hockey Cup
By Mohammad Yaqoob
LAHORE: The high-profile All-Pakistan NBP Cup Hockey Tournament commences here at the outer ground of the National Hockey Stadium but surprisingly no matches will be played on the main pitch of the arena.
Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) secretary Rana Mujahid, addressing a news conference, said the main ground is not being used despite top departmental teams taking part in the event since the stadium is not under PHF custody.
It may be mentioned here that the Punjab Sports Board, which is the custodian of the stadium, had in the past refused the use of main stadium to former PHF regime headed by Qasim Zia on many occasions when the PPP was ruling the country.
However, it is surprising that now when the incumbent PHF chief Akhtar Rasool belongs to ruling party of PML-N, the main stadium has still not been given to the PHF for the tournament.
Rana also refused to comment on the issue when reminded that while the NBP Cup would be held under international playing rules, the Johar Town Stadium ground did not meet the required standards.
Meanwhile, expressing concerns over PHF’s poor financial condition, the secretary hoped the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) summary sent to the prime minister for allocating Rs500 million annually for the federation would be approved soon.However, surprisingly the patron has not yet invited Akhtar Rasool for a briefing on PHF affairs despite the passage of eight months since Akhtar took charge at the PHF in December last year.
Responding to a query about the fate of the Rs100 million fund allotted recently to the PHF by Punjab government, Rana said the federation was utilising the money in running its affairs.
To a question, he said the Auditor General of Pakistan had cleared PHF accounts of Qasim Zia’s tenure. However, he disclosed that the auditor general had raised objections to the amount spent in the past over sending journalists on different tours with the national team.
It may be mentioned here that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, soon after assuming charge last year, had announced that no journalist would travel on the government expenses.
Meanwhile, seven teams will feature in the tournament to be held on league basis. The participating teams include defending champions PIA, Army, Wapda, Railways, Higher Education Commission, Punjab besides hosts National Bank of Pakistan.
The PHF has decided to apply new FIH rules in the event which will come into effect from Sept 1. According to those rules, the total duration of a match will be 60 minutes (four quarters of 15 minutes each) instead of 70-minute duration comprising two halves of 35 minutes each.
After the first and third quarters, each team will have a two-minute break while the existing 10-minute half time will remain unchanged.
Furthermore, each match of the event will be considered as decided and if a match ends in a draw, it will be decided on penalty shootout. The winners will gain two points and the losers one.
Fixtures: At National Hockey Stadium:
Aug 7: Railways vs Wapda, Army vs Punjab, PIA vs NBP.
Aug 8: Army vs HEC, Wapda vs Punjab, NBP vs Railways.
Aug 9: Wapda vs HEC, PIA vs Railways; NBP vs Punjab.
Aug 10: NBP vs HEC, Punjab vs PIA, Wapda vs Army.
Aug 11: Rest day. At Johar Town Stadium:
Aug 12: PIA vs HEC, Punjab vs Railways, NBP vs Army.
Aug 13: HEC vs Punjab, Army vs Railways, PIA vs Wapda.
Aug 14: HEC vs Railways, Wapda vs NBP, PIA vs Army.
Aug 15: Final.
Dawn
Under fire Dharma will quit
K. DHARMARAJ announced yesterday he would quit soon as coach of the Malaysian men’s hockey team following Malaysia’s disastrous showing in the recent Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
But Dharmaraj, who has been subjected to much ridicule and derision from angry fans, said he would only step down after the Asian Games in Incheon, which is 45 days away.
The knives were already out for the national coach after Malaysia finished last in the World Cup in the Hague, Netherlands in June.
At the Commonwealth Games, the national team looked pathetic in several matches, and even suffered a humiliating 4-2 loss to lowly Trinidad and Tobago.
“I’ve made up my mind to quit hockey but give me until the Asian Games. Whatever the result, I will quit after that.
“All I am asking for from the Malaysian Hockey Confederation is to give me all the support in the next 45 days. I also want all my players back, including Faizal Saari and some of the seniors who quit.
“Let’s forget all the past problems in the team and work together for the Asian Games... that’s all I am asking for before I throw in the towel," said Dharmaraj yesterday.
The Asian Games gold medallists will get a direct entry into the 2016 Rio Olympics, a feat Malaysia last achieved in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
It is believed that Malaysia’s dismal show in the World Cup where they failed to win a single match was largely due to a players revolt.
New Straits Times
Dinamo bring back Nikitin for EHL debut
Konstantin Nikitin has returned to Dinamo Stroitel (Ekaterinburg) for their maiden voyage to the Euro Hockey League following two seasons with Izmailovo Moscow.
The giant 1.95m defender has been a regular with the Russian international side and was part of the team that won through to round two of the World League with top spot in Croatia last month.
Previously, Nikitin took gold at the Universiade in Kazan in his previous spell with Dinamo and joins the "Builders" panel ahead of their October dates with East Grinstead and SV Kampong in Barcelona.
Euro Hockey League media release
England stars Ashley Jackson and Alex Danson 'definition of world-class' and key to Commonwealth Games success
England Hockey's performance director says they are "building a good spine" ahead of Olympic qualifiers next year
By Rod Gilmour
Finding form: England's hockey teams performed well in Glasgow Photo: AP
Danny Kerry, England Hockey's performance director, says that the form of Ashley Jackson and Alex Danson, for the men's and women's teams respectively, led to England's best collective return at a Commonwealth Games since hockey's inclusion in 2008.
England women's silver medal, coupled with England men's bronze, matched their performance at the Kuala Lumpur Games, while Australia's double success kept their domination intact, having now won nine of the 10 golds in the last five Commonwealth Games.
Kerry admitted that both England programmes are now "building a good spine" ahead of Olympic qualifiers next year and praised the performances of two of England's leading players in Glasgow.
"If you are going to win medals then you have to world-class players and there is no doubt that Ashley Jackson [the tournament's top scorer with nine] and Alex Danson would get into any team in the world," Kerry, England women's stand-in coach, said. "That is my definition of world-class."
"The fact that they play in such a critical area of the pitch is pretty fundamental, while at the other end you have the likes of Iain Lewers for the men and Kate Richardson-Walsh for the women trying to stop the ball going in."
Six weeks ago, England women were at a low ebb following their early World Cup exit, while England men left the Hague with a fourth-place finish.
"Had the girls been offered a silver medal six weeks ago they would have bitten both arms off," Kerry added. "I am delighted for men. I spoke to Bobby [Crutchley, men's coach] nine months ago and he said that he was going to target the Commonwealths and put himself under pressure by saying they would win a medal. They are a great group and they have got just rewards."
Kerry's performance director duties were taken off his hands while he coached the women's side and he admitted that Glasgow was a surreal experience. After taking over from Jason Lee, who left the role after the World Cup, Kerry's first assignment came at last month's Investec Cup at the Olympic Park.
"It was the first time I had been back there since we won bronze at London 2012. That was quite an odd experience," he admitted.
Interviews for the England women's coach begin today and Kerry revealed that he would not be putting his name forward for the role.
The Telegraph
Champs out to defend title
Emoni Narawa
LEVUKA Public School is out to defend its Fiji Secondary Schools hockey titles in Suva next week.
The Ovalau-based school, which dominated the sport in its early days, scooped the under-19 for the boys and girls divisions last year and the U16 girls title.
Earlier this week, the Fiji Secondary Schools Hockey Association announced that LPS would be defending their titles after both U19 teams qualified from the Ovalau District.
Saint John's College from Cawaci will also be represented in the U19 and U16 grades for both boys and girls competition.
Association president Immanuel Prasad said LPS would face tough competitions from other schools such as Tilak High School and Marist Brothers High School.
The boys from Flagstaff will be defending their U16 title and will be gunning to scoop the U19 top prize away from LPS.
The national hockey competition will be held at the National Hockey Centre on August 14-1
The Fiji Times