News 09 August 2014
All the news for Saturday 9 August 2014
India beat Bangladesh 5-1 to win the series
NEW DELHI: The Indian Men's Hockey team continued their rampaging run as they thrashed Bangladesh 5-1 in their second match to clinch the three-match test series played at Dhaka on Friday.
This victory brings with itself the series-win against Bangladesh and India now expects a clean sweep by winning the third and last match of the series tomorrow.
Harjeet Singh (10th minute), Yuvraj Walmiki (12th), SK Uthappa (20th), Devender Sunil Walmiki (24th) and Affan Yousuf (41st) were the goalscorers for India, while Bangladesh sounded the board through Hasan Jubair (7th).
The first goal of the match came in as early as in the 7th minute from Hasan Jubair of Bangladesh. However their joy was short lived as the score was soon leveled by Harjeet Singh who scored the first field goal for India in the 10th minute.
It was followed by a quick field goal by Yuvraj Walmiki in the 12th minute of the game. Vice-captain Uthappa and Walmiki too successfully managed to put the ball in the net in the 20th and 24th minute of the game respectively thus giving India a lead of 4-1 at the half time.
The second half saw a number of desperate attempts by both the teams to score goals but in the 41st minute it was Yousuf who managed to score a goal for India. No goals were scored thereafter.
Walmiki was awarded the Man of the Match. India will now play their third and last test match against Bangladesh tomorrow.
The Times of India
Final minutes of Mens National Team match showcases the depth of their fight
CHULA VISTA, Calif. – The U.S. Men’s National Team kept fans fixated on the pitch with heart-pounding action that led to the second summer series first tie against Mexico with a score of 3-3 and keeps the United States undefeated record intact.
"Today we put ourselves in a position that required a real character check and test of resilience," said Head Coach Chris Clements. "Our team managed to execute a plan to negate the two goal deficit in the second half and I am pleased in our composure to do this. The players are learning so much through all these matches this summer and are enjoying every challenge they are facing."
During the fifth match against USA and Mexico, Team USA started off well but were unable to capitalize on opportunities created in the opening 10 minutes. Miscommunication led to a goal for Mexico in the 21st minute. Mexico’s hunger to increase their lead was felt when two back-to-back corners resulted in another goal in the 24th minute. Goalkeeper Chris Rea (San Diego, Calif.) and the rest of his fearless defenders weathered the strong attacking force of Mexico. Their opponent’s aggressive presence in the offensive end did not send the United States back on their heels. With five minutes remaining in the first half, Tyler Sundeen (Simi Valley, Calif.) found Michael Barminski (Ventura, Calif.) at the far post to create Team USA’s first appearance on the scoreboard and develop the halftime report of 1-2.
Hot off of the start, Mexico leapt back into the attacking D and scored off of a corner in the 43rd mark. That infamous ‘never say die’ spirit the United States is known and respected for internationally came into full effect despite the relentless ticking of the game clock. William Holt (Camarillo, Calif.) slammed a ball into the net in the 63rd minute of play closing the differential by one. Clements respectively substituted Rea to add a kicking back to the pitch for extra attack pressure in the final seconds. Team USA earned a penalty corner where Holt was able to make the backboard sing with another goal to concrete a 3-3 final report.
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. Wednesday the United States left the pitch victorious 5-1. The final match of this series takes place on Saturday, August 9 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
Wins for Army, Wapda and NBP
LAHORE: Army, Wapda and the NBP won their respective matches in the All-Pakistan NBP Hockey Tournament at the National Hockey Stadium’s outer pitch here on Friday.
Army beat the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Wapda overwhelmed the PAF while the NBP defeated Railways.
A double strike by Abdul Jabbar enabled Army to carve out a 2-0 win against the HEC, as he struck in the first and 20th minutes.
In the second match, Wapda registered a 4-2 win against the PAF. Mohammad Adnan (8th), Zubair (17th), Mohammad Javed (29th) and Zubair (35th) scored the goals for Wapda.
Two-goal Mushtaq (second, 18th) of the PAF reduced the margin of defeat.
Meanwhile, hosts NBP, having lost the opener to defending champions PIA, came back with a bang recording a magnificent 6-1 victory against Railways.
Akhtar Ali (second minute), Aamir (16th), Attique (19th, 47th), Ayub (33rd) and Sibtain (47th) struck for the NBP while Rizwan scored the lone goal for Railways.
Saturday’s fixtures:
Wapda vs HEC; PIA vs Railways; NBP vs PAF.
Dawn
Chief selector stays away from Youth Olympics hockey trials
LAHORE: Without chief selector Islahuddin and two members of the national selection committee Arshad Chaudhry and Ayaz Mahmood, trials to select Pakistan team for the upcoming Youth Olympic Games were conducted here on Friday.
Later, the available selectors Khalid Bashir and Musaddiq Hussain with the consultation of chief coach Tahir Zaman announced the nine-member team for the Youth Olympics to be held in Nanjing, China from Aug 16.
All the three members of the selection committee were busy due to their personal engagements, a spokesman of the Pakistan Hockey Federation stated.
The captain will be announced on Saturday.
The apathy of the selectors of giving no importance to the national cause and that too at the time when the national game of hockey needs lot of attention of every stakeholder is an open secret to explain the seriousness of the responsible.
Meanwhile, the PHF has not taken absence of the selectors seriously and instead the federation has reiterated in a press release that it has given free hand to the selectors to pick the team.
It may be mentioned here that the PHF has also given ‘free hand’ to the team management to prepare their programmes.
Squad:
Shiraz Hafeez, Sikandar Mustafa, Junaid Kamal, Bilal Mahmood, Shan Irshad, Nohaiz Zahid Malik, Azfar Yaqoob, Mohammed Atiq, Mubashir Ali, Tahir Zaman (coach), Mohammed Ali Khan (assistant coach).
Dawn
PHF names captain-less squad for Youth Olympic
LAHORE - The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) selection committee has announced the names of the national team to participate in the forthcoming Youth Olympic Games at Nanjing, China from August 16.
Chief selector Olympian Islahuddin Siddiqui and members Arshad Chaudhry and Ayaz Mahmood couldn’t watch the trials because of their personal engagements. Other members of the selection committee Olympians Khalid Bashir and Musaddiq Hussain in consultation with chief coach and Olympian Tahir Zaman selected the team after trials here at the Johar Hockey Stadium on Friday.
It is noteworthy that the PHF has given free hand to the selectors to select the best possible squad to compete in the Youth Olympic Games. The PHF will announce the name of the captain on Saturday.
SQUAD: Shiraz Hafeez, Sikandar Mustafa. Junaid Kamal, Bilal Mahmood, Shan Irshad, Nohaiz Zahid Malik, Azfar Yaqoob, Mohammed Atiq, Mubashir Ali. Tahir Zaman (coach), Mohammed Ali Khan (assistant coach).
Army, Wapda, NBP victorious in Hockey Tournament
Army, Wapda and NBP have won their matches on the second day of the ongoing All Pakistan NBP Hockey Tournament here at the National Hockey Stadium on Friday.
Army routed HEC 2-0, Wapda beat PAF 4-2 and NBP thrashed Railways 6-1. Two beautiful field goals by forward Abdul Jabbar helped Army to beat HEC 2-0 in the opening match. Army dominated the proceedings since the start of play and made a successful move to take the lead in the first minute of the match. Jabbar’s braced made the difference and helped Army to win the match 2-0. Two goals by Zubair Riaz guided Wapda to beat PAF 4-2 in the second match. Mushtaq of PAF surprised their opponents to convert a penalty corner in the second minute, but Wapda bounced back in the 8th minute to level the score through a field goal by M Adnan.
In the second quarter, Zubair Riaz scored his second goal on penalty corner in the 17th minute. Four minutes later, Mushtaq scored another goal to level the score 2-2. In the 29th minute, M Javaid made no mistake to convert the third goal for his team. In the 35th minute, Wapda’s captain M Imran made a move and earned a penalty corner which was successfully converted by Zubair.
NBP thrashed Railways 6-1 in a one sided last match of the day. Today’s (Saturday) fixtures: Wapda vs Hec, PIA vs Railways, NBP vs PAF.
The Nation
PHF announces team for Youth Olympics
KARACHI: The selection committee of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has announced the names of the players who will participate in the forthcoming Youth Olympics at Nanjing, China from August 16.
The team was finalised by selection committee members Khalid Bashir and Musaddiq Hussain in consultation with head coach Tahir Zaman after trials at the Johar Hockey Stadium on Friday.
The squad comprises Shiraz Hafeez, Sikandar Mustafa, Junaid Kamal, Bilal Mahmood, Shan Irshad, Nohaiz Zahid Malik, Azfar Yaqoob, Mohammed Atiq and Mubashir Ali along with Zaman and Mohammed Ali Khan in the coaching panel. The contingent will leave on August 12.
“It’s the first time that such a hockey tournament is being held wherein only five players [and a goalkeeper] will participate,” Zaman told The Express Tribune.
He added that the training camp focused on the forwards and goalkeepers, since the event will be fast-paced and neither penalty corners nor penalty strokes would be given, thereby leaving little scope for defenders.
The matches will consist of three parts, 12 minutes each. There will be a two-minute break after each part. The significant change in this championship will be that a player can score goal from anywhere in the field as is done in football; there will be no restriction of the traditional ‘D’ area.
Pakistan have been placed in Pool B with Zambia, Germany, New Zealand and Mexico, while Pool A comprises South Africa, Bangladesh, Spain, Australia and Canada.
The Express Tribune
A reprieve for hockey coach Dharmaraj
By K. Dharmaraj
National hockey chief coach K. Dharmaraj's (far right) fate is still uncertain following the meeting called by Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah on Friday.
KUALA LUMPUR: It seems that K. Dharmaraj will remain as national hockey coach a little while longer.
No decision was forthcoming on Dharmaraj’s fate at Friday’s meeting called by Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.
Instead, the meeting was held to discuss the report submitted by an MHC panel on Malaysia’s World Cup performance in The Hague, Holland, last month. Malaysia finished last in the 12-team tournament.
MHC secretary Datuk Mohamed Johari Abdul Aziz said Dharmaraj’s position as national coach was not discussed at the meeting.
“The issue on Dharmaraj will be dealt with by the MHC council on Aug 18. The meeting today was basically to review the report submitted by the panel formed to investigate the World Cup outing. The panel members were present and they briefed the president on their findings.
“For now, everything remains status quo in the national team. The players will train as normal,” said Johari.
There were calls for Dharmaraj to be sacked after another dismal show at the Commonwealth Games, which ended in Glasgow last Sunday.
Malaysia began their Group B campaign with a 2-0 win over Canada but it proved to be just a temporary respite. They were then handed an 8-1 thrashing by England before the 2-4 loss to minnows Trinidad and Tobago. Malaysia ended the group phase with a 1-6 loss to New Zealand. They finished seventh after a 2-1 win over Scotland in the classification playoff match.
The Star of Malaysia
Sorry state of affairs bringing Malaysian hockey down
By S. Ramaguru
Malaysian hockey is currently in the dumps due to a combination of factors, stemming from the national team's failure at the World Cup and Commonwealth Games. - Filespic
THE Commonwealth Games are over – and after the contingent’s failure to meet the seven-gold target – it’s time for the recriminations.
Malaysia managed six gold, seven silver and six bronze medals at the recent Games in Glasgow, a failure by any reckoning.
And the biggest failure of all must be hockey. Now, the debate is on whether the coach has to be replaced. The debate is not just vocal, it is discriminatory as well.
Meanwhile, there is a fallout between the former director general of the National Sports Council (NSC) and the current one. The war of words over the performance of the contingent and its preparations has taken a personal tone.
And it does not look like it’s going to end soon with the Sports Minister getting into the act.
The clamour for hockey coach K. Dharmaraj’s head is the biggest news but it’s all a muddle, with no clear statement coming from the top.
Dharmaraj himself has taken a defiant stand while coaching chairman Manjit Majid Abdullah has declared that the coach has to go. Meanwhile, a lot of dirty linen is being washed in public.
The hockey saga has taken so many twists and turns that it will be a miracle if Malaysia can have a decent shot at winning the gold medal at the Asian Games, which begin in Incheon, South Korea on Sept 19.
The 2-4 loss to Trinidad and Tobago in Glasgow was the last straw for everyone and the guns came out against Dharmaraj and the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC).
The problems, however, began well before that.
Let us recap.
Dharmaraj took over in January when South African Paul Revington quit.
Who appointed him? MHC president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah. He only consulted the coaching staff of the senior and junior teams. The MHC coaching committee and the council were not consulted.
What was Dharmaraj’s qualification at that time?
He had led the National Juniors to fourth place in the Junior World Cup in December 2013. He had been with the Juniors for four years and won the Junior Asia Cup (2012) as well as the Sultan of Johor Cup (2011).
He had no experience at senior level, except in having led the KL Hockey Club to the MHL titles.
What were his targets? The World Cup (top 10 placing) and a gold medal at the Asian Games.
Was he given a free hand in the selection process?
No. There has been interference in the selection of teams for the Champions Challenge and the World Cup. So, it is safe to assume it happened all the time.
Was the Commonwealth Games a priority for the MHC?
Apparently not, since no target was set. The MHC and the NSC were well aware that a mixed team was being sent to Glasgow.
The team selected for Glasgow was a mix of juniors and fringe senior players. Only three or four who played in Glasgow are likely to feature in the Asian Games
A third rate team was sent to Glasgow. So, one really has to wonder what all the brouhaha is about over the defeat to Trinidad and Tobago.
Is this showing by a third rate team such a big deal? Everybody from the MHC and NSC knew that they were not going to win. The core players of the Asiad team were here in Malaysia.
Didn’t Malaysia send a B team to the 1973 SEA Games and lose the gold medal match to Singapore?
On Friday, a meeting was held between the MHC president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah and certain stakeholders on the fate of the national coach and team.
Will Dharmaraj go or stay? The Asian Games is just 44 days away. And he does not know if he will lead the team there or not.
He might know on Aug 18. In Friday’s meeting, it was decided to refer the matter to the council meeting.
After the World Cup in The Hague in June, where Malaysia finished last out of 12 teams, the team and the coach were lambasted by all. A panel, led by former national coach Datuk R. Yogeswaren, was set up to investigate the failure of the team. That report was handed over to the MHC president on Thursday.
Will the report provide any real clue as to what ails the team? Or will it be buried as so many others have been done in the past.
What the MHC need to do is be decisive in making decision and a simple call to all by the MHC president to shut up would have sufficed. The mud slinging would have stopped.
The Star of Malaysia
Sarjit in the frame to replace Dharmaraj
By Graig Nunis
Sarjit Singh
PETALING JAYA — Former national skipper Sarjit Singh could assume his previous role as national coach as efforts to rid K. Dharmaraj continues. Sarjit was the national coach from January 2007 to December 2008.
Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) vice president Manjit Majid Abdullah was quoted as saying Dharmaraj “should be sacked” as he was not good enough to lead the team ahead of the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea next month.
The national team is also in a disarray as the team management, MHC and the National Sports Council (NSC) do not see eye-to-eye.
The MHC World Cup review panel submits its report to the body’s president Tengku Abdullah Shah today, and it could well decide Dharmaraj’s fate.
Datuk R. Yogesweran heads the panel which also comprises National Sports Institute CEO Datuk Dr Ramlan Aziz, NSC director general Datuk Seri Zolkples Embong, Datuk Poon Fook Loke, Datuk Ow Soon Kooi, R. Ramakrishnan, M.P. Haridass and NSC athletes department director Ariffi n Ghani and MHC senior vice president Datuk Nur Azmi Ahmad.
The under-fire coach was lambasted for the team’s shocking 4-2 loss to Trinidad and Tobago at the recently concluded Commnonwealth Games, which came on top of Malaysia’s failure to win a single game at the World Cup in The Hague, Holland.
Dharmaraj, however, was not impressed with the move and said: “A lot of people in MHC have been determined to get me out since the days when I was coaching the Under-16 team. “I have survived and hope to continue to survive. My target ever since assuming the role as chief coach has been to win the gold medal at the Asian Games.
“Yes, we had no business losing to Trinidad, but in the end, we finished seventh with a team with many new faces.
“People forget we beat Canada’s first team, the same team who beat our first team earlier this year.”
Who runs Malaysian hockey?
Meanwhile, there are questions over the national team’s training and friendly matches in Holland next week with three parties — Ariffin, team manager George Koshy and Azmi, who is also national team management committee chairman — all having different things to say when asked about the threeweek stint which was supposed to start next Monday.
Dharmaraj
While George and Arrifin insisted the trip would take off but delayed by a couple of days, Azmi said it was in NSC’s hands.
“Zolkples is away on holiday so we are waiting for confirmation from him,” said Azmi.
When told about Azmi’s comments, Arrifin retorted: “We don’t have to play games. The trip was confirmed but details were yet to be finalised.
“We were in touch with George today (yesterday) and was told the team would leave after a post-mortem with Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin next week (Tuesday).
“The team could even leave the following day. This plan has been in place since the World Cup and there are no changes but for the dates.” But George gave another reason for the delay.
“We will leave sometime next week. The team just came back on Wednesday and we decided it was not wise to depart so soon,” said George.
“The boys who went for the Commonwealth Games need a break. We’ll name a squad of 20-25 players before departing for Holland and the Asian Games selection pool will be among those players.”
Malay Mail
Former President Lee Cousins awarded GB Medal of Honour
Great Britain Hockey is delighted to announce the award of their prestigious Medal of Honour to Lee Cousins, former President and Board Member of Scottish Hockey.
The Great Britain Hockey recognition awards are made to volunteers, staff, players and organisations that have provided outstanding service, and the Medal of Honour Award is bestowed on individuals who have given exceptional service to the organisation over a sustained period.
Lee Cousins was the Scottish representative on the Great Britain Hockey Board from 2005 – 2013. He was key in the instigation of the Great Britain Framework Agreement for Hockey signed in 2006 that brought together the three Home Nations of England, Scotland and Wales in a binding agreement to provide primacy for Great Britain athletes over other Home Nation activities. This enabled the provision of infrastructure which is crucial to athletes aspiring to realise their potential and achieve Olympic success. As a direct result of Great Britain primacy brought about by the Framework Agreement, Great Britain achieved their first medal at an Olympic Games in 20 years in 2012 when the Women’s team won the Bronze medal.
As a former member of the Scottish Hockey Board Lee represented Scotland on the GB Hockey Board for seven years. Nominated by England Hockey for his outstanding contribution to GB, the GB Board approved Lee’s nomination at the end of 2013 and his award was made at the recent 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Richard Leman, President of Great Britain Hockey said “Lee’s contribution to the GB Board has been exceptional, his attention to detail and pragmatic approach have been invaluable to the continued delivery of GB Primacy. The instrumental part he played in creating the Framework Agreement and the ongoing robustness of that document has had a direct impact on the athletes and the performance of our National squads. His contributions will be missed and we wish him every success with his future plans.”
On receiving the Medal of Honour Award, Lee Cousins said “I am deeply honoured to receive this award and very appreciative of the accolade it implies from great colleagues with whom I was fortunate to work alongside, as together we reshaped GB Hockey to such good effect, resulting in athlete and team success at the London 2012 Games. I look forward to, and will follow with great interest, Great Britain hockey continuing to achieve success at future Olympic Games, for the joy of all hockey players and supporters across the three Home Nations."
Scottish Hockey Union media release