News 03 October 2014
All the news for Friday 3 October 2014
Shoot-out drama as India men claim Asian Games title
Ticket to Rio 2016 Olympics for India as they battle past Pakistan
(Photo: Asian Hockey Federation)
India men have claimed the Gold medal at the Asian Games in dramatic fashion thanks to a shoot-out victory over rivals Pakistan on Thursday 2nd October, a result which earns India a ticket to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Bronze medal match in Incheon was won by hosts Korea, who wrestled down Malaysia to take their place on the podium.
The much-anticipated showdown between age-old rivals India and Pakistan was an absolute classic, as the sub continental neighbours played out a nail-biting contest.
Pakistan started the brighter of the two teams and took an early lead when Muhammad Rizwan Sr. fired in from the top of the circle. India battled hard to get an equaliser and eventually drew level when Kothajit Khadangbam scored a superb close-range deflection which gave Pakistan goalkeeper Imran Butt absolutely no chance of saving.
The second half saw the action swing frenetically from one end of the pitch to the other. Despite numerous chances, neither side managed to find a breakthrough, meaning that the match would have to be settled by the drama of the shoot-out.
Amongst the first four pairings, two players from Pakistan and one from India failed to convert their chances, meaning that if India scored from their next attempt, the title and Olympic qualification would be theirs. The responsibility fell on the shoulders of Dharamvir Singh, who made no mistake to seal India’s win.
Despite the defeat, Pakistan’s dream of qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Games is far from over. They will now target a successful run in the Hockey World League, where Olympic berths are up for grabs in the Semi-Final events.
Korea started their Bronze medal clash with more drive and more aggressiveness, but Malaysia countered well and denied their higher-ranked opponents clear sights of goal. The Koreans stepped up the pressure in the second quarter, converting their superiority into a 2-0 half time lead. Malaysia reduced the deficit with a penalty stroke at the beginning of the second half before Jang Jonghyun restored the two goal lead with a penalty stroke of his own. The third penalty stroke of the match went the way of Malaysia, who took full advantage to take the score to 3-2, but Korea successfully protected their lead to seal Bronze, much to the delight of the hundreds of home supporters packed into the stadium.
Thursday’s program started with Japan facing China for a fifth place finish in the competition. Japan looked more assertive in the early stages of the game, culminating with a goal by Kei Kawakami at the start of the second quarter. However, as time went on, China picked up speed and eventually levelled the scores in the third quarter before showing cool heads to win the shoot-out 4-3.
Results
Thursday, 2 October 2014 – Men
5/6th place: Japan – China 1-1 (1-0) 3-4 shoot-out
Bronze Medal: Korea – Malaysia 3-2 (2-0)
Final: India – Pakistan 1-1 (1-1) 4-2 shoot-out
FIH site
Not an exciting hockey, but exciting result
K. Arumugam
When Pakistan struck a goal as early as third minute from the start of the Incheon final match, one expected a flurry of goals in the remaining 57 playing minutes, rush of adrenalin, raised sticks, body elbows, mouthful etc.
This has been the trend of any India-Pakistan encounter so far even in bilateral test match, a time tested fact.
The expectation was due to the reality that both sides will go for the kill, laden with emotion at the cost of team's energy, with a result match going electric, and then one side ultimately scoring lot many goals as happened in 2003 Champions Trophy for instance. Or 1-7 at New Delhi 24 summers ago.
Thankfully, the Incheon India-Pak encounter did not transpire the traditional way.
Thanks to the new style the Indian team is being imparted, Indians did not press panic button, did not engage in wasteful but delightful fast solo runs and then all the time depositing the ball on the edge of the circle and then rue the missed chances.
India truly played like a professional side, focussing on ball possession and exchangein comfort zones, hawkishly waiting for a thrust here or there.
Slowly, the patience and compact game, flawless hockey took control of the proceedings, placing Pakistan on backfoot, were made to struggle for even the ball not to speak of scoring.
This is how a desperate first part of first quarter was slowly consumed and turned into utter domination of second quarter, in which Ramandeep Singh and SV Sunil alone missed a brace of chances.
The goal Chenglensana struck off inform Gurbaj Singh was a delightful dividend of opportune goal for which the team had been training for well over a year.
That both sides played with caution rather than age-old aggression proved perfect antithesis of Asian hockey exemplified by both former giants so far.
It is to the credit of Pakistan that it came back into the game in the third quarter, almost playing a style that India portrayed in the second quarter, but with a tendency to make solo runs.
Sardar Singh of India, who has matured to be a match maker rather than name-maker, did a marvellous job of stealing the ball down under the nose of a forward who dazzled with electric runs into the circle, thus rendering any fancy or solo runs null and void.
Indian team, interested in ball possession and rotation, got two chances to strike through penalty corners, but on both occasions Rupinder Singh's high drags were palmed away by the really improving youngster Imran Butt, the goalie.
When got the first of the two PCs in the 22nd minute, India had the added advantage of reduced defence as a ever-rushing greenshirt got a green card suspension, but Imran proved his presence is just enough.
India's second PC -- got due to clever backhand pass of Nikkin -- was obtained midway through fourth quarter, but Imran was again the bulwark.
Chenglensana, whose shoulder high attempts to deflect D-centric feeds twice, made amends moments later to deflect a freehit four minutes before the halftime, and the lightening speed it was achieved is what can do wonders for India in the days to come.
Twice in the 50th and 51st minutes India had two close shaves and moments before the hooter it had its chance one, but Dharamvir who would create history in the penalty shoot out just missed from near right backline.
Imran Mohd, took the only penalty corner of Pakistan (35th min) only to see Sreejesh stopping it though a rebound shot by Shakeel Abbasi had to bring in him another reflex to the fore. Over all, India to large extent, and Pakistan to some extent did not indulge in energy-sapping individual hockey, that almost went against the spirit and thrill behind any encounter between the two classic sides.
Both sides have thoroughly understood wastefulness of entertaining hockey, a bad augury for purists and conneisseurs, but were in sync with modern trend.
This is a good trend, a new wisdom in both sides. As a result, we may not have witnessed a high-voltage, eventful, end to end stuff at Incheon finals, like at Delhi World Cup, Busselton, Amsterdam CT but an effective game.
That's why the contest, witnessed with enthusiasm in both counties, did not produce many goals, but fought full 60 minutes without one side compromising the other, both exercing firm grip on the proceedings.
That the fate of the match had to be decided via penalty shoot out proved near equality of both sides, except India was totally a cool side and Pakistan inching towards the same cool standard.
It would have been a farce had Pakistan won second penalty shoot out too, after it had one against Malaysia, and it was quite a poetic justice the other side, which defeated its semifinal rival in full time, emerged success.
Don't worry we have not witnessed exciting hockey, but exciting result.
Stick2Hockey.com
The Great October 2 history at Incheon
K. Arumugam
National Game of India does a wonder on the birth anniversary of the father of the nation and global icon Mahatama Gandhi.
October 2 is birth anniversary of founder of the nation Mahatama Gandhi and also birth anniversary one of the humblest human beings ever to head India, Lal Bahadur Shastri, second Prime Minister of India.
With a historic Asian Games hockey title obtained on the National Day (one of the three days the entire India enjoys holidays) Indian hockey has made the historic day even more historic and memorable.
The victory that India achieved against formidable rival Pakistan after a tense 60 minutes of hockey is landmark achievement for Indian sport, if not only for hockey.
The spontaneity of the success is a proof, how popular hockey is in India.
The television studio where I did the expert comments today, erupted in joy in unison, with thunderous claps, as if something unique has happened, and it was the moment Dharamvir Singh sent the ball to the left of rushing goalie Imran Butt, and the gold was our.
For a change, the nation talks about hockey
For a country that is parched for medals at multisport events, this gold and the emotion it evoked is great augury for Indian hockey.
Even the people you thought you don't know, come and wish you, and it is a great feeling.
There are countries which regularly win gold at hockey at greater and sterner forum like Olympics and World Cup, but don't elicit matching welcome or response among the masses of their country.
Those medals are worthy, but has only academic or arithmetic value.
The victory that evoke national celebrations are the ones that form backbone of sporting culture.
Needless to say the Incheon Gold fits this exactly
Stick2Hockey.com
Golden days are here, again
Harpreet Kaur Lamba
Dhanraj Pillay’s victory lap after landing the Asian Games gold medal at Bangkok’s Kasertart University Stadium in 1998 was the last memorable moment for Indian hockey for close to two decades.
On Thursday, India scripted a new chapter, one that spelled joy and hope in equal measure. The men in blue clinched gold after 16 long years and along with it, direct entry into the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
That the victory came over Pakistan made it doubly sweet for Sardar Singh’s boys.
Tears flowed and high fives were exchanged as the team made the mandatory victory lap at the Seonhak Stadium in Incheon. It was a day none of them had experienced in their careers.
Coach Terry Walsh said it was a "job well done", while also setting the task ahead for his boys.
"We are really happy to achieve this gold. We had an objective and it has been met," said Walsh from Incheon, his voice drowned in the celebrations.
"As for today’s final, I think we should have finished it in the second quarter itself rather than taking it to the penalty shootout. There is still room for improvement, but what these young players have achieved deserves credit. All of them have learnt a lot and that is what holds significance."
Although it wasn’t easy for the men in blue at one stage with unconvincing wins over minnows Sri Lanka and Oman. And it was their loss to Pakistan in the league match that really had the alarm bells ringing.
Walsh, however, was sanguine on the day. "In sport, there is no looking back and that is a rule to remember. There was no way the players could have thought about that one game. We were focused and the boys knew their roles."
Senior member Gurbaj Singh said it was a "golden day" for Indian hockey.
"It is a great feeling to win the gold after many, many years," said the defensive midfielder. "People always expect a lot from hockey and it is special to bring smiles on their faces.
"Personally, I am happy that we will now get two full years to prepare for the Olympic Games and not worry about qualifying. And that is what we should focus on. This is the time to build on the good work," he added.
For coach M.K. Kaushik, it was a day to savour. He had coached the 1998 batch and today, along with Walsh, he picked up his second gold as a member of the coaching staff.
"The memories of 1998 came flooding back today. Those were hard times in terms of money and facilities, and now everything is different. It is a proud moment and am very happy to be part of the history."
The Asian Age
Incheon conquered, Rio calling
Chander Shekhar Luthra
The Indian team takes a victory lap while a Pakistan player sits dejected after their final in Incheon on Thursday PTI
India beat arch-rivals Pakistan in a shootout to clinch Asian Games hockey gold after 16 years * Sardar Singh & Co also bury ghosts of Delhi 1982 besides gaining direct entry into 2016 Olympics
Forget the India-Pakistan 'friendly' you witnessed last week. Thursday's finale was something altogether different. And as if 60 minutes of drama weren't enough, the contest went into a shootout, which India duly won 4-2 to win their first Asian Games gold medal since Bangkok 1998.
Sardar Singh & Co. knew what they had achieved and the boys in blue hugged each other wildly after ending Indian hockey's 16-year-old drought. The heavy rain before the commencement of the match failed to dampen the spirits of the sizeable crowd that had gathered here to witness the edge-of-your-seat affair.
With some locals painting the Tricolour on their faces, the dominance of Pakistan supporters was compensated duly over the next hour or so. The match was played under intense pressure situation and it finally ended with India goalkeeper PR Sreejesh's heroics in the shootout. For the record, India owed its success in Bangkok to goalkeeper Ashish Ballal.
"I had promised my little daughter that I would come back with a gold medal. So, I have fulfilled my promise," said an elated Sreejesh, adding, "Ladkiyon ko sona achha lagta hai na (girls like gold, don't they)?"
But it was not easy for the team management to motivate the Indian players after that demoralising defeat to arch-rivals Pakistan last week. Every single player was told not to discuss that defeat or the weakness of any individual. The team went out for dinner after that 1-2 loss.
But it was the video analysis of Tuesday's penalty shootout — in which Pakistan defeated Malaysia to enter the final — that actually did the trick. "The boys were shown those clips over and over again to make them understand Pakistan goalkeeper Imran Butt's psyche. And Sreejesh, in particular, was asked to watch Pakistan's penalty takers and their initial movement," said India coach MK Kaushik after the medal ceremony.
The result was there for all to see as Sreejesh managed to psyche out three penalty takers. Butt, on the other hand, was left high and dry as four Indian players — Akashdeep Singh, Rupinderpal Singh, Birendra Lakra and Dharmvir Singh — read his movements and scored without much difficulty. Only Manpreet Singh failed to score.
As the Indian fans erupted in joy at the venue, Sreejesh took off the heavy goalkeeping gear and jumped like a yo-yo.
For that matter, the way skipper Sardar Singh hugged head coach Terry Walsh and high-performance director Roelant Oltmans showed how relieved and exultant the top three men of Indian hockey were.
After plummeting to abysmal depths at the London Olympics and the World Cup in the Netherlands this year, Indian hockey lovers will be overjoyed to find a direct entry into the 2016 Rio Olympics. As the team went into a huddle before the penalty shootout, it was clear that the boys had it in them to beat their toughest opponents in Asia.
Kaushik, too, proved to be lucky mascot for Indian men's hockey as he was the coach during the 1998 triumph in Bangkok.
The win has laid to rest the ghosts of the 1982 Asiad in Delhi where the home team was whipped 1-7 by Pakistan and goalkeeper Mir Ranjan Negi faced the wrath of the public for years to come.
As Olympic Council of Asia president Sheikh Ahmed Al Sabah presented the gold medals to Indian players, the entire stadium sang 'Jana Ganaa Manaa'.
Full marks to skipper Sardar for the way he marshalled the midfield. If goalie Sreejesh was a picture of composure, then forward Ramandeep Singh was unlucky to have not scored after being brilliantly denied by the Pakistani goalie.
Youngster Manpreet Singh, Dharamvir Singh, and Kothajit Singh also played their part. After Rizwan Muhammad put Pakistan ahead through a counter attack in the 15th minute, Kothajit restored parity.
But the real heartbreak for Pakistan was the inability of Abdul Haseem Khan and Muhammad Bhutta to dodge Sreejesh.
The image of Butt kneeling in despair after the shootout was reminiscent of Negi's anguish in 1982. One can only hope that this spectre of defeat would not haunt Butt just as it did the then Indian custodian!
Stopwatch: India 1 (Kothajit Singh) vs Pakistan 1 (Muhammad Rizwan Sr); India won 4-2 on penalty shootout
DNA
India beat Pakistan in Asiad final after 48 years to bag hockey gold
Biju Babu Cyriac
INCHEON: "It's time to create history. Let's go guys," read the status message of goalkeeper P R Sreejesh on WhatsApp before the Asian Games men's hockey final.
And on Thursday afternoon, after India and Pakistan, the two bitter and unyielding rivals, were locked 1-1 at the end of full-time, the 26-year-old goalie knew it was time to walk the talk.
Not long ago, a situation like this was decided by penalty strokes. But as per new rules, a player now has to dribble into the D from the 23-yard line and find a way past the goalkeeper.
At the Seonhak hockey stadium, the Kochi lad made it the toughest thing on earth for the Pakistan forwards.
During those crucial seconds in the shoot-out, he became something bigger than the Great Wall of China in their minds. Agile, inventive and supremely self-confident, heoutthought and outmanoeuvred them.
Sreejesh charged at them to narrow the angles, made himself larger-than-life. He used his stick to sweep the ball away and put his body on the line to thwart them.
He was down one moment to prevent the shots, up the next instant to stop the flicks. This was the closest a hockey goalkeeper came to becoming a Superman. Only two out of the four Pakistani forwards succeeded in scoring, one of them barely.
India had last overcome Pakistan in an Asian Games final 48 years ago, winning 1-0 in Bangkok 1966. This was only the second time India had aced its traditional sporting foe in an Asian Games final.
"People tell me that I play even better when India take on Pakistan in hockey. It could be true because I get into revenge mode during a Pakistan game and my blood also boils," Sreejesh told NDTV in an interview after the game.
For India, his performance was good enough to help the team reclaim the Asian Games gold after 16 years. This will go down in the history of Indian hockey as one of those unforgettable displays under the bar, along with Shankar Lakshman's showing in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and Ashish Ballal's heroics in the 1998 Bangkok Games final against South Korea. Indian hockey has found a new poster boy.
If Sreejesh was the hero of the climax, the support cast played its role to perfection during the shoot-out. Akashdeep Singh, Rupinder Pal Singh, Birender Lakra and Dharamvir Singh danced past Pakistan's goalie Imran Butt with abandon as if he did not exist. The final scoreline was 1-1 (4-2) in India's favour.
Backed on by hundreds of die-hard fans who came through the turnstiles hours before the match began, Pakistan took an early lead through Mohammed Rizwan senior who slipped past Indian defenders and slammed in low to the left of Sreejesh to sound the board. The goal multiplied the decibel levels of the Pakistan supporters in green, some of whom chanted aggressive and provocative slogans. The match was played at blistering pace. At that moment it looked as if Indians would again crumble in the pressure-cooker situation. Late in the first quarter, SV Sunil missed a chance from handshaking distance.
At the stroke of the break, a mild fracas broke out after Gurbaj Singh's stick caught the neck of Pakistan winger Mohammed Dilbar. Both the umpires rushed to the spot to defuse the tension. Luckily the hooter sounded to disperse the players.
The second quarter saw India dictate terms and they slowly took control of the proceedings by slowing the tempo a bit. Indian forced their first penalty corner in the 23rd minute but Rupinder Pal's powerful flick was superbly saved by Imran diving to his left.
The Indian forwards were now drilling holes in the Pakistan defence held tight by their skipper Muhammed Imran. A flurry of shots came into the D looking for a deflection and the moment arrived when Kothajit Singh came out on top after fishing inside the circle. It was Gurbaj who had slammed the ball into the crowded D.
Both teams were playing the traditional Asian style of all-out attack and defence weaving moves through short passes and it was hockey at his best as Pakistan, who showed better stickwork, came up with quickfire counters to rattle the Indians.
In the third quarter, Pakistan forced a penalty corner in the 36th minute but Sreejesh came up with two amazing saves to deny Shakeel Abbasi.
Three minutes into the final quarter, veteran Abbasi again tried to turn on his magic but the Indian defence and Sreejesh survived. India won their second penalty corner on the counter in the 55th minute but once again Imran made a good save. India almost sealed the match in the last seconds through Kothajit and Dharamvir but Butt pushed the match into the tiebreaker
After Akashdeep Singh and Rupinder Pal Singh put India 2-0 ahead in the shootout, Sreejesh came out charging twice to deny Haseem Abdul Khan and Mohammad Ummar Butta to put India in the driving seat (2-1) after three tries. Pakistan never had a look in from there on as Birender Lakra and Dharamvir Singh rounded off Butt to make it 4-2 after five and put it beyond the reach of their arch-rivals who only had once chance left.
As the WhatsApp message wished, history had been created. It was time for celebrations now.
The Times of India
Spirited India win Asiad gold, qualify for Rio Olympics
INCHEON: A spirited Indian men's hockey team defeated arch-rivals and defending champions Pakistan 4-2 in a nerve-wracking shoot-out to end its 16-year gold medal draught in the Asian Games and earn a direct berth to the 2016 Rio Olympics on Thursday.
It turned out to be a humdinger of a contest between the two sub-continental foes as both India and Pakistan refused to give an inch to each other in the entire 60 minutes of a keenly contested tussle.
It took a shoot-out to determine the winner as both the teanm were locked 1-1 in the regulation time of the summit clash at the Seonhak Hockey Stadium.
Pakistan started brightly and broke the deadlock as early as the third minute of the match through Muhammad Rizwan Sr before Kothajit Singh (27th) equalised for India in the second quarter.
The two teams continued their battle after change of ends but failed to breach the rival citadels inspite of creating numerous scoring chances, forcing the match into the shoot-off.
In the one-on-one shoot-off situation, Akashdeep Singh, Rupinderpal Singh, Birendra Lakra and Dhramvir Singh scored for India, while Manpreet Singh turned out to be the fall guy.
But all credit to Indian custodian and vice-captain P R Sreejesh, who produced breathtaking saves in the shoot-off to deny Pakistan's Abdul Haseem Khan and Muhammad Umar Butta. Muhammad Waqas and Shafqat Rasool scored the goals for Pakistan.
By virtue of the coveted gold medal here, India have earned a direct qualification to Rio Olympics, while Pakistan will have to go through the qualifiers. The last time India won the gold medal was in the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok.
The Indians were by far the better side on display in the fast-paced match as they controlled the proceedings with Pakistan relying more on counter-attacks.
But it was Pakistan, who took the early lead when Rizwan Sr scored from a lightening quick counter that caught the Indian defence napping.
An unmarked Rizwan Sr shot home past the outstretched legs of Sreejesh after he was fed by Rasool from the right flank.
Jolted by the goal, India went on the offensive and but what the forawrdline lacked finishing.
India came close to equalising in the last minute of the first quarter but Ramandeep Singh, who once again looked off-colour for most part of the match, was denied by a brialliant Imran Butt in front of the Pakistan goal and then S V Sunil missed a sitter from the rebound as his slap shot sailed high over the bar with an open goal in front of him.
Sparks are bound to fly in an Indo-Pak duel and today's match was no different as there was a heated exchange between the players of the two teams following an injury to a Pakistani player in dying moments of the first quarter.
India continued their impressive display in the second quarter and secured their first penalty corner in the 22nd minute but Rupinder flick was brilliantly kept out by Pakistani goalkeeper Butt.
India's consistent pressure finally bore fruit in the 27th minute when a smart Kothajit neatly deflected Gurbaj Singh's cross from the right to draw level and went into half-time locked at 1-1.
In the third quarter, Pakistan came out with more purpose and started to threaten the Indian goal with more offensive display, which resulted in their first penalty corner but Sreejesh made a fine diving save to deny rival captain Muhammad Imran.
Soon Sunil forced yet another save from an alert Butt before Nikkin Thimmaiah's clever stick work gave India its second penalty corner of the match with just five minute to go for the final hooter.
But once again Butt came to Pakistan's rescue by keeping out Rupinder's effort.
In the last few minutes of the match, India had to go through some anxious moments but the backline held up well to take the match into shoot-off.
The gold here is India's only third in the history of the Asian Games.
The Times of India
Coach Walsh hopes gold will resurrect hockey in India
Biju Babu Cyriac
INCHEON: Chief coach Terry Walsh hailed the Asian gold victory and hoped that it would be used as a launch pad to resurrect Indian hockey and catapult it into the elite league again.
"I'm pleased with the team, especially for the guys who have been in the set-up for a while, especially Sardar (Singh). This was his goal and he has accomplished that. Credit to him and other seniors for bringing the best out of them. It's a very nice special moment in Indian hockey and I hope this moment of time is effectively used going forward," Walsh told reporters after India beat Pakistan on Thursday.
"This squad has got several good players. You can develop that to 30-33 players, all of whom would be comfortable to play in this group. The problem is beyond that it needs a sensible, process-driven organization to get that right," Walsh said pointing out the stark reality that the talent pool is very limited.
Analyzing the final, he said: "We should have finished the game in the second quarter. We didn't do that but we continued to fight and the players stayed in the game mentally throughout. That was very important. In our coaching squad we have some real experience and they realize that we can't play with passion alone," he said.
Asked what separated the two teams in the nerve-wracking finale, Walsh said Pakistan played the old style of hockey. "Pakistan tried to fight in the last quarter against a team that has been doing better than them. They were trying to play the old style of individual brilliance while India were playing the modern way. That was the difference," he said.
With a ticket to the Rio Games in the bag, the coach said they could blood some young players now. "We have the opportunity to blood some players and also rest some players. But you have to be careful how we use them. It has been a heavy programme and the players have stood up well," he pointed out.
Skipper Sardar Singh put the victory right on top of his achievements. "In my career during the last 7-8 years there have been a few happy moments. But this is one of the best as we have also qualified for the Rio Olympics. We have trained hard during the last 7-8 months. Today we have achieved our target," he said.
THE HEROES OF THE FINAL
PR Sreejesh
From a goalkeeper whose rough, rugged ways on the field often crossed ethical limits, Sreejesh, 26 has matured well in the past two years. The aftermath of the 2012 Olympics saw his emergence as a dependable keeper with heightened sense of anticipation and admirable reflexes.
Sardar Singh
A midfield general whose fitness stood out as much as his hockey acumen. That teams were wary of him was evident by the way they marked Sardar. But the wily customer that he has been, Sardar, 28, broke free to control the game well throughout. That he did not have an effective forwardline to translate midfield superiority is another story.
Akashdeep Singh
The youngest member of the team at 19, Akashdeep displayed the sagacity of a seasoned campaigner. Precocious talent that he was, Akashdeep was being mentored to be part of the senior team two years ago even when he was scoring goals by the dozen for the juniors. Akash-deep's speed, sharpshooting skills and his ability to position himself well in the circle make him special.
Gurbaj Singh & Kothajit Singh
Two underrated midfielders who carried out their duties rather well. Gurbaj, 26, displayed his defensive skills as he executed his runs between the defence and the midfield, doing the retrieve-and-carry job with a fair amount of conviction. Kothajit's attacking flair came as a welcome option to a team that was struggling upfront.
Rupinder Pal Singh
His injury at the Incheon Asian Games had the Indian team on tenterhooks. For, besides his dragflicking skills, Rupinder, 23, was gradually emerging as a steadying force in the defence. He was also spot-on in penalty corners, scoring against Sri Lanka, Oman and in the shootout against Pakistan.
The Times of India
The gold most glittering
The 4-2 win over Pakistan hands hockey team a direct ticket to Rio
Rohit Mahajan in Incheon
Deja vu after 16 yrs: Indian hockey team celebrates after defeating Pakistan 4-2 in the penalty shootout to win the gold at the 17th Asian Games in Incheon on Thursday. PTI
This bunch of Indian hockey players had never been lionised, never been celebrated the way they were tonight at the Incheon Hockey Stadium. They were treated as rockstars. Korean schoolgirls gaped at them, shrieked at them as if they’d just seen the Beatles or a ghost. Indian fans jumped down from stands 15 feet above the ground, rushed to get themselves photographed with Indian players. The Indians did the victory lap, twice. They threw their wristbands and T-shirts into the stands, where the fans snatched at them as if they were gifts from a Tendulkar. They wanted more, and the players threw up their shorts as well.
The fans were celebrating India’s win over Pakistan — this was exactly what Terry Walsh, Indian coach, warned against. He wants Indian fans to look beyond Pakistan, the No. 11 ranked team in the world against India’s No. 9. He wants India to take on the world’s and win.
It was a win worthy of celebration, though, because the Asian Games gold qualifies them for the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. The gold here was India’s main objective of this tournament-heavy year; they were challenged in the early group matches, they lost to Pakistan in their group stage game. But they came through a high-pressure game against China, and then beat the hosts South Korea in the semifinals.
Today it rained in the afternoon, and October has brought in chill in the air. The Indians were nervous, edgy, error-prone to begin with — fatally, they left Mohammad Rizwan unmarked as the Pakistanis mounted a counterattack. He received the ball upfront at left, dodged one defender and then had only the goalkeeper, Sreejesh, to beat. Three minutes into the match, India were down 0-1 — they were nervous, clumsy in trapping the ball, gifting the ball to the Pakistanis. Pakistan put men in defence, suffocating the Indians of space.
Captain Sardar Singh, playing up the field, left a hole in the back, and the Pakistan attackers looked dangerous.
It was remarkable that India turned it around in the second quarter — it seemed impossible to do. But India regrouped before the second half; the midfield began to feed the forwards better; Sardar Singh fell back deeper into the Indian half, and began to work better with the backline and the forwards. India began to create move and opportunities, and Pakistan’s defence was put under immense pressure.
In the 12th minute of the second quarter, Gurbaj Singh sent in the ball into the Pakistan D, and Kothaljit Singh deflected in the ball. The Indians in the stands began to breathe again — the drumbeats from their quarter began to be heard with greater vigour, and the Pakistan supporters started looking a bit deflated.
Pakistan did not create a dangerous chance after that for the rest of the match, though the Indians defence had to work hard to keep Pakistani forwards at bay. After the 1-1 draw, it was Sreejesh who took the centrestage — he first thwarted Abdul Haseem Khan, and then Umar Bhutta in the fourth shoot-off. India won 4-2 — the Indian players kicked off celebrations that lasted an hour, Pakistan’s players just lay down on the ground, crushed and dispirited.
Baby’s medal
Sreejesh later said that the gold was for his new-born daughter. “I’d thought I’d be able to give her a gold medal after the Commonwealth Games, but that didn’t happen,” he told this writer. “But before coming to the Asian Games, I told her ‘baby, I’ll get this gold medal for you’. I’m glad I was able to win it for her.” He said he had worked hard to prepare for a penalty shootout situation. “I’d watched videos of Pakistan-Malaysia tiebreaker, and I had studied the moves of the Pak goalkeeper,” he said. “I was confident that I’d be able to stop goals.”
The Tribune
‘First step towards Olympics glory’
Rohit Mahajan
Sardar Singh was happy after receiving the gold medal, but he seemed quite restrained too. He said that while this gold medal was very important, it was just one step in the direction of competing well in the Olympic Games and the other big tournaments.
Excerpts from an interview:
This is your first Asian Games gold medal, and also your biggest gold medal. What do you think of the final?
It was a good win, and we’re happy that we’ve qualified for the Rio Olympic Games. But we’re not really satisfied with our performance. It’s a young team, and this is only the first step. If we continue to work hard, if we work on the mistakes that we made in this tournament, then I hope we’d be able to do better in the coming tournaments.
How important was this gold medal win?
This is a proud moment for the country, but as I said before, this is only the first step. We can’t be satisfied with this. It’s a joyous moment and we should celebrate it, but we need to work hard for the Olympic Games. We’ve got two years for that. The team is in rhythm, but we need to fix the problems we had in this tournament, and play better in the future.
What did you do better tonight than in the group match against Pakistan?
India and Pakistan play better on the counter-attack, so our main aim was to avoid their counterattack. I felt that we managed to do that, though there were some moments in which they did well too. We got many chances too, which we could not avail of. But in the end, we won the tournament, and so we feel good.
What did the coach tell you at the end of the match? He says that you’ve go to improve a lot.
Yes, absolutely. In the beginning of the tournament, he’d said that to the senior players that our experience should count in this tournament, and that we had to play our best game. Today, our combination in the midfield was good, and we were able to feed the forwardline with several balls, and so we got many chances too. We missed many of them, and we need to train more to improve. We hope to do that in the coming camps and tournaments.
What do you have to say about the performance of Sreejesh?
He’s the best – you all saw how he played. Pakistan had beaten Malaysia through a penalty shootout in their semifinal, and we watched all of that over the last couple of days. And Sree, I think, managed to use that knowledge well.
You do think that this game shouldn’t have gone into the penalty shootout?
Yes, we hoped that that would be the case. But these semifinal, final matches are very difficult matches.
The midfield seemed to click today.
Yes, that’s true. Our main target was to block their counterattack by closing our middle… We managed to snatch and intercept many balls there, which we sent to our forwardline. We had some success there, though there were some moments when we mis-passed, too. But overall, we in the middle – Manpreet, Danish, I and Dharamvir – were quite effective, and that helped the team. We enjoyed those passes.
Tell us about Pakistan, how you planned for them?
Their attackers are good, and they’re good on one-on-one dodges. Over the last two days, we’ve worked hard on that. Ours is a young team, and there are 9-10 players for who this is their second-third big tournament. So it was a high-pressure tournament for them, but the youngsters performed very well.
You were under pressure also to gain a direct entry into the Olympic Games, and this was to be done against Pakistan…
I feel that after our performance in the other tournaments – the World Cup, Commonwealth Games etc – and how we did in our training sessions, we were sure that we’d win this gold medal. But the start here wasn’t very good, and we improved very much in the semifinal and the final. Now, we need to play such tournaments more, gain more experience in playing the big matches. We need to work on the speed, the strategies, how to read the game – we need to work hard on all this.
Good but not a massive feat: Walsh
India coach Terry Walsh said he was delighted with the way the team managed to come back from 0-1 down to win the gold medal against Pakistan. But in very strong words, Walsh conveyed to India's fans and media that they must not be satisfied with the win — that beating Pakistan, the No. 11 ranked team in the world, was not such a big deal. "We were good enough to win," Walsh said, in an extremely underwhelming manner. "I think we played well enough, we made more chances than Pakistan. We outplayed them for a large part of the game and deserved to win. And our goalkeeper was very good in the shootout." "It's a good job, a really good job. I take my hat off to them. They came here with a target to win this tournament, and they've done so after a large number of years." He then warned the media not to go mad with joy; he said the past is gone, over and done with, and it's never going to return - he said India must stop talking about the glories of the 1920s to 1960s. "This is what you guys don't get in the media," he said. "These players have no memory of those days… But you continue to compare, compare!"
The Tribune
How the penalties went in Indo-Pak Asiad final
Goal: The pressure was palpable as Akashdeep Singh got ready to take the first penalty. The youngster just ran casually with the ball before suddenly turning around infront of the goalpost to keep himself between the goalie and the ball. A little push to the left and another turnaround followed a simple push inside the post.
Score: India 1, Pakistan 0
Miss: Sreejesh came out quickly and blocked a reverse flick from Haseem Khan, who soon recollected the ball and had another go. But Sreejesh recovered quickly as the ball hit his body and went away.
Score: India 1, Pakistan 0
Goal: Almost similar to Akashdeep's goal. The only difference was that Rupinder turned around and scooped the ball inside the net.
Score: India 2, Pakistan 0
Goal: Sreejesh blocks the first attempt from Muhammad Waqas, but in the process loses his right glove. Waqas has another attempt at the post, which the Indian goalie stops, but lost the sight of the ball in the process. With time running out, Waqas pushes the ball in for Pakistan's first goal in the shootout.
Score: India 2, Pakistan 1
Miss: India's first miss. While attempting to get a wide angle, Manpreet is brought down by the Pakistan goalie. Though the Indian recovers to put the ball in, it is disallowed by the umpire. Coach Terry Walsh protests briefly, but the umpire stays put.
Score: India 2, Pakistan 1
Miss: Sreejesh waits patiently for Muhammad Umar Bhutta to make the first move. While Bhuta is getting ready to go for the kill, Sreejesh suddenly has a go at the ball pushing it away to safety with his stick.
Score: India 2, Pakistan 1
Goal: Smartly done. Birendra Lakra beats the goalie with his skills and moves around him to put the ball in the empty post.
Score: India 3, Pakistan 1
Goal: Shafqat Rasool keeps Pakistan in the hunt by foxing Sreejesh to score from his penalty.
Score: India 3, Pakistan 2
Goal: Dharamveer seals the fate of the final by scoring a goal, similar to the first one. He beats the goalkeeper, taking the ball away from him before slamming home with a dive.
Score: India 4, Pakistan 2
The Times of India
Asiad gold one of the biggest moments in my life: Sardar
INCHEON: Winning the Asian Games hockey gold is one of the biggest moments in his life, said the triumphant India captain Sardar Singh after his team won the nerve-wracking shoot-out to end its 16-year gold medal drought in the Asiad and earn a direct berth to the 2016 Rio Olympics.
"This is one of the biggest moments for me. We came here to win the Asian Games and directly qualify for the Rio Olympics and we have achieved our aim," said a beaming Sardar at the post-match media conference at the Sianhok Stadium.
India defeated arch-rivals and defending champions Pakistan 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out after the two teams were locked 1-1 in the regulation time of the summit clash.
Sardar, who led the country to only its third Asian Games gold in 15 attempts, heaped praise on coach Terry Walsh and the support staff.
"Pressure was there but he (pointing to coach Terry Walsh sitting beside him) and the other support staff made sure it was off when we went into the game," he said.
India had earlier won in 1966 and 1998, while Pakistan had won the title eight times in the past, including in 2010 at Guangzhou.
Coach Walsh described the gold medal victory as "a big moment for Indian hockey".
"I am very pleased for the team and the players. It's a big moment for the players and my congratulations to him (Sardar) and the players. It's a special moment for Indian hockey," he said.
Walsh said no matter how good the support staff might be, but finally the onus is on the players to deliver on the field.
Pakistan started off well but India took control in the second quarter and the coach said, "They played exactly like they did earlier. In the second quarter India took them apart. They (Pakistan) did not recover the lead again.
"Pakistan played the old style of hockey, but we played the modern game. That was the difference. Our players stayed mentally alert throughout. Playing with only passion is not enough. In our coaching group we have some real experience (to handle this)," he explained.
Walsh noted that the team had some very tight schedule -- the World Cup, followed by Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.
"Now (with Rio berth booked) there's an opportunity to blood new players and rest some players. There has been a very heavy programme for these players. They have stood up to that very well. We have had only one injury (the groin injury sustained by Rupinderpal Singh against Oman in group stage). It had been a largely injury-free ride (as compared to the World Cup), he pointed out.
Meanwhile, Pakistan coach Shahnaz Sheikh complimented his team for doing a wonderful job and ending with the silver medal despite not having played any international hockey over the last 11 months before coming here.
"I must compliment my young team of players for doing very well. They were excellent. We are a team of inexperienced players who have not played international hockey for 11 months. They took the lead. India are a mature team having played together for one and a half years - in World Cup, Commonwealth Games etc," said Sheikh.
"I took over the team only five months ago and we had only 100 days of training before coming here. And this was an India-Pakistan final happening after 32 years. I am sure in future with more playing experience, the team would do very well," he said.
The coach insisted that both teams were equal. "We score one goal, they scored one. We had one penalty corner they had two. There was hardly any difference between the teams," he reasoned.
Sheikh also said he was sure that India were playing for the penalty shoot-out when the fourth quarter came with the two teams level 1-1.
"I have seen their psyche and they had slowed down and were waiting for the penalty shoot-out."
Describing the final as a typical South Asian style of short, quick passes which was enjoyed thoroughly by the crowd, Sheikh took the opportunity to ask for the revival of India-Pakistan hockey series.
"India should come to Pakistan and play a series of matches to help our hockey get sponsors. As a family we should help each other," he said.
The Times of India
PM Narendra Modi congratulates Indian hockey team, women athletes
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday congratulated the hockey team and women athletes who won gold medals in Incheon Asian Games, saying the winners have made India very proud.
"Very good day for India at the Asian Games," he tweeted.
"Congrats to our Hockey Team & congrats to our women athletes for the Gold in 4x400 metres relay," he added in another tweet. India defeated Pakistan 4-2 to bag the gold medal in the Asian Games men's hockey after a gap of 16 years and also sealed a direct entry into the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Indian women also bagged gold in 4x400 relay race.
"I have been closely following India's progress at the Asian Games & I congratulate every medal winner. You make India very proud," the Prime Minister said. India added five medals today to jump to the ninth position in the overall standings in the 17th Asian Games with a total haul of 55 -- 9 gold, 9 silver and 37 bronze.
DNA
'Asiad win great but boys still have a long way to go'
NEW DELHI: Hockey greats Balbir Singh (Sr) and Ajit Pal Singh on Thursday hailed India's Asian Games gold medal winning effort but felt the players still have a mountain to climb to succeed at the World and Olympic level.
The former stars said the win over Pakistan will give the sport a big push in the country.
"It was an excellent effort by the boys and they deserve this memorable win. It is a great morale booster for them ahead of the Rio Olympics. Having said that, India still need to improve drastically if they are to do well in world hockey," Balbir, a triple Olympic gold medallist, said after India beat Pakistan to win the top prize in Asian after 16 years.
The 89-year-old legend said anything less than gold would have been a disappointing result, considering the competition in the quadrennial event.
"I had a feeling before the competition that we will win. Pakistan are not the side they used to be and Korea's level has also dropped," reckoned Balbir.
1975 World Cup winning captain Ajit Pal said Indian hockey needed this victory badly.
"This win has come after a long time and will help people reconnect with the game. I think the boys throughly deserved the win. Barring the first quarter which Pakistan dominated, India were the better team. The boys looked very comfortable on the field and made it look easy even in the shoot-out. It will give them lot of confidence for the future," said Ajit Pal.
Watching the game on television, Balbir was happy to see the improvement in players' fitness before pointing out their weak areas on the field.
"Today I saw a marked improvement in their fitness. The boys maintained the intensity for entire 60 minutes. However, they can't be making the mistakes against top teams like Australia, Netherlands and Germany," he said referring to India's missed chances in the final.
"The goal S V Sunil missed in the first quarter is something he should have easily put inside the goal. Then I feel major improvement is required in trapping, defence and marking. Unless we trap the well, we won't be able create chances on the field. Marking too has to improve against the top teams that have such well built players," said Balbir, who was part of the team which won India's first Asian Games god in 1966 when they beat Pakistan 1-0.
On the goalkeeping from, Balbir said India can't only depend on P R Sreejesh but "he doesn't see anyone matching his level".
Looking ahead, 67-year-old Ajit Pal said India must build on the rare success they got on Thursday.
"Rome was not built in a day. Likewise, India ruled hockey before dropping down the pecking order. It will take sometime to catch up with the world's best and the boys just need to keep on improving like they have shown in the last two years," added Ajit Pal.
Gurbux Singh, who was vice-captain of the side that won gold in 1966, said with the win will help India concentrate better on the Olympics.
"A gold medal in hockey at any international event is special. Now that we have qualified for Rio, the boys would be relieved," he said.
The former Olympian further said India should aim for the last four berth in Olympics, which will be quite an achievement considering they have never made the semis in a world event since their World Cup triumph in 1975 and an Olympic gold in 1980 when no big teams turned up.
"Being the Asian champions now, is a great incentive to focus well on Olympics. We have more than a year's time we should work very very hard to make at least last four."
The Times of India
In lead-up to Rio Olympics, India must play top teams, says Merwyn Fernandes
Rutvick Mehta
Merwyn Fernandes
India need to have a second string of players putting constant pressure on the current bunch. The moment complacency creeps into this side, the level of performance will go down. Every player needs to be challenged. I hope the selectors create a competitive atmosphere
This is a watershed moment for Indian hockey. After all, we hadn't won a major tournament in so many years. And China, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Pakistan are no pushovers. So to win the gold medal is a great effort.
The bottom line is you need to win. India did that on Thursday. You can't be playing well and losing. I thought the most important thing that clinched the final for India was that they controlled the game. I think India enjoyed more of the possession. Most importantly, we have seen our teams ill-prepared for eventualities. But the way they started the shootouts, I told myself our boys are going to do it. Why? Because they had trained for it. As a former player, I was very confident when Akashdeep Singh went against his back to the goalkeeper. India won it tactically.
But I won't say India are No. 1 in Asia. Winning the Asian Games tournament doesn't guarantee you that. If, say, South Korea play India a week later, it will be a different ball game. So on a day when you have your chances, you have to utilise them. But for now, let's be happy that we have gained direct entry into the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
We have two years to prepare for the marquee event. We need to constantly play top teams like Australia, Germany, The Netherlands and England to improve at the world stage. The exposure that the players will get by playing these teams will hold them in good stead for Rio.
Also, India need to have a second string of players putting constant pressure on the current bunch. The moment complacency creeps into this side, the level of performance will go down. Every player needs to be challenged. I hope the selectors create a competitive atmosphere. For example, young Mandeep Singh is a constant threat to any guy in the team. We need at least three to four guys like him. The so-called established guys must be kept on their toes.
Head coach Terry Walsh was under immense pressure before the Asian Games. Had India lost, his head would've been on the chopping block. It doesn't matter if you're playing well, but if you don't produce results, you will be under pressure. So this win is going to help him a lot. And for the first time, I saw Roelant Oltmans (Hockey India high-performance director) excited on the field. He is generally a very calm guy. So it shows the kind of pressure they must have been in.
—The writer was a member of the gold-winning team at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. He spoke to Rutvick Mehta
DNA
Nandnuri Mukesh Kumar hails India hockey team for Asiad performance
V.V. Subrahmanyam
Nandnuri Mukesh Kumar. File Photo: V.V. Subrahmanyam
Triple Olympian and one of the most feared right-wingers of yesteryears, Nandnuri Mukesh Kumar, hailed India hockey team on winning gold in the Asian Games by beating Pakistan in the final in Incheon on Thursday.
Mukesh, who was himself a member of the Indian team the last time India won a gold in the 1998 Asian Games, attributed today's "magnificent win to the brilliance of goalkeeper P. R. Sreejesh. "He was truly outstanding and reminded us of the equally amazing show by goalkeeper Ashish Ballal when we we won the gold in 1998. This is a tuly fantastic achievement," Mukesh commented.
But, the former India captain also cautioned the Indian think-tank to look at the long-term planning as the forwardline needs to show greater enterprise and dash upfront. "The best part is we qualified for 2016 Rio Olympics. This is great news. With the kind of showing in Incheon, it will not be enough when you look at winning a medal in the 2016 Olympics. We need too improve a lot in this front," he explained.
'Let us now only look forward from this magnificent victory which could not have come at a more appropriate moment. A badly needed gold which should give the Indian hockey a major fillip," Mukesh concluded.
The Hindu
Mukesh recalls Bangkok Asian Games victory
M Ratnakar
MUMBAI: Former captain Mukesh Kumar found himself taking the crucial fourth penalty stroke that helped India win the Asian Games gold in 1998. "I was a bit tense as I usually don't take penalties, but when one of our main players opted out, I stepped forward. I managed to wrong the goalkeeper and what a moment it was for us," Mukesh told TOI.
The Times of India
Sardar and his boys to get 2.5 lakh each from Hockey India
NEW DELHI: The gold medal winning players of India's men's hockey team will receive a cash reward of Rs 2.5 lakh each from Hockey India for their stupendous show at the Asian Games.
India regained the Asian Games title after 16 years, following a 4-2 shoot-out win over Pakistan in the final.
Not only the men's players but Head coach Terry Walsh and High Performance Director Roelant Oltmans will also receive Rs 2.5 lakh each.
The other support staff members will also get financial incentive as Hockey India has decided to give them Rs one lakh each.
The players of the women's team, which won bronze medal, will get Rs one lakh each from the Federation while the support staff members will get Rs 50,000 each.
The Times of India
We will provide all help to hockey team for Rio: Sonowal
NEW DELHI: Congratulating Indian men's hockey team for winning 'historic' gold in the ongoing Incheon Asian Games, sports minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that the government will provide every possible help to them for 2016 Rio Olympics.
India beat arch-rivals Pakistan 4-2 in a nerve-wracking shoot-out to regain the Asian Games men's hockey gold medal after a gap of 16 years and also sealed a direct entry into the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Sonowal termed the win as historic as India has emotional connect with hockey.
"It is a historic victory and I want to congratulate all the members of Indian hockey team, coach and whoever has made this possible. We are waiting to receive them with a sense of gratitude and happiness. India has an emotional connect with hockey, so this win is extra special," Sonowal said.
"Indian hockey has got its rhythm back after 16 years and now we are looking forward for Rio Olympics. My ministry will provide every possible help to make them win in Rio," he said.
He also congratulated all the medal winners including women's 4x400m relay team.
"I would also like to congratulate gold medal winners in women's 4x400 m relay and every medallist. They did a lot of hard work to bring laurels for the country," he said.
The minister also expressed satisfaction over India's performance in the Asian Games.
"It is good as per our expectations. Every player has been putting hard work and they have given 100 per cent," he said.
The Times of India
India shatter Pakistan hopes to clinch gold and qualify for Rio Olympics 2016
Greenshirts went down 4-2 after penalty shootout, South Korea down Malaysia 3-2 for bronze
By Muhammad Ali
INCHEON : Two-time champions India shattered defending champions Pakistan hopes 4-2 through penalty shootout in the final of the 17th Asian Games Men’s Field Hockey Tournament to clinch the gold medal after 16 years and qualify for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics 2016 at Seonhak Hockey Stadium here on Thursday. Some 4,000 fans from both nations packed the stadium to witness the first India-Pakistan Asiad final in 32 years. Earlier for bronze medal tie, hosts South Korea defeated Malaysia 3-2.
Pakistan, now who had lost twice to India in nine Asian Games finals, will have to take part in the tough Olympic Qualifiers. Pakistan were the tournament’s only unbeaten team going into the final and were high on confidence after having defeated India in the group stages. India, who currently sit two places above their archrivals Pakistan in the FIH World Rankings at nine, landed their first Asiad title since the 1998 event in Bangkok, Thailand. India last made it to the final of the Asiad way back in 2002 Busan Games in South Korea.
The final, the mother battle of the tournament, turned out to be a humdinger of a contest between the two sub-continental foes as both India and Pakistan refused to give an inch to each other in the entire 60 minutes of a keenly contested tussle. It took a shootout to determine the winner as both the teams were locked 1-1 in the regulation time of the summit clash. Pakistan started brightly and broke the deadlock as early as the third minute of the match through Muhammad Rizwan Senior before Kothajit Singh equalised for India in the second quarter. Both the teams on numerous occasions came close to break the deadlock but failed to do so, stretching the game into shoot-outs.
In the one-on-one shoot-off situation, Akashdeep Singh, Rupinderpal Singh, Birendra Lakra and Dhramvir Singh scored for India, while Manpreet Singh turned out to be the fall guy. But all credit to Indian custodian and vice-captain PR Sreejesh, who pulled off two brilliant saves to deny Pakistan’s Abdul Haseem Khan and Muhammad Umar Butta. Muhammad Waqas and Shafqat Rasool scored the goals for Pakistan. Pakistan had defeated Malaysia 6-5 in the semifinal that entered the penalty shootout stage on Tuesday to face archrivals India in the final. India beat South Korea in the other semifinal to reach the final. Pakistan had defeated India 2-1 earlier on in the group stages.
Shahnaz appeals for more international exposure: Pakistan coach Shahnaz Sheikh said it was very unfortunate that Pakistan could not retain the title. "This has been a difficult period for Pakistan hockey because we have not played international matches for almost a year," added Shahnaz, a renowned former striker. "That’s why I am very proud of my young team. They lost just one match in this tournament and showed a lot of maturity. This was a close game as the result shows." Sheikh urged foreign teams to visit Pakistan and help support the country’s hockey. "We will not improve unless we get more exposure. Please come and play with us. Hockey needs Pakistan as much as Pakistan needs hockey," he maintained.
India’s coach Terry Walsh said that he was most happy with the fact that India managed to bring energy to the game and that the players had stepped up their performance levels in the crunch game against Pakistan. "This is a special moment for Indian hockey. Most of the guys had not played a big final for a long time so I am very happy for them to have accomplished the task. We should have finished the game in regulation time. We are not perfect, we still need to work on many weaknesses. But for now, I want the boys to enjoy the moment. They have done well."
It was after 32 years that both India and Pakistan were facing off in the Asian Games final. India and Pakistan last met in an Asiad final at New Delhi in 1982 where the Indians suffered a stunning 1-7 rout in front of their own fans that included then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. In Beijing in 1990 when Pakistan claimed the gold and India the silver, there was no final since the winner was decided after a round-robin league.
Pakistan are the most accomplished team in the Asian Games, having won eight gold medals: 1958, 1962, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1990 and 2010; this is also the highest number of times a team have come first. They have also won 03 silver and 03 bronze medals. It was after a long gap of 20 years that Pakistan finally regained the hockey title by blanking Malaysia 2-0 in the final of the Asian Games 2010 in the Chinese city of Guangzhou. It was Pakistan’s eighth Asiad hockey gold, ending a drought that stretched back to the Beijing Asiad in 1990.
Having won the World Cups four times in 1971, 78, 82 and 1994, and silver in 1975 and 1990, Pakistan for the first time in the game’s history failed to qualify for the World Cup in 2014. A victory against archrivals India in the Incheon Asian Games final could have given the required boost and helped in the revival of the game of hockey in Pakistan, which has been strapped for funds in recent years. Had Pakistan won it would have also been a consolation for hockey fans in the country who were left disheartened after Pakistan failed to qualify for the World Cup earlier this year.
The tournament was held under a new format introduced in a bid to make the game faster. Four 15-minute quarters replaced the previous format of two 35-minute halves, bringing coaches and game management more into focus. The new system had been tested in friendly matches and tournaments, but the blue turf at the Seonhok Stadium saw it for the first time in the international arena.
The Daily Times
India wrest hockey gold from Pakistan
INDIA’S Dharamvir Singh scores the final goal in the shootout of the men’s hockey final against Pakistan at the Seonhak Hockey Stadium.—AFP
INCHEON: India beat Pakistan in a penalty shootout on Thursday to win back the Asian Games hockey title after 16 years and earn direct entry to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
The arch-rivals played out a 1-1 draw in regulation time before Indian goalkeeper Parattu Sreejesh became his side’s saviour by saving two of Pakistan’s four penalty attempts.
India put four goals past Pakistan’s Imran Butt to win the shoot-out 4-2 and clinch their third Asiad gold medal, but the first since the Bangkok Games in 1998.
“This is a special moment for Indian hockey,” said the team’s Australian coach Terry Walsh. “Most of the guys had not played a big final for a long time so I am very happy for them to have accomplished the task.
“We should have finished the game in regulation time. We are not perfect, we still need to work on many weaknesses. But for now, I want the boys to enjoy the moment. They have done well.”
INDIAN players with their gold medals.—AFP
Some 4,000 fans, including Games competitors from both nations, packed the Seonhak hockey stadium to witness the first India-Pakistan Asiad final in 32 years.
The defeat prolonged the misery for defending champions Pakistan, who failed to qualify for this year’s World Cup and now face a hazardous qualification road to Rio.
“This has been a difficult period for Pakistan hockey because we have not played international matches for almost a year,” said coach Shahnaz Sheikh, a renowned former striker.
“That’s why I am very proud of my young team. They lost just one match in this tournament and showed a lot of maturity. This was a close game as the result shows.”
Shahnaz urged foreign teams to visit Pakistan and help support the country’s hockey.
“We will not improve unless we get more exposure,” he said. “Please come and play with us. Hockey needs Pakistan as much as Pakistan needs hockey.”
The match did not live up to its hype as both teams missed scoring opportunities, especially India who had the better of the exchanges in three of the four quarters.
Pakistan seized an early opening in the third minute as a swift move down the middle wrong-footed the Indian defence and Mohammad Rizwan scored from the top of the circle.
India bounced back in the second quarter with repeated attacks on the Pakistani circle and after three missed chances, they drew level in the 27th minute when Kothajit Singh tapped in a pass from the flank.
The match passed off without incident except for a brief scuffle in the second quarter when a raised Indian stick hit a Pakistani player, but the umpires stepped in to cool tempers.
Earlier, South Korea won the bronze medal with a 3-2 win over Guangzhou silver-medallists Malaysia, with three of the five goals coming through penalty strokes.
Jang Jong-Hyun scored twice for the hosts to finish as the leading scorer of the competition with nine goals.
“Our target before the tournament was to win the gold so the players were obviously very disappointed,” said Korean coach Shin Seok-kyu. “But I told them this medal was as good as winning the gold.”
Dawn
Heartbreak as Pakistan pipped to gold
Pakistan players sit dejectedly on the pitch after losing in the final (top), while the Indians celebrate their first gold in 16 years (right). PHOTOS: AFP
KARACHI: Defending champions Pakistan will have to settle for silver after losing 4-2 to India on penalties in the final of the 2014 Asian Games at the Seonhak Hockey Stadium, Incheon. The match had ended 1-1 in normal time.
Going into the final, Pakistan were the tournament’s only unbeaten team and were high on confidence after having defeated India 2-1 in the group stages.
True to form, the Greenshirts were off to a flyer after Muhammad Rizwan Senior put Pakistan ahead in the third minute. However, India levelled the scoring in the second quarter through a 27th-minute goal by Kothajit Singh Khadangbam.
Neither side was able to break the deadlock again in the final two quarters, and penalties were required to decide the tournament’s winner. Despite having won the semi-finals 6-5 on penalties, Pakistan penalty-takers seemed lacking in composure as Indian goalkeeper Sreejesh Parattu Raveendran saved Abdul Hassem Khan’s and Muhammad Umar Bhutta’s efforts. India converted four of their five penalties to win 4-2 and claim the gold.
The Greenshirts were participating at the Games on the back of a disappointing eleven-month period in which they missed out on the World Cup and the Commonwealth Games.
“It hurt badly when we could not qualify for the World Cup, and now even more as we missed out on a chance to qualify directly for the Olympics,” said coach Shehnaz Sheikh. “Now we will have to negotiate a tough qualification route to the Olympics.”
However, Sheikh was happy with the performance of his players. “The boys paid back my six-month training, even to reach this level, as they had not played in an international fixture for the last 11 months. We were perhaps a little unlucky.”
Captain Muhammad Imran echoed his coach’s thoughts. “It is disappointing to lose,” the striker told The Express Tribune. “But look at it this way; we [the hockey team] had won eight gold medals before and now we take home our third silver.”
However, Imran was disappointed that they were unable to capitalise on their early goal. “We should have won the gold as we had a good start, but our strikers did not perform” added Imran. “The gold would have been vital for the revival of hockey in Pakistan, but the thing which hurts more is that we missed out on the chance to book a place in the Olympics.”
Meanwhile, South Korea defeated Malaysia 3-2 in the match for bronze, while China secured fifth place by defeating Japan in the 5-6 classification match 4-3 on penalties after the game had finished 1-1.
The Express Tribune
Asiad hockey failure disappoints Manzoor Junior
By Mohammad Yaqoob
LAHORE: Former Pakistan captain Manzoor Junior has expressed his disappointment over poor performance of the national team in the all-important final against arch-rivals India during the Asian Games. Pakistan lost to India 4-2 on penalty-shootout.
The former captain said that there were some question marks over team performance which must be addressed by the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PAF) and the team management.
“The way the Indian team entered the field it was apparent from their body language that they were confident despite losing pool match to Pakistan,” Manzoor said while talking to Dawn.
Pakistan as the defending champions not only lost the Asian title but also an opportunity to directly qualify for the 2016 Rio Games. Now Pakistan have to play qualifying round for the next Olympics.
“Pakistan should have won the final as it was also important to wash out all the previous bad performances of the national team particularly their failure to qualify for the World Cup and their poor show in the London Games,” Manzoor commented.
“Furthermore, a victory in the Asian Games could have been proved as a tonic for reviving hockey in Pakistan,” remarked the former Olympian who held chief selector Islahuddin, head coach Shahnaz Sheikh, PHF president Akhtar Rasool and secretary Rana Mujahid responsible for the Asiad loss and subsequent possible failure to qualify for the next Olympics.
“Both Akhtar and Rana Mujahid have played their roles in different capacities in the PHF for the last eight years and I think the future of Pakistan hockey seems to be more bleak and now it would be just a dream for us to even play in the mega events like World Cup and Olympics,” Manzoor maintained.
He further said that chief selector and head coach took a wrong step to retain old boys like Shakeel Abbasi, Mohammad Imran and Waqas besides many others who he said had repeatedly failed in many assignments.
Asked the national team had a big problem of not being able to play international series before the Asian Games, Manzoor said after losing a place in the World Cup, the Asian Games was the next big target for the PHF two years back but due to ill planning the PHF failed to arrange any series.
Asked the government was also not helping the PHF since the former is not providing sufficient funds to it to prepare the national team, Manzoor said what they did with hefty funds they received during the tenure of Qasim Zia.
Manzoor said that after Islah and Shahnaz joined the PHF along with other Olympians, big claims were made that masterminds had come into action and now the hockey would be revived but now future of hockey seemed darker.
The former captain said all credit went to Indian coach and team management for preparing different game plan for the final, adding that there were only two tough matches in semi-final and final during the Asian Games.
Dawn
Comment: Domestic hockey needs quick revamp
By Anwar Zuberi
HOCKEY gold is close to the hearts of 180 million Pakistanis and if it comes at the expense of arch-rivals India it multiplies the joys. This is vise-versa. In an action-packed Asian Games hockey final in Incheon, India defeated title holders Pakistan 4-2 on penalty shootout after one-all stalemate in regulation time to recapture the crown after 16-years on Thursday.
The triumph earned India a direct passage to the 2016 Rio de Janerio summer Olympics while Pakistan will have to go through the agony of qualifiers.
The heat was intense after the two countries set a date for the Thursday’s title clash.
By virtue of victory, India also avenged its group match 1-2 defeat that they suffered at the hands of green-shirts on Sept 25.
This is not the first time that Pakistan will have to go through qualifiers in order to make it to the Olympics. Previously, they have featured in qualifiers twice at Osaka for the 2000 Sydney Olympics and at Madrid for Athens Olympics.
India’s track record of Asian Games hockey is appalling as compared to Pakistan. They have captured the title thrice – at Bangkok in 1966, again at Bangkok in 1998 and at Incheon in 2014.
Pakistan, on the other hand, has won the title eight times since 1958.
The Asian Games hockey competitions used to be a two-horse race until 1986 at Seoul when host South Korea annexed its maiden title after registering 2-1 victory over Pakistan. The Koreans emerged as a strong powerhouse posing a serious threat to Indo-Pakistan supremacy and went on to add three more gold to their tally at Hiroshima in 1994, at Busan in 2002 and at Doha in 2006.
Whenever Asian Games comes, it reminds Pakistan’s 7-1 thrashing to India at the 1982 New Delhi Asian Games hockey final before a hostile crowd.
The Indians had come to Incheon well prepared after going through practice in the Hockey India League under new format of four quarters whereas Pakistan’s preparation for the Asiad on new format seems to be lacking.
All said and done. Pakistan’s domestic hockey needs a revamp at the grassroots level to acquaint the youth of new rules which has snatched the glamour that was attached to the game in yesteryears.
Dawn
Inefficiency to handle pressure behind loss: Shahnaz
Ex-Olympians come down hard on performance
Mohsin Ali
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan hockey team head coach Shahnaz Sheikh termed boys’ inefficiency to handle big match pressure behind green shirts loss in the Asian Games men's hockey final against arch-rivals India.
Talking to The Nation, Shahnaz said: “I warned players not to take undue pressure and play normal game, but they looked off color especially in the later stages of the final, anyhow, I am more than satisfied with their performance. The way they played their hearts out is truly remarkable and I am quite confident they will bounce back and that too in style. We will not sit back rather continue to work more hard and try to remove minor flaws to score victories. Now we have set our sights on playing the Olympic qualifiers and book a berth in the most prestigious event.”
Sharing his views, Olympian Samiullah said: “It was the battle between worlds outside top eight teams and Pakistan should have won that event. It was not about the entire event, but it was about three matches, Pakistan played well in the group match against India and won. They just managed to win crucial semifinal against Malaysia because of heroics of goalkeeper Imran Butt but now I will term Imran responsible for the loss in the final, as he failed to live up to the occasion against India. He should have stopped plenty shoot outs, just like his Indian counterpart did.”
“Middle defense didn't provide support to forward line, while the deep defense performance was highly questionable, they failed to clear the ball and passing was also highly questionable. Our team was badly exposed by the Indians. They enter the final with a clear-cut game plan, played fast hockey, which Pakistanis tried to match, but it was badly backfired. They should have adopted their own policy and tried to slow down the pace. Some individual performances were witnessed, but as a team, they failed to deliver.
“Coaching was better, but no game plan was witnessed during the final. I still believe a lot could have been done, the coach should have come up with different game plan, which he mentioned to implement and promised. He had some big surprises in store for the Indians in the final, but unfortunately, all those claims failed to materialize,” Sami concluded.
Sharing his views, Olympian Manzoor-ul-Hasan said that excessive missing was the main reason behind loss in the final while Irfan Senior’s sending off was another blow for the green shirts.
“No one expect to win big matches when four out of five strikers failed to deliver. Abdul Haseem Khan, Shakeel Abbasi, Waqas Sharif and Umar Bhutta looked completely off color. I think Umar should have not been asked to take plenty shoot, as he had missed against Malaysia in the previous match. It was battle of nerves, which Pakistani team failed to handle, but I must give credit the way boys played in the entire event,” Manzoor concluded.
Sharing his views, Olympian Rehan Butt termed Pakistan team’s performance right throughout the event as very heartening. “It was a big pressure match, in which boys failed to live up to expectations, but I would give credit to Pakistan team for playing in the final. They were unlucky losing the final on plenty shootouts, but they made us feel proud and given us new hope. I am confident we could turn this team into winning unit,” Rehan concluded.
The Nation
South Korea beat Malaysia to win hockey bronze
INCHEON: South Korea won the bronze medal with a 3-2 win over Guangzhou silver-medallists Malaysia, with three of the five goals coming through penalty strokes.
Jang Jong-Hyun scored twice for the hosts to finish as the leading scorer of the competition with nine goals.
Jang opened the scoring with a penalty corner in the 19th minute and Kim Young-Jin increased the margin with a field goal at the end of the second quarter.
Malaysia, who lost to Pakistan via the shoot-out in the semi-final, reduced the margin early in the third quarter when Muhammad Razie converted a penalty stroke.
Jang made it 3-1 in the 44th minute with a penalty stroke, but Razie scored for Malaysia a minute later, also with a penalty stroke.
Korean coach Shin Seok-kyu said winning a bronze after drawing a blank in Guangzhou was like a gold medal for his young team.
"Our target before the tournament was to win the gold so the players were obviously very disappointed," said Shin. "But I told them this medal was as good as winning the gold.
"I am quite happy with today´s result. We have to look forward now and prepare for the future.”
The News International
Malaysia lose to South Korea to finish fourth
Mohd Razie Rahim scores one of two penalty flicks in the bronze medal playoff match against South Korea in the Incheon Asian Games. Malaysia lost the match 3-2. - IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/ The STAR
INCHEON: The hockey team had to settle for fourth placing after going down 2-3 to hosts South Korea in the bronze medal playoff at the Seonhak Hockey Stadium.
Once again the Malaysians, the silver medallists in Guangzhou in 2010, showed an improved performance and they fought till the end against a rejuvenated South Korean team.
Both teams lost narrowly in the semi-finals and were hoping to gain some consolation with a bronze medal.
But the South Koreans fared better by taking their chances and trooped off winners. The match also saw the fight between the two leading scorers – Jang Jong-yun and Mohamed Razie Rahim – of these Games. Both had seven goals apiece going into the game.
And they came away with two goals each to tie on nine goals. Jong-yun scored a penalty corner and a penalty stroke while Razie’s two goals came from penalty strokes.
It was South Korea who drew first blood with Jong-yun scoring the first penalty corner in the 19th minute. Kim Young-jin then made it 2-0 with a field goal in the 30th minute.
Razie managed to reduce the deficit for Malaysia in the 34th minute while Jong-yun added his second in the 43rd minute for South Korea to lead 3-1. A minute later, Razie was again on target.
The Malaysians tried desperately to get the equaliser but the hosts held firm.
Interim national coach A. Arulselvaraj was happy despite the defeat.
“But I’m a little disappointed that we didn’t get the bronze. After all, that is how people will remember you although we played very well. A medal always counts.
“This team has shown over the last four matches that they have what it takes to be good again. From a coaching point of view, this is a plus point and we know that a strong team can be built from this outing.
“It must be remembered that I had just 35 days to prepare this team. A bronze medal would have been just reward for the players for all their hard work,” he said.
The South Koreans praised Malaysia for giving them a run for their money.
“Like Malaysia, we were disappointed after losing the semi-finals. Our aim was the gold. But as a consolation for the players and their families, the bronze is worth its weight in gold,” said chief coach Shin Seok-kyu, a former international defender.
The Star of Malaysia
Bronze eludes squad
THE national men’s hockey team had to settle for fourth place at the Asian Games after losing the playoff for bronze 3-2 against South Korea yesterday.
Silver medallists in 2010, Malaysia were well beaten by the hosts, who had also won an earlier preliminary meeting 2-1.
South Korea led through Jang Jong-Hyun’s penalty corner conversion in the 19th minute before Kim Young-Jin made it 2-0 on the stroke of half-time.
Razie Rahim scored off two penalty strokes in the 34th and 44th minutes to take his tournament tally to nine goals, either side of a penalty stroke goal by Jong-Hyun.
This is the first time Malaysia have failed to win the bronze medal playoff since 1986.
“I am happy we managed to maintain a high level of performance but disappointed that we will return without a medal,” said national interim coach Arul Selvaraj. “I hope the players will continue to do well.”
The gold medal, meanwhile, was won by India who beat Pakistan 4-2 in a shoot-out after the final ended 1-1.
New Straits Times
Schedule released for the women’s Hockey Champions Trophy 2014, Mendoza, Argentina
(Photo: Frank Uijlenbroek)
FIH have released the pools and match schedule for the Hockey Champions Trophy in Mendoza, Argentina. The tournament will start on 29th November 2014 and conclude with the Final on 7th December 2014.
Pool A will consist of 2014 World Cup Winners, the Netherlands; Japan, who came 5th in the 2012 Champions Trophy; 2012 Olympic Games Semi-Finalists, New Zealand and China. While in Pool B, defending champions and hosts, Argentina, will play 2014 Commonwealth Games silver medallists, England; 2014 World Cup runners up, Australia and 2012 Champions Trophy Semi-Finalists, Germany.
To date, the Netherlands and Australia both hold six Champions Trophy titles apiece, defending champions Argentina have won the title five times and Germany, China and Korea have all won once.
The opening day of the tournament (Saturday 29 November) will feature all eight teams taking to the field in the Estadio Mendocino de Hockey. The stadium seats 5,000 spectators and was built initially to host the 2013 Women’s Pan American Cup. The new stadium was greeted with great enthusiasm by hockey fans in Argentina, who were already thinking ahead then to the 2014 Champions Trophy.
This glittering finale to 2014 promises an exciting and action-packed tournament as the Netherlands women will be trying to make it a double following their stunning performance in the 2014 Rabobank Hockey World Cup. Argentina arrive as defending champions and will be on home turf, meanwhile Australia will want to avenge their World Cup defeat by the Netherlands and win a seventh Champions Trophy.
FIH President, Leandro Negre said: “We are greatly looking forward to this event as Argentina always has amazing crowds. The loyalty and dedication of the fans is an inspiration to see.”
To see the complete tournament schedule, please click here.
FIH site
Hockeymen edge Dom Republic in penalty shoot-out
T&T needed penalty-strokes shoot-out to get the better of Dominican Republic, 3–0, after a 2–2 draw in its opening men’s match at the second edition of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) World League First Round qualifying tournament at the Mona Campus Hockey Facility, Kingston, Jamaica, yesterday.
At the end of the 70-minute contest, both T&T and Dominican Republic were locked at 2–2, with Kiel Murray (second minute penalty) and Akim Toussaint (48th) giving T&T leads, only to be pegged back by Jeffrey Moncion (35th) and Jose Lopez (59th).
However, in the shoot-out, T&T captain Darren Cowie missed his team’s first attempt before Toussaint and teenager Tariq Marcano converted, while Moncion, Lopez and Argeny Cabrera failed to beat galkeeper Andrey Rocke.
On Wednesday night, host Jamaica got goals from Jerome Davis (22nd penalty-stroke) and George Mc Glashen (28th) to overcome Barbados, 2–1. Neil Franklyn had given the Bajans a ninth minute lead, also from a penalty.
When matches resume tomorrow (Saturday), T&T will face Barbados from 11.30 am, followed by Jamaica on Sunday from 4.30 pm, to end round-robin play in the four-team competition, at the end of which the winner will secure the lone spot available to the Second Round in Chula Vista, California, next year (February 28 – March 8).
Last night, the T&T women’s team went after a third straight win when they faced Jamaica in the late match, which was preceded by a meeting between Dominican Republic and Barbados.
The Alanna Lewis-captained “Calypso Stickwomen” lead the table with maximum six points after beating Puerto Rico (5–1) and Dominican Republic (3–1) in their first two matches.
Dominican Republic, which stunned host Jamaica 3–0, is second with three points, the same as Barbados which whipped Puerto Rico, 4–1 in the other matches to date.
The reigning Caribbean champions, T&T will end its campaign tomorrow against Barbados from 9 am ahead of Sunday’s final round of pool matches, at the end of which, only the top team will advance to round two in Montevideo, Uruguay, from February 28 - March 8, next year.
The Trinidad Guardian
Fresh outlook for new National Squads
Nick Woods and Ella Gunson selected for the Black Sticks squads
The 2014/15 New Zealand National Squads feature plenty of young talent along with some familiar faces leading into an exciting year of hockey.
Black Sticks Men’s and Women’s head coaches Colin Batch and Mark Hager have confirmed their new squads following the conclusion of the recent Ford National Hockey League.
Both squads have initially been selected as smaller groups with tests later this year to give a wider development pool of players the chance to earn a spot in a final squad of 25 players.
The Women’s National Squad is a youthful group of 19, with a fresh make up following the retirements of striker Krystal Forgesson and goalkeeper Bianca Russell.
Kayla Whitelock and Emily Naylor are also notable omissions with both veterans opting to take some time away from international hockey.
Northland’s Ella Gunson (25) is the only new face in this year’s squad, although she has plenty of experience having played 84 tests prior to a break after the 2012 London Olympic Games spent studying in the United States.
A further 18 players have been named in the Development Squad, many of those young athletes who earned selection thanks to a strong NHL campaign.
Hager is looking forward to the next few months which will give players from both the National and Development Squads opportunities to play at the highest level.
“This year’s squads have a clear eye to the future, giving more players a chance to challenge themselves within our programme and create greater depth within the National Squad,” Hager said.
“With some big changes to the squad we will likely see some positional changes for some players over the next few months and the upcoming USA series is the perfect chance to prepare.
“I’m happy with the group we have selected and think we really have a good engine room to build a base around going forward. We have a lot of good young players who are showing positive signs and now it’s time for them to stand up and stake their claim.”
Returning Black Stick Ella Gunson said she was extremely excited to be called back into the National Squad and is determined to make an impact.
“I’m just so incredibly happy. Not being in the team last year was really tough and I really missed it so it’s a wonderful feeling now.
"I was trying to break back into the squad after NHL last year but I hadn’t done enough and didn’t show enough at that tournament. I’ve worked really hard since then and will continue to build on that.”
Meanwhile, Colin Batch has initially named 21 players in the Men’s National Squad which includes two debutants.
19-year-old midfielder Nic Woods has earned a call-up following an impressive year at representative level for his region Midlands.
Woods is joined by Canterbury goalkeeper George Enersen, who comes into the squad in place of Hamish McGregor who made himself unavailable for selection due to personal circumstances.
Injured striker Nick Wilson remains in the National Squad and is hoped to be fit to play soon as he continues to rehab from a serious knee injury.
Veteran of 274 tests Ryan Archibald has been included in the Development Squad and will add a huge amount of experience and skill to a wider group of players.
Batch said he was excited to get the group back onto the turf and that the two new faces have earned their right to wear the Black Sticks jersey.
“We’ve been watching Nic for some time now through the Under 18s and Under 21s and we thought he played really well at the Ford National Hockey League also as a player who is highly involved and can create scoring opportunities through the midfield,” he said.
“George has been in the Development Squad for a while now and we are confident in giving him an opportunity to perform at the highest level.
“Players in both the National and Development Squads still need to prove themselves, and we will continue the selection process following games later in the year.
“We know we have a big challenge ahead of us to qualify for the Olympics at World League 3 next year so everything is geared towards having the best prepared team – that means anyone in either squad has a chance of selection.”
A leadership group will be in effect over the next six months before a new captain is named to replace retired skipper Dean Couzins (318 tests).
Young gun Nic Woods said he was surprised and honoured to receive the phone call from Batch giving him the good news.
“It’s awesome and I’m super excited, it’s a really great bunch of guys who I’m looking forward to playing with,” he said.
“I didn’t expect the call up so soon, or at all really. I’d been training on and off with the Black Sticks last year which was pretty cool so now I’m looking to take the next step and go even further this year.”
The Black Sticks Women play a home test series against USA in Palmerston North, Wairarapa and Manawatu this month before a week of hockey for Wellington and the Kapiti Coast in November with the men hosting Japan for four tests and the women playing three games against Australia.
CLICK HERE for the full international calendar
2014/15 Women’s National Squad
| NAME |
REGION |
POSITION |
AGE
|
CAPS
|
| Sam CHARLTON |
Midlands | Defender/Midfielder | 22 | 104 |
| Sophie COCKS |
Canterbury | Striker/Midfielder | 20 | 44 |
| Michaela CURTIS |
Central | Striker | 20 | 18 |
| Rhiannon DENNISON |
North Harbour | Defender | 21 | 57 |
| Gemma FLYNN |
Midlands | Midfielder/Striker | 24 | 185 |
| Amelia GIBSON |
Canterbury | Goalkeeper | 23 | 26 |
| Katie GLYNN |
Auckland | Striker | 25 | 134 |
| Jordan GRANT |
Canterbury | Midfielder/Striker | 23 | 25 |
| Ella GUNSON |
Northland | Midfielder/Striker | 25 | 84 |
| Rose KEDDELL |
Midlands | Defender/Striker | 20 | 55 |
| Julia KING |
Auckland | Midfielder/Striker | 21 | 63 |
| Olivia MERRY |
Canterbury | Striker | 22 | 58 |
| Stacey MICHELSEN |
Northland | Midfielder/Defender | 23 | 151 |
| Brooke NEAL |
Northland | Defender | 22 | 17 |
| Anita PUNT |
Capital | Midfielder | 26 | 171 |
| Aniwaka ROBERTS |
Capital | Defender/Midfielder | 25 | 34 |
| Sally RUTHERFORD |
Midlands | Goalkeeper | 33 | 76 |
| Liz THOMPSON |
Auckland | Defender | 19 | 42 |
| Petrea WEBSTER |
North Harbour | Striker/Midfielder | 26 | 78 |
2014/15 Women’s Development Squad
| NAME |
REGION |
POSITION |
AGE
|
CAPS
|
| Georgia BARNETT |
Central | Goalkeeper | 20 | 1 |
| Kayla BRADEY |
Central | Midfielder | 20 | - |
| Stephanie DICKENS |
North Harbour | Midfielder | 19 | - |
| Natasha FITZSIMONS |
Midlands | Defender | 25 | 31 |
| Shiloh GLOYN |
Midlands | Midfielder/Striker | 23 | - |
| Erin GOAD |
North Harbour | Defender/Midfielder | 21 | - |
| Pippa HAYWARD |
Canterbury | Defender/Midfielder | 24 | 35 |
| Kathryn HENRY |
North Harbour | Defender | 23 | - |
| Tessa JOPP |
Southern | Midfielder | 19 | - |
| Su Arn KWEK |
Auckland | Striker | 18 | - |
| Rachel McCANN |
Canterbury | Midfielder | 21 | - |
| Maddi McLEAN |
Southern | Midfielder | 21 | - |
| Katarina O'CALLAGHAN |
Capital | Striker/Midfielder | 22 | - |
| Cass REID |
Canterbury | Striker | 19 | 23 |
| Felicity REIDY |
Capital | Striker | 21 | - |
| Belinda SMITH |
Auckland | Defender | 23 | - |
| Jenny STOREY |
Canterbury | Defender | 22 | 9 |
| Danielle SUTHERLAND |
Auckland | Midfielder | 19 | - |
2014/15 Men’s National Squad
| NAME |
REGION |
POSITION |
AGE |
CAPS |
| Phil BURROWS | Capital | Midfielder | 34 | 332 |
| Marcus CHILD | Auckland | Midfielder | 23 | 72 |
| Simon CHILD | Auckland | Striker | 26 | 212 |
| James COUGHLAN | North Harbour | Striker | 24 | 20 |
| Steve EDWARDS | North Harbour | Midfielder | 28 | 188 |
| George ENERSEN | Canterbury | Goalkeeper | 23 | - |
| Nick HAIG | Canterbury | Defender | 27 | 152 |
| Andy HAYWARD | Midlands | Defender | 29 | 180 |
| Blair HILTON | Capital | Striker | 25 | 132 |
| Hugo INGLIS | Southern | Striker | 23 | 140 |
| Stephen JENNESS | Capital | Striker | 24 | 114 |
| Devon Manchester | Auckland | Goalkeeper | 24 | 45 |
| Shea McALEESE | Central | Midfielder | 30 | 210 |
| George MUIR | North Harbour | Midfielder | 20 | 13 |
| Arun PANCHIA | Auckland | Midfielder | 25 | 143 |
| Jared PANCHIA | Auckland | Striker | 20 | 39 |
| Alex SHAW | Capital | Defender | 24 | 59 |
| Brad SHAW | Canterbury | Defender | 31 | 156 |
| Blair TARRANT | Southern | Defender | 24 | 113 |
| Nick WILSON | Central | Striker | 24 | 124 |
| Nic WOODS | Midlands | Midfielder | 19 | - |
2014/15 Men’s Development Squad
| NAME |
REGION |
POSITION |
AGE
|
CAPS
|
| Ryan ARCHIBALD | Auckland | Midfielder | 34 | 274 |
| Richard BAIN | Canterbury | Striker | 25 | - |
| Joe BARTHOLOMEW | North Harbour | Defender | 25 | 28 |
| Cory BENNETT | North Harbour | Defender | 23 | 25 |
| Willie DAVIDSON | Canterbury | Striker | 24 | - |
| Joe HANKS | Central | Midfielder | 24 | - |
| Richard JOYCE | North Harbour | Goalkeeper | 22 | - |
| Dane LETT | Capital | Midfielder | 24 | - |
| Shay NEAL | Northland | Striker | 24 | 48 |
| Nick ROSS | Southern | Midfielder | 24 | 13 |
| dwayne ROWSELL | Auckland | Defender | 22 | - |
| Kane RUSSELL | Southern | Defender | 22 | - |
| Ben SMITH | Capital | Goalkeeper | 21 | - |
| Jacob SMITH | Capital | Striker | 23 | 32 |
Hockey New Zealand Media release
Strong New Zealand hockey squads named
BACK IN BLACK: Ella Gunson is back in the New Zealand women's hockey squad after taking a break following the London Olympics. LAWRENCE SMITH/Fairfax NZ
The New Zealand hockey squads have a mixture of young talent and familiar faces for the 2014-15 season.
Black Sticks men's and women's head coaches Colin Batch and Mark Hager have named their squads at the end of the national league.
Both squads have been selected as smaller groups, with tests this year to give a wider development pool of players the chance to earn a spot in a final squad of 25 players.
The women's national squad is a youthful group of 19, with a fresh makeup after the retirement of striker Krystal Forgesson and goalkeeper Bianca Russell.
Veterans Kayla Whitelock and Emily Naylor have opted to take time away from international hockey.
Northland's Ella Gunson, 25, is the only new face in this year's squad, although she played 84 tests before a break after the 2012 London Olympics that she spent studying in the United States.
A further 18 players have been named in the development squad, and many of those young players earned selection after a strong NHL campaign.
Hager is looking forward to the next few months, which will give players from both the national and development squads opportunities to play at the highest level.
Batch has initially named 21 players in the men's national squad, which includes two debutants.
Teenage midfielder Nic Woods, 19, has earned a callup after an impressive year at representative level for Midlands.
Woods is joined by Canterbury goalkeeper George Enersen, who comes into the squad in place of Hamish McGregor, who is unavailable for selection because of personal circumstances.
Striker Nick Wilson remains in the national squad and hopes to be fit to play soon after a serious knee injury.
Ryan Archibald, who has played 274 tests, has been named in the development squad and will add a huge amount of experience and skill to a wider group of players.
A leadership group will be in effect over the next six months before a new captain is named to replace retired skipper Dean Couzins (318 tests).
The Black Sticks women will play a home test series against the United States in Palmerston North, Wairarapa and Manawatu this month.
The men will host Japan for four tests, with the women playing three games against Australia.
Men's squad - Goalkeepers, Devon Manchester (Auckland), George Enersen (Canterbury); defenders, Nick Haig (Canterbury), Andy Hayward (Midlands), Alex Shaw (Capital), Brad Shaw (Canterbury), Blair Tarrant (Southern); midfielders, Marcus Child (Auckland), Steve Edwards (North Harbour), Shea McAleese (Central), George Muir (North Harbour), Arun Panchia (Auckland), Nic Woods (Midlands); strikers, Phil Burrows (Capital), Simon Child (Auckland), James Coughlan (North Harbour), Blair Hilton (Capital), Hugo Inglis (Southern), Stephen Jenness (Capital), Jared Panchia (Auckland), Nick Wilson (Central).
Women - Goalkeepers, Sally Rutherford (Midlands), Amelia Gibson (Canterbury); defenders, Sam Charlton (Midlands), Rhiannon Dennison (North Harbour), Rose Keddell (Midlands), Brooke Neal (Northland), Aniwaka Roberts (Capital), Liz Thompson (Auckland); midfielders, Gemma Flynn (Midlands), Jordan Grant (Canterbury), Ella Gunson (Northland), Julia King (Auckland), Stacey Michelsen (Northland), Anita Punt (Capital), Petrea Webster (North Harbour); strikers, Sophie Cocks (Canterbury), Michaela Curtis (Central), Katie Glynn (Auckland), Olivia Merry (Canterbury).
Stuff
HAZ pondering reschedule of Africa Cup of Club Champs
FORTUNE MBELE
The Hockey Association of Zimbabwe (Haz) has proposed to move the Africa Cup of Club Championships (ACCC) to be hosted by Khumalo Hockey Stadium in Bulawayo from November 22-30 so that the tournament does not coincide with the African Union Sports Council Region V Under-20 Youth Games also to be hosted in the city from December 5-15.
The newly-elected Haz executive committee will be meeting in Harare today where an update on hosting the club championships will be heard as the tournament is yet to get approval from the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC).
The African Hockey Federation had requested Zimbabwe to once again host the African club championships which the country hosted in 2012 after clubs indicated they were not willing to travel to Nigeria, who were supposed to host the competition this year, due to the outbreak of Ebola.
Haz vice-president Humphrey Chigwedere said they had a sent a proposal to have the tournament, usually played in December, brought forward and not coincide with the Region V Games.
“We are having an executive meeting tomorrow (today). We indicated to the African Hockey Federation that we don’t want the tournament to coincide with the Region V Games. We have proposed November 22-30 but we are still to get endorsement from the SRC to host tournaments of this nature. The closing date for clubs to confirm their participation is October 17. This is for planning purposes as clubs have to be booked into hotels. We will be getting an update tomorrow (today) at the executive committee meeting,” Chigwedere said.
News Day
Cole hails arrival of Shaw as Monkstown breakthrough
Ireland’s EHL representatives Monkstown are flying high and looking to bring their brilliant local form to bear following four wins in-a-row in their domestic Leinster league leading into their debut in the Euro Hockey League in Barcelona.
They completed their competitive build-up with a 3-2 win over Railway Union and team captain Stephen Cole admits that his side are “naturally excited” to be playing in the competition for the first time.
They are grouped with fellow newcomers Daring from Belgium and Racing Club de France, battling it out for the one place on offer in the KO16. Cole told the EHL website that he reckons Daring are the favourites on paper having gone unbeaten in the Belgian league thus far but his sky-blues have plenty of threat themselves.
“It is certainly an interesting group, having three sides that are all new to the competition,” he said. “At a glance Daring would have to be the favourites. With a strong Irish contingent in Belgium perhaps we will get some further information on them.
“I would imagine that Racing Club de France would be similar to ourselves in many ways and a really tough team to beat. However more than anything we will be focusing on our own performance to give us the best chance of progressing.”
Monkstown are playing in just their second European club competition – albeit their second in just five months – having won the EuroHockey Club Champions Trophy last June in Sardinia.
It continued their big trophy haul in recent seasons after a huge drought. Indeed, when they won the 2013 Irish Senior Cup, it was their first national title in 99 years and they duly added the Irish Hockey League crown – the biggest title in the country – in both 2013 and 2014.
They also won the provincial Leinster league in 2013/14 for the first time last spring while a Mills Cup has been won along the way. This glut of silverware has all come since the arrival of Graham Shaw as coach.
He is a veteran of over 150 international games with Ireland and reached the KO16 with Glenanne in Bloemendaal a couple of seasons ago. Having won everything in the Irish game – and a European Trophy in Paris – with the Glens, he gave the club a winning mentality they had lacked in a couple of national final defeats.
And Cole paid tribute to that work: “The arrival of Sharpie Shaw two seasons ago has certainly helped us bring home trophies. He brought with him a lot of experience, which is something which we probably had been lacking.
“There was no doubt that we had a talented side before and coupled with Sharpies experience and determination we started winning titles. It was a good fit, an ambitious club with a young coach with high aspirations.”
His arrival coincided with a large number of youth international players reaching maturity with Stephen one of three brothers in the team. He played for Ireland at the Euros last August while younger brother David has caps while Lee was with the Under-21s in the summer. His youngest brother Geoff may not be too far away from a regular first team call, too.
His father is a former international while the club has a large family feel with many of the players that won the Leinster league in the 1980s now seeing their sons play at the top level.
“Family connections play a huge part in Monkstown; names such as Watkins and Horsfield have been appearing on team sheets for decades. For me it is really nice to play alongside two of my brothers each week.
“These connections on and off the pitch have been pivotal in helping the club arrive at the top table of Irish hockey over the past number of years while establishing a thriving junior section. The club takes great pride in this ethos.
“It gives us great on the sideline each week no matter where or how we are playing! Obviously we had a successful trip to Sardinia for the trophy in June and will be well supported again in Barcelona. For the supporters, these tournaments are nice rewards for their continued support.”
They are a side packed with international players with striker Davy Carson and goalkeeper David Fitzgerald regular Irish players but they could be without key man Peter Caruth.
Swiss international Fabien Wullschleger brings EHL experience from his time with Luzerner while Richard Sykes and New Zealander Andy Ewington are powerful drag-flickers.
And Cole says the blend is right for them to make an impact in Barcelona.
“ I think all the teams in our group have the ability to progress and that is definitely our main target heading to Barcelona. We will be confident knowing if we perform as a team that we are in with a shout of the KO16.”
Euro Hockey League media release
Koreans to power THC
By Jugjet Singh
TERENGGANU Hockey Club (THC) aim to stand on the Malaysia Hockey League Premier Division podium after signing five players from South Korea.
The Premier Division, starting on Oct 29, will have six teams with KL Hockey Club, Tenaga Nasional, Maybank, UniKL, Sapura and Terengganu completing the cast.
“We had the best local players last season but still finished fifth (out of seven teams) so we went to Incheon (South Korea) recently to sign five quality Korean players to strengthen our side,” said Terengganu HC manager Sabri Salleh.
However, Sabri said he could not name the players as they have not signed contracts with Terengganu HC yet:
Five national players, playing in the Asian Games now, will also turn out for Terengganu.
“We have also signed former national players Ismail Abu and Faizal Saari and overall, I believe the team are good for a podium finish,” said Sabri.
Ismail and Faizal are now playing for Singh Sabha Club in the Hong Kong League, where eight teams with a large number of foreign players, are competing.
Only Tenaga Nasional will rely on local talent in the Premier Division while the others have all signed at least five foreign players.
KL Hockey Club, the four-time consecutive League and Overall champions since 2011, will open accounts against Tenaga Nasional in the Charity Shield.
New Straits Times
Trustees face Exchequers
Defending league champions Trustees will look to open a three-point gap ahead of their closest rivals, Police, when they clash with Exchequers today at the Theodosia Okoh Hockey Stadium in Ghana at 4.00pm.
Trustees of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) last weekend profited from Police’s 3-2 loss to Golden Sticks to grab the top spot of the league on goal difference; as they won 1-0 against Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
The reverse fixture in the first round of the league last August ended in a 2-1 victory for Trustees with their skipper, Matthew Damalie producing a dominant display on the artificial surface.
However, the head coach of Trustees, Edmund Aryeetey, has charged his team to be cautious against Exchequers, insisting that his side have a lot to do if they are to defend their title.
The game is also a must-win for Exchequers, who are in dire need of points as they are currently placed fourth on the six-team league-log with a paltry six points from seven outings this season.
In other fixtures, defending ladies champions, GRA push-off against Extinguishers while the male team of Police takes on leaders Trustees.
On Saturday, Young Financiers lock horns with Lemoniest, Multistix battle Veterans, Citizens play NDK, Reformers face-off with Ark Ladies and Police clash with Amazing Grace Ladies.
In final ties of week nine, juniors champions, Tema Manhea, welcome La Juniors and Golden Sticks representing the Ghana Commercial Bank meet Reformers of the Ghana Prisons Service.
GhanaWeb