Welcome to the Fieldhockey.com Archives

Daily Hockey news updated @ 10:00 GMT

News 06 October 2014

All the news for Monday 6 October 2014


QLD & NSW reach semis

Women's semis take shape; Tassie men shock 2013 champions Queensland


Photo credit: John Napper - Action in Focus Photography

Tasmania men pulled off the shock of the tournament on day two of the Australian Hockey League powered by Premier Technology Solutions, holding out to beat defending champions Queensland Blades 1-0 thanks to an early goal from young Kieron Arthur. The result put the Tassie Tigers top of Pool A, a point ahead of both the RAMS Home Loan Canberra Lakers and the QLD Blades.

ACT’s Lakers beat the SA Southern Hotshots 4-2 thanks to goals from Hotchkis brothers Daniel and Matthew, Aaron Kershaw and Adam Baxter.

In men’s Pool B, the Victorian Vikings and the WA Thundersticks both secured their places in the semi finals with a game in hand thanks to victories over SRA Territory Stingers and NSW Waratahs respectively. Kookaburras defender Chris Ciriello – the competition’s top scorer - netted another brace in Victoria’s 4-2 win while Western Australia were grateful for Ben Ashford’s winner with less than ten minutes remaining in their back-and-forth 3-2 win over NSW.

In the women’s competition, defending champs the Queensland Scorchers secured their place in the semi finals with top scorer Jodie Kenny’s second quarter penalty corner doing the business against the Victorian Vipers in a 1-0 win. The Canberra Labor Club Strikers’ 7-0 win over NT Pearls, which included two goals from 2012 World Young Player of the Year Anna Flanagan, sets up a winner-takes-all last pool phase clash with the Victorian Vipers.

In the other pool, Pool B, NSW Arrows sealed a final four place courtesy of a 6-0 win over the Tassie Van Demons with six different scorers, including captain and Hockeyroo Kellie White and Crookwell compatriot Emily Smith. The WA Diamonds’ 4-1 win over the SA Southern Suns puts them in the driving seat for the second semi final place from Pool B with a clash against the Van Demons on Tuesday to secure it. However, a Van Demons win and a NSW Arrows win over the SA Southern Suns would be enough for bottom side Tasmania to reach the semi finals.

Monday is a rest day.

Women's AHL results - Sunday (day two)
Brisbane, QLD

Canberra Labor Club Strikers (ACT) 7-0 NT Pearls (NT)
WA Diamonds (WA) 4-1 SA Southern Suns (SA)
QLD Scorchers (QLD) 1-0 Victorian Vipers (VIC)
NSW Arrows (NSW) 6-0 Van Demons (TAS)

Pool A
1. Queensland Scorchers (QLD) (6)
2. Canberra Labor Club Strikers (ACT) (3)
3. Victorian Vipers (VIC) (3)
4. NT Pearls (NT) (0)

Pool B 
1. NSW Arrows (NSW) (6)
2. WA Diamonds (WA) (3)
3. SA Southern Suns (WA) (1)
4. Van Demons (TAS) (1)

For more detailed results, tables, goal scorers, cards and more visit the women's AHL page at hockey.org.au/ahlwomen.

Men's AHL results - Sunday (day two)
Adelaide, SA

QLD Blades (QLD) 0-1 Tassie Tigers (TAS)
Victorian Vikings (VIC) 4-2 SRA Territory Stingers (NT)
RAMS Home Loan Canberra Lakers (ACT) 4-2 SA Southern Hotshots (SA)
NSW Waratahs (NSW) 2-3 WA Thundersticks (WA)

Pool A
1. Tassie Tigers (TAS) (4)
2. RAMS Home Loan Canberra Lakers (ACT) (3)
3. QLD Blades (QLD) (3)
4. SA Southern Hotshots (SA) (1)

Pool B 
1. Victorian Vikings (VIC) (6)
2. WA Thundersticks (WA) (6)
3. SRA Territory Stingers (NT) (0)
4. NSW Waratahs (NSW) (0)

For more detailed results, tables, goal scorers, cards and more visit the men's AHL page at hockey.org.au/ahlmen.

Hockey Australia media release



ADF by day, coach by night

Craig Williams Australian Defence Force member & Head Coach for NT Pearls

Serving the country for over 25 years in the Australian Defence Force, Craig Williams, otherwise known as Sniper, heads across Australia with a passion for coaching.

Head Coach of the Northern Territory Pearls for this year’s women’s Australian Hockey League powered by Premier Technology Solutions in Brisbane, Williams expands on the backgrounds of two different yet similar roles, with one being highly confidential.

“It’s like having two separate identities.”

“While on duty at one job you’re looking after the people in another country, while at the other you’re guiding and educating players to help them reach their full potential. Both are very rewarding and challenging roles.”

Hockey’s a sport that showcases various skills, reflecting somewhat on Williams experience while traveling the globe through tough and challenging conditions with a Special Force Unit.

“The Special Force Unit was to achieve objectives sent down by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), a key focus was on helping the Afghanistan nation.”

“The defence force and hockey have close comparisons; analysing, strategy, defence and looking to take out an objective where you need to analyse the level of risk to the team and yourself.”

Now permanently based in Australia, Williams looks at resource management and logistics for the Australian Defence Force. Escaping the previous difficulties of juggling deployment and hockey, Williams now balances a good work/hockey lifestyle.

“It was sometimes difficult juggling the two careers. One minute you’re at home ready to go do a training session, and the next minute you’re packing up everything and heading off to Brunei, Afghanistan or Malaysia.”

“Making the most of your time is crucial while at home, you need to squeeze as much hockey and family time in as possible before you’re off again.”

Turning his focus to the women’s Australian Hockey League in Brisbane, Williams is pleased with his team’s preparation.

“We’re just about there with our preparation. We’ll aim to be competitive, to gel and bond well as a team throughout the entire tournament in order to play good quality hockey.”

Hockey Australia media release



Jackson hat-trick as East Grinstead beat rivals Surbiton


Ashley Jackson and Mark Gleghorne poised to shoot from a penalty corner for East Grinstead. Credit Ann Needle

A hat-trick from Ashley Jackson helped East Grinstead beat rivals Surbiton at Saint Hill in the NOW: Pensions Men’s Hockey League Premier Division on Sunday.

The England and GB ace popped up to score on 20 minutes from open play, and Simon Faulkner doubled their lead with another on 34 minutes.

After the break, Jackson added trademark goals from penalty corners on 44 and 68 minutes to ensure that East Grinstead are the only team in the table with a 100 per cent record.

While Surbiton drop to second, Beeston and Hampstead and Westminster both missed their chance to go second as they battled out a 1-1 draw.

Andy Hayward scored from a corner routine to put Hampstead ahead on 23 minutes, only for Sam Ward to level from open play on 58 minutes.

Reading and Southgate also settled for a 1-1 draw in a fiery match which saw six yellow cards shown. Rick Gay put Southgate ahead after just eight minutes from a penalty stroke, but Richard Mantell matched it on 59 minutes from a penalty corner.

Canterbury kick-started their season with a 4-3 win at Brooklands Manchester University.

The home side were 2-0 ahead through Andrew Graham and Peter Flanagan before Canterbury hit back, Kwan Browne and Harry Roberts scoring on 25 and 30 minutes respectively to level at the break.

Ben Hare put them ahead, and Roberts added their fourth on 63 minutes. Aiden Khares pulled one back for Brooklands, but it was not enough.

And in Saturday evening’s match at Cannock, they were beaten 2-4 by visitors Wimbledon, whose goals came from Phil Ball (two), Phil Roper and Michael Hoare.

NOW: Pensions Men’s Conference West

Leading three-nil with nine minutes remaining, Team Bath Buccaneers survived a late score to win 2-3 against hosts Guildford in the NOW: Pensions Conference West.

Two goals from Tim Davenport and one from Ben Stone had put them into a comfortable lead, but late goals from Chris Boot and Mohammad Rahman pulled Guildford back within striking distance.

Meanwhile, Cardiff and Met still lead the table after notching up a 5-1 win at the University of Exeter. Third-placed Fareham lost out 1-2 at home against university of Birmingham, while Indian Gymkhana secured their first win of the season, a 2-1 victory over Cheltenham.

NOW: Pensions Conference North

Loughborough Students dropped to second in the NOW: Pensions Conference North after they were held to a 3-3 draw by second-bottom Leek.

Two goals from Paul Dawson and one from Elliot White helped Leek take a point, while Loughborough’s scorers were Luke Taylor (2) and George Lilley.

Bowdon now lead the table after winning 2-0 at Sheffield Hallam, with both their goals coming from Simon Egerton.

And Olton and West Warwickshire are fourth after a 3-2 win over Doncaster, their goals coming from Adam Croutear, Ed James and Tom Mallett. Andrew Appleton and Joe Morrison scored for Doncaster, but it wasn’t enough.

University of Durham were leading three-nil with just nine minutes gone at Wakefield, but they still ended up losing 4-3 with Angus Boulton, Greg Moorhouse, Richard Thomas and Dan Berry scoring for Wakefield.

NOW: Pensions Conference East

Holcombe continued to dominate the NOW: Pensions Conference East with a 6-0 win at Oxted. Gareth Andrew scored twice, while others came from Barry Middleton, Nick Catlin, Harry Trusler and James Stedman.

But Chichester Priory Park are also on a 100 per cent record following their 4-1 win over Old Loughtonians. Ollie Baxter, Andrew Sparshott, Richard Blakesley and Matt Cox scored their goals.

Cambridge City also enjoyed a big win, beating Richmond 5-1 with goals from Ed Perry (2), Keir Dixon, Scott Gilmour and Alistair Wilson.

And West Herts remain third in the table after they beat visitors Bromley and Beckenham 5-1. Max Webster (2), Neal Dolphin, Terry Kynaston and Phil Clay scored their goals.

NOW: Pensions Men’s Hockey League (Sunday, October 5 2014):

NOW: Pensions Men's Premier Division: Beeston 1, Hampstead and Westminster 1; Brooklands Manchester University 3, Canterbury 4; East Grinstead 4, Surbiton 0; Reading 1, Southgate 1.

NOW: Pensions Men's Conference West: Fareham 1, University of Birmingham 2; Guildford 2, Team Bath Buccaneers 3; Indian Gymkhana 2, Cheltenham 1; University of Exeter 1, Cardiff and Met 5; Whitchurch 4, Barford Tigers 3.

NOW: Pensions Men's Conference North: Deeside Ramblers 3, Belper 2; Loughborough Students 3, Leek 3; Olton and West Warwickshire 3, Doncaster 2; Sheffield Hallam 0, Bowdon 2; Wakefield 4, University of Durham 3.

NOW: Pensions Men's Conference East: Brighton and Hove 0, Teddington 0; Cambridge City 5, Richmond 1; Chichester Priory Park 4, Old Loughtonians 1; Oxted 0, Holcombe 6; West Herts 5, Bromley and Beckenham 1.

England Hockey Board Media release



Asiad gold proved hockey is still alive in India: Oltmans

NEW DELHI: India's gold medal in the just-concluded Asian Games after a 16-year hiatus has proved that hockey is "still alive and kicking" in the country which has a rich history in the sport, feels High Performance Director Roelant Oltmans.

A spirited India outclassed arch-rivals Pakistan 4-2 in a nerve-wrecking 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.

Before embarking for the Asian Games, there was immense pressure on highly-paid Oltmans and chief coach Terry Walsh to deliver results, but the legendary Dutchman said the performance in Incheon will definitely silence the critics of hockey.

"I never feel pressure. The word pressure in not in my dictionary. I know my job. I know what I am doing and the same way Terry knows what he is doing. It is important that people have faith in us and let us do our work," Oltmans said.

"I hope the gold will silence the critics for quite some time now. This gold proves that hockey is still alive and kicking in this country," he said.

Oltmans, who is in charge of the overall development of Indian hockey, is satisfied with the performance of both the men's and women's team, which clinched a bronze in the Asian Games but said there is still lots to improve upon.

"Of course I'm satisfied with the performances. It is close to maximum. We had a chance to win silver in the women's competition. Both the women's and men's teams created a lot of goal scoring chances which tells that we are going in the right direction. But there are plenty of areas to improve," he said.

The Dutchman, however, warned Indian hockey fans not to get carried away with the gold in the Asian Games as he feels the eight-time Olympic champions have a long way to go to match the likes to Australia, Netherlands and Germany.

"We all have to realise that this was a championship in Asia. In the World Cup we saw how the Asian teams fared. We need to understand that Holland, Germany and Australia are the top three teams in the world and just below them are teams like Argentina, New Zealand, England and we are now a part of the second group.

"The level of Asian hockey now is not upto that mark. The reality is our level right now is not good enough to match the top three teams of the world. What we are looking for is consistency and improvement in the level of our performance and we need to work on these areas so that we are in a position to play and win against the top three teams in the next two years time," Oltmans said.

India's defence has been its perennial problem in international tournaments but Oltmans feels the backline fared impressively in the Asian Games.

"There is never a perfect game in hockey. I never found it, we came as close as possible. But in the Asian Games, India proved that it can defend," he said.

"On the attacking front we could have scored more goals. But overall the structure has improved."

Oltmans said the 1-2 loss against Pakistan in the pool stage came as a blessing in disguise for India as it motivated the team to go for the kill in the summit clash.

"Immediately after the loss against Pakistan in the pool match, I sat down with the players and analysed the game. I asked them to forget what has happened as in the end, it is the tournament that counts and not one loss," he said.

The Indian's men's hockey team, which returned to the country in the wee hours today, will have a 10-day break before re-assembling for the national camp ahead of its upcoming international assignments, which includes the FIH Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar in December.

The Times of India



India now has a new set of heroes, says Walsh

Uthra Ganesan


Members of the Indian hockey team pose with their Asian Games gold medals on arrival in New Delhi.   

If there was one person under intense scrutiny when the Indian men’s hockey team left for the Asian Games, it was coach Terry Walsh.

Despite the team making visible improvements in all areas of the game, the Australian was under pressure.

There was also talk of him losing his job. He kept it in style at Incheon.

On Sunday, on his return from the Asian Games, he, however, insisted there was no question of relief.

“I am satisfied that we are getting closer to where we need to be and I am happy the win is an indicator that we are on the track of what we have been trying to do for months now, but I am not relieved,” Walsh said in a chat with The Hindu here.

Walsh has been a hard taskmaster for more than a year now. Despite finishing second at the Commonwealth Games and a disappointing ninth at the World Cup, Walsh had been confident that the team was developing. He is glad that the results are finally showing. But he also knows there is a long way to go if India has to get back among the top teams in world hockey.

Less ‘masala’

“Ideally, we would want to have a lot more of the Indian masala in our play. That is something that I have killed to a degree, though not deliberately. I have taken it away so that the players can do a lot more in the other areas of the game that they need to work on.

“The perfect solution would be when we get that back, and add to the kind of play we are getting used to now,” Walsh said.

Asked about the difference between India and Pakistan in the final, Walsh put it down to the understanding of the players and style of play.

“See, Pakistan was probably not expecting what we did. They have been out for a while and they have got some very nice players, but we played a modern, planned game and that I guess affected them.

“I think they hoped we would come at them a lot more. It was still fast, open hockey but we did not play the traditional India-Pakistan game. It would be nice if we were able to have a combination of the two though,” Walsh explained.

He was all praise for the Indian players for not falling prey to the emotions of the contest. “All credit to the guys that they stayed on track. But our players understand that if they do that, they would be just like the other team. It is easy to lose your mind in the kind of emotions that run on ground at that time. I can understand that fervour can sometimes go over the top. We lost a bit in the first game in the league stage and did get caught a couple of times in the final but the players understood and stuck to the plan,” Walsh noted.

Remarkable reception

While the team received a heroes’ welcome on return on Saturday night, a little bit of Indian pride seemed to have seeped into Walsh as well.

“It was a remarkable reception, never seen in hockey. I am more delighted for the players, they got what they deserve. I think the frenzy is mainly because the gold came against the run of play for so long. Now, the people feel may be there is still life in it.

“It makes me feel energetic and my blood starts to rise – not boil, though, like Sreejesh – but it’s a great feeling. I am not underestimating anyone, but now, you have a modern set of hockey heroes and do not have to look at guys who won 20 years ago. These are the guys who should be taking the limelight from hereon,” Walsh said.

As for bringing the masala (flair and individual brilliance) back in Indian hockey, Walsh is unperturbed. “Removing it just happened, to make sure that the other pieces we were keen on fitted in. That’s not a big problem. It is something inherent in the Indian players and we are trying to bring it back, we can bring it back easily.”

The Hindu



In this form, we'll be lucky to finish in top eight at Rio 2016: Terry Walsh

Rutvick Mehta

Terry Walsh is no man to mince words. India's hockey fraternity is on a high after the success in Incheon, but the chief coach maintains that the team has a long, long way to go before it can take on the might of Australia, Germany and The Netherlands. In an in-depth interview with Rutvick Mehta, the Aussie talks about Indo-Pak clashes, how India went from hunted to hunters and the long process of development

Prior to the team's departure for Incheon, did you expect of winning the gold medal?
Yeah, I think so. We believed we were playing at a level which would allow us to win the tournament. So there was a sense of quiet confidence. The joy of winning has to be respected because this bunch hadn't won a big tournament. I've read this is the first time in 16 years that we have won the Asian Games. And beating Pakistan obviously added a lot of flavour to that. But we spoke a lot about the fact that this India-Pakistan business is no different from say, Germany playing the Netherlands or Australia playing England. You have to keep these regional passions under control. That is what happens in India-Pakistan clashes. They let their emotions come into their game so much, and people accept that. You can't accept that.

The loss to Pakistan in the league stage was a bit of an eye-opener, wasn't it?
I don't think we're naive enough to think that Pakistan weren't going to put in a good performance. Quite honestly, losing to Pakistan, or anyone, was not a big problem on the way through as long as you don't set yourself a target of beating everybody on the way through and not have your most important performances at the end of the tournament.

There's a change in mentality from being the hunter, which is what India are when they're playing the World Cup or Commonwealth Games, to being the hunted in the Asian Games. That's a big difference, psychologically. You've got to be careful because when you're the hunted, you're expected to win all the time. And honestly, I don't think people in India have understood the difference between when they were the hunted way back, and the transition that has taken place. They've been the hunter for a long time now and never been able to go to the next level. I think the transition has begun. Learning how to deal with that is an art, and I'm really pleased the players have managed to do that. In the end, you've now got a group of heroes the young players can look up to.

Looking back at the penalty shootouts, did the team specifically practise it going into the final?
Of course. But you've got to remember that Pakistan had won the same way against Malaysia in the semis. So we'd seen them, and we were practising our own stuff. We knew who was capable and who wasn't. But that's the technical side. Then there's the mental side of being able to do that in the moment. Probably, there would've been very few people in the country who would've included, say, a Birendra Lakra, in that group. If you choose the so-called hockey giants of the world like Dhanraj Pillay or Michael Nobbs, they wouldn't have picked those guys at all. Because they don't think that way, in a calculated manner. They just play with emotion. You can't do that in the modern world. It doesn't work.

When we started doing it, it was atrocious. We were terrible. The difference between taking things in a bit of fun and seriously at the right moment is a delicate mix. So I think we've got a very good group of players who are able to register when it is important and when it's not to be in control of your mind. These are all new things for them, and they're very good at it.

The biggest advantage of winning in Incheon is that you don't have to go through the Olympic qualifiers. But do you fear a sense of complacency setting in over the next two years?
With the media, yes. With the administration, yes. With the playing group, no. The playing group is well aware that it doesn't matter if you qualify directly or go through the process of qualifying — and there's a strong argument that you want to qualify and not go direct. Twenty-two months is a long time, and you've got to be very astute in the way you function after you've qualified. For us, it's not a matter of sitting on your laurels. I think if we go to the Olympics in this shape and form, we won't finish in the top six. We'll be lucky to finish in the top eight. So you've got a lot of work to do if you want to give yourself a chance to be on the podium. And to go from winning the Asian Games in 2014 to being on the podium in Olympics 2016 is a huge leap.

It's interesting because I hear people talk about 2016, but not one journalist has asked me what about 2024? That's where the focus needs to be — how do you get yourself to be sustainably excellent over that period of time. And then you'll know you've got a programme that is going to work. To generate what happened 40-50 years ago. That's where I come from, that's where (Hockey India high performance director) Roelant (Oltmans) comes from. That's what we're trying to set up. But nobody understands that (laughs). Everything here is about the moment, not about the process of development.

You say this is a good group of players. But are you also looking for new and young talent that can put pressure on the established players?
Well, the short answer is yes. The reason is because you're looking at 2020. You've got to continuously turn over players. You need some young guys to come in and challenge the established players. For example, (captain) Sardar (Singh) is getting a huge challenge at the moment. Manpreet (Singh) is putting more challenge on him than people realise. He's performing at Sardar's level. People don't credit the fact that Lakra was our best player at the tournament. People don't register in that area at all, because they're still focused on this stardom that sits around someone like a PR Sreejesh who does well in a shootout, or Sardar who has been full of accolades over the last six years. But we've got young ones coming through, and very good ones. We've got a few who weren't part of this team, but are very likely to be a part of the Olympics team.

You mentioned there's still some work to do. What are the key areas you're looking at in the coming years — defence, field goal conversation, perhaps?
Look, there are few of them. We've got issues in nearly every department. The most difficult one is finishing, which is the last piece that goes into being an absolutely high-quality team that has consistency for a long period of time. Very few teams can do that, and India is just not there. That's an area we have to improve in. We are much better than what we were eight months ago. But how do you explain a (SV) Sunil missing an open goal (in the final)? The person who will know the most what happened there is Sunil himself. And he'll love playing that moment again. The reality is he won't. But he will get another opportunity and if he makes the same mistake again, then you've got a problem. I don't think he will. I don't mind guys falling at hurdles. What I have a problem with is if they don't get up and fix it.

Do you think this gold medal means that India are the best hockey-playing nation in Asia at the moment?
Yes, I think it does. India are better than any other country in Asia at the moment. And India is growing. A team like Korea has been dominant in the Asian region for the past few years, but they're an old team now. Their Under-21 team didn't appear in the last Junior World Cup. So they're not going up in the quality. I think they are slightly declining. The other big one in the region is Pakistan, and they've got so many difficulties from their political situations. I think it's going to be a tough road for them. I still see India and Pakistan as the two best teams in Asia.

There was talk of your future with the team being in doubt had India failed to win...
(Laughs) There was not one ounce of truth in that. Because my involvement in the programme doesn't have anything to do whether we won the Asian Games or came fourth. I'm not interested in that, because I know it doesn't mean anything. Let me tell you, I'll be the one who chooses when to leave the programme. No one else will tell me when. It will be as simple as that. All of this stuff that is being written and driven, I categorically say that it's complete nonsense. It's driven by people who really have no knowledge, and people who think they do. There's a lot of those people in Indian hockey, and that's very dangerous.

India under Walsh

Terry Walsh took over the Indian men hockey team in October last year. Here's a list of how the team performed under him in major tournaments:
Hockey World League, January 2014: Sixth
Hockey World Cup, June 2014: Ninth
Commonwealth Games, July-Aug 2014: Silver
Asian Games, Sept-Oct 2014, Gold

DNA



Sreejesh receives warm welcome

KOCHI: National hockey team vice-captain P R Sreejesh, the hero of India's triumph in the Asian Games final against Pakistan, was accorded a warm welcome at the international airport this afternoon.

His parents, wife and daughter, besides MLAs Hibi Eden and Anwar Sadat and Kerala Hockey association members were among those who welcomed him.

Speaking to reporters, Sreejesh said he was touched with the warm welcome he had received and would begin preparations for the Champions Trophy soon.

Sreejesh is the first hockey player from Kerala to win Asian Games gold.

The Times of India



Field Hockey Drops Pair of Weekend Contests

By Orlea L. Miller

Despite adding two losses to its record, the Crimson field hockey team (6-4, 1-2 Ivy) emerged from the weekend’s games undeterred as it enters the second half of season play.

Saturday afternoon Harvard faced Brown (5-2, 2-1 Ivy) and played extended minutes in a hard-fought match, losing in double overtime to the Bears. The next day, exhausted from the battle against the Bears, the Crimson faced nationally-ranked Boston University but ultimately lost, 3-1.

“We knew going into the game that BU was a top team, and they were going to be one of the strongest competitors we had seen,” said junior Elizabeth Jacobson, who scored the Crimson’s lone goal. “We came off the field knowing we had played well and held our own, so we weren’t as down after [Sunday’s] loss.”

HARVARD 1, BOSTON UNIVERSITY 3

Despite physical exhaustion after over 90 minutes of play the previous afternoon, Harvard showed up ready to compete on Sunday.

“After Saturday’s game, we knew we had to learn from our mistakes,” Jacobson said. “We all agree that we need to fight for 70 minutes; we have to come out with everything we have. It’s okay to make mistakes, but we can’t repeat them.”

BU reminded the Crimson of the skill and intensity the match would require shortly after the first whistle blew, scoring off a corner at 7:44. The Crimson responded just 10 minutes later.

Wellington provided her third assist of the weekend, dribbling through defenders up the right line to send the ball to Jacobson in the air. Jacobson ran into open space, sending the equalizer past the goalie with a reverse-stick.

“It set BU back on its heels when we scored,” Jacobson said of her fifth goal of the season. “We did well at getting the ball back to the circle, Hannah had the great pass, it was a perfect set up, and they were not prepared. They didn’t think we could come out that hard.”

The Terriers took the lead again with less than five minutes in the half, and finished the game at 57:03 with a third goal. The Crimson was disappointed but felt it had competed well against the more heralded team across the Charles.

“We did a really good job of putting pressure on [BU],” Jacobson said. “We definitely held our own, and showed them that we were a competitive team. I know the score was 3-1, but it was 1-1 for a long time. It was nice seeing the other team get frustrated; they were a little stunned, and frantic for a few minutes.”

Harvard looked to the weekend’s losses as learning opportunities, and discussed a few goals as it prepares to face top Ivy squads in the remainder of the season.

“If we can keep our work rate up going forward it will help,” Jacobson said. “We need to focus on working as a unit, and playing for each other and I think that’s our main goal.”

 HARVARD 3, BROWN 4

After falling behind 2-0 in the first half against Brown, senior Noel Painter scored two goals within ten minutes to tie the game before halftime.

“Starting the second half 2-2 was like a new game,” Painter said. “We were starting at 0-0. We needed to come out hard and just get ahead.”

The senior scored her third goal of the game at 57:44 off freshman Hannah Wellington’s second assist of the evening, giving the Crimson its first lead of the game.

Harvard looked to maintain control for the remaining ten minutes, hoping to keep its opponents from scoring. The Crimson nearly accomplished this task, but with just 30 seconds left, the Bears responded and tied the game 3-3, sending it into overtime.

“It was just a simple mistake at the end,” Jacobson said. “We thought we had it. Instead of being controlled, we let up a little too much.”

While Crimson goalie Issy Davies kept the back of the net empty during the first overtime, blocking five shots on goal, Brown ended the second overtime with a shot by Jaclyn Torres to win the game.

Due to the quick turnaround, Harvard did not have much time to dwell on Saturday’s loss. The team’s thoughts went quickly to preparing for BU.

“Everyone had to visualize and focus on what they had done wrong and what they needed to work on [after Saturday’s loss],” Jacobson said. “This weekend was a lot about fixing the individual and coming together as a team.”

The Harvard Crimson



NZ National Under 15 Tournament winners decided


Pictured: Wellington win the Premier Boys Tournament, courtesy www.photosport.co.nz

The title winners have been decided around the country in the National Under 15 Tournaments.

Four tournaments were played in different locations last week with the Premier Boys in Wellington, Premier Girls in Tauranga, Championship Boys in Hamilton and Championship Girls in Whangarei.

Wellington took out the Premier Boys title on their home turf with a 4-2 shoot-out win over North Harbour. Connor Greentree scored for Harbour and Tim Schulpen for Wellington to leave the score tied 1-1 at fulltime.

North Harbour won the Premier Girls final with a 4-2 shoot-out result over Manawatu. Tonya Botherway scored a double for Harbour with Megan Phillips and Tayla Hansen on the card for Manawatu.

It was West Coast who surged to a tight 4-3 victory over Wanganui to take home the Championship Boys honours after a goalless game.

In Whangarei Canterbury held on for a 2-1 win over Wellington to seal the Championship Girls title. Neve Marshall and Charlotte Lee both scored for the red and blacks, while Aroha Hibbert was on the score sheet for Wellington.

CLICK HERE for results from all National Under 15 Tournaments

Hockey New Zealand Media release



West Coast Boys snare ‘best win ever’


West Coast celebrate winning the Under 15 Championship Tournament, courtesy Greg Fulton (Waikato Hockey)

The West Coast Under 15 Boys have written a piece of history for the small association after winning the National Under 15 Championship Tournament.

West Coast found themselves locked up 0-0 at fulltime against Wanganui in the final, and won the deciding shoot-out 4-3. 

The shoot-out saw captain Iraia De Goldi, Matt Gardner and Liam Hopper send the ball into the back of the net, while goalkeeper Ben Pratt saved two of the Wanganui shots.

After the Coast's fourth shot was saved, it all came down to Angus Wallace to score on the last of their five strokes.

This is only the third time in West Coast Hockey’s 108 year history that a team has won a national hockey tournament (other than secondary school), after the West Coast Men won the third division India Plate in 1977 and 1981.

A great effort by one of New Zealand's smallest hockey provinces.

Hockey New Zealand Media release



Ghana Hockey gets England Hockey development support

The Ghana Hockey Association has received a massive boost in its developmental efforts after being selected by England Hockey and UK Sports to implement a hockey development project as part of England’s legacy project for hosting the 2018 World Cup for Women.

The female national hockey team was chosen by England Hockey from a list of African teams following their consistent performances for their last few years.

The hockey support and development programme for women, dubbed Hockey TAP West Africa, is a 4 year programme which will help develop hockey in the country.

The broad aims of the project includes but not restricted to supporting Ghana qualify for a major international competition, workforce development and organising competitions for the national hockey team.

To this end, officials from the International Hockey Federation, Africa Hockey Federation, England Hockey and UK Sports have completed a three day tour of the country to kick start the programme.

While in the country, the team met officials of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, National Sports Authority, Ghana Hockey Association, players and other stakeholders, as well as inspecting hockey facilities in Kumasi and Accra.

The Vice President of the Ghana Hockey Association Amoo-Gottfried commented:” We feel proud to be selected among a number of possible federations. The Ghana team has done well in the recent past. The ladies have moved up second place in Africa and the good thing is that they are all young. Infact, the team is dominated by the under 21 team.”

“We feel the development programme we have done in the past years has paid off. We are glad for this developmental project because it means we can move to the next level.”

The 2018 Women’s World Cup will form part of UK Sport’s Gold Event Series, which is investing £27million of National Lottery funding to bring up to 70 world-class events to Great Britain to help build a strong legacy from London 2012.

The Project Lead for England Hockey Lucy Rowe said:

“We have got a fantastic time here. We’ve met some great people here. We have met a lot of brilliant players.

“It is brilliant to see the way hockey is run in the country despite the limited resources.

“We have got a planning stage that will have the project done by October. My role will be linking the people in Ghana to the people in the UK. We will not have somebody down here to manage the project because we think the Ghana Hockey Federation is capable of doing that.

“At some stage, the Ghanaian ladies team might come to the UK for a training tour. Maybe send some coaches to Ghana, try to help the coaches and umpires on the ground in Ghana.

Dwelling on the expected benefits of the project, female hockey player and reigning Best African Junior player, Elizabeth Opoku said: “I’m really excited about this project because I have played hockey for about eight years and I have not seen anything like this before. I think it will really help us.

“Playing here all the time doesn’t improve our skills and ability to play at the international level. I think there will be enough international tours through this programme to boost our morale. We promise not to disappoint them.

“We will do our maximum best with the opportunities we will get through this programme.

The project which is projected to cost an estimated £30,000 per year will run for the next four years.

GhanaWeb

Fieldhockey.com uses cookies to assist with navigating between pages. Please leave the site if you disagree with this policy.
Copyright remains with the credited source or author