News 14 October 2014
All the news for Tuesday 14 October 2014
We let a win slip away
By Jugjet Singh
THERE was plenty of zest, but still the Malaysian juniors squandered a lead to share the spoils in a 1-1 draw with New Zealand in the Sultan of Johor Cup at the Taman Daya Stadium yesterday.
Malaysia scored one goal, but made two glaring mistakes and got an unnecessary green card, going into half-time.
There was a super effort from the start, and by the 11th minute, Malaysia had two penalty corners and converted the second.
It was Najmi Farizal’s moment of glory when he pushed low to beat a towering Ben Smith. However, instead of growing in confidence, two silly mistakes resulted in penalty corners and the Kiwis almost broke their duck.
Luck, and a bit of sound defending saw Arul Selvaraj’s boys strut into the dressing room with their heads held high.
However, their luck ran out in the 47th minute when Ben Radovonich pounced on a silly mistake and nailed the easiest of equalisers.
Pakistan bounced back from a humiliating 5-0 defeat at the hands of Britain to hold Australia to a 1-1 draw.
Pakistan drew first blood in the 52nd minute when Muhammad Naveed was on target, and the Green Shirts were unlucky to settle for a draw, as Andrew Scanlon scored off a penalty stroke in the 60th minute.
Britain dished out their second consecutive win when they defeated India 2-0 to claim the early favourites tag.
After demolishing Pakistan 5-0 on Sunday, Britain outplayed India in every department.
“We are obviously delighted with the win and importantly the players are growing in confidence,” said Britain manager Stephen Floyd.
The start of the match was delayed for an hour due to adverse weather conditions.
Britain took the lead in the 29th minute when Benjamin Boon scored with a reverse stick hit, and in the 49th minute Samuel French made sure with a snap shot that beat Indian custodian Abhinav Pandey for the three points.
“We need to work on our finishing as well as penalty corners,” said India coach Harendra Singh.
New Straits Times
Malaysia draw their second Sultan of Johor Cup match
by Aftar Singh
Malaysian players (in yellow) involved in a goalmouth malee during the Sultan of Johor Cup match against New Zealand on Monday. The match ended 1-1. - ABDUL RAHMAN EMBONG/ The STAR
JOHOR BARU: Malaysia suffered a defensive meltdown and had to settle for a 1-1 draw against New Zealand in the Sultan of Johor Cup hockey tournament.
Like the opening 1-2 loss to Australia on Sunday, the Malaysians again took the lead only to allow the Kiwis to fight back to share the points.
The match started with a fast tempo with Malaysia almost taking the lead in the sixth minute. Forward Norsyafiq Sumantri hit from close range but an alert New Zealand defender Brad Read saved on the line.
Malaysia, however, grabbed the lead five minutes later through defender Najmi Farizal Jazlan.
Playing for the first time in the tournament, Najmi’s low drag flick gave goalkeeper Ben Smith no chance at all.
The goal boosted the Malaysians’ confidence and they continued to surge forward. They earned another penalty corner in the 20th minute, but Smith did well to deny Najmi.
New Zealand, who were beaten 1-2 by India in their opening match, earned two penalty corners in the first half but failed to make them count.
After the breather, Malaysia continued with their fast game and had more ball possession.
But in the 47th minute, Malaysia made a silly error in the semi circle and paid a heavy price. Ben Radovonich picked up a loose ball and flicked it past Malaysian goalkeeper Mohd Ridzwan Azmi for the equaliser. The Malaysians also made two defensive blunders in their loss to Australia.
There was a chance for Malaysia to pick up all the points but forward Norsyafiq Sumantri’s shot hit the right post in the 59th minute.
Malaysia now face a tough task to reach the final as they are fourth in the six-team standings with just one point. Malaysia, runners-up in the Under-21 tournament last year, face leaders Britain on Wednesday.
Earlier, in the first match of the day, Britain recorded their second straight win by beating defending champions India 2-0.
Despite the match being delayed for an hour due to a heavy downpour, Britain were not flustered.
They took the lead through Benjamin Boon in the 29th minute. Samuel French doubled the score in the 49th minute with a snap shot that beat Indian custodian Abhinav Pandey.
Britain team manager Stephen Floyd was delighted with the win.
“The players are playing well. We hope we can maintain our good form throughout the tournament,” said Floyd.
In the other match, Australia came back from a goal down to snatch a 1-1 draw against Pakistan.
Pakistan, who were whipped 5-0 by Britain on Sunday, grabbed the lead through Muhammad Naveed in the 52nd minute. Australia, however, equalised in the 60th minute when Andrew Scanlon converted a penalty stroke.
The Star of Malaysia
Future Black Sticks play out draw with Malaysia
Pictured: Jared Panchia, courtesy www.photosport.co.nz
The Future Black Sticks have drawn 1-1 with hosts Malaysia in their second game at the Sultan of Johor Cup.
Both teams lost their opening matches, with New Zealand beaten 2-1 by India and Malaysia defeated by Australia with the same score line.
Malaysia poured on the early pressure and came close in the sixth minute but the attempt from Norsyafiq Sumantri hit the upright.
But the hosts were not to be denied as Mohd Najmi Jazlan converted a penalty corner with a clever set- piece in the 12th minute to give Malaysia the lead.
The Kiwis were awarded two penalty corners in the first half but failed to capitalise on them and at halftime Malaysia led 1-0.
The Future Black Sticks turned up the tempo after the break and drew level in the 49th minute through a well timed strike from Ben Radovonich.
New Zealand had a chance to snatch the win with another two penalty corners in the 60th and 65th minutes but could not manage to get a shot on target.
The Kiwis now have a rest day before a must win clash against Australia at 9pm tomorrow (NZ time), with live coverage on SKY Sport 2.
Hockey New Zealand Media release
U21 Burras draw with Pakistan
Victorian Andrew Scanlon brings Australia back into the match after a penalty stroke
A tough match was fought at the Sultan of Johor Cup between the U21 Australian men’s hockey team and Pakistan in their second pool match of the tournament last night, with both teams walking away with a 1-1 draw.
The Burras were able to successfully dominate possession of the ball and circle entries over their opponents for a majority of the match, however, neither side were able to convert their opportunities in their attacking circles throughout the first half.
Muhammad Naveed pushed Pakistan in front shortly after the main break, scoring off a field goal in the 52nd minute. Australia 1-0 down with the end of the match quickly approaching, started to face the pressure.
Victorian forward Andrew Scanlon was put under the spotlight at the 60th minute mark, after the official awarded Australia a second chance with a penalty stroke. On target, Scanlon was able to level the score 1-1, with 10 minutes remaining on the clock.
U21 Australian men’s Head Coach Ben Bishop believed last night’s match showcased positives and lessons needing to be learnt, if they want to be seen going through to the finals at the end of the week.
“Tonight’s match featured positives, it also taught us a few lessons which we need to take on-board as part of our preparation for our next match.”
“We dominated both possession and circle entries, as well as the boys kept pushing until the final whistle. We will need to make more of our opportunities in our attacking circle for our next match against New Zealand.”
Australia sitting in second place in the pool standings will now prepare to take on fourth placed New Zealand on Wednesday night at 19:05 AEDT, in their third pool match of the tournament.
AUSTRALIA 1 (0)
Andrew Scanlon 60 (PS)
PAKISTAN 1 (0)
Muhammad Naveed 52 (FG)
Australia Under 21 Squad v Pakistan
Started
Benjamin Austin (TAS)
James Benetti (WA)
Simon Benetti (WA)
Benjamin Craig (NSW)
Oliver Crane (QLD)
William Gilmour (VIC)
Maximilian Hendry (VIC)
Samuel Liles (NSW)
Ryan Proctor (NSW)
Nathanael Stewart (NSW)
Ashleigh Thomas (NSW)
Used substitute
Joshua Bretherton (VIC)
Frazer Gerrard (WA)
Brandan Horner (NSW)
Timothy Howard (QLD)
Alec Rasmussen (WA)
Andrew Scanlon (VIC)
Hayden Walker (WA)
Australia Fixtures, Sultan of Johor Cup
15 October - Australia vs New Zealand
16 October - Australia vs Great Britain
18 October - Australia vs India
19 October - Final
Hockey Australia media release
Pakistan hold Australia 1-1, face India tomorrow
LAHORE - Pakistan hockey team played a 1-1 draw against Australia in its second Sultan of Johor Cup hockey match at the Taman Daya hockey stadium on Monday. According to information made available here, the green shirts recovered from the shocking 0-5 loss to Great Britain in the opening match of the event by holding Australia to a 1-1 draw. Pakistan juniors now will be taking on arch-rivals Indian team tomorrow (Wednesday) in their third match of the event.
The Nation
GB Under-21 Men beat India
A goal in each half was enough for Great Britain Under-21 Men to beat India 2-0 in their second match at the Sultan of Johor Cup in Malaysia on Monday.
After the match had been delayed for an hour and a half because of torrential rain, Great Britain took to the pitch in focused and confidence mood. Reading’s Ben Boon struck late in the first half for the second match in a row, and Sam French of Birmingham University doubled their lead five minutes into the second period.
“I was absolutely delighted with the determination and intensity of our defensive play today,” said Head Coach Jon Bleby. “But obviously we’re now preparing for our next game against Malaysia on Wednesday.”
Great Britain’s one-to-one defence underpinned their victory and kept a strong India team at bay. And GB finally took the lead following an excellent move down the middle of the pitch.
David Goodfield passed to Chris Proctor, who finally got the ball to Ben Boon to score on the reverse stick under the goalkeeper.
Five minutes after half time Great Britain doubled their lead through Sam French. Goodfield broke clear down the left and cut into the circle, before closing down on the defence and shooting in for French to deflect home.
Beeston’s Chris Proctor sustained a cut eye in the match, but even that couldn’t disrupt GB’s rhythm and Proctor is expected to be back available for their next game on Wednesday afternoon against Malaysia.
England Hockey Board Media release
India lose 0-2 to Britain in Sultan of Johor Cup
JOHOR BAHRU (Malaysia): Indian U-21 hockey team lost 0-2 to Britain in its second match of the Sultan of Johor Cup at the Johor Bahru Stadium on Monday.
Having blanked Pakistan 5-0 in the first match Sunday, Britain played a good tactical game to take all three points and are early favourites to make Sunday's final.
The Indian defence was breached regularly by the opponent raiders as Benjamin Boon (28th minute) and Samuel French (49) scored the goals to put India's title defence under threat.
Indian custodian Abhinav Kumar Pandey came under intense pressure as he ran out of support from his defenders, allowing two field goals in a performance littered with defensive lapses.
India had defeated New Zealand 2-1 in their first match and will play arch-rivals Pakistan in their next outing.
"We are obviously delighted with the win and importantly the players are growing in confidence," said Great Britain team manager Stephen Floyd.
"We need to work on our finishing as well as penalty corners," lamented Indian coach Harendra Singh.
The start of the match was delayed for an hour due to adverse weather conditions.
The Times of India
Johor Cup: India lose to Britain
Johor Bahru - The Indian U-21 hockey team went down 0-2 against Britain in their second match of the Sultan of Johor Cup here today. Having blanked Pakistan 5-0 in the first match on Sunday, Britain played a good tactical game to take all three points and are early favourites to make the final.
The Indian defence was breached regularly by the opponent raiders as Benjamin Boon (28th minute) and Samuel French (49) scored the goals to put India's title defence under threat.
Indian custodian Abhinav Kumar Pandey came under intense pressure as he ran out of support from his defenders, allowing two field goals in a performance littered with defensive lapses. India had defeated New Zealand 2-1 in their first match and will play Pakistan in their next outing.
"The boys played well but failed to create opportunities that could be converted into goals. We need to work on our finishing as well as our penalty corners. Nevertheless, the loss will not demoralise the team and we are looking forward to taking on Pakistan in the next game. I am sure the boys will make a comeback and put up a remarkable show in the upcoming matches," coach Harendra Singh said.
In the other matches, Malaysia drew 1-1 with new Zealand, while Australia scored a late goal to muster a 1-1 draw against Pakistan.
The Tribune
Reid names first squad
New Kookaburras coach calls up new faces for Champions Trophy prep squad
Northern Territory goalkeeper, Leon Hayward is a new addition to the Kookaburras
New Kookaburras coach Graham Reid has named his first squad since taking over at the helm of the Australian men’s hockey team last month.
Following the conclusion of the Australian Hockey League (AHL) powered by Premier Technology Solutions, Reid and his selection panel colleagues, Senior Assistant Coach Paul Gaudoin and newly appointed senior men’s selector Barry Dancer, have selected 27 athletes to form the squad preparing for December’s Champions Trophy in India.
The group will also face Commonwealth Games silver medallists India in four matches in Perth at the start of November with the final 18-athlete Champions Trophy squad to be announced after that series.
With a firm focus towards the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and the desire to expose a greater number of athletes to the rigors of top level international competition, the group contains a number of new and returning faces.
Five of those named – Northern Territory goalkeeper Leon Hayward, New South Wales triumvirate Matthew Dawson, Tom Craig and Flynn Ogilvie, and Queenlander Dylan Wotherspoon – have never previously been capped by the Kookaburras.
Hayward is the older brother of Australian defender Jeremy, who was named Young Player of the Tournament at the World Cup; the 24 year-old goalkeeper was named Goalkeeper of the Tournament at the AHL on Saturday. Dawson, Ogilvie and Wotherspoon were all part of the Australian Under 21 team, the Burras, at the 2013 Junior World Cup. Wotherspoon was Australia’s top scorer at the tournament with four goals.
Three others – Western Australian Craig Boyne, New South Welshman Matthew Willis and Tasmanian Jeremy Edwards – have a handful of caps between them after making their senior international debuts in early 2013. Edwards and Boyne were part of their states’ respective teams that contested the final of the AHL on Saturday.
The inclusion of this younger group of athletes is testament to the increased emphasis placed on youth and junior development by Hockey Australia through its Futures, Junior and Development programs, and the support of the National Training Centre network and the State Institutes and Academies of Sport.
The squad also contains 12 members of Australia’s World Cup winning team and four – Daniel Beale, Kiel Brown, Trent Mitton and Tristan White – that came in for the Commonwealth Games a month later. Russell Ford and Glenn Simpson both return after injury having been ruled out of the World Cup campaign at the 11th hour.
National Coach Graham Reid said, “This next period provides us with a unique opportunity to expose some younger players in a national camp environment and a total of five matches against India, including one for Australia ‘A’. We will use this competition to refine selection and choose a team for the Champions Trophy that will have a good mix of youth and experience."
A number of athletes were not considered for selection due to their injury status. Captain Mark Knowles is undergoing rehabilitation for a foot injury, as is Joel Carroll, while Kieran Govers is recovering from hip surgery. Jamie Dwyer sustained a ligament injury in his foot at the end of the club season, ruling him out of Queensland’s AHL campaign and Australian selection, while Matthew Butturini is rehabilitating from a long-term knee injury.
ACT’s Glenn Turner, Queenslander Jason Wilson and Victorian Andrew Philpott are unavailable due to personal commitments.
In addition to the 27-man Champions Trophy training group, nine athletes have been invited to take part in a national training camp in November. They are Kiran Arunsalam (VIC), Chris Bausor (WA), Robert Bell (QLD), Josh Beltz (TAS), Tim Cross (VIC), Tristan Clemons (WA), Blake Govers (NSW), Nathan McGuire (WA) and Kurt Mackey (TAS).
Further details of how to follow the Kookaburras' Indian series in Perth will be published in the coming days.
Kookaburras’ Upcoming Fixtures
Saturday 1 November – Australia ‘A’ v India – Perth Hockey Stadium, 7pm AWST /10pm AEDT
Tuesday 4 November – Test v India – Perth Hockey Stadium, WA – 7pm AWST / 10pm AEDT
Wednesday 5 November – Test v India – Perth Hockey Stadium, WA – 7pm AWST / 10pm AEDT
Saturday 8 November – Test v India – Perth Hockey Stadium, WA – 7pm AWST / 10pm AEDT
Sunday 9 November – Test v India – Perth Hockey Stadium, WA – 7pm AWST / 10pm AEDT
Saturday 6 December – Champions Trophy v England – Bhubaneswar – 2:30pm AWST / 5:30pm AEDT
Sunday 7 December – Champions Trophy v Belgium – Bhubaneswar – 2:30pm / 5:30pm AEDT
Tuesday 9 December – Champions Trophy v Pakistan – Bhubaneswar – 8pm / 11pm AEDT
Thursday 11 December – Champions Trophy quarter finals – Bhubaneswar
Saturday 13 December – Champions Trophy semi finals/playoffs
Sunday 14 December – Champions Trophy medal matches/playoffs
Australian men’s squad – Champions Trophy preparation
Daniel Beale (Brisbane, QLD)
Craig Boyne (Perth, WA)
Kiel Brown (Toowoomba, QLD)
Nick Budgeon (Hobart, TAS)
Andrew Charter (GK) (Canberra, ACT)
Chris Ciriello (Melbourne, VIC)
Tom Craig (Sydney, NSW)
Matthew Dawson (Central Coast, NSW)
Tim Deavin (Launceston, TAS)
Jeremy Edwards (Hobart, TAS)
Russell Ford (Melbourne, VIC)
Matt Gohdes (Rockhampton, QLD)
Jeremy Hayward (Darwin, NT)
Leon Hayward (GK) (Darwin, NT)
Fergus Kavanagh (Geraldton, WA)
Tyler Lovell (GK) (Perth, WA)
Trent Mitton (Perth, WA)
Eddie Ockenden (Hobart, TAS)
Flynn Ogilvie (Woonona, NSW)
Simon Orchard (Maitland, NSW)
Glenn Simpson (Melbourne, VIC)
Matthew Swann (Mackay, QLD)
Jake Whetton (Brisbane, QLD)
Tristan White (Wollongong, NSW)
Matthew Willis (Tamworth, NSW)
Dylan Wotherspoon (Mulwillumbah, QLD)
Aran Zalewski (Margaret River, WA)
Hockey Australia media release
Australian Senior women’s squad named
New faces in Adam Commens' 27-athlete women's Champions Trophy training group
Mariah Williams called up for National duty
Hockeyroos Head Coach Adam Commens has announced his 27-athlete training squad in preparation for November’s Champions Trophy in Argentina, and a warm-up Test series against New Zealand in Wellington. The announcement comes following the conclusion of the Australian Hockey League (AHL) powered by Premier Technology Solutions.
The selection demonstrates a desire to offer more opportunity for a broader group of athletes to experience top level international competition with a view towards the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and beyond. Commens and the selection panel have also taken the chance to provide several senior athletes with a well-earned rest period following an intensive couple of years.
From the 27-athlete group, a squad of 18 will be selected in the first week of November to take part in a three Test series against the New Zealand Black Sticks women in Wellington before heading to the Champions Trophy in Mendoza, Argentina.
In total, nine of the squad are uncapped at senior international level while a further four have only a handful of caps between them. Of those new faces Tamsin Bunt, Kathryn Slattery and Amelia Spence have been part of the women’s development squad this year, while Georgina Morgan, Gabrielle Nance, Audrey Smith, Penny Squibb and Katy Symons have all been members of the National Junior Squad in recent times. Stephanie Kershaw is part of Hockey Australia’s National Futures Group. With the exception of Spence, all were involved in Australia’s 11-match development tour to China and Japan in August.
Of those newer faces with previous senior international experience, Rebecca Dwyer (nee Reuter), Mathilda Carmichael and Mariah Williams all made their debuts for the Hockeyroos in 2013. Kate Denning has made one appearance for the Hockeyroos, against Germany in 2009, following in the footsteps of her mother Elspeth who won Olympic gold in Seoul in 1988.
The inclusion of all 13 of those athletes in particular provides tangible recognition of the greater emphasis placed by Hockey Australia on its Junior, Development and Futures programs. Those pathways and athletes have been well supported by the National Training Centre network and the State Institute and Academies of Sport.
The squad also contains ten members of Australia’s Commonwealth Games gold medal winning team from Glasgow and a further two – goalkeeper Ashlee Wells and Kirstin Dwyer – who won World Cup silver in The Hague in June. Experienced defensive midfielder Teneal Attard returns having withdrawn from the World Cup squad with a leg injury, while Anna Flanagan and Casey Eastham, although named, will continue to play in the Dutch league with MOP and Pinoke respectively in the run-up to the series.
Announcing the selection, National Coach Adam Commens said, “In picking a group that contains ten of our Commonwealth Games team, plus Ashlee Wells and Kirstin Dwyer from our World Cup team, it’s a clear signal that we have a strong squad preparing for the Champions Trophy and we plan to be very competitive when we get to Argentina.
“However, there’s definitely also an eye to the future with the selection of younger talent across each line of our team structure. We went into 2014 with a squad of only 23 athletes and we’re looking to increase that in 2015. In the lead up to the Rio Olympic Games it’s important that we look to broaden our group and the Champions Trophy will give us a chance to look at more players.”
Captain Madonna Blyth, goalkeeper Rachael Lynch, midfielder Ashleigh Nelson and defender Jayde Taylor have all been rested to ensure them a proper recovery ahead of 2015 and the final 18 months of preparation for Rio 2016. It follows a busy 24 months in which the Hockeyroos have won Champions Challenge gold, World League Semi-Final gold, World League Final silver, World Cup silver and Commonwealth Games gold, while ascending to second in the FIH world rankings. Injury has ruled out Georgie Parker and Kate Jenner.
Hockeyroos’ Upcoming Fixtures
Saturday 15 November – Test v New Zealand – Wellington, New Zealand – 1pm AEDT
Sunday 16 November – Test v New Zealand – Wellington, New Zealand – 1pm AEDT
Tuesday 18 November – Test v New Zealand – Wellington, New Zealand – 5pm AEDT
Saturday 29 November – Champions Trophy v England – Mendoza, Argentina – 6:30am AEDT
Sunday 30 November – Champions Trophy v Argentina – Mendoza, Argentina – 9am AEDT
Tuesday 2 December – Champions Trophy v Germany – Mendoza, Argentina - 3am AEDT
Thursday 4 December – Champions Trophy quarter finals – Mendoza, Argentina
Saturday 6 December – Champions Trophy semi-final/playoffs – Mendoza, Argentina
Sunday 7 December – Champions Trophy medal matches/playoffs – Mendoza, Argentina
Australian women’s squad – Champions Trophy preparation
Teneal Attard (Mackay, QLD)
Edwina Bone (Evatt, ACT)
Tamsin Bunt (Bathurst, NSW)
Mathilda Carmichael (Willoughby, NSW)
Jane Claxton (Adelaide, SA)
Kate Denning (South Perth, WA)
Kirstin Dwyer (Mackay, QLD)
Rebecca Dwyer (Brisbane, QLD)
Casey Eastham (South Coast, NSW)
Anna Flanagan (Canberra, ACT)
Jodie Kenny (Wamuran, QLD)
Stephanie Kershaw (Townsville, QLD)
Karri McMahon (Berri, SA)
Claire Messent (Melbourne, VIC)
Georgina Morgan (Armidale, NSW)
Gabrielle Nance (Adelaide, SA)
Georgia Nanscawen (Melbourne, VIC)
Brooke Peris (Darwin, NT)
Kathryn Slattery (South Stirling, WA)
Emily Smith (Crookwell, NSW)
Audrey Smith (Wynnum, QLD)
Amelia Spence (Hobart, TAS)
Penny Squibb (Tambellup, WA)
Katy Symons (Attadale, WA)
Ashlee Wells (Morwell, VIC)
Kellie White (Crookwell, NSW)
Mariah Williams (Teralba, NSW)
Hockey Australia media release
Ireland v Belgium 2 Test Series, Belgium (w)
Electric Ireland’s national women’s team will play two test matches against the higher ranked Belgium team, on Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th October, as they continue their preparations for the Olympic Qualifiers, World League 2 taking place in Ireland in March 2015.
Smith who has selected 18 for this series commented earlier "Belgium are a team that we have a tremendous amount of respect for and admire their performances in recent years. It will be fantastic to play them in two matches to continue our progress toward World League 2"
"We have a National Squad of 25 who has been working hard over the summer and who have been involved in 27 test matches from April-August. We have 5 more matches planned before we break for a physical block over December and it is important that all 25 play in these matches. Although 18 have been selected for Belgium the remainder will be playing in the next series in November” he continued.
Ireland v Belgium – 14th & 15th October (Oudergem, Belgium)
Ayeisha McFerran - Randalstown
Emma Gray - Hermes
Shirley McCay – Ulster Elks
Cliodhna Sargent – Cork Harlequins
Hannah Matthews - Loreto
Audrey O'Flynn - Hermes
Ali Meeke - Loreto
Yvonne O'Byrne – Cork Harlequins
Megan Frazer – Captain – Ulster Elks
Gillian Pinder - UCD
Chloe Watkins - UCD
Nicci Daly - Loreto
Emily Beatty - UCD
Chloe Brown - Ards
Deirdre Duke - UCD
Nikki Evans - UCD
Katie Mullan - UCD
Anna O'Flanagan – UCD
Match Schedule:
Ireland v Belgium (Belgium – Local Times)
Tuesday 14th October 6.30pm (Local Time) Ireland v Belgium (Oudergem Brussels)
Wednesday 15th October 3.30pm (Local Time) Ireland v Belgium (Oudergem Brussels)
Irish Hockey Association media release
Internationals set for Three Rock Rovers and Alexandra College
As Electric Ireland’s Green Army continue their Olympic Qualification preparation three further International matches have been confirmed to take place in Dublin against Scotland this November.
Irish Hockey will be bringing these matches to the club grounds of Three Rock Rovers on Grange Road and the school grounds of Alexandra College in Milltown. The two matches scheduled for Three Rock Rovers will showcase their newly laid pitch which was completed recently. While, Alexandra College is of great significance due to its place in the Irish Hockey history books as the venue of the very first official international hockey match which took place on March 2nd 1896, when Ireland women beat England 2-0.
Ireland’s national women’s team have had an intense period of late with 15 international matches taking place over a four month period this has given Irish Hockey an opportunity to bring these international fixtures to suitable alternative venues.
National Coach, Darren Smith commented “"The pitch at Three Rock Rovers looks fantastic and the club must be delighted that all their hard work has paid off. We will get the chance now to play an international match against Scotland at this fine facility"
"We looked at the timing of the match, which had to be played in the middle of the day and thought it was a tremendous opportunity to link up with Alexandra College to play the game during school hours. This school has Emily Beatty, Deirdre Duke and Nikki Evans as past pupils in the squad and always produces talent through their hockey programs. Playing in Alexandra College will be an enjoyable experience"
Smith went on to discuss the opposition who are ranked 16th in the world, just one place behind Ireland, "Scotland are a very good team. We have seen them deliver some good performances over 2014 in the Champions Challenge and Commonwealth Games both hosted at their impressive new national training centre, Glasgow Green. We always enjoy playing them and our close link between the two teams ensures we get plenty of opportunities to do so. The three matches will be very competitive and we look forward hosting Scotland"
Ireland are also currently in Belgium competing in a double header on 14th & 15th October (squad details) as the team continues preparation for 2016 Rio Olympic Qualification in the form of the World League 2 set for Ireland, March 2015.
Ireland v Scotland Match Schedule
Sunday 2nd November IRELAND v SCOTLAND (Three Rock Rovers 18.00)
Monday 3rd November IRELAND v SCOTLAND (Three Rock Rovers 19.00)
Wednesday 5th November IRELAND v SCOTLAND (Alexandra College, Milltown 12.15)
Irish Hockey Association media release
East Grinstead out of Euro Hockey League
Andy Piper takes a tumble during EHL action in Barcelona
East Grinstead's European hopes are over for the season after they were narrowly beaten by Dutch side Kampong on Saturday.
Having seen off the challenge of Russian outfit Dinamo Stroitel on Friday, the defeat against Kampong left them hoping for a favour from the Russians, but the Dutch masters made no mistake, winning 7-0 to take the only qualification spot from the group.
In Friday's opening game, Artem Dryanitsyn, Linar Fattakhov and Dmitry Volkov put Stroitel into the lead, however a brace from Mark Gleghorne and further goals from Wesley Jackson and Simon Faulkner gave East Grinstead a hard-earned win and the all important points.
That left them needing a positive result against Kampong on the Saturday. Gleghorne struck again to give East Grinstead a first half lead which was cancelled out by Robbert Kemperman's goal. Gleghorne then applied the finish to a lovely team move to make it 2-1 before the floodlights went out with 14 minutes to go. The teams returned after a break and Martijn Havenga netted a penalty stroke to level the scores. In the final minute, Pepijn Luijkx crossed for Constantijn Jonker to deflect into the roof of the net to break East Grinstead hearts.
Kampong made sure of their passage with a dominat display to rout Stroitel 7-0 on the Sunday. The other qualifiers from the round 1 games were SV Arminen of Austria, Royal Daring of Belgium and German outfit Rot-Weiss Koln.
The KO16/Final4 competition takes place at Easter at Bloemendaal. Beeston will be England's sole representatives after they received a bye to the last 16 due to winning the NOW: Pensions Championship Playoffs last season. You can see all the details on the Euro Hockey League website.
England Hockey Board Media release
East Grinstead exit Euro Hockey League after bloody encounter against Dutch side Kampong
Floodlight failure plays key role in East Grinstead's early exit as coach Karl Stagno fears for England's future on European stage
By Rod Gilmour
Bloody battle: Simon Faulkner in the wars in Barcelona Photo: Euro Hockey League/Frank Uijlenbroek
Karl Stagno, the East Grinstead coach, likened his side's Euro Hockey League exit to a boxing match while admitting English clubs could "struggle for a long time" after the Sussex outfit were denied a last 16 spot by a bout of floodlight failure.
Having beaten Russian outfit Dinamo Stroitel 4-3 on Friday, without Ashley Jackson due to a niggling hamstring injury, they needed to beat Dutch side Kampong on Saturday to advance to next April's knock-out stages.
Leading 2-1 thanks to a Mark Gleghorne brace, the lights then went out in Barcelona, allowing Kampong to regroup with 14 minutes left.
"They were against the ropes," said Stagno. "It was like the bell went and they were able to gather their thoughts."
On their return, East Grinstead felt they were hard done by when Simon Faulkner went down at a penalty corner "with blood going everywhere" and the ball going seemingly wide.
The umpire played a long advantage before Martijn Havenga eventually netted a penalty stroke. In the final minute, Constantijn Jonker then deflected into the roof of the net as the Dutch side won 3-2.
"It is gutting. We showed a lot of character as well as calmness of mind," said Stagno.
"The Dutch have an arrogance about them and they can get lazy. If you are a goal down towards the end of the game, you still have a chance.
"We were well in control and knew that they would have more ball control, but they are class and they have different gears."
The new EHL format this season saw one team progress from each pool to the last 16, where England's sole representative, Beeston, were afforded a bye.
East Grinstead's early exit puts England's hopes of representing three teams in next season's EHL in serious jeopardy.
It now falls upon Beeston to make the latter stages of the competiton, which will be played at Easter in Bloemendaal, to pick up the necessary ranking points.
Stagno said he "feared" for the game in England if the Nottingham side mirror East Grinstead's early European exit.
"We may struggle for a long time to gain the necessary exposure with so few players involved in Europe," he admitted. "Our national programme is too ingrained."
Stagno did highight the emergence of Rhys Smith as one positive from the weekend.
Smith has slotted seamlessly into the Sussex side's midfield, while Stagno admitted the 17-year-old Whitgift School student showed "a lot of character and played beyond his years" in marking Kampong's Robert Kempermann.
The Telegraph
Ventures bring Checkers down to earth
Amanda George and Jade Piper scored two goals each as Ventures brough Harvard Checkers back down from a height of trouncing defending champions, Notre Dame 6-0 in their Women’s Open Division opener with a 4-2 beating in the T&T Hockey Board Indoor Championship.
It was a disappointing result for Checkers which got its goals from Jael Thompson and Sekayi Liburd at the Woodbrook Youth Facility, Hamilton-Holder Street, Woodbrook on Sunday to stay on three points from three matches, the same as Ventures.
The other women’s match between Shandy Carib Magnolias and Notre Dame was rescheduled.
In the Men’s Open Division, Queen’s Park and Petrotrin registered comfortable wins over Fatima and Courts Malvern respectively.
The Parkites led by braces from Raphael Govia and Jerry Bell blasted Fatima 7-3 while Petrotrin led by a hat-trick from Solomon Eccles drilled Courts Malvern, 5-3.
The tournament which also features competition in the Under-19 Boys, Under-19 Girls and Mixed Veterans Divisions will run until November 2.
However, due to the unavailability of venues, matches will only be staged on weekend, Friday to Sunday each week with the first three weekends of the tournament being staged at the Woodbrook Youth Facility, while the “final” weekend of the tournament will be shifted to the neighbouring Jean Pierre Complex, Mucurapo.
RESULTS
Sunday’s T&THB Indoor Championship
Women’s Open
Ventures 4 (Amanda George 2, Jade Piper 2) vs Harvard Checkers 2 (Jael Thompson, Sekayi Liburd)
Men’s Open
QPCC 7 (Jerry Bell 2, Raphael Govia 2, Jordon Reynos, Nicholas Camacho, Shawn Lee Quay) vs Fatima 4 (Jordan Vieira 2, Che Modeste, Andrew Vieira)
Petrotrin 5 (Solomon Eccles 3, Triston Grant, Wayne Legerton) vs Courts Malvern 3 (Kristien Emmanuel, Tariq Marcano, Teague Marcano)
Mixed Veterans
Carib 7 (Ian Chong 2, Hillary St Louis 2, Randal Ramsammy, Kevin Adams, Kirk Adamson) vs Shape 0
Notre Dame 4 (Selwyn King 2, Nigel Providence 2) vs QPCC 4 (Jerry Bell 3,
Azad Ali)
Defence Force 3 (Roger Daniel 2, Nicholas Wren) vs Fatima 2 (Colin Young, Alan Young)
Malvern 6 vs Police 0
Boys Under-19
Fatima 4 (Jordan Vieira 3, Che Modeste) vs QPCC 4 (Jordan Reynos 2, Keegan Dos Santos, Jarryon Paul)
Girls Under-19
SC Magnolias 6 (Shaniah De Freitas 2, Brianna Govia 2, Jessice Lee, Samantha Olton) vs Paragon 4 (Felicia King, Gabrielle Thompson, Therese Burgos, Raegan Prospere)
Notre Dame 2 (Tamia Roach 2) vs Harvard Checkers 0
The Trinidad Guardian
Premier Divisions: The Inside Track.
Beeston's Sam Ward celebrates scoring against Canterbury.
After a defeat last time out, Beeston bounced back with a bang, sweeping aside Brooklands MU with a convincing 7-1 win in the NOW: Pensions Men's Premier Division. In the Investec Women's Premier Division, Canterbury's win over Buckingham set them up nicely for a top of the table clash with Surbiton this coming week. We got the thoughts of two-goal hero Sam Ward and Canterbury skipper Grace Balsdon.
Sam Ward, Beeston:
On the importance of the win on Saturday:
“It was massive for us to get a win this week, more than anything because it’s picked us up after a couple of bad weeks and results that maybe didn’t reflect how we’ve played. It was nice for it to all come together and for us to perform how we can. “
On the difference between the sides:
“The margin of victory surprised us. They’re a tough side who work hard and fight for everything, but we managed to be very effective in taking our chances early on which allowed us to put the game to bed. We scored something like four goals in ten minutes which put them out of contention. If you let them get into the game their physicality starts to tell and they are very hard to beat. It becomes a bit of a battle and we didn’t want that. We wanted to get ahead and not allow them to play their game.”
On Beeston’s season so far:
“We haven’t been clinical enough. Personally I haven’t taken as many corners as I could have. This week we made the most of our opportunities in the D and it came off nicely. We need to maintain those levels, though.”
On this week’s opponents, Reading:
“They will be very tough. They were a bit short of numbers this week but were 2-0 up against Wimbledon before the game got abandoned. We know they will be a very hard game for us. Cannock away the next game will be very tough, too. Realistically I’d back us to win both games but we have to put a lot of hard work in and get some consistency.”
On his side’s aims for the season:
“I hope we can go on and win the league again. We need to make sure we put the pieces together now so that we can perform at our maximum when it matters, at the tail end the season and of course the EHL. We want to be in the big games and we need to make sure that’s the case.”
Grace Balsdon marshalls the Canterbury defence
Grace Balsdon, Canterbury:
On the win over Buckingham:
“It was a really positive result. We had a lot of possession and we tried a new press which gave us a lot of success. We have very quick players in midfield so winning the ball higher up the pitch and breaking forwards in numbers at pace gave us a lot of positives from our attacking play.”
On the foundations of their success:
“Last year we kept 10 clean sheets in the league. That strength starts from our goalkeeper and goes right through the team. We have that belief and trust in her and the rest of the team are able to build on that and remain confident that things are solid at the back.”
On Canterbury’s summer signings:
"Susannah Townsend adds a lot pace to the midfield and Dirkie Chamberlain always makes something happen when she has the ball. Having them join has given us something extra in midfield and attack. We’re a different team from last year and we’re in a good position with the players we have.”
On this weekend’s clash with Surbiton:
“Surbiton are always tough. They are a really good side. We always compete with them. So we’ll go and hope to play to our strengths and keep building. We want to push them hard and hopefully come out with the result.”
On revenge for last year’s final defeat:
"We’d love to win the game, regardless of results last year. It’s always tight against them but we’re not worried about what’s gone before, we want to win this game.”
On the threats of both sides:
“They have a lot of quality. Becky Herbert is in great form and a huge threat with her pace and quick hands. Sarah Page is a great player and of course there’s Sarah Haycroft, Georgie Twigg, when you list them you realise they are a really strong outfit. We want to minimise their threat and see where we end up.
We have Dirkie and Sarah Kerly forming a good partnership and making things happen in the final third, Susannah Townsend is always a threat both sides have great players. It’ll be all about who takes their chances and I’m sure there’ll be plenty of them.”
Canterbury will travel to Sugden Road for their top of the table match with Surbiton.
Beeston travel to Reading this coming weekend for what promises to be a hard-fought contest.
England Hockey Board Media release
Battle of Simbas: KHU awards Kisumu Simba points and slot at Africa event
By Elizabeth Mburugu
GEORGE MUTIRA-01: Nairobi Simba George Mutira (l) fight with Wazee player Eddy Odhiambo and for the ball during the Vaisakhi Tournament played at Citypark. Simba won 1-0. ON 20/04/14 PHOTO:JENIPHER WACGHIE
Kisumu Simba will join Kenya Police as the country's representatives at this year's Africa Hockey Club Championships, which will be held in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe in November.
Kisumu Simba won their appeal before Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) Disputes Committee and have back their docked points. This sees them return to the second spot in the league standing and hence secure the automatic slot for the continental men's club championships.
Nairobi Simba had filed a complaint to KHU citing Kisumu's use of an ineligible player in last season's Premier League title campaign.
After KHU deducted three points from Kisumu's tally, they tied with Nairobi Simba on 25 points. However, the Nairobi-based Simba edged out their colleagues based on a superior goal difference to snatch the club championship slot.
Kisumu admitted to have fielded Kenneth Nyongesa in their tie against Mvita XI unaware he was to miss a match due to the cards he had accumulated in other matches. However, they later raised concern that their Nairobi counterparts were fielding players without official release from other clubs for several seasons.
Nonetheless, Nairobi Simba player in question Nelson Shihale cleared his name saying he had long cut links with former club Strathmore University before signing for Nairobi Simba.
Kisumu Simba then refused to play new season matches until a fair judgment was given in regard to the dispute. KHU heard both sides at the weekend and ruled in favour of Kisumu Simba.
Kisumu Simba coach Cliffe Okello said that they were given the good news by their players, who represented them in the hearing and were yet to receive official communication from KHU.
Nairobi Simba team manager Kalpesh Solanki, who represented his club, told Feverpitch they will appeal against the decision.
"We will appeal because we feel as a club we were unfairly judged, we raised concern over a player who was not eligible to play. But they (Kisumu Simba) brought in the issue of a player we signed after he was out of hockey competitions for two seasons."
Solanki added that in 2011 Zack Aura, who played for Kisumu Simba last season, was on their list and played two matches with them for that season. He then went to back play for Kenya Navy, which the club accepted as they termed it as a call of duty because Aura is a Navy officer.
Navy was disbanded later and instead of Aura going back to Nairobi Simba he signed for Kisumu Simba without official release from Nairobi.
"Kisumu Simba are not clean. This judgment should go on record to show that some rules in KHU are made to suit certain clubs," Solanki added.
Meanwhile, Greensharks are at the summit of pool A of the men's premier league table following their 2-0 victory against Parkroad. Samuel Mucheke broke the deadlock three minutes before the breather while Frank Okumu sealed the victory with his 44th minute goal.
The Standard Online
Greensharks on course for place in the play-offs
By BRIAN YONGA
Dennis Obata (left) of Park Road team is challenged by Geoffrey Nyagaga and Edwin Otieno of Greensharks during their Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) premier league match at City Park Stadium on October 12, 2014. Greensharks hockey club are just one win away from clinching a play-off spot in this season’s KHU) league. FILE PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Greensharks hockey club are just one win away from clinching a play-off spot in this season’s Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) league.
A 2-0 win over Parkroad on Sunday saw them leapfrog USIU-A to go top of Pool A with eight points. The university students lie second on seven points.
However, the law enforcers were pushed all the way by a battling and at times physical Parkroad side before bagging all three points.
With the race for the play-off berths set to go down to the wire, Greensharks coach Nixon Nyangaga said it was paramount for the team not to drop any more points having failed to win their previous two matches since their opening day victory over defending champions Kenya Police.
“We have not been playing well since we beat Police, but I am happy we have gotten back our groove and we proved our worth against Parkroad,” Nyangaga told Daily Nation Sport.
So intense was the contest that match umpire Tony Fernandez had to show five cards, two green and three yellow cards as both teams ended the game with ten men each.
GUARANTEED WIN
Greensharks’ final pool match will be against league debutants Nakuru Sikh away in Nakuru. Victory will guarantee them a place in the semi-finals as they chase their first ever league title.
Nakuru Sikh are yet to win a match this season and are bottom of Pool A with no point. Fifth-placed Parkroad too are out of the running for a play-off berth.
They lie fifth with a single point having lost three and drawn one match. USIU-A, champions Police and Jaguars are all well-placed to clinch one of the two play-off spots in Pool A.
Second placed USIU A are on seven points from four games, Police are third with six points from three games while the unbeaten Jaguars lie fourth with five points.
In the national league, Kabarak University moved from the bottom to fourth place with five points after collecting four points in their two weekend matches in Nairobi.
On Saturday they inflicted a 1-0 loss on Parklands Sports Club to end the leaders unbeaten run this season.
Both leagues take a break this weekend as teams head to Mombasa for the Sana Cup.
Daily Nation
We were robbed by poor officiating – Police
The top liner for last weekend’s Greater Accra Hockey League in Ghana ended in a stalemate between leaders Trustees and Police Service.
The two teams are still tied on the same points at the summit of the League log but are only separated by goal difference. A win for any of the teams could have helped them to open the gap at the top of the table but it did not happen that way.
Head Coach of the Ghana Police Team, Eric Adjei Obayah attributed his side’s inability to win the game to poor officiating.
“It’s so sad that we couldn’t win this game, but for me the match official is to blame for this result because he wasn’t fair with most of his decisions”, Coach Adjei insisted.
Meanwhile, Trustees head coach, Edmund Aryeetey indicated that his side had a drawn game because his tactics worked to perfection.
GhanaWeb
MHC chief will not continue his role
By Jugjet Singh
THE Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) held its Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) in Johor Baru yesterday, as president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah stood his ground of not seeking re-election, and stopped short of naming a replacement.
After amendments to the MHC constitution were agreed to, Tengku Abdullah said: “I will not seek re-election, and I was supposed to name my candidate for the post today, but will hold my tongue.”
This is because the projected elections in November might have to be held next year, as the amendments to constitution need to be endorsed by the sports commissioner’s office.
“Hopefully the amendments are endorsed before November, so I can name my candidate early,” said Tengku Abdullah.
Selangor HA president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal is highly tipped to take over the hot MHC seat in November or January.
On another note, Tengku Abdullah said he prefers coach Arul Selvaraj to remain with the juniors, and a foreign coach to take charge of the seniors.
“I prefer Arul to take charge of the juniors as we look for a foreign coach for the seniors. Meanwhile, he (Arul) can coach both the teams,” said Tengku Abdullah.
New Straits Times
Tengku Abdullah firm in not seeking re-election
by Aftar Singh
JOHOR BARU: Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah has reiterated his stand not to seek re-election as president of the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC).
“I will not seek re-election. I was supposed to name the candidate for the post today (yesterday) but I’ve since reserved my announcement. I will name the candidate at the right time,” said Tengku Abdullah after chairing the MHC’s extraordinary general meeting here yesterday.
Tengku Abdullah announced his decision to relinquish his MHC post after taking over as the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) president from the late Sultan Azlan Shah on Aug 31.
There is speculation that Selangor HA president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal will be the new president.
Tengku Abdullah said the MHC election would be held either next month or January.
“We are making some amendments in our constitution and they need to be endorsed by the sports commissioner’s office. Hopefully the amendments are endorsed before November, so I can name my candidate early,” he added.
On another matter, Tengku Abdullah said that S. Arulselvaraj would continue as the national senior team coach.
“He will be in charge of the team for the World League second round in Singapore (from Jan 17-25) until we hire a foreign coach,” added Tengku Abdullah.
The World League second round is a qualifying tournament for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Arulselvaraj, who took Malaysia to a fourth placing in the recent Incheon Asian Games, is now handling the Project 2016 squad. The Under-21 team are now competing in the Sultan of Johor Cup at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium in Johor Baru.
The Star of Malaysia
Asian Games Gold: Accolades and Acrimony
India’s win over Pakistan in the finals of the Asian Games hockey is a defining moment for Indian hockey and the events that unfolded after the historic occasion are recapped here.
Accolades:
a. First taste of success was the grand reception for the returning team at the New Delhi airport, though it was late night, media presence and officials enthusiasm was in abundance
b. Right from president and Prime Ministers of India took note of the win that came after 16 years, official statements were sent out, besides appropriate postings in their official social media pages.
c. Hockey India has announced Rs.2.5 lacs for each team member
d. Contingent’s lead sponsor Samsung organized a grand felicitation ceremony with full hockey team in the presence. undefined
e. Normally, the provincial government of Haryana used to hog limelight with heft prize monies but it was not so right now due to election restrictions. Within a week, we can hear a lot of good news from them.
f. Government of Tamil Nadu surprised sports lovers with Rs.30 lac each prize money for PR Sreejesh and Rupinder Pal Singh for their Silver at the Commonweaoth Games, and the same is expected now despite some sudden political changes happening there.
g. Hero, the main sponsor of the Indian Hockey Team is organizing a gala felicitation ceremony tomorrow, much is expected.
h. The Chief Minister of Kerala State did a rare honour by visiting the home of PR Sreejesh, the goalie.
i. Sports Authority of India organized a felicitation function
Acrimony:
Just elected President of Hockey India, Narinder Batra took objection to Ministry of Skills Development, Youth Affairs and Sports, Govt. of India, dropping his name from the contingent to visit Prime Minister on Tuesday morning. This has led to an acrimonious scene in the Samsung felicitation function. For some time now, at least in the run up to the Asian Games, HI has been in logger heads with the Ministry and its arm Sports Authority of India officials on many vital issues.
Stick2Hockey.com
Beating Australia, European teams will be our target now: Sardar Singh
Hindol Basu
CHANDIGARH: After the high of winning gold at the Asian Games in Incheon, Indian hockey has once again started to look upwards. Team captain Sardar Singh is one of the integral members of the renaissance. In an exclusive interview to TOI, Sardar spoke about the different aspects on which the Indian team needs to work upon, and how it is essential to start winning on a consistent basis.
Excerpts...
How important is the Asian Games gold for the Indian team?
First I must say that the credit goes to the whole team, which also includes the coaching staff. We put in a lot of hard work for 8 to 10 months and our target was to win the Asian Games Gold and directly qualify for the Rio Olympics.The Olympic qualifiers are very tough.We faced it the last time and didn't want to go through the same. That's why winning the gold was really important for us and the team can now breathe easy in the upcoming tournaments.
At the Asian Games the Indian team faced competition from Pakistan, South Korea and Malaysia. All these teams are more or less at the same level. But at the Olympics the competition is tougher.There are the European teams as well as Australia. How can the Indian team raise their standard and compete at their level?
The Indian team, right now, has many youngsters in it and we are growing with every passing tournament. The pair of (Roelant) Oltmans and Terry Walsh have put in strategies, which are innovative and at par with the European and Australian teams. Our fitness levels have improved manifold. Oltmans-Walsh have chalked out a two-year schedule. The Indian team will now play most of their matches against Netherlands, Germany , Spain, Australia, Belgium, England in the run up to the Olympics.
According to you, which are those areas where the Indian team requires major improvement?
I feel if you train hard and give your hundred percent during training sessions, then you can perform well in match situations too. There are some grey areas in our game, which requires some improvement. Mainly two versus one tackle, defending penalty corners, conversion of penalty corners and ball rotation. One thing I have noticed is that the current bunch of players are willing to learn and they are improving upon their negative areas very quickly .
The more they play against good teams at an international level the better they'll become.
At the Asiad the new rules were implemented for the first time. Now matches are being played in four quarters of 15 minutes each. How has the Indian team benefited with the new rule change?
This has been a boon for us. Our players can take adequate rest and plan after every 15 minutes, according to the match situation. Then the 10-minute break after the second quarter is also beneficial for us. We can play fast hockey and our players remain fresh all the time. Whatever we lacked on the fitness part in comparison with the European teams has been somewhat evened out.
In the last 10-15 years the Indian team used to concede goals in the last 10 minutes of the match, which always proved detrimental for our chances. We saw a huge improvement in that area during the Asian Games.
Yes. Even in the 2014 World Cup we were plagued by this problem. In the matches against Belgium and England we were on the winning side but conceded unnecessary goals in the final few moments and lost important points. After that we learnt our lessons and the whole team worked really hard on holding the ball. What's important in those final few minutes is having proper communication between players and we drastically improved on that aspect of our game during the Commonwealth Games and the Asiad.
Has the Indian team set any particular target for the Rio Olympics?
Well, the Olympics will be held two years from now. What we are thinking at present is to train hard and grow as a team. The current bunch of players are gelling really well and that's really important. It is essential to have a good team spirit. Frankly speaking, we want to start defeating big teams like Australia, Germany , Netherlands, Spain and Belgium on a consistent basis and that is our target now.
The Times of India
Narinder Batra unopposed elected Hockey India president
NEW DELHI: Narinder Batra was Monday unopposed elected the president of Hockey India while Mushtaque Ahmad was elected secretary general as the national hockey federation elected its new office-bearers for a four-year term on Monday.
Rajinder Singh from Hockey Jammu and Kashmir was unanimously elected treasurer and outgoing president Mariamma Koshy was declared senior vice-president in the fourth Congress which was conducted by Returning Officer Justice Aruna Suresh under the watchful eyes of Hira Ballabh, ED, Finance Sports Authority of India, and Indian Olympic Association Observer Kuldeep Vats.
"We welcome on board the new office-bearers and I am confident that they share the same vision of Hockey India, and with their coming on board they will now be responsible for taking ahead the legacy of Hockey in India," Batra said in a statement.
"Also, being appointed as an unopposed president, I feel overwhelmed with the trust and faith that the members have showed in me. I shall strive to live up to the new role that I am stepping into and hoping to justice to it," he added.
Sarbananda Sonowal, minister of youth affairs and sports, was the honoured guest at the congress.
The Times of India
Uttarakhand reward for hockey star
Kautilya Singh
DEHRADUN: A reward of Rs 10 lakh from the government and a job of a sports officer awaits Haridwar-girl Vandana Kataria. Vandana scored the winning goal against Japan to help the Indian women's hockey team clinch the bronze medal at the recently concluded Incheon Asian Games.
The 22-year-old, who has been playing for the national team for four years now, is also being considered as a possible nominee for the prestigious Khel Ratna award this year.
"She has been playing for the national team since 2010. That in itself speaks volumes of her talent," said state sports minister Dinesh Agarwal, adding that it was too early to comment on the Khel Ratna issue."There are procedures to be followed in this regard.Once the formalities are done, we will look into it."
The slightly-built Kataria has represented the country in 109 international matches and scored 23 goals. "My aim is to win an Olympic gold for the country," Vadana said.
The Times of India
The Away Team
It’s not a bus. It is a bedroom, a meeting room, a video room, a study hall, a locker room, an office and a training room.
Ask anyone associated with the University of California, Berkeley Field Hockey Team and they will tell you, “The bus is where we live. It is our common space. We make it what it needs to be. We adapt.”
Incoming freshman Alie Zimmer headed to the Cal campus in the summer to get better prepared for the 2014 hockey season as an athlete and as a student. She enrolled in summer school and planned to work on her strength and conditioning, as well as her hockey skills.
Senior captain Natalie Gibbens looked forward to summer hockey and spending time with her team at a time of year that is less hectic.
The two converged in Berkeley along with the rest of the Cal team in early July. At opposite ends of their careers, they bookend the hopes of a program.
With the hockey field being turned into a parking garage, the team would be playing the 2014 season on the road. In August, they learned they would be training on the road as well.
Now the players roll out of bed in time to board a 5:45 a.m. bus that takes them to train at rival Stanford University’s watered turf field, the closest facility to Berkeley. They return to Berkeley in time for 11:00 a.m. classes. On the weekends, they travel to compete. Everywhere. It is a road trip EVERY weekend.
In 13 weeks, they will travel 25,000 miles, ride 100 buses, stay in 36 hotel rooms and catch 10 flights. Road warriors? More like passengers. For this group, it is a way of life. And that is not counting the coveted post-season play.
How do they do it?
“We laugh, we dance, we deal,” says Head Coach Shellie Onstead. “I told them on day one, ‘This can be an excuse or it can be a challenge that defines us, but either way, it is going to happen. We are doing our best to make lemonade.’”
The team has responded by going 7-5 in their first 12 matches.
“I want to be efficient with their time and energy,” Onstead continued. “I have them on the bus for 2 hours most days, so we use it for team meetings, film review, study hall, taping, staff meetings and individual meetings. Most of that happens on the way home. On the outbound trip, they sleep. Some study, but most sleep. When we hit the bridge, I wake them up. The overhead lights go on, training room opens in the front of the bus and they get their shoes and shin guards on.”
Music has played a role in creating the new normal. When the music comes on, it is time to get to work. Books close, headphones come off and the space becomes common again. The playlist is done by the team. This applies on the bus, in the visiting locker rooms, or one time, in a parking lot when the bus was late.
“I was searching for ways to trigger familiarity,” said Onstead. “I found myself considering the five senses. Music is a good one because we can control it and it travels with us. I got a killer Bluetooth speaker as a birthday gift and we were off and running. Thanks to technology, it is easy to manage.”
Visually, there is a special hat to remind the team of their early training. And prior to every single practice and game, the team meets at midfield and visualizes the Cal logo. They talk for a minute about the coming task and then look each other in the eye and say, “Feels like home.”
Onstead is most impressed with the team’s resilience. The silver lining was found in the pre-season camp that took place at the Olympic Training Center in San Diego. “Those 12 days provided a necessary bit of isolation to lay the groundwork within the group to help them manage the situation waiting for them at home.”
The practices were intensified and the off field activities included two sessions with a company that was created by retired U.S. Navy Seals, the Acumen Performance Group. The team emerged from camp with a purpose: stay on task, take care of one another and trust that this is a setback that will pass.
“APG was fantastic,” says Onstead. “You know these guys are sharing concepts that they have applied in real situations. We came away understanding the role of mental toughness and attitude. This is a bump in the road. That’s it. You control the size of it.”
As a staff, the Cal coaches pay special attention to the student-athletes’ welfares. It is a daily topic.
“During a particularly stressful week,” says Onstead. “I gave them an unexpected day off and I think there were tears of joy in the room. If you had been in the hallway, you would have wondered what the thundering celebration was all about. They sang. They danced. You could say it was music to their ears.”
Despite the ups and downs, the potholes and the early mornings, they aren’t just athletes.
They aren’t just students.
They are a family.
They are overcomers.
They are Cal field hockey.
USFHA media release