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News for 08 December 2014

All the news for Monday 8 December 2014


A fairytale ending for Lucha

Nothing could separate Australia and Argentina in 60 minutes of relentless hockey. It all came down to the shoot-out.


Argentina's Luciana Aymar ends her glittering career holding the Women's Champions Trophy. (Photo: Frank Uijlenbroek)

This Champions Trophy has been billed the Best of the Best and it certainly lived up to the hype.  The match between Australia and Argentina got off to a cracking start, with both sides creating opportunities, and the relentless pace of the game didn't abate for the entire 60 minutes.

Two distinct styles of play were on show: the structure and physicality of the Hockeyroos; and the originality and sheer magic of the Argentine side.

With Australia using the width well, creating room for Edwina Bone and Georgia Nanscawen to run at the Argentine defence from their own deep midfield, all Las Leonas defensive ability was tested. But the players stepped up to the mark, with Rosario Luchetti in particular showing her class and sheer bravery.

At the other end of the pitch, two moments of beautiful hockey nearly put the host nation ahead. Luciana Aymar, playing in her last major international, made a dazzling run into the Hockeyroos circle, but the subsequent shot from Carla Rebecchi was saved by Ashlee Wells in the Australian goal and moments later, the Argentinian legend dropped a ball into the path of Delfino Merino, again forcing a save from Wells.

The teams were evenly matched in terms of chances and possession, but the danger player for the Australians was new cap Kathryn Slattery. The forward has had an excellent Champions Trophy and her positioning throughout the first half put her into great scoring situations. A few near-misses, including a one-on-one with Belen Succi, marked Slattery's inexperience, but those misses were made up for when she put away the opening goal in the 35th minute.

This deficit was eliminated four minutes later when Aymar's penalty corner strike was deflected into the top of the net by Florencia Habif (39').

With one minute on the clock in the third quarter, the Hockeyroos came close to doubling the score, only to find Succi continuing her sensational form between the posts.

With 15 minutes left, Australia  Slattery, then Emily Smith drew a double save from Succi; seconds later the ball was pinging across the front of the Australia goal, fired in by Rochio Sanchez. This relentless pressure continued and the entire, packed stadium were on the edge of thir seats.

The last two minutes of regulation time saw the game see-saw from one end to the other. Martina Cavallero, playing her 100th match for Las Leonas, nearly provided the breakthrough, but Wells was up the challenge and kept the ball out.

Neither side could find the breakthrough goal, and so the match went into shoot-out mode.

Aymar started the ball rolling with a fantastic early shot that caught Ashlee Wells unprepared and this signalled the end of the story. Two misses from the Australians and further Argentinian goals from Carla Rebecchi and Silvinia D'Elia put the game out of the Hockeyroo's sight and Luciana Aymar's career had the perfect ending.

 #CT2014

FIH site



New look Oranje turn bronze

Netherlands and New Zealand produce a high tempo, high quality match


New Zealand captain, Anita Punt, Umpires Lisa Roach (AUS), Annelise Rostron (RSA) and Netherlands captain, Maartje Paumen before the game (Photo: FIH)

Two teams with very different reasons for wanting a win played out a high tempo, high quality bronze medal match. The occasion had added poignancy for umpire Lisa Roach as it was her last ever international umpiring appointment. The experienced Australian had a presentation before the match.

Despite the disappointment of losing out to Argentina in the semi-finals, the Netherlands came out looking for the win. "We are a new squad in the early stages of rebuilding, but we still always want to win," said goalscorer Lidewij Welton.

By the same token, New Zealand are a team desperate to lose their 'fourth place' status and get a medal in a major international. Prior to the match, Anita Punt had spoken about the need for her team to start winning medals to cement their progress.

And so the scene was set for a highly competitive bronze medal match, with the high speed and structured game of New Zealand pitted against the super-skilful Netherlands.

Both teams had moments of brilliance in the first quarter, but it was the Netherlands who scored first, when Xan de Waard (11') slotted the ball past Sally Rutherford in the Black Sticks goal.

Straight after the quarter break, Welton (16'), who has had an excellent Champions Trophy, made the most of a slip from Carlien van der Heuvel.

The last few minutes of the second quarter, New Zealand really came back into the game. Stacey Michelesen worked her way into a great position but her shot flew over the top. This should have served as a warning to the Dutch, but again New Zealand pushed and eventually they were rewarded with a goal after Sophie Cocks (29') deflected a Brooke Neal penalty corner.

The last quarter was a frenetic affair with the Black Sticks throwing everything at the Netherlands. Olivia Merry, Michelesen and Ella Gunsen all had opportunities, but in Joyce Sombroek and her defence they had a world class opposition to negotiate.

In desperation, New Zealand coach Mark Hager removed the goalkeeper with five minutes to go, but still there was no way through.

"We came out of the blocks too slow today," said Olivia Merry. "We put the Dutch on a pedestal and we really shouldn't be doing that now. Of course we are disappointed to lose 2-1, but we are closing that gap all the time."

A delighted Welton said: "We got off to a good start, although we should have scored more goals. But although we look like the same team that won the World Cup, we are different. We have new players, we are learning new systems. We are making progress but we are nowhere near where we want to be yet."

#CT2014

FIH site



Maddie dives to rescue England in sudden death

England beat China in shoot out: Germany takes seventh spot after 5-3 victory over Japan.


(Photo: Frank Uijlenbroek)

ENG v CHN 1-1 (1-0) 3-2 (after shoot-out)

England survive sudden death

Laura Unsworth and Maddie Hinch were the shoot-out heroes in England's 3-2 win over China in the 5th/6th place play off in Mendoza.

Unsworth held her nerve to score the sudden death winner, while Hinch's athleticism denied three Chinese shoot-out opportunities.

England had the best of the opening quarter with a fabulous goal by Shona McCallin (14') giving them the lead in the first quarter. Susannah Townsend picked up the ball in midfield and drove through the Chinese defence before releasing McCallin who shot the ball home.

The England lead was cancelled out by an equally excellent goal from the Chinese captain Cui Qiuxia in the 42nd minute. The Chinese midfielder pounced on a stray pass rounded 'keeper Maddie Hinch to slot the ball home. As with the England goal, it was reward for a period of sustained pressure.

In the second half, the Chinese were in the ascendency, led by their energetic captain Cui, but neither side were able to break the deadlock and so the game went to shoot-out.

Speaking after the game, Maddie Hinch said: "I am a bit of a geek so I always do my homework on the players and the Chinese had done really well in the shoot-out so I spent some time studying them. I like to be aggressive in the shoot-out situation and put the player under pressure immediately."

England's shoot-out hero Laura Unsworth said: "I like facing a 'keeper head on. I don't tend to get that nervous. We are all pleased with finishing fifth. We knew once we had lost the quarters that this had to be our target and we achieved it."

JPN v GER 3-5 (1-4)

Headline: Japan hit by Muller tour de force

German coach Jamilon Mulder's decision to play Julia Muller on the forward line, instead of in her more familiar defensive paid off handsomely as the German captain scored a hat trick and inspired a 5-3 win over Japan.

It was actually the Cherry Blossoms who took the lead through Mie Nakashima (3') following a penalty corner but just two minutes later Katharina Otte cancelled the advantage with a deflection after some great field play by Hannah Kruger.

Muller's goals came in the 13th, 20th and 49th minute – the first from a straight shot that nearly knocked the Japanese 'keeper Sakiyo Asana into the back of the net; the second a well-taken penalty corner and the third a fabulous turn and strike.

Hannah Kruger joined the goal fest with a penalty corner strike in the 15th minute, but just five minutes later Akiko Ota reduced the deficit with a deflected penalty corner strike. The Japanese scored one consolation goal with five minutes left on the clock, Shiho Otsuka scoring from a narrow angle.

Speaking after the game, Otsuka said: "We knew we were taking a defensive risk by playing such an attacking game. This is something we will consider in the future, but in that game we created many chances."

And Lea Stockel praised her captain: "Julia playing up front gives us more strength and she is able to create chances with her skills in the circle. We are obviously disappointed with where we finished but this game has shown what we can do, so we are really happy."

#CT2014

FIH site



Argentina win Champions Trophy in shootout

Argentina have won the Champions Trophy women's hockey tournament in a shootout after Australia dominated the final.

The game finished 1-1, with hosts Argentina taking the shootout 3-1.

The Argentine goalkeeper made a number of fine saves to deny the Hockeyroos in regulation time before excelling in the shootout.

Stuff



Silver for Hockeyroos

Australian women lose to Argentina in shoot-out after 1-1 draw in final



The Hockeyroos had to settle for silver at the Champions Trophy in Mendoza after going down to the hosts Argentina in dramatic circumstances.

It took a shoot-out to separate the two sides after the match had finished 1-1 in regulation time with Argentina going on to win the shoot-out 3-1. It is Australia’s first Champions Trophy medal since winning silver in 2009.

It was a contest for which the Hockeyroos seemed to have saved some of their best hockey of a hugely successful year. In a game in which the Hockeyroos enjoyed the best of the chances, Kathryn Slattery gave the Australian women the lead shortly after half time with a neat close range touch beyond Belen Succi before Florencia Habif levelled from Argentina’s only penalty corner four minutes later.

With the score deadlocked after 60 minutes the match went to a shoot-out. Australia appealed Luciana’s opening strike claiming the ball had not crossed the line after hitting both posts and rebounding out. Replays appeared to show they had just cause for the argument but the goal stood. Captain Casey Eastham struck for Australia after Georgia Nanscawen had missed her effort, but Argentina goalkeeper Belen Succi denied Karri McMahon and Emily Smith to win her team the trophy.

Speaking immediately after the match, Hockeyroos Head Coach Adam Commens said, “I thought we played very well. We created enough opportunities during the game to finish it off but their goalkeeper, Belen Succi, played a great match. We were not as clinical as we could have been though. It’s disappointing to lose in the shoot-out and I thought we were unlucky there, too.

“In the first half we needed to be a little more precise in our passing and we had to tidy that up in the second half.

“It’s fantastic to reach the final with such a young group and I’ve been proud of their conduct on and off the pitch throughout the tournament. The future looks good for the Hockeyroos. The competition within the squad is fiercer than ever, which can only enhance our progression.”

With much of the pre-match talk about the impending retirement of the heroine of Argentine hockey, the eight times World Player of the Year Lucania Aymar, the Hockeyroos found themselves on the back foot in the opening minutes. But after settling in, Australia took control. Emily Smith lashed a first time volley narrowly wide in the fourth minute while Karri McMahon saw a penalty corner kept out by the Argentina defence.

The Hockeyroos enjoyed the best of the second quarter but failed to find a way past goalkeeper Succi. Kathryn Slattery was denied twice and when Georgia Nanscawen did find a pass beyond the goalkeeper, Silvina D’Elia was on hand to clear from in front of goal.

Australia silenced the 5000-strong partisan home crowd just five minutes into the second half. Good work by Mathilda Carmichael at the top of the circle saw her create the space to thread the ball through to Kathryn Slattery, whose first touch in front of goal allowed her the space for a second, which she knocked home for 1-0. It was her first Champions Trophy goal.

Moments later Jodie Kenny came close to doubling the advantage from a penalty corner but her powerful flick was down the middle and tipped over the top by the goalkeeper. Then came Argentina’s reply. Finding a foot in the circle, Argentina took full advantage of the set piece with Florencia Habif deflecting the ball into the roof of the net on her knees in front of goal.

Australia refused to change their attacking ways, however, and it was the Hockeyroos that looked the most likely to score again. Succi, who would go on to pick up the Goalkeeper of the Tournament award, made two outstanding double saves; the first from Ashleigh Nelson and Emily Smith in quick succession, the second from Slattery’s close range diversion and Smith’s diving follow-up.

With the match heading for a shoot-out Australian hearts were in mouths with just seconds remaining as an Argentina shot to the back post dropped just centimetres wide.

In the shoot-out, Aymar stepped up first. With the tension at breaking point her powerful shot looked to have struck both posts and bounced back out with Australian goalkeeper Ashlee Wells calling on the video umpire to check whether the ball had crossed the line. Television pictures appeared to indicate the ball might not have crossed the line but the goal was given and Australia were on the back foot.

Georgia Nanscawen missed her shot before Carla Rebecci put Argentina two goals clear. Casey Eastham then coolly pulled one back but D’Elia struck for 3-1. Karri McMahon was then denied by Succi and while Delfina Merino blazed Argentina’s fourth effort wide, Succi stood strong to deny Emily Smith and earn Argentina their sixth Champions Trophy title.

The silver medal caps off an outstanding 12 months for the Hockeryoos that have seen Australia’s women claim silver medals at the World Cup and World League Finals, gold at the Commonwealth Games and a rise to number two in the world rankings.

Jodie Kenny narrowly missed out on the top goal scorer award in Mendoza. Finding the net five times, the same number as Argentina’s Carla Rebecchi, it was Rebecchi that picked up the trophy on account of scoring more field goals. 
    
Women's Champions Trophy
Final
HOCKEYROOS 1 (0)
Kathryn Slattery 35 (FG) 

ARGENTINA 1 (0)*
Florencia Habif 39 (PC)
 
*Argentina win 3-1 on shoot-out

Shoot-out details
Luciana Aymar [ARG] - GOAL (1-0 ARG)
Georgia Nanscawen [AUS] - MISS (1-0 ARG)
Carla Rebecchi [ARG] - GOAL (2-0 ARG)
Casey Eastham [AUS] - GOAL (2-1 ARG)
Silvina D'Elia [ARG] - GOAL (3-1 ARG)
Karri McMahon [AUS] - SAVED (3-1 ARG)
Delfina Merino [ARG] - MISS (3-1 ARG)
Emily Smith [AUS] - SAVED (3-1 ARG)
            
Results
7th/8th: Japan 3-5 Germany
5th/6th: England 1-1 China (3-2 ENG on shoot-out)
3rd/4th: New Zealand 1-2 Netherlands
1st/2nd: Hockeyroos 1-1^ Argentina
^Argentina won 3-1 on shoot-out

Final Standings
1. Argentina (gold medal)
2. Australia (silver medal)
3. Netherlands (bronze medal)
4. New Zealand
5. England
6. China
7. Germany
8. Japan
            
Hockeyroos Squad
Athlete (Hometown, State) caps/goals
Started
Edwina Bone (Evatt, ACT) 62/2
Anna Flanagan (Canberra, ACT) 143/33
Jodie Kenny (Wamuran, QLD) 128/73
Karri McMahon (Berri, SA) 61/7
Georgia Nanscawen (Melbourne, VIC) 146/30
Ashleigh Nelson (Wagin, WA) 169/63
Brooke Peris (Darwin, NT) 44/8
Casey Sablowski (née Eastham) (capt) (South Coast, NSW) 222/44
Kathryn Slattery (South Stirling, WA) 9/3
Emily Smith (Crookwell, NSW) 108/46
Ashlee Wells (GK) (Morwell, VIC) 42/0

Used Substitute
Teneal Attard (Mackay, QLD) 198/10
Mathilda Carmichael (Willoughby, NSW) 24/1
Kirstin Dwyer (Mackay, QLD) 64/2
Rebecca Dwyer (née Reuter) (Toowoomba, QLD) 14/0
Gabrielle Nance (Kingscliff, NSW) 9/0
Amelia Spence (Hobart, TAS) 7/1
                              
Unused Substitute
Audrey Smith (GK) (Wynnum, QLD) 1/0

Hockey Australia media release



Black Sticks Women finish fourth


Pictured: Sophie Cocks, www.photosport.co.nz

The Black Sticks Women have settled for fourth at the FIH Champions Trophy in Mendoza after losing 1-2 to World No. 1 the Netherlands in Mendoza this morning.

It is New Zealand’s second best finish in the history of the tournament, but head coach Mark Hager is disappointed the team couldn’t be on the podium this time around.

“For this group of young players, people will probably think we have exceeded expectations, but the disappointing thing is we had our chances and could have got through to the finals, but it didn’t happen. I think as a team, we are tired of getting so close but not winning those big games,” said Hager. 

“In today’s game, we started off okay, but they dominated for most of the game. Again, we let them turnover the ball at crucial times and from that they scored goals. I think they deserved to beat us, they had more circle penetrations, we need to be able to hold the ball better going forward,” said Hager.

Hager noted that Brooke Neal, Stacey Michelsen, Anita Punt and Sam Charlton were all consistent performers throughout the tournament.

New Zealand started the game well but the world champions quickly picked up their game and the Black Sticks were 0-1 down at the end of the first quarter, courtesy of a goal from Xan de Waard. 

The Dutch doubled their lead in the 16th minute when Lidewij Welten received a pacey cross that goal keeper Sally Rutherford and defender Liz Thompson were unable to save on the line.

With the Dutch having over two thirds of the possession in the first two spells, the Kiwis were pleased to win a penalty corner a minute before the half time hooter. A clever variation, starting with a fake from Anita Punt at the top of the circle, saw Sophie Cocks deflect it in, giving the Black Sticks a real chance ahead of the second half.

The Black Sticks continued to push the Olympic champions in the second half, but despite the Kiwi’s best efforts, they couldn’t find the equaliser.

With time running out, Rutherford was replaced with an eleventh field player, Liz Thompson. The Dutch were awarded a penalty corner with less than two minutes remaining and with no keeper the Kiwi defence did well to save a powerful drag flick.

In the history of the women’s game, the Black Sticks have only beaten the Dutch once, winning 3-2 in 1953. They have drawn six times.

RESULTS
Full time:  1-2 (Dutch win)
Half time: 1-2 (Dutch lead)
NZ goal scorers: Sophie Cocks
Dutch goal scorers:  Xan de Waard, Lidewij Welten

Tournament results so far:
NZ vs Japan: 2-1 win
NZ vs Netherlands: 1-1 draw
NZ vs China: 2-0 win
NZ vs England: 3-1 win
NZ vs Australia: 1-1 draw (lost penalty shoot-out 0-3)
NZ vs The Netherlands: 1-2 loss

FIH Champions Trophy - New Zealand’s previous results
1987 – Sixth
1999 – Fifth
2000 – Sixth
2001 – Fifth
2002 – Fifth
2004 – Sixth
2006 – Sixth
2010 – Fifth
2011 – Third
2012 – Sixth
2014 - Fourth

Hockey New Zealand Media release



Black Sticks finish fourth at Champions Trophy after Netherlands loss

BRENDON EGAN


ON TARGET: Sophie Cocks scored a consolation goal for the Black Sticks in a 2-1 defeat to the Netherlands. Photosport

The Black Sticks' women have placed fourth at the Champions Trophy after losing their bronze medal playoff this morning (NZ time).

New Zealand were beaten 2-1 by Olympic and World Cup champions, the Netherlands, in Mendoza, Argentina.

The Dutch raced out to a 2-0 advantage after field goals through Xan de Waard and Lidewij Welten in the first half.

New Zealand have been effective with their penalty corners all tournament and pulled a goal back through their set piece just before halftime.

Anita Punt shaped to flick, but sent the ball to Brooke Neal. She fired a shot on goal, which was deflected in by striker Sophie Cocks.

Neither side could find the back of the net in the second half, with the Dutch holding on to secure a medal.

Despite losing the game, New Zealand showed plenty of fight after their heart-breaking semifinal loss to Australia on penalties on Sunday.

Several of the Black Sticks' youngsters impressed during the tournament and will be better for the experience.

New Zealand were missing several of their best players for the Champions Trophy, including the injured Katie Glynn and unavailable Emily Naylor and Gemma Flynn.

The Black Sticks' highest finish at the Champions Trophy was a bronze medal finish, three years ago.

Stuff



Black Sticks finish fourth


Sophie Cocks scored for the Black Sticks but it wasn't enough. Photo / Greg Bowker

The Black Sticks have finished fourth at the Champions Trophy following a 2-1 defeat to Netherlands in the bronze medal match in Mendoza, Argentina this morning.

The defeat means New Zealand failed to match their best performance at a Champions Trophy tournament - a third placing in the 2011 event.

The Black Sticks enjoyed early possession before the Olympic gold medallists scored two goals in quick succession.

Xan de Waard opened the scoring in the 11th minute with a quick deflection by New Zealand goalkeeper Sally Rutherdord. Lidewij Welten then doubled the lead five minutes later, finishing off a slick team goal to put the Dutch in control of the third-fourth playoff.

Sophie Cocks hit back for New Zealand in the 29th minute making it 2-1 at halftime but the Black Sticks couldn't find an equaliser.

Australia and Argentina play in the gold medal match later this morning.

"For this group of young players, people will probably think we have exceeded expectations, but the disappointing thing is we had our chances and could have got through to the finals, but it didn't happen. I think as a team, we are tired of getting so close but not winning those big games," said New Zealand coach Mark Hager.

"In today's game, we started off okay, but they dominated for most of the game. Again, we let them turnover the ball at crucial times and from that they scored goals. I think they deserved to beat us, they had more circle penetrations, we need to be able to hold the ball better going forward," said Hager.

Hager noted that Brooke Neal, Stacey Michelsen, Anita Punt and Sam Charlton were all consistent performers throughout the tournament.

The New Zealand Herald



England secure fifth in dramatic shoot out


Maddie Hinch saves against China CT 2014 450

England held their nerve to run out 3-2 winners in a dramatic shootout seeing off China and clinching 5th place at the Champions Trophy. The sides had played out a 1-1 draw over the 60 minutes with Shona McCallin’s first international goal cancelled out by Qiuxia Cui’s 42nd minute equaliser. With the game tied at full time, it meant England would face a shootout and with goalkeeper Maddie Hinch saving three times, Laura Unsworth was able to slot home in sudden death to hand Danny Kerry’s side the win.

In a cagey opening quarter, both sides looked comfortable in possession, but it was England who looked the more threatening in attack. They created the first goal scoring chance of the game when East Grinstead’s Sophie Bray burst into the circle, only to see her strike at goal saved by the right foot of Dongxiao Li. In the 14th minute, Danny Kerry’s side deservedly took the lead through a fantastic team goal. Bray, driving down the right side of the pitch squared the ball to Susannah Townsend in the circle. Her powerful cross fell to Shona McCallin whose touch expertly deflected the ball into the roof of the net, scoring her first goal in an England shirt.

England started brightly in the second quarter, linking up nicely in the midfield and winning two penalty corners in quick succession, however, neither attempt threatened Li’s goal. China then went on to create their best chance of the match so far, nearly bagging the equaliser just before the half time whistle. Mengrong Wu’s crash ball into the circle was deflected by Yan Yan, who saw her effort loop up over a jumping Maddie Hinch, only to bounce off the top of the crossbar.

China continued to put pressure on the England defence after the break and were rewarded in the 42nd minute when captain Quixia Cui scored the equaliser. England were down to 10 players after Townsend had received a green card and China were able to capitalise on the player advantage. Yan Yan initially was unable to get her shot away but Cui pounced on the loose ball and slipped her shot under the onrushing Hinch.

With the score finely poised at 1 – 1 heading into the final quarter, both sides had chances to grab the winner. Firstly, China won a penalty corner but the initial slap from the top of the circle was saved by Hinch and subsequently cleared by the England defence. In the final two minutes Townsend fired a bouncing ball into the circle for Lily Owsley, who dived to make a connection, only to see the deflection flash just wide of the post. Consequently, with the final score set at 1 – 1, it was left for a shootout to decide the fifth and sixth placing at the 2014 Champions Trophy.

Shootout:
With England up first, it was China who gained the early advantage when Georgie Twigg’s effort was saved by Li. However, Hinch was on fine form, saving from Yang Peng and Meiyu Liang with Laura Unsworth scoring her attempt in between. Li kept China in the tie when she saved from Susie Gilbert and they were soon back on level terms when captain Cui converted. Bray was forced to re-take despite initially scoring, due to an umpire’s whistle and Li pulled out another fantastic save. Jiaqi Li missed her chance to give China the lead and 21-year-old Joie Leigh kept her cool to convert England’s fifth. Nothing could separate the two sides though as Qian Yu deftly lobbed Hinch, forcing the shootout in to sudden death.

With China now going first in the sudden death, Hinch put her body on the line, saving superbly from Peng to give England the advantage. Holcombe’s Unsworth stepped up to seal victory and fifth place for England, firing a trademark slap from the top of the circle low into the bottom right hand corner.

England 1 (1)
Shona McCallin 14 (FG)

China 1 (0)
Qiuxia Cui 42 (FG)

Shootout

Georgie Twigg, O
Yang Peng, O

Laura Unsworth, X
Meiyu Liang, O

Susie Gilbert, O
Quixia Cui, X

Sophie Bray, O
Jiaqui Li, O

Joie Leigh, X
Qian Yu, X

Sudden Death

Laura Unsworth, X
Yang Peng, O

X Goal O Not scored.EH

England Hockey Board Media release



Boon fires Red Lions to incredible comeback draw against Australia

England run up magic eight against Pakistan while Netherlands go top of Pool B


Simon Gougnard and John-John Dohmen celebrate Belgium's draw (Photo: FIH / Koen Suyk)

Australia and Belgium got day two of the Hero Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar off to a rip-roaring start with a stunning 4-4 (3-2) draw in Pool A with Tom Boon scoring with the very last play. England moved top of the group with a comprehensive defeat of Pakistan to make it two wins from two. In Pool B, the Netherlands were in flying form, defeating Germany 4-1 to guarantee they top the group going into Tuesday's final round of preliminary games.

Pool A: BEL v AUS 4-4 (2-3)

After a feisty, physical first quarter ended scoreless, the second period was outstanding, consisting of five goals in quick succession. The Kookaburras started the run with three goals in five minutes, Chris Ciriello dragging home low for 1-0 before Eddie Ockenden stole the ball in the Belgian circle, shimmied left and slid home on his backhand.

Jake Whetton nabbed the third from close range after  goalkeeper Jeremy Gucasoff could only half-stop Matt Gohdes cross-shot. But Belgium fought back quickly with Sebastien Dockier going alone to fire past Andrew Charter. Simon Gougnard then picked out Florent van Aubel to tap in his side’s second goal on the stroke of half-time. It left them trailing 3-2 but right back in the contest

Flynn Ogilvie, with his first international goal, extended the margin for Australia when he finished off a great move down the left flank but, within two minutes, John-John Dohmen tipped in from the second phase of a corner.

That made it 4-3 to the Kookaburras going into the final quarter but it looked like the game was getting away from Belgium until a series of last minute penalty corners. From the final one, awarded with three seconds to go, Tom Boon recovered a miscued drag-flick to smash home a dramatic equaliser. The result leaves Belgium on four points after two games while Australia have just one.

ENG v PAK 8-2 (5-0)

England produced a block-busting first half performance to lay the base for their second win in Pool A of the Hero Hockey Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar, beating Pakistan 8-2. Mark Gleghorne’s close range touch to Alastair Brogdon’s cross got them started before Nick Catlin’s powerful hit made it 2-0. David Condon applied a delightful touch to Tim Whiteman’s cross for the third goal and Barry Middleton and Ashley Jackson also scored before the big break for a 5-0 lead.

The third quarter was more circumspect but Sam Ward bagged his third goal of the weekend with a lovely finish to Adam Dixon’s excellent approach work for number six on 45 minutes. Brogdon added the seventh with a diving first time sweep before Muhammad Arslan Qadir got a consolation goal with three minutes left with a close range finish. Chris Griffiths compounded the result with number eight before Muhammad Irfan netted on the final hooter.

It proved England’s biggest ever win over Pakistan in Champions Trophy history, the previous best a 2-0 win in 1999.

POOL B: GER v NED 1-4 (0-3)

In Pool B, The Netherlands produced a performance of speed and precision to outdo Germany’s fresh-faced side 4-1 to take the lead in Pool B going into their final group game in Bhubaneswar. The Dutch were in cruise in control by half-time, building a 3-0 lead. Constantijn Jonker got the first with a reverse stick finish from the top of the circle after Robbert Kemperman’s exquisite through-ball on 11 minutes.

Germany had their chances in the second quarter, notably from Jonas Gomoll’s trickery while Mats Grambusch drew the best from the Dutch goalkeeper Jaap Stockmann. Moritz Furste saved a corner flick on the line but the Oranje were 2-0 ahead when Diede van Puffelen scored his second goal in two games from close range from a left wing attack.

Rogier Hofman’s thunderous shot made it 3-0 at half-time and that is how it remained through the third period as Stockmann made another great stop to keep his clean sheet in tact. And it was 4-0 with nine minutes left when Jeroen Herzberger simply finished off a pacy attack, touching in Seve van Ass’s backhand cross. Florian Fuchs pulled one back in impudent fashion with five minutes left but it proved mere consolation. It secured a second successive win for the Dutch who lead Pool B overnight with six points.

ARG v IND 4-2 (1-1)

Host nation India and World Cup Bronze medallists Argentina set up an entertaining and emotional encounter with both teams scoring twice within the same minute. However, Argentina got the better end of this pool B match at the Hero Hockey Champions Trophy taking away the three points thanks to late strikes from Agustin Mazzilli and Joaquin Menini.

Pushed forward by the enthusiastic crowd of 7,000 spectators in the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar India created a row of chances in the first quarter. They came up dangerously in the Argentine circle in the early stages but their opening goal was disallowed as the ball hadn’t travelled the required distance before it was brought into the circle.

Towards the end of the first quarter Argentine goalie Manuel Vivaldi saved a terrific deflection from Indian star Sardar Singh. The second quarter saw a Lalit Upadhyay attempt hitting the post.

The home team eventually scored with less than a minute remaining when Akashdeep Singh got the final touch to a long pass coming from midfield. However, Argentina struck back right away with Lucas Vila equalising from open play.

The third quarter started as entertaining as the second quarter has stopped. Again, it was India getting first on the scoreboard. Gurjinder Singh converted a penalty corner to put the home team ahead but Juan Lopez levelled the score to 2-2 still in the same minute.

Mazilli’s late strike put India under pressure to equalise but they couldn’t find any reply. Instead, Menini added another one for “Los Leones” to seal the 4-2 victory. While India suffered their second defeat in this tournament, Argentina’s first win brought them up on the second place in the pool.

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Kookas draw with Belgium

Kookaburras draw 4-4 with Belgium in second match at Champs Trophy


Flynn Ogilvie celebrates his goal

The Kookaburras and Belgium played out an eight goal thriller at the Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar on Sunday with the Australian men denied victory with the final touch of the match at an overtime Belgian penalty corner.

A stunning three goals in five second-quarter minutes from Chris Ciriello, Eddie Ockenden and Jake Whetton saw the Kookaburras race into a 3-0 lead only to find themselves pegged back to 3-2 at half time through goals from Sebastien Dockier and Florent van Aubel.

Flynn Ogilvie’s first international goal restored the two goal deficit but the advantage lasted just one minute before John-John Dohmen made it 4-3. With one second remaining on the clock, Belgium referred an off the ball incident to the video umpire, winning the penalty corner that ultimately allowed them to score a late equaliser. 

Coming off the back of Saturday night’s 3-1 loss to England, Kookaburras Head Coach Graham Reid said, “I’m reasonably happy with tonight. We have asked a lot from the team in the past few days and we are now starting to see key areas falling into place. The final two minutes were disappointing, however, on a positive note we had good outcomes on things we have been working on.

“Controlling the game and moving the ball around more were areas which we improved on tonight, alongside simple concepts of hockey which we perhaps didn’t achieve in our first match. The result tonight was certainly not a lack of effort, that’s for sure.”

The Kookaburras, working together like a well-oiled machine, were first off the blocks holding strong defensive structures and creating themselves attacking opportunities from the starting whistle.
 
They were awarded their first penalty corner after rough contact in Australia’s attacking circle at the 16 minute mark and Chris Ciriello pushed the Kookaburras in front with a 1-0 lead after sending the ball into the back of the net with a powerful drag flick.
 
Two field goals quickly followed from captain Eddie Ockenden and Jake Whetton two minutes apart in the 19th and 21st minutes, rewarding the Kookaburras with a 3-0 lead.

Refusing to lie down, Belgium’s Sebastien Dockier kicked into gear taking on Australian goalkeeper Andrew Charter to find the back of the net at the 25 minute mark, quickly followed by another Belgium field goal, five minutes later by Florent van Aubel.

A recent Kookaburras debutant, Flynn Ogilvie - with six caps under his belt - found himself under the spotlight in the 37th minute. Overcoming Belgium’s defenders, Ogilvie kept his cool and slotted home the Kookaburras’ fourth goal of the match.

A quick turnaround, saw Belgium break through with their third goal at the 38 minute mark from John-John Dohmen. Holding off their opponents for the remainder of the third quarter, the Kookaburras defence remained strong, rejecting potential threats from Belgium’s attackers.

The match was heating up and tensions were running high after players from both teams were coming and going from the sin bin for rough conduct.

Just one second before the final siren, Belgium were controversially awarded a penalty corner after a video referral was called for shirt holding in the circle. Tom Boom sent the ball into the back of the goal, giving Belgium the equaliser with the Kookaburras reduced to defending the corner with just four players after Jeremy Hayward broke the line and was sent to half way.
 
The Kookaburras adopted the four quarter format well tonight, keeping the match fast paced throughout the 60 minutes of the match. Reid shared his thoughts on how the Kookaburras have shaped their game plan around this newly adapted format.

“They have had some experience with the Australian Hockey League and recent Test series. It is a little bit different, however, we have a couple of strategies in place to help them adapt to this new format and they are starting to get used to it now. ”
 
The Kookaburras will take their first break of the tournament, preparing for their third and final pool match against Pakistan on Tuesday night in Australia before the quarter finals on Thursday. Tuesday night’s match will be live on ABC 2 in AEDT states at 11:00pm AEDT and on delay at 11:00pm across all other Australian states and territories. The match will also be live streamed by the International Hockey Federation via YouTube from 11:00pm AEDT / 8:00pm AWST.

KOOKABURRAS: 4 (3)
Chris Ciriello 16 (PC)
Eddie Ockenden 19 (FG)
Jake Whetton 21 (FG)
Flynn Ogilvie 37 (FG) 

BELGIUM: 4 (2)
Sebastien Dockier 25 (FG)
Florent Aubel Van 30 (FG)
John-John Dohmen 38 (FG)
Tom Boon 60 (PC)
 
Kookaburras Squad
Athlete (Hometown, State) caps/goals
Started
Daniel Beale (Brisbane, QLD) 40/7
Chris Ciriello (Melbourne, VIC) 151/97
Matthew Dawson (Central Coast, NSW) 6/0
Tim Deavin (Launceston, TAS) 96/4
Russell Ford (Melbourne, VIC) 154/72
Fergus Kavanagh (Geraldton, WA) 193/14
Tyler Lovell (GK) (Perth, WA) 32/0
Flynn Ogilvie (Wollongong, NSW) 6/1
Simon Orchard (Maitland, NSW) 159/49
Glenn Simpson (Melbourne, VIC) 114/21
Jake Whetton (Brisbane, QLD) 74/31

Used Substitute
Nick Budgeon (Hobart, TAS) 23/11
Tom Craig (Lane Cove, NSW) 5/1
Andrew Charter (GK ) (Canberra, ACT) 80/0
Matt Gohdes (Rockhampton, QLD) 106/31
Jeremy Hayward (Darwin, NT) 23/7
Eddie Ockenden (capt) (Hobart, TAS) 227/57
Tristan White (Wollongong, NSW) 40/3
     
Kookaburras’ Upcoming Fixtures
Tuesday 9 December – Kookaburras v Pakistan – ABC 2, 11:00pm AEDT (live AEDT states, as live 11:00pm AEST & AWST) 
Thursday 11 December – quarter final – arrangements to be confirmed
Saturday 13 December – semi final/playoff - arrangements to be confirmed
Sunday 14 December – medal match/playoff - arrangements to be confirmed

Hockey Australia media release



India suffers second consecutive loss

England thumps Pakistan

Y. B. Sarangi


NO AMUSEMENT THIS! The Netherland’s Constantijin Janker (airborne) collided with German Goalkeeper Nicolas Jacobi during the course of their league match on Sunday. Photo: Sandeep Saxena

India’s tale of woes continued as it twice conceded the lead to go down 4-2 to Argentina in a Pool B match to suffer its second consecutive loss in the Champions Trophy hockey tournament here on Sunday.

The home team, which showed signs of improvement, could not sustain the momentum and was at the bottom of its pool with just one match to go against the Netherlands on Tuesday.

The host seemed to have learnt its lessons from the defeat against Germany and tried to control the ball to gain some rhythm. Sardar Singh marshalled the midfield with command as the home side pushed hard, predominantly from the right flank.

However, India struggled with its finishing and could not benefit from its frequent forays into the Argentine circle. Once Sardar took the ball inside and passed it on to Dharamvir Singh, who relayed it to S.V. Sunil only to see the chance go waste.

Unlucky

On another occasion, India was unlucky when Kothajit Singh precisely passed it to Lalit Upadhyay but the latter’s shot hit the crossbar in the second quarter.

After eight circle penetrations in the first two quarters, Gurjinder Singh’s diagonal through-ball bisected the Argentine field and Akashdeep Singh deflected in from the goalmouth to put India ahead in the 30th minute.

Nevertheless, the host’s joy was short-lived as the Pan American champion levelled the scores within seconds through Lucas Vila’s field goal.

In the eventful third quarter, India regained the lead following a few minutes of tussle. The young Gurjinder was again in focus as he converted India’s first penalty corner in style, his high flick hitting the back of the Argentine net.

Video referral

Almost immediately, Gonzalo Peillat’s bullish shot from long range was tapped in by Juan Lopez to make it 2-2. India would have regained the lead had Gurjinder’s high slap-shot from a short corner not been disallowed following a video referral in the 42nd minute.

The experienced Argentine strike force, including Vila, Facundo Callioni and Augustin Mazzilli, systematically built pressure to counter attack and the Indian defence started to crumble in the final period.

P.R. Sreejesh showed presence of mind to thwart Vila’s attempt, but comeback man Mazzilli deflected a Jaquin Menini cross in to put his team ahead. Menini slotted home in the dying minutes to seal Argentina’s first win.

Belgium benefited from Tom Boon’s dramatic last second goal to draw with Australia 4-4.

England demolished Pakistan 8-2 to register its biggest win ever over the former champion in the event. The Netherlands also notched up its second win by thrashing Germany 4-1 in Pool B.

The results:

Pool A: Belgium 4 (Sebastien Dockier 25, Florent van Aubel 30, John-John Dohmen 38, Tom Boon 60) drew with Australia 4 (Chris Ciriello 16, Eddie Ockenden 19, Jacob Whetton 21, Flynn Ogilvie 37); England 8 (Mark Gleghorne 15, Nick Catlin 17, David Condon 19, Barry Middleton 24, Ashley Jackson 26, Samuel Ward 45, Alastair Brogdon 48, Chris Griffiths 59) bt Pakistan 2 (Muhammad Arslan Qadir 57, Muhammad Irfan 60).

Pool B: The Netherlands 4 (Constantijn Jonker 11, Diede van Puffelen 25, Rogier Hofman 29, Seve van Ass 51) bt Germany 1 (Florian Fuchs 56); Argentina 4 (Lucas Vila 30, Juan Lopez 37, Augustin Mazzilli 49, Joaquin Menini 59) bt India 2 (Akashdeep Singh 30, Gurjinder Singh 37).

The Hindu



‘We lost structure in last quarter’

High Performance Director Roelant Oltmans admitted that India could not sustain its momentum in the last quarter which resulted in the team’s 4-2 defeat to Argentina in a Pool B match of the Champions Trophy hockey tournament at the Kalinga Stadium here on Sunday.

“We played well for 45 minutes. In the last quarter, we went out for the third goal and lost structure in defence. Argentina thrives on counter-attacks and we should have shut the back door,” said the Dutch, doubling up as the chief coach for the host.

Oltmans said allowing Argentina to draw level twice also had its effect. “Twice they scored almost immediately and that was a huge setback.”

Captain Sardar Singh said India could not handle Argentina’s counter-attacks well.

“We could not control the game towards the end and we were not consistent enough. The crowd was overenthusiastic and the players got carried away,” he said.

The Hindu



Second day, second loss for India

Indervir Grewal


Kothajit Khadangbam falls while trying to take the ball from Argentina’s Facundo Callioni on Sunday. AFP

Bhubaneswar - India failed to take advantage of a long period of domination in the first half that saw them attack continuously. And then, towards the end, they just wilted to lose their second match on the trot, 4-2 to Argentina this time.

In the first half, India played with high intensity and managed to get behind the Argentine defence regularly. But as India failed to score even as they dominated the game, a feeling crept in that Argentina might score against the run of play. India pushed hard and left openings in their own half, but after a couple of Argentine attacks, they shifted back to half press.
 
Just when it seemed India would not find a goal today, Gurjinder Singh slapped in a diagonal cross that found the stick of Akashdeep Singh at far post. In the beginning, the cross seemed absurd as Akashdeep was right next to the left post with, with at least four to five defenders in the way. Amazingly, the cross found the grounded stick of Akashdeep. 
 
The crowd burst into a roar. But before the decibel levels could return to normal, Argentina hit back. It seemed like a déjà vu moment. Another diagonal cross, this time from the left was deflected in by Luca Vila.
 
In the second half, India pressed again. Found a goal again – this time through a penalty corner conversion by Gurjinder. Conceded a goal in the same minute again – a hit into the circle was deflected into the air and Juan Lopez scored with an overhead smash. After the equaliser, Argentina grew in confidence, while India just disintegrated. Their attacks dried up and defence lost structure. Agustin Mazzilli deflected in a cross that both VR Raghunath and Sreejesh just watched go past them. In the end, the goal looked part of a training session. Joaquin Menini scored in the 59th minute. By the end, the Indian players were left shaking their heads in front of a half empty stadium as most of the spectators had already left.
 
Australia, Belgium play out a thrilling draw

Australia improved their performance considerably but were robbed of a win in the last second, in fact the final hooter had already sounded. The defending champions were 4-3 up in the final seconds when Belgium were awarded a penalty corner after a video referral. The stop wasn’t clean, which led to wobbly drag, but Tom Boon recovered the ball from a scramble and smashed in the equaliser.
 
After an ordinary start, the game reached full throttle in the second quarter, which saw five goals and many tense exchanges between the players. There was a lot of pushing and nudging and two players were even yellow-carded.

Chris Ciriello (16th), Eddie Ockenden (19th), Jake Whetton (21st) and Flynn Ogilvie (37th) scored for Australia. For Belgium, the other scorers were Sebastien Dockier (25th), Florent van Aubel (30th) and John-John Dohmen (38th).
 
Dutch thrash Germans

Netherlands outclassed arch-rivals Germany 4-1 to reinforce their position as the favourites to win their ninth title. Constantijn Jonker scored the first in the 11th minute. Diede van Puffelen scored their second, before Rogier Hofman’s thunderous strike took the game away from the reigning Olympic champs. Jeroen Herzberger scored the fourth before, Florian Fuchs pulled one back for Germany.

The Tribune



Mazilli, Menini's magic massacres India

s2h team

Argentina punished India ruthlessly for the lapses in their defence beating the host nation 4-2, in their second encounter in Pool B, on Sunday, at the ongoing Hero Hockey Champions Trophy '14, at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneshwar.

India now languishes last in Pool B with no points and will now play the World Champions Netherlands on Tuesday.

For India the goals came from Akashdeep (30th minute) and Gurjinder Singh (37th min). Lucas Vila(30th), Juan Lopez (37th), Agustin Mazzili (49th) and Joaquin Menini (59th) scored for the World Cup Bronze medallist.

The match commenced at a frantic pace, with the Indians going into the attack from the word 'Go'. Their forwards kept lurking in the Argentine circle waiting for an injection from the midfield. The link-men, led by Sardara and Kothajit, didn't disappoint as they kept sending down fliers and well-directed sweeps into the Argentine circle.

Dharamvir, Akashdeep, Ramandeep and Danish, got at least one chance each to slot the ball into the Argentine nets. Even the high-voltage atmosphere couldn't inspire the forwards to score the elusive goal.

In the last minute of the second quarter, a long cross from Gurjinder caught the Argentine defence napping, and the young Akashdeep, standing next to the Argentine post, comfortably deflected to get India their first goal in the Champions Trophy and India went up 1-0.

However, before the ecstatic crowd could settle down, the Champions Challenge-I winners gave India a taste of their own medicine - long pass followed by a deflection at the goalmouth. Lucas Vila, positioned at the goalmouth and marked by Gurjinder, slotted a long pass from the left and drew parity at 1-1 to take their team into the half time with a sigh of relief. Later on, he was adjudged the man of the match.

After the change of ends, in the 36th minute, India earned a penalty corner when Gonzalo Peillat carried the ball. The young drag-flicker Gurjinder, came up with a deceptive flick directed to the corner of goalpost. A clueless Vivadli dived high on to his right but was late by a fraction of second. India led 2-1.

Unfortunately, yet again, the jubilation for the Indian fans lasted for not than a minute. In a goal scramble that followed moments later, a sweep from close range by Gonzalo Peillat was deflected by Juan Lopez, inches away from the Indian post. The score board read scores levelled at 2-2.

Thereafter, while the Latin Americans looked threatening, the 9th-ranked Indians looked sloppy in their defence. The Pan American champions were rewarded for their efforts in the 49th minute.

A lovely cross flick from Joaquin Menini found a lousily marked Agustin Mazzilli around the Indian goalpost. He trapped the ball and gently nudged it in to the Indian post taking Argentina up 3-2 ; a resentful Sreejesh screamed in agony on his team mate for not marking Mazzilli correctly.

The final dampener came from Joaquin Menini when he tore apart the Indian defence in the 58th minute. Sliding down, on a quick pass off Mazzilli from the baseline, he slotted one straight between the feet of a hapless Sreejesh.

Monday is a rest day at the Hero Hockey Champions Trophy '14.

Stick2Hockey.com



Poor defense cost us the match says Sreejesh

Tazeen Qureshy

Another day and yet another defeat for India. And this time, both the mistakes and the margin was more. After losing to Germany 1-0 in the opener, India fell prey to tireless Argentina who completely outdid the Indian defense to walk away with a 4-2 win.

Even after taking lead, Indian defense could hardly do anything as Argentina overpowered them with their strong counter-attacks.

In a match that India should have won as coach Roelant Oltmans had said during the break in the half-time, disappointment clearly reflected on the face of the players as they walked towards each end of the stadium acknowledging the crowd for their support.

P.R. Sreejesh, whose good goalkeeping skills has been the only positive with the team so far, looked most disappointed and kept discussing the mistakes with his team mates as he walked towards the media persons waiting to shoot an answer for the dismal show.

“Pretty bad,” is all the goalkeeper could say the moment the media surrounded him. “We showed a good match but the mistakes we did in the defense probably changed the score line,” he said irritably.

“The plus-point of the Argentina team is that they come up with a good counter attack and we were completely beaten there.”

Stick2Hockey.com



India slump against Argentina

Arnab Lall Seal

BHUBANESWAR: While the world knows Argentina is one of the best footballing nations in the world, they showed on Sunday that they are not to be taken for granted in hockey too. India's traditional bete noire handed the hosts their second straight loss in the Champions Trophy on Sunday.

Argentina won 4-2.

Having lost their first match against Germany, Sardar Singh & Co were hoping to win this match against the team ranked seventh in the world. But goals from Gurjinder Singh and Akashdeep Singh were not enough as Argentina scored one each in the first and the second quarter and another two in the last quarter.

India will next take the Netherlands, who have won both their matches till now.

After a goalless first quarter, where both the teams enjoyed equal share of possession, India scored their first goal in this edition of the Champions Trophy at the dying minutes of the second quarter.

It was a beautiful through pass by Gurjinder from the midfield and Akashdeep, who was waiting near the goalmouth, made no mistake in putting it past the Argentina goalkeeper. However, India's joy was short lived as Lucas Vila equalized for Argentina the very next minute.

But the Indian forwardline was in no mood to sit back and they won themselves a penalty corner early in the third quarter. Gurjinder, who missed a penalty corner against Germany, made no mistake this time around and slammed it into the net. But India failed to hold onto the lead once again as Juan Lopez equalized for Argentina the very next minute.

In the third quarter, it seemed as if Gurjinder had scored his second of the match but it was disallowed once the Argentines referred it to the video umpire. After this, the momentum shifted again and the South American side started pressing the Indian defence that slowly started to fall apart.

The Times of India



India slump to second straight defeat, lose 2-4 to Argentina

India squandered their hard-earned lead on two occasions as they slumped to their second successive defeat losing 2-4 to World Cup bronze medallists Argentina in the Hero Champions Trophy, in Bhubaneshwar on Sunday.

India's perennial problem, their fragile backline came to hurt them again as their lead didn't even last a minute on both the occasions in the second Pool B match of the day, played in-front of 7000 strong capacity crowd at the Kalinga Stadium. For India, Akashdeep Singh (30th) and Gurjinder Singh (30th) scored the goals, while Lucas Villa (30th), Juan Lopez (37th), Gustin Mazzilli (49th) and Joaquin Menini found the net for the winners.

While Indian forwards created chances on Sunday, the defence were chasing shadows on a number occasions when the Argentines counter-attacked.

Sunday's loss was India's second on the trot in the tournament after the close 0-1 defeat against Olympic champions Germany on Saturday. India will face the Netherlands in their last pool match on Tuesday, which will decide their quarterfinal opponent, while Argentina will be up against Germany. It was end-to-end hockey in the first quarter but goals eluded both the teams.

India had the first clear chance in the 8th minute but wasted it. It was a great opening down the right from a counter-attack but Nikkim Thimmaiah over ran Lalit Upadhay's defence splitting diagonal ball. Minutes later Indian goalie PR Sreejesh came to the picture, when he easily gloved away Juan Lopez's shot.

Argentina got their first penalty corner in the 16th minute but it went in vain as they failed to stop the push. Indian players looked a little out of sorts in the first quarter and were found wanting in front of the opposition striking circle.

DNA



Superb England put eight past Pakistan


Brogdon and Griffiths celebrate scoring against Pak at the CT2014. Credit: a2zfotos.

After seeing off Australia yesterday England were in scintillating form again tonight in India as they tore through Pakistan, scoring eight times. The damage was done across 11 minutes of play as Mark Gleghorne, Nick Catlin, David Condon, Barry Middleton and Ashley Jackson converted chances to take their team into the break five goals up. Head Coach Bobby Crutchley’s side showed no signs of letting their foot off the gas in the second half as Sam Ward, Alastair Brogdon and Chris Griffiths added their names to the score sheet to take the goal tally to eight. Pakistan did pull two goals back in the closing stages, but the game was already over and the result leaves England top of Pool A, two points clear of Belgium who had drawn 4-4 with Australia in the first match of the day.

England immediately asserted their authority over their opponents in the opening quarter with Barry Middleton’s aerial cross almost setting up Reading’s Tom Carson in the opening moments. Despite dominating the play it took England until the end of the first quarter to break the deadlock. Holcombe’s Nick Catlin played in Alastair Brogdon on the left of the circle and his cross was turned in by Mark Gleghorne. The goal was initially ruled out as the umpire thought it had struck the No14’s body but on video referral the goal was given.

England struck again early in the second quarter, this time Catlin was given space to break into the circle, firing his shot through the legs of goalkeeper Imran Butt to make it 2-0. Two minutes later it was 3-0, as Pakistan struggled to cope with the pace and movement of Bobby Crutchley’s side. Beeston’s Tim Whiteman played a pass into the unmarked David Condon who supplied the finish for 3-0. Middleton’s cross-shot found its way in via the goalkeeper’s pads to make it 4-0. With four minutes to go until the break England won a penalty corner which Ashley Jackson converted with a minimum of fuss to make it 5-0. Gleghorne was kept out by a good save from Butt from another corner and it remained 5-0 at the break.

Pakistan started strongly in the third quarter but were kept at bay by some excellent defending from Iain Lewers who did well to block their forays into the England circle. With 30 seconds left in the quarter England made it 6-0. Adam Dixon took a sideline ball and drove all the way along the baseline one handed, cutting the ball back for a diving Sam Ward to score his third goal in two games for England.

Ali Shan went close at the start of the final quarter but his effort was smothered by Paddy Smith in goal. England broke immediately, Chris Griffiths crossed for Alastair Brogdon to slap in the seventh. Smith was called upon to keep out another Pakistan attack but with 57 minutes gone there was nothing he could do to keep out Muhammed Artslan Qadir’s deflection, making it 7-1. England made it eight just two minutes later. Griffiths drove across the circle and slotted a lovely reverse stick finish in for his first goal for England and although Pakistan scored their second on the stroke of full time through Muhammed Irfan it was England’s day.

Quotes – England Head Coach Bobby Crutchley

On the performance: “We’re really pleased with the result and I thought we controlled the game, which is what we wanted to try and do. When our goals came it took the game away from them [Pakistan] and we were able to dominate possession and play the way we wanted.”

On facing Belgium: “Tuesday will be a completely different challenge against Belgium; they play a very different style of hockey to Pakistan. We have played each other fairly regularly over the last couple of years so we know each other well and what each side is capable of and we know how strong they are. For us, it’s about continuing to build our performances across the week so we are in our best form for the knock out stages and the business end of the tournament.”

On the new comers [Chris Griffiths, Sam Ward]: “This is a really good opportunity for the new players to experience top level tournament hockey and it’s great that the team has been performing well so far.”

Quotes – England Midfielder and Man of the Match Nick Catlin

On the performance: “It was an excellent team performance today. It can often look easy when the score is like that but we worked incredibly hard, we moved the ball well and it was a good display. We didn’t want to take our foot off the gas in the second half. We wanted to play the same way and put them to the sword.”

About his role in the team: “We’re playing some good hockey at the moment which allows me to play how I play. It’s all about the team, not individuals, though.”

About facing Belgium: “We look to win every match we play and Belgium will be no different. We’re looking forward to the challenge. It’s the top eight teams in the world so every team has the quality on their day to win. We’ve started well but we have to keep going.”

With a rest day tomorrow England will be back in action on Tuesday as they take on European rivals Belgium at 8:30am [UK time].

England 8 (5)
Mark Gleghorne (15) (FG)
Nick Catlin 17 (FG)
David Condon 19 (FG)
Barry Middleton 24 (FG)
Ashley Jackson 26 (PC)
Sam Ward 45 (FG)
Alastair Brogdon 48 (FG)
Chris Griffiths 59 (FG)

Pakistan 2 (0)
Muhammad Arslan Qadir 57 (FG)
Muhammad Irfan 60 (PC)

England Hockey Board Media release



England rout Pakistan 8-2 as Ashley Jackson breaks record

Ashley Jackson breaks Calum Giles' international goals record with 111th strike as rampant England oust Pakistan 8-2 in Bhubaneswar

By Rod Gilmour


Free-scoring: England smashed eight past a hapless Pakistan Photo: WORLD SPORT PICS

When there are goals, records follow. England scored five in 11 minutes during a mesmerising first-half spell while Ashley Jackson broke Calum Giles' international goals record as Pakistan were put to the sword at the Champions Trophy in India.

Eight England players found the net during an impressive display as Bobby Crutchley's side followed on from beating Australia by crushing Pakistan 8-2.

Jackson was already level with Giles' previous record of 110 goals - garnered in a five-year spell in England and Great Britain colours between 1995 and 2000 - but the East Grinstead midfielder's late penalty corner meant he overtook England's previous short corner specialist. Jackson is now likely to forge a substantial goalscoring feat considering he is still only 27.

"It was an excellent team performance," said Nick Catlin. "It can often look easy with a scoreline like that, but we worked incredibly hard and moved the ball around quickly.

"We didn't want to put our foot off the gas and we played some really good hockey."

Pakistan's bashing in Bhubaneswar wasn't evident in the opening stages. The flood defences opened with a minute left in the first quarter when Alastair Brogdon was fed a tight pass, the Wimbledon forward's reverse stick cross finding Gleghorne, who guided in expertly from the top of his grip.

Soon after the restart, England were again rewarded through reverse stick passing. This time, Barry Middleton fed Catlin who was allowed a mazy run into the circle before his fizzing shot went through the legs of the goalkeeper, Imran Butt.

Moments later, Butt was replaced and England scored a third. Tim Whiteman fed David Condon deep in the circle and he had plenty of time to lift over Amjad Ali.

England were rampant now. Middleton scored with a deflected goal and two minutes later Jackson struck his first of the tournament with a low drag flick from a penalty corner.

Pakistan needed to change the momentum but all they could offer was to revert to their starting goalkeeper, Butt, as Ali walked sheepishly back to the bench.

England then put six on the board when deft one-handed skill on the baseline from Adam Dixon saw Sam Ward, his Beeston team-mate, finish off with a volley on the dive.

England's seventh had similar tones. Another break into the D led to a soft pass from Chris Griffiths to the advancing Alastair Brogdon, who scored on the dive.

Pakistan pulled two late goals back, through Muhammad Qadir and Muhammad Irfan, but not before England finished with another when Griffiths slapped home his debut goal with a minute left.

England have previous when slamming home the goals. At the Commonwealth Games, six different players scored in a 6-1 win over Trinidad and Tobago.

Tuesday: Belgium 8:30am GMT

The Telegraph



Humiliated 8-2: England continue love-eight relation with Pakistan

By Nabil Tahir


England were 7-0 up when Pakistan scored their first goal. PHOTO: AFP

KARACHI: Pakistan fell to their second consecutive defeat of the Hero Hockey Champions Trophy, being humiliated 8-2 by fifth-ranked England at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, India on Sunday.

England had defeated world number one side Australia 3-1 on Saturday and were brimming with confidence, scoring five goals in 11 second-quarter minutes to effectively end the game as a contest.

Mark Gleghorne scored the first field goal in the 15th minute, followed by efforts from David Condon and Nick Catlin in the 16th and 19th minutes. Captain Barry Middleton scored the fourth goal in the 24th minute and Ashley Jackson scored from a penalty corner just two minutes later to make it 5-0.

After a goalless third quarter, the final-quarter started with a goal from Samuel Ward in the 45th minute, followed by Alastair Brogdon’s 48th minute strike. Pakistan tried to get some semblance of a respectable scoreline by scoring two goals in the final three minutes, which sandwiched Chris Griffith’s 59th minute strike to give England a memorable 8-2 win.

Pakistan captain Muhammad Imran blames the inexperience of the player for the margin of the defeat. “Young players have entered such a high profile tournament too early and we are expecting too much from them,” said Imran, while talking to The Express Tribune from India.

He further added that the team looked disjointed and the weaker players were not helped out by the stronger ones. “England took advantage of this and scored on every chance they got,” he said. “We ourselves created several opportunities to score in the game but we let ourselves down. We have learnt our lessons and will focus for the game against Australia.”

Meanwhile, head coach Shehnaz Sheikh also felt that the difference between the two sides was how well they took their chances. “We had a number of opportunities to score, but we failed to convert them,” he said. “We made some simple mistakes and we found ourselves 7-0 down and eventually lost 8-2. You just cannot do that against England.”

Sheikh also reserved praise for the victors. “England are a very tough team. They played very well but I appreciate my players, who put in a good performance.”

The Express Tribune



Pakistan suffer English humiliation in Bhubaneswar


BHUBANESWAR: England’s Chris Griffiths (4th L) dives to score against Pakistan during their Champions Trophy match at the Kalinga Stadium on Sunday.—AP

BHUBANESWAR: Ruthless England destroyed Pakistan 8-2, completing their biggest ever Champions Trophy win over the Green-shirts at the Kalinga Stadium on Sunday.

England came into the match off the back of a 3-1 win over the world’s number one side Australia on Saturday and they continued that form with a dominant performance to hand beleaguered Pakistan their second consecutive defeat at the eight-nation tournament.

Having lost 2-1 to Belgium in their pool ‘A’ opener on Saturday, Pakistan coach Shahnaz Sheikh said the better fitness and speed of European teams were the main causes of his team’s two back-to-back defeats.

“We Asians just can’t match the power of the Europeans,” the former international said. “This tournament will be a good learning experience for my boys.”

Former champions Pakistan, who did not qualify for the World Cup, failed to earn a direct entry to the 2016 Olympics after losing to India in the Asian Games final in October and Sunday’s thrashing was a painful reminder of how far they have fallen.

Mark Gleghorne got the ball rolling, getting a touch on Alastair Brogdon’s cross, before Nick Catlin doubled England’s lead with a powerful strike.

David Condon made it three as he connected with Tim Whiteman’s cross before captain Barry Middleton and Ashley Jackson made the game safe for England before the break.

Sam Ward scored his third goal of the weekend to make it six before Brogdon grabbed a second to inflate England’s lead to 7-0 by the 48th minute.

Mohammad Arslan Qadir got one back for Pakistan three minutes from the end before Chris Griffiths scored England’s eighth. Mohammad Irfan netted a penalty corner on the final hooter to score a consolation for hapless Pakistan.

“We’re obviously disappointed with the result as nothing went right for us,” Pakistan captain Mohammad Imran said. “We saw a lot of flaws in our game but hope to work on them in our next match against Australia.”

World champions Australia remained winless at the tournament after the Kookaburras gave up a three-goal lead to draw 4-4 with Belgium in the other pool ‘A’ match on Sunday.

Tom Boon slammed in a last-gasp penalty corner to help Belgium force a dramatic draw. Belgium made a sensational comeback from 3-0 down and were trailing 3-4 when they appealed for a referral and were awarded the penalty-corner as captain John-John Dohmen was pulled from behind by an Australian defender.

Five-time defending champions and 13-time overall winners Australia then suffered a setback as Jeremy Hayward rushed out too early and was barred from the crucial defence and Boon recovered a miscued drag-flick to smash in the equaliser.

Australia had powered into a 3-0 lead by the 21st minute with goals from penalty-corner specialist Chris Ciriello, captain Eddie Ockenden and Jacob Whetton.

But Belgium made it 3-2 by half-time through Sebastian Docker and Florent van Aubel.

Flynn Ogilvie widened the gap for Australia once again but Dohmen made it 4-3 in the 38th minute before the match hit a barren spell leading up to the referral that produced the equaliser.

In pool ‘B’ action on Sunday, the Netherlands produced a performance of speed and precision to outdo Germany 4-1 and grab a second successive win.

In the late match on Sunday, hosts India suffered their second straight defeat when they lost 4-2 to Argentina, who bounced back from an opening day defeat to the Dutch. India lost 1-0 to Germany on Saturday.

The preliminary group stage determines the line-up for the knock-out rounds that will be contested by all eight sides.

Dawn



England maul Pakistan; Belgium draw with Australia

The Netherlands produced a performance of speed and precision to outdo Germany 4—1 in Pool B of the Hockey Champions Trophy.


Belgium's Tom Boon scoring the equaliser in the last second against Australia to draw the match 4-4 in Champions Trophy hockey in Bhubaneswar on Sunday. Photo: Sandeep Saxena   

An impressive England demolished Pakistan 8-2 in their second Pool A match to register their best-ever win in the history of the FIH Champions Trophy at the Kalinga Stadium, in Bhubaneswar on Sunday.

England dished out a scintillating performance in the opening two quarters and pumped in as many as five goals to child play with the hapless Pakistanis.

Such was their dominance and control over the match that England scored seven field goals against just one through penalty corners.

The 8-2 victory is England’s best-ever in the elite eight-nation event, bettering their 5-1 win over Spain in 1987.

Today’s win is also England’s biggest ever victory over Pakistan in Champions Trophy history, the previous best being a 2-0 triumph in 1999.

England got off the blocks through Mark Gleghorne’s (15th minute) tough from close range before Nick Catlin made it 2-0 with a powerful hit two minutes later.

Exactly two minutes later, David Condon got a beautiful touch to Tim Whiteman’s cross to register England’s third goal before skipper Barry Middleton (24th) and Ashley Jackson (26th) also scored to give their side a commanding 5-0 lead at the lemon break.

After the change of ends, Sam Ward (45th), who made his debut in the last match, scored his third goal of the tournament with a lovely finish to Adam Dixon’s pass.

Alastair Brogdon (48th) then increased England’s lead to 7-0 with a diving effort before Muhammad Arslan Qadir (57th) got a consolation goal for Pakistan three minutes from full time.

There were more goals in store as Chris Griffiths (59th) scored England eighth goal of the match before Muhammad Irfan (60th) converted a penalty corner on the final hooter.

With two wins from as many games, England are atop Pool A, while Pakistan lost both the matches they played in the tournament so far.

England had stunned world champions Australia 3—1 in their opening game, while Pakistan lost 1—2 against Belgium.

Earlier, Australia’s disappointing show at the Hero Champions Trophy continued as Belgium made a remarkable comeback to eke out a 4-4 draw against the Kookaburras in a high-scoring Pool A match at the Kailnga Stadium, in Bhubaneswar on Sunday.

Hero Hockey India League’s highest ever paid player, Tom Boon, scored the all-important equaliser for the Red Lions from a penalty corner with just one-tenth of a second remaining in the match.

The first quarter witnessed a keen tussle between the two sides but ended goalless.

But it was the second quarter, which produced enthralling hockey with as many as five goals being scored in quick succession.

Chris Ciriello was the first to register his name on the scoresheet when he converted a penalty corner for Australia in the 16th minute.

Three minutes later, Australia skipper Eddie Ockenden made it 2-0. He stole the ball in the Belgian circle and netted it with a backhand strike.

Jake Whetton tripled Australia’s lead two minutes later by slotting in from close range after Belgian goalkeeper Jeremy Gucasoff half-stopped Matt Gohdes cross-shot.

But Belgium showed why they are regarded as one of the strongest hockey playing nations at present and pulled two goals back to narrow the margin before the halftime.

Sebastien Dockier scored the first Belgian goal from a field effort in the 25th minute before Simon Florent van Aubel tapped in his side’s second goal after picking out a Gougnard pass.

But after the change of ends, Flynn Ogilvie scored his first international goal to extend Australia’s lead by finishing off a fine move down the left flank.

Two minutes later, Belgium captain John-John Dohmen scored another field goal to keep his side in the hunt with a quarter of play still left.

In the last few minutes of the final quarter, Belgium pressed hard in search of the equaliser and in the process secured a few penalty corners, the last of which came with seconds remaining, courtesy a video referral.

And from the final setpiece, awarded with three seconds to go, Boon recovered a miscued drag-flick to smash home a dramatic equaliser.

The result leaves Belgium on four points after two games while Australia has just one.

Netherlands down Germany

The Netherlands produced a performance of speed and precision to outdo Germany 4—1 in Pool B of the Hockey Champions Trophy.

The Dutch were in cruise control by half—time, building a 3—0 lead. Constantijn Jonker got the first goal of the match with a reverse stick finish from the top of the circle after Robbert Kemperman’s exquisite through—ball on 11 minutes.

Germany had their chances in the second quarter, notably from Jonas Gomoll’s trickery while Mats Grambusch drew the best from the Dutch goalkeeper Jaap Stockmann.

Moritz Furste saved a corner flick on the line but the Oranje were 2—0 ahead when Diede van Puffelen scored his second goal in two games from close range from a left—wing attack.

Rogier Hofman’s thunderous shot made it 3—0 at half—time and that is how it remained through the third period as Stockmann made another great stop to keep his clean sheet in tact.

And it was 4—0 with nine minutes left when Jeroen Herzberger finished off a pacy attack, touching in Seve van Ass’s backhand cross.

Florian Fuchs pulled one back in impudent fashion with five minutes left but it proved a mere consolation. It secured a second successive win for the Dutch who lead Pool B with six points.

The Hindu



Belgium believes and delivers

Believe in yourself’ is too common a saying. But for the Belgium team who were trailing 3-0 to Australia at one point, it came as the savior which helped them draw a hard fought match eventually.

“Australia was playing much better than us. We were trailing 3-0 at one point, but it was the belief we had in ourselves and the team that turned the game in our favour. As a skipper, believing in the team is all that you can do when the results aren’t in your favour and it actually works out,’ said a smiling skipper John John Dohmen after drawing the match 4-4 against Aussies.

“We were not playing bad but a draw will only help us gain mental strength. I think we can still finish at the top of our pool.”

Fresh after a win against Pakistan, Belgium showed their class again when they snatched the victory from the World Champions Australia with just one second left for the final hooter.

Failing to convert all the three penalty corners that they earned in the final two minutes, their last ray of hope came as they successfully appealed for a penalty corner with one second left for the final hooter.

As Tom Boon played true to his credentials and flicked it straight without a trace of mistake, his team mates huddled over him while the Aussies looked at them with disappointment, The crowd which was on its toes all through the while suddenly burst into a round of applause and gave a standing ovation to the well-deserved Belgians.

“I wasn’t on the pitch when my team got the three penalty corners in the last minutes. But when the last second shoot came, there was a call from the bench and we knew we couldn’t miss that at any cost. It is absolutely great to finish it on that note,” Boon said after the match.

For the skipper Dohmen, it was also his day out as besides playing his part well on the field he contributed on the score line as well. In fact skipper of both the teams contributed a goal apiece for their team.

“Well, at a personal level you could say we skippers had a good day at the pitch as well,” Dohmen says with a laugh.

Stick2Hockey.com



Netherlands emerge on top in battle of European giants

BHUBANESWAR: World Cup silver medallists the Netherlands spanked Olympic champions Germany 4-1 in the much-anticipated clash of Pool B, to register their second successive win in the Hero Champions Trophy on Sunday.

In a clash between two European giants, the Netherlands dished out a commanding performance to race to 3-0 lead at halftime.

The world ranked second Dutch outfit was in complete control in the major part of the match and scored goals with precision against the crumbling defence of World No. 3 Germany.

Constantijn Jonker scored Netherlands first goal with a reverse stick shot from top of the circle in the 11th minute.

The Dutch pumped in two more field goals in the second quarter through Diede van Puffelen (25th) and Rogier Hofman (29th) to find themselves in a comfortable position at the break.

Van Puffelen scored his second goal of the tournament from close range from a left wing attack before Hofman tripled the Netherlands lead with a thunderous shot.

The Germans had their chances in the second quarter but could not breach the defence of Dutch goalie Jaap Stockmann.

Nine minutes from the final hooter, the Netherlands scored their fourth goal when Jeroen Herzberger beautifully finished a pacy attack with a neat touch to Seve van Ass' backhand cross.

The Germans scored a consolation goal through Florian Fuchs with five minutes left.

With two wins from as many games, the Netherlands lead Pool B with six points, while Germany have just two points from their 1-0 win over India last night.

The Netherlands will face hosts India in their last pool match on Tuesday, while Germany will take on Argentina.

Stick2Hockey.com



India 75

K. Arumugam

In a landmark, India played their 75th match in the Champions Trophy yesday.

When India took on Argentina yesday evening in Bhubaneswar, it was its platinum match in the annals of Champions Trophy.

India missed out the first Champions Trophy against the backdrop of not among the medals in Olympics and World Cup in the late 70s.

It took part for the first time in 1980 in the run up to the Moscow Olympics in which the legends like Ajit Pal Singh and Ashok Kumar made a grand comeback to the national side.

In the first phase of CT, India played truant with participation for the fear of losing out in the medals. Subsequently, qualification to CT had become an issue in sync with its dwindling of its fortune.

In the 90s, and later, India failed to qualify as its position was way behind qualifying mark of 6th position in the preceding Olympics and World Cup.

It had a big break of six years after 1996. It could re-enter only after Champions Challenge was put on place in 2001 which it won and then played the 2002 number. India's participation record

1980, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1995, 1996, 2002-2005, 2012.

Stick2Hockey.com



Barry Dancer in a new role

Indervir Grewal


Barry Dancer

Bhubaneswar - Seeing the coaches of different teams in the spectators’ area is not an uncommon sight in international hockey these days. Coaches usually study their prospective opponents; take notes to formulate strategies for their next match.

It’s the same here at the Champions Trophy. On the first day, Indian coach Roelant Oltmans was seen sitting in one corner during the first two matches before leaving to prepare for India’s match against Germany. He had his support staff – Jude Felix, Tushar Khandekar and Sandeep Sangwan – by his side.

While he was amiss today, his assistants were present. Similarly, the England coaching staff, led by chief coach Bobby Crutchley, was seen taking notes at the other end.

And how could we forget the Australians, who didn’t care about being conspicuous and sat at the media box, wearing their team kit.

Amongst these unknown faces, was a very familiar one. Barry Dancer, former Australia player and coach, sitting with Australian staff was a bit surprising. The 62-year-old was the coach of the Australian team that won silver at the 2002 World Cup. To the Indian (especially Punjab) hockey fans, he is known as the coach of the Hockey India League franchisee: Punjab Warriors.

So is Dancer, who has not coached any team except the Punjab Warriors since 2008, returning to serious coaching? “No. I have come here as one of the selectors,” says Dancer, who won silver in 1976 Olympic Games and bronze in 1978 World Cup as a player.

Dancer says that he joined only about a month ago. So how is the change in role? “I am enjoying it. It’s much more relaxed. I can sit and drink coffee, while watching a match,” he says, while pointing to his cup and a brownie placed next to his notes.

Over the two days, he has been to every match, even Australia’s, and has filled up sheets, marking down positions and movements of different players on the pitch. This is a new phase in Australian hockey. Does that make your job exciting? “Yes it is exciting and there is anticipation about the future.”

What is the scene back in Australia; what is the level of the upcoming players? “We have about 8 to10 players who were part of the camp so we are good in that department.”

Any plans for taking up the India job? “Not at all. But I am looking forward to returning for the HIL next year.”

The Tribune



Pic of the day


Bhuvaneswar: Meninni Jaoquin of Argentina scores a goal as Indian goal keeper Sreejesh and V. Ragunathan look on in the FIH Hero Champions Trophy Hockey at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on 07 December 2014. Photo: Vino John/a2zfotos

If any newspaper/media outlet or National Association would like photos from the Men's Champions Trophy, please contact Vino John of a2zfotographics who is an excellent freelance Hockey photo journalist and who will be at Bhubaneswar.

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www.a2zfotographics.com


Women's Indoor 4 Nations - Day 2 Results


Photo courtesy of Blair Shier.

Canada remained undefeated and atop the standings after Day 2 at the 2014 Women's Indoor Invitational in Mississauga.

Saturday saw four games on the schedule, with Canada playing Argentina and coming behind for a 2-1 victory to put them in a tie for first after the first two days of competition.

Canada A had a big team win 2-0 over USA before dropping a 4-2 contest against the undeafeating South Africans.

Canada and South Africa meet on Sunday in a battle for first in the round-robin. Regardless, the two-teams will finish 1st and 2nd in the round-robin and play in Sunday's final.

Day 2 Results

Argentina 3 - 6 South Africa
USA 0 - 2 Canada A
Argentina 1 - 2 Canada
Canada A 2 - 4 South Africa

For a full schedule, with results and statistics, click here.

Live stats, standings, etc. can be viewed here.

Field Hockey Canada media release



Aussies up for awards

FIH opens up World Player of the Year shortlist for public voting



Six Australians are in the frame for world hockey’s top awards after the International Hockey Federation (FIH) announced the shortlists for its Player of the Year Awards.

Kookaburras captain Mark Knowles and teammate Eddie Ockenden are nominated on the five man shortlist for International Male Player of the Year while Andrew Charter is in the running for International Male Goalkeeper of the Year and Jeremy Hayward the International Male Rising Star.

Hockeyroos defender Anna Flanagan is on the shortlist for International Female Rising Star of the Year while Hockeyroos goalkeeper Rachael Lynch is in the running for International Female Goalkeeper.

The FIH Player of the Year Awards are open to public voting for the first time ever with the five-person shortlists in each category having been determined by a panel of hockey experts. The voting is being conducted through Facebook at Facebook.com/fihockey.

Knowles, Ockenden and Flanagan are all previous winners of the World Young Player of the Year crown – the former name for the Rising Star category. Knowles picked up the title in 2007 with Ockenden following in 2008. Flanagan won the women’s young player award in 2012.

This year, Knowles was named Player of the Tournament at the World Cup with Hayward also scooping the Young Player of the Tournament accolade in The Hague. At the women’s World Cup, Lynch went home with the Goalkeeper of the Tournament award.

Their nominations are indicative of the success enjoyed by both Australian teams in 2014. The Kookaburras won the World Cup and Commonwealth Games gold medals within five weeks of one another and they returned to the top of the FIH world rankings in January following the World League Finals.

The Hockeyroos have continued their upward trajectory, rising to number two in the world rankings as they picked up the silver medal at the World Cup and Champions Trophy competitions, and gold at the Commonwealth Games. In reaching the final of the Champions Trophy earlier this week they continued an impressive run of form that has seen them reach the final of every major international tournament in which they’ve competed since December 2012.

Hockey Australia is encouraging Australian sports fans to place their votes at www.facebook.com/fihockey.

The results will be announced via the FIH social media channels between 18-23 December 2014.

International Male Player of the Year shortlist
Ashley Jackson (England)
Robert Kemperman (Netherlands)
Mark Knowles (Australia)
Eddie Ockenden (Australia)
Robert Van Der Horst (Netherlands)

International Female Player of the Year
Maartje Paumen (Netherlands)
Lidewij Welten (Netherlands)
Ellen Hoog (Netherlands)
Luciana Aymar (Argentina)
Lauren Crandall (USA)

International Male Goalkeeper of the Year
Juan Vivaldi (Argentina)
Andrew Charter (Australia)
Parattu Raveendran Sreejesh (India)
Jaap Stockmann (Netherlands)
George Pinner (England)

International Female Goalkeeper of the Year
Rachael Lynch (Australia)
Belen Succi (Argentina)
Joyce Sombroek (Netherlands)
Maddie Hinch (England)
Jackie Kintzer (USA)

International Male Rising Star of the Year
Arthur Van Doren (Belgium)
Christopher Ruhr (Germany)
Jeremy Hayward (Australia)
Akashdeep Singh (India)
Gonzalo Pelliat (Argentina)

International Female Rising Star of the Year
Yang Peng (China)
Rani Rampal (India)
Florencia Habif (Argentina)
Anna Flanagan (Australia)
Xan de Waard (Netherlands)

Hockey Australia media release



FIH nomination surprises Indian goalkeeper Sreejesh

Prasanth Menon

KOCHI: Indian hockey custodian PR Sreejesh has been nominated for the International Goalkeeper Of The Year Award by FIH. He will be competing for the prestigious award with George Pinner (England), Andrew Charter (Australia), Jaap Stockmann (Netherlands) and Juan Vivaldi (Argentina).

Interestingly, Sreejesh had no idea about his nomination till he saw a message posted by one of the fellow competitors Stockmann on his facebook page late on Friday night.

"I had no clue till I saw a tag on facebook from my friend and fellow goalkeeper Stockmann urging his friends and fans to vote for him for the best goalkeeper of the year award. I was about to click on his name when I stumbled upon my name in the list. I was elated. Whether I win the award or not, being included in the top five goalkeepers' list itself is a huge honour. I urge my fans, my teammates and friends to vote for me," the Kochi lad told TOI from Bhubaneshwar as he prepared to keep Germans at bay in India's Champions Trophy hockey opener on Saturday.

The 26-year-old has been in outstanding form this season guiding India to an Asian Games gold medal by effecting two vital saves in the shootout against Pakistan in the final.

His performance was also critical in India's series win over Australia last month and silver medal winning performance in CWG.

Along with Sreejesh, there are two other Indians who have been nominated for FIH's top honours. Striker Akashdeep Singh is one of the contenders for Rising Player Of The Year award while Rani Rampal is vying for the same honour in the female category .

The Times of India



Indian junior men's hockey team beats Japan 7-0

BRISBANE: After a convincing 5-1 win against New Zealand in the opening match of the five-match Test Series in Australia, the Indian junior men's hockey team on Sunday downed Japan 7-0, giving a boost to its preparation for the 8th Men's Junior Asia Cup in 2015.

From the first minute of the match, the Indian colts did not give any room to the opposition team. India received a early penalty corner and defender Varun Kumar converted it.

Leading 1-0, India received two more back-to-back penalty corners in quick succession, and both the opportunities were converted into goals by penalty corner specialist and defender Harmanpreet Singh.

The star of Sultan of Johor Cup, Harmanpreet, along with captain Harjeet Singh, strategically outfoxed the Japanese and maintained their domination. Leading 3-0, forward Sumit Toppo sneaked into the opponents' defense-line and smashed the ball past the goalkeeper.

Maintaining their supremacy, the Indians managed to earn another penalty corner and this time, Varun found the target to make it 5-0.

The Indian colts continued their attacks and kept the opposition' players busy. Forward Parvinder Singh managed to breach the defense-line and found the target.

In the next few minutes, Toppo outsmarted the opponent's defenders and sent the ball into the net for the team's seventh goal.

The Times of India



Canadian men come out even in first leg of New Zealand tour

Shaheed Devji



The Canadian Men's National team has wrapped up the first leg of its tour of New Zealand, notching 1W-1D-1L in three matches in Auckland against the New Zealand "First XI," a team compromised of a mix young developing and current New Zealand National Team members.

The first match ended in a 0-0 draw, which both teams feeling out not only a new opponent, but a new format of play. The matches were being played in a recent introduced system of four 15-minute quarters.

"This game gave us a really good exposure to the new system," said Canadian Men's National Team Head Coach Anthony Farry. "It also gave us the opportunity to try out some new tactical concepts. We [were] very happy with the performance from the group."

In the second match, the Canadians built on the nil-nil draw with a better on field performance, but didn't get the result they were looking for on the scoreboard, dropping the decision 2-0.

"We showed a marked improvement in keeping possession of the ball," said Farry. "Our intent was better and we created a number of really good scoring opportunities which unfortunately we weren't able to capitalize on."

In the third and final match in Auckland, the Canadians were able to achieve the intended result, coming out on top 3-2.

Canada went up 2-0 on goals from Brendan Bissett and Scott Tupper before New Zealand was able to pot one of their own. Canada responded once again in the 47th minute on a goal from John Smythe and were able to hold on for the win.

"We continued to build on reasonable performances in the last two games and certainly controlled possession better for the majority," says Farry. "Our execution in the front third let us down a bit, but our structure was much better today."

"These games have been hugely beneficial for us to work on strategy leading into what is going to be an exceptionally tough Test series against the Black Sticks."

After completing the three training matches against the New Zealand "First XI" the Canadian Men's National Team will head to Nelson and Christchurch for four official test matches against the Blacksticks.

Field Hockey Canada media release



Odds favour Black Sticks but there's plenty of respect for Canada

WAYNE MARTIN


NOT TAKING IT LIGHTLY: Black Sticks coach Colin Batch knows Canada present a big challenge for his side. Photosport

Black Sticks men's hockey coach Colin Batch is looking for his players to become more proactive in their approach as they prepare for Tuesday's first test against Canada in Nelson.

The two teams kick-off their four-test international series at Nelson's Saxton Turf, the first of two consecutive Nelson tests ahead of the final two fixtures in Christchurch on Saturday and Sunday.

It's the fourth time New Zealand have hosted a home series against Canada, although it's the first time a test has been played in Nelson since 1952.

While the Black Sticks have dominated contests between the two sides, winning 33 of their previous 43 tests with just two losses, it's ominous that both those losses came in New Zealand in 2003 and again in 2006.

Batch knows enough about the opposition to acknowledge that they deserve plenty of respect.

"We've seen them a fair bit this year actually, we were at the Champions Challenge and also the Commonwealth Games together, so we know them reasonably well - and we're expecting a tough game for sure," Batch said.

That also means taking the game to the Canadians.

"We need to do better with the ball. I think there are times when we play a little bit too conservative with the ball and we're trying to get that into our game where we create more opportunities," he said.

"And sometimes we're a bit passive when we haven't got the ball, so we want to initiate a lot more than what we're doing. I think one of the criticisms of our inability to play through the crunch games in a tournament is that we let the game flow instead of forcing errors and putting more pressure on the opposition. So we're trying to change that mindset a little bit."

The Black Sticks' most recent outing against Canada was this year's 3-1 win in Glasgow to kickstart their Commonwealth Games campaign. And while the margin appeared handy enough, the score was tied at 1-1 for a long time. So Batch was expecting another tough challenge.

"They're pretty aggressive in their own way. They've got a good corner set-up in attack and defensively they're pretty sound as well. And there are times when you can find it hard to break through their defence because they're pretty compact and they defend well in the back 50. So we've got to create some opportunities for us."

The Black Sticks are blooding a number of new players in this series but still have a solid core of experience led by their skipper Simon Child, Auckland midfielder Arun Panchia and Southern defender Blair Tarrant with vastly the experienced Ryan Archibald set to play his 275th test.

Canada have warmed up for the series with three matches in Auckland against a team made up of New Zealand Development and Emerging Players, finishing with a draw, a loss and a win.

Head coach Anthony Farry said that Canada were also blooding several new players on tour.

"It's a wonderful opportunity for us to give some different guys a look at top class international hockey," he said.

"We're really looking forward to the opportunity and we're excited about it and we'll obviously go out there and give it our best shot.

"[The Black Sticks] are a quality outfit and our last game against them was very tough. We're expecting it to be fast and physical and we think it's obviously going to be a huge test for us."

Stuff



Maybank stun UniKL

By Jugjet Singh

MAYBANK Tigers turned the tables on UniKL when they won the second leg TNB Cup playoff 4-1 to advance 5-4 on aggregate into the semi-finals of the Malaysia Hockey League yesterday.

It was an amazing comeback, as Maybank lost the first leg 3-1, and will now meet league champions Terengganu Hockey Team in the semis.

In the other playoff, Tenaga Nasional beat Sapura 4-2 to advance 8-5 on aggregate and will square off against Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club in the other semis.

“This is our first win of the season (Maybank drew 5 and lost 5 in the league) and it came at a crucial time as my players went all out to claim a spot in the semi-finals.

“They knew it was their last chance to redeem their season, and after the 3-1 defeat in the first leg, they decided to give their all.

“Now we have a week’s rest before we play THT, and again, anything can happen as my players received a big boost today (yesterday),” said Maybank coach Wallace Tan.

The Maybank goals were scored by Hafifihafiz Hanafi (seventh, 45th) and Mohamed Zulhairi (11th, 42nd). Kevin Lim (13th) scored for UniKL.

As for Tenaga, they got their goals off Azril Misron (ninth), Najib Abu Hassan (25th),Norhizzat Sumantri (36th) and Izzad Hakimi (57th).

The Sapura goals were scored by Khasif Ali (29th) and Shahzad Aamir (37th)

New Straits Times



Maybank and Tenaga through to MHL semi-finals

By S. Ramaguru


Tenaga Nasional players celebrates as they march past Sapura 4-2 at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil. - M. AZHAR/The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: Former champions Maybank came alive when it mattered as they stormed into the semi-finals of the Malaysia Hockey League at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

The Tigers defeated Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) 4-1 in the second leg quarter-final match for a 5-4 aggregate.

Joining them for the playoffs are Tenaga Nasional who defeated Sapura 4-2 in an earlier match for an 8-5 aggregate.

Tenaga will play defending champions KL Hockey Club in the two-leg semi-finals on Wednesday and Friday.

The other match will see newly crowned league champions Terengganu play Maybank.

Maybank were determined to make a fight of it despite the two-goal difference.

But braces from Hafifihafiz Hanafi and Mohamed Zulhairi Hashim ensured the former champions advance to the last four.

For UniKl, it was yet another disappointing outing as they failed to get past the quarter-final stage for six years running.

The Tigers managed to level the score by the 11th minute with two quick goals.

Hafifihafiz and Mohamed Zulhairi scored in the seventh and 11th minutes respectively.

UniKL managed to regain the overall lead with a 13th minute strike through a Kevin Lim penalty corner and the game was set for a furious finish.

Zulhairi increased Maybank’s lead in the 42nd minute off another penalty corner and put the teams on level terms.

And Hafifihafiz sealed the game in the 45th minute.

Earlier, despite their semi-final qualification, Tenaga coach Nor Saiful Zaini was furious at his team’s lack of quality.

“Sure we won but there was no quality in their performance. We missed too many chances and made too many mistakes.

“We are happy to have made to the semis but with this kind of showing, it will be tough to think we can go further.”

Tenaga went into the match with a one-goal advantage after their 4-3 first-leg win.

It took them just nine minutes to increase their lead when Azril Misron scored off a field goal.

Mohamed Najib Abu Hassan added another in the 25th minute and it looked like Tenaga were headed for an easy win.

But Kashif Ali pulled a goal back for Sapura in the 29th minute.

Tenaga’s Norhizzat Sumantri and Mohamed Izzad Jamaluddin added two more in the 36th and 57th minutes respectively while Sapura had a second goal in the 37th minute through Shahrin Mohamed.

The Star of Malaysia



Invincible Orange retain league crown, Warriors dethrone Police

By BRIAN YONGA


Butali Sugar players celebrate winning the title after beating Police 2-1 at City Park on December 07, 2014 where Telkom Orange beat Strathmore University to win the league title. PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU | NATION MEDIA GROUP

Butali Sugar Warriors and Telkom Orange were Sunday crowned the 2014 Kenya Hockey Union league champions.

Warriors beat 2013 champions Kenya Police 2-1 while Orange needed penalties to see off Strathmore Scorpions 3-2 at City Park Stadium. Former Kenyan international Zack Aura was Warriors’ hero scoring both goals to hand the lakeside team their third league title.

Police took the lead in the 41st minute through Brian Musasia’s shot from a short corner. However, Warriors levelled the scores two minutes later from Aura’s sweetly taken shot inside the Police box.

With time running out Aura’s run from inside his own half took him inside Police’s box and before he struck a shot that was initially blocked by the Police defence but he managed to flick the rebound between goalkeeper James Kayieko’s legs.

“This is a deserved win. We were hungrier for the title than our opponents and our hard work paid off,” Warriors coach Cliffe Okello said.

Orange and Strathmore were tied at 2-2 after 70 minutes of action but skipper Bettsy Omalla converted the winning penalty to ensure her team retains the title. Kenyatta University beat Parklands Sports Club 5-3 in penalty shootouts to win the national men’s title and earn promotion to the Premier League while USIU Spartans finished third after beating Sliders 2-1 in the third place playoff.

Daily Nation



NSW win indoor champs

NSW men and women win open Indoor Australian Championships


Photo credit: Andrew Spence / Sydney Indoor Hockey Assoc.

New South Wales completed its indoor haul with the men’s and women’s Open titles at the Indoor Australian Championships at the weekend.

In the women’s competition, NSW were twice hauled back by Victoria for 2-2 before running out eventual 5-2 winners. Claire Rieck gave the light blues an early lead but Corinne Bowen levelled. Within a minute NSW were back in front through Caitlin Burns but Victoria equalised again immediately through Olivia Colasudro. On the stroke of half time Emily Wong made it 3-2 to NSW and from there second half goals from Wong and Kirsten Pearce sealed victory.

ACT beat Queensland for the bronze medal winning 3-2. They had to do it the hard way, coming from behind after Ashlea Fey had given QLD the lead from a penalty stroke. Rebecca Sneskov levelled before half time before Samantha Economos and Meredith Bone stretched the advantage to 3-1. In the final minute, Amy Swann bagged a late consolation for Queensland.

In the men’s Open competition, New South Wales emerged comfortable victors from the final against WA. But it was a second half blitz that earned the win after Nigel Croke had given NSW a narrow 1-0 lead at half time. A second half hat-trick from Jack Hayes did the damage with captain Simon Beaton also getting in on the act.

The battle for bronze was a much tighter affair and was decided in ACT’s favour on a shoot-out after a 3-3 draw at the end of regulation time. Queensland had found themselves 3-1 up thanks to goals from Adam McClelland, Triston Parker and Alwyn Krusi, sandwiching a strike from Andrew Tomadini, but ACT fought their way back with goals from Jye Bunt and Garry Backhus. In the shoot-out, which finished 2-0 to ACT, Bunt and captain Matthew Hotchkis scored for the winners while Queenslanders Jared Taylor and Matthew Pembroke were denied by Malcolm Beer in the ACT goal.

Hockey Australia thanks Hockey ACT for its hosting of the U21 and Open Indoor Australian Championships this year.

Hockey Australia media release



Hockey the winner at Northland sport awards



It was a stellar night for hockey at the Konica Minolta Northland Sports Awards Dinner on Friday. 

Black Stick Stacey Michelsen was named Northland Hockey Player of the Year and also won the major award - the Northland Sports Women of the Year.

With Stacey currently in Mendoza playing in the FIH Champions Trophy, her Mum, Barbara, (pictured below) collected the trophy on Stacey’s behalf.

The 2014 Mark Cromie Holden Northland Women (pictured below) won the Team of the Year and Angeline Waetford won Coach of the Year.

To add to the evening, a long-time supporter of hockey, Colin Thorne, won the Northern Advocates 2014 People’s Choice Trophy.


Barbara Michelsen receives Stacey's award on her behalf


2014 Mark Cromie Holden Northland Women's hockey team receive award


Angeline Waetford receiving award


Betty and Colin Thorne

Thanks so much to Sue Shepherd for the great photos!

Hockey New Zealand Media release

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