News 16 January 2014
All the news for Thursday 16 January 2014
England, Netherlands, New Zealand and Australia reach semi-finalists at Hero HWL
Belgium, Germany, Argentina and India to play off in 5-8 classification matches
The Netherlands leap-frog Germans on their way to the semi final. (Photo: FIH / Grant Treeby)
England, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Australia qualified for the semi finals of the Hero Hockey World League Final in Delhi. All four teams faced tough challenges. While England showed resilience to soak up sustained pressure from Belgium to win 1-0, the Netherlands held on to a 2-1 lead despite a late surge by Germany. The Black Sticks came through the first shoot-out winning it 4-3 against Argentina. Australia had to overturn a 2-0 deficit to eventually defeat India 7-2.
Friday's semi finals see England taking on New Zealand with the Netherlands playing Australia. Germany will face India in the 5-8 classification while Belgium will play Argentina.
England v Belgium 1-0 (0-0)
In the first quarter final, a close-fought and tense match between England and Belgium saw the teams separated by a single goal. England, who remain unbeaten, looked very uncomfortable at times, but a series of saves by George Pinner kept England in the hunt for the title and consigned Belgium to yet another defeat. England were the first to score, but Tom Carson's goal was disallowed after a video referral. For most of the first half Belgium looked the sharper side and caught the England defence in possession on a number of occasions.
A defensive error by the world number four meant Belgium had a chance to attack, but two smart saves by Pinner kept the score sheet blank, the second a good reaction save from a close range shot from Jeffrey Thys. The second half saw Belgium take the initiative, winning a penalty corner in the opening minute. This drew another save from Pinner and acted as a spur to the England team. Two more penalty corners to England increased the pressure on the Belgium defence and it was Tom Carson (47') who scored the crucial opening goal, drag-flicking from the edge of the circle.
The match continued at an intense pace and the world No 4 team were forced to put up a staunch defence as Belgium piled on the pressure. Hero Man of the Match Pinner was called into action as first Tom Boon and then Gauthier Boccard made inroads into the England circle. England held on to book their place in the semi-finals on Friday, while Belgium will play off for 5th-8th place.
England coach Bobby Crutchley said: "We needed to put our corners away, that would have relieved the pressure a little." But he added that he was delighted with the way his team had dealt with the pressure. "Belgium are a really good side, so we are more than pleased with the result."
His counterpart, Marc Lammers said: "This was a good game, and we played much better in the second half. The problem was that we missed too many chances. Our defence and midfield was okay, but the attackers really need to improve, there was less danger from them."
Germany v Netherlands 1-2 (0-2)
The men in orange started the game in dominant style winning a penalty corner, which was flicked home by Mink van der Weerden in the first minute. The Olympic silver medallists put pressure on the Olympic champions and this resulted in their second goal a few minutes later. Seve van Ass (6’) got the final touch to double Oranje’s lead.
The second half saw Germany playing with more intensity; it took them less than three minutes to get on the scoreboard. Florian Fuchs kept possession in the circle and linked well with team-captain Oliver Korn who tipped the ball into the goal. The game was really end to end with the European champions taking hold of the game towards the final whistle. Such was the shape of the game that most of the action took place in the centre of the pitch with quick turn-overs making the match very entertaining.
The Netherlands were clearly pleased with the result, although they acknowledged that they nearly let their opponents back into the game. Robbert Kemperman said; "This is a great feeling. We had a tough last 10 minutes as the German's really came at us and we were not as sharp as we should have been in the second half. Really we should have closed the game down earlier."
Captain of the German team, Oliver Korn said that before the game the whole squad really wanted to stamp their mark on the game, but they "were asleep at the start of the game." Coach Markus Weise agreed: "We didn't play well in the first half and some of the boys didn't do the work that they needed to. We were much better in the second half but one good half is not enough when you are playing the best in the world. Really, I was not satisfied with the way we took our penalty corners today."
Argentina v New Zealand 1-1 (0-1), 3-4 SO
The first shoot out of the Hero Hockey World League Final took place between New Zealand and Argentina after full-time delivered a 1-1 draw. The eventual winners were New Zealand after they won in the sudden death round of the penalty shoot out. The match was very much a game of two halves, Hero Man of the Match, Kane Russell (8') shot the Blacks Sticks into an early lead and New Zealand dominated the first 35 minutes. This was reversed in the second half with Argentina piling on the pressure. With 20 minutes left on the clock, New Zealand appeared to have weathered the Argentine storm, however, the defence couldn't hold out indefinitely and the inevitable occurred when Matias Paredes (59') scored from open play.
As neither team found the net in regular time, the game went to penalty shoot out. At the end of the first round, both teams were drawing, with two successful penalty attempts each. The second round was sudden death and both Agustin Mazzilli and Hugo Inglis scored. Lucas Vila failed to score for Argentina, and it was Blair Hilton who became the hero of the hour as he took the ball wide around the Argentine goal keeper, Joaquin Berthold and scored to put New Zealand through to the semi-finals.
Coach Carlos Retegui said after the match that he thought his team had played a good second half, but that had not been enough to secure the win. "When we started to play we were good," he added. Looking forward to his semi final confrontation with England, the New Zealand coach Colin Batch said: "England have been playing very well. We hope they have an off day. We have had an up and down tournament, we have faded during some of our matches and we need consistency over 70 minutes."
Australia v India 7-2 (3-2)
A bright start by India threatened to provide the shock of the tournament but Australia showed just why they are world champions by turning a 2-0 deficit into a 7-2 victory at the Hero Hockey World League Final in Delhi. Birenda Lakra (6’) opened the scoring for India and Yuvraj (11’) doubled the lead a few minutes later much to the delight of the crowd. “It wasn’t looking so good for us in the first 15 minutes. Of course I was worried”, Kookaburra coach Ric Charlesworth said.
The turnaround started in the 24th minute when Nicholas Budgeon put the Kookaburras on the scoreboard by smashing in a penalty corner. Jason Wilson’s (29’) equalised just before halftime and Glenn Turner (35’) made it 3-2 marking his 100th cap with a goal. The world champions dominated throughout the second half. Russell Ford (41’) extending the lead to 4-2. Then Simon Orchard (45’) smashed in a shot from the top of the corner making it 5-2. Ford (47’) made it 6-2 and Jacob Whetton’s (65’) scored to make it 7-2.
India's coach Terry Walsh, said that his team had not been able to cope with the physicality of Australia. "The physiological make-up of the Indian players needs to develop further. Our players are up against big, strong men and when it is like that fatigue sets in."
FIH site
Men in the mask make their mark
Goal keepers take centre stage at Hero Hockey World League Final
The shoot-out pits the bravery of the goalkeeper against the pace of the attacker. (Photo: FIH / Frank Uijlenbroek)
Often the goal keepers are the unsung heroes in hockey matches. Anonymous behind the head gear, they marshall their defences and put their bodies on the line to keep the ball from the back of the net, but all too often it is the goal-scorers who make the headlines.
But in the Hero Hockey World League Final, goal keepers are finding themselves feted as heroes and their fast reactions and bravery when facing the attack are often the difference between a three point win or a zero point disappointment. Belgium's Vincent Vanash emphasised the importance of the man between the sticks having a good game after his side lost 1-0 to England in the quarter finals: "It was a goalkeeper's game. We both played well, but while George Pinner did a great job, I conceded one. That was the difference between us winning and losing."
That quarter final match was notable for the quality of both goal keepers. In what was a tense match, the fact the ball only found the net once was due more to good goal keeping than any lack of chances to score.
As he collected his Hero Man of the Match award, England's 'keeper George Pinner said: "It is always nice to play your part in the game, but it is always totally a team effort." The 26-year-old added that concentration is a key part of any goalkeeper's game as they can endure long periods when they don't see the ball and then they have to make crucial saves in quick succession. "What is in your head makes a difference to your performance. I work hard on my mental preparation as well as the physical side."
Match preparation is very different when it comes to goal keeping, as Jaap Stockmann of the Netherlands explains: "Where all the field players have to raise their heart rates and get really warm for the start of the match, I need to take it easy. It is not good for me to get hot and over-excited because there is a chance that I might not see the ball for 60 minutes, then I will get very cold."
Stockmann's match preparation involves relaxing in the minutes before a game starts. It is tougher for the reserve goal keeper, as he has to spend the match prepared to take to the pitch at a moment's notice. Stockmann's colleague in the Netherland's team is Pirmin Blaak. "It is sometimes very difficult if you come onto the pitch late in the match. Imagine, you have been watching for 60 minutes and you have to go straight into action. I just make sure that I keep stretching and stay very involved in watching the game."
When it comes to pressure, there is probably no situation as stressful for the players as a shoot out competition. One player has eight seconds to get past the goal keeper to score a goal. Devon Manchester takes a philosophical approach. Along with Joaquin Berthold in the Argentine goal, the New Zealand goal keeper faced a shoot out competition in the quarter finals. Manchester said: "The pressure is on the player, I just stay on my feet as long as I can. They have to go past me within eight seconds."
Like Stockmann, Manchester works hard on staying calm. His pre-match preparation includes listening to music and, more unusually, juggling. He also avoids contact with all the other players. "I just like to be in my own head, I don't want to talk to people before the match."
So while the field players are taking the plaudits as they slot away the goals, think about the men at the back. While a striker might miss 10 shots during a match without censure, one error by the man in the mask can lose a match – now that is pressure.
FIH site
England march on as Pinner denies Belgium
George Pinner was awarded the Hero Man of the Match award after a brilliant performance to deny Belgium in the Quarter-Final
England maintained their 100% record at the World League Final as they beat Belgium 1-0 to book a place in the semi-finals.
England 1 (0)
Tom Carson 47 (PC)
Belgium 0 (0)
It couldn’t have been much closer, but thanks to an inspired defensive display, England secured a nail-biting 1-0 victory over Belgium in the first Quarter-Final of the day at the Hero Hockey World League Final.
After a goalless first half, Reading’s Tom Carson was back on the score sheet for the third time this tournament; this time it was from a penalty corner drag-flick in the 47th minute. However, it was at the opposite end of the pitch where the victory was sealed, thanks in no small part to a world-class performance by Beeston’s George Pinner, who stood strong in goal to keep a determined Belgium out.
The result goes some way to making up for the disappointment of losing 3-0 to the world number five side in the semi-finals at the EuroHockey Championships last summer and speaking after the game Head Coach Bobby Crutchley said: “I think the result and performance today reflects on how far we’ve come as a team since the Europeans. We’ve improved a lot, even over the four games in this tournament, and to get a win over a side as strong as Belgium is credit to how hard the team has worked over the last five months in training. I think the quality of our defending was outstanding today, but it is the improved team performance across the whole pitch which is encouraging.”
“Looking ahead to Friday, I still want us to improve our attacking play on the ball and convert the chances we create into more goals. We’re much more tactically astute than we were in the summer and that shows the progress of us developing from being an inexperienced team to beating some of the top sides in the world here.”
The game opened at quite a tempo as both sides pushed hard to make their mark early on. A well worked move between Reading teammates Simon Mantell and Tom Carson saw Carson hit a brilliant volley past Vanash in Belgium’s goal, but Belgium successfully overturned the decision with the help of the video umpire after the replays showed the ball coming down off Mantell’s body in the circle.
The momentum switched away from England after the disallowed goal and the red lions pushed forward, but England kept their calm and closed down Belgium’s chances to keep a clean sheet and a 0-0 score line going into the break.
The game opened up in the second half as more chances started to fall to both sides. Mantell and Carson continued to cause trouble in attack with some great link up play, and in the 47th minute Carson got his reward. After a series of penalty corners, Carson stepped up to the top of the circle and drove his drag-flick low to the right of Vanash to give England a 1-0 lead.
Belgium threw everything they had at England in the final stages. A brilliant stop in front of goal from Iain Lewers was followed by an untimely yellow card for the East Grinstead star close to full time, which undoubtedly put England on the back foot even more. Pinner, in England’s goal, was emphatic across the 70 minutes and made several vital saves in the closing stages to keep the score line in England’s favour and seal the 1-0 victory and a place in the semi-final.
Speaking after the game, Hero Man of the Match George Pinner said, “It’s really nice to play my part in a strong team performance today. I think we’ve played really well in the first three games and the guys have defended brilliantly so I haven’t had that much to do. It was just nice to play a good part today and get the win.”
Adding his thoughts on Friday’s match, Pinner said: “Bring on whoever [Argentina or New Zealand] in the Semi-Final. You come to a tournament like this with eight of the best sides in the world and there are no easy games. We’ve won four from four, our confidence is high and we’ll take whoever we get.”
In the other afternoon push back the Netherlands secured a close 2-1 victory over the world number one side Germany to set up a semi-final against either India or Australia.
There’s a rest day tomorrow for the teams ahead of the semi-finals on Friday where England will face either New Zealand or Argentina at 12:15pm. All matches are being streamed live at www.youtube.com/fihockey.
England Men’s Squad
Started
George Pinner – Beeston – Goalkeeper
Ashley Jackson – East Grinstead – Midfield
Michael Hoare – Wimbledon – Defender
Adam Dixon – Beeston – Midfield/Defender
Dan Fox – Holcombe – Defender
Iain Lewers – East Grinstead – Defender
Simon Mantell – Reading – Forward
Barry Middleton – Holcombe – Midfield/Forward
Henry Weir – Wimbledon – Midfield/Defender
Tom Carson – Reading – Forward
Nick Catlin – Reading – Midfield/Forward
Substitutes used
Mark Gleghorne – East Grinstead – Forward
Alastair Brogdon – Wimbledon - Forward
Harry Martin – Beeston – Midfield
David Condon – East Grinstead – Midfield
Ollie Willars – Beeston – Defender
Tim Whiteman – Beeston – Midfield/Defender
Did not play
Patrick Smith – Cannock – Goalkeeper
England Hockey Board Media release
Outstanding Pinner sets up New Zealand semi-final
By Graham Wilson
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH George Pinner gave England a great chance of reaching the gold medal play-off as England put up a fine defensive performance to edge out Belgium 1-0 in the Hero World League quarter-finals in Delhi.
George Pinner pulled off some miraculous saves to help England defeat Belgium George Pinner pulled off some miraculous saves to help England defeat Belgium [GETTY]
Pinner, goalkeeper to English champions Beeston, pulled off a series of fine saves which allowed England the breathing space for Reading’s Tom Carson to put away a 47th-minute penalty corner for his third goal of the tournament.
They still have the semi-final hurdle to overcome tomorrow when they again meet New Zealand, who they overpowered 5-1 in their pool game. The win over Belgium went some way to making amends for their disappointment in the European Championship when they were knocked out 3-0 by the Red Lions in the semi-finals.
Pinner said: “It’s really nice to play my part in a strong team performance today. We’ve played really well in the first three games and the guys have defended brilliantly so I haven’t had that much to do.”
Daily Express
George Pinner heroics hand England semi-final berth as Belgium beaten
An inspired display from 'keeper George Pinner paves semi-final route for England in New Delhi after fourth win on the trot
By Rod Gilmour
To the four: England continued their unbeaten run in New Delhi to reach the semi-finals
National coach Bobby Crutchley had said before the World League Finals that England were punching below their world No 4 ranking after a raft of changes to the squad.
But a berth in Saturday's final is now well within reach as England's men advanced to the last four following a tight 1-0 win over impressive Belgium in New Delhi.
Tom Carson's low penalty corner in the 47th minute made sure of a clash against New Zealand, who stunned Argentina in a sudden death shootout, but it was an inspired performance from England goalkeeper George Pinner which ultimately proved the difference.
Pinner made a string of saves throughout the 70 minutes and the man of the match said: "The guys have defended billiantly over the last three games so it was nice to play my part today.
"At 1-0 you know you can't make any mistakes, so it was a really mental battle."
Asked who he would prefer in Friday's semi-final, he said: "We've won four from four, our confidence is high, so we'll take whoever we get."
Belgium's attacking intent made for a frenetic encounter in the Indian capital and Pinner twice stood tall in the opening salvos.
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02791/BeAvfj3CUAABsoA_2791384c.jpg
England's first chance fell to Simon Manell, but after combining with Carson, shot just wide.
Belgium stepped up the tempo after the break but the deadlock was broken when Mantell again came to the fore to win England's third penalty corner.
Carson then dropped his shoulder, manoeuvred room and drove low to open the scoring, his third in four games.
Iain Lewers earned a needless yellow after bringing down Tom Boon, which left England under constant pressure in the closing stages, but England's stout defence held on.
There was respite too as England avenged their European Championship semi-final defeat in Belgium last August.
The Telegraph
England beat Belgium 1-0 to enter semifinals of HWL Final
NEW DELHI: An impressive England continued their unbeaten run and defeated Belgium by a solitary goal in a hard-fought match to become the first team to book their place in the semi-finals of the Hero Hockey World League Final, on Wednesday.
The Englishman showed great resilience to soak up sustained pressure from Belgium and looked very uncomfortable at times.
England should thank their goalkeeper George Pinner to keep them in hunt for the title with numerous good saves.
Belgium were by far looked sharp in attack and caught the England napping a number of times in the first half.
After a closely-fought but barren first half, Belgium once again seized the initiative by winning a penalty corner in the opening minute but Pinner once again came to the rescue of England.
Dan Fox charged through the Belgium defence to win England their first penalty corner but to no avail.
Two more penalty corners to England increased the pressure on the Belgium defence and it was Tom Carson (47th minute) who broke the deadlock with a fierce drag-flick.
Both the teams continued at an intense pace but it was world No 4 England who were forced to put up a staunch defence as Belgium piled on the pressure.
English custodian Pinner made double saves at first denying Boon and then Gauthier Boccard to keep a clean slate for his team and hel on to the decisive lead.
England will play the winners of the third quarterfinal between New Zeland and Argentina in the semifinals, while Belgium will be up against the loser of that encounter.
The Times of India
Our strikers were boxed by tight marking: Lammers
s2h team
World No.4 England remained unbeaten in the World Hockey league so far and became the first team to make it to the semifinals. But coach Bobby Crutchley was not very happy with the team, the way they missed their short corner conversions. "We needed to put our corners away, That would have relieved the pressure a little."
But with 5 successful conversions out of 9 penalty corners in the league stage, England has almost double the average short corner conversion percentage. England’s conversion rate stood at 55 per cent to 27 per cent overall conversion rate in the pool stage. Today, they were successful in scoring one goal from three penalty corners a healthy average of over 50 per cent conversion rate.
The coach, however, was happy with the way his team played under the pressure. "Belgium are developing very fast and they are a really good side, so we are more than pleased with the result."
Belgium chief coach Marc Lammers said: "It was a very tight game and England’s man-to-man marking of our players was good. They did not allow any leeway to our players. This was a good game. We played much better in the second half. The problem was that we missed too many chances. Our defence and midfield was okay, but the attackers really need to improve, there was less danger from them. We need to score goals."
Stick2Hockey.com
Netherlands knock out Olympic champions Germany, enter semis
NEW DELHI: Netherlands scored two first half goals to shut the door on Olympic champions Germany with a fighting 2-1 win and enter the semifinals of the Hero Hockey World League Final at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium on Wednesday.
World ranked three Netherlands started positively and took the lead as early as in the opening minute of the game from their first penalty corner which was converted by Mink van der Weerden.
The Netherlands outplayed world number one Germany, at least in the first half, and continued their attacking game. The Dutchman doubled their lead five minutes later through a field goal from Seve van Ass (6th minute) to rattle the Germans.
The Germans got their first scoring chance five minutes from half time in the form of a penalty corner but wasted the opportunity to go into the breather trailing 0-2.
The Germans played with more intensity after the change of ends and managed to pull one back three minutes into the second period through captain Oliver Korn (38th minute), who tapped home from close range after he was set up by some nice stick work from Florian Fuchs.
Thereafter, both the teams battled hard for goals and the Germans came close on a number of occasions but Netherlands goalkeeper Jaap Stokmann was upto the task.
The Netherlands too had plenty of try at the opposition goal and if not for a brilliant Nicolas Jacobi under the German goal the scoreline could have been different.
Jacobi came up with some brilliant saves in the last quarter of the game to keep Germany in the hunt.
Just three minutes from the final hooter, the Germans managed to find the back of the Dutch net but the goal was disallowed after Netherlands went for the referral.
Netherlands will face the winner of the fourth quarterfinal between world number 2 Australia and hosts India in the second semifinal on Friday, while Germany will play the loser of the final last-eight game in the 5-8 play-off encounter.
The Times of India
We were asleep at the start: German captain
s2h team
German captain Oliver Korn said that before the game the whole squad really wanted to stamp their mark on the game, but they "were asleep at the start of the game."
Coach Markus Weise agreed: "We didn't play well in the first half and some of the boys didn't do the work that they needed to. We were much better in the second half but one good half is not enough when you are playing the best in the world. Really, I was not satisfied with the way we took our penalty corners today."
Stick2Hockey.com
Sudden death for Argentina; Kiwis in semis
s2h team
Blair Hilton was the hero for Black Sticks in the quarterfinal. All the New Zealand players jumped for joy and celebrated running into the field as Hilton successfully dodged the Argentine custodian Joaquin Barthold in the sudden death after the regulation time of 70 minutes (1-1) and penalty shoot-out (2-2) failed to break the deadlock.
Then it was sudden death for Argentina. In the first attempt, both Agustin Mazzilli and Hugo Inglis scored for Argentina and New Zealand respectively. However, Argentina’s Lucas Vila failed to beat the Kiwi goalie Devon Manchester while Hilton who took the last attempt once again shot home after deftly pulling the rival goalie to the other side in the one-on-one set-piece drill.
Earlier, Matilli Augustin and Matias Ray scored for Argentina while Blair Hilton and Steve Edwards were successful for New Zealand in the shoot-out where each team took five attempts.
In the regular time, New Zealand began with a 7th minute short corner conversion by Kane Russell, who flicked to the top right corner of the net. Argentina struck the equalizer midway through the second session when Matias Paredes scored a field goal in the 59th minute.
New Zealand will play England in the first semifinal on Friday while Argentina will take on Belgium for the 5th to 8th places.
Kane Russell was declared as the Hero Man of the Match.
In a game that was fast-paced and combative, the New Zealand team began to play with the structure and speed that had been eluding them in the earlier pool matches, a release adds.
Their pressure paid off and they were handed the chance to double their lead when Pedro Ibarra was adjudged to have fouled in the circle. A penalty stroke was awarded and New Zealand captain Dean Couzins stepped up, only to see his stroke hit the post.
Argentina worked hard to put the Black Sticks under pressure, but the Los Leones' attempts to gain meaningful possession were broken down by the industrious New Zealand midfield. Juan Manuel Vivaldi in the Argentine goal was called into action when Stephen Jenness fired a shot across the front of the goal.
In the second half Argentina began to pile on the pressure. Three penalty corners yielded no results, but the Black Sticks found themselves on the back foot as Argentina built waves of attack. Only determined defending maintained the Black Sticks slender lead, but for the first 15 minutes of the second half, Argentina were camped in the New Zealand half of the pitch.
With 20 minutes left on the clock, New Zealand appeared to have weathered the Argentine storm when they burst free to win a penalty corner. While this wasn't converted, it did give the beleaguered defence some respite from the continuous Los Leones attack. However, the defence couldn't hold out indefinitely and the inevitable occurred when Matias Paredes (59') scored from open play.
As neither team found the net in regular time, the game went to penalty shoot out. At the end of the first round, both teams were drawing, with two successful penalty attempts each.
As the players entered the sudden death round of the penalty shoot out, both Mazzilli and Hugo Inglis scored. Lucas Vila failed to score for Argentina, and it was Blair Hilton who became the hero of the hour as he took the ball wide around the Argentine goal keeper, Joaquin Berthold and scored to put New Zealand through to the semi-finals.
Coach Carlos Retegui said after the match that he thought his team had played a good second half, but that had not been enough to secure the win. "When we started to play we were good," he added.
Looking forward to his semi final confrontation with England, the New Zealand coach Colin Batch said: "England have been playing very well. We hope they have an off day. We have had an up and down tournament, we have faded during some of our matches and we need consistency over 70 minutes."
The captain of the Black Sticks, Dean Couzins, said: "This was an exciting way to win. We are really pleased with the first half, but there are still a lot of things we must improve on."
Explaining his role in the shoot out, goal keeper Devon Manchester added: "I just tried to stay on my feet as long as possible
Stick2Hockey.com
Black Sticks Men through to semi-finals at World League
Blair Hilton celebrates after getting the winning goal during the penalty shoot-out in the quarter final against Argentina at the World League Final in India. Photo Frank Uijlenbroek.
The Black Sticks Men are through to the top four at the World League Final in India having beaten Argentina in an exciting game drawing 1-1 and winning the shoot-out 4-3.
Blair Hilton was the hero of the night getting the final goal in the shoot-out to secure the semi-final spot, which will be against England at 1.15am on Saturday morning (NZ time).
The match was very much a game of two halves, with New Zealand dominating the first 35 minutes and going 1-0 up thanks to a Kane Russell drag flick, and then Argentina piling on the pressure in the second half.
“Throughout this tournament we have been very up and down with our play, and we saw elements of that tonight. We need to play right through the match if we are going to be a regular top four team,” said head coach Colin Batch.
“The team are enjoying the win at the moment, we will debrief it tonight and then we have two days to prepare against England.
“We are pleased to be playing England, we expect that we will play much better than we did during pool play. England are a top side and they have proved that already winning all four games at the tournament,” says Batch.
Batch noted Shea McAleese, goalkeeper Devon Manchester and Russell as stand outs of tonight’s game but said it was pleasing to see everyone in the team contributing and having a better performance.
Hero Man of the Match, Russell shot the Blacks Sticks into an early lead against Argentina in the eighth minute.
In a game that was fast-paced and combative, the Kiwis played with the structure and speed that Batch was looking for. The pressure paid off and they were handed the chance to double their lead when a penalty stroke was awarded and captain Dean Couzins stepped up, only to see his stroke hit the post.
In the second half, only determined defending maintained the Black Sticks narrow lead, for the first 15 minutes of the second half, Argentina were camped in the New Zealand half of the pitch. With 20 minutes left on the clock and New Zealand hoping their semi-final spot was booked, Argentina’s Matias Paredes scored from open play.
Drawn at full time, the teams started the penalty shoot-out. At the end of the first round, both teams were drawn, with two successful penalty attempts each.
As the players entered the sudden death round of the penalty shoot-out, both Argentina and Hugo Inglis scored. Argentina failed to score, and it was Hilton who became the hero of the hour as he took the ball wide around the Argentine goal keeper and put New Zealand through to the semi-finals.
"This was an exciting way to win. We are really pleased with the first half, but there are still a lot of things we must improve,” said Black Sticks captain Dean Couzins.
All Black Sticks games, plus semis and the finals are LIVE on Sky Sport. All other games can be streamed live online at www.fih.ch.
RESULTS:
Full time: 1-1 draw, 4-3 in shoot out giving New Zealand win
Half time: 1-0 to New Zealand
New Zealand goal scorer: Kane Russell. Click here for full shoot-out results.
Argentina goal scorer: Matias Paredes
Hockey New Zealand Media release
Black Sticks reach semis after shoot-out
By David Leggat
New Zealand are through to the semifinals of the world hockey league after winning a penalty shootout thriller against Argentina in New Delhi today.
After the scores were locked 1-1 at the end of regulation time, the Black Sticks won the shootout 4-3.
Both teams scored twice in the first five shoot out attempts.
When Lucas Vila fired wide with Argentina's second attempt in sudden death, Wellington attacker Blair Hilton, who had already scored in the shootout, clinched the win, beating keeper Joaquin Berthold with a fine reverse stick shot from a wide angle.
Seventh-ranked New Zealand will play No 4 side England in their semifinal early on Saturday, after they eased past Belgium 1-0.
"I'm pretty stoked," said Hilton.
"We left it a little bit late but all the boys are pretty excited about making the top four."
The teams met in pool play, England winning 5-1, although New Zealand will feel confident of a far better showing this time around.
The Black Sticks were 1-0 up at halftime through a shot from man of the match Kane Russell at their only successful penalty corner out of five attempts.
They'd had the better of the opening spell and should have had another goal when captain Dean Couzins had a penalty stroke hit the post.
Argentina lifted their game in the second spell and equalised after a scramble in the New Zealand circle through Matias Paredes 11 minutes from the end.
Hilton and midfielder Steve Edwards scored in the first stage of the shootout and Hugo Inglis put New Zealand ahead early in the sudden death phase.
When Vila missed the next shot, Hilton became the hero at the last gasp.
"I'd say I was reasonably confident, but it's not something you get to do too often," Hilton said of the shootout.
"I just tried to black everything out and tried to think of it as going one-on-one with the keeper in practice."
And Hilton admitted the shot for the win was not his first choice in the moment.
"The keeper was coming out on a certain angle, almost trying to smother you," Hilton said.
"I had that in my head but he got a good jump and almost pushed me off the ball.
"My original plan didn't work so I figured I'd move the ball as far away from him s I could and have a shot. Thankfully it went in."
Goalkeeper Devon Manchester had a fine game, especially during the shootout. Argentina had impressed early in the tournament and there were tears at the end, a contrast to the jubilant scenes in the New Zealand camp.
World No 1 Germany were beaten 2-1 by No 3-ranked Netherlands and Australia had to come from 2-0 down before thumping India 7-2. They meet the Dutch in the other semifinal.
The New Zealand Herald
Black Sticks win thriller against Argentina
The Black Sticks men are through to the top four at the World League Final in India after beating Argentina 4-3 in a shootout after drawing 1-1 in regulation time.
Blair Hilton was the hero of the night getting the final goal in the shoot-out to secure the semi-final spot against England.
In regulation time, New Zealand dominated the first half and went 1-0 up thanks to a Kane Russell drag flick. But it was a different story in the second half with Argentina piling on the pressure.
"Throughout this tournament we have been very up and down with our play, and we saw elements of that tonight," said NZ head coach Colin Batch.
"We need to play right through the match if we are going to be a regular top four team.
"The team are enjoying the win at the moment, we will debrief it tonight and then we have two days to prepare against England.
"We are pleased to be playing England, we expect that we will play much better than we did during pool play.
"England are a top side and they have proved that already winning all four games at the tournament."
Batch noted Shea McAleese, goalkeeper Devon Manchester and Russell as stand outs from the win, but said it was pleasing to see everyone in the team contributing and having a better performance.
In a game that was fast-paced and combative, the Kiwis played with the structure and speed that Batch was looking for.
The pressure paid off and they were handed the chance to double their lead when a penalty stroke was awarded and captain Dean Couzins stepped up, only to see his stroke hit the post.
In the second half, only determined defending maintained the Black Sticks' narrow lead. For the first 15 minutes of the second half Argentina were camped in the New Zealand half of the pitch.
With 20 minutes left on the clock and New Zealand hoping their semi-final spot was booked, Argentina's Matias Paredes scored from open play.
Drawn at fulltime, the teams began the penalty shootout. At the end of the first round, both teams remained tied with two successful penalty attempts each.
From there it was sudden death. First up, both Argentina and Hugo Inglis for New Zealand scored. Then, Argentina failed to score, and it was Hilton who became the hero of the hour as he took the ball wide around the goalkeeper and put New Zealand through to the semi-finals.
"This was an exciting way to win. We are really pleased with the first half, but there are still a lot of things we must improve," said Black Sticks captain Dean Couzins.
The semifinal against England is at 1.15am Saturday (NZ time).
Stuff
Kookaburras reach semi-finals
Aussie men come from behind to seal high scoring victory
Glenn Turner is congratulated on his 100th Cap by coach Ric Charlesworth before the India game. Photo: Grant Treeby / Treeby Images
The Kookaburras progressed to the semi-finals of the World League Finals tournament after a storming 7-2 victory over their Indian hosts in Delhi on Wednesday night. The result means that the Kookaburras will meet the Netherlands, conquerors of Germany, in the final four clash at 8pm local time on Friday night.
The Aussie men were made to work for their win, however, recovering from 2-0 down to storm to victory. Early goals from India’s Birendra Lakra and Yuvraj Walmiki put the hosts in the driving seat but the Kookaburras calmly worked themselves back into the match, first through Nick Budgeon’s penalty corner and then through Jason Wilson’s superb control.
On the stroke of half time centurion Glenn Turner, making his 100th appearance for Australia, converted from close range to give the World Champions a 3-2 lead at the break.
Australia began the second half as India had the first and within 12 minutes of the restart their lead had been extended to 6-2. Russell Ford’s near post flick made it 4-2 after excellent running by Simon Orchard before Orchard himself was rewarded with a goal of his own. Ford soon made it 6-2 from close range and once again it was Orchard that created the goal.
While India continued to threaten late on the Kookaburras netted a seventh with five minutes remaining; Jake Whetton pounced quickly to dig the ball out from underneath the goalkeeper before flicking it into the net.
Kookaburras Head Coach Ric Charlesworth said afterwards, “It was a messy start but a terrific, solid performance through the middle of the game. Some brilliant hockey was played and anybody who saw that would have been impressed by some of the skill.
“A lot of goals were so well constructed it was simply a case of pushing into an empty goal. They were the best chances and you don’t usually get so many of them.”
Looking ahead to Friday’s semi-final against the Netherlands he added, “It will be a different sort of game, very tough. We know and expect that.”
Speaking about his 100th appearance for the Kookaburras, Glenn Turner said, “It’s a very proud moment. To be part of such a great sporting team in Australia that’s had so much success – to play 100 games for them is something I never dreamed of.
“India came out hard like we knew they would, especially with the crowd behind them. We just had to stick to our game plan. It’s tough at times when you’re down two nil but bit by bit we came back and kept scoring a few goals.”
Goal scorer Simon Orchard said afterwards, “I caught fire for five minutes! We knew it would be a battle. We didn’t expect to go down early but once we gained control and held onto the ball a bit more the crowd disappeared in the second half. That’s what we tried to do. We talked about sustained attacking pressure, which is something that we weren’t doing at the start; we were just too end-to-end.
“There weren’t that many people in here but it was so loud. It’s awesome to play in front of a crowd like that and I think they [India] feed off that a lot, as we would but we just don’t experience things like that in Australia. A few of our guys probably haven’t played in front of a crowd that loud and you struggle to talk to each other, you struggle to communicate and struggle to hear anything.”
In the other quarter-finals, England overcame Belgium 1-0 while the Netherlands beat Germany 2-1. New Zealand and Argentina drew 1-1 before being separated by a shoot-out competition with the New Zealanders winning through 4-3.
World League Finals, Men
Pool B
New Delhi, India
On Twitter: @Kookaburras, #HHWL
KOOKABURRAS 7 (3)
Nick Budgeon 24 (PC)
Jason Wilson 29 (F)
Glenn Turner 35 (F)
Russell Ford 41,47 (F,F)
Simon Orchard 45 (F)
Jake Whetton 65 (F)
INDIA 2 (2)
Birendra Lakra 6 (F)
Yuvraj Walmiki 11 (F)
Quarter-Final results
England 1-0 Belgium
Germany 1-2 Netherlands
New Zealand 1-1 Argentina (NZL win 4-3 on shoot-out)
Australia 7-2 India
Semi-Final Fixtures - Friday, 17 January
5th-8th: Belgium v Argentina
5th-8th: Germany v India
Semi 1: England v New Zealand
Semi 2: Netherlands v Australia (1:30am AEDT Saturday / 10:30pm AWST)
Television
The Kookaburras' semi-final against Netherlands is expected to be shown live on ABC 1 at 1:30am AEDT in the early hours of Saturday morning. Viewers in non-AEDT states will be able to watch it on delay at 1:30am local times. The live TV broadcast means that the FIH YouTube live stream will be geo-blocked in Australia and will not be available to Australian viewers.
Kookaburras squad v India
(listed alphabetically by surname)
Name (Hometown) caps/goals
Started
George Bazeley (GK) (Melbourne, VIC) 68/0
Joel Carroll (Darwin, NT) 94/2
Liam De Young (Brisbane, QLD) 294/34
Tim Deavin (Launceston, TAS) 81/3
Kieran Govers (Wollongong, NSW) 81/38
Mark Knowles (Rockhampton, QLD) 222/18
Eddie Ockenden (Hobart, TAS) 197/51
Glenn Turner (Goulburn, NSW) 100/74
Jake Whetton (Brisbane, QLD) 44/18
Tristan White (Wollongong, NSW) 19/1
Aran Zalewski (Margaret River, WA) 24/3
Used Substitute
Daniel Beale (Brisbane, QLD) 18/5
Kiel Brown (Toowoomba, QLD) 142/4
Nick Budgeon (Hobart, TAS) 12/3
Russell Ford (Eltham, VIC) 141/68
Tyler Lovell (GK) (Perth, WA) 12/0
Simon Orchard (Maitland, NSW) 138/44
Jason Wilson (Kingscliff, QLD) 94/34
Hockey Australia media release
Turner reaches 100
Glenn Turner set to play his 100th game for the Kookaburras
Kookaburras forward Glenn Turner is set to make his 100th appearance for Australia in tonight’s World League quarter-final against India in Delhi.
The Kookaburras number four, who hails from Goulburn, made his senior international debut in a 5-2 win over France in Paris on 26 May 2009. He scored his first goals for his country in a 5-2 win over England at the Hamburg Masters two weeks later and has since gone on to score 73 times in his 99 appearances.
He was a member of the Kookaburras’ World Cup and Commonwealth Games winning teams in 2010 and added an Olympic bronze medal to his collection in London. A three-time winner of the Oceania Cup – most recently in Stratford last November – Turner also has gold medals from the 2009 and 2010 Champions Trophy winning campaigns.
Congratulations Glenn on reaching your century.
Hockey Australia media release
Australia rallies past India into last four
Uthra Ganesan
Australia's Russell Ford who scored two goals against India, in action with Yousuf Affan during the Hero Hockey World League match. Photo: R.V. Moorthy
It was the best start India had got off to in the tournament, but the end result was a 7-2 loss to world champion Australia, in the quarterfinals of the Hero Hockey World League Final at the National Stadium on Wednesday.
India took a 2-0 lead inside 15 minutes of play, and for the first 25 minutes, it was all about the host.
Birendra Lakra opened the scoring in the sixth minute. Yuvraj Walmiki made it 2-0 in the 11th, put through by M.B. Aiyappa.
Captain Sardar Singh was brilliant in the midfield, bisecting the opposition defence and distributing balls with precision. Aided by S. K. Uthappa and Kothajit Singh, Sardar was all over the Australians who found it impossible to dispossess him.
The Indian defence was stubborn too, not letting the Australians get anywhere close to the Indian goal.
But that was only for a while.
Australia inexorably gained ground on the hosts, and went into the break 3-2 ahead.
The Indians seemed to fall apart in the second half.
The Australians slammed in three more goals in the first ten minutes before Jacob Whetton scored the final goal in the 65th, a low shot from the left.
India’s biggest concern remains fitness. The intensity began withering after the first 25 minutes, and thereafter the Aussies took charge.
India next plays Germany in the 5-8 place play-offs.
Earlier, the Netherlands booked its spot in the semifinals with a 2-1 victory over Germany.
The Netherlands scored both goals in the first six minutes, the opening one within the first 20 seconds. Mink van der Weeden’s penalty corner attempt took a deflection and went in. Five minutes later, Seve van Ass was perfectly positioned to take a hit-in and guided the ball past Germany goalkeeper Nicolas Jacobi.
Post the break, the Germans fought back.
It was Oliver Korn who reduced the margin, sending the ball home after being put through by Florian Fuchs.
In another contest, New Zealand edged Argentina in sudden-death after the teams were tied 1-1 at the end of regulation time.
Earlier, England held off a persistent Belgium to become the first team to make it to the last four.
The results: Quarterfinals: Australia 7 (Russell Ford 2, Nicholas Budgeon, Jason Wilson, Glenn Turner, Simon Orchard, Jacob Whetton) bt India 2 (Birendra Lakra, Yuvraj Walmiki).
England 1 (Tom Carson) bt Belgium 0.
The Netherlands 2 (Mink van der Weeden, Seve van Ass) bt Germany 1 (Oliver Korn).
New Zealand 1 (Kane Russell) bt Argentina 1 (Matias Parades), via tie-break.
The Hindu
Indians scare Aussies before going down tamely
s2h team
India flattered to deceive against World champions Australia here tonight. The young and inexperienced Indian team, ranked a lowly 10th in the world, shocked the mighty Australians with two stunning field goals in the first 11 minutes. And then they continued in the same vein for another 13 minutes.
It took all of 24 minutes for the Australians to wake up and realise the damage. Celebrated coach Ric Charlesworth, who questioned India’s ability to believe in themselves after India’s good showing against Olympic champions Germany in the previous match, conceded today after the match that he was a worried man. "Yes, I was worried. I have seen many teams dominating the match lose in the end. We were 0-2 down and yes I was definitely worried,’’ he said.
Indian coach Terry Walsh continued to harp on the lack of physiological abilities and the rough play as reasons and did not agree that India lacked the mental fitness to take advantage of such early lead.
India rarely plays a defensive strategy and they get carried away by sparks of brilliance and that is what exactly happened today as India is never trained to slow down the game and play cool. But the Walsh said that the rattling of the might Aussies in itself was a big take-away today despite the huge loss.
One player who played a key role in Australia waking up from their slumber was Glenn Turner. It is his 100th international match in the Australian senior team and the man of the match may be an icing on the cake, but the bald-plated attacking striker set-up two goals and scored one which rallied the Kookas and got them the peace of mind as they went into the break.
For the record, Birenda Lakra powerful hit in the sixth minute deflected off a defender’s stick into the goal. Five minutes later, Yuvraj Walmiki, celebrated his return to Indian team after a long gap and the 3000-odd crowd erupted into a roar and continued to egg on the Indians. Not until the Australian equalizer did the cheering stop.
In the 24th minute when Nicholas Budgeon pulled one back for the Australians team with a powerful drag flick past Indian goalie Sreejesh and within five minute Jason Wilson struck the equaliser. It was a long cross into the India `D’ by Man of the Match Glenn Turner from the right flank that rose dangerously before Wilson slotted in but the umpire ignored the dangerous play and whistled for a goal.
When one thought that the teams will break at the half time on equal terms, Aussie gained the advantage converting one more field goal. It was Jacob Whetton who set-up the goal nicely for Turner who made no mistake at the all-important end.
The second half was goal fest for Australia as they added four more. Like a wounded tiger, they came back with vengeance through two goals from Russel Ford in the 41st and 47th minutes. Simon Orchard scored in between in the 45th minute while Whetton rounded it off five minutes before the hooter for a 7-2 rout.
Stick2Hockey.com
India thrashed 7-2 by Oz after taking 2-0 lead in quarterfinal
Biswajyoti Brahma
NEW DELHI: India generated a lot of heat for a while but then got steamrolled on a chilly night at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here on Wednesday. The hosts blew away a two-goal advantage and were plastered 7-2 by Australia in the quarterfinals of the Hero Hockey World League Final.
The Indians gave it their all in the first 25 minutes and took a 2-0 lead as the fans cheered and the Australian team's coach Rick Charlesworth shook his head in disbelief. But then, the Indians ran out of steam and became easy meat.
They will now play Olympic champions Germany in the classification match for 5-8 positions. World No.1 Germany earlier lost to the Netherlands in another quarterfinal.
England and New Zealand were the other teams which made the semifinals.
India started the match on a positive note and warmed up well with incessant attacks. In the sixth minute, Dharamveer Singh ran in from the half line and passed inside the circle to Birendra Lakra whose shot was deflected in by an Australian defender. Five minutes later, MB Aiyappa's pass near the circle saw Nikkin Thimmaiah cleverly reverse flicked towards a waiting Yuvraj Walmiki, who had no problem in tapping the ball home much to the delight of the sizeable home crowd.
The hosts' intention to put pressure on the rivals from the word go was evident from the first move of the match as the Indians penetrated the Australian circle in the first minute with an attack from the left. After scoring two goals, they were all over the Australians with several runs inside the rival circle. They maintained the 2-0 lead till the 24th minute, but the script changed dramatically after Australia scored their first goal.
Nicholas Budgeon's penalty corner conversion was followed by two more goals in the first half itself, including one in the final minute before the half time hooter.
It was an altogether different story in the second half as a tired-looking India struggled to break the Australian defence. The Aussies looked charged up as they completely dominated the match and scored at will. They scored thrice in the first 12 minutes of the second half to make it 6-2 with the Indian defence looking absolutely clueless and dispirited.
The Indians knew there was no way they could come back from this onslaught. They did manage to get a couple of penalty corners towards the end but it counted for nothing. The last match between the two sides at the same venue, during the 2010 Commonwealth Games, had ended 8-0 in Australia's favour.
Earlier, the Netherlands denied Germany a place in the semifinals with a 2-1 win. The Dutch exposed the chinks in the German defence in the first half, slamming home twice before the break. Germany tried hard to make a comeback into the match and managed to reduce the margin in the 38th minute. But they could not do anything more than that.
Belgium were left to rue missed opportunities as they were shown the door by England in the first quarterfinal of the day. It was not Belgium's day as Tom Carson's 47th minute goal tilted the match in England's favour.
New Zealand missed a penalty stroke and conceded a late equaliser, but they held their nerve to script a thrilling win in sudden death against a lively Argentina.
Results: Australia (Nicolas Budgeon 24, Jason Wilson 29, Glenn Turner 35, Ford Russel 41, 47, Simon Orchard 45, Jacob Wheton 65) beat India (Birendra Lakra 6, Yuvraj Walmiki 11): 7-2; New Zealand beat Argentina 1-1 (sudden death after 2-2 in tie-breaker); The Netherlands beat Germany 2-1; England beat Belgium 1-0
Semis lineup: New Zealand vs England; The Netherlands vs Australia
The Times of India
India suffer 2-7 thrashing by Australia after early domination
NEW DELHI: India squandered a two-goal lead to suffer a 2-7 hammering at the hands of world champions Australia and crash out of the Hero Hockey World League Final on Wednesday.
Much to the surprise of the Australians, India took a two-goal lead in the first 15 minutes of the opening half of the quarterfinal match through Birendra Lakra (6th minute) and Yuvraj Walmiki (11th minute).
But the Australians showed tremendous fighting spirit to score three goals in the opening period through Nicholas Budgeon (24th), Jason Wilson (29th) and Glenn Turner (35th) to go into the break with their nose ahead.
After the changeover, Australia went on rampage as they scored goals at will through Russell Ford (41st, 47th), Simon Orchard (45th) and Jacob Whetton (65th) to teach the hosts a lesson in hockey at floodlit Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.
Contrary to the final result, it was india who dominated the early share of exchanges with some sharp moves.
At 10th, they might be languishing eight places below Australia in the world rankings, but the Indians looked a superior side at least in the first 20 minutes of the game.
India made a promising start and came close to scoring in the opening minute of the match through a fine build up from S K Uthappa and Mandeep Singh.
For the second match on the trot, the Indian midfield and forwardline coordinated well to create numerous scoring opportunities and trouble the Australian defence.
In fact, the fancied Kookaburras were caught napping by the pace of India's relentless attacks in the first 20 minutes of the match.
India stunned Australia as early as in the sixth minute when Lakra scored from an acute angle after receiving a pass from Dharamvir Singh.
Australia got their first scoring opportunity in the 11th minute when Amit Rohidas' sloppy defending cost India a penalty corner but it was kept out by a brilliant P R Sreejesh in Indian goal to deny Nicholas Budgeon.
But India took the opportunities that came their way in the initial stages and doubled the lead against the run of play through Yuvraj who was right place at the right time to tap home after a build up from Nikkin Thimmaiah and M B Aiyappa.
After the initial struggle, Australia got their composure back and slowly and steadily came back into the match.
Australia earned their second penalty corner in the 24th minute and this time Budgeon made no mistake and found the back of the Indian net with a powerful grounded flick that went through the legs of Sreejesh.
Five minutes later, Australia drew parity when Wilson tapped in from close range after receiving a pass from Daniel Beale.
The equalising goal seemed to have pumped up the Kookaburras who put the Indian defence under pressure thereafter and took the lead for the first time in the match through an unmarked Turner at the far end by gently deflecting the ball in from an acute angle to go into the breather with a 3-2 lead.
The second half witnessed an altogether different Australia as they toyed with the Indian defence to score three quick goals to consolidate their lead, much to the disappointment of the home crowd.
Just six minutes into the second period, Russell Ford extended Australia's lead with a field goal after he was set up by Turner and Wilson.
If that was not enough, Australia pumped in two more field goals in a span of six minutes to douse India's hopes of a stunning win.
First Orchard scored from a counter attack and then two minutes later, Ford tapped in a short backpass from Turner to make the scoreline 6-2 in favour of Australia.
India looked a completely different side after the change of ends. The Indians looked a tired lot as they struggled to match the physical fitness and pace of the Australians, leaving open spaces in the pitch for the world number side to exploit.
An unmarked Yuvraj got a great chance to score his second goal of the match in the 48th minute but he shot straight to an onrushing Australian goalkeeper George Bazeley.
India managed to earn their first penalty corner soon but as has been the case so far in the tournament for the hosts, V R Raghunath flicked wide.
India earned two more penalty corners in the last 10 minutes of the match, but on both occasion Amit Rohidas came short.
Australia added salt to India's wound when Whetton scored another field goal just five minutes from the final hooter.
It turned out to be old sorry tale for the Indians who had been on the losing side against the mighty Australians since the 0-8 thrashing in 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Australia now play Netherlands in the second semifinal on Friday, while India will up against Germany for the 5-8th place classification match the same day.
The Times of India
Physical fitness was the major difference: Walsh
NEW DELHI: Chief Coach Terry Walsh said physical fitness was the major difference between India and Australia as the hosts surrendered meekly after making a bright start to their quarterfinal match of the Hero Hockey World League Finals today.
India, after taking two goal lead, were hammered 2-7 by world champions Australia to crash of the semifinal race at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here.
Walsh said after the early domination India "ran into a wall" as far physiology was concerned.
"It was a very positive start. Australia were disintegrated in the first 20 minutes but physiologically we ran into a wall. Australia were much more stronger and powerful than us. Australia are physically much more superior than us," Walsh said at the post match press conference.
"It was will take time, probably 9-10 months, to get to that position. You can't expect to match Australia physically overnight."
Walsh said despite the eventual result he was happy with his team's performance in the match.
"I am happy with the way we cut through their midfield. But our skill level deteriorated as the match progressed. We did run out of steam and our defensive organisation lost its shape," he said.
"The positive things to come out of this game are that we were able to take on the world number 2 side, challenge them and score a few goals."
Insisting that the 2-7 scoreline was not a reflection of the gap between the two sides, Walsh praised Australia for their fighting spirit to register the come-from-behind win.
"The scoreline reflects their ability to finish. We had a few other chances in the match that we couldn't put through.
"Australia's skill level didn't deteriorate from the first to the last minute. You must give them credit," he said.
Australia' coach Ric Charlesworth said he was never worried after India took a 2-0 lead in the first 11 minutes of the game.
"I have seen everything in hockey. I have seen teams dominating the entire match and then lose. We are a team that like to score goals and manufacture goals. We knew our team good. I think our team is the best in the world and it would be hard for India to play against us," Charlesworth said.
"When we took control of the game, India struggled," he added.
Charlesworth, however, had words of appreciation for India for their impressive performance against his side.
"You have to give credit to the other team. We were a bit loose early on. India has a young and inexperienced side compared to other teams and they will take time," he said.
The Times of India
India Should Concentrate on Improving Hockey Every Day: Knowles
Olympic gold medallist and Australia captain Mark Knowles believes that the Indian team can do much better in international hockey if it concentrates on improving every day instead of trying to improve only during important tournaments.
The 29-year-old, who was part of the gold medal winning team at the 2004 Athens Games, explained that though World No.10 India can beat any team on a given day, it lacks the consistency to perform regularly against the best.
“India can definitely beat any team on any given day but they lack the consistency like the top teams in the world. One thing that (Australia head coach) Ric Charlesworth says is that every time you go on the field, you have to improve, be better and try within yourself, not just when the coach is yelling at you,” Knowles told IANS.
“I sometimes really wonder if the Indians are trying to improve everyday. They are always trying to improve around big tournaments, but is it everyday? That is where probably I would look and say they can make the most improvement. Otherwise, they are very fast, skilful and have a very good penalty corner attack.”
Knowles, who also won two Olympic bronze medals in 2008 Beijing and 2012 London, added that India is the envy of other teams because of the support staff they have.
“It depends how much they take out of (India chief coach) Terry Walsh of Australia and how much influence he can have. India have got (High Performance Director) Roelant Oltmans who is a very experienced Dutch coach.
"So they have Australian, Dutch and Indian feel at the same time. A lot of countries around the world would love to have that mix,” said Knowles, who was also part of the 2010 World Cup winning team here.
The Kookaburra is of the opinion that Indian players should take the Hockey India League (HIL) as a learning opportunity and try and squeeze out as much as possible from the foreign players.
“Last year we could see the guys getting better. That’s probably one of the things why the HIL is so great for hockey. With all the international players mixing with the Indian players, the level is going to get higher. We try and learn things from others and they should be trying to learn as well,” added the Queenslander, who played for the Jaypee Punjab Warriors in the inaugural HIL.
Named the 2007 World's Best Young Player by the international hockey federation (FIH), Knowles admitted he and his team love coming and playing in India.
“The one thing we love about coming to India is when we get a chance to play here. I don't like coming here and not getting to play them. There are quite a few players in our team who have never been to India before. I think this is a moment in their life they need to be excited about,” said the Australian.
The New Indian Express
We were flattered by the scoreline: Charlesworth
s2h team
The Australian Chief Coalch Dr Ric Charlesworth said that the Aussies were flattered by the scoreline of 7-2 after being down 0-2 while talking about the Kookaburras performance after the India – Australia outing in the quarterfinals of the World League Final on Wedneday.
"We are flattered by the scoreline but it is not a fair indicator of the close fight till we bounced back. I am very pleased that we are into the next phase. We have allowed the Indians to go after us in the first 15 minutes. And, yes, I was worried. When you are 2-0 down, you have to work hard to get back. I am glad we did that,’’ he said with a relief.
"It was a messy start but a terrific, solid performance through the middle of the game. Some brilliant hockey was played and anybody who saw that would have been impressed by some of the skills we showcased,’’ he added.
"A lot of goals were so well constructed, it was simply a case of pushing into an empty goal. They were the best chances and you don’t usually get so many of them.’’\
Now Australia will play the Netherlands, in a repeat of London Olympic final, in the semifinals. The coach felt that the semis against the Dutch team would be very tough. "We know and expect that,’’ he said.
Centurion Glenn Turner said that he was proud of playing 100 matches for Australia. The Hockey world would not have seen this attacking striker had his rugby-playing father not lost a bet with his hockey-playing neighbor when Glenn was 5 years old. "It is a very proud moment. To be part of such a great sporting team in Australia that’s had so much success and to play 100 games for them is something I never dreamt of.
"India came out hard like we knew they would, especially with the crowd behind them. We just had to stick to our game plan. It’s tough at times when you are down two nil but bit by bit we came back and kept on scoring a few goals,’’ he added.
Simon Orchard, who also entered his name on the scorer’s sheet, said: "I caught fire for five minutes! We knew it would be a battle. We did not expect to go down easily but once we gained control and held on to the ball a bit more the crowd disappeared in the second half. That’s what we tried to do. We talked about sustained attacking pressure which is something that we were not doing at the start,. We were just too end-to-end.’’
Stick2Hockey.com
Ireland beat Spain 2-0 to win series
Two second half goals from UCD’s Anna O’Flanagan were enough for Ireland’s Women to beat Spain 2-0 in Terassa today and seal a 2-1 series victory with 1 drawn game amongst the two sides in a 4 game trip.
The first half was a tame affair in terms of goal scoring opportunities but the better of the chances did fall to Ireland. The Green Army failed to convert on their chances but Ireland won the penalty corner PC count by 2 to 1 in that first period. The score remained at 0-0 at half-time
Ireland stepped up a gear after the break and Anna O’Flanagan converted early in the half to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. Ireland didn’t have it all their own way though and goalkeeper Emma Gray was in fine form in the Irish goal to thwart any Spanish opportunities during a hectic spell in the second half.
Ireland weathered the Spanish storm comfortably mid-way through the half and got a stronger foothold on proceedings as the game headed towards a conclusion with Nikki Evans going close for the Green Army. In the end, Ireland had to wait till just before the end to claim the victory when UCD’s O’Flanagan popped up again to make it 2-0 with a great deflected goal.
The result caps off a good few days in Spain for the Green Army and secured a welcomed test victory against very good opposition.
Spain 0-2 Ireland
Ireland Squad v Spain: Pamela Smithwick - Old Alex – Goalkeeper; Emma Gray - Hermes – Goalkeeper; Michelle Harvey – Pegasus/Leuven – Defender; Ali Meeke – Loreto – Defender; Yvonne O'Byrne – Cork Harlequins – Defender; Audrey O'Flynn – Hermes – Defender; Cliodhna Sargent – Cork Harlequins – Defender; Emily Beatty - UCD – Midfield; Megan Frazer – Ballymoney/Holcombe – Midfield; Lisa Jacob – Hermes/SCHC – Midfield; Gillian Pinder – UCD – Midfield; Chloe Watkins – UCD/Club de Campo – Midfield; Naomi Carroll – Catholic Institute – Striker; Deidre Duke – UCD – Striker; Nikki Evans – UCD – Striker; Katie Mullan – UCD – Striker; Anna O'Flanagan – UCD – Striker; Vanessa Surgeoner – Pegasus - Striker
Irish Hockey Association media release
Ireland 3-5 Spain Men's Third Test
Ireland played Spain in their third and final match today in Terrassa, Spain closing out the wrong end of a 5-3 scoreline.
Ireland started well opening up early thanks to a nice reverse stick finish from UCD’s Peter Brown in just the second minute of play. Ireland held their lead until the 22nd minute when a defensive error allowed the Spanish to sneak in to draw level at 1-1 thanks to Santi Freixa’s handiwork. Ireland responded immediately just sixty seconds later reinstating their lead after Jeremy Duncan finished off the rebound from Shane O’Donoghues reverse stick effort to make it 2-1 before Spain once again drew back in the 24th minute, Xavi Lleonart converting this time to make it 2-2 at the break.
Ireland took the lead once again in the second half David Carson capitalising from good team work by the Green Machine turning over the Spanish. A spat of three penalty corners and three precise executions gave the Spanish all they needed to win the game out 5-3 despite a good Irish performance.
Ireland 3 (2) Peter Brown 2m; Jeremy Duncan 23m; David Carson 43m
Spain 5 (2) Santi Freixa 22m; Xavi Lleonart 24m; David Alegre 57m; Miki Delàs 63m; Manel Terraza
Full set of Results from Spanish Camp
11th January
Men Ireland 1-1 Spain 15.30 Junior Futbol Club (Sant Cugat)
Women Ireland 2-3 Spain 18.00 Terrassa Estadium (Terrassa)
12th January
Women Ireland 4-2 Spain 14.00 Terrassa Estadium (Terrassa).
13th January
Men Ireland 1-3 Spain 15.30 Club Egara (Terrassa)
14th January
Women Ireland 0-0 Spain 12.00 Terrassa Estadium (Terrassa)
15th January
Women Ireland 2-0 Spain 11.30 Terrassa Estadium (Terrassa)
Men Ireland 3-5 Spain 15.30 Atletic Terrassa Hockey Club (Terrassa)
Irish Hockey Association media release
Scotland aim for European promotion and World Cup qualification in Switzerland
Scotland Senior Men are setting their sights on a promotion push this weekend as they compete in the EuroHockey Indoor Nations Championship II, taking place in Bern, Switzerland from 17-19 January.
The Scots feature in Pool A and are scheduled to play Belarus, France and hosts Switzerland. Belgium, Denmark, Slovakia and Ukraine make up the teams included in Pool B.
Teams finishing in the top two of the competition will qualify for the EuroHockey Indoor Nations Championship in 2016, and will also qualify for the FIH Indoor World Cup in 2015 along with the top six nations in the EuroHockey Indoor Nations Championship taking place in Vienna this weekend.
Scotland Senior Men Head Coach Derek Forsyth commented, “Our target is to finish in the top two and qualify for the FIH Indoor World Cup. It will be a great challenge as each team will be aiming for this.
“There are no favourites as all of the teams are on a very similar level. It’s more about who is mentally strongest as there will be lots going on and with new umpire rules, its making sure we don’t get distracted. Any team is capable of beating one another to cause an upset so there is no margin for error.”
Forsyth’s players enter the continental competition on the back of an encouraging Tri-Nations success against Belgium and England in Brussels last weekend. The national side remained unbeaten throughout, recording two wins and two draws to run out winners of the round-robin.
“We haven’t had that much build-up, competing at the Grove Menzieshill tournament over Christmas and Brussels last weekend, but we are in a good place”, said Forsyth. “It’s going to be tough we just need to be prepared and expect the unexpected.”
Scottish official Iain McKay is installed as Tournament Director, while Gavin Cruickshanks travels as a named umpire.
For more information, please visit the EuroHockey Indoor Nations Championship II tournament website
http://www.indoorhockeybern2014.org/
All matches will be broadcast live online via Swiss Sport TV
Follow the tournament on social media via Facebook and Twitter #EHICBern14
https://www.facebook.com/EHICBern2014 https://twitter.com/Eurohockey_2014
Scotland Senior Men: Allan Dick (Holcombe), David Forrester (Old Loughtonians), Chris Grassick (Inverleith), Michael Ross (Grove Menzieshill), Iain Scholefield (Qui Vive), Gavin Byers (Doncaster), Alan Forsyth (Glynhill Kelburne), David Forsyth (Qui Vive), Niall Stott (East Grinstead), Ross Stott (East Grinstead), William Marshall (Glynhill Kelburne), Kenny Bain (THC Hurley).
Officials: Iain McKay (Tournament Director), Gavin Cruickshanks (Umpire).
Scottish Hockey Union media release
DOUBLE HONOURS: Scorpions sting GRA as Orange thump Twende
By ELIZABETH MBURUGU in KAMPALA
Orange celebrate scoring at the Africa Hockey Club championships in Kampala yesterday
Strathmore ladies beat Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) 2-1 in the ongoing Africa Hockey Club championships at Lugogo stadium in Kampala.
Defending champions Orange Telkom beat Twende of Tanzania 3-0 to better their chances of retaining the title.
Strathnore ladies better known as Scorpions making their second attempt to the continental crown have won all their matches.
Head coach Meshack Senge was full of praise for his charges saying, “We earned victory because the players followed instructions.”
“They understand that they have to play as a unit and that has had positive results.”
They went into the match full of confidence counter attacking and defending. Their efforts paid off in the 21st minute when Yvonne Wanjiku sent the ball past GRA goalkeeper Grace Mensah.
The Ghanians composed themselves playing on the offensive and threatening Strathmore defence. Emelia Fosuaa converted a penalty corner leveling the score three minutes to the breather.
Wanjiku was at it again scoring the winning goal in the 35th minute earning the Scorpions their second win.
Defending champions Orange beat Tanzanian’s Twende to book a semi-final spot.
Caroline Guchu put the champs ahead in the 13th minute through a short corner.
Tanzanian girls, determined to contain the champs defended well keeping them at bay. Jacqueline Jow put Orange two up before the halftime whistle.
Margaret Rotich converted a penalty corner in the 61st minute to seal the much needed victory.
Speaking after the match, head coach Jos Openda was very optimistic they will fight hard to retain the title.
Smaller margin
“We won by a smaller margin, we wanted more goals but the three points are more important,” he said.
“We look forward to our semi-final match hoping to retain our title,” he added.
Kenya Police suffered their first loss against Egypt Police.
They were beaten 4-1 by their North African counterparts.
Kenya Police went up in the 23rd minute through midfielder Oliver Echenje who dribbled from the left beating the Egypt defence.
They maintained the lead to the 35th minute when Adlelaal Mohab punished them for losing focus.
They played a balanced second half with both teams fighting hard to take the lead. Eldinaly Heshem converted a penalty corner putting the Pharaohs ahead in the 61st minute.
Four minutes later Mohamed Ahmad punished Kenya Police for not being alert while on patrol scoring a fantastic field goal.
Mohab was at it again sealing the 4-1 victory. Police now have to win all their remaining matches to make it to the semi-finals.
The Standard Online
GHB/Diamond Mineral Water Int’l Indoor Hockey Festival (Guyana)
Revamp, Hikers and GCC Tigers share honours on final night
By Michael DaSilva
Canada’s Revamp men’s team show off their first place trophy for the just concluded GHB/Diamond Mineral Water Int’l Indoor Hockey festival
Canada’s Revamp men’s hockey team along with Guyana’s Hikers veterans and Georgetown Cricket Club’s (GCC) ladies shared the honours when the Guyana Hockey Board/Diamond Mineral Water International Indoor Hockey Festival came to an end on Sunday night at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue.
The Canadian side, led by Roberts’ efforts, defeated Trinidad and Tobago’s Queen’s Park Oval 4-0 in the men’s final. Roberts contributed a double. Roberts who represents Canada internationally was subsequently named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
In the Carib sponsored men veterans’ final, Hikers out-ran GCC men’s 7-4 to retain the veterans’ trophy and cash prize.
In the Digicel sponsored ladies final, GCC Tigers outlived Trinidad and Tobago’s Malvern by a 4-2 margin to clinch their fourth title since the tournament started some nine years ago.
A roaring and vociferous crowd witnessed the close of the Festival as the Canadian men of Revamp Hockey Club completed their domination of the men’s division by winning the men’s final. The crowd, however, was even more enthusiastic to see local national champs, the GCC Tigers, defeat Malvern in a more competitive and highly entertaining Digicel ladies’ final.
In an all Guyana Carib veterans’ final, Guyana enjoyed two of the three grand prizes at stake.
In the men’s final, Roberts’ fellow international, Micah Texeira, opened Revamp’s account through a well-executed penalty corner in the first half. However, Queen’s Park remained competitive with a tight defense marshalled by Guyanese Jerazeno Bell.
Roberts netted his first goal of the match five minutes into the second half and Canada went ahead by three when Jewan Bath found the back of the net with a deceptive penalty corner strike three minutes later. While Queen’s Park was more competitive than the score suggests, men’s goalkeeper of the tournament, Pradeep Koonar, thwarted several of their attacks to maintain a clean sheet.
Roberts then sealed the deal for Canada with his second goal in the closing minutes to pull off the 4-0 victory for Revamp.
The GCC Tigers, having qualified first for the Digicel women’s final, had to await the outcome of the pool match between Toronto Toros of Canada and Malvern to know their opponents.
Based on the outcomes of earlier matches most in attendance expected the Toros to qualify but Malvern managed to show their quality and execute a successful game plan to keep them in the running for the title.
As Malvern and GCC squared off in the final, striker Kerensa Fernandes set the pace with a neat deflection off a penalty corner pass to score the first goal for the Tigers and the match three minutes into play.
Ladies competition leading goal-scorer Krezia Layne, managed to produce a rare penalty corner goal for Malvern against tournament top goalkeeper and ladies MVP, Alysa Xavier in the sixth minute. GCC’s Trisha Woodroffe however answered one minute later with a similar penalty corner strike for GCC to maintain their one goal lead at the half.
Five minutes into the second half, Captain Sonia Jardine produced a moment of brilliance in eliminating the defence down the right flank before drawing the goalkeeper and sliding her pass to Fernandes who scored her second of the match. At 3-1 down and time against them, Malvern opted to withdraw their goalkeeper from the court in preference of an extra field player.
The tactic changed the complexion of the game as the Tigers defence struggled for a bit with the additional pressure. The risk however left Malvern vulnerable in defence and with outstanding goalkeeping from Xavier, it was GCC who would score next as youngest player of the side, Aliyah Gordon, pounced on a loose ball after a goal-mouth scramble to score her first goal of the match four minutes from full time.
Layne managed to pull one goal back for Malvern in the dying minutes but it was too little too late as the Tigers held out for the 4-2 victory and fourth title of the Festival.
The Carib veterans’ final saw the younger Hickers out-run an aging GCC, with the game all but decided at 4-1 by half time. The addition of Jerazeno Bell to the defending champions’(Hickers) side put the game beyond GCC’s reach as Bell himself scored two of his team’s first half goals while Amanda Garnett and James Mentore notched the other two.
GCC’s Alan Fernandes was on target with the first goal of the game in just the fourth minute but it was all Hickers for the rest of the half. The second half belonged to former national captain and Hickers’ midfielder, Devin Munroe, whose athletic ability made him a menace for the GCC defence.
Munroe was first to score in the second half of play before GCC finally came alive through a Damon Woodroffe penalty corner and a Philip Fernandes field goal. Munroe then scored two more to complete his hat- trick before GCC’s Alan Fernandes scored his second of the match in the very final minute.
Canada’s Jonathan Roberts and Pardeep Koonar, both of Revamp HC, were voted MVP and best goalkeeper of the men’s competition while Queen’s Park’s Nicholas Wren was highest goal-scorer. GCC’s Alysa Xavier was the recipient of both the MVP and best goalkeeper awards for the women while Malvern’s Krezia Layne was highest goal-scorer.
In the veterans’ competition, Jerazeno Bell, making his veteran debut was voted MVP with Azad DeAbreu also of the Hickers being selected as Best goalkeeper.
GCC’s Philip Fernandes was the highest goal-scorer.
Pan American Hockey Federation
Football Club Stay Ahead With Valley Win in HK Hockey
By Bill Cox
Great goal by HKFC-A attacker Rob Todd in their match Hong Kong Hockey Association Premier Division match at the Hong Kong Football Club ground against Valley-A on Sunday Jan 12, 2014. HKFC-A won the encounter 6-1. (Bill Cox/Epoch Times)
With the exception of the HKFC-A vs Valley-A match and the Shaheen-A vs HKFC-B one, all other teams had a fairly gentle run in for their first matches of 2014.
The derby game between HKFC-A and Valley-A lived up to its billing with some fast competitive hockey, but Valley-A were short of some of their regular players and it showed in their overall performance. HKFC-A were awarded several penalty corners and a penalty in the early stages of the match that set them on the scoring path and they were 3-nil at half time.
Both sides were fast and determined in their tackling, but Club’s distribution of the ball and finishing gave them the edge. Valley’s goalie, Dan Pickering made some good acrobatic saves, but could not stem the tide of some fast attacking play. The final score was 6-1 to HKFC-A keeping them at the top of the table.
HKFC-B also had a good match and came away with a point from their fixture with Shaheen-A. The 1-all result still gives HKFC-B the possibility of finishing the first round in the top half of the table if they win their next match against Pak-A and if SSSC-A lose to KCC-A. However, KCC-A seem at a very low ebb, so for KCC-A to win against SSSC-A would be a big achievement.
In the other matches, Khalsa-A strolled to victory over SSSC-B 11-nil; Punjab beat SSSC-A 7-5 in a fairly low key manner; KNS-A had a good 4-1 victory over beleaguered KCC-A and Pak-A beat Elite-A 5-2.
Next Week’s Matches
The big match next week is the top of the table clash between HKFC-A and Khalsa-A to decide bragging rights for the top position. This game is rather important to Club-A as if they lose they are likely to drop from first to third in the table as Punjab-A are expected to win their match against Elite-A.
The Valley-A match against Shaheen-A should also be a well contested game.
Women
The seven teams in the women’s Premier division all completed their first round of matches prior to the New Year break and will restart the first of six second-half matches this coming weekend.
The leading teams at the break were Valley-A and HKFC-A, both having 14-points, but Valley are on top of the standings as they have a better goal difference. Shaheen-A are on 12-points, KCC-A 10-points, HKFC-B 7-points, Dutch 3-points and Recreio-A are still waiting their first positive result.
The Epoch Times
Australian U15 indoor finals conclude
New South Wales take top honours at U15 indoor National Championships
It was another double success for New South Wales at the U15 boys and girls Indoor National Championships in Brisbane as the youngsters in sky blue took both titles.
In the girls’ competition Queensland took home silver while Western Australia picked up bronze.
In the boys’ competition Victoria were the beaten finalists while WA picked up their second bronze medal of the day.
Victoria girls were fourth after losing out 2-1 to WA while ACT got the better of Tasmania in the battle for fifth and sixth.
In the girls’ final, a goal six minutes from time from Abigail Wilson, her second of the match, sealed victory for New South Wales for whom Chloe Barrett and Wilson scored either side of half time. Queensland had taken the lead inside five minutes through Samantha Pembroke but NSW turned the game to go 2-1 up before Tayla Madden levelled with nine minutes to play. But it was Wilson’s second, from open play, which proved decisive three minutes later.
Goals from Annie Gibbs and Karri Somerville earned WA a 2-1 win over Victoria although they were forced to come from behind after Carly James’ 18th minute penalty corner put Victoria a goal up shortly before half time.
In the fifth-sixth playoff ACT took a three goal lead over Tasmania midway through the second half as Ashleigh Deacon’s penalty corner added to open play goals from Mikayla Bell and Renae Robinson. Tasmania pulled one back through Olivia Canning shortly afterwards but Bell netted her second, ACT’s fourth, to all but seal the victory. There was still time for SJ McCann to find the net from another Tasmanian penalty corner late on to narrow the deficit as ACT won 4-2.
In a comprehensive final performance New South Wales’ U15 boys took their title in style as they won 9-1 over Victoria. Rhiley Carr’s second minute penalty stroke gave NSW the early impetus and goals from Christian Roberts and Ehren Hazell put NSW 3-0 up at half time. Dalton Medcalf made it 4-0 midway through the second half before Ryan Nangle pulled one back for VIC. It was to be the second of six goals in the final nine minutes of the match as Callum Mackay, Corey Rowland (2), Carr and Hazell all added to the NSW tally in a frantic final period.
A 3-3 draw between the two beaten semi-finalists – WA and Queensland – meant that third place was determined by which side had finished higher in the pool phase. And so it was that Western Australia took third but they will be sincerely grateful to Ben Taylor who scored all three goals for WA, completing a full house of field goal, penalty corner and penalty stroke. Carter Chappell gave the Queenslanders the lead on the stroke of half time before Taylor equalised four minutes after the restart. Two more from Taylor put WA 3-1 ahead with five minutes remaining as he scored twice in the space of four minutes but QLD fought back strongly to level through Luke Armstrong and Jacob Robertson.
Tasmania took fifth after drawing 3-3 with ACT in the fifth-sixth playoff, which subsequently forced ACT into a battle for sixth place with South Australia. Despite falling behind three times, Tasmania refused to lie down with Rory Walker cancelling out Steven Bird’s early strike, Joshua Atherton nullifying Hayden Vaitekenas’ goal and Reid Bourke equalising Max Costello’s goal late on.
The ACT boys then enjoyed a thrilling 6-4 win over South Australia in the battle for sixth and seventh. Hayden Vaitekenas bagged four goals for ACT with Anand Gupte netting a brace. For SA, who took the lead in the 12 minute, Samuel Davies scored twice while Aidan Stock and Paxton Silby each got one.
Congratulations to all of the teams and coaches involved. Hockey Australia is grateful to all of the event volunteers, supporters, teams, coaching staff, family and State Associations that make events such as this so successful.
Final Standings – U15 girls
1. NSW
2. QLD
3. WA
4. VIC
5. ACT
6. TAS
Final Standings – U15 boys
1. NSW
2. VIC
3. WA
4. QLD
5. TAS
6. ACT
7. SA
Hockey Australia media release