News 19 January 2014
All the news for Sunday 19 January 2014
The Netherlands are winners of the Hero Hockey World League Final
New Zealand take Silver, England defeat Australia to win Bronze
The Netherlands celebrate their win of the inaugural Hockey World League. (Photo: FIH / Frank Uijlenbroek)
The Netherlands won the first ever Hockey World League after cruising to a 7-2 victory in the final of the Hero Hockey World League Final. England are Bronze medal winners in the inaugural Hockey World League thanks to their 2-1 win over Australia.
New Zealand v The Netherlands 2-7 (0-3)
The Netherlands won the first ever Hockey World League after cruising to a 7-2 victory in the final of the Hero Hockey World League Final. Dutch captain Robert van der Horst said: “This was a very good result, we knew we were able to play hard, and we needed to stick to our game plan, which is speeding up and skilful hockey. However the final score of 7-2 is unbelievable.”
A cagey first 10 minutes saw both teams testing their opposition, but providing very few real scoring opportunities. It was the Netherlands who broke the deadlock when Constantijn Jonkers (17') scored the first of his three goals from an almost impossible angle past Devon Manchester in the Black Sticks goal. The Netherlands turned up the pressure in the last 15 minutes of the first half, winning two penalty corners and keeping the Black Sticks pinned in their half of the pitch. A second goal was added by Billy Bakker (23') as the men in black struggled to cope with the ferocity of the Dutch attack. The Netherlands third goal came on the stroke of half time when a ball fired in from the midfield found Jonkers (35') who deflected the ball past Manchester.
The second half got off to a scintillating start as first the Netherlands through Bob de Voogd (36') put the Netherlands 4-0 up and then Steve Edwards (37') of the Black Sticks made the score 4-1.The game continued to be very open, with both teams seeking long passes to penetrate the defence, but again it was the Netherlands who made pressure tell, Rogier Hofman (45') scoring Oranje hockey's fifth goal and putting the game all but out of the Black Sticks reach. Edwards (52') scored his second for the Black Sticks but then Bakker (59') added his second, again a field goal that bounced around the circle before the tall Dutchman fired it home. Minutes later Jonker (61') got his third goal after running onto a ball fired into the circle and tipping it home.
Player of the tournament Robbert Kemperman said that “It is a great feeling, we really wanted that win, I am really proud and everyone put an effort into the win." Asked about his individual award, Kemperman said that it was a “nice extra.” Black Sticks skipper Dean Couzins admitted that he felt “pretty disappointed” after the loss, but said that when the team had a chance to reflect on the overall performance they would be pleased with the steps they had taken. This was a sentiment echoed by coach Colin Batch. “We didn’t come out to play in the first half, but we were much better in the second half. By then it was too late and we were hit by the goals either side of the half. But, we never expected a silver medal and it is a big step forwards for the team.”
The winning coach Paul van Ass said: “We are heading back to the top again. We are really pleased with the way this tournament has gone, especially with wins over Germany and Australia.” He added that with results such as India beating Germany and Argentina‘s win against the Netherlands early in the tournament, the gap between the teams was closing.
England v Australia 2-1 (1-1)
This bruising encounter saw both teams having an equal share of the attacking play. England were first to draw blood when Tom Carson (13’) converted a pass from close range but the Kookaburras fought back immediately thanks to a Glenn Turner (16’) strike. The world champions put a lot of pressure on the English defence but goalkeeper George Pinner pulled off some tremendous saves and it was England team-captain Barry Middleton (54’) who broke the deadlock, deflecting a pass by Ashley Jackson into the goal making it 2-1.
Australia peppered the England goal but their usual threat from penalty corners seemed to be dampened by stalwart defending. Their last chance to equalise was from a penalty corner awarded in the last minute. Glenn Turner’s shot found its way into the goal but umpire Roel van Eert called the video umpire to check. The video umpire’s decision was no goal and England won 2-1. Hero Man of the Match Iain Lewers, said: "We have come a long way in the past nine months. We were very disappointed in the semi finals, but we did really well to come back." George Pinner, who is celebrating his 27th birthday added: "Today was the team you saw in the first four games. It was agonising to lose in the semi finals on a shoot out, so it really shows the calibre of this team to pick itself up. The main thing that we did today was defend bravely. We know that games can be won through penalty corners, so we have made it our focus not to concede so many."
Ric Charlesworth, the Australian coach, said: "We were too loose at the back. We allowed them to score from very few chances and we didn't put our chances away as we should have done. But, it has been a great experience, especially for the younger guys. They have had a chance to experience playing against very tough opposition."
Individual awards
Player of the Tournament: Robbert Kemperman (NED)
Goalkeeper of the Tournament: George Pinner (ENG)
Top goal scorer: Kieran Govers (AUS)
Best Junior Player: Mandeep Singh (IND)
FIH site
Belgium break Indian hearts and Germany restore some pride
Red Lions secure 5th place, while Argentina end Hero Hockey World League Final in eighth position
Belgium struck late twice to secure 5th place. (Photo: FIH / Grant Treeby)
India came so near to securing 5th place in the Hero Hockey World League Final, but two late goals from Belgium meant the home team finished 6th – a result that coach Terry Walsh said he was very happy with. Meanwhile in the battle to avoid the basement place, Germany came through a tough test against the up-and-coming Argentine team, but a staunch German defence weathered all that Argentina could throw at them and emerged 2-1 winners.
5/6: Belgium v India 2-1 (0-0)
Chandanda Thimmaiah (59') celebrated his 24th birthday by scoring the opening goal in the 5/6 play off match against Belgium in the Hero Hockey World League Final. However, two goals for Belgium in the last three minutes meant that Belgium finished in 5th place and India 6th. The game was played at a dazzling tempo, with the India team pressing high up the pitch to pressure the Belgium defence, and the Belgium forwards finding space to shoot, but failing to beat Hero Man of the Match Sreejesh Parattu Raveendran in the India goal.
The tables were turned when a period of pressure from India led to Thimmaiah (59') scoring a goal that was snatched from a goal-mouth scramble. Belgium equalised through Florent van Aubel (67') and then Tom Boon (68') broke Indian hearts when he slotted home the winning goal from a penalty corner. After the match India coach, Terry Walsh, said: "Belgium dominated the first 35 minutes, but we had much of the first period of the second half. Belgium started smashing the ball into our circle and they got lucky. We have come such a long way in a very short period of time," he added.
Parattu Raveendran said that he was delighted to win the Hero Man of the Match award, but he wished that he had been on the winning side. "This tournament has been excellent. It has given us the chance to gain experience against the best teams in the world. And that is important because this is such a big year for us with the Commonwealth Games and the world cup."
7/8 Germany v Argentina 2-1 (1-1)
Facundo Callioni (16’), playing his 100th cap for Argentina, opened the scoring in the 7/8 play off, when his skilful backhand stroke defeated Tim Jessulat in the German goal. However, the Olympic champions provided a quick response when Benjamin Wess struck back from open play. The winning goal was scored by Germany’s Tobias Matania (60’). “It was a strange game from my point of view. The umpires kept it really tight. We played a good first half but could not convert our chances. We have a lot of things to work on”, said Germany coach Markus Weise.
Hero Man of the Match, Agustin Mazzilli, said: "We won our opening games against good competition and today we played really well against Germany. We are pleased with our performance in this tournament. Obviously, it would have been nice to win, but this award is a nice consolation."
FIH site
Netherlands is champion
Uthra Ganesan
India's V.R.Raghunath (left) and Manpreet Singh (right) watching Belgium's Jeffrey Thys during the Hockey World League match at the National Stadium in New Delhi on Saturday. Photo: R V Moorthy
The Netherlands thrashed New Zealand 7-2 to claim its maiden Hero Hockey World League title at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here on Saturday.
The Netherlands, one of the pre-tournament favourites, dominated the contest. The Black Sticks were aggressive in the opening 15 minutes, trying to keep pace with the opposition, but were hardly a match for the Dutch. Playing with a lone striker didn’t help them either. The Netherlands controlled the midfield with long, accurate passes, possession and pace.
Constantijn Jonker opened the scoring in the 17th minute after a series of passes inside the striking circle. It was 2-0 six minutes later when Billy Bakker deflected Robbert Kemperman’s hit from the edge of the circle on the left, and 3-0 at the stroke of half time.
On resumption, the Dutch struck two goals within 10 minutes and then kept scoring at will.
Steve Edwards struck twice for New Zealand in the 37th and 52nd minutes
Belgium beats India
Earlier, India finished sixth after going down 2-1 to Belgium in the classification match. After a goalless 60 minutes, three goals were scored in the last 10 as Belgium managed to edge past the host in a game that was more about possession and counterattacks.
The result gave India 260 ranking points. Interestingly, the FIH had earlier stated that India would not receive any points since it participated only by virtue of being the host — which would take it up to seventh when the rankings are revised. This will be India’s best ranking since 2006.
The first attack came from India in the 13th minute when Affan Yousuf shot wide. Three minutes later, Cedric Charlier shot over the bar.
It was quick, end-to-end play as both teams tried to score on the counter, only to concede possession on turnovers inside the 25-yard area. While the Indians attacked with long passes, the Belgians countered with short passes to break the rival defence. Goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh kept the Belgians at bay, while the Indians missed a couple of easy chances in a goalless first period.
India pressed hard after the break, but it was Belgium which got the first opportunity to score, earning the first penalty corner in the 46th minute. But Sreejesh managed to parry the effort, and then two more in the next four minutes to keep India in the game.
Nikkin Thimmaiah, celebrating his 23rd birthday, finally broke the deadlock in the 60th minute, slotting past Vincent Vanash after the goalkeeper managed to block successive shots from Yousuf and M.B. Aiyappa.
Stung by the goal, Belgium pushed its attackers forward and eventually found the equaliser in the 67th minute.
A free hit from just outside the striking circle by Tom Boon was deflected in by Florent van Aubel.
The next minute, Boon got himself on the scoresheet with the winner, a drag-flick on Belgium’s fourth penalty corner attempt.
The results: Final: The Netherlands 7 (Constantijn Jonker 3, Billy Bakker 2, Rogier Hofman, Bob de Voogd) bt New Zealand 2 (Steve Edwards 2).
Bronze medal: England 2 (Tom Carson, Barry Middleton) bt Australia 1 (Glenn Turner).
7-8 places: Germany 2 (Benjamin Wess, Tobias Matania) bt Argentina 1 (Facundo Callioni); 5-6: Belgium 2 (Tom Boon, Florent van Aubel) bt India 1 (Nikkin Thimmaiah).
Other awards: Player of the Tournament: Robbert Kempermann (Ned); Goalkeeper: George Pinner (Eng). Young Player: Mandeep Singh (Ind); FIH Player of the Year: Tobias Hauke (Ger); FIH Young Player of the Year: Christopher Ruhr (Ger).
The Hindu
Netherlands crowned inaugural World League champions
s2h team
New Delhi: Finally, the Netherlands coach broke the jinx of losing in the finals and put their best foot forward to win a FIH grade 1 tournament and vowed that this would change their fortunes in the World Cup and pave the way back to the top.
The Dutch team became the first-ever winners of the Hero Hockey World League after handing out a crushing 7-2 defeat to the Black Sticks at the Dhyan Chand Stadium here on Saturday night.
Both the teams played listless hockey for the first few minutes indulging in scrappy midfield mediocre game and the few attacks that came lacked the sting and it took Constantijn Jonkers to showcase his talent to strike an acute angle goal, reminiscing the Dhanraj Pillay of yore. Kiwi custodian stretched himself but could not do anything from Jonkers posting the lead.
There after it was the Dutch all the way. They played like a well-oiled machine and looked like a completely transformed team. The Netherlands switched gears and started dominating from then on scored two more goals in the last ten minutes of the first session. Jonkers struck his second goal on the stroke of half time and in between Billy Bakker was in the right place at the right time to deflect home a short back pass from Robert Kemperman in the 23rd minute. Kemperman completed an attack from the left flank and got the ball near the corner flag. He cut into the circle and zoomed down, parallel to the goalline, and sent in a deft pass to Bakker, who was unmarked near the penalty spot. The latter made no mistake for a 3-0 lead.
The Orange Brigade continued the onslaught and picked up from where they left off, to score immediately after the start. That gave them a goal on either side of the break.It was Bob de Voogd who made it 4-0. Striker Steve Edwards pulled one back for the Black Sticks immediately in the very next minute to make it 4-1 but the 37th minute field goal was too little as the Dutch went on to strike three more, The match however, proved different from the regular stuff dished out by the top teams in the sense that there was no short corner conversion. And all the goals in the high-scoring match were field goals. Some of them were a brilliant exhibition of hockey lore. Sander Baart and Rogier Hofman were involved in a 1 to 1 passing drill combo that looked like a text book coaching manual move. The duo move like a well-oiled machine from the half-way line indulging in short passing bouts and it was Hofman who reached the circle first. He cut into thecircle and without wasting any time he unleased a stinging shot that brooked no answer from Devon Mancheste in the 45th minute and the score was 5-1. Steve Edwards scored his second for the Black Sticks in the 52nd minute but that is not even a consolation goal as the Europeans went on to pump in two more. Bakker added his second in the 59h minute, again a field goal that bounced around the circle before the tall Dutchman slammed home. Minutes later Jonker got his third goal of the day, as he sealed the issue with a 61st-minute goal.
The Netherlands Chief Coach Paul Van Ass said: “Earlier we had qualified in three finals but couldn't win the finals. This time it was important for us to win it. For more than 10 years we were one of the top countries, but now we are in the second rung. I am very happy the way the tournament went, our victory with Germany and Australia had boosted our confidence and today’s game we played good hockey. For me the tournament was special as the way it has carried and there was no favourite team. There were a lot of upsets. India beat Germany, New Zealand beat Belgium and Argentina had its day, which makes it interesting for everybody involved. Now we are on our way back to the top. But it is not easy we have to work hard.’’
New Zealand coach Collin Batch said: “In the first half, Netherland dominated the game but we were better in the second half. Unfortunately when you are four nil down it is very difficult to come back, this was really disappointing, Holland thoroughly deserves top win this match. But I am pleased by what we have developed and experienced in this tournament.’’
Stick2Hockey.com
Netherlands outclass New Zealand for title
Biswajyoti Brahma
NEW DELHI: The Netherlands came up with a dominant performance to outclass New Zealand 7-2 in the summit clash to win the inaugural Hero Hockey World League Final here on Saturday.
The world No.3 gave no chance to the surprise finalists from Down Under to win the title with ease. The Dutch had to wait till the 17th minute to score their first goal - Constantin Jonker breaking the deadlock after three failed attempts on the Black Sticks' post in the space of a couple of minutes.
But after that they came up with relentless attack to destroy all hopes of New Zealand.
Earlier, Australia lost their bronze medal match 1-2 against England, but earned enough points to replace Germany as the No.1 team in the world. Barry Middleton scored the winner in the 54th minute for England after both the sides scored one apiece in the first half. Australia almost took the match to the shootout but their "goal" from a penalty corner in the last minute was overturned after a video review.
"England didn't have a referral. The umpire used his own referral because they complained. On every corner that is taken, you can complain about something. They've created a precedent now which means every corner will be a referral because we can find one of those everywhere. It's really silly," a disappointed Australian coach Ric Charlesworth said.
The Times of India
Netherlands win inaugural Hockey World League title
NEW DELHI: Constantijn Jonker scored a hat-trick as the Netherlands thumped New Zealand 7-2 to win the inaugural Hockey World League in New Delhi on Saturday.
The Dutch, who stunned reigning world champions Australia in the semi-finals, outplayed the Black Sticks in a one-sided final at the Dhyan Chand Stadium in the Indian capital.
Two goals from Jonker and one from Billy Bakker helped the Netherlands race to a 3-0 lead by half-time, before Bob de Voogd struck the fourth goal soon after the resumption.
Steve Edwards reduced the margin for New Zealand in the 37th minute, but the Dutch continued their scoring spree as Rogier Hofman netted the fifth goal in the 45th.
New Zealand, who upset England in the semifinals via a penalty shoot-out, raided the Dutch defence and were rewarded with a second goal from Edwards in the 52nd minute.
The Netherlands, who host the World Cup at the Hague in May and June, sealed their emphatic win with further goals from Bakker and Jonker.
"A 7-2 scoreline in a final is so satisfying," said man-of-the-match Jonker. "This was a good competition against strong teams and will help us prepare for the World Cup."
The International Hockey Federation's (FIH) newest competition opened with 54 teams in August 2012, and, after three rounds played around the world, the top seven joined hosts India for the title round in New Delhi.
England took third place with a 2-1 win over Australia earlier on Saturday.
Belgium finished fifth after beating India 2-1, while Olympic champions Germany ended in seventh place after a 2-1 win against Argentina.
The FIH named German midfielder Tobias Hauke as the player of the year for 2013.
The Times of India
Black Sticks finish second at World League
The Black Sticks have come away with the Hero Hockey World League silver medal after being beaten 2-7 by Netherlands in this morning’s final in New Delhi.
In New Zealand’s first major final appearance since 1976, the Kiwis left absolutely everything out on the turf in what was a high energy clash.
Down by three goals at halftime, Steve Edwards did his best to inspire a Black Sticks comeback with a second half double but Netherlands refused to be overcome.
Constantijn Jonker scored a hat-trick for the London 2012 silver medallists while Billy Bakker played supporting act with a brace of goals.
Head coach Colin Batch said his players were extremely disappointed that they couldn’t come through and win, but that they are very proud of their achievements.
“We’re very disappointed in the final result. We were a bit tentative at times and the Dutch are such a good side that you will get punished for that,” Batch said.
“Overall we’re extremely proud of our silver medal and we have developed a lot throughout the tournament.
“It’s very difficult to stay within the top four nations in the world and we’ve done that here, so that’s something we’re looking to make a regular thing.”
Veteran Shea McAleese was not cleared to play by the FIH after suffering a fractured eye socket in his side’s semi final win over England and was forced to watch on from the sideline.
“It was pretty frustrating not being able to get onto the field and feeling like I’d left the guys stranded. Our silver medal is our biggest result since 1976 and we’ve really grown as a team on this trip,” he said.
Both sides played with a high work rate and created chances in the opening exchanges, but it was the Dutch who took first blood through Jonker in the 17th minute.
Bakker added to the scoreline seven minutes later before Jonker scored his second of the match right on halftime to take Netherlands into halftime with a 3-0 buffer.
Bob De Voogd scored another goal for the Dutch inside the first minute of the second half before Steve Edwards pulled New Zealand back into the game, scoring from a terrific individual run from the baseline.
Edwards scored his double for the Black Sticks thanks to an instinctive flick into the top of the net off a deflection, but it was too little too late with Netherlands continuing to score goals.
For full results, photos and videos from the Hero Hockey World League Final visit www.fih.ch
Black Sticks 2: (Steve Edwards 2)
Netherlands 7: (Constantijn Jonker 3, Billy Bakker 2, Bob De Voogd, Rogier Hofman)
Halftime: Netherlands 3-0
Hockey New Zealand Media release
Netherlands beat Black Sticks
By David Leggat
Coach Colin Batch says the team is very disappointed with the result. Photo / New Zealand Herald / Natalie Slade
The Netherlands won the inaugural World League men's final, beating New Zealand 7-2 in the final in New Delhi today.
The world No 3 Dutch were 3-0 up at halftime, got a fourth straight after the resumption and were well worth the win over the seventh-ranked Black Sticks, who had been surprise finalists.
New Zealand's two goals were scored by midfielder Steve Edwards but after making their first tier one final since the 1976 Montreal Olympics, they were hurting at the outcome.
"We're very disappointed in the final result. We were a bit tentative at times and the Dutch are such a good side that you will get punished for that," coach Colin Batch said.
"We didn't come out to play in the first half, but we were much better in the second half.
''By then it was too late and we were hit by the goals either side of the half. But, we never expected a silver medal and it is a big step forwards for the team."
New Zealand had reached the final with wins in consecutive penalty shootouts over Argentina and England, but the Dutch have always proved an awkward opponent and came out hard today.
New Zealand's last win over the Netherlands was a 3-1 victory at the Champions Trophy in Germany four years ago.
Constantin Jonker scored three times, Billy Bakker twice with other goals from Bob de Voogd (crrt) and Rogier Hofman (crrt).
The Black Sticks are sure to move up at least one place in the world rankings as a result of their performance in New Delhi, which will be some small consolation.
England beat Australia 2-1 in the third-fourth playoff, Belgium beat India in the game to decide fifth and sixth, while world No 1 Germany ended a disappointment tournament with a 2-1 win over Argentina to finish seventh.
The New Zealand Herald
Black Sticks outplayed by Netherlands in final
The New Zealand Black Sticks' fairytale run at the Hockey World League ran into a Netherlands machine in India overnight.
The New Zealand men, playing in their first FIH tier one tournament final since the 1976 Montreal Olympics, were overmatched against the speedy and skilful Dutch, falling 7-2.
If there was any doubt the match was over at 3-0 at halftime, it was extinguished when Bob de Voord scored the Netherlands' fourth 16 seconds after the resumption. Steve Edwards did answer a minute later to get the Kiwis on the board, but a comeback was never a chance.
Man-of-the-match Constantijn Jonker scored a hat-trick, while Billy Bakker netted twice as the Netherlands captured the first World League title.
After missed chances and some fine saves from New Zealand keeper Devon Manchester, the Dutch opened the scoring in the 17th minute through Jonker, who was left alone at the far post after the Black Sticks failed to clear the ball away. It was the same story seven minutes later as a failed clearance led to Bakker's first.
With Steve Edwards in the sin-bin and just seconds before halftime, New Zealand captain Dean Couzins misplayed a hit from outside the circle, with Jonker redirecting for a 3-0 lead.
After the two quick goals to start the second half, the Dutch added further goals in the 45th minute through Roger Hofman, 59th minute through Bakker and Jonker's hat-trick goal in the 61st minute on a slight redirect.
Edward pilfered his second for New Zealand, capitalising on a Dutch defensive error in the 52nd minute.
The Black Sticks ended the World League finals with a 3-3 record, with big losses to Germany, England and the Netherlands and wins over India in pool play and knockout wins over Argentina and England in shootouts.
Netherlands 7 (Constantijn Jonker 3, Billy Bakker 2, Bob de Voord, Roger Hofman) New Zealand 2 (Steve Edwards 2). HT: 3-0
Stuff
Gritty England take World League Bronze
England coach Bobby Crutchley and star player Nick Catlin celebrate their victory over Australia
England secured a fantastic victory over the Kookaburras to take the bronze medal at the Hero Hockey World League Final. It was another gritty performance from England as they dug deep to secure the victory and take the third place. Goals either side of half-time came from Tom Carson, who is fast making a name for himself in England’s attacking ranks, and the crucial winner came from captain Barry Middleton in the 54th minute.
ENGLAND 2 (1)
Tom Carson 13 (FG)
Barry Middleton 54 (FG)
AUSTRALIA 1 (1)
Glenn Turner 16 (FG)
The last time England had beaten Australia was back in 2010 in the same stadium in Delhi at the World Cup where the score was 3-2. Ashley Jackson and James Tindall (2) were on target that day.
In the earlier matches of the day Germany beat Argentina 2-1 to secure 7th place and Belgium secured 5th with a win against the hosts India. In the final match of the tournament the Netherlands handed out a 7-2 thrashing of New Zealand to claim gold.
Following the last match George Pinner was presented with the Hero Goalkeeper of Tournament award.
Speaking after the game England Head Coach Bobby Crutchley said, “I’m delighted with the result today and the tournament as a whole. Getting a bronze medal is really nice for this group as they continue to make the right strides and they are definitely hungry for more. The attitude of the players has really impressed me and I wanted to pick out Michael Hoare and Henry Weir, who I think given their relative inexperience have both had really good tournaments, making vital tackles in key moments.”
Talking about the game today, Crutchley added, “We had to take a bit of pressure from Australia, we didn’t play as well as I’d like us to at times which meant we spent a lot of the first half defending. However, we still managed to look dangerous when we had the ball and with an improved second half performance we took our chances better than they did.”
The story of the first half was one of misses from Australia after they dominated possession over the first 35 minutes. However, it was England, against the run of play, who struck first. A strong run from Tim Whiteman along the backline allowed him to find Middleton who used great awareness to pull the ball back off the line with his first touch to pick out Carson who made no mistake in firing the ball home to make it 1-0.
It took just three minutes for Australia to score the equaliser, Glenn Turner on target for the Kookaburras to pull the scores level at 1-1. Australia’s pressure was relentless in the closing moments of the first half, but they were unable to capitalise as England stood strong in defence.
The second half saw more pressure from Australia, who with ten penalty corners throughout the game would have been justified in thinking they would have taken the lead, but England’s defensive line with George Pinner, Iain Lewers, Dan Fox and Middleton on the line somehow managed to keep them at bay.
Against the run of play Nick Caltin fed a ball into Alistair Brogdon whose first touch carried the ball away from a committed Tyler Lovell in goal, but somehow his shot into an open goal came off the post. That miss seemed to spur England on and they started to keep the ball and build up their play and in the 54th minute they scored what proved to be the decisive goal. Jackson fed the ball to an unmarked Middleton in front of Lovell and with his back to goal and the deftest of touches he managed to slot the ball home to make it 2-1.
The final 16 minutes were played out at a relentless pace as Australia threw everything at England looking for the equaliser. They secured their tenth penalty corner in the final 30 seconds of the game and as the ball went goal bound it seemed that England would have to face another shoot-out. However, umpire Roel van Eert used his own video referral and much to England’s delight the goal was disallowed after the replays showed Knowles obstructing Lewers to help create the space for the ball to be fired home.
Hero Man of the Match Iain Lewers said after the game, “It’s huge step up from where we were nine months ago. We were disappointed after the semi-final defeat yesterday and we had to dig in deep today, but overall in the tournament I think we did ourselves justice coming away with the bronze.”
Adding his thoughts on England’s brilliant defensive work at this tournament, Lewers said: “It’s been hugely satisfying for myself and the lads in defence this week. It’s a huge cliché but defence starts from the front line and everyone in the team has given everything this week to help us get the good results.”
When asked about the coming year both for himself and the team Lewers added, “For myself I want to play a key part in this team and help other people to grow and develop. There’s plenty of time for us between now and the World Cup to continue to develop and build on what we’ve achieved here, as there is for all the other teams. It’ll be interesting to see where we have got to at the end of May when we head to The Hague for the World Cup.”
Hero Hockey World League Final Standings
1. Netherlands
2. New Zealand
3. England
4. Australia
5. Belgium
6. India
7. Germany
8. Argentina
Hero Hockey World League Final match schedule and results
Date/Match # Info Time (UK) Teams Result
Saturday 18 January
21 7 / 8 07:45 ARG – GER 1-2
22 5 / 6 10:00 BEL – IND 2-1
23 3 / 4 12:15 ENG – AUS 2-1
24 Final 14:30 NZL – NED 2-7
England Hockey Board Media release
England claim gutsy bronze after Australia have last-ditch goal ruled out
Frantic finale sees Australia score penalty corner before referee referral indicates an intentional block on man-of-the-match Iain Lewers, leaving England’s players to celebrate wildly
By Rod Gilmour
Happy times: England celebrate winning a nail-biting bronze medal
England finished with a gutsy bronze at the World League Final on Saturday, their campaign ending in dramatic fashion after the video referee overturned a last-ditch Australia goal to thwart a second shoot-out in as many days in New Delhi.
With England leading 2-1 through goals by Tom Carson and Barry Middleton, a frantic finale saw Australia awarded a penalty corner on the stroke of the final whistle. Glenn Turner dispatched the corner, but a referee referral indicated an intentional block on man-of-the-match Iain Lewers, leaving England’s players to celebrate wildly after several minutes' waiting.
"Everyone dug in from the first game and it is a huge step up from where we were nine months ago,” said Lewers afterwards. "We want to kick on from here ahead of the World Cup and let’s see where we are at the end of May.”
Judging by their week on the subcontinent, Bobby Crutchley’s world No. 4 side are in a healthy place. England finished the week unbeaten in regulation time over their six games, having lost their semi-final to New Zealand in a sudden death shoot-out.
On Saturday, a poacher’s goal from Carson – his fourth of the tournament – was cancelled out by Turner’s tap in before the break after England failed to deal with Australia’s aerial ball attack.
Ali Brogdon missed a glorious second-half opportunity, rounding Australian 'keeper Tyler Lovell before somehow hitting the post.
But the passage of play lifted England. Middleton snuck in behind the Australian defence after an Ashley Jackson feed into the D saw the England skipper deflect skilfully past Lovell in the 55th minute.
Aided by his fine defence, George Pinner then saved brilliantly going the wrong way with an outstretched hand from an Australian penalty corner 10 minutes left. However, he could nothing about Turner’s low strike, before umpire Roel van Eert’s late video intervention.
"Today was the team you saw in the first four games," Pinner admitted. "It was agonising to lose in the semi-finals on a shoot-out, so it really shows the calibre of this team to pick itself up.
"We know that games can be won through penalty corners, so we have made it our focus not to concede so many."
The Telegraph
Kookas to go to World #1
Aussie men return to top of the rankings despite 2-1 defeat to England
The Kookaburras will be re-crowned the world’s number one team despite missing out on the bronze medal in controversial circumstances at the World League Finals in Delhi. Australia’s final position of fourth, coupled with Germany’s seventh place finish will see the Kookaburras leapfrog the Olympic champions in the rankings when the International Hockey Federation publishes the latest standings next week.
Australia missed out on the bronze medal in a 2-1 defeat to England with the match ending in controversial circumstances when a last minute Australian equaliser was overturned after initially being awarded.
With England leading the bronze medal playoff 2-1 through goals by Tom Carson and Barry Middleton the Kookaburras were awarded a penalty corner with just 28 seconds remaining. Glenn Turner, who had earlier netted his 75th goal for Australia, looked to have sent the match to a shoot-out with his low drag flick but the goal, awarded at first, was subsequently overturned on the advice of the video umpire.
Turner’s first strike had earlier levelled for the Kookaburras after Carson’s first half opener but his late conversion was ruled out on account of an obstruction by captain Mark Knowles in front of the English goal.
Responding to questions about the disallowed goal, Kookaburras coach Ric Charlesworth said, “I don’t understand how the [obstruction] rule operates. England didn’t have a referral. The umpire used his own referral because they complained. Every corner that’s taken you could complain about something. They’ve created a precedent now that means every corner will be a referral because we can find one of those everywhere. It’s really silly.”
For the third match in a row the Kookaburras allowed their opponents an early lead but Turner’s equaliser midway through the first half was the catalyst for a dominant Australian performance. Sustained Kookaburras pressure created a number of excellent opportunities and forced England to defend for long periods but the Australian men could not find a way through.
Charlesworth added, “They’ve defended very well here and they’ve taken their chances. We had a lot of penalty corners today but the runner blocked them. That’s sometimes hard. We could have done some other things, we did.
“We had a bunch of chances, rebounds even; they made half a dozen saves on the line. That doesn’t usually happen. Our PC [penalty corner] taker is probably the leading goal scorer in the tournament. We need to get better at that. No question. I’d rather be making PCs than not making them though.”
The Kookaburras fell behind in the 16th minute when Tom Carson converted from close, connecting with a cross from the right. But they levelled less than five minutes later through Glenn Turner as the Goulburn man did brilliantly to redirect a chest-high ball in front of goal after good work by Kieran Govers.
Jake Whetton then hit the post before Jason Wilson flashed wide as Australia peppered the English goal. Three penalty corners came and went but it remained 1-1 at the break.
There was a let off for the Kookaburras eight minutes into the second half when English forward Ali Brogdon inexplicably hit the post with the goal gaping. However, England did find their second through captain Barry Middleton’s 54th minute deflection.
Four second half Australian penalty corners had been blocked by the time Turner stepped up in the final minute to fire home the goal that looked to have sent the game to a shoot-out. But with Australian players celebrating, the umpire referred his decision to the video umpire with England appealing for obstruction despite having lost their official referral previously.
Talking about the tournament as a whole, Charlesworth said, “We’ve been too loose at the back. We’ve made too many mistakes, our own errors. We’ve got work to do in tidying that up. From very few chances teams have scored lots of goals. Today was an example; England had maybe three or four shots and end with two goals so that’s disappointing. We’ve created a lot of opportunities; we have to be better at finishing, we know that. This is a good reminder of how fickle the game can be and how hard we have to work at it.”
There was further bad news for the Kookaburras late in the game with Tasmanian Nick Budgeon forced to leave the field after being hit in the face with the ball.
Earlier in the day Germany beat Argentina 2-1 to seal seventh place while Belgium came from behind to beat hosts India 2-1 to take fifth.
The Netherlands, conquerors of the Kookaburras in the semi-final, romped to victory over New Zealand winning 7-2 in the final to take the inaugural World League crown.
World League Finals, Men
Pool B
New Delhi, India
On Twitter: @Kookaburras, #HHWL
KOOKABURRAS 1 (1)
Glenn Turner 16 (F)
ENGLAND 2 (1)
Tom Carson 13 (F)
Barry Middleton 54 (F)
Medal match and Classification results – Saturday, 18 January
7th/8th: Argentina 1-2 Germany
5th/6th: Belgium 2-1 India
3rd/4th: England 2-1 Australia
1st/2nd: New Zealand 2-7 Netherlands
Final classification
1. Netherlands
2. New Zealand
3. England
4. AUSTRALIA
5. Belgium
6. India
7. Germany
8. Argentina
Kookaburras squad v England
(listed alphabetically by surname)
Name (Hometown) caps/goals
Started
Daniel Beale (Brisbane, QLD) 20/5
Joel Carroll (Darwin, NT) 96/2
Tim Deavin (Launceston, TAS) 82/3
Kieran Govers (Wollongong, NSW) 83/40
Mark Knowles (Rockhampton, QLD) 224/18
Tyler Lovell (GK) (Perth, WA) 14/0
Simon Orchard (Maitland, NSW) 140/44
Jake Whetton (Brisbane, QLD) 46/18
Tristan White (Wollongong, NSW) 21/1
Jason Wilson (Kingscliff, QLD) 96/34
Aran Zalewski (Margaret River, WA) 26/3
Used Substitute
Kiel Brown (Toowoomba, QLD) 144/4
Nick Budgeon (Hobart, TAS) 14/3
Liam De Young (Brisbane, QLD) 296/34
Russell Ford (Eltham, VIC) 143/69
Eddie Ockenden (Hobart, TAS) 199/51
Glenn Turner (Goulburn, NSW) 102/75
Unused Substitute
George Bazeley (GK) (Melbourne, VIC) 69/0
Hockey Australia media release
Germans lose No.1 ranking after finishing 7th
s2h team
New Delhi - Olympic champions Germany lost their No.1 world ranking despite winning their last match against Argentina 2-1 at the Hero Hockey World League at the Dhyan Chand stadium here on Saturday.
Germany thus finished the World League in 7th place to earn 240 points for a total of 2380 points while Australia, who will be playing the bronze medal match, will have more points irrespective of that match result. With the fourth place team getting 300 points Australia will have at least 2383 points and will move to the World No.1 ranking. The World No.1 team will be pooled in Pool A for the world cup and is likely to get an easier pool.
Argentina shot ahead in the 16th minute with Matias Rey, who received a long scoop near the left corner flag, dribbled a bit and sent a short back pass to Facundo Callioni, who tapped in with ease.
However, Germany equalised five minutes later with a field goal from Pilt Arnold, who cut into the top of the net with a stunning backhander. Germany finally found the match-winner in the 60th minute with another field goal. After a defensive lapse by Argentina, German Benedikt Furk gained possession and went down on the goalline and his back pass was swiftly converted by Tobias Matania (2-1). German mounted raids after that for the last ten minutes but their efforts failed to yield any more goals.
Argentina Chief Coach Carlos Retegui said, “Our team played well but missed some easy chances and then we lost the momentum. Our team failed to convert today. It is also very difficult to play in different weather conditions. We had a very different weather each day. But we are going back happy as it was a good tournament for us and it gave good exposure for our players against the top teams in the world.”
Meanwhile, German Coach Markus Weise said: ``We had a good first half though we could not really convert the chances of grey corners. But in the second half we had our grip on the game especially in the last twenty minutes of the game which pulled us out."
Stick2Hockey.com
Australia to replace Germany as No. 1 hockey nation
NEW DELHI: Australia will regain the World No. 1 ranking despite missing out on the bronze medal to England in the Hockey World League Final held at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium on Saturday.
World No. 2 Australia's fourth position, coupled with Germany's seventh place finish in the tournament will see the Kookaburras replace the reigning Olympic champions when the International Hockey Federation (FIH) publishes the new standings on Monday.
Australia missed out on the bronze medal, following a 1-2 defeat to World No. 4 England.
The Times of India
England oust Australia to win bronze
B.David
New Delhi: England put behind their agonizing exit from the semifinals to down World Cup champions and World No.2 Australia 2-1 to win the Bronze medal in the inaugural Hero Hockey World League Final at the Dhyan Chand Stadium here on Friday.
The match began with some aggressive and attacking hockey by Australia which later fizzled out but more visible was the strong defence by England who save at least half of the Australia’s 10 penalty corners on the goalline. It is interesting to note that all the goals were field goals. This is the fourth match in the tournament which produced all field goals. In fact, on the final day only once short corner was converted of the 22 earned in the four matches. ``Yes, they played well in the defence. At least, half dozen good saves on the line. That does not happen every day,’’ conceded Australian coach Ric Charlesworth when asked about the bad conversion rate.
England scored against the run of play after a costly mistake where Aussies lost the ball in the midfield and English skipper Barry Middleton put Tom Carson in possession through a long cross and Carson caught the goalie on the wrong foot to tap home from handshaking distance. The 13th minute goal found an immediate answer from the Kookaburras, who drew level withing three minutes with Glenn Turner turning out to be the goal scorer following a back pass from Eddie Ockenden.
Thereafter, Australia excelled in converting raids into short corners. They manufactured 6 short corners in the space of 10 minutes, four before the break and three after. But goalkeeper, George Pinner stood like a rock in the English cage, thwarting every move and he was ably assisted by his defenders.
England failed to take lead once again when Alistair Brogdon hit the post and Adam Dixon sent in a backhander inches wide. However, a defence piercing long ball from Ashley Jackson found Barry Middleton deflecting from near the spot, and the 54th minute goal turned out to be the match winner.
Australia forced three more penalty corners in vain prompting their coach Charlesworth later, to quip: ``May be we should aim to score field goals than getting penalty corners.’’
There was drama in the end and one though the mighty Aussie will force a shoot out and it almost happened until a referral reversed their penalty corner conversion.
In a brilliant indirect variation, Kieran Govers, the top scorer of the tournament, played a dummy and Glenn Turners shot found its way into the goal but a blinded umpire Roel van Eert who was watching only Glen Turner and the ball, missed a body infringement on the English first runner by Govers and he rightly called the video umpire to check. The video umpire’s decision after clear replays caught the mistake and England became proud winners of the bronze beating a better ranked and dangerous team.
Hero Man of the Match Iain Lewers, said: "We have come a long way in the past nine months. We were very disappointed in semifinals, but we did really well to come back."
George Pinner, who is celebrating his 27th birthday on Saturday (Jan 18) added: "Today was the team you saw in the first four games. It was agonising to lose in the semifinals on a shoot out, so it really shows the calibre of this team to pick itself up. The main thing that we did today was defend bravely. We know that games can be won through penalty corners, so we have made it our focus not to concede so many."
Ric Charlesworth, the Australian coach, said: "We were too loose at the back. We allowed them to score from very few chances and we didn't put our chances away as we should have done. But, it has been a great experience, especially for the younger guys. They have had a chance to experience playing against very tough opposition."
Stick2Hockey.com
India lose to Belgium to finish sixth
s2h team
New Delhi - The Red Lions broke the hearts of a vociferous crowd of about 3000 by scoring two late goals in the space of two minutes and thrashed India’s hopes of finishing 5th in the tournament. Fifth-ranked Belgium thus retained its spot on the world table and India, despite the loss, jumped to 7th in world rankings from the current 10th by virtue of finishing 6th.
The Indian coach was pleased with the overall performance in the tournament but was unhappy with the leisurely management of skills in this match.
Coorgi player from Karnataka, Chandanda Thimmaiah broke the deadlock after the teams went goalless for almost an hour. He struck in the 59 minute goal to celebrate his 24th birthday and put India in the lead but his birthday party was spoiled by the Belgian brace in the last four minutes of the match.
In a fast-paced game in the first session, India showed their prowess of skill and artistry to the speed and power of the Belgium team but both the teams failed to get their act together at the all-important end. Both the teams excelled in their defence and were afraid to leave space for the forwards. The finishing of both teams left a lot to be desired, though.
The Indian defence stood well and PR Sreejesh under the bar thwarted any ball that the defence let loose. The penalty corner defence too was good with India thwarting four short corners from Belgium. However, they too failed to convert during the set-piece drill when Rupinder’s flick was well blocked by the rival goalie in the 53rd minute.
The equaliser for Belgium came through Florent van Aubel in the 67th minute and then Tom Boon struck one immediately in the very next minute to break the Indian hearts when he converted the short corner without any fuss.
Stick2Hockey.com
Performance in HWL Final gave India self belief: Walsh
NEW DELHI: India finished sixth ahead of Olympic champions Germany in Hero Hockey World League Final and its chief coach Terry Walsh said his wards' performance in the eight-nation event gave the past masters the self belief to take on any side in the world.
India lost 1-2 to Belgium in a keenly-contested fifth-sixth place classification match on a chilly evening at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium on Saturday to eventually finish ahead of Germany and Argentina.
"We have learnt a lot from this tournament. This tournament gave us the self belief to play any team in the world, which not necessarily means a win," Walsh said at the post-match press conference.
"We came a long way in a short time. So all the credit goes to the support staff and the group of players," he said.
"I am really pleased with the growth we made, the change we made. We are growing as a group. We should reasonably be in a good place by the Asian Games."
Placed 10th in the FIH rankings, the Indians had plenty of positives to take home from this tournament as the sixth place finish will definitely give a major boost to their world rankings which will be updated after this tournament.
The relatively young India team, fielded for this tournament, held Germany to a 3-3 draw in the pool stages before beating the reigning Olympic champions 5-4 in the 5-8th place play-off game.
India also started brilliantly against world champions Australia in the quarterfinal and took a 2-0 lead before running out of steam and finally losing 2-7.
Against fifth ranked Belgium today, India took the lead in the 59th minute through Nikkin Thimmaiah before conceding two late goals to lose the encounter.
Walsh was full of praise for his boys but the Australian didn't mince words when it came to point out errors.
"To go without goals till the 59th minute shows that our defence is improving. (Goalkeeper) PR Sreejesh was brilliant. He made many saves for us. But Sardar (Singh) didn't have the best outing today," the coach said.
"Towards the end we conceded careless goals and you can't be doing this in a big tournament. But our young strikers did a good job. Yuvraj (Walmiki) and Affan (Yousuf) produced solid performances and that's the positive to come out of this tournament," Walsh said.
"They need more experience but they showed (here) that they can play."
Walsh also hailed Belgium for their spirited fight back. "Belgium dominated the first period and we won the first half of the second period. They created opportunities than we did," he said.
India captain Sardar Singh agreed with his coach and said the win against Germany did a world of good to their confidence.
"As I said before we need to win more matches against world's top teams to raise our confidence. The players felt mentally stronger after the win against Germany. The more we play top teams the more our confidence will grow," he said.
The Times of India
Terry Walsh predicts bright future for young Indian team
s2h team
New Delhi: Terry Walsh, the Indian Chief Coach is a happy man. He felt that a strong 6th position in a worlc class tournament where top-ranked teams were playing is a significant achievement and promised that the team would do well in the Asian Games and would make sustained efforts to play well in the finals. ``There are a lot of good take-aways from this tournament,’’ he felt.
“I am disappointed with today’s match performance. We gave away careless goals which could have been avoided. Overall, there were quite a few learnings for the team from the tournament. This was a high-level competition and gave the team confidence to play against anyone. We have come a long way in this tour and by Asian Games we will be in a reasonably good shape. This has been a growth period for the team.”
Marc Lammers, Coach of the Belgium team said: “Although we won, but the overall performance of the team was just average. India is doing well under the guidance of Terry Welsh. If this continues then India will be back on top again. Earlier they were good in attacking but now they have started defend well too. In today’s match there were lot of speedy counter attacks from them which really surprised me. We came up with a strategy to counter the Indian team with short passes as they are very good in one on one counter. Overall the tournament was a good opportunity for new players to understand international gaming and will help us prepare better for the World Cup.”
Stick2Hockey.com
India need to work on basics: Jamie Dwyer
Biswajyoti Brahma
NEW DELHI: Australian striker Jamie Dwyer said on Saturday that India has the potential to emerge as a top hockey country, but they have to be as consistent as world's top teams for that to happen.
"I think they are going really well at the moment. They have some mixed results in the Hockey World League, but over the last two years they have been improving. They have a new coach in Terry Walsh... he's good. I am sure they will gradually improve, and they have to if they need to be back on top," Dwyer told TOI here.
"They need to be more consistent. Some days they are very good and some days they are very bad. In some games they are hot for 10 to 15 minutes and not so good for 10 to 15 minutes. So they need consistency throughout the game. For that you need fitness and good basic skills. I think they need to improve on these areas and things like trapping and passing to be a really good team."
"You need to learn from other countries like Germany, Australia, Holland who have been consistently in top three of world hockey for last so many years. I am sure Walsh will take the team to a level where the Indians want themselves to be in. India can definitely get into top four."
Dwyer was not part of the Australian side which came fourth in the Hockey World League. He was in the country to join his Hockey India League (HIL) team Jaypee Punjab Warrriors for the second edition of the tournament.
The Warriors will play their home matches in Mohali this year. Their home ground was Jalandhar last year. "I am looking forward to this season. This year we hope it would be easier for us being in Mohali, playing in the new stadium. Now travelling will be much easier. We are very optimistic and hopefully we can play some really attractive hockey," Dwyer said.
The Times of India
Germany’s Tobias Hauke crowned men’s FIH Player of the Year
Second successive Deutschland double as Christopher Rühr named Talent of the Year
Tobias Hauke receiving the FIH Player of the Year award from Alberto Budeisky. (Photo: FIH / Grant Treeby)
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is delighted to announce that Germany’s Tobias Hauke has been named as the men’s Player of the Year for 2013. The brilliant defensive midfielder received his award from Alberto Budeisky, FIH Executive Board member, at a special presentation ceremony at the Hero Hockey World League Final in New Delhi, India.
“I’m completely overwhelmed. This makes me really proud and I would like to thank my team as this achievement would not have been possible without them. I’m a team player and I love playing in a team sport. This award means a lot me personally but of course our titles at the Hockey World League Semi Final in Johor Bahru and the TriFinance EuroHockey Nations Championships in Boom are as important”, Hauke said.
Hauke is the second successive Germany international to be crowned as the world’s best player, following in the footsteps of 2012 winner and fellow midfielder Moritz Fürste. Remarkably, The FIH Talent of the Year award also went to a German, with the dazzlingly gifted Christopher Rühr succeeding 2012 title holder Florian Fuchs. Hauke added: “This is amazing. Our team has collected four individual awards within the last two years. I think this underlines the immense quality in our team.”
An extraordinary holding midfielder who rarely puts a foot wrong, Tobias Hauke has long been known as one of Germany’s most gifted and consistently outstanding performers. The 26-year-old was a central figure in the teams that won Olympic Gold medals at both the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Games, and his on-field influence has been on show yet again in 2013. The team claimed victory in the Hockey World League Semi Final in Johor Bahru (MAS) before powering to glory in the TriFinance EuroHockey Nations Championships in Boom (BEL), retaining the European title they won in 2011.
The success completes a remarkable personal double for Hauke, making him one of only two players to win both the senior and junior FIH Player of the Year awards. Australia’s Jamie Dwyer is the only other player to achieve this feat. “Wow, this makes me even more proud. Between 2010 and now my priorities have changed, I have grown into a key player’s role now. But this is something I couldn’t have done without my team-mates”, Hauke said.
For Christopher Rühr, 2013 was something of a breakthrough year. The Mülheim-based 19-year-old made his senior international debut at the 2012 Champions Trophy in Melbourne where he produced a string of outstanding performances. However, it was at the December 2013 Hero Hockey Junior World Cup where he really showed his class, scoring nine goals to fire Germany to the title and earning the richly deserved Player of the Tournament accolade in the process. Rühr is not present in India and was therefore unable to receive his award in person, with German coach Markus Weise collecting the prize on his behalf.
The voting for this year’s Player of the Year and Talent of the Year Awards was made by an expert panel consisting of coaches, athletes and representatives from the media. Each panellist was allowed to nominate a maximum of five candidates for the Player of the Year and three for the Talent of the Year. The panellists were only allowed to put forward one nominee from their own team or country in each category.
Although Hauke emerged top of the pile for the senior award, many other world class players were very much in the running due to the number of votes they each received. Fellow German and 2012 FIH Player of the Year Moritz Fürste also made the 10 strong shortlist alongside team-mate Maximilian Müller, Australia defender Mark Knowles, Netherlands ace Robbert Kemperman as well as gifted Belgian duo Tom Boon and John-John Dohmen. Kieran Govers (Australia), Lucas Vila (Argentina) and England captain Barry Middleton complete an impressive collection of world class players.
Christopher Rühr saw off strong challenges from some of the most exciting young players in the game, with compatriot Mats Grambusch, Arthur Van Doren (Belgium), Gonzalo Peillat (Argentina), and Manpreet Singh (India) on the five player shortlist for Talent of the Year.
The FIH would like to congratulate everyone who made the shortlist, with special congratulations going to our winners.
Previous winners
FIH Player of the Year Award – Men
1998 Stephan Veen (NED)
1999 Jay Stacy (AUS)
2000 Stephan Veen (NED)
2001 Florian Kunz (GER)
2002 Michael Green (GER)
2003 Teun de Nooijer (NED)
2004 Jamie Dwyer (AUS)
2005 Teun de Nooijer (NED)
2006 Teun de Nooijer (NED)
2007 Jamie Dwyer (AUS)
2008 Pol Amat (ESP)
2009 Jamie Dwyer (AUS)
2010 Jamie Dwyer (AUS)
2011 Jamie Dwyer (AUS)
2012 Moritz Fürste (GER)
2013 Tobias Hauke (GER)
FIH Talent of the Year Award – Men
2001 Tibor Weissenborn (GER)
2002 Jamie Dwyer (AUS)
2003 Grant Schubert (AUS)
2004 Santi Freixa (ESP)
2005 Robert van der Horst (NED)
2006 Christopher Zeller (GER)
2007 Mark Knowles (AUS)
2008 Eddie Ockenden (AUS)
2009 Ashley Jackson (ENG)
2010 Tobias Hauke (GER)
2011 Matthew Swann (AUS)
2012 Florian Fuchs (GER)
2013 Christopher Rühr (GER)
FIH site
Germany's Hauke named FIH Player of the Year
NEW DELHI: The International Hockey Federation (FIH) Saturday named Germany's Tobias Hauke as the men's Player of the Year for 2013 at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.
The defensive midfielder received his award from FIH executive board member Alberto Budeisky at a special presentation ceremony held during the halftime of the summit clash of the Hockey World League final.
"I'm completely overwhelmed. This makes me really proud and I would like to thank my team as this achievement would not have been possible without them. I'm a team player and I love playing in a team sport," said the 26-year-old Hauke.
"This award means a lot to me personally but of course our titles at the Hockey World League Semifinal in Johor Bahru and the TriFinance Euro Hockey Nations Championships in Boom, Belgium, are as important."
Hauke is the second successive German to be crowned the world's best player, following in the footsteps of 2012 winner and fellow midfielder Moritz Furste.
He was a central figure in the teams that won Olympic gold at both Beijing 2008 and London 2012 and now is one of only two players to win both the senior and junior FIH Player of the Year awards along with Australia's Jamie Dwyer.
The FIH Talent of the Year also went to a German, 19-year-old Christopher Ruhr, succeeding from 2012 title holder Florian Fuchs.
The Times of India
Investec SA hockey team work really hard but Dutch make it count
JONATHAN COOK in Cape Town
Investec SA forward Shelley Russell is shadowed by a Dutch defender. Photo: PETER HEEGER
Back-to-back Olympic champions The Netherlands beat the Investec South Africa women’s hockey team 5-0 Saturday after leading 4-0 at half-time in the first match of a two-Test series that forms part of the 11-match Hartleyvale Summer Series, which also includes Australia and Belgium, at Hartleyvale Stadium in Cape Town.
A pair of goals apiece in the first half by captain Maartje Paumen and Kim Lammers unhinged the good work the SA team did in setting up a number of good opportunities, which the Dutch defence managed to scramble away. After the break, Paumen netted her hat-trick in the 63rd minute.
Investec South Africa's Quanita Bobbs in possession with Valerie Magis in close attendance. Photo: PETER HEEGER
It was a special day for SA skipper Marsha Cox, as she celebrated her first wedding anniversary with husband Alexander Cox, the Dutch assistant coach. Marsha’s mother, Marion Marescia, an outstanding hockey player during the isolation era, and family came down from Johannesburg to be present at the happy occasion.
The Dutch scored as early as the second minute when Ellen Hoog stole around the right-hand baseline before feeding Lammers, who slipped the ball past goalkeeper Hanli Hattingh at the near post.
Both sides had chances at either end soon after before Marcelle Manson (née Keet) did well to clear a dangerous ball away from the SA goalmouth. Play switched from strike zone to strike zone in quick succession, both sides making inroads down the outside channels.
In the 12th minute Hattingh saved well from Dutch skipper and drag-flick ace Paumen’s first penalty corner. Soon after, Cox speared an accurate pass to striker Sulette Damons, whose shot was blocked.
Shelly Russell set the crowd alight midway through the first half when her elusive running set up SA’s first PC. Pietie Coetzee’s effort forced another. World record Test match goalscorer Coetzee, Tarryn Bright and Kathleen Taylor then got in a succession of shots that the Dutch defence kept out.
Quanita Bobbs, Erin Hunter and Russell kept their composure to get SA out of trouble during a period of sustained Dutch pressure before Paumen popped the ball home from close-range in the 28th minute. Bernie Coston Immediately came close at the other end but the 2008 and 2012 Olympic champs broke out in classic fashion in the 30th minute for Roos Drost to race down the left before Lammers finished off (3-0).
In the 34th minute Paumen sent a trademark PC drag-flick soaring into the net for 4-0 at half-time.
Six minutes after the changeover Cox fashioned a fine deflection pass to Coetzee from an initial play by Lisa Deetlefs but the sharpshooter’s reverse-stick strike under heavy pressure floated over the crossbar.
Replacement SA keeper Phume Mbande then palmed away a Paumen PC but the tempo slowed considerably and apart from another Dutch PC that SA did well to defend the action produced little reward until Paumen made it 5-0 and secured her hat-trick with a PC drag-flick low to Mbande’s right with seven minutes left (63rd).
De Goede got in a shot at the death but the score remained the same and the teams meet again on Monday at 7 pm.
SA then meet Australia’s Hockeyroos in a three-Test series at Hartleyvale on Wednesday (7pm), Friday (7pm) and Saturday (4pm) next week before a six-Test series starts for the South Africans against Belgium on Sunday, January 26.
SA wore black armbands in honour of Western Province, SA and international hockey administrator Peter le Grange, who passed away recently.
SCORES
The Netherlands (4) 5 (Kim Lammers 2nd, 30th, Maartje Paumen 28th, 34th, 63rd)
Investec South Africa 0
TEAMS
Investec South Africa: Marcelle Manson (née Keet), Quanita Bobbs, Kelly Madsen, Sulette Damons, Bernie Coston, Marsha Cox (capt), Pietie Coetzee, Shelley Russell, Tarryn Bright, Lilian du Plessis, Kathleen Taylor, Phume Mbande, Hanli Hattingh, Illse Davids, Celia Evans, Lisa Deetlefs, Dirkie Chamberlain, Erin Hunter.
The Netherlands: Joyce Sombroek, Marloes Keetels, Malou Pheninckx, Willemijn Bos, Maria Verschoor, Caia Maasakker, Charlotte Vega, Maartje Paumen (capt), Ellen Hoog, Maartje Cox, Kim Lammers, Eva de Goede, Roos Drost, Merel de Blaey, Jacky Schoenaker, Margot van Geffen, Valerie Magis, Xan de Waard.
Umpires: Michelle Joubert and Tanya Schafer (South Africa).
FIXTURES
(all at Hartleyvale)
January
vs The Netherlands: Saturday 18th (4pm); Monday 20th (7pm)
vs Australia: Wednesday 22nd (7pm); Friday 24th (7pm); Saturday 25th (4pm)
vs Belgium: Sunday 26th (4pm); Tuesday 28th (8pm); Wednesday 29th (7pm); Friday 31st (7pm)
February
vs Belgium: Sunday 2nd (4 pm); Monday 3rd (7 pm)
Twitter handle is @Investec_Sport using #Investechockey
SA Hockey Association media release
SA hockey women embark on new journey
JONATHAN COOK in Cape Town
The Investec SA women's hockey team's multi-talented Kathleen Taylor on the attack against Scotland in Glasgow in May 2012. Photo: DONALD MACLEOD
A double Olympian returns and the head coach has charted a clear direction as the Investec South Africa women’s hockey team embark on their Hartleyvale Summer Series of 11 Test matches against world-class opposition in Cape Town over the next fortnight.
The University of Stellenbosch Master of Laws (LLM) graduate Kathleen Taylor, the multi-talented Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympian who has also featured as a concert pianist, is a top-quality forward from the Western Province who had 192 Test matches behind her going into the opening match against the world’s top team, The Netherlands, at Hartleyvale Saturday after a 17-month sabbatical from the game due to work commitments.
She could well reach the 200-Test milestone on her home turf but is taking it one game at a time. “I am a bit nervous but looking forward to it,” said the article clerk with top law firm Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs Inc.
“I have a very understanding principal who says the extension of my articles will be granted as there is a compelling reason in my case.”
There can surely be few more compelling reasons than representing your country.
“Kathleen is a gifted player who is in good shape after undergoing personal training with our conditioning coach, Johnno Meintjes,” said Bonnet. “We want to see something special from her and I believe she is ready for the challenge.”
Bonnet said the SA team’s approach, which focuses on putting pressure on the opposition, carries the risk of being caught on the counter-attack, an area in which he hopes to see improvement. “I am not expecting a result against the Dutch but I want to see us having the ability to hurt them during patches of play and limit the chances of being exposed when on attack.”
The former SA men’s captain and coach’s policy of exposing the next generation of players to top international is bearing fruit. “I am optimistic that we can leave a legacy following the Commonwealth Games in July, after which a number of our senior players will retire.”
Bonnet is clear in what the group hopes to achieve over the next seven months. “Our goals are simple, straightforward, uncomplicated.”
While the 2014 World Cup in The Hague, Netherlands at the beginning of June is important, there is no doubt that South Africa’s first ever medal at the Commonwealth Games come July in Glasgow is a very real possibility.
And there can be no better opponents to kick-start the 2014 process than Dutch captain and drag-flick ace Maartje Paumen, goalkeeper Joyce Sombroek plus the likes of Carlien Dirkse van den Heuvel, Lidewij Welten and Naomi van As, Ellen Hoog, Kim Lammers and Kitty van Male.
SA TEAM
(selected to play Netherlands and Australia)
Marcelle Keet, Quanita Bobbs, Kelly Madsen, Sulette Damons, Bernie Coston, Marsha Cox, Pietie Coetzee, Shelley Russell, Tarryn Bright, Lilian du Plessis, Kathleen Taylor, Phume Mbande, Hanli Hattingh, Illse Davids, Celia Evans, Lisa Deetlefs, Dirkie Chamberlain, Erin Hunter, Sammy Prost and Anelle van Deventer.
FIXTURES
(all at Hartleyvale)
January - vs The Netherlands: Saturday 18th (4pm); Monday 20th (7pm)
vs Australia: Wednesday 22nd (7pm); Friday 24th (7pm); Saturday 25th (4pm)
vs Belgium: Sunday 26th (4pm); Tuesday 28th (8pm); Wednesday 29th (7pm); Friday 31st (7pm)
February
vs Belgium: Sunday 2nd (4 pm); Monday 3rd (7 pm)
SA Hockey Association media release
England Men suffer two defeats at EuroHockey Indoor Champs
England Men Indoors-Sam Ward Photos by www.hockeyimages.co.uk
ENGLAND’s hopes of qualifying for the World Cup are hanging by a thread after another day of dramatic results in the EuroHockey Indoor Championships in Vienna, Austria.
A narrow 10-8 defeat to favourites Germany could easily have been an England win with the score tied at 8-8 with three minutes left. And England led 6-5 with three minutes to go against Sweden, only to concede twice and go down 6-7.
"I am very proud of the squad after today's two performances,” said Head Coach Andy Halliday. “It is fine margins in sport at this level and we came out the wrong side of them on both occasions.
"Although our World Cup qualification chances are very much in the balance, I'm still very pleased with all this group has achieved in such a short space of time."
England must now beat the Czech Republic – and hope that the Dutch beat Sweden – if they are to retain their top flight status and secure World Cup qualification.
Match Three
GERMANY (4) 10 - 8 (3) ENGLAND
Germany
Constantin Staib 11 (FG) -
Richardo Nevado 21 25 36 (FG, FG, FG) -
Moritz Furste 10 13 16 39 40 (FG, FG, PC, FG, FG)
Daniel Von Drachenfels 35 (FG)
England
Sam Ward 5 9 23 33 (PC FG PC PC)
Simon Egerton 28 34 (FG FG)
David Beckett 37 (FG)
Chris Griffiths 13 (FG)
England made a great start against Germany, but their early two-goal lead was soon wiped out and they went down 10-8 to the current World and European indoor champions.
Sam Ward goals on five and nine minutes put England ahead, but Germany hit back to lead 3-2 with captain Moritz Furste scoring two and Constantin Staib one. Furste completed his hat-trick shortly after Chris Griffiths had scored for England to make it 3-2 to the Germans at half time.
Richardo Nevado added another for Germany, and Sam Ward and Nevado traded goals to make it 6-4 before England dramatically took the lead with three unanswered goals from Simon Egerton (2) and Ward to make it 6-7.
Daniel Von Drachenfels and Nevado bagged more goals to re-take an 8-7 lead, but David Beckett’s 36th minute goal tied the scores again.
However, Germany took a lead they would not lose in the final couple of minutes with Furste scoring twice.
Match Four
ENGLAND (3) 6 - 7 (4) SWEDEN
England
Ben Arnold 14 18 (FG FG)
Sam Ward 23 37 (PC FG)
David Beckett 36 (FG)
Chris Griffiths 13 (FG)
Sweden
Johan Bjorkman 2 9 15 18 32 37 39 (FG FG FG FG FG FG FG)
Leading by one goal with three minutes left, England Men conceded twice to Sweden in the closing stages to suffer a narrow defeat.
The two sides were close throughout, but it was the Swedes who edged the crucial result.
Johan Bjorkman scored all Sweden’s goals, the first two giving his side a 2-0 lead before England hit back to level thanks to Chris Griffiths and Ben Arnold.
Bjorkman and Arnold traded goals again to make it 3-3 before the Swede edged ahead with a fourth strike two minutes before half time.
Sam Ward scored early in the second half to level, and although Bjorkman put his side ahead again on 32 minutes, England took a 6-5 lead with David Beckett and Ward the scorers on 36 and 37 minutes.
However, two unanswered goals late in the match gave Sweden the win.
England Hockey Board Media release
Scotland Senior Men miss out on Euro promotion chance
It was mixed day of emotions for Scotland Senior Men as they dropped into the relegation pool after just missing out on a place in the semi-finals of the EuroHockey Indoor Nations Championships II in Bern, Switzerland.
First match of the day saw Scotland go up against Switzerland, the last of the group matches, the Scots needed at least a draw if they wanted to progress to the promotion pool. Sadly the Swiss had the momentum of the crowd behind them and secured a 6-3 win.
After the NBA like introductions were presented to the home crowd, think circle lights and smoke, Switzerland came out strong on the attack. Allan Dick made some great saves but was soon beaten after 13 minutes to give the home side a 1-0 lead, then shortly after leaving the home side 2-0 up at half time.
Within seconds of the start of the second half a ball went through Dick's legs to give the Swiss a 3-0 lead, which was soon followed by a fourth. Scotland kept on with five outfield players and soon enough in paid off in the 33rd minute when Willie Marshall scored by putting it through the keeper’s legs.
The Swiss caught Scotland off guard and went on the break to score in an open goal making it 5-1.
Scotland had put the pressure on, playing the last 10 minutes with five outfield players but risking not having a keeper. Sadly the Swiss played on a Scottish error and scored again to make it 6-1.
The Scots heads didn’t drop and were determined to score, with two minutes left Willie Marshall got his second with a tap in at the far post, which was soon followed by a great goal by Kenny Bain taking it on his reverse stick to the top left corner. However the second half surge wasn’t enough to see the Scots through, the game finishing 6-3.
With Belarus losing to France, Scotland moved down to third in Pool A and into the relegation pool.
Scotland then faced Belgium who also came third in their group, and they went into this game with confidence after beating Belgium last weekend in Brussels.
Both sides started strong, applying the pressure from the whistle, with Belgium having two penalty corners and hitting the post. They were soon rewarded with a goal at the ten minute mark, taking the lead 1-0.
They kept the pressure and forced Dick to make some great saves, but Scotland caught them on the counter attack with Kenny Bain equalising in the 14th minute. This spurred on Scotland and Chris Grassick put them ahead with a stunning shot in the top left corner to take the lead 2-1 at half time.
Within the first 30 seconds of the second half Scotland had a penalty corner that was put just wide.
After the disappointment of this morning, the national side wanted a strong performance and in the 28th minute they were rewarded for their hard work. Michael Ross slotted in Scotland’s third from a Forsyth pass across goal. The rest of the goals soon flooded in; a minute later Ross Stott got a goal and then another Ross goal slotting it under the goalie to make it 5-1.
Alan Forsyth and Grassick had a great one two on the break with Forsyth scoring the sixth for the Scots. With less than a minute to play, Kenny Bain increased Scotland’s lead to 7-1 with Niall Stott scoring a penalty flick to finish the game 8-1. A much improved performance from Scotland to see them top the table and most likely safe from relegation.
Scotland face Slovakia tomorrow morning at 10.40am who got their first win of the tournament earlier in the day against Belarus.
Scottish Hockey Union media release
Scots lose out narrowly to England at Bell's
Scotland Women defend an England penalty corner. Credit: Duncay Gray
Scotland Senior Women succumbed to two narrow defeats at the hands of England today, going down 6-4 and 4-3 at Bell's Sports Centre. It means the visitors edge ahead 2-1 in the four match series, the final game to be played at the same venue tomorrow at 12.30pm.
Game 1: Scotland (Bunce 13', 20', Robertson 16', Ward 25') 4-6 England (Watton 1', 21', White 2', Owsley 9', Ansley 30', Unsworth 38')
In the first match of the day, the Scots found themselves trailing by three goals inside only ten minutes after England's Ellie Watton (1'), Nicola White (2') and Lily Owsley (9') all scored from open play.
However, the home side composed themselves and were back in the match in the 13th minute when Vikki Bunce finished off a reverse pass from Heather Elder under pressure from England goalkeeper Kirsty MacKay.
The English shot-stopper denied both Bunce and Becky Ward shortly after, but was powerless to stop Sarah Robertson's fierce drive finding the left hand corner of the net in the 16th minute to leave the national side behind by one at 2-3.
Bunce then levelled the scores at 3-3 on the stroke of half-time to complete a resurgent comeback.
Nevertheless, England were out of the traps quicker again following the start of the second half with Watton doubling her personal tally to make it 4-3 to the away team in the 21st minute.
Scotland mustered yet another equaliser four minutes later, however, with Ward accepting a return pass from Bunce at the penalty corner to sweep the ball past MacKay for a 4-4 scoreline.
With the next goal crucial, England were awarded a penalty corner, which debutant Siobhan Cowie did well to block but Giselle Ansley was on hand to drill the rebound past the young 'keeper to put her side back in the lead in the 30th minute.
With two minutes remaining, Laura Unsworth put the game out of sight and level the series at 1-1 with a 6-4 win.
Game 2: Scotland (Brodie 14', Eadie 27', Bunce 35') 3-4 England (Ansley 18', Twigg 23', Watton 28', Bray 30')
In the second encounter, defences were on top for much of the first half and a tactical battle played out as both sides sat deep and invited their opponents to attack.
Scotland's Jennifer Eadie claimed her first senior international goal against England. Credit: Duncan Gray
The result was a drought of goalmouth action until the 16th minute, when Amy Brodie fired the Scots in front from a well worked penalty corner involving Ward and Morag McLellan.
However, England responded almost immediately when Ansley took advantage of a melee inside the circle to slot the ball home and level the contest at 1-1 in the 18th minute.
With the teams level at half-time, Georgie Twigg put England ahead at 2-1 in the 23rd minute following a break from inside the Scottish half.
Scotland hit back to make it 2-2 four minutes later with new cap Jennifer Eadie notching her first senior international goal from a penalty corner to give her side a well deserved equaliser.
Within thirty seconds of the re-start, Watton had put England into a 3-2 lead with a neat finish past Nicki Cochrane.
In the 30th minute, Sophie Bray provided her side with a level of comfort, scoring with an easy flick from the left hand side of the circle to make it 4-2 to England.
Bunce then came agonisingly close with two penalty corner set-pieces being cleared off the line in quick succession. Not to be outdone, the Dundee Wanderers' star was third time lucky, finishing low and hard into the left hand corner of the goal to make it 3-4 in the 35th minute.
Indeed, the Scots had the chance to claim at draw right at the death, only for Sarah Ellis to make a fine save high to her left to deny Bunce from a penalty stroke.
The two sides meet in the final match tomorrow at Bell's Sports Centre, with Gordon Shepherd's side keen to hit back and level the series.
Scottish Hockey Union media release
Thunderbolts exact revenge
By JUGJET SINGH
A Malacca High School player (in yellow) and a KLSS Juniors player vie for the ball in their Juniors Hockey League Division One match at the Pantai Hockey Stadium yesterday. Pic by Farizul Hafiz Awang
JUNIOR Hockey League Division One defending champions SSTMI Thunderbolts whitewashed Anderson 7-0 to stamp their mark at the Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh yesterday.
The champions' only blemish last season was a 1-0 defeat to Anderson, and this season they made up for it with a thumping win.
"We went in looking for a win, as last season Anderson were the only team who beat us. However, the margin is very pleasing as we look forward to defending the title," said Thunderbolts coach Wan Roslan Wan Rahman.
There was never a moment of lapse as Thunderbolts hammered in the goals via Najib Abu Hassan (first minute), Aminuddin Zain (9th, 68th), Syed Syafiq Syed Cholan (47th, 64th), Firdaus Omar (54th) and Zulhamizan Awang Abas (62nd).
"We only have one match this weekend, as we preparing for what I feel would be a tough match against Petaling Jaya (Municipal Council) next Friday.
"And if we seal the three points against PJCC, it would make our title defence that much easier," said Wan Roslan.
Meanwhile, the saga of the missing sponsors advertising boards at the Kuala Lumpur HA Stadium continued as none were visible in the two league matches played at the venue yesterday.
The Malaysian Hockey Confederation Competitions Technical Committee had decided in their last meeting on Monday to move all matches scheduled at the KLHA stadium to the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil, but that decision too was not enforced.
RESULTS -- Division One: Anderson 0 SSTMI Thunderbolts 7, KLSS Jnrs 2 Malacca High School 2.
Division Two A: MSSp-USM 1 Nur Insafi 3, Bakat MSSK/PHK 2 Matri 0, SMK Syed Hassan 1 1Mas Penang 0.
Division Two B: KLHC Jnrs 1 Felda Temerloh 3, Padang Midin 16 Permatang Jnrs 0, MSSD Larut Matang 1 MSP Pahang Jnrs 1.
Division Two C: SM Sains Johor 2 SMKTB 4, BJSS 5 SMK Datuk Bentara Luar 1.
TODAY -- Division One: Petaling Jaya CC v Malacca High School (7pm, KLHA), Anderson MBI v SSTMI Jnrs (5pm, Azlan Shah Stadium).
Division Two A: PHKS v MSSP-USM (5pm, Alor Star), Bakat MSSk v Star (5pm, Pasir Mas).
Division Two B: OLAK-PKT v Felda Temerloh (5pm, KLHA), 1Mas Perak v MSP Pahang Jnrs (5pm, Azlan Shah Stadium).
Division Two C: Politeknik KPM v SMKTB (5pm, Taman Daya), Datuk Taha v BJSS (5pm, Seremban II), BJSS Jnrs v SMK Datuk Bentara Luar (5pm, KPM Pantai).
New Straits Times
Thunderbolt storm to second big win
By S. Ramaguru
KLHC's Khairol Amirin Abdul Jalil (right) reels away in delight after scoring the first equaliser against Malacca High School in their 2-2 draw in the Malaysian Junior Hockey League Div 1 match in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. - AZHAR MAHFOF/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Last year, SSTMI-Thunderbolt lost to Anderson and it nearly cost them the Division One title in the MHC-Milo-NSC Malaysia Junior Hockey League.
So, when the two teams met at the Sultan Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh on Saturday, defending champions SSTMI-Thunderbolt went in with trepidation.
Frankly, they needn’t be. As it turned out, it was a stroll in the park for the defending champions as they trounced Anderson 7-0 for their second straight big win.
Even SSTMI-Thunderbolt coach Wan Mohd Roslan was surprised.
“The big win is a surprise for us. We started off well and the players took their chances. We lost to Anderson last year and were wary of their potential to be spoilers,” he said.
“We can now look forward to finishing the league campaign on a high as the players will be more settled in the coming games.”
SSTMI, who had hammered SSTMI Juniors 6-0 in their opening game last Sunday, got their goals through Mohd Najib Abu Hassan (1st minute), Mohd Aminuddin Mohd Zain (9th, 68th), Syed Mohd Syafiq Syed Cholan (47th, 64th) Mohd Firdaus Omar (54th) and Mohd Zulhamizan Awang Abas (62nd).
For Anderson, the loss has put their top-four target under threat.
Anderson coach Mohamed Nizam admitted that they were beaten by a better team.
He also blamed his players’ profligacy for the loss.
“SSTMI were tactically and technically better than us. We had seven penalty corners but could not score,” he said.
“The two early goals – within the first 10 minutes – rattled our players and they never recovered from it.
“We now have the tough task of getting back on our feet for the game tomorrow (today) against the SSTMI Juniors. This is one match we cannot afford to lose.”
In another Division One match at the KL Hockey Stadium, KL Sports School-KLHC came back twice to hold Malacca High School to a 2-2 draw.
Mohd Ashraf Zuhry Mahat put Malacca ahead with a reverse stick shot in the 22nd minute before KLSS hit back two minutes later with a penalty corner goal by Mohd Khairol Amirin Abdul Jalil.
Malacca regained the lead through Mohd Nur Asyraf Ishak in the 27th minute (penalty corner), and again KL fought back to equalise through Mohd Nur Faiz Mohd Rosli’s 57th-minute field goal.
The Star of Malaysia
MHS held by KLSS
KL Sports School came back twice to hold Malacca High School to a 2-2 draw in a Division One match at the Pantai Hockey Stadium.
MHS were held to a 1-1 draw by Anderson in their opening match last week while KLSS lost 0-2 to UniKL young Guns.
Thus both teams were eager to chalk up maximum points to nudge their way up the ladder but that was not meant to be.
MHS opened scoring in the 22nd minute when a reverse stick shot by Muhd Ashraf Zuhry Mahat sailed through a sea of legs into goal.
However KLSS were back on level terms two minutes later via a penalty corner converted by Mohd Khairol Amirin Abdul Jalil.
But MHS were undeterred and regained the lead, also through a penalty corner converted by Muhd Nur Asyraf Ishak in the 27th minute.
KLSS were all over MHS in the opening minutes of the second half but failed to create any decent attempt as they were to individualistic.
It was not till the 57th minute that KLSS found the breakthrough as Muhd Nur Faiz Mahamad Rosli broke through the centre before slotting the ball past MHS keeper Amirul Aiman Azmi to make it 2-2.
KLSS created enough chances to take all three points but squandered them all and had to be contend with a single point.
MJHL site
Troubles galore at KL Stadium
The saga of the missing sponsors advertising boards at the KLHA Stadium continued in the MILO Junior Hockey as none was visible in the two league matches played at the venue.
The Malaysian Hockey Confederation Competitions Technical Committee had decided in their last meeting on Monday to move all matches scheduled at the stadium to the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
But obviously they did not resolve the issue nor move the matches thus casting a serious aspersions on their ability to fulfill sponsor obligations.
There was more controversy at the same venue as KL Sports School Juniors disputed the legality of the second goal scored by Felda Akademi Hoki Pahang, claiming it was scored via a hole in the side netting of the goal post.
KLSS Juniors took the lead in the 13th minute via Nur Najibrullah Ramlee. but Felda drew level in the 28 th minute with Mohd Amirul Hafiz Sulaiman scoring.
Mohd Haziq Fawwaz Ramli scored the disputed goal in the 31 st minute before adding a second in the 40th minute for Felda's first win.
Meanwhile in Division One, defending champions SSTMI Thunderbolts hammered Anderson 7-0 at the Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh.
"We went in looking for a win, as last season Anderson were the only team which beat us. However, the margin is very pleasing as we look forward to defending out title,” said Thunderbolts coach Wan Roslan Wan Rahman.
“We only have one match this weekend, as we prepare for what I feel would be a tougher match against Petaling Jaya (Municipal Council) next Friday.
"And if we seal the three points against PJCC, it would make our title defence that much easier,” said Wan Roslan.
Thunderbolts opened scoring in the very first minute via Muhd Najib Abu Hassan and doubled their advantage through Mohd Aminuddin Mond Zain in the 9 th minute.
There was no stopping Thunderbolts once they got into the rhythm as they added another five goals through Syed Mohd Syafiq Syed Cholan (47 and 64) Muhd Firdaus Omar (54), Mohd Zulhamizan Awang Abas ( 62) and Aminuddin scoring his second two minutes from time for a resounding win.
At the Ministry of Education Stadium in Pantai, Bukit Jalil Sports Dchool went on a scoring spree by defeating SMK Dato Bentara Luar 5-1.
Results
Division 1
Anderson 0 SSTMI Thunderbolts 7
KLSS Juniors -Malacca High School - 7pm start
Division 2 (A)
MSSPP-USM Juniors 1Nur Insafi 3
BAKAT MSSK/PHK 2Matri 0
SMK Syed Hassan 1. 1MAS Penang 0
Division 2 (B)
KL Sports School JRS 1 FELDA Akademi Hoki Pahang 3
SMK Pdg Midin 16Permatang Juniors 0
MSSD Larut Matang & Selama 1 MSP Pahang JRS 1
Division 2 (C)
PHDK/SSNJ/SMSJ 2SMK Tunku Besar 4
BJSS 5SMKDBLBP/SUKMA JOHOR/PHJ 1
Fixtures
Division 1
Sunday
19:00
MBPJ -Malacca HS ( MOE Stadium Pantai )
1700
Anderson -SSTMI Juniors ( Azlan Shah Stadium )
Division 2 (A)
Sunday
17:00
PH Kota Star -MSSPP-USM Juniors ( Alor Star )
Division 2 (B)
Sunday
19: 00
OLAK - PKT -FELDA Akademi Hoki Pahang ( Pantai Hockey Stadium )
Division 2 (C)
Sunday
17:00
Politeknik KPM -SMK Tunku Besar ( Taman Daya Johor Baru)
SMK Dato Taha -BJSS ( Seremban 2 Stadium)
MJHL site
Hard core training for Fijian U18 hockey side
Arin Kumar
The boys national U18 hockey squad trains at the National Hockey Turf in Suva this week.Picture: JONACANI LALAKOBAU
IT will be two full months of hard core training for the national under-18 hockey side.
Coaches Tai Smith and Anthony Newton named their final 15-member squad for the Youth Olympic Oceania qualifiers to be held in Port Vila, Vanuatu, in March.
Smith said they had to make some tough calls but needed the best team possible for the competition.
"We will now turn our focus on getting these players into game mode," she said.
"They may have made it into the final squad but they still have a lot to learn."
Girls: Ro Lavenia Ratumaimuri (Suva), Lala Malia Ravatu (Suva), Latileta Williams (Nadi), Adi Mateiwai Naselesele (Levuka), Salanieta Degei (Lautoka), Ana Blake (Nausori), Tarai Bennion (Lautoka), Donna Finau (Suva), Luisa Ratumaiyale (Nadi), Kerryanne Candy (Nadi), Semantafa Samisoni (Nadi), Naomi Drugu (Levuka), Lora Bukalidi (Suva), Ateca Masirewa (Levuka), Miriama Silatolu (Suva). Boys: Apenisa Vatuniveivuke (Lautoka), Apakuki Rokotakala (Ba), Kyle Kava (Lautoka), Fredrick Steiner (Suva), Epeli Naduva (Lautoka), Ovini Drasuna (Lautoka), Tristan Tora (Suva), Josh Bulatale (Suva), Rik Bentley (Suva), David Ledua (Suva), Joeli Mocelutu (Suva), Krristofer Mock (Suva), Amenatave Sam Veitamana (Suva), Owen Smith (Lautoka), Ulaiasi Ratubola (Lautoka).
The Fiji Times