News for 10 April 2015
All the news for Friday 10 April 2015
Malaysia beaten 3-1 by South Korea
By Jugjet Singh
MALAYSIA played in patches and were beaten 3-1 by South Korea in the Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh, today.
Now, they must beat Canada on Saturday, and hope that Australia beat India to play in the third-fourth classification.
Right after the Negaraku was sung, and even before the crowd could settle down on their seats, the Malaysian defense cracked when Lee Jung Jun scored off a third minute field attempt.
That set the tempo of the match, and Malaysia were reduced to chasing Korea in the remainder of the match. The Malaysian goals were scored by Faizal Saari (32nd) and Razie Rahim (34th).
Meanwhile, Australia qualified for the final with a game in hand when they beat New Zealand 3-1. Australia play India in the last pool match on
Saturday, and it will be a warm-up before they make an attempt for a ninth Azlan Shah Cup title.
New Zealand play South Korea and still have a chance to join their neighbours in the Sunday final.
Dylan Wotherspoon (17th), Jamie Dwyer (24th) and Jeremy Hayward (28th) scored for Australia while Andy Hayward (32nd) scored the Kiwi consolation.
RESULTS: India 5 Canada 3, New Zealand 1 Australia 3, Malaysia 2 South
Korea 3.
April 10: REST DAY.
April 11: Australia v India (4pm), South Korea v New Zealand (6pm),
Malaysia v Canada (8pm).
New Straits Times
Malaysia put on a gritty display in South Korea loss
by S. Ramaguru
Razie Rahim (in yellow) scored a goal in Malaysia 2-3 loss to South Korea in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament in Ipoh. - Bernama
IPOH: Malaysia lost but at least they went down fighting.
Malaysia’s hopes of a second win in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup came unstuck after they went down 3-2 to former Asian champions South Korea in their fourth match at the Azlan Shah Stadium.
Lee Jung-jun put South Korea ahead in the third minute before Lee Nam-yong added the second in the 29th minute.
Malaysia hit back with a vengeance, scoring twice in two minutes through Faizal Saari (32nd) and Mohd Razie Rahim (34th).
Unfortunately, a lapse in concentration led to South Korea netting the winner through Kim Young-jin in the 35th minute.
Malaysia, with three points, can make the third-placing playoff if they beat Canada in their last match on Saturday.
South Korea will now vie for a place in the final with New Zealand on Saturday. The winners of this match will face Australia in the showdown.
National coach Tai Beng Hai said that the team played well but “some lapses in concentration handed the Koreans the upper hand”.
“It’s always difficult playing two tough matches back-to-back. We had our chances ... including three penalty corners. After the tough game against India, the players were a little tired. Still, it was a good effort all round,” he said.
“We now have to focus on the next game and try to get it right. This is, after all, about learning and we want to see more consistency in the game.”
The game itself was scrappy and it was only the better finishing of the Koreans that made the difference.
Malaysia were good in patches and deserved credit for coming back from two goals down to draw level at one stage.
Korea got their opener by catching Malaysian defence napping. Jang Jung-hyun’s hefty hit into the D from the right of the 25-yard line found the unmarked Jung-jun at the far left of the Malaysian goal post and the forward slotted home easily.
The Koreans continued to press in the second quarter and scored again in the 29th minute when Nam-yong’s attempt from top D beat goalkeeper S. Kumar.
That signalled the Malaysian fightback. In the third quarter, Malaysia earned their first penalty corner of the match and Faizal made no mistake with his drag flick in the 32nd minute.
Malaysia then survived a couple of close calls to draw level two minutes later, again from a penalty corner set piece. This time, Razie scored with a direct flick.
Malaysia’s joy was shortlived as Young-jin netted the winner a minute later.
The Star of Malaysia
Unbeaten Australia in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup final
By S. Ramaguru
Hugo Inglis of New Zealand (left) and Matthew Dawson of Australia tussle for the ball during their match in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh. Australia won 3-1. - SAIFUL BAHRI / The Star
IPOH: Australia proved just why they are the world No. 1 in men’s hockey.
The defending champions powered past Oceania rivals New Zealand 3-1 at the Azlan Shah Stadium to qualify for the final of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup – and with a game to spare.
It was their fourth straight win and they have 12 points. They meet India in their last match on Saturday.
A draw on Thursday would have seen both teams making the final. As things stand, the Kiwis now need at least one point from their last match against South Korea to make the final.
Thursday’s match was expected to be close but Australia were clearly the better side, racing to a 3-0 lead by the 28th minute.
Dylan Witherspoon opened the scoring in the 17th minute before Jamie Dwyer bagged his seventh goal of the tournament in the 24th minute.
Jeremy Hayward added the third in the 28th minute.
As the Australians took their foot off the pedal, the Kiwis reduced the deficit through an Andy Hayward penalty stroke in the 32nd minute.
Earlier, India laboured to their first win of the tournament – edging lowly Canada 5-3.
India got their goals through Rupinder Pal Singh (13th minute), V.R. Raghunath (32nd), Ramandeep Singh (46th, 47th) and Satbir Singh.
Canada replied through Oliver Scholfield (43rd), Jagdish Singh (50th) and David Jameson (52nd).
India coach Paul van Ass admitted that his men were not clinical in the set-piece moves.
“We should have had more variation. We also let in some soft goals,” said Van Ass.
The Star of Malaysia
Kookaburras into final
Victory over New Zealand ensures Kookaburras reach Azlan Shah final
The Kookaburras advanced into the final of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup on Thursday night with a game in hand courtesy of a gritty 3-1 victory over trans-Tasman rivals, the New Zealand Black Sticks.
Three goals in a clinical nine minute period of the second quarter was enough to earn victory as Dylan Wotherspoon, Jamie Dwyer and Jeremy Hayward struck. Kiwi Andy Hayward pulled one back from the penalty spot shortly after half time but the world champions maintained the two goal deficit.
Speaking after the match, Kookaburras Assistant Coach Paul Gaudoin said, “It was a typical Australia-New Zealand match. It was tough, an absolute grind. They know how we play, we know how they play.
“We lacked the intensity of the day before. It’s difficult to get up for back-to-back matches but it was the same for New Zealand. Overall, we’re pleased we managed to grind out a result.”
Western Australian Aran Zalewski (pictured, above) celebrated his 50th appearance for Australia in the match, which burst into action two minutes into the second quarter when birthday boy Dylan Wotherspoon, 22, scored to give the Kookaburras the lead.
Seven minutes later Jamie Dwyer continued his incredible run of form, scoring for the fourth consecutive match to take his tally for the tournament to seven, doubling Australia’s advantage.
And defender Jeremy Hayward, who made his international debut at the same tournament a year ago, made it 3-0 with a powerful penalty corner conversion, his first goal of the tournament.
The Black Sticks were handed an opportunity to get back into the match two minutes after half time when a penalty corner hit an Australian defender on the line. Kiwi Andy Hayward slotted home the resulting penalty stroke but it was to be their only goal.
The result qualifies the Kookaburras for Sunday’s final with a round-robin match against India on Saturday still to come. New Zealand remain the favourites to meet them in the final but could still lose out to Korea should the Koreans beat Malaysia and then beat the Kiwis on Saturday.
Looking ahead to the weekend, Gaudoin said Australia would not think about Sunday’s final ahead of their clash with India on Saturday.
He commented, “It’s a classic case of not looking beyond the next game. India are playing reasonably well. The probably haven’t had the results they’ve deserved here so far.”
Under the stewardship of new coach, Dutchman Paul van Ass, the Indians enjoyed their first win of the tournament on Thursday, beating Canada 5-3 having previously drawn with Korea on the opening day. Kookaburras captain, Mark Knowles, will make his 250th appearance for Australia in Saturday’s match.
The Kookaburras’ fifth match of the Sultan Azlan Shah will be against India on Saturday at 6:10pm AEST / 4:10pm AWST. The match will be shown on live on Eurosport (Foxtel Ch 511).
Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
Match 4 v New Zealand
KOOKABURRAS: 3 (3)
Dylan Wotherspoon 17 (FG)
Jamie Dwyer 24 (FG)
Jeremy Hayward 28 (PC)
NEW ZEALAND BLACK STICKS: 1 (0)
Andy Hayward 32 (PS)
Kookaburras squad v New Zealand
Name (Hometown/State) Caps/Goals
Started
Nick Budgeon (Hobart, TAS) 32/12
Matthew Dawson (Central Coast, NSW) 14/0
Jeremy Hayward (Darwin, NT) 31/11
Leon Hayward (GK) (Darwin, NT) 4/0
Mark Knowles (C) (Rockhampton, QLD) 249/21
Trent Mitton (Perth, WA) 66/20
Eddie Ockenden (Hobart, TAS) 235/60
Jake Whetton (Brisbane, QLD) 82/34
Tristan White (Wollongong, NSW) 48/3
Dylan Wotherspoon (Murwillumbah, QLD) 8/3
Aran Zalewski (Margaret River, WA) 50/4
Used Substitute
Daniel Beale (Brisbane, QLD) 48/8
Tristan Clemons (GK) (Ferndale, WA) 14/0
Tim Cross (Eaglemont, VIC) 4/1
Jamie Dwyer (Rockhampton, QLD) 325/213
Matt Gohdes (Rockhampton, QLD) 114/32
Glenn Simpson (Melbourne, VIC) 122/22
Did Not Play
Glenn Turner (Goulburn, NSW) 114/79 (injured)
Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Standings
1. Australia (12 points, 4 games)
2. New Zealand (9 points, 4 games)
3. Korea (7 points, 4 games)
4. India (4 points, 4 games)
5. Malaysia (3 points, 4 games)
6. Canada (0 points, 4 games)
Kookaburras’ Sultan Azlan Shah remaining fixtures
Saturday 11 April – Kookaburras v India– 6:10pm AEST
Sunday 12 April – Final 10:40pm AEST / Bronze 8:10pm AEST / 5th-6th 5:40pm AEST
Sultan Azlan Shah competing teams
Australia (World ranking #1)
Canada (#15)
Korea (#8)
India (#9)
Malaysia (#12)
New Zealand (#7)
Hockey Australia media release
Australia hand Black Sticks Men first loss
Nick Haig in action for the Black Sticks
The Black Sticks Men have been defeated 3-1 by Australia at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia.
New Zealand were well in the contest for most of the game, but the Kookaburras were able to build themselves a handy buffer with three goals in the second quarter.
The Black Sticks created plenty of scoring opportunities throughout the match but were only able to score once after Andy Hayward converted from a penalty stroke.
The result guarantees Australia a spot in the final while the Kiwis will look to assure themselves a rematch with a win or draw against Korea in their final round robin game on Saturday night.
Head coach Colin Batch said while the result wasn’t what they had hoped for, it was pleasing to be able to keep the game so close against the world number one side.
“We had a really good first quarter and created some excellent scoring chances that we unfortunately weren’t able to convert,” he said.
“Australia responded very strongly in the second quarter but it was pleasing to be able to come back into the game after halftime and still be in with a chance.
“Our focus now is on preparing well for Korea on Saturday, we need to get a result there to make sure we are playing for a shot at the title.”
The Black Sticks were off to an impressive start, earning the first penalty corner of the night inside the opening five minutes but unable to convert.
Dylan Wotherspoon opened the scoring for Australia with a 17th minute field goal, with Jamie Dwyer also beating goalkeeper Devon Manchester and then Jeremy Hayward rounding out the second quarter trifecta with a penalty corner drag flick.
Despite being down by three goals at halftime, New Zealand lifted after the break and held the Kookaburras to a goalless second half.
The Black Sticks were awarded a stroke three minutes into the third quarter when a shot at goal bounced off a defender’s shin guard just outside the goal mouth.
Hayward obliged with a strong flick just beating the goalkeeper’s pads to put the Kiwis on the scoreboard.
Neither side was able to find the back of the goal in the final 27 minutes of the game thanks to some solid defensive work.
The Black Sticks have a rest day tomorrow ahead of their final round robin clash against Korea at 10pm on Saturday night (NZ time), with live coverage on SKY Sport 6.
BLACK STICKS 1: (Andy Hayward)
AUSTRALIA 3: (Dylan Wotherspoon, Jamie Dwyer, Jeremy Hayward)
Halftime: Australia 3-0
Hockey New Zealand Media release
Black Sticks men suffer first loss in Malaysia, falling to Australia 3-1
Andy Hayward scored New Zealand's only goal just after halftime in a 3-1 loss to Australia at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. Getty Images
The New Zealand Black Sticks men have suffered their first loss at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament in Malaysia, falling 3-1 to Australia.
The Kookaburras advanced to the final on Thursday night, with a game in hand, after the gritty victory.
Three goals to Dylan Wotherspoon, Jamie Dwyer and Jeremy Hayward in a clinical nine-minute period of the second quarter earned victory for Australia over the Black Sticks in the six-nation tournament.
Kiwi Andy Hayward pulled one back from the penalty spot shortly after halftime but the world champions maintained the two-goal lead over world No 7 New Zealand.
Kookaburras assistant coach Paul Gaudoin said it was a typical trans-Tasman match.
"It was tough, an absolute grind. They know how we play - we know how they play.
"We lacked the intensity of the day before. It's difficult to get up for back-to-back matches but it was the same for New Zealand. Overall, we're pleased we managed to grind out a result."
West Australian Aran Zalewski celebrated his 50th appearance for Australia.
The match burst into action two minutes into the second quarter when Wotherspoon, 22 and celebrating his birthday, scored to give the Kookaburras the lead.
Seven minutes later, Dwyer continued his incredible run of form, scoring for the fourth consecutive match to take his tally for the tournament to seven and doubling Australia's advantage.
And defender Hayward, who made his international debut at the same tournament a year ago, made it 3-0 with a powerful penalty corner conversion, his first goal of the cup.
The Black Sticks were handed an opportunity to get back into the match two minutes after halftime when a penalty corner hit an Australian defender on the line. Hayward slotted home the resulting penalty stroke but it was to be New Zealand's only goal.
The Kiwis remain favourites to meet the Kookaburras in Sunday's final but could still lose out if the Koreans beat Malaysia and then beat the Black Sticks on Saturday.
Looking ahead to the weekend, Gaudoin said Australia would not think about Sunday's final ahead of their clash with India on Saturday (6:10pm AEST) in their fifth and final pool game.
"It's a classic case of not looking beyond the next game. India are playing reasonably well. They probably haven't had the results they've deserved here so far."
SULTAN AZLAN SHAH CUP STANDINGS:
1. Australia (12 points, 4 games)
2. New Zealand (9 points, 4 games)
3. Korea (4 points, 3 games)
4. India (4 points, 4 games)
5. Malaysia (3 points, 3 games)
6. Canada (0 points, 4 games)
Stuff
Australia book final berth, Korea beat Malaysia to keep hopes alive
IPOH (Malaysia): World champion Australia's title defence continued in the right earnest as they defeated Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand 3-1 to register their fourth straight win, while Korea beat hosts Malaysia 3-2 to stay in the hunt in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey here on Thursday.
In the second match of the day at the Azlan Shah Stadium, Australia scored through Dylan Wotherspoon (17th minute), Jamie Dwyer (24th minute) and Jeremy Hayward (28th) to maintain their clean slate in the tournament and become the first team to secure a place in Sunday's summit clash.
The lone goal for the Black Sticks came in the 32nd minute from a penalty stroke which was converted by Andy Hayward.
In the last match of the day, Malaysia slipped out of the title race after suffering their third defeat in the tournament in front of a vociferous home crowd.
Korea took the lead in the third minute through Lee Jung Jun (3rd) before Lee Namyong (29th) and Kim Youngjin (35th) scored two goals.
Malaysia's goals came from penalty corner conversions by Faizal Saari (32nd) and skipper Razie Rahim (34th).
The win kept Korea in the race for the summit clash but they will now have to beat New Zealand in their last league match on Sunday to progress to the final.
Malaysia play minnows Canada in an inconsequential game.
The Times of India
India register their first win
India recorded its first win in the Sultan Azlan Shah cup, after they beat Canada 5-3 in their fourth match of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup on Thursday.
In what was supposed to be an easy match, if not one-sided, however went on to be a tight one, especially in the third and fourth quarter when goals kept coming in for both the teams.
With this, India now have four points from four matches.
Canada, began a little slow but managed to get a penalty corner in the fifth minute. As many as three attempts by them, could however, yield no results for them. India got the early lead after Rupinder flicked the ball off India’s third penalty corner.
India managed to maintain that lead till the first half and added one more to it in the third quarter after V.R. Raghunath misled the goalkeeper easily to score off the fifth penalty corner.
Two minutes to go for the end of the third quarter, Canada pulled one down after Oliver Scholfield pulled one down as the Indian defense fell flat. India, meanwhile, wasted three more penalty corner in the quarter.
Ramandeep Singh gave some relief to his team, after he scored two quick goals through deflection in the 46th and 47th minute. The first one came off a long cross and the second was set up by Gurbaj Singh.
There on, Canada doubled up its attack, scoring a goal two minutes later in the 49th minute off a penalty corner. The goal was scored by Jagdish Gill, an Indian-born Canadian. But, India managed to increase the lead again after Satbir Singh deflected a quick ball from the right flank, set up by Manpreet Singh.
The final goal of the match came in the 52nd minute after David Jameson steals a ball, standing right behind goalkeeper Harjot Singh, slightly pushed it for his team’s third goal.
India, in total, received eight penalty corners but converted just two.
India will next face defending champions Australia on April 11.
Stick2Hockey.com
Misfiring India post first win in Azlan Shah, beat Canada 5-3
IPOH (Malaysia): Already out of the summit clash, a misfiring India had to toil hard to get the better of a lowly Canada 5-3 and register their first win in the ongoing 24th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament, here on Thursday.
Rupinder Pal Singh (13th minute) and V R Raghunath (32nd) scored through penalty corners before Ramanadeep Singh (46th, 47th) scored two field goals, while Satbir Singh (49th) rounded off the tally with another field strike.
For Canada, who are ranked 15th in the world as compared to India's ninth spot, Oliver Scholfield (43rd), Jagdish Gill (49th) and David Jameson (52nd) were the goal scorers.
Even though India had the better share of possession and ball control, they were far from impressive.
For the fourth straight match, the Indians were guilty of missing numerous chances and their fragile backline as usual conceded soft goals.
In the presence of two big dragflick exponents in Raghunath and Rupinder, penalty corners are considered India's strong point, but they cut a sorry figure in this department as well, utilizing just two of the eight short corners that came their way on Thursday.
Besides being new chief coach Paul van Ass' first win after taking charge of the team, the only solace from today's game was the performance of its forwardline, who finally showed some form by scoring three fine field goals.
It was, however, Canada who had the first shy at the goal when they earned the game's first penalty corner in the fifth minute but Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh made double save to deny the opponents.
Minutes later India got their first scoring chance but Satbir was denied by the Canadian goalkeeper David Carter.
Canada had another penalty corner in the ninth minute and Sreejesh was once again forced to come to the action to keep John Smythe's flick away.
Soon India mounted continuous raids into the Canada citadel and in the process earned three quick penalty corners, the last of which was converted by Rupinder in the 13th minute.
India secured another short corner in the second quarter but this time Rupinder was slow to get off the block and from the resultant rebound he shot over.
But just two minutes after halftime, India doubled their lead when Raghunath neatly converted his side's fifth short corner.
The scoreline should have been much bigger for India had they not wasted the penalty corners that came their way.
In the third quarter, India earned three more penalty corners but wasted all the opportunities.
Canada stunned India when Scholfield scored from a counter attack in the 43rd minute with a powerful reverse hit, which Sreejesh had no answer to.
It was a goalfest for the spectators in the fourth and final quarter as Ramandeep, who was off colour till Thursday's match, scored two goals in the span of two minutes to make the scoreline 4-1 in favour of India.
Ramandeep first pushed home after he was set up by Nikkin Thimmaiah in the 46th minute and then he neatly deflected in a Gurbaj Singh's cross from the right in the next minute.
Canada pulled one back in the 49th minute through a penalty corner conversion by Gill before Satbir extended India's lead guiding home a pass from Manpreet Singh.
But it was not the end, as India conceded yet another soft goal when Jameson tapped in from close range after an array of defenders failed to stop Gabriel Ho-Garcia's cross.
India will next play their toughest match of the tournament against world champions Australia on Saturday.
India are out of Sunday's final race after having garnered just four points from four games with just a win and a draw.
The Times of India
Indian defense a worry says coach
Tazeen Qureshy
India might have bettered against Canada in their fourth match in the Sultan Azlan Shah cup on Thursday, but once again, a lopsided defense kept India at its bay, who had to struggle till the last minute to register a 5-3 win, their first in the tournament.
Agrees coach Paul van Ass, who says defense is indeed an area that needs improvement.
“The defense had worried me even before I came to India. We have lost a lot of points because of that. We are simply not strong. We often lose our head,” said Van Ass, post the match against Canada.
Though India managed to register their first win, the same mistakes on penalty corner conversion and defense crack-up were visible. Canada, who had so far scored just one goal in the tournament, made three against India itself.
In the penalty corner area, India earned eight, out of which it could only convert only two. However, coach says it is merely a part of the strategy.
“In the penalty corner, you can do more variations and you can be more pro-active. I didn’t choose to do that of course. I wanted to see (their performance) as much as possible. They don’t worry me much,” he said.
India is already out of contention from the Sunday’s final and a clear picture on third-fourth place play-off will only be clear by April 11.
“That is the only positive I have. I don’t have to calculate that (points table). From this tournament, I am just getting a better feel of the hockey we can play. I am getting to know the strengths and weakness of the team,” he added.
India will next play against Australia on April 11.
Stick2Hockey.com
India's weak defence a worry for chief coach Van Ass
IPOH (Malaysia): The fragile backline has been Indian men's hockey team's perennial problem and new chief coach Paul van Ass on Thursday admitted that the defence continues to be his major concern.
Out of title reckoning, India had to toil hard today to register a 5-3 win against a lowly Canada, their first in the tournament, in the ongoing Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.
The defence continued to disappoint as India yet again conceded soft goals to allow 15th ranked Canada to pump in three goals.
"What worries me is the defence. The defence worried me before I came to India. That is one of my first concerns. Our defence is too bad. I think we lost a lot of games in the end phase earlier as well as in this tournament," Van Ass said after registering his first win with the Indian team.
"We are simply not strong (in defence). We tend to lose our head (in pressure situation). But every game gives us a lesson. Of course it's great if you win and get a lesson," he added.
In the presence of two quality drag-flickers in V R Raghunath and Rupinder Pal Singh, penalty corners are considered to be India's strong point but the Sardar Singh-led side was off colour on that front as well.
India earned as many as eight penalty corners against Canada but managed to convert just two.
But coach Van Ass said it's not something which bothers him too much.
"I am getting a better feel of the hockey we can play. I am getting a feel of our strengths and weaknesses. Of course, we can do more variations with the corners, be more proactive. We did not do that. I did not choose to do that because I wanted to see as much as possible. But that does not worry me so much," the Dutchman, who took over the charge of the team barely four weeks ago, said
"I am glad that we managed to score five goals. It was nice," he added.
With India already out of the title race, Van Ass said he was looking forward to collect as much knowledge as possible about the team from this tournament and vowed to give world champions Australia a tough fight on Saturday.
"The good part is I don't have to calculate anymore. I am looking forward to the next game against Australia. That's the toughest game. Australia is pretty strong and it is going to be a big challenge," he said.
"For me it is important to see how individually and as a unit the team holds under pressure, which has not been the case so far. That's the information I want to get. I want to make it as difficult as possible for Australia," Van Ass added.
The Times of India
Terry Walsh took India to a very good place, says Hawgood
IPOH (Malaysia): Hinting that Australian Terry Walsh's unceremonious ouster was a step in the backward direction, former Indian women's team chief coach Neil Hawgood feels his compatriot took national men's side to a "very good place" during his short one-year stint.
Barely days after guiding India to a gold medal after a hiatus of 16 years in the Incheon Games, Walsh was forced to quit his job following differences with Hockey India and Sports Authority of India.
Even though days later, the Australian had expressed willingness to return to India but the national federation shut the door on him citing his alleged financial irregularities during his stint with USA Hockey.
And Hawgood said Walsh's exit did not come at the right time especially after India directly qualified for next year's Rio Olympics under his guidance following their Asian Games triumph.
"It has nothing to do with me. Being in India I won't like to comment on that," was Hawgood's reaction when asked about Walsh's exit from Indian hockey.
"But I feel the timing was wrong because he just took the team to a really good place. In the end they qualified for the Olympics which is a good thing for the country. Now they just need to focus," the Australian said when prodded further.
"But they have now got a very good coach in Paul van Ass. Paul is one of the best coaches in the world and he has the ability to take India forward. But he will need time," Hawgood, who is currently serving as a consultant with the Malaysian Hockey Confederation, said on the sidelines of the ongoing Sultan Azlan Shah Cup at the Azlan Shah Stadium.
Hawgood had a successful stint with the Indian women's hockey team. After he took charge in July 2012, India bagged the bronze at the 2013 Asia Cup and 2014 Incheon Asian Games, a fifth-place finish at the Commonwealth Games, runner-up at the Asian Champions Trophy last year and won its maiden medal (bronze) at the junior World Cup under the Australian's stewardship.
Asked about the reason behind him leaving India although he had the option of renewing his contract, Hawgood said, "It has nothing to do with hockey. It has nothing to do with any other issue. I think it was just tough living.
"I am closer to my family back home. Being based in Patiala, it made going home 20 hours or so trip. Right now I am just five hours away from home. Also the family can come and visit."
Most of the past foreign hockey coaches might have found India a tough place to work, but Hawgood said he had a gala time in the country irrespective of few problems, which is present everywhere.
"I enjoyed my two-and-half-years. I had no problems. No matter where you go, you are going to have tussles. I didn't find any interference. I just did things which I felt best for the team. In the end, I pretty well got what I wanted," the Australian said.
Recollecting his best moments with the Indian eves, Hawgood said, "The junior World Cup is one of them but also to see the girls grow in decision making. They were earlier scared to make decisions because of failures and we encouraged them to make decisions. That probably is even bigger than the bronze medal in the junior World Cup.
"I still follow them very, very closely and I do miss them."
The Australian said he is not averse to taking up the India job again if the opportunity comes in future.
"You never know what's going to happen in the world of hockey. So I wouldn't say no to it," was his reply when asked about the possibility.
The Times of India
Malaysia only half-baked
By Jugjet Singh
MALAYSIA only have nine more weeks left to get their act ready before the World League Semi-finals begins in Antwerp, Belgium, on June 20 to July 5.
Antwerp is the last door for Malaysia to play in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, a feat which was last achieved in Sydney 2000.
The World League format is very friendly, where three slots are available to Rio, but with double qualifications, the fifth placing in Belgium is just as valuable as the gold medal.
Malaysia are in Group B with Great Britain, Belgium, Ireland and China. In Group A are Australia, India, Pakistan, Poland and France.
And judging from Malaysia's performance at the ongoing Azlan, coach Tai Beng Hai has a team which is only 60 per cent ready to make a charge into the last four in Belgium.
Beng Hai admitted that fitness and formation was still not ready yet: "The Azlan Shah Cup has seen Malaysia start slow in two matches, but then again, the team has shown fighting spirit to come back from two goals down and play good hockey.
"However, we need to improve a little on the fitness as well as our defense formation," said Beng Hai.
Malaysia went down 0-2 to New Zealand but clawed back to 2-2, before collapsing 4-2. Next were Australia, and after a gallant fight, the World No 1 could only beat Malaysia 3-2.
India were shocked 3-2 by Malaysia, while South Korea took a 2-0 lead, but Malaysia fought back to level the score only to lose 3-2.
"You can see from the scoreline that we are not far off form higher ranked teams, but we need to cut off the mistakes at the back, to be more consistent," said Beng Hai.
Three players have not been performing up to the mark in this tournament, and Azlan Misron, Ahmad Kazamirul and Shukri Mutalib only have nine weeks to improve their attitude.
All three are experienced players, with Azlan the most cappped Malaysian right now, and he would be earning his 342nd cap against Canada today. But he has had horrible outings in his namesake tournament, while Kazamirul is too robust and makes too many mistakes when defending in his own semi-circle.
As for Shukri, he missed the Australian Tour due to studies, and has been almost invincible in the last three matches.
In the temper test, Faizal Shaari, Razie Rahim and Firhan Ashari have failed miserably, and should take their former coach K. Dharmaraj's advise seriously.
"In any high-stake international tournament, the opponents will try to make you lose your temper by poking from behind, pushing and elbowing off the ball and even saying nasty things near your ear. But a good player will never retaliate physically or verbally because that could earn him a card and when he's sitting in the sin bin, the team suffers and could even lose the match due to less members on the pitch.
"The right attitude is to retaliate by playing even better hockey when provoked, and that is what our players need to learn from this tournament and take it to Belgium," said Dharmaraj, who is now the National Sports Council development coach.
Today Malaysia play Canada in a must-win situation, and hope that Australia beat India, to qualify for the bronze battle.
Australia have already checked into the final, and their opponents would either be New Zealand or South Korea. The Kiwis only need a draw, while Korea a win to play in the final.
Australia, for the record, will be gunning for their ninth straight Azlan Shah Cup on Sunday.
STANDINGS
P W D L F A Pts
AUSTRALIA 4 4 0 0 18 5 12
N ZEALAND 4 3 0 1 12 6 9
S KOREA 4 2 1 1 10 10 7
INDIA 4 1 1 2 10 10 4
MALAYSIA 4 1 0 3 9 12 3
CANADA 4 0 0 4 4 20 0
April 10: REST DAY.
April 11: Australia v India (4pm), South Korea v New Zealand (6pm), Malaysia v Canada (8pm).
Jugjet's World of Field Hockey
Hawke’s Bay Cup games to be live-streamed
Gemma Flynn will be one of the Black Sticks key players
Hockey fans will be pleased to hear that all of the Hawke's Bay Cup games being held this week will be streamed LIVE and on-demand on both www.hockeynz.co.nz and www.hockeyfestival.nz.
The excitement is building in Hawke's Bay as eight of the world's top teams have arrived in Napier ahead of the Hawke's Bay Cup which is set to get underway tomorrow at the Hastings Sports Park.
China face India in the first game of the tournament at 1.30pm followed by Australia vs USA at 3.30pm. Later on in the day, Argentina take on Korea at 5.30pm and then the Black Sticks face Japan at 7.30pm.
Other Black Sticks games to get in your diary, will be their game against Argentina at 5.30pm this Sunday and their game against Korea at 5.30pm on Tuesday. The quarter-finals will be played on Thursday with the semi-finals on Saturday and finals on Sunday.
For the full match schedule, ticketing info and all other event details go to the official site - www.hockeyfestival.nz
Hockey New Zealand Media release
NZ Maori Women eyeing Affiliates finals spot
The NZ Maori Women continued their resurgence with a hard fought 4-1 victory over the NZ Indian Women.
The game was played in steady rain, but this did not deter the players. The NZ Maori team started strongly, and their dominance was rewarded after 10 minutes when Claudia Hanham found herself free in the circle and fired in a stinging shot to give her side the lead.
The NZ Indian women found their feet (or should that be flippers!) after that, coming back into the game through a goal to Shareena Nana. The scores stayed locked at 1-1 at halftime as the rain continued to fall.
The second half was a show of complete dominance from the NZ Maori – Tamara Dudley, Sian Fremaux and Awhina Rickard all found themselves on the scoreboard as the NZ Maori Women turned on the style.
NZ Indians captain Aleesha Nana was disappointed to go down but proud of her team and the effort they have shown this week.
“It is disappointing to lose all 4 games but we have played better than last year. It was really good to be able to compete and we were on top of some teams at halftime. There are a couple of things to work on for next year but an enjoyable tournament,” she said.
NZ Maori captain Tamara Dudley was thrilled with her team.
“We started off a bit slow but we are finally getting our combinations together.”
Tamara is confident her team can once again take out the Margaret Hiha Trophy.
“Always confident! But there are three teams fighting for it so we need to have a good win to make sure that we can have a chance.”
In earlier results, in the women’s competition the Hawke’s Bay side came from behind to beat the NZ Indians 4-2, and the National Senior Tournament XI maintained their perfect record, beating Hong Kong 2-1.
In the men’s competition, the National Senior Tournament XI beat the NZ Indians 3-1 and the NZ Maori team continued their impressive run by defeating Hawke’s Bay 6-3 thanks to doubles from Alex Hanham and Hitaua Arahanga-Doyle.
CLICK HERE for results and standings
Hockey New Zealand Media release
Taylor out injured
Jenner replaces Taylor for Hawke's Bay Cup
Hockeyroos recent debutant, Renee Taylor, has been ruled out of the upcoming Hawke’s Bay Cup campaign in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, after suffering a low grade calf tear during training.
Taylor has been replaced by World Cup silver and Commonwealth Games gold medallist, Kate Jenner. Jenner, 24, was a member of the Hockeyroos squad at the recent International Challenge in Sydney, participating in a three match test series against China.
Jenner departed Perth late Thursday night and is expected to join the team in Napier Friday afternoon.
The Hockeyroos begin their campaign against USA on Saturday.
The Hawke’s Bay Festival will be live streamed online via the Hawke's Bay Festival official website.
Revised Hockeyroos squad for the Hawke’s Bay Festival 11 – 19 April 2015
Athlete (Hometown, State) caps/goals
Teneal Attard (Mackay, QLD) 200/10
Madonna Blyth (Brisbane, QLD) 295/65
Edwina Bone (Evatt, ACT) 65/2
Jane Claxton (Adelaide, SA) 54/5
Kirstin Dwyer (Mackay, QLD) 67/2
Kate Jenner (Tamworth, NSW) 109/1
Jodie Kenny (Wamuran, QLD) 131/75
Rachael Lynch (Melbourne, VIC) 119/0
Karri McMahon (Berri, SA) 61/6
Georgina Morgan (Armidale, NSW) 6/0
Georgia Nanscawen (Melbourne, VIC) 149/30
Ashleigh Nelson (Wagin, WA) 169/63
Georgie Parker (Berri, SA) 72/23
Brooke Peris (Darwin, NT) 47/8
Kathryn Slattery (South Stirling, WA) 9/3
Emily Smith (Crookwell, NSW) 111/46
Ashlee Wells (Morwell, VIC) 45/0
Mariah Williams (Parkes, NSW) 8/2
Hawke’s Bay Festival Match Schedule
Saturday 11 April, 1:30pm AEST – Hockeyroos v USA
Sunday 12 April, 1:30pm AEST – Hockeyroos v China
Tuesday 14 April, 5:30pm AEST – Hockeyroos v India
Thursday 16 April, Quarter Finals
Saturday 18 April, Semi Finals
Sunday 19 April, Finals and classification matches
Hawke’s Bay Festival Competing Teams and Rankings
Australia (World ranking #2)
Argentina (#3)
New Zealand (#4)
China (#5)
USA (#8)
Korea (#9)
Japan (#10)
India (#13)
Hockey Australia media release
USWNT in Hawkes Bay Cup action
By Paul D. Bowker
Rachel Dawson challenges Anita Punt of New Zealand for the ball during the women's hockey match between New Zealand and USA at the London 2012 Olympic Games at Riverbank Arena Hockey Centre on Aug. 4, 2012 in London.
The U.S. Women’s National Team begins play Saturday in the 8 Nations Tournament in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. Team USA plays Australia, the No. 2-ranked team in the world, in the opening game Saturday.
All eight teams in the tournament are ranked among the top 13 in the world. The tournament is a part of the Festival of Hockey, in which the world’s best women’s field hockey teams will play in a period of 13 days. The tournament serves as a preparation for the upcoming Hockey World League semifinals.
The U.S. roster includes two-time Olympians Lauren Crandall and Rachel Dawson.
“The matches will provide us another opportunity to continue to develop the team as we move toward the summer events,” U.S. coach Craig Parnham said.
After opening the tournament against Australia, the United States will face India on Sunday and China on Tuesday. The playoff rounds begin Thursday.
Team USA media release
Not losing possession will be key: Rani
HASTINGS (New Zealand): Indian women's hockey team forward player Rani said on Thursday that not losing possession of the ball in the semi-circle will be the key during the upcoming Hawke's Bay Cup to be held here from April 11 to 19.
India have been placed in Pool A with their first match against China on April 11, followed by games against United States (April 12) and Australia (April 14). All eight participating teams will then play the quarter-finals.
"While the aim is to give a good performance, the same will greatly depend on not losing possession of the ball in the semi-circle. Those few seconds will be the time when we have to ensure to not allow pressure take the better of us," said the experienced Rani.
"We have to be quick and not waste any time in our passes, in trying to get a penalty corner in our favour or even giving a shot at the goal. Each millisecond there will count."
India had last met China at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games where they went down 1-2.
The Times of India
Diamond destination
With so much riding on the results of the HWL Semi-Finals, who will claim the top prize in Antwerp?
(Photo: FIH)
Home to fries, chocolate and diamonds, quirky Antwerp is the only venue to host both a men’s and a women’s event in this year’s HWL Semi-Final. And so in June, 20 hockey teams will be descending on the Belgium city looking for a top three finish and a ticket to Rio 2016, as well as a place at the season’s showcase event, the HWL Finals, played in India and Argentina in December.
The Belgium city is best known as centre of the world diamond trade, but it offers much more to its visitors. It is the world’s fifth largest port, which makes it a lively, vibrant and multi-cultured place to be. And there is history wherever you look. The medieval streets, gothic buildings and renaissance monuments remind you of its rich sea-faring heritage, while the hustle and bustle of modern life is in evidence at the Grote Markt.
It also has an unfinished piece of architecture - the Cathedral of Our Lady was started in 1351, and remains uncompleted eight centuries later.
The teams who will be competing in Antwerp include both the men’s and women’s highest ranked teams. World number one side Australia men will be seeking to continue their fantastic run of results, while the Netherlands women, who are also ranked one in the world, will be hoping to thwart the ambitions of their nearest rivals, the second-ranked Hockeyroos.
Both Belgium men and women will be looking for a win on home soil, while India men, under new coach Paul van Ass, will want to maintain their recent good form, which has seen them already book their place at Rio 2016.
While many of the teams will be comfortable on the global stage, there are some relative newcomers who will need to find their feet quickly. Azerbaijan, Italy, India and Poland are all qualifiers through the women’s HWL Round 2 competition, while Malaysia, France, Poland, Ireland and China have all qualified via the men’s HWL Round 2 route.
For the fans, time away from the pitch can be filled by watching the world go by from the numerous street cafes or by exploring the architecture that liberally sprinkles the streets of Belgium’s second largest city. The Paleis op de Meir is an 18th century palatial building used by Napoleon and then the Belgian royal family, while the gracious Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal is believed to be Belgium’s finest Gothic cathedral. Another piece of architecture well worth a visit is the Museum Plantin-Moretus – once the world’s first industrial printing works, it is now a Unesco World Heritage site and museum.
And of course, when in Belgium it is fun to try its national cuisine – mussels and fries. Bar Tabac is a tiny bar that looks as if it has been plucked from a rural village, with decor that is a mixture of old metal chairs and tables and wallpaper that is a Michelin map, and has a resident DJ spinning tracks to its jam-packed clientele.
Make Your Mark
FIH site
Women’s National Team returns to training after World League 2 whirlwind
Shaheed Devji
The sun was out and the birds were chirping, but the warm west coast weather was not the only reason the Canadian Women’s National Field Hockey Team was all smiles when they returned to training Wednesday at the University of British Columbia’s Wright Field.
The women are on a high, and who can blame them?
Canada is coming off a second place finish at World League Round 2 in Dublin, Ireland, which resulted in a spot earned at the World League Semi-Finals in June, where 2016 Olympic qualification is up for grabs.
“I’ve had a long career with this team and unfortunately success hasn’t really come,” explains captain Kate Gillis. “Finally, something came our way. It was such an amazing feeling.”
With the finish, the women have cracked the top twenty in the International Hockey Federation’s world rankings. Overall, it’s a good time to be a women's field hockey player in Canada.
“I think the belief is there that the rankings don’t really matter,” Gillis adds. “On any given day any team can win. When we’re playing well, and playing as a team, that kind of belief makes us go further instead of always playing to our ranking.”
Canada’s jump in the rankings has been well earned.
The women were dominant at World League 2, losing only two matches, both one-goal decisions to the 14th ranked Irish, the second of which was the final and went to a penalty shootout.
Canada will now have two chances to qualify for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: the World League Semi-Finals, where they have to finish in the top three to qualify, and the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, the winner of which qualifies for Rio 2016.
“That’s been the goal all the way along is to make sure we give ourselves every chance to qualify and we’ve done that,” says Women’s National Team head coach Ian Rutledge.
“To be able to get to a tournament (World League Semi-Final) where a minimum of three, and sometimes four and five teams can qualify directly, it increases the chances.”
To get to this point has been a work in progress.
It has been a busy eighteen months for the Women’s National Team as they have been travelling the world playing meaningful matches preparing for this year, which comes with attempting to qualify for the Olympics – something which Canadian women have not done since 1992.
“The biggest piece that been a little bit missing for us is the experiential gap that we’ve had to close on a bunch of teams that are older and more capped than us,” says Rutledge. “The only thing that can bridge the experience gap is actually experience itself.”
Last year, having played test matches versus England, Wales, and Ireland, let alone the competition they faced at the Commonwealth Games, which was among the best in the world, the Canadians did a lot to turn inexperience into valuable experience from which they can draw.
Add that to the January trip to New Zealand where they faced the vaunted Black Sticks, and you could say the Canadian women had seen it all prior to World League 2.
“We want to make sure we’re getting better every step of the way. Ian has done that,” says Gillis. “It’s when we’re exposed to those top ten teams that we can start to mimic them, and a learn from them, and that intensity is what we need to start bringing to our squad.”
But it’s nice to be back home for a while, especially when the changing Vancouver weather allows for more comfortable training.
For the next five weeks, the women will be training with their entire squad of twenty-seven athletes before heading to Toronto in the middle of May for a series of test matches against a familiar foe, Ireland.
The training and matches in Toronto will be at the Pan American Games pitch at the University of Toronto and will serve as a way for the Canadian Women to familiarize themselves with their home turf ahead of the Pan Am Games.
After Toronto, the women will head to Valencia, Spain for the World League Semi-Finals and their first shot at Olympic qualification. But while the stakes are officially getting bigger, the process remains the same.
“Nothing changes, to be honest,” says Rutledge. “This is a long-terms project for this team, to make sure they’re improving every day. Tournaments like World League 2, World League 3 (the Semi-finals), and the Pan American Games are just timed measures along the way to see if we’re on task and on target.”
So far, so good.
Field Hockey Canada media release
Womens Tri Nations set for Belfast
The venues have been confirmed for the Irish Women v Italy three test series to be played next week in Belfast.
Thursday 16 April
TIME: 7.30pm - Match 1 Ireland vs. Italy
VENUE: Mossley Hockey Club
Saturday 18 April
TIME 2pm - Match 2 Ireland vs. Italy
VENUE: University of Ulster, Jordanstown.
Sunday 19 April
TIME 2pm - Match 3 Ireland vs. Italy
VENUE: University of Ulster, Jordanstown
Irish Coach Darren Smith said “We are excited to have Italy in Belfast for this 3 match series as we both prepare for our respective World League 3 Tournaments in Spain & Belgium in June. Italy play with skill and flair, which means the matches will be quality to watch. Over the past 2 years we have played several times and each of these has been a hard fought affair”
The Irish squad for the series is:
Emily Beatty – UCD
Chloe Brown – Ards
Naomi Carroll – Catholic Institute
Lizzie Colvin - Loreto
Aine Connery – Hermes
Nicola Daly – Loreto
Kate Dillon – Railway Union
Stella Davis (GK) – Pembroke Wanderers
Deirdre Duke – UCD
Megan Frazer (Capt) – Ulster Elks
Michelle Harvey – Leuven, Belgium
Hannah Matthews – Loreto
Shirley McCay – Ulster Elks
Ayeisha McFerran (GK) - Pegasus
Ali Meeke – Loreto
Hayley Mulcahy – Loreto
Yvonne O'Byrne – Cork Harlequins
Cliodnha Sargent – Cork Harlequins
Emma Smyth - Railway Union
Irish Hockey Association media release
It all comes down to this...
Beeston 2013-14 champions
This weekend the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre plays host to the culmination of the NOW: Pensions Hockey League season with the final rounds of the promotion playoffs and the semi-finals and finals of the Championship playoffs all set to take place over an action packed two days.
The first round of the promotion playoffs took place a fortnight ago at Cannock Hockey Club where supporters of all four clubs were treated to some spectacular action.
Holcombe ran out 4-3 winners over Bowdon in an absorbing game in which the momentum see-sawed throughout. Mike Shaw struck two bullet penalty corners in addition to a Simon Egerton penalty stroke, but Holcombe hit back with goals from the excellent James Stedman, Stephane Vehrle-Smith and a brace from top scorer Gareth Andrew to take the win and another step towards the Premier Division.
Canterbury continued their resurgence with a stunning 7-1 demolition of Team Bath Buccaneers. Star striker Craig Boyne maintained his blistering form with a four goal haul to give his side a confidence boosting win and a precious three points.
The first of the games this Saturday pits the two Kent sides, winners in the first weekend against each other. Holcombe and Canterbury renew hostilities for local bragging rights and more importantly a win that would likely secure their place in the top flight for next season.
The second game of the day will be between Bowdon and Team Bath Buccaneers. With both sides experiencing disappointment in the first week of games, albeit in contrasting fashion, they know only a win will do if they are to maintain any hopes of reaching the top division for next season.
On Sunday, the final round of games take place with Bowdon and Canterbury going head to head and Bath facing off against Holcombe. With the playoffs set to go down to the wire, both games could prove to be crucial and dramatic in equal measure.
As well as the promotion playoffs, on Saturday afternoon the semi-finals of the championship playoffs take place. The first of the two clashes is a star-studded affair with no less than 14 Great Britain stars due to take to the field as table-toppers East Grinstead take on reigning champions Beeston, in a repeat of last year’s final. With the two sides scoring 127 goals between them this season and a galaxy of stars on show, this promises to be a thrilling clash for a place in Sunday’s showpiece final.
The second semi-final is not short of quality either, as Surbiton, who finished second in the league on goal difference behind East Grinstead face Wimbledon, who are making their first visit to finals weekend. Wimbledon had the better of the meetings between the two sides in the league; with a 4-1 win followed by a 3-3 draw later on in the season, however Surbiton have had an outstanding campaign, pushing East Grinstead right to the wire. Both sides have an array of attacking options on show and with both renowned for their free-flowing style of hockey, this promises to be a spectacular clash.
Tickets to the dramatic conclusion of the NOW: Pensions Men’s Hockey League are now on sale. This showpiece event has relocated to Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the fantastic new venue of our international fixtures.
The Finals weekend will see England’s top men’s clubs compete for glory in the showpiece finale to the domestic leagues. Also on display will be the promotion tournaments where 9th place in the Premier Division battles it out against the winners of the three regional Conferences for two spots in the Premier Division for 2015/16. For full details, click here.
Advance tickets cost from £17.50 for adults and just £5 for U18s. Weekend tickets are also available from £22.50 for adults and £8 for U18s.
England Hockey Board Media release
Ruthless Playing Mentality Concludes JHP Belgium Tour
As the US U-17 and U-19 Junior High Performance Teams travel abroad for their 2015 Belgium Tour, athletes will be blogging about games, local sites and their time with Team USA.
For the U-17’s, today was a perfect culmination of all of the hard work we have put in over the past year. The opportunity to be a part of Team USA and to travel to Belgium to compete has been a dream come true for me. I am so thankful to everyone who made this possible. To my parents, coaches and teammates who made this experience so exciting, fun and memorable, thank you so much!
We woke up determined to end our tour with a win and a decisive one at that. We were able to sleep in today and had a light recovery run session before lunch. Then we headed into our team meeting. We discussed how we wanted to completely embody a ruthless mentality for this match and end our tour and time as U-17 players on an extremely high note. Our mantra for the game came from an original quote by Coach Holmes-Winn, “The ball IS GOING in the BACK of the net!”
Even in the warm up, you could feel the intensity crackling in the air and you could hear the heart and desire in our voices when we broke from our huddle with the cheer, “USA!” We came out with fire and put pressure on Belgium right from the first whistle. Our relentlessness and urgency, which sustained for the entire game, created many amazing chances in our attacking third.
About 7 minutes into the game, we scored our first goal. Haley Schleicher threaded a beautiful ball to me at the 25 behind the defense and I beat the goalie 1 on 1 and scored on a reverse stick shot. Two minutes later we earned a corner and I dragged the ball to Lexi Davidson, who had a brilliant deflection into the net to score. Our next goal came from Meredith Shoulder who got a rebound off of the Belgian keeper and deftly pulled around her and put it in the back of the net. Our fourth goal came off of a corner. Mayv Clune slipped the ball to Haley Schleicher who swept the ball to a ready Jillian Woglemuth who had a beautiful deflection past the Belgian keeper. At halftime, we were up 4-0, but we were not about to let up. In our huddle, we all reaffirmed this and came out of halftime determined to continue to embody the relentless and urgent attitude that Coach Holmes-Winn and Coach Martin emphasized in our meeting. Meredith Shoulder crossed the ball to Kyler Greenwalt who made a great tip on the ball and converted for the first goal of the second half. Belgium was awarded a penalty stroke off of a corner and scored to the bottom left to narrow the score to 5-1. However, we were not finished. Sammy Popper got a free hit and, after dribbling 5 yards, made a beautiful pass into the circle, which I received and then scored on a diving reverse shot. Everyone played so well, from our awesome keepers Amanda Hendry and Sarah Dwyer, to Cassie Sumfest, Hannah Menage and Maddie Backsai who were amazing on defense, to Elise Wong, Lily Posternak and Brooke Deberdine who were sensational in the midfield, and finally to superb forward Megan Duvernois, who had a wonderful goal that unfortunately got called back.
We ended our tour and time together as the U.S. U-17 Junior Team on an extremely high note. I am so proud of this team for the way we embodied our tour goals, carried ourselves throughout the tour and, most importantly, represented our country well and with so much pride. This tour was a huge honor and an amazing learning experience. I have grown so much as a person and player in our time in Belgium. I will treasure the memories we made for the rest of my life. I am so thankful to have had this opportunity and look forward to returning home and applying all that I have learned here to continue to grow as a player and push myself to be the best that I can possibly be. GO USA!
- Corinne Zanolli
U-17 Junior National Team Athlete
USFHA media release
Scots find the going tough against Ireland
Scotland U18 Girls suffered two disappointing defeats at the hands of Ireland today, going down 4-2 and 5-1 at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre.
Laura Swanson gave the home side an early lead in the first match of the day, scoring from a penalty corner.
However, the visitors were soon back in the contest, Zoe Wilson firing home from a penalty corner in the 16th minute.
Four minutes later, Wilson put her side 2-1 up, again converting a penalty corner chance.
Shortly after the interval, Lena Tice was on hand at the back post to deflect Wilson's drag-flick attempt to make it 3-1 to Ireland.
Sally Campbell created a mountain for Scotland to climb in the 43rd minute, finding space inside the scoring circle to thump a low drive past Megan Inch in the Scottish goal to give Ireland a 4-1 advantage.
Nevertheless, a spirited second half display from Scotland was rewarded in the 53rd minute, Swanson working brilliantly along the byeline to create an opportunity to turn the ball past Ireland's goalkeeper Emma Buckley for a 4-2 scoreline.
With no more scoring, it was Ireland who took the win into the second match.
Ireland were back in the ascendency early in tonight's encounter, Rhianna Campbell opening the scoring from close range to break the deadlock.
Ava Beatty doubled the advantage to 2-0 for the Irish in the 19th minute, again with a goal from just in front of the Scottish goal-line.
However, Scotland were handed a reprieve right on the stroke of half-time after Ireland were penalised with a penalty stroke award against them for an illegal block on a goal-bound shot.
Charlotte Watson cooly dispatched the penalty flick into the left hand corner to put the Scots back into the match at 2-1.
Unfortunately, the home side were punished with three goals inside four second half minutes to put the contest beyond them; Tori Hastings was on hand to make it 3-1 to Ireland in the 47th minute, before Lena Tice's excellent reverse stick shot found the back of the net in the 50th minute.
Sixty seconds later Campbell got her second goal, providing the vital touch amongst an almighty stramash in front of the Scottish goal,and concluding the scoring at 5-1 to Ireland.
The two sides play again tomorrow at 10am.
Scottish Hockey Union media release
Pakistan Hockey Camp resumes as funds arranged
KARACHI: The national hockey training camp for the preparation of upcoming assignments will resume on April 12 at Johar Town Hockey Stadium in Lahore as some funds have been arranged by the Punjab Government.
The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) said that they are highly indebted to Chief Minister Punjab Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, Sports Minister Punjab Rana Mashood Ahmed Khan and Director General Sports Board Punjab Usman Anwar for their support for the establishment of the training camp.
The camp is serving as a preparatory ground for the Four-Nation Hockey Tournament in Australia from May 2, the Test Match Series against Korea from May 16 and the Olympic Qualifier FIH Hockey World League Semi Final at Belgium from June 20 to July 5.
The Express Tribune
SBP’s intervention helps PHF resume camp for Olympic qualifiers
LAHORE: The financially-crippled Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), which was forced to close the national team camp last week in Islamabad, will resume its training camp for the tours of Australia and South Korea ahead of the 2016 Olympic qualifiers here at the National Hockey Stadium from April 13 after timely intervention by Sports Board Punjab (SBP) on Thursday.
The camp at the Naseer Bunda Stadium in Islamabad was shut down due to lack of funds in the PHF as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, as its patron, has not issued the annual financial grant to it.
It was also reported that the condition of the Astroturf at the Naseer Bunda Stadium wasn’t good as it had caused injuries to several camp probables. But SBP has stepped in to help the PHF, whose headquarters are also situated in the National Hockey Stadium.
“Hockey is our national game and we will utilise all the resources for the better future of hockey in Pakistan,” said Director GeneralUsman Anwar in a press release issued on Thursday.
“The participation of national hockey team in the Olympic qualifying round matches is of great significance and that’s why we’ve offered handsome assistance for the cause of Pakistan’s national game.
“It isn’t the first occasion as SBP has always taken all the possible measures for the growth of sports in Punjab and other regions of the country.”
The PHF was in doldrums in sending the national team on preparation tours of Australia and South Korea prior competing in the Rio Olympics qualifiers in Belgium in June this year.
It has also been learnt that the SBP is providing PHF with necessary funds to enabling it to continue its preparations.
Initially, the PHF had picked the Johar Town Hockey Stadium here as the venue for the camp but after getting permission from the Sports Board Punjab (SBP), it has shifted the camp to the National Hockey Stadium.
“After a short break, the training camp of national senior probables preparing for participation in the four-nation tournament in Hobart/Tasmania from May 2-10, Test Match Series against South Korea in Incheon from May 16-25 and the FIH Hockey World League semi-finals (Olympics qualifiers) at Antwerp in Belgium from June 20-July 25 will be reinstated and reassemble at Hockey Stadium Johar Town in Lahore on April 12,” a PHF news release had earlier stated.
“The PHF has directed all the camp trainees and team officials to report to Mr Shahnaz Sheikh, Manager/Head Coach on Sunday.”
Meanwhile, the training camp of two teams of the Punjab Hockey Association for participation in the 34th U-20 National Junior Hockey Championships at the National Hockey Stadium from Saturday has been cancelled.
Dawn
Huge wins for PIA, Wapda in Nishan-e-Haider Hockey
LAHORE - Pakistan International Airlines (White), Asia Ghee Mills and Wapda have won their matches in League Stage of the 10th Nishan-e-Haider Hockey Tournament at the Dring Stadium on Thursday.
According to Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) spokesman, Asia Ghee Mills beat Khushab 6-0, PIA White crushed Khyber Pakhtoon Khawa Police 8-1 and Wapda humbled Manga Mandi Club 9-0.
Brilliant stick-work by Adnan Babar guided Asia Ghee to beat Khushab comfortably in the opening match.
Adnan scored four goals which including a hat-trick.
He struck three beautiful field goals in the 14th, 27th, and 49th minutes respectively.
He successfully converted a penalty corner in 28th minute also.
Kamran Maqsood (33rd min) and Amir Shahzad (53rd min) were the other scorers.
Khushab boys played with courage but they lacked in experience which was evident in the last two quarts when their forwards wasted three open chances to reduce the margin of defeat.
Hat-trick, by international Ammad Butt led PIA (White) to dominate Khyber Pakhtoon Khawa Police in the second match.
Both teams demonstrated aggressive game and their forwards amused the crowd with their speed and excellent passes.
First quart was full of thrill and drama which produce two goals.
Both teams made several inroads into each other halves.
It was a mixture of attacks and counter attacks in which both opponents tried hard to keep control of the ball which kept it rolling between two halves.
However, inexperience and stamina of KPK lads was exposed in later quarts which allowed their superior opponents to dominate the proceedings of the match.
Ammad converted a penalty corner in the 3rd minute and scored two beautiful goals in the 39th and 45th minutes respectively.
Amir Shahzad converted two penalty corners in the 22nd and 56th minutes.
Waqas Akbar (29th min), Waseem Akram (38th min) and Atif Mushtaq (57th min) also scored field goals.
Lone goal from KPK Police was scored by Adnan Babar in the 10th minute.
Local businessman Masood Nasir was the chief guest of the match.
Hat-trick by International Waqas Sharif guided Wapda to humble Manga Mandi in the last match.
Waqas netted three eye-catching field goals amid brilliant demonstration of dribbling and dodges in the 24th, 32nd and 57th minutes respectively.
Two goals each by Salman (19th - 49th min) and Ijaz Ahmed (44th – 53rd min) further consolidated their teams’ position.
Mohammed Imran also struck a goal in the 25th minute.
Today (Friday)’s fixtures: Pakistan Railways vs Multan, Khyber Pakhtoon Khawa Police vs Bahawalpur.
The Nation
Sami questions integrity of PHF probe body
Mohsin Ali
ISLAMABAD - Olympian Samiullah smells a rat in the email of Indian Hockey Federation in which they had offered financial support to the PHF and says such email was not possible or could have been generated without involvement of insider within the PHF.
Sami expressed these views while talking exclusively with The Nation Thursday said how on earth could it be possible to expect any favours from Indian Hockey Federation who in the past had never supported Pakistan hockey or players and never missed any opportunity of point scoring and pilling misery on Pakistan.
“At one end IHF didn't invite Pakistani players for Indian Hockey League and I whole-solely held them responsible for Pakistan team’s loss in the Champions Trophy final against Germany as they kept Pakistan involved in different issues and just spared team management when only two hours were left in the final.
Had we were given ample time for practice and allowed fair and square chance, we could have easily won the final not only against Germany but any given opponent.”
Sami said he was quite surprised to know that Rana Mujahid and Shahid Ali Khan along with one-member from IPC were nominated as members of probe committee formed on the directives of Federal Information Minister Senator Perviaz Rasheed to probe Rs 1000 million grant given to PHF in the previous government regime.
“Rana and Shahid remained involved in previous management in one or another capacity.
How is it possible a person who was involved in embezzlement of funds could conduct inquiry against himself? Rana is facing serious charges of financial irregularities, when he was the secretary of Interim Committee when parallel POA issue was at its peak and he is facing serious charges of misuse of funds during the National Games held in Islamabad.
In my opinion committee should be constitute under the chairmanship of retired judge with neutral members, who could conduct inquiry in free, fair and transparent manner otherwise it would not be more than a wastage of time and not more than an exercise in futile.
In my personal opinion audit should be conducted through a reliable private audit firm with high reputation to make entire process transparent and no one could object to the outcome of the audit report or else people would question the entire process.”
When asked about green shirts participation in the coming 4-nation hockey tournament in Hobart, Australia and whether green shirts would participate or not, Sami said Pakistan must participate in the event as it would be a great exposure and in great benefit to the players as after that they would be playing 5-match series against Korea in Korea and then the most important one the Olympic Qualifiers in Belgium in June.
“Players would get much-needed match practice from this event and it would give them advantage in the Olympic Qualifiers as playing against the best teams of the world always work wonders and it would be added advantage as hosts would play two teams”.
When asked about whether the government should support federation financially or not, Sami replied government must support federation and players.
“In my opinion players should not be deprived of anything.
They played out their hearts and didn't get much in return.
However government must ensure the funds should be utilised in fair and transparent manner unlike past when funds were whole-solely spent on personal tours and self-projections, as past track record of the federation must be taken into account or else once again federation officials would enjoy and reap all the benefits and players would be left in the cold,” Sami concluded.
The Nation
Hockey Kit 4 the World
Hockey kit 4 all the world
Following on from the successful bid to host the Women’s World Cup in 2018, England Hockey are working in partnership between The FIH, UK Sport, Ghana Hockey and the African Hockey Federation to deliver an exciting four year expansion plan for hockey in West Africa.
The biggest challenge to hockey development in West Africa is a huge lack of equipment. It is not uncommon for club players not to have their own sticks and teachers regularly have to deliver to classes of 40+ children with fewer than 10 useable sticks!
The expansion plan therefore includes the provision of hockey equipment and resources to schools and clubs across West Africa.
This is where we hope you can help.
With the support of Barrington Sports, England Hockey are asking the hockey family to donate any unwanted hockey sticks to players in Africa.
Are you treating yourself to a new stick this summer?
How many sticks do you have tucked away in the garage?
Has your child outgrown another stick?
Then, why not give your stick a new life and give someone else the opportunity to play?
At every England Hockey event (including the Euros) there will be stick donation buckets situated outside the England Hockey Shop. We would encourage everyone to bring along a stick, use it in the fun zone, and then leave it behind to begin a new journey.
We have set ourselves a target of 4000 sticks but we truly believe that with the help of the Hockey Family we can go above and beyond.
If your club or school think that you could organise your own collection for a number of sticks, please contact Lucy Rowe to discuss feasibility This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
England Hockey Board Media release