News for 03 August 2015
All the news for Monday 3 August 2015
England see off Spain to win at Hamburg Masters
Sam Ward who scored twice for England against Spain in action for England Credit Stanislas Brochier
Two goals from Sam Ward helped England to come from behind to finish the Ergo Hamburg Masters with a 3-2 win over Spain. Bobby Crutchley’s side trailed twice to strikes from Marc Salles and Alex Casasayas but Ward and then Ashley Jackson levelled the match before the Holcombe striker struck the winner three minutes from time.
Chris Griffiths was first to threaten in attack with a superb driving run from inside his own half but his effort was blocked by Quico Cortes in the Spain goal. Despite their bright start, England fell behind in the fifth minute. Marc Salles pounced on a rebound to slot home the opener from close range. England hit back immediately to draw level. Ollie Willars’ pass found Griffiths, who fed Jackson on the baseline. The No7’s cut back to Ward was converted with ease to make it 1-1.
Spain re-established their lead just before the end of the quarter when Alex Casasayas found space in the circle and fired a low backhand shot into the corner giving George Pinner no chance.
England started the second quarter strongly and Iain Lewers’ lovely turn and shot drew a good save from Cortes. Alastair Brogdon began to exert more influence on the game, the No11’s direct running and pace on the ball gave Spain plenty of problems. From one of Brogdon’s forays forwards he almost set up Wimbledon team mate Phil Roper, but the latter was unable to get the touch on the cross. With just under four minutes left in the quarter England won their first penalty corner. Mark Gleghorne took the responsibility but Cortes got down well to his right to make a good stick save.
After a steady start to the second half England sparked into life. Jackson showed great composure and strength to hold off the defender as he drove into the circle from right to left before rifling an unstoppable backhand past Cortes to level the scores with his fourth goal of the tournament. England’s momentum grew but Jackson was denied by a combination of Cortes and the post man from a penalty corner and then with the last play of the quarter he was kept out once again, this time the runner deflected his shot over the bar to keep the scores level going into the final 15 minutes.
The fourth quarter was a scrappy affair with both sides turning the ball over regularly. From one of the turnovers Casasayas had a great chance, finding himself clean through with just Pinner to beat, but the England goalkeeper did well dashing from his line to make the save. Tempers flared as Spain dished out some physical tackles but with three minutes to go England regained their composure to force another penalty corner. Jackson’s shot was charged down but the rebound fell to Ward. He found a gap between the goalkeeper’s pads with a bullet strike on the backhand for his second and England’s third, securing all three points for Bobby Crutchley’s side.
England Head Coach Bobby Crutchley:
“We were poor in the first half and played a very scrappy game, but the second half we were much better on the ball and controlled the play. It was good to get the goals we needed to win the game and overall it was pleasing to see how the players reacted to a poor first half. Spain are always a physical side but that is the sort of test we need to get used to. It’s important to experience that and to learn how to deal with the threats different teams pose.
The tournament overall has been perfect for us. It’s very good quality opposition and three high quality games, which leading into the Unibet EuroHockey Championships is exactly what we want. We’ve had a chance to look at some players and we have some tough decisions to make as we name the squad for the tournament. With the information we have on the group and the depth of quality we’re starting to show, I’m confident we’ll make the right selection decisions.”
England 3 (1)
Sam Ward 6 57 (FG, PC)
Ashley Jackson 37 (FG)
Spain 2 (2)
Marc Salles 5 (FG)
Alex Casasayas 21 (FG)
England Hockey Board Media release
KLHC blank out double champs THT
By Jugjet Singh
ONLY about 300 fans showed up for the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) Premier Division Charity Shield at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
And the action on the pitch was also a big disappointment, as double champions Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) started off on a lame note, and went crashing 2-6 to Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC).
The four Argentine, as well as one Pakistan import of THT looked lost, and did little to help their cause -- and hopefully they play better hockey in the remaining matches.
Argentine Jose Leandro Tolini scored a well placed, but not powerful, penalty corner goal in the 15th minute, but THT went crashing in a three-minute penalty corner blitz.
All three KLHC penalty corner goals were taken by Razie Rahim, but the first one was deflected home by Pakistan's Ali Shan (19th), the second deflected in by Nabil Fiqri (20th) and the third was flicked in directly by Razie (21st).
Rashid Baharom added the fourth misery in the 33rd minute, with a simple tap in.
KLHC showed their pedigree, to snatch their fourth Charity Shield when Rashid scored his second in the 49th minute, and Harvinder Singh made it 6-2 in the 58th.
Ismail Abu scored THT's second colsolation in the 52nd.
The other Charity Shields were won in 2011, 2012 and 2014.
KLHC coach K. Dharmaraj said his experience in the MHL tells him its too early to judge the other team.
"We were actually saved by the three consecutive penalty corners, after which THT had to move up and we got our chances to increase the lead off counter attacks.
"However, the score-line does not reflect the game actually, as THT strikers did keep our goalkeeper very busy. I believe we can't take this game as a measurement of our strength, as we have many more good teams to play," said Dharmaraj.
KLHC skipper Razie Rahim said: "Maybe our foreign players settled faster than THT's imports and thats why we were able to win by a comfortable margin."
As for THT coach Sarjit Singh, he believes his players will bounce back.
"After letting in three goals in three minutes, we had to play catch-up and move forward. However, our attempts did not hit the target, while KLHC were deadly in counter-attacks. Leaving the defeat behind, I know we will bounce back," said Sarjit.
RESULTS: Premier Division: KLHC 6 Terengganu HT 2, Tenaga Nasional x Maybank x, Sapura x UniKL x.
Division One Group A: TNB Thunderbolts 3 MBI 0, MASUM-USM x MSP-YP-SSP x, BJSS 3 MSP-YP-SSP 1; Group B: Politeknik 2 ATM Airod 1, Nur Insafi 4 UniKL Young Guns 3.
Women's Group A: ATM Pernama 9 Penang Juniors 0; Group B: KL-Sukma x MSN Kedah x.
Jugjet's World of Field Hockey
KLHC hammers THT at Malaysia Hockey League Premier Division Charity Shield
By Jugjet Singh
KUALA Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) hammered double champions Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) 6-2 in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) Premier Division Charity Shield at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil Sunday.
Argentine Jose Leandro Tolini scored a penalty corner goal in the 15th minute, but THT went crashing in a three-minute penalty corner blitz.
All three KLHC penalty corner goals were taken by Razie Rahim, but the first one was deflected home by Pakistan's Ali Shan (19th), the second deflected in by Nabil Fiqri (20th) and the third was flicked in directly by Razie (21st).
Rashid Baharom added the fourth misery in the 33rd minute, with a simple tap in, and then scored the fifth in the 49th minute.
Harvinder Singh made the final score 6-2 with a 58th minute goal.
Ismail Abu scored THT's second consolation in the 52nd.
KLHC showed their pedigree, to snatch their fourth Charity Shield, the others were won in 2011, 2012 and 2014.
New Straits Times
KLHC thump Terengganu in Malaysia Hockey League opener
By S. Ramaguru
The KLHC team who won the Charity Shield on the opening day of the Malaysia Hockey League on Sunday. - CHAN TAK KONG/The STAR
KUALA LUMPUR: Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) showed they have not lost their sting.
They kicked off their campaign in the Malaysia Hockey League with a 6-2 demolition of Terengganu to retain the Charity Shield at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
KLHC’s easy win came as a surprise considering that Terengganu, last season’s double champions, had hired five foreign players to add to their stable of six national stars for the new season.
KLHC coach K. Dharmaraj was also pleasantly surprise by the win, but cautioned against getting carried away.
“This is just the start and there’s a long way to go in the league. The scoreline may have seemed easy but we had to work for the win,” said Dharmaraj.
KLHC captain Mohamed Razie Rahim also warned his team not to be complacent.
“This year, all the teams are on an even keel. They have all strengthened their teams with quality foreign players. So at this stage all six teams can be considered potential title contenders.
“We also won the first game last year but went on to lose both the titles. We need to make sure we take full points in every match. Our target is to regain the two titles we lost to Terengganu,” he added.
Terengganu were the early aggressors and were 1-0 up in the 15th minute off a penalty corner flick taken by Argentine Jose Leandro Trevisan.
But KLHC soon settled down to take control of the game. In the 19th minute, they found the equaliser after Pakistani Ali Shan pounced on a penalty corner rebound to sound the board.
A minute later, KLHC were in front with Nabil Fiqri Mohamed Noor scoring from a similar situation.
And KLHC did not have to wait long to take a 3-1 lead with Mohamed Razie scoring a direct penalty corner attempt in the 21st minute.
And when Mohamed Rashim Baharom added two more goals for KLHC in the 33rd and 49th minutes, it was as good as game over for Terengganu.
Ismail Abu managed to score a second goal for Terengganu in the 52nd minute, but Harvinder Singh had the final say for KLHC with a field goal.
Terengganu coach Sarjit Singh said the three early penalty corner goals did them in.
“Once KLHC scored the three goals in succession, we were playing catch-up. And each time we opened up the game, we were punished.
“Still it is early days in the league. We still have a chance to retain the title,” said Sarjit.
Sapura also got off to a winning start in the Premier Division with a 2-1 victory over Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) at the same venue.
Pakistani forward Abdul Haseem Khan scored the opening goal in the 20th minute off a field attempt, before Faridzul Afiq added the second in the 47th minute.
Mohamed Najme reduced the deficit for UniKL in the 58th minute off a penalty corner attempt.
At the adjacent pitch, Tenaga Nasional defeated Maybank 2-1.
Nik Aiman was on target for Tenaga in the sixth minute, followed by national player Mohamed Shahril Saabah’s strike two minutes later. Mohamed Irfan replied for the bankers in the 11th minute off a penalty corner direct flick.
The Star of Malaysia
India take on France in Euro tour opener
The Indian hockey team seems all ears to their new coach Roelant Oltmans on the eve of their opening match against France in Le Touquet, France, on Sunday.
Le Touquet (France): The Indian hockey team on Monday will play their first match after the ouster of chief coach Paul van Ass and the appointment of high performance director Roelant Oltmans in his place.
They will take on France in a two-match series before proceeding to Spain, where they will play three matches. The tour has been planned to prepare for the Hockey World League (HWL) Finals to be played in India in November-December.
“Though we have beaten France in our previous encounters, we are not taking them lightly. They are preparing for the EuroHockey Championships; it’s very important for them, and they will look to make the most of this series,” said Oltmans.
“The tour will help us understand our strategies better and strengths. I am hopeful we will start our campaign on a positive note.” This tour has come after India finished fourth at the HWL Semifinal in Belgium.
India had faced current World No. 17 France in the semifinal rounds of the HWL in 2012-13 and 2014-15. On both occasions, India emerged winners. In 2012-13, they outplayed the European team 6-2, while in the recent encounter they won 3-2.
India will once again rely on experienced players like drag-flicker VR Raghunath, defender Kothajit Singh and forward SV Sunil. Along with them, the trip will see the return of SK Uthappa, Danish Mujtaba and Mandeep Singh.
“France is a good team, they have some good players. We can’t take them lightly and will play with our man-to-man strategy. In our last match in HWL Semifinal in Belgium, they stunned us with their speed and an early goal. This time we won’t give them room for surprise attacks and will try to keep the ball possession in our side,” Sardar said.
“Some key players are back in the team which will strengthen our defence and forward line. We have some young players also. We are expecting a good result in the first match. We will give our best during this tour.”
The Tribune
India Men Team to take on France in their 1st match of the Europe Tour
After securing fourth in the recent FINTRO Hockey World League Semi-Final 2015 in Belgium, the India Men Team is again all set for another tour to Europe for matches against France and Spain, where India will start their campaign today with their first match against France.
India will play two matches against France and they are looking forward to repeat their success against the European team. India faced France in both the Semi-Final Round of the FIH Hockey World League 2012-13 and 2014-15, and defeated them in both the encounters. In the FIH HWL Semi-Final 2012-13, the Indian team outplayed the European team by 6-2, in which young Mandeep Singh scored two back-to-back goals. In the 2nd season of FIH HWLSF, India again met France in the Semi-Final round in Belgium and defeated them by 3-2. This match is remembered for Devindar Sunil Walmiki’s debut and his first international goal for the Senior Men Team.
Playing again with France in the Europe Tour, India will field their experienced players such as drag-flicker VR Raghunath, defender Kothajit Singh and forward SV Sunil. Along with them, the Tour will also see the return of SK Uthappa, Danish Mujtaba and Mandeep Singh, who are taking this opportunity to enhance their skills for the international level matches. Led by Sardar Singh, the team also includes young players such as Talwinder Singh and Mohd Amir Khan, who are looking forward to gain experience in the international arena.
On the other hand, France is gearing up for their upcoming UNIBET EuroHockey Championships 2015, which will be held from 21-29 August in London. World’s top teams such as Germany, The Netherlands and England will feature in this tournament. Playing against FIH Rank # 8 India, France will get a vital opportunity for their practice before the all-important tournament.
Roelant Oltmans, Director, High Performance and Indian Men Chief Coach: “Though we have beaten France in our previous encounters, we are not taking them lightly. They are preparing for the EuroHockey Championships 2015, which is a very important tournament for them and they will utilize all the opportunities perfectly before the start of the tournament. The Indian boys are well-prepared and we have strategies to counter them. The Tour will help us to understand our strategies better and the strength of the players. I am very hopeful that we will start our campaign with a positive note.”
Captain Sardar Singh: “France is a good team and they have some good players. We can’t take them lightly and we will play with our man-to-man strategy. In our last match in FINTRO HWL Semi-Final in Belgium, they stunned us with their speed and an early goal. This time, we won’t give them room for surprise attacks and will try to keep the ball possession in our side. Some key players are back in the team which will strengthen our defence and forward line. We have some young players also, it’s very good for them as well as for us to see new passion in the team. We are expecting a good result in the first match and we will give our level best during this tour.”
India will be playing their first match on 3rd August 2015 against France and will be played at 21.30 IST
Stick2Hockey.com
Focus back on hockey as India begin Euro trip against France
LE TOUQUET (France): After a tumultuous few weeks, the Indian hockey team begins its Europe tour with a clash against France here on Monday.
The team, which has seen foreign coaches come and go far too often, will play two matches in France before travelling to Spain for three games.
High Performance Manager Roelant Oltmans has doubled up as the chief coach of the team after the sudden sacking of Dutchman Paul van Ass, who had just completed five months of his three-year contract.
India had recent beaten France in the World League Semifinals in Belgium where they eventually finished fourth.
Oltmans said that the team is not taking the hosts lightly.
"Though we have beaten France in our previous encounters, we are not taking them lightly. They are preparing for the EuroHockey Championships, which is a very important tournament for them and they will utilise all the opportunities perfectly before the start of the tournament.
"The Indian boys are well-prepared and we have strategies to counter them. The tour will help us to understand our strategies better and the strength of the players," said Oltmans.
Speaking after a practice session, captain Sardar Singh said: "France is a good team and they have some good players. We can't take them lightly and we will play with our man-to-man strategy. In our last match in in Belgium, they stunned us with their speed and an early goal. This time, we won't give them room for surprise attacks and will try to keep the ball possession in our side.
"Some key players are back in the team which will strengthen our defence and forward line. We have some young players also, it is very good for them as well as for us to see new passion in the team."
The Times of India
Mumbai Hockey Association polls: It's Olympians vs incumbents
Rutvick Mehta
After being elected unopposed in the last term, the incumbent set-up of the Mumbai Hockey Association (MHA) will have to fight to hold on to their posts after a group of former international players filed their nominations for the August 12 elections.
The group of players including Olympians Gurbax Singh Grewal, Merwyn Fernandis, Joaquim Carvalho, Gavin Ferreira, internationals Ramesh Pillay, Raju Bagade, Neena Rane and Sukhbir Singh filed their nominations on Saturday. While Gurbax Singh will take on Mangha Singh Bakshi for the president's post, Carvalho will take on Ram Singh Rathor for the secretary's post. Fernandis will fight for one of the two vice-presidents' spot. The group will field candidates for all 14 posts of the managing committee.
Even with 10 days to go for the elections, there was controversy over the filing of nominations on its last day on Sunday. While MHA rules state that the nominations should be made in person, there were allegations that the association allowed a current managing committee member – a former player himself – to file his nomination in his absence.
"Just to show that they have a hockey player in their group, they're putting names without them having physically filed their nominations," Carvalho said. "On the other hand, they did not accept former Mumbai player Hamim Kazmi's nomination because he couldn't make it on Saturday due to an accident. And, when he turned up on Sunday, they said he was late. This is unfair," Carvalho added.
Carvalho said they have a two-point agenda for the development on Mumbai hockey. "First, we want to build a clubhouse at the MHA, which will have facilities like gymnasium and swimming pool. Second, we want to develop a full-fledged residential academy, where good players from Mumbai and across the state will be trained. The profits from the clubhouse will go into this," he said.
Rathor, on this part, said the same people didn't do anything when they were in power. "There are Olympians on both sides. But what did these people do when they got a chance before us? We are ready for the fight," he said.
DNA
Retired woman banker, 66, wants to revive women's hockey in Mumbai
Rutvick Mehta
India v/s Belgium women's hockey India v/s Belgium women's hockey PTI photo
Among all the men who are battling for various posts in the upcoming Mumbai Hockey Association (MHA) elections, there is one 66-year-old woman who wants to fight an age-old battle: reviving women's hockey in the city.
Neena Rane, a former India goalkeeper who was part of the 1974 and 1976 World Cups, is the first woman to contest the administrative elections in MHA. Rane joined a group of former international players who filed nominations on Saturday to take on the incumbent set-up in its elections on August 12.
Rane, who grew up playing hockey at Khalsa College grounds, represented the country from 1969 to 1978 and was one of the first woman players from Mumbai to play at the international level. Not many women in India take a plunge into administration, but there's a reason Rane exudes confidence about her decision.
"I'm basically a banker," Rane said. "I've enjoyed administrative posts. So, that must be the reason I've got the confidence that I can do this job well. I feel if I can change something, why shouldn't I?
"I retired as a senior bank manager in 2008. I couldn't go out of Mumbai with a promotion because I've got a handicapped child. The bank had made me in charge of marketing of all the 375 Central Bank branches in Mumbai.
So I know how to do things. I know policies. I can talk. I know what is wrong and what is right. Not every lady is made like that," she said. All it took was one phone call from former India player Joaquim Carvalho – who is also part of the group – to convince Rane to fight the elections.
"Joaquim called me up, asking me if I could join. I told him if it has to do for the development of hockey, then I'll come. Hockey has given us such a lot, so why shouldn't we give it back to it?" she said. Despite giving up hockey in 1978, Rane continued to fight for the cause of women's hockey. But it all fell on deaf ears, even among other like-minded people like her.
"During my time, schools and colleges were slowly picking up hockey. Now, there are many girls who want to play hockey but the whole scenario has changed. I have been fighting from the first day about encouraging local girls. Discarded girls from Punjab and Railways are playing for Mumbai. Where do our girls stand then? As a result, Mumbai hockey has gone to the dogs. Nobody wants to play," she said.
Rane said the current set-up has done nothing in the past three years to develop hockey in the city.
"Before, there used to be four-five players from Mumbai. Now how many are there? See the state of our grounds, our stands. If you sit there, you feel like you're sitting at the railway station. So I thought that as long as there's not going to be any hassle, then I don't mind fighting the elections because I want to take up women's hockey. I want to at least rectify the wrong that is happening. There is no proper selection for women's team. I want to revive hockey," she said.
And does she have any plans of going a step further and taking up a role in Hockey India? After all, CEO Elena Norman, too, is a woman. "I'm concerned only with Mumbai hockey, I don't want to go higher up. Pehle tumhara ghar theek karo (first clean up your own house)," she said.
"Being a Leo, I'm very straightforward. I can't be diplomatic," she added, breaking into laughter.
DNA
Nelson hockey community in shock after coach dies during game
Mark Wilkens was giving a team talk at half time when he collapsed on the field.
The sudden death of a Nelson hockey coach during a match on Saturday at Saxton Field has shocked members of the Nelson hockey community.
The coach, manager and life member of the Federal Hockey Club, was giving a team talk at half time when he collapsed on the field.
Nelson Hockey regional development manager and close friend of the man, Craig Brett, says ambulance staff were called to hockey grounds as he was unresponsive.
"They spent about three quarters of an hour trying to resuscitate him, but to no avail."
The man was well known in the hockey community and Craig says his death is a big loss to the clubs.
"This lad's been playing hockey for fifty years. It's a bit of a shock to the old hockey fraternity."
The New Zealand Herald