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News for 09 August 2015

All the news for Sunday 9 August 2015


Ontario wins Women's Under-18 gold in a shootoutBC Blue takes silver, BC White earns bronze

Shaheed Devji,



The Under-18 Women's National Championships came to a close on Saturday in Surrey, British Columbia with a thrilling gold medal game which needed a shootout to determine a winner.

After losing 6-1 to BC Blue in the round robin, the U18 women from Ontario saved their best performance for last, winning in the shootout 1-1 (1-1) (3-2 SO) and taking home the gold medal.

"We worked hard as a team," says team captain Samantha Gomes. "We didn't give up until the end. We had the will. Our three words, the belief, the will and the want."

Ontario faced adversity early as BC was able to make good on a string of penalty corners. In the 12th minute, finished off a corner by jamming the ball by Ontario keeper Elizabeth O'Hara to give BC Blue the 1-0 lead.

The goal gave the hosts momentum and they nearly capitalized again, but O'Hara remained calm in goal, turning away both corner and field goal opportunities and keep the deficit at only one.

That sparked the Ontarians. Gomes had a chance to tie the game in the 22nd minute but her quick wrister from in close went high and just wide. Then, minutes later, Hannah Eborall unleashed a heavy hit on a corner but also narrowly missed the goal.

In the 26th minute, however, Ontario made good on a turnover as Katherina MacMillan was open at the side of the goal and tapped the ball by BC Blue netminder Robin Fleming for her sixth of the tournament to tie the game at one.

"I knew had the girls had enough confidence in themselves," says Ontario head coach Nicholas Govia. "We had a game plan going in and once we stuck to the game plan I knew we were going to come back."

The second half didn't produce a goal but it didn't produce plenty of chances.

BC controlled the play for the majority of the second thirty five, earning several penalty corners. Team captain Alexis de Armond was connecting well on the hits from the top of the circle, but like Ontario in the first half, narrowly missed on a number of good opportunities.

Ontario had a late chance to win the game on a corner of their own in the final minute of play, but a deflection sent the ball just over the goal and wide before the hooter sounded to indicate the end of regulation time and the need for shootout.

"It was touch and go situation," adds Govia. "You never know who is ready to do it but our girls they knew what they needed to do and stepped up and did what had to be done."

Ontario scored on its first two shots and missed the next two, while BC missed its first but scored the next two. After four shots the shootout was tied 2-2.

It came down to the final shots for both teams. Margaret Pham, who scored five times during the tournament, scored for Ontario and on the last shot O'Hara was able to stop Casey Crowley for the win.

For BC Blue the loss is a bitter end to a great tournament. The team went 4-0 through the round robin, posting a goals differential of plus-32. But in the end, Ontario

"I thought both teams played very hard. It was very competitive out there," says BC Blue head coach Paul "Bubli" Chohan. "Both teams didn't give an inch and the end result was justified as tie."

"Unfortunately, it's one of those things that one team has to win in the shootout and anything can happen in the shootout."

For Ontario it's yet another win in a string of recent dominance at the provincial level. Ontario won both the U16 boys and girls title in 2014 and again this year, but the Under-18 win marks the first time in recent memory that they women have been able to get past B.C.

"B.C. had a stronghold for years," says Govia. "But Ontario is more than capable of playing at this level and that's what we did today."

In the bronze medal game, which was played earlier on Saturday, BC White made it two medals for the host province as three first half goals from Emma Dame, Sarah Pendreigh, and Rachel Spouge led them to the 3-0 win.

Field Hockey Canada media release



Tenaga set to consolidate lead in MHL

By S. Ramaguru



KUALA LUMPUR: Tenaga Nasional have a great chance to consolidate their top spot in the Premier Division of the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) when they take on champions Terengganu.

Tenaga lead the standings with six points after two matches, followed by KLHC and Sapura with four points each.

Terengganu have just one win and will be hoping to get back to their title-winning ways.

Tenaga have not had it easy despite the two wins, having to score early in the opening match to beat Maybank 2-1 and coming back from a goal down to edge Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) 3-2 on Friday.

Tenaga assistant coach M. Kalisweran said that theirs is actually a long-term plan.

“We have a team full of youngsters ... but as it goes with youngsters, they are fighters and we’re pleased to see this side of their game,” he said.

“Our objective is to do better than last year. But we’re also aware that it will be tough as the other teams have also strengthened their ranks.”

For the last two years, the Tenaga side have lost many of their experienced players. Only three senior players remain to guide the youngsters. They are goalkeeper S. Kumar, Mohd Amin Rahim and Mohd Madzli Ikmar.

“Most of the players come from the sports school in Johor and Pahang. This is due to our Thunderbolt programmes. So, if not this year, then in the coming years you will see Tenaga back in the title swing again,” said Kalisweran.

“We are looking towards the future. There’s still a long way to go for the team and many areas that can be improved on. But we need to learn from our mistakes and also be patient when playing certain matches. The players are young and are sometimes eager to show what they can do. That’s why we need to give them time.”

Tenaga have won the league title five times and the overall title seven times. Only KLHC have won more titles than Tenaga in the MHL.

But Tenaga have been eclipsed by KLHC in recent years. Last year, Terengganu won the double to set themselves up as the team to beat.

KLHC and Sapura, who are also unbeaten, will also look to extend their run.

KLHC will play UniKL while Sapura will clash with Maybank.

The Star of Malaysia



Telkom Orange 2-1 Strathmore: Chemtai and Ommalla on target as champs ease past rivals

By BRIAN YONGA


Yvone Karanja of Strathmore Scorpions (left) vies with Betsy Ommala of Orange Telkom during their National Women hockey league match at City Park Stadium on August 8, 2015. PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU |

Defending champions Telkom Orange consolidated their lead at the top of the Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) women’s national league table after beating rivals Strathmore University Scorpions 2-1 in a cracking encounter at City Park Stadium on Saturday.

First half goals from veteran Hellen Chemtai and captain Betsy Ommalla were enough to see Orange widen the gap between them and their closest rivals Strathmore to five points. Yvonne Karanja pulled a goal back for the university side but the champions held on to win.

“We long for closley contested matches like this one because in other matches our levels are higher than our opponents and so we score more goals which are of no help to our preparations for the Africa Club championships. We need to play tougher sides so we can gauge ourselves and be ready for the continental challenge,” a defiant Omalla said after the match.

Ommalla lauded the Strathmore side saying the new players in the team had proved their worth and based on the skills displayed they had a bright future in the sport.

The match began on a high tempo with Orange all out in attack in an effort to score early goals.

ODERA'S SAVE

Kenyan International Lilian Aura tested Scorpions goalkeeper Chelsea Odera, who was making her debut in the league, in the third minute but she cleared her lines.

Orange intensified their attacks and their efforts paid off three minutes later through Chemtai who converted a penalty corner to give the defending champions the lead.

Ommalla converted another penalty corner in the ninth minute to double Orange’s advantage.

Scorpions fought hard and their efforts were rewarded through a Diana Akinyi field goal in the 17th minute after she was teed by Yvonne Karanja to reduce the deficit.

That goal saw Strathmore settle well in the game as they strengthened their defence to keep the marauding Orange strikers at bay for the remaining part of the half.

Orange dominated proceedings in the second half but were unable to break the Strathmore defence.

Strathmore captain Caroline Njoki said they missed midfielders Laura Gichau and Doreen Hongo but was full of praise for the new girls in the team.

“Gichau and Hongo play in crucial positions, they are our key players and it was difficult to fill in their places. The new players did well, we are not at our best but will surely get there,” Njoki said.

VIKINGS ROUT JKUAT

In another women’s encounter, Vikings trounced Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture (JKUAT) ladies 5-0. After fighting hard in the first half to a barren draw, the students succumbed to pressure to concede five goals in the second half. Captain Susan Muchai scored a brace while Charity Miller, Mercy Cheptoo, Edel Barasa and Sophie Arum scored one goal each to seal the emphatic victory.

Daily Nation



Orange end Scorpions' unbeaten run

By Elizabeth Mburugu


Orange Telkom ladies celebrate after winning Vaisakhi Tournament 2015 at City Park. ON 27/04/15 PHOTO: JENIPHER WACHIE

Kenyan National women's hockey league champions Orange Telkom handed last year's silver medalists Strathmore University Scorpions to their first defeat of the season with a 2-1 win.

The 17-time champions Orange scored two early goals as they kept their league run untainted.

First half goals from veteran Hellen Chemtai and captain Betsy Ommala were enough to see Orange widen the gap between them and their closest rival, Strathmore, to five points.

Ommala said the match was highly competitive because Strathmore were worthy opponents and they needed more matches with stronger sides as they prepare to defend the continental title.

"We want to play against stronger sides, which will help us in our international assignment in the Africa Cup of Club championships," Ommala said.

The captain lauded the Strathmore side saying the new players in the team had proved their worth and based on the skills they displayed, they have a bright future.

The match began on a fast pace with Orange playing on the offensive in an effort to score early goals.

International Lilian Aura put Scorpions' goalkeeper Chelsea Odera to the test in the third minute, but she cleared the danger.

Orange intensified their attacks and their efforts paid off three minutes later when Chemtai converted a penalty corner to give Orange the lead.

Ommala converted another penalty corner in the ninth minute as Orange led 2-0.

The Standard Online



Malvern, Guyana U-21s set up Players final

Courts Malvern and visiting Guyana Under-21s were expected to face off in the final of the  inaugural Players Sports U-21 Hockey Tournament last night at the National Hockey Centre, Tacarigua. This after both teams won their semifinal matches at the same venue on Friday night in contrasting fashion.

In the first encounter, Guyana U-21 edged Queen’s Park Cricket Club 2-1 with Rosario Ramsammy scoring the decisive item in the 40th. Keon Mc Kenzie had given Guyana U-21s a 29th minute lead, but five minutes into the second-half, Michael Durity replied for the Parkites, only for Ramsammy to bang in the match winner five minutes later for the visitors.

Malvern was much more convincing in their semifinal with a 7-1 mauling of Combined Squad led by national forward, Tariq Marcano second hat trick from as many matches against the same opponent. National youth player Jacques Poon-Lewis opened the scoring for Malvern in the seventh minute and Marcano made it 2-0 six minutes later to end the first quarter.

Marcano extended the lead to 3-0 in the 28th minute for a 3-0 half-time advantage while Kristien Emmanuel pushed it to 4-0 in the 32nd before Tyreek Burroughs got the Combined Squad on the board in the 40th to trail 4-1. Any hopes of a Combined Squad comeback was soon dashed as Marcano completed his hat trick in the 43rd while Shaquille Daniel (48th) and Emmanuel, with his second in the 52nd completed the scoring for Malvern.

Prior to last night’s final, QPCC and Combined Squad were due to meet in the third place playoff.

Friday results:
Guyana U-21s 2 (Keon Mc Kenzie 29th, Rosario Ramsammy 40th) vs QPCC 1 (Michael Durity 35th)
Malvern 7 (Tariq Marcano 13th, 28th, 40th, Kristien Emmanuel 32nd, 58th, Jacques Poon-Lewis 7th, Shaquille Daniel 48th) vs Combined Squad 1 (Tyreek Burroughs 40th)

The Trinidad Guardian



Junior hockey team's camp to begin in Shilaroo from Sunday

NEW DELHI: Indian junior hockey team's preparatory camp ahead of the upcoming men's Junior Asia Cup in Malaysia will begin from Sunday at Shilaroo, Himachal Pradesh.

The camp to be held till September 11 will have 32 players, who will work on team structure, skills and fitness ahead of the fifth Sultan of Johor Cup and eighth Junior Asia Cup, scheduled to take place in October and November respectively.

India will aim to defend their title in the Sultan of Johor Cup 2015 slated to be held from October 11 to 18.

Talking about the camp, coach Harendra Singh said, "The young boys have huge talent and capabilities and can deliver under tough situations at any given day. The next two tournaments in October and November are very important for us and we will aim to win both the upcoming tournaments.

"This camp will help us work on our team coordination along with working on different areas which will help us to deliver better in crucial matches."

The Junior Asia Cup will be held from November 14 to 22.

The Times of India



'Time we fought to bring back the glorious days of Mumbai hockey'

Anil Dias



Gurbax Singh Grewal, 1968 Olympics bronze medallist and Mumbai Hockey Association president hopeful, said that his panel, if elected in the upcoming elections, will back whichever national body is in power.

Gurbax Singh Grewal, 1968 Olympics bronze medallist and Mumbai Hockey Association president hopeful, said that his panel, if elected in the upcoming elections, will back whichever national body is in power.

Grewal was secretary 2009 to 2012 when the MHA was affiliated to the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF). "We keep in mind the players. We don't want them to suffer because of politics. Last time, because of the feud between

Hockey India (HI) and the IHF, the players were affected the most. If we come into power, we will back the organisation that is the national body and affiliated by the FIH (International Hockey Federation)," Grewal told dna on Saturday.

Grewal is part of the group of former international players who filed their nominations for the August 12 elections.

The group of players include Olympians Merwyn Fernandis, Joaquim Carvalho, Gavin Ferreira and internationals Ramesh Pillay, Raju Bagade, Neena Rane and Sukhbir Singh.

When asked why didn't his panel contest the previous elections in 2012, Grewal said they wanted to see how the committee performed.

"We saw that the office premises were being used for personal interests and that the promotion or development of hockey was never the top priority of the ruling committee. But we decided to give them a chance, sit back and see if they would change. But they didn't. So now we felt it's time that we fight to bring back the glorious days of Mumbai hockey by making small improvements," Grewal said.

Carvalho alleged that current MHA president, Mangha Singh Bakshi, has given membership to members of his family. "He (Bakshi) and secretary Ram Singh Rathor think they're running a family business. They've given membership to 20 of their family members while some Olympians' membership forms were rejected. How can they give membership to them without it being approved at the Annual General Body (AGM) meeting? These people shouldn't be allowed to vote in the elections," said Carvalho.

He further pointed out that Bakshi has fielded two of his nephews — Baljit Singh Chowdhary and Kulwinder Singh Bakshi — for the post of committee members.

"It just proves to what length they can go to. While giving them membership is inappropriate in itself, he (Bakshi) has fielded their name for the post (committee member). It's unacceptable on all levels," Carvalho said.

DNA



MHAL Elections: Carvalho draws out daggers against Rathor

MUMBAI: With barely three days left for the Mumbai Hockey Association Limited (MHAL) polls, it is no surprise the rival factions are out in the open, hurling allegations and counter-allegations.

While current office bearers are confident of gaining majority once again, the rival faction -the 'Players Panel' is ensuring that it is not a cakewalk for the MHAL president Manga Singh Bakshi and his executive Committee members.

Olympian Joaqium Carvalho -contesting for the post of Honorary General Secretary -has contended that the incumbents have handed out MHAL memberships to undeserving candidates, who have no business or the expertise to run the show at the MHAL.

While Carvalho welcomed the fact that 14 international players have been given memberships, he is absolutely miffed about the fact that close to 50 memberships have been handed out to family, friends and well wishers of MHAL's executive members. Carvalho is also amused by the fact that voting rights are reserved only for MHAL members and not a single hockey club, which participates in the MHAL leagues, has the authority to cast their vote.

"This is not acceptable. Just like the Mumbai Cricket Association is run by clubs, hockey too should follow the same model. It is the players and clubs who should decide the fate of the game, not non-players. We would not have any problems if these family and friends were connected with hockey in any way," said Carvalho.

Olympian Gavin Ferreira, who is on the Players' Panel, was surprised to know that the clubs don't have the voting rights. "I had asked my Malad Club officials to prepare for voting. But I was told that clubs don't have voting rights. I was playing until recently so I never bothered to know how the game is administered in the city. It is surprising... even amusing that clubs don't have the right to pick administrators," Ferreira said.

For his part, MHAL secretary Ram Singh Rathor said that there were over 500 players playing hockey with various clubs affiliated to MHAL, but not all of them can be given memberships. "We have to be selective in giving membership to players. While our constitution does not differentiate between a player and a non-player, the applicant must be an Indian national," Rathor said.

The secretary, however, did concede that two of his sons were given memberships of the MHAL, but insisted they were inducted as members only after following proper procedure. "When commander Kehar Singh was the secretary, his son Ranvir was made a member, we had not objected back then. Why eyebrows are being raised now?" Rathor questioned.

Carvalho also alleged that two of the contestants are relatives of president Bakshi. "The allegations are absolutely baseless. The concerned people are bonafide members of the club and as per the MHAL's constitution they have every right to contest for the forthcoming elections," Rathor clarified.

The Times of India



Hockey will never die in Pakistan: Islahuddin

The country’s World Cup winning captain believes that with a united campaign Pakistan’s hockey fraternity can put the sport back on track

Khalid Hussain


Islahuddin

The year is 1978 and there is no team in the hockey world that can compete with Pakistan’s breath-taking firepower. And the man at the helm of the green brigade is Islahuddin Siddiqui.

“Those were the days,” Islah told ‘The News on Sunday’ in an interview. “During that time we were so sure of ourselves that even a final of a major tournament against a top challenger wouldn’t really bother us,” added Islah, who captained a Pakistan team that ran roughshod over its rivals back in the seventies.

But that was then.

Fast forward it to 2015 and it seems that Pakistan hockey is dead and buried.

Pakistan failed to make the cut for World Cup 2014 and more recently were even unable to qualify for Olympic Games 2016 to be held in Rio de Janeiro. Islah, who picked the squad for the Olympic Qualifiers as Pakistan’s chief selector, decided to resign after this latest disaster which happened in the Belgian city of Antwerp earlier this summer. The Antwerp debacle has reignited the debate about Pakistan hockey and whether there is any hope left for the country’s national sport. Many fear that it’s game over for Pakistan hockey.

But Islah doesn’t agree.

“Pessimism won’t help Pakistan hockey,” he said. “We can talk about hockey being finished and that all hope is lost but that would lead us to nowhere,” he added.

Islah is of the view that all of Pakistan’s stake-holders should stop wasting time on crying over spilt milk.

“A lot is being said about how pitiful is the state of our hockey and with due reason. But, personally I believe that instead of emphasising on that we should instead of asking questions as to how we can put our hockey back on track,” he said.

“The first thing we should do it to make a solid domestic structure.

“The districts should be made independent and they should have their own tournaments and training facilities. They should have under-14 and under-17 events on a regular basis.

“That will broaden the pool of our players. Our focus should be on youth because Pakistan’s well of talent is running dry. We need to invest a lot in training and grooming of juniors.”

Islah believes that Pakistan’s hockey chiefs will have to think long-term.

“There will be no short-term steps. We need long-term plans because that’s the only way we can take our hockey out of the crisis.”

What Islah is talking about is nothing new. Such arguments have been given time and again in the past but nothing concrete has happened in the real sense of the world. Hockey it seems is either dead or is breathing its last.

But Islah remains an optimist.

“Hockey will never die in Pakistan because it has strong roots in our country. It has gone down because of our own mistakes. It can rise again but for that we will need to work hard. It is a sum total of our collective mistakes during the last three decades that we are lagging behind teams against whom we would win at will in the past.

“We will have to let bygones be bygones. We will have to prepare a comprehensive plan that should have the support of all the stakeholders. The federation should be strong with good financial assets so that it doesn’t have to rely on government funding. We really need the support of the corporate sector. We need people who command respect in the corporate sector, people who can bring in private sponsorship for Pakistan hockey. We need an advisory board which can help the federation in becoming more financially viable and administratively professional.”

Islah is of the view that Pakistan can climb its way back on the top of the world hockey pyramid but that will take a lot of careful planning, hard work and many years.

He suggests that Pakistan should take one step at a time in its bid to revive the country’s lost glory.

“We have to make a comeback on the international circuit. Our first target should be the Asian Games. We have three years before its next edition. If we can really work hard and if the team is in the right hands, we can win the title and claim a direct berth for the World Cup. We will need four to five years to make a solid team that can make its presence felt at the world level.

“We will need to go step by step. We have to first reestablish ourselves as the best team in Asia. To be one of the best in the world is a target that we can think about later.

“There should be a proper talent hunt. We need to have scouts who should go to all the provinces and look for talented youngsters in all nook and corners of the country.

“We also need to strengthen our club hockey. We need more quality players who can be groomed into world class players.”

There has been criticism against former players like Islah as their critics claim that the ex-Olympians have done more harm than good to the game because of their one-sided criticism against the people running Pakistan’s hockey affairs.

“I think all of us former Olympians should come forward and do their bit. They can act as advisors for the PHF. They can be handed their respective districts. People who can actually do something will be proven while others will be exposed.”

The News on Sunday



Ex PHF president arrested for alleged fraud

LAHORE: Qasim Zia, former Olympian and ex-president of the Pakistan Hockey Federation, has been arrested in a fraud case.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Saturday arrested Zia in a Rs80 million fraud case which he allegedly committed being a director of a stock exchange security company.

Zia who is also a senior leader of Pakistan People's Party was arrested in early hours of Saturday from his Lahore residence and produced before an Accountability Court that granted his 10 days remand in the NAB custody.

The NAB has also arrested another director of the company - Ali Usman Securities - Usman Saeed, and is raiding for the arrest of other co-accused.

"The accused have been apprehended on allegations of cheating public at large, misappropriation, embezzlement of funds and criminal breach of trust.

The accused, along with other directors, fraudulently deprived general public of their hard earned money.

"More than 80 affected filed their complaints with NAB Lahore against Qasim Zia," a NAB spokesman said.

An Olympic gold medalist in hockey Zia was a member of the Pakistan's national hockey team from 1980 to 1987.

He became president of Pakistan Hockey Federation in 2008 and served it till 2013. Zia also remained member Punjab Assembly twice (2002-2007 and from 2008-2013).

He functioned as opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly during his earlier term from 2002-2007.

The Times of India

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