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News for 18 September 2015

All the news for Friday 18 September 2015


How the teams bid

Vineet Ramakrishnan

List of players sold

The third edition of the Hockey India League auction saw young Indian players in demand and for players like Akashdeep Singh, Gurmail Singh and Mandeep Singh, franchises went for broke. However, it was the Germans who lead the list of foreign players with Moritz Fuerste bagging a tournament record of $105,000 followed by teammates Florain Fuchs and Tobias Huake, who went for $96,000 each.

While it was widely known that the forwards would garner big amounts due to the new rule changes, it was surprising to see veterans like Sardar Singh and Jamie Dwyer flying under the radar.

Times of India Sports analyses how each of the six franchises fared during the HIL auction 2015.

Dabang Mumbai

Coming in to the auction with a purse of $563,000 - the biggest among the six franchises - it was expected from the Viren Rasquina-mentored team to be the most active franchise at the auction. After retaining just three players, Mumbai had to buy 17 players and they went all out for German midfielder Florian Fuchs early on Friday and then ended the day with a bang by claiming Indian international Gurmail Singh for $81,000.

They came in with the aim of taking not just the best, but world class goal-scorers and in Fuchs and Nikkin Thimmaiah ($67,000) they had their wish granted. They added the experience of midfielders Mathew Swann ($75,000), Kieran Govers ($36,000) and Danish Mujtaba ($54,000) to the squad. They retained their Irish goalkeeper David Harte and have managed to give him the defense of Gurmail to go with Jermay Hayward (retained) and Harmanpreet Singh (retained).

Squad

Goalkeepers: Krishan B Pathak -2,600, David Harte - 65,000 (Retained), Xavi Trenchs - $10,000

Defenders: Harmanpreet Singh - $51,000 (retained), Gurmail Singh - 81,000, Jeremy Hayward - $46,000 (Retained), Shea McAleese - $10,000

Midfielders: S H Nilakanta Sharma - $2,600, Danish Mujtaba - $54,000, Vikas Sharma - $43,000, Tyron Pereira - $6,000, Manpreet - $2,600, Kieran Govers - $36,000, Matthew Swann - $75,000

Forwards: Roshan Minz - $6,000, Affan Yousuf- $53,000 Nikkin Thimmaiah - $67,000, Gurjant Singh- $2,600, Florian Fuchs - $96,000, Johan Bjorkman - $10,000

Uttar Pradesh Wizards

If you want to know what the expression 'cutting it too close' means, just look at how UP Wizards played their cards at the auction. Coming into the auctions with five retentions, UP trail-blazed their way in the early rounds and snapped up an impressive list of players to have just $100 unused. Such was the bidding of the Dhanraj Pillay and Roelant Oltmans-led team that even Hockey India President Narendra Batra had to intervene and tell them to go slow.

But Wizards had their strategy in place, and after retaining their core team in VR Raghunath, P Sreejesh, Ramandeep Singh and Edward Ockenden, they grabbed the likes of Tobias Hauke, the 2013 FIH World Player of the year for $96,000, Akashdeep Singh for $84,000 - highest for an Indian player this year - and Chinglensana Singh for $62,000. But their biggest buy was hockey legend and Aussie international Jamie Dwyer - that too at a bargain value of $57,000.

Squad

Goalkeepers: PR Sreejesh - $60,000 (Retained), Suraj Karkera - $5,500

Defenders: VR Raghunath - $53,000 (Retained), Gurinder Singh- $48,000, Sunil Yadav - $2,600, Wouter Jolie - 48,000 (Retained), Gonzalo Peillat - $25,000

Midfielders: Chinglensana Singh - $62,000, Vikas Vishnu Pillay - $6,000, Edward Ockenden - $66,000 (Retained), Tobias Hauke - $96,000, Nicholas Spooner - $5,000

Forwards: Ramandeep Singh - $57,000 (Retained), Akashdeep Singh - $84,000, P R Aiyapa - $2,600, Jaskaran Singh - $2,600, M Gunasekar - $2,600, Jamie Dwyer - $57,000, Kenny Bain - $17,000, Agustin Mazilli - $25,000

Delhi Waveriders

Letting go of Sardar Singh and Rupinder Pal Singh ahead of the auction was a surprise move from the former HIL champions. But their plan at the auction was to find the right balance for their team. By retaining big names like Simon Child and Tristan White and young Yuvraj Walmiki, Delhi gave themselves room to fill their squad with the international expertise of South African Austin Smith ($59,000) and Benjamin Stanzl ($35,000), to go with the top Indian players by buying back drag-flick specialist Rupinder ($68,000) and the man with an eye for goal - Mandeep Singh ($70,000). They also acquired India's second best goalkeeper in Harjot Singh.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Harjot Singh - $20,000, Devon Manchester - $27,000

Defenders: Surender Kumar - $22,000 (Retained), Rupinder Pal Singh - $68,000, Vickram Kanth - $52,000, Amit Gowda -$10,000, Steven Edwards - $34,000 (Retained), Iain Lewers- $18,000, Justin Reid-Ross - $25,000

Midfielders: Santa Singh - $21,000, Harjeet Singh - $6,000, Tristan White - $40,000 (Retained), Austin Smith - $59,000, Banjamin Stanzl - $35,000,

Forwards: Talwinder Singh - $25,000 (Retained), Yuvraj Walmiki - $40,000 (Retained), Parvinder Singh - $29,000, Mandeep Singh - $70,000, Prabhdeep Singh - $7,500, Simon Child - $50,000

Ranchi Rays

Defending champions Ranchi Rays had retained six players from their last squad and they played their cards smartly by snapping up young players at bargain value. With Manpreet Singh, Birendra Lakra and Kothajith Singh retained, their Indian start cast was set and they added drag-flick specialist Sandeep Singh into the mix at a whopping $81,000.

Until Sandeep's bid, Ranchi had been laying low and building their squad in a systematic manner. They managed to buy a host of young talents in Vikramjit Singh ($4,500), Akash Chikte ($4,500), Imran Khan ($7,000) and Simarjeet Singh ($8,000) to compliment the powerhouse duo of retained Barry Middleton and charismatic skipper Ashley Jackson. They also bought Australians Timothy Deavin ($29,000) and Tyler Lovell ($30,000)

Squad

Goalkeepers: Akash Chikte - $4,500, Tyler Lovell - $30,000

Defenders: Birendra Lakra - $55,000, Kothajit Singh - $45,000 (Retained), Sandeep Singh - $81,000, Fergus Kavanagh - $60,000, Trent Mitton - $20,000

Midfielders: Manpreet Singh - $66,000 (Retained), Vikramjit Singh - $4,500, Imran Khan- $7,000, Simranjeet Singh - $8,000, Sumit - $17,000, Ashley Jackson - 95,000 (Retained), Timothy Deavin - $29,000

Forwards: Sumit Kumar - $15,000, Sarvanjit Singh - $6,000, Mohd Amir Khan - $10,500, Barry Middleton - 67,000 (Retained), Flynn Ogilvie - $10,000, Daniel Beale - $26,000

Kalinga Lancers

Kalinga Lancers came in to the auction with five retentions and the second biggest purse among the franchises and they pulled of a heist to bag the best player in the world today, Germany's Moritz Fuerste, for a record $105,000. But Fuerste's buy early in the day forced Kalinga to take a step back for most part of the auction and even though they bid actively for the many players, they opted out of going higher and eventually ended with Dharamvir Singh as their costliest Indian at $60,000.

They then shelled out $54,000 for SK Uthappa and the combination of Fuerste, Uthappa, Indian internationals Lalit Upadhyay (retained) and Australia's Glenn Turner will be the ones to watch out for in the next edition of HIL.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Abhinav Kumar Pandey - $2,600, Andrew Charter - $40,000

Defenders: Gurjinder Singh - $50,000 (Retained), Anand Lakra - $8,000, Amit Rohidas - $31,000, Dipsan Tirkey - $31,000, Pardeep Mor - $37,000

Midfielders: Dharamvir Singh - $60,000, S.K Uthappa - $54,000, Aran Zalewski - $50,000 (Retained), Moritz Fuerste - $1,05,000, Matthew Willis - $15,000

Forwards: Devindar Walmiki - $30,000 (Retained), Lalit Upadhyay - $35,000 (Retained), Stanli Victor Minz - $8,500, Malak Singh - $24,000, Glenn Turner - $30,000, Matthew Dawson - $21,000, Adam Dixon - $15,000, Quirijn Caspers - $15,000

Jaypee Punjab Warriors

Last year's finalists made their auction process the easiest by retaining their core team in SV Sunil, Chris Ciriello, Mark Knowles, Jacob Whetton and Satbir Singh and went to add names like Simon Orchard ($58,000), Nicolas Jackobi ($27,000), Mark Gohdes ($71,000), Gurwinder Singh Chandi ($75,000), Jasjit Singh Khular ($65,000) and Sardar Singh ($58,000).

If this team doesn't pack a punch in the next edition of HIL, no team will. Punjab Warriors were methodical all throughout the auctions and once they snapped up bargain purchase Sardar early in the day, they waited and went for a final flourish to bag the big guys from the evening lot. They managed to buy them all to make a team that is clearly the favourites going in to the next season.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Jugraj Singh - $4,500, Nicolas Jacobi - $27,000

Defenders: Varun Kumar - $10,000 (Retained), Chris Ciriello - $42,500, Mark Knowles - $65,000

Midfielders: Sardar Singh - $58,000, Baljeet Singh Boparai - $6,000, Aiyappa Mukkatira Biddappa - $7,000, Simon Orchard - $58,000, Nick Haig - $10,000, Mark Gleghorne - $20,000

Forwards: SV Sunil - $50,000 (Retained), Satbir Singh - $45,000 (Retained), Jasjit Singh Khular - $65,000, Armaan Qureshi - $4,500, Gurwinder Singh Chandi - $75,000, Nithin Thimmaiah - $14,000, Jacob Whetton - $40,000, Matt Gohdes - $71,000

The Times of India



Jackpots for Akashdeep, Mandeep, Gurmail

Vineet Ramakrishnan

NEW DELHI: As expected, forwards were the flavour of the 2015 Hockey India League auction with Kalinga Lancers breaking the $100,000 barrier in shelling out a tournament record $105,000 for Germany's Olympic gold medalist Mortiz Fuerste, significantly higher than the costliest Indian player, the promising young talent Akashdeep Singh at $84,000 to Uttar Pradesh Wizards.

Defender and drag-flick specialist Sandeep Singh, who had a good last season with Jaypee Punjab Warriors, fetched the second highest bid for an Indian ($81,000) from defending HIL champions Ranchi Rays same as Indian international Gurmail Singh (Dabang Mumbai).

Despite the morning session dominated by foreign players, with Tobias Hauke (Uttar Pradesh Wizards) and Florian Fuchs (Dabang Mumbai) fetching $96,000 each, along with Fuerste it was the auction for the Indian players with the top 14 players getting more than $50,000, Akashdeep emerged as the most valued Indian after a three-way bidding war between Mumbai, UP and Ranchi. From a base price of $20,000 the 21-year-old forward surpassed India team-mate Mandeep Singh ($70,000), who along with defender Rupinder Pal Singh ($68,000) were Delhi Waveriders' costliest purchases.

Indian internationals Gurmail and Gurwinder Singh Chandi (Jaypee Punjab Warriors - $75,000) made it to the top ten. But contrary to the pre-auction talks, midfielders Sardar Singh ($ 58,000), surprisingly not making in to the top ten list of Indian players, and Australian Jamie Dwyer ($ 57,000) were sold for much lower prices than expected, while young talents like Nikkin Thimmaiah (Dabang Mumbai - USD 67,000) Dharamvir Singh (Kalinga - $60,000) and SK Uthappa (Kalinga - $54,000) - both picked by Kalinga Lancers, Jasjit Singh Khullar ($65,000) snapped by Jaypee Punjab Warriors and Chinglensana Singh (UP Wizards - $62,000) got hefty pay checks.

The foreign pool was dominated by the Germans, but as many as five Australian made it to the top ten. The acquisitions of Australians Mathew Swann to Mumbai for $75,000 and Matt Gohdes for $71,000 to Punjab, South African captain Austin Smith to Delhi for $59,000 and Australian midfielder Simon Orchard for $58,000 to Punjab proved that the franchises were looking for experienced foreign players to compliment the young Indian talents with lesser base prices.

However, there were a few surprises as with big name like Richard Hammond went unsold and international players like Nicolas Jackobi (Jaypee Punjab Warriors - $27,000), Kieron Govers (Dabang Mumbai - $36,000), Tyler Lovell (Ranchi Rays - $30,000) failed to create enough buzz for the franchises to go for broke.

The other notable buys involved defenders Pardeep Mor (Kalinga - USD 37,000), Dipsan Tirkey (Kalinga - USD 31,000) both whom had a base price less than USD 10,000. Indian international Danish Mujtaba was picked Dabang Mumbai for USD 54,000 and as the day came to a close franchises, in a bid to fill their squad of 20 players, paid huge amounts for the likes of Vickram Kanth (Kalinga - USD 52,000) and SK Uthappa - $54,000 - Kalinga Lancers.

Dabang Mumbai went in to the auction with the biggest purse at $563,000 and splurged a total of $532,200 in round one to buy 13 players and went on to add remaining four players in the draft spending a total of $719,400.

Defending champions Ranchi Rays, who had retained six players were quite thrifty when it came to spending in the first round. For 12 players, the defending champions had to shell out only $238,000 and to fill their quota they opted for two players in the draft and went back with $68,500 in their purse.

UP Wizards seemed to have mismanaged their bidding leading to the intervention of HI president Narindra Batra on couple of occasions and their total spending after round one stood at 404,900 for 12 players, but they bought three players to fill their quota with one domestic player and two foreign players and left the auctions with just $100 unused.

Delhi Waveriders completed their quota of 12 foreign players and added one domestic player in the draft taking their spending to $658500. Jaypee Punjab Warriors are left with the maximum five players to buy after round one and bought them in the draft including Nitin Thimmaiah.

Kalinga Lancers went for the big gun and broke the bank for Fuerste, but were smart enough to buy some cheap mid-level players and at the end of round one of auctions they had 19 players and added the remaining one in the draft.

The Times of India



UP Wizards happy to acquire 'goal-getter' Akashdeep Singh

Vineet Ramakrishnan

NEW DELHI: For the past one year, Akashdeep Singh has been a key member of the Indian men's hockey team and being a forward, the clamour to sign the 21-year-old at the 2015 Hockey India League 2015 was very high. In the end, it was the Uttar Pradesh Wizards who trumped by shelling out $84,000 - the highest for an Indian player this year - for the services of the ONGC player.

Former Indian player and now the technical director of UP Wizards, Dhanraj Pillai was visibly happy with the team's new acquisition and said that having someone with the calibre of Akashdeep will strengthen their team.

"I think we all know that in the last three-four years his performance have been remarkable. And with field goals being awarded be two points, he becomes very important for us," said Dhanraj. "He is a goal-getter and also a penalty corner specialist and with (VR) Raghunath, he can create those penalty corners as well. He is one player who has been all over Indian Hockey and our manager (Reolants) Oltmans and the team decided to go for Akashdeep."

Talking about the team's strategy going in to the auction, Dhanaraj said: "Keeping in mind a player's form was very crucial. There were big names in the lot, but recent performances in the field counted more and in the auctions all the franchises are thinking and calculate keeping in mind their purse and we have to play our cards accordingly."

Dhanraj felt that the inputs of retained players such as Raghunath and P Sreejesh were crucial leading up to the auctions. "The last 15-20 days we have been talking to Raghunath, Sreejesh and Tushar Khandekar [former player] and credit goes to them and we discussed with the players, the amount and we all were in the same page".

Jaypee Punjab Warriors go for experience

While a lot of young players hit the jackpot during the auction, it was surprising that veterans like Sardar Singh and Australian Jamie Dwyer failed to gather high bids. Yet that turned out be quite favourable for Jaypee Punjab Warriors who bagged Sardar for just $58,000.

"We were lucky enough to get two National captains Sardar Singh and Mark Knowles in our team, from here we are looking forward to the League and see how the new team delivers," team manager Jagibr Singh said.

Asked whether the age factor restricted teams to big higher for the names like Dwyer (36) and Richard Hammond (34), Jagbir said: "If Dwyer can still play for the Australian national team, he surely can find a place in any HIL team."

Rays puts hope on youngsters

Defending champions Ranchi Rays were very economically when it came to buying players and with the powerhouse duo of Barry Middleton and Ashley Jackson and promising Indian upstart Manpreet Singh retained, the franchise's focus was on a supporting cast. They managed to acquire a total of five young players under each under $10,000.

The India junior coach and head coach of Ranchi Rays, Harendra Singh, felt that young Indian players are the future of HIL and that the franchise is keen to invest on them. "There is a charm in creating star, rather than buying one and our philosophy is to invest in the young lot" said Harendra. "We were disappointed that we missed out on our main guy last season, Mandeep, but I am personally very happy for him and he deserved the amount he got. We've also got young talent and I can tell you that young midfielder Vikramjit Singh ($4,500) will be a surprise package in the upcoming edition of HIL."

The Times of India



Dabang Mumbai wanted world-class goal-scorers: Viren Rasquinha

Vineet Ramakrishnan

NEW DELHI: With the rule change of field goals being awarded two points in the upcoming Hockey India League, it was expected that during the players' auctions the demand for forwards would be very high. Dabang Mumbai, coming in to Friday's auction with the biggest purse ($563,000), duly played their cards to perfection by bagging the two most lethal strikers in the game today - Germans Florian Fuchs and Kieron Govers.

Fuchs was picked after a rigorous bidding war that ended at $96,000 while Govers cost Mumbai $36,000. Along with such big names Mumbai also decided to get on board the unheralded Swedish forward Johan Bjokman for $10,000.

Talking about the acquisitions, team mentor Viren Rasquinha said that the strategy was to go for the strikers and that Mumbai are happy that they were able to fulfill their wishes. "The main strategies regarding foreign players was to look at top class goal-scorers, with two points for field goals with the new rules and we got the best one in the world in Fuchs," said Rasquinha.

"Everyone went big for him, he has been the best player in the world for the last few years and Govers is a World Cup gold medallist. So we are happy. We also have Bjokman, an unknown guy but we've got good reports about him. He will add great value to the team. And our priority was three foreign players and we got Matthew Swann as well, so very happy with that."

On the popularity of German and Australian players at the auctions, Rasquinha said: "It is logical, as they are the top teams - Germany are two-time reigning Olympic champions - and the best players come from there. You need world class-players, not just good players to win a tough tournament like HIL."

The Times of India



EHL stars abound in HIL auction

UHC Hamburg’s Moritz Fuerste proved the most expensive player in the Hockey India League auction today when he was snapped up for a massive $105,000 by the Kalinga Lancers.

He was one of a number of stars to from the Euro Hockey League to get signed for the lucrative six-week league for 2016 with German players leading the way.

Indeed, Harvestehuder’s Tobias Hauke will earn $96,000 for his efforts in India in the New Year with the Uttar Pradesh Wizards. Incredibly, you can see him play in Hamburg in early October for under €12 at Round 1 of the EHL if you avail of the Early Bird tickets offer today!

Indeed, German players were among the highest earners with UHC’s Florian Fuchs going to Mumbai Dabang for $96,000 while and his club mate Nicolas Jacobi will be the number one goalkeeper at a bargain price of $27,000 for the Jaypee Warriors.

Amsterdam’s Kenny Bain is another who heads to Hamburg before jetting out to India following his purchase for $17,000 by the Wizards. He became the first Scottish player to be signed up by the HIL.

He will be joined their by fellow Amsterdam man Justin Reid-Ross who was plucked from the reserve list by the Delhi Waveriders.

Royal Leopold’s Agustin Mazzilli follows a similar path via Hamburg to Uttar Pradesh, signing for $25,000.

Benjamin Stanzl, a former EHL winner with HTHC and now with Oranje Zwart, will be the first Austrian to play in the competition after he was bought by the Delhi Waveriders for $35,000.

One of his former team mates at HTHC and Sweden’s biggest hockey export, Johan Bjorkman, was a smart signing for $10,000 by Dabang Mumbai. Yet another man with Harvestehuder connections, Nick Spooner, joins up with the Wizards along with HGC’s Gonzalo Peillat.

Great Britain’s Iain Lewers, though, was one of the most impressive signings of the auction. One of the world’s best defenders, he went for just $

He is one of a number of GB players involved with Adam Dixon going to Kalinga Lancers for $15,000 while Mark Gleghorne, from the reserve list, heading to Jaypee for $20,000. SV Kampong’s Quirijn Caspers was another to be added from the reserve list, a late addition to Kalinga.

Euro Hockey League media release



Fuerste, Akashdeep get highest bids

HIL auction: Sardar not in demand; strikers, defenders make it big



New Delhi - German playmaker Moritz Fuerste was the costliest player at the Hockey India League (HIL) auction held here today, while Indian striker Akashdeep Singh emerged as the costliest homegrown player. Fuerste was bought by Kalinga Lancers for $1,05,000, and Akashdeep was purchased by Uttar Pradesh Wizards for $84,000.

Surprisingly, Indian captain and playmaker Sardar Singh could attract a maximum bid of only $58,000, made by Punjab Warriors. Sardar was paid $78,000 by Delhi Waveriders in the inaugural edition of HIL in 2013, but he was released by his team earlier this year.

The bidding for Fuerste, a two-time Olympic champion with Germany, started from a base price of $30,000. Initially, Delhi Waveriders and Uttar Pradesh Wizards led the race in bidding to secure him, and Lancers entered the fray much later, when the bid had already gone over $90,000. Lancers went up to $1,05,000 and sealed the deal at that figure as the other teams refused to go higher. At the inaugural HIL, Fuerste was bought by Ranchi for $75,000 and named their captain. Two other Germans, Florian Fuchs and Tobias Hauke, fetched the second-highest price, $96,000 each. Fuchs was bought by Dabang Mumbai and Hauke was picked up by UP Wizards. Fuchs, 23, is the international Young Player of the Year and is considered among the world’s best young strikers. When his name came up at the auction, Kalinga Lancers, UP Wizards and Dabang Mumbai went for him in right earnest and his price quickly escalated. Then Kalinga withdrew, leaving UP and Mumbai in the race, and the latter eventually came up with a figure that wasn’t surpassed. Sardar Singh was the third Indian player to come up for bidding in the 272-player auction. His base price was set at $20,000 but surprisingly, bidding for the Indian captain did not really pick up and ended at a figure that was $20,000 lower than his fee at the inaugural edition of HIL.

The new rules of HIL stipulate that a field goal would count as two goals; this meant that top strikers and defenders would be in the greatest demand. Still, it seemed natural that an excellent playmaker like Sardar would be much sought-after. Surprisingly, younger Indian team players like Nikkin Thimmaiah, Gurvinder Singh, Dharamvir Singh and Rupinder Pal Singh were sold for higher sums than Sardar.

Veteran dragflicker Sandeep Singh and Gurmail Singh attracted the second-highest bids among Indian players. Sandeep and Gurmail were purchased for $81,000 each, by Ranchi and Mumbai, respectively. Striker Gurwinder Singh Chandi attracted the third-best bid among the Indian players, picked up for $75,000 by Punjab, against his base price of $20,000. Mandeep Singh was bought for $70,000 by Delhi.

The Tribune



Akashdeep top Indian pick, Sardar a big let down in HIL auction


Renowned auctioneer Bob Hayton of London, who has 30 years of experience in this profession, conducted the HIL 2015 auction. File photo

Young striker Akashdeep Singh was the top Indian pick but national team captain Sardar Singh turned out to be damp squib in the Hockey India League auction, which was dominated by Germany’s Moritz Fuerste who drew the highest ever bid in the history of the tournament.

Fuerste, who was a member of the German Team that won the gold medal at 2008 Summer Olympics, 2012 Summer Olympics and 2006 World Cup, was picked by Kalinga Lancers for a whopping USD 105,000 (Rs 69,46, 289) here.

Akashdeep was purchased by Uttar Pradesh Wizards for a whopping USD 84,000 (Rs 55,56, 247), while veteran dragflicker Sandeep Singh and late surprise Gurmail Singh turned out to be second highest money maker for India. Both Sandeep and Gurmail were purchased for identical USD 81,000 (Rs 53,57,578) by Ranchi Rays and Dabang Mumbai respectively.

In fact, Gurmail’s price was a complete surprise as the defender attracted such a huge sum as against his base price of USD 12,000.

Sardar, surprisingly, cut a sorry figure in the auctions as he was bagged for just USD 58,000 against his base price of USD 20,000 by Jaypee Punjab Warriors.

Sardar’s price of USD 58,000 (Rs 38,36,290) turned out to be much less than the amount he garnered in the inaugural edition. He was sold for USD 78,000 to Delhi Waveriders in 2012 before the franchise released him this year.

With the new goal—scoring rule in place in next year’s HIL, where one field goal will count as two, strikers were high in demand but it was never expected that Sardar will drew such a less price. In fact, young and less experienced Indian players like Nikkin Thimmaiah, Gurvinder Singh, Dharamvir Singh and Rupinder Pal Singh drew much higher bids than the ace midfielder.

Besides Fuerste, the other Germans to have drawn the attention of the teams are striker Florian Fuchs, who was picked up by Dabang Mumbai for USD 96,000 (Rs 63,53,336) against his base price of USD 20,000 and midfielder Tobias Hauke who was purchased by Uttar Pradesh Wizards for USD 96,000 (Rs 63,53,336) against his base price of USD 25,000.

After Akashdeep and Sandeep, striker Gurwinder Singh Chandi was the third best Indian, attracting a handsome pay packet of USD 75,000 (Rs 49,63,809) from Jaypee Punjab Warriors against his base price of USD 20,000. Young Indian strikers Mandeep Singh and Nikkin Thimmiah too pocketed huge amount as Delhi Waveriders and Dabang Mumbai shelled out USD 70,000 (Rs 46,30,416) and USD 67,000 (Rs 44,31,496) respectively to have the players in their ranks.

Indian dragflicker Rupinder and striker Dharamvir bagged USD 68,000 (Rs 44,98,943) and USD 60,000 (Rs 39,69,656) respectively from Delhi Waveriders and Kalinga Lancers against their base prices of USD 20,000 each.

After a rather slow start to the auction that saw only two players from lot one being picked in Vikramjeet Singh (USD 4,500; Rachi Rays) and Australian Kieron Govers (USD 36,000; Dabang Mumbai), Sardar’s name — the first on lot two — created a buzz among the franchises with Uttar Pradesh and Punjab going head to head for the 29-year-old star midfielder.

The first highlight of the second lot was the 23-year-old FIH Young Player of the Year Fuchs, regarded as one of the sport’s most lethal strikers in world hockey. Fuchs was on the radar of every franchise and he quickly went past Sardar’s price with UP Wizards, Mumbai and Kalinga Lancers bidding vigorously for the German.

But once Kalinga Lancers opted out it was left to Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai to fight it out, and in the end Mumbai picked him up for a hefty price of USD 96,000.

But it is Fuchs’ Germany team-mate Fuerste, an Olympic gold medallist, who bagged the highest price as he was bought for a hefty amount of USD 105,000 against his base price of USD 30,000. Initially it was three—way fight between Wizards, the Waveriders and Dabang Mumbai vying for his services, but in the end the Lancers pulled off a late heist with their record bid.

During the 2012 auctions, Fuerste was acquired by Ranchi Rhinos for USD 75,000 and went on to captain the team.

Another German Hauke was also high in demand as Uttar Pradesh Wizards, Delhi Waveriders and Mumbai bid vigorously for him but in the end the Wizards availed his services by shelling out USD 96,000 against his base price of USD 25,000.

Australian midfielder Matthew Swann also demanded a good price as he was sold to to Dabang Mumbai for USD 75,000 against his base price of USD 20,000.

Among the goalkeepers, Dutchman Nicolas Jacobi and Devon Manchester of New Zealand picked up the highest price of USD 27,000 each against their base prices of USD 20,000 and USD 15,000 respectively. While Jacobi was picked up by Jaypee Punjab Warriors, Manchester went to the Waveriders.

The Waveriders also picked up Harjot Singh as the second goalkeeper for his base price of USD 20,000.

In the 10th and last lot before the lunch break, Mandeep demanded USD 70,000 from the Waveriders in a two—way race with Ranch Rays. His base price was USD 20,000.

Asked Kalinga Lancers mentor Dilip Tirkey about their decision to shell out such a record price for Fuerste, he said it was a planned move.

“In the last two HIL, our performances were not good so we came to the auction with a plan this year. We want to make our team stronger. We want to make our team around Fuerste. He is a proven customer for Germany and we thought about it earlier that we will go for him,” he said.

Asked why they didn’t bid for Sardar, Tirkey said: “Sardar is the best player of the Indian team but we couldn’t fit him in our team.”

Dabang Mumbai mentor Viren Rasquinha said it was logical that most of the teams went for German and Australian players because they are world-class.

In the second half of the auction, Indian midfielder Chinglensana Singh (USD 62,000; Uttar Pradesh Wizards), S K Uthappa (USD 54,000; Kalinga Lancers), striker Affan Yousuf (USD 53,000 by Dabang Mumbai), defenders Vikram Kanth (USD 52,000; Delhi Waveriders), Gurinder Singh (USD 48,000; Uttar Pradesh Wizards) and experienced midfielder Danish Mujtaba (USD 54,000; Mumbai) also attracted good prices.

Among foreign players to feature in the second half of the auction, Australian legend Jamie Dwyer was picked up by Uttar Pradesh Wizards for USD 57,000 while his teammates Matt Gohdes and Simon Orchard went to Punjab Warriors for USD 71,000 and USD 58,000 respectively.

South Africa captain Austin Smith was sold to Delhi Waveriders for USD 59,000, while little-known striker Benjamin Stanzl was picked up by Delhi for USD 35,000.

All the franchises were required to select their 20-member squad (12 Indian and eight foreigners) out of a total purse of USD 725,000 for the next two years of HIL.

The players who remained unsold will go into the reserve pool from where the franchises can handpick their choice to complete their squad.

Top 10 Indian Buys: Akashdeep Singh (USD 84,000; Uttar Pradesh Wizards), Sandeep Singh (USD 81,000; Ranchi Rays), Gurmail Singh (USD 81,000; Dabang Mumbai), Gurwinder Singh Chandi (USD 75,000; Jaypee Punjab Warriors); Mandeep Singh (USD 70,000; Delhi Waveriders), Rupinder Pal Singh (USD 68,000; Delhi Waveriders), Nikkin Thimmiah (USD 67,000; Dabang Mumbai), Chinglensana Singh (USD 62,000; Uttar Pradesh Wizards),Dharamvir Singh (USD 60,000; Kalinga Lancers), Sardar Singh (USD 58,000; Jaypee Punjab Warriors), S K Uthappa (USD 54,000; Kalinga Lancers), Danish Mujtaba (USD 54,000; Dabang Mumbai).

Top Foreign Buys: Moritz Fuerste (USD 105,000; Kalinga Lancers), Florian Fuchs (USD 96,000; Dabang Mumbai), Tobias Hauke (USD 96,000; Uttar Pradesh Wizards), Matthew Swann (USD 75,000 Dabang Mumbai), Matt Gohdes (USD 71,000; Jaypee Punjab Warriors), Austin Smith (USD 59,000; Delhi Waveriders), Simon Orchard (USD 58,000; Jaypee Punjab Warriors), Jamie Dwyer (USD 57,000; Uttar Pradesh Wizards), Benjamin Stanzl (USD 35,000; Delhi Waveriders), Tyler Lovell (USD 30,000; Ranchi Rays), Nicolas Jacobi (USD 27,000, Jaypee Punjab Warriors).

The Hindu



Fuerste and Fuchs go for astonishing prices

Uthra Ganesan


Moritz Fuerste


If market valuation is the only measure of a sportsman’s worth, Indian hockey captain Sardar Singh should be a worried man. The talismanic midfielder was outshone by 10 of his teammates during the 2015 auction, which was marked by confusion and some puzzling purchases on Thursday.

The day-long auction saw some frenzied bidding for young Indians and several records getting broken even as the Germans and Australians stole the show.

Lot No. 2 provided the maximum shock. At one end was Sardar, who led Delhi Waveriders to a podium-finish in every edition — the only team to do so — who was snapped up by Jaypee Punjab Warriors for a mere $58,000, $20,000 less than his price in the last auction. At the other end of the spectrum was another midfield-general, Moritz Fuerste.

The German set a record for the highest bid — $105,000 — while teammate and prolific striker Florian Fuchs was bought for $96,000.

“In the last two HILs, our performances were not good and we came to the auction with a plan this year. We want to make our team stronger. We want to build our team around Fuerste. He is a proven player and a leader, and we had decided that we would go for him,” said Dilip Tirkey, Kalinga Lancers team mentor, about the bid for Fuerste.

Sardar, who remains the pivot of the Indian team, saw little bidding. On the other hand, forward Akashdeep Singh had all franchises desperately trying to get him before Uttar Pradesh Wizards won with an astounding $84,000 — the highest-ever paid for an Indian.

That Akashdeep would be in demand was understandable, given the new HIL rules that put a premium on field goals. What wasn’t, though, was the lack of interest in Sardar, undoubtedly the best playmaker India has.

Neither was the $81,000 Ranchi Rays paid for drag-flicker Sandeep Singh. The player, who has been out of the national team since the 2012 Olympics, doesn’t evoke much confidence in defence either.

What surprised most was the manner in which the franchises went about prioritising players.

The high bids for the likes of Gurvinder Singh Chandi, Mandeep Singh and Nikkin Thimmaiah were expected; the bidding wars for defender Gurmail Singh — the joint second-highest paid Indian — Vickram Kanth and Vikas Sharma weren’t.

German goalkeeper Nicolas Jacobi was a steal for Warriors at $27,000; so was Australian legend Jamie Dwyer ($57,000, Wizards). Dwyer’s teammates, Matthew Gohdes and Matthew Swann, went for $71,000 and $75,000 respectively.

There was some confusion as well. Wizards, after an aggressive start, found itself left with little money and almost half the squad yet to be picked! Hockey India president Narinder Batra repeatedly warned the team to get its act together — at one point even warning it not to mess up with the auction process — but with little effect. At the end of the first round, Wizards had just over $36,000 left and four players to get.

While none of the franchise representatives were willing to comment on the low price for Sardar, most of them hinted at form, fitness and team priorities. “We were fortunate to get Sardar for less. A lot of things matter during auctions — the draw of lots, the teams’ priorities... we knew if Sardar came up before Fuerste or Fuchs, it would be easier to get him,” explained Warriors coach Jagbir Singh.

Sardar’s teammate V.R. Raghunath, retained by Wizards and present during the auction, offered a better explanation. “You cannot expect anything in auctions, you have to be prepared for prices both skyrocketing and falling flat when least expected. Auction dynamics matter a lot,” he said.

The Hindu



Germans shine

s2h Team

Germans, Mouritz Fuerste, Florian Fuchs and Tobias Hauke , set the HIL auction floor on fire with Moritz fetching whopping USD 105,000 and both Fuchs and Hauke getting USD 96,000 for the fourth season.

It seems the Germans, by and large, swept to fortunes due to missing out of Netherlands players for this year's action.

Even as legends like Sardar Singh could go for only USD 58,000, Dabang Mumbai, mentored by Viren Rasquinha, put a cool USD 96,000 on Florian Fuchs.

Sardar Singh was sold for USD 58,000 by Punjab Warriors.

It was gathered that the tallest Indian player was not retained by the Waveriders as he did not respond to their communication in time, and it seems a costly miss. Sardar was captain of the DWR team in the last three editions.

Florian Fuchs of Germany could get USD 96,000 from Dabang Mumbai while Keiran Govers went for USD 36,000.

Tobias Hauke went for USD 96,000 to UP Wizards.

But its Kalinga Lancers which surprised the day when it offered to pay Moritz Fuerste for a record USD 105,000, which remained highest at the end of the day.

Stick2Hockey.com



Singhs are kings at HIL Auction, with Akashdeep topping the Indian money earners list

s2h Team



Like Ramandeep Singh last year, his celebrated state forward Akashdeep Singh has bagged maximum money among Indians, as he was sold for a goody USD 84,000 by Mohali based Jaipee Punjab Warriors.

Drag-flicker Sandeep Singh got the second highest, USD 81,000 along with Gurmail Singh who also bagged the same price. Its a great comeback for Sandeep Singh who is not in the national team for a couple of years.

undefined Interestingly, its 'Singhs' who were kings at Lalit Hotel where the second HIL auction was held amidst wide glare and publicity.

Top six Indians were turned out to be 'Singhs' as the below list would vouchsafe.

Top Indian money earners as per rank in the HIL 2015 league Auction (from 15K USD onwards)

1.Akasdeep Singh 84k
2.Sandeep Singh 81k
2.Gurmail Singh 81k
4.Gurwinder Chandi 75k
5.Mandeep Singh 70k
6.Rupinder Pal Singh 68k
7.Nikkin Thimmiah 67k
8.Jasjit Singh Kular 65k
9.Chinglensana Singh 62k
10.Dharamvir Singh 60k
11.Sardar Singh 58k
12.Danish Mujtaba 54k
12.S K Uthappa 54k
14.Affan Yousuf 53k
15.Vickram Kanth 52k
16.Gurinder Singh 48k
17.Vikas Sharma 43k 18.Pardeep Mor 37k
19.Amit Rohidoss 31k
19.Dipsan Tirkey 31k
21.Parminder singh 29k
22.Malak Singh 24k
23.Santa Singh 21k
24.Harjot singh 20k
25.Sumit 17k
26.Sumit Kumar 15k

Stick2Hockey.com



13 Aussies go for $666,000

Matthew Swann & Matt Gohdes top the Aussie rich list at Hockey India League auction



Kookaburras Matthew Swann and Matt Gohdes were amongst the big money buys at the Hockey India League (HIL) auction on Thursday as 13 Australians were picked up for a combined total of $666,000 (US$478,000).

With nine Aussies already retained by their 2015 franchises, it takes the number of Kookaburras in January’s fourth edition of the HIL to 22.

Swann will return to Dabang Mumbai, for whom he played in the 2015 HIL, having been the subject of a US$75,000 bid while Matt Gohdes – a winner with Delhi Waveriders in 2014 – has made a big money switch to Jaypee Punjab Warriors (US$71,000).

But it was the Germans that attracted the biggest bids from the six franchise owners in hockey’s equivalent to cricket’s IPL.

German trio Moritz Fuerste, Florian Fuchs and Tobias Hauke took star billing with Fuerste topping the bidding at US$105,000 from Kalinga Lancers. The fee is a new record for the Hockey India League, surpassing the US$103,000 paid by Dabang Mumbai for Belgian Tom Boon 12 months ago.

Fuerste’s compatriots Fuchs (Dabang Mumbai) and Hauke (Uttar Pradesh Wizards) both went for US$96,000.

Gohdes joins a Warriors team led by 2004 Olympic gold medal winning coach Barry Dancer and brimming with Australian talent, including 2015-season retained players Chris Ciriello, Mark Knowles and Jake Whetton, and the returning Simon Orchard, for whom the Warriors paid US$58,000.

Leaving the Warriors after three years in the blue and gold is Gohdes’ cousin, Jamie Dwyer. The five times World Player of the Year was the subject of a four-way bidding contest that ultimately saw Uttar Pradesh Wizards earn his signature for US$57,000. The Wizards will be able to pair the Aussie veteran with the man some believe may ultimately topple him as the most capped Kookaburra of all time, Eddie Ockenden.

On his 22nd birthday, youngster Flynn Ogilvie earned his first foray into the Hockey India League with defending champions Ranchi Rays paying US$10,000. The Rays made a late bid for the birthday boy just as the auctioneer was ready to send him to the unsold reserve list.

Ogilvie will join fellow Australians Tyler Lovell (US$30,000), Daniel Beale (US$26,000), Tim Deavin (US$29,000), Trent Mitton (US$30,000) and Fergus Kavanagh (retained from 2015), and England duo Ashley Jackson and Barry Middleton (both retained). Deavin previously played for Dabang Mumbai. Mitton was originally passed over in the first round of bidding but earned a return to Ranchi in the second round.

Another of the newer members of the Australian squad, 21 year-old Matthew Dawson will make his HIL debut in January with Kalinga Lancers. The Lancers also picked up former Mumbai captain Glenn Turner for his base price, a bargain US$30,000, alongside Matthew Willis (US$15,000). The pair join retained Aussie duo Andrew Charter and Aran Zalewski, and Germany’s Fuerste on the Lancers’ list.

Swann’s Mumbai were the first to move on an Australian athlete in the auction, signing Kieran Govers to go with retained defender, Jeremy Hayward.

And having seen former teammates Gohdes and Jason Wilson leave, Tristan White is the only Australian on the Delhi Waveriders’ list for 2016.
Earlier this week, organisers announced a ground-breaking change to the goal scoring format in the tournament. In the fourth edition of the sport’s most lucrative competition, field goals and penalty strokes will count double to encourage more skillful and tactical hockey.

In February, Hockey Australia signed a Memorandum of Understanding guaranteeing it would release its athletes for the Hockey India League in 2016, 2017 and 2018, covering the Olympic and Commonwealth Games years when some countries do not allow their athletes to compete overseas.

In return, the Indian men’s team will tour Australia to play the Kookaburras in three showpiece events between 2016 and 2018. Details of the tour dates are yet to be announced.

Ranchi Rays’ Flynn Ogilvie said, “”I’m very excited to be picked up. I didn’t go in with huge expectations and to be picked up by the defending champions is even better. They have some high quality players, which will give me great experience.

“To be honest I wasn’t watching because I’ve been told it can be pretty brutal if you miss out. My friends and family were messaging me and within 20 seconds I have messages saying everything from ‘oh no!’ to ‘hold on’, then ‘congrats!’ It was a very surreal experience.”

Dabang Mumbai’s Matthew Swann said, “I’m honoured to be playing with and for the Dabang Mumbai family again. I love the city and the fans, and am very excited to see what the new season has in store.”

The Hockey India League will run for a month from the third week in January 2016.

Australians in the Hockey India League auction

Dabang Mumbai
Kieran Govers (Wollongong, NSW)  - Sold for US$36,000 [Base price 25,000]
Jeremy Hayward (Darwin, NT)  - Retained from 2015
Matthew Swann (Mackay, QLD)  - Sold for US$75,000 [Base price US$20,000]

Delhi Waveriders
Tristan White (Wollongong, NSW)  - Retained from 2015

Kalinga Lancers
Andrew Charter (Canberra, ACT)  - Retained from 2015
Matthew Dawson (Central Coast, NSW)  - Sold for US$21,000 [Base price US$20,000]
Glenn Turner (Goulburn, NSW)^  - Sold for US$30,000 [Base price US$30,000]
Matthew Willis (Tamworth, NSW)  - Sold for US$15,000 [Base price US$15,000]
Aran Zalewski (Margaret River, WA)  - Retained from 2015

Jaypee Punjab Warriors
Chris Ciriello (Melbourne, VIC)  - Retained from 2015
Mark Knowles (Rockhampton, QLD)  - Retained from 2015
Matt Gohdes (Rockhampton, QLD)  - Sold for US$71,000 [Base price US$20,000]
Simon Orchard (Maitland, NSW)  - Sold for US$58,000 [Base price US$30,000]
Jake Whetton (Brisbane, QLD)  - Retained from 2015

Ranchi Rays
Daniel Beale (Brisbane, QLD)  - Sold for US$26,000 [Base price US$20,000]
Tim Deavin (Launceston, TAS)  - Sold for US$29,000 [Base price US$29,000]
Fergus Kavanagh (Geraldton, WA)  - Retained from 2015
Tyler Lovell (Perth, WA)  - Sold for US$20,000 [Base price US$20,000]
Trent Mitton (Perth, WA)  - Sold for US$20,000 [Base price US$20,000]
Flynn Ogilvie (Wollongong, NSW)  - Sold for US$10,000 [Base price US$10,000

Uttar Pradesh Wizards
Jamie Dwyer (Rockhampton, QLD)  - Sold for $57,000 [Base price US$30,000]
Eddie Ockenden (Hobart, TAS)  - Retained from 2015

Unsold / Reserve List
Chris Bausor (Perth, WA)  - [Base price US$20,000]
George Bazeley (Melbourne, VIC)  - [Base price US$20,000]
Graeme Begbie (Perth, WA)  - [Base price US$20,000]
Josh Beltz (Hobart, TAS)  - [Base price US$5,000]
Craig Boyne (Perth, WA)  - [Base price US$20,000]
Kiel Brown (Toowoomba, QLD)**  - [Base price US$20,000]
Nick Budgeon (Hobart, TAS)  - [Base price US$18,000]
Joel Carroll (Darwin, NT)  - [Base price US$20,000]
Tim Cross (Melbourne, VIC)  - [Base price US$15,000]
Tristan Clemons (Bunbury, WA)  - [Base price US$20,000]
Russell Ford (Melbourne, VIC)  - [Base price US$15,000]
Leon Hayward (Darwin, NT)  - [Base price US$20,000]
Rob Hammond (Townsville, QLD)  - [Base price US$30,000]
Glenn Simpson (Melbourne, VIC)  - [Base price US$20,000]
Andrew Philpott (Melbourne, VIC)  - [Base price US$20,000]
Jason Wilson (Kingscliff, NSW)*  - [Base price US$20,000]
Dylan Wotherspoon (Mulwillumbah, QLD)  - [Base price US$20,000]

**Represents WA
*Represented QLD throughout his state career.
^Represents ACT

Hockey Australia media release



We invest to win

s2h Team

Mentor of Kalinga Lancers Dilip Tirkey, who is also sitting Member of Parliament, said that his HIL franchise spent a whopping USD 105,000 to purchase German defender Moritz Fuerste because they want to reverse the trend.

"We have not fared well in the last two sessions, and are eager to firmly establish as a winning outfit now. So, we are particular about our choices, and have gone full throttle to get the kind of players we want, and the German fitted our scheme of things", he said.

The former Indian captain was speaking midway through Hockey India Auction held today in New Delhi.

Besides Fuerste, Kalinga Lancers, the franchise which he mentors last two sessions, has purchased forward Dharamveer for USD 60,000, Amit Rohidoss for USD 31,000, Stanli Minz for 8,500 USD. Forward Lalit Upadhyaya is also in their pocket.

Anand Lakra and Abhinav Pandey make up the Kalinga basket today

Malak Singh and Dipsan Tirkey went for USD 24,000 and USD 31,000 respectively.

Glenn Turner was purchased at the base price of USD 30,000.

Among other foreign players bought by Kalinga Lancers were Matthew Dawson for USD 21,000 and Matthew Willis, Adam Dixon and Quirjirn Caspers each for USD 15,000.

Stick2Hockey.com



FIH to watch new goal system with interest

The next edition of the Hockey India League will be watched “with interest” by world body FIH as a new system of counting goals is introduced in the franchise-based tournament.

The new regulations in the tournament held January 18-February 21 next year will award two goals for every successful field effort in a bid to make the game more attacking.

A goal will also count double if it comes from a penalty corner that was awarded because a goal was prevented by a deliberate foul.

The other goal regulations remain the same with penalty corner goals, goals scored from a stroke resulting from a penalty corner and those in shootouts all considered as one goal.

“It will be interesting to see if the higher weighting for a field goal leads to more open and entertaining matches,” FIH chief executive Kelly Fairweather said in emailed comments to The Associated Press on Wednesday. “FIH will watch with interest to see whether it has the desired effect.”

The FIH has been trying to make the game faster in recent years and changed the format to four 15-minute quarters from two 35-minute halves during the Asian Games last year, a rule which had been tried earlier in the HIL.

“The FIH competitions committee has considered different scoring methods previously but decided not to change as there was no evidence to suggest that it would lead to a more open and exciting game,” Fairweather said. “However, this initiative by HIL gives an opportunity to see if there is any merit in extending the system being adopted, or perhaps a derivative.”

The world body says it was consulted on the changes in regulation but does not intend to introduce similar changes in international games.

“Because of the significance of this change, both the FIH competitions and rules committees were consulted and agreed upon the trial of these new regulations.

“Given the high quality of players, skill and entertainment in competitions like the Hockey India League and the EuroHockey League, they are the ideal environment to try out new ideas for improving the game and have been used in the past to test regulations that eventually became rules, such as self-pass and playing the ball above the shoulder,” Fairweather said.

The 2016 HIL will feature players from around the world with Germans Moritz Fuerste and Florian Fuchs, Australian players Kieran Govers and Jamie Dwyer, Dutchman Nicolas Jacobi, New Zealander Devon Manchester of New Zealand and a host of Indians bid for in a players’ auction on Wednesday.

The Hindu



Pakistan-India Champions Trophy incident in the past now: FIH

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) chief Kelly Fairweather has refused to play the role of negotiator as the war of words between Pakistan and India over the 2014 Champions incident intensifies.

Fairweather, who was in India for the auction of the Hockey India League (HIL), said the ‘matter was between the two boards’ and as far as the FIH was concerned, the fallout was ‘now in the past.’

“We don't intend to sit between them. What we will be doing is meeting with the Pakistan Hockey Federation, it's new leadership and hopefully they will have a new approach,” IBNLive quoted Fairweather as saying on the sidelines of the HIL auction which did not include Pakistani players.

Hockey India President Narinder Batra on Tuesday announced that the HIL would include no Pakistanis until the country's federation apologised for its players' behaviour after their semi-final win over India in the 2014 Champions Trophy.

After winning the game 4-3 in a pulsating encounter, several Pakistani players removed their shirts, danced in jubilation, and raised obscene gestures towards the crowd.

The action of the players caused an outrage in India and threatened its participation in the final against Australia. But Pakistan's coach and captain were quick to apologise for their side's behaviour which led to the suspension of two players from the final by the FIH.

And Fairweather said there nothing more to it as far as the governing body was concerned.

“That incident, as far as FIH is concerned, is in the past. We took what we believe was the appropriate action. You heard Dr. Batra's view on this. We are not going to comment any further because, as I said, it is a discussion between the two federations.”

The FIH chief, instead, urged the two former 'powerhouses' of hockey to improve the game in their respective countries.

“These are two powerhouses of our hockey, and they not playing the World Cup and Olympics is not good.”

“Our part as international federation is to make sure that Pakistan gets back into international hockey as a force.”

It must be mentioned here that on Wednesday newly-elected PHF Secretary Shahbaz Senior called upon the FIH to resolve the 'months old' issue and urged India to keep politics away from sports.

“If they have an issue with PHF they should have sent it in writing, but this kind of conduct is totally intolerable,” Shahbaz said.

“Sports are something in which players and athletes make friends all over and the country’s politics should be kept aside from this,” he added.

Dawn



FIH not to interfere in Indo-Pak hockey matters

NEW DELHI: The International Hockey Federation (FIH) on Thursday said that it has no intention of getting involved in the ongoing tussle between India and Pakistan's federations.

FIH CEO Kelly Fairweather said that the world body would like to see the revival of Indo-Pak bilateral hockey ties.

"This is a matter between HI and PHF and FIH can't really comment on that," Fairweather said.

Fairweather, however, insisted that the Bhubaneswar incident is a thing of the past.

"As far as FIH is concerned the Bhubaneswar incident is a thing of the past. The FIH took what it felt was the right action," he said.

Fairweather said the FIH's main focus is to bring Pakistan hockey back into limelight after the four-time World champions failed to qualify for 2016 Rio Olympics.

"Our focus is to make sure that Pakistan gets back into international hockey as a force. It's pity to see a country like Pakistan not playing in the World Cup and in the Olympics. That is the real worry for me," Fairweather said.

Meanwhile, Hockey India president Narinder Batra reiterated that until Pakistan apologises for their unruly behaviour during last year's Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar, India will not play any bilateral series with the neighbours.

Batra said that Pakistani players will continue to be sidelines from the Hockey India League unless the Pakistan Hockey Federation officially apologises over the conduct of some of its players during the Champions Trophy.

"We are playing Pakistan in international events but for bilateral series to happen, we need an assurance from the Pakistan Hockey Federation that their players will not repeat such a behaviour again," Batra told reporters during the Hockey India League 2015 auctions at a city hotel here.

Two players were handed a one-game ban and reprimanded by the FIH after the Pakistan team went on a rampage post their semi-final win against India in Bhubaneswar in December, 2014. Showing obscene gestures to the crowd, some players also took off their shirts in celebration.

Nine Pakistani players were part of the first edition of HIL in 2013 but were forced to leave the country before the start of the tournament following protests from a few political organisations.

Since then no Pakistani player has been included in the last three editions of the tournament.

The Times of India



Need assurance from Pak federation before India play Pakistan: Batra

Vineet Ramakrishnan

NEW DELHI: Hockey India president Narinder Batra clarified on Friday that India will play Pakistan at international forums pending assurance from the Pakistan Hockey Federation that their players will not misbehave during friendly matches.

Talking on the sidelines of the Hockey India League 2015 auctions, with no players from Pakistan invited, Batra clarified that his earlier comment about needing an apology from was misinterpreted and he only wants an assurance from the Pakistan Hockey Federation.

"As long as things are documented, we do not have any issue (on playing Pakistan). We are playing Pakistan at international levels," said Batra. "The thing is if they again come to India and cannot and I said the Federation has to to give us assurance that this kind of behaviour won't happen during friendly ties. You (media) are using my word regret and making it in to an apology."

The incident had occurred after the semi-final of the last Champions Trophy in December 2014 when after their 4-3 win, several Pakistan players started celebrating their victory in wild fashion.

Taking on the issue, FIH CEO Kelly Fairweather said it is an issue that has to be sorted out between the two federations. "It is a matter between Pakistan Hockey and Hockey India. I think there is a new opportunity with change of guard in Pakistan hockey and I think they have dealt with that incidence. We certainly want to see India play Pakistan, but it is a matter for the the two boards to decide," he said.

The Times of India



Pakistan to face India in Sultan of Johar juniors hockey

Anwar Zuberi

KARACHI: Pakistan take on India in their opening match of the fifth Sultan of Johar juniors hockey tournament which takes place in the Malaysian city of Johar Bahru from Oct 11 to 18.

Reigning champions India made it two on the trot when they carved out 2-1 victory over Great Britain in the final played last year.

Pakistan, on the other hand, finished at the bottom in the six-nation contest losing 1-3 to Malaysia in the classification match.

Besides Pakistan and India, other nations which are set to vie for the honours in the event include Argentina, Australia, Malaysia and Great Britain.

According to the draws, two more matches are on the card for the opening day.

Argentina are pitted against Australia while Malaysia face Great Britain.

The competition will specially help India, Pakistan and Malaysia to prepare themselves for the juniors Asia Cup which is also being held in the Malaysia city of Kuantan from Nov 14 to 22.

The event concludes on Oct 18.

Schedule:

Oct 11: Argentina v Australia; India v Pakistan; Malaysia v Great Britain.

Oct 12: Australia v Pakistan; Great Britain v India; Malaysia v Argentina.

Oct 14: Great Britain v Pakistan; Argentina v India, Australia v Mlaysia.

Oct 15: Pakistan v Argentina; Great Britain v Australia; India v Malaysia.

Oct 17: Argentina v Great Britain; Australia v India; Pakistan v Malaysia.

Oct 18: Fifth-sixth position match; third-fourth position match; final.

Dawn



PHF’s new management starts game of musical chairs

LAHORE: In a swift and not too surprising a move, the new management of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has started the game of musical chairs when they inducted former international Qasim Khan into the national selection committee although it did not mention whether he was a replacement for Olympian Shahbaz Junior.

However, the fact is that the PHF has shown Shahbaz the door in a very insulting manner. Shahbaz was named in the selection committee during a news conference in Islamabad by PHF president Brig (r) Khalid Sajjad Khokhar earlier this month, but he hasn’t been honoured on any occasion thereafter. It looks very much a political manoeuvre by the PHF chief to use Shahbaz to get a resignation from former secretary Rana Mujahid last week. But since Rana’s resignation, Shahbaz has been largely ignored as he hasn’t been called up even once to attend the meeting of the national selection committee.

On Tuesday, the PHF announced a selection committee headed by Abdul Rasheed Junior with members Saeed Khan, Farhat Khan and Wasim Feroz will observe the trials to select the national junior team for a tournament to be held in Malaysia next month. But it was pointed out in the media that Shahbaz’s name was missing from the selection committee, the PHF issued another news release on Wednesday including international Qasim Khan’s name as selector. “PHF president Brig. (R) Muhammad Khalid S. Khokhar is pleased to appoint Qasim Khan as member of National Selection Committee,” it said. “Now the National Selection Committee consists of the following: Abdul Rasheed Junior (Chairman), Farhat Hassan Khan, Waseem Feroze and Saeed Khan.”

The Daily Times



Auckland on track for double

By David Leggat


Sam Charlton's on-form Midlands will be a stiff challenge for Auckland when the sides meet in the K Cup semifinals tomorrow. Photo / Christine Cornege

Auckland's bid for a successful double defence of the national hockey titles remains alive going into tomorrow's semifinals.

In the men's Challenge Shield, Auckland play Capital and Southern face Midlands; in the women's K Cup, Auckland play Midlands and Canterbury meet hosts Northland.

While the men were runaway top qualifiers for the semifinals in Whangarei, Auckland's women finished third behind Canterbury and Midlands.

North Harbour women were left ruing a lost chance last night.

They led Canterbury 2-0 with 13 minutes to go. A four-goal win would have enabled them to bump hosts Northland out of the top four. Instead Canterbury came home with a rush, scored three goals to draw the match 3-3, then won the shootout.

That left both North Harbour teams out of the semifinals.

A 7-1 thumping of Capital left 2013 women's champions Midlands in good heart going into the weekend. After losing two of their first three matches, Midlands have struck form, with 24 goals in their last four games.

"Just being a bit more clinical is a big step forward," Black Sticks international and Midlands skipper Sam Charlton said yesterday. "If we can take that into our semifinals we can put up a pretty good fight."

Auckland ensured their place in the top four by beating bottom side Southern 5-0, two goals coming from Danielle Sutherland.

Auckland's men suffered their first loss yesterday, going down 1-2 to Southern. Dwayne Rowsell's goal in the last minute was small consolation.

The New Zealand Herald



THT blast Maybank into orbit

By Jugjet Singh

TERENGGANU Hockey Team (THT) showed their pedigree yesterday when they came back from a two-goal deficit to beat Maybank 10-7 on aggregate in the Second Leg Semi-finals of the TNB Cup at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

THT advanced to the final on Sunday, by hammering Maybank 7-2, and they will face Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) for the Overall title.

League champions THT started with three goals in the first 15 minutes, and nailed Maybank with precision marking and scoring.

THT's goals were scored by Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin (second, eighth), Jose Leandro Tolini (ninth), Faizal Saari (33rd, 51st), Firhan Ashaari (45th) and Nicolas Cicileo (49th),

Pakistan's Muhammad Toseeq (39th) and India's B. Deepanshu (59th) scored for Maybank.

In the other semi-finals, KLHC took a walk in the park but still beat Sapura 2-1 for an 8-1 aggregate win.

Mumammad Imran (ninth) was the solitary scorer for Sapura in both the legs, while Razie Rahim (29th) and Ali Shan (52nd) got the winner for KLHC.

"I believe my players lost out to fatigue because we played three matches in five days and were hit 1-6 (in the first leg semis), and this is not the national team, for them to sustain the pace," said Sapura coach Tai Beng Hai.

KLHC coach K. Dharmaraj is no stranger to playing in the final, as in his 17 years in the Malaysia Hockey League he has coached in 15 finals.

And he took his side to the top in five finals, and lost nine.

"I have been coaching the same side (with three name changes) for the past 17 years and I know there are no favourites in a final. Any team that seizes the day, will life the trophy," said Dharmaraj.

He started with Arthur Anderson which evolved into Ernst & Young, and is now KLHC.

Dharmaraj has no favourites to join him on Sunday: "It is not the opposition that counts, is how my players perform on Sunday which will determine the club's fate."

  RESULTS: Semi-finals (Second Leg):
  Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club 2 Sapura 1.
  (KLHC win 8-1 on aggregate)
  Maybank 2 Terengganu Hockey Team 7.
  (THT win 10-7 on aggregate)

SUNDAY: Final -- Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club v Terengganu Hockey Team (8pm, Pitch II); Third-Fourth: Maybank v Sapura (6pm, Pitch II).

Note: Both matches at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

Jugjet's World of Field Hockey



Terengganu, KLHC to battle for TNB Cup

By Aftar Singh


Sapura's Faiz Helmi Jali (right) tussles with KLHC player Mohd Razie Rahim in the Malaysia Hockey League semi-final at National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil. - FAIHAN GHANI / The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: Terengganu lived up to their tag as the comeback kings when they thrashed Maybank 7-2 to set up a repeat final against Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) for the overall title – TNB Cup – in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL).

Defending champions Terengganu lost the first leg 3-5 on Tuesday but bounced back for the big win at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil to make the final on a 10-7 aggregate.

KLHC who beat Sapura 6-0 in the first-leg semi-final match a day earlier won 2-1 in the second leg to go through on an 8-1 aggregate.

Terenggnu, who similarly lost the first leg 2-3 came back to beat Maybank 6-1 in the return leg to make the final last year, dished out another sterling show right from the whistle.

Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin Tengku Abdul Jalil gave them the lead from the first penalty corner in the second minute.

Tengku Ahmad added the second in the eighth minute followed by the league’s top marksman Faizal Saari’s brace in the 33rd and 51st minutes.

The other goals came from Argentina’s Jose Leandro Tolini (ninth), Firhan Ashaari (45th) and Nicolas Cicilleo (49th).

The Tigers replied through Pakistan’s Muhammad Toseep (38th) and India’s Deepanshu Bhargav (59th).

Terengganu coach Sarjit Singh praised his boys for making use of the chances well.

“I was confident that my players will delivered in the return leg and they made me proud with an impressive win,” said Sarjit.

In the other semi-final, KLHC could afford to take it easy and it allowed Sapura to take a 1-0 lead through

Pakistan’s Mumammad Imran in the ninth minute.

Mohd Razie Abdul Rahim equalised for KLHC in the 29th minute before Pakistan’s Ali Shan netted the winner in the 52nd minute.

This is the 15th time KLHC have qualified for the final when their record stands at four wins and nine losses.

KLHC coach K. Dharmaraj was delighted to guide his team to the final again.

“I hope to guide the team to a fifth title. We played well in the two semi-final legs and I just hope my players can rise to the occasion in the final on Saturday,” said Dharmaraj.

The Star of Malaysia



Hockey player banned after hitting rival on the head

By Aftar Singh

KUALA LUMPUR: Ipoh City Hall (MBI) forward Mohd Haris Fadila Zulkifli has been handed a one-match ban for hitting a rival on the head with his hockey stick.

Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) tournament director Datuk G. Vijayanathan said that Haris will miss his team’s President’s Cup semi-final return-leg match against Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UiTM) on Friday.

Haris had hit UiTM’s Mohd Zulhaziq Hashim on the head with a hockey stick in the 58th minute of their first-leg tie at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Wednesday. MBI won the first leg 3-2.

“After listening to his views, we found that he had intentionally hit the player. We’ve decide to suspend him for one match,” said Vijayanathan.

He added that they would also call up three UiTM players – Abdul Rauf Mohd Nazri, Mohd Taufik Abdul Hamid and Razalee Yahya – to face the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) technical committee on Friday for rough play and for pushing umpire Mohd Rahizan Mohamed Ramli during the first-leg match.

“Pushing an umpire is a serious offence. We will have the technical committee meeting at 3.30pm before we decide whether to allow them to play in the return leg at 6pm.

“We will also call the team managers and coaches to show them the video of that incident,” said Vijayanathan.

MBI coach Mohd Ezral Ariff has advised his players to keep their cool in the return leg.

“We have others who can replace Haris in the forwardline. We’re so close to reaching the final, so I don’t want my players to lose their temper,” said Ezral.

“We only have a one-goal cushion ... I want my players to score early in the game and put more pressure on UiTM.”

Ezral is hoping that his team, who finished third in last year’s President’s Cup, will reach their first-ever final.

TNB-Thunderbolt are favourites to reach the final from the other semi-final, having beaten Armed Forces Airod 4-1 in the first leg.

The Star of Malaysia



Champs Wimbledon face newcomers Holcombe


Champions Wimbledon 2014-15

Defending champions Wimbledon take on ambitious newcomers Holcombe in the Men’s Hockey League Premier Division on Sunday, in what looks set to be the game of the weekend.

Trailing two-nil at Brooklands Manchester University last weekend, Wimbledon hit back with two late goals to snatch a draw. Meanwhile Holcombe, littered with international stars, blasted seven past Canterbury.

“Even though Holcombe were in the Conference last season, they’re one of the strongest teams in the league and we will obviously be on our guard,” said Wimbledon Director of Hockey Ben Marsden.

“As champions we’re the team to beat, and everyone will want to knock us off our perch, but we’ve got to handle that pressure. We’re not reading too much into the performance at Brooklands – we were poor for 15 minutes in the first half, but other than that we did well.

“We were without three of our internationals for that match, but they’re all back for the Holcombe match, and we’re capable of winning any game.”

After hammering seven unanswered goals past East Grinstead last weekend, Surbiton will be aiming to keep their superb start going with a win at Brooklands Manchester University on Sunday.

At the same time, East Grinstead will want to bounce back as they host Beeston, who were beaten by one goal at Cannock, while Cannock head to Hampstead and Westminster this weekend.

In other top flight action, Canterbury are at home against Reading.

The University of Birmingham beat rivals the University of Exeter in their opening match in the Men’s Conference West last weekend. This Sunday they are at home again with Chichester Priory Park providing the opposition.

Meanwhile, early leaders Cheltenham take their turn at hosting the University of Exeter on Saturday afternoon.

In the Men’s Conference North, Loughborough Students will be aiming to keep another clean sheet when they head to Lichfield, while Deeside Ramblers travel to Lancashire to play Preston.

And on Saturday evening Conference East leaders Richmond - who put six past Teddington last weekend - face a Southgate side who also scored six, beating West Herts 6-2 last Sunday.

Men’s Hockey League (Saturday, September 19 2015)

Conference West
Cheltenham v Univ of Exeter 12:30

Conference North
Doncaster v Bowdon 14:00

Conference East
Harleston Magpies v West Herts 14:00
Oxted v Sevenoaks 17:00
Richmond v Southgate 18:00

Men’s Hockey League (Sunday, September 20 2015)

Premier Division
Canterbury v Reading 12:45
Brooklands Manchester Univ v Surbiton 14:00
East Grinstead v Beeston 14:00
Wimbledon v Holcombe 14:00
Hampstead & Westminster v Cannock 14:00

Conference West
Indian Gymkhana v Fareham 14:00
Isca v Guildford 12:30
Univ of Birmingham v Chichester Priory Park 12:30
Team Bath Buccaneers v Cardiff & Met 13:00

Conference North
Lichfield v Loughborough Students 13:30
Sheffield Hallam v Wakefield 13:30
Univ of Durham v Olton and West Warwicks 14:00
Preston v Deeside Ramblers 14:00

Conference East
Teddington v Cambridge City 12:30
Bromley and Beckenham v Brighton and Hove 13:00

England Hockey Board Media release



Reading challenge for University of Birmingham


University of Birmingham celebrate a goal against Leicester on the opening day of the season. Credit: Andy Smith.

AFTER putting three past Leicester on the opening day of the season, the University of Birmingham are on the road against Reading in the Investec Women’s Hockey League Premier Division on Saturday.

The two sides battled to the end in search of a place in the top four last season, with Reading making it to Finals Weekend by just one point.

“Going to Reading is always tough,” said University of Birmingham Head Coach Phil Gooderham. “They play some good hockey and I like to think we do too, and it’s always a good quick open game.

“We’ve had quite a few players come and go, but I think we’ve got some good experience here now, so I would like to think we are capable of getting a result. We won at their place last year but lost at home, so we’re looking to tighten up when they come to us.”1

In other Premier Division action Leicester take on Holcombe. With both sides unable to get on the scoresheet last weekend, they will be looking to kick-start their seasons on Saturday.

The team that Holcombe drew with last weekend, Canterbury are on the road again, this time visiting a Clifton outfit who beat Bowdon Hightown 2-1 on Saturday.

Bowdon Hightown face a battle if they are to claim their first points of the season, as they entertain champions Surbiton. But with newcomers East Grinstead having held them to a draw last week, anything is possible.

Finally, East Grinstead go to Buckingham with both sides hoping to claim their first victories of the season.

In the Investec Conference East, the top two in the early table face off with leaders St Albans playing host to Slough. And following their 4-3 win at Maidenhead last weekend, Hampstead and Westminster play Harleston Magpies, while Cambridge City entertain Sevenoaks hoping to make it two wins out of two.

Following victories on the opening day of the season, Loughborough Students and Liverpool Sefton face each other in the Investec Conference North, while the only other side to win their opening match, Wakefield head to Beeston.

Early leaders Gloucester – who put five past the University of Bristol last weekend – will want to keep their great start to the season going in the Investec Conference West. They head to Stourport, who also won their opening league fixture last weekend.

Investec Women’s Hockey League (Saturday, September 19 2015)

Investec Premier Division
Clifton v Canterbury 13:00
Buckingham v East Grinstead 12:00
Reading v Univ of Birmingham 13:30
Bowdon Hightown v Surbiton 13:45
Leicester v Holcombe 14:00

Investec Conference East
Chelmsford v Ipswich 12:00
Cambridge City v Sevenoaks 12:30
Slough v St Albans 13:00
Hampstead and Westminster v Harleston Magpies 13:30
Wimbledon v Maidenhead 14:00

Investec Conference North
Loughborough Students v Liverpool Sefton 12:30
Brooklands Poynton v Springfields 11:45
Univ of Durham v Belper 12:00
Beeston v Wakefield 12:00
Ben Rhydding v Whitley Bay and Tynemouth 13:30

Investec Conference West
Oxford Hawks v Isca 12:00
Trojans v Olton and West Warwicks 12:00
Swansea City v Univ of Bristol 12:00
Sutton Coldfield v Bristol Firebrands 14:00
Stourport v Gloucester City 18:00

England Hockey Board Media release



Scottish National One Preview - week 2

Top flight hockey is cyclic in nature, there is simply no doubt about that. How long your cycle of success lasts can be a matter of moments, weeks, months or even years. The start to the season has been the most interesting in recent memory for both leagues with a combination of dropped points, controversial decisions and coaches beginning to feel ever so slightly hot under the collar as their teams suffered unexpected reverses and dropped levels of performance.  In the womens top flight Edinburgh University swept GHK aside and will hope their cycle of success lasts for a long time to come, reigning champions on the men’s side, Grange, also won but in far less emphatic style.

The top game in the men’s side this week involves the ‘Stags’ fresh from grinding out their 2-1 win against Dundee Wanderers last week. Coach Colin Clark will have been disappointed with a number of individual performances in his side in their opening fixture in the capital and be looking for a much improved performance against a Clydesdale side who have made wholesale changes compared to last season. It is early on in the season but Clarke will have been as delighted with his own clubs ability to take three points from their opening fixture as much as the inability of their main rivals, Western and Kelburne, to do so.

Graham Dunlop was able to dust his first fixture in charge of Clydesdale with his usual panache and conjured up a 3-0 win against top flight debutants, Uddingston. The game against Grange represents a much tougher assignment for the Georgi Kinkladze of Clydesdale as he continues to try to develop youth players at the Southside club. Experience, however, is the one quality that a coach cannot provide and it is a quality that the Grange chaps have in abundance, this should be a straightforward assignment for the current Scottish Champions provided they not take matters- and the opposition - lightly.

The game in focus on the ladies fixture card is Western Wildcats v Dundee Wanderers. Wildcats are completing their ‘double header’ of Dundee teams in the opening fortnight having bravely held on against a Dundonian onslaught from Grove last weekend.

A narrow 2-1 loss was down in part to Jayne McLaughlin in the Wildcat’s goal who performed admirably under intense pressure from the home side. Grove were gifted a string of corners; won roughly every 6 minutes throughout the game against the Cats. Defensive strategies will need to be improved significantly if the Cats are to emerge with something from the game against Wanderers which throws together two teams who have been evenly balanced in recent years – the same fixture last season was a 2-2 draw.

Wanderers, themselves are on a high after beating Clydesdale Western last week and will be brimming with confidence for this one. The usual architecture of Vicky Bunce in midfield will look to create chances for a forward line looking to exploit half chances and snatch those corner opportunities. Jessica Ross will be looking to add to her well taken goal last week too, but do Wanderers have the focal point in attack that their counter attacks crave?

The most interesting battle, however, is likely to be in the midfield where Kareena Marshall will look to impress her skillset upon fellow international Becky Ward. This will be a close game with chances likely to be at a premium providing Wildcats are slightly more nimble on their feet in the D.

Scottish Hockey Union media release



Weekend College Games

USA Field Hockey highlights some of the top college games in Division I, II and III each week.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18

DI: Bucknell vs No. 14 Delaware
Heading into Friday, the Bucknell versus Delaware match-up should be action-packed. During the past weekend, Bucknell beat Cal, who took down Penn State during the same weekend. Bucknell will be in for a tough fought game, playing one of five schools in Division I field hockey who still remains undefeated. Delaware has not be shy in taking down top opponents like Michigan State, Temple and Princeton. Will Delaware hold onto their undefeated season for another weekend? Watch the game to find out.

DII: Limestone vs Newberry
The battle of South Carolina will be between two fairly new Division II programs. Limestone has quickly become a Division II Field Hockey powerhouse during the past six seasons. Newberry, in their third year has seen improvements to their team. Heading into the weekend, will Newberry get their first in-state win or will Limestone maintain keep the throne?

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19

DI: Georgetown vs Lock Haven
Lock Haven makes the list of five schools that still maintains an undefeated season going into the third weekend of Division I Field Hockey. Lock Haven will first have to get a win against Richmond, a conference opponent before heading into Saturday’s game. The Hoyas head into the game building momentum on three back-to-back wins. Watch the games this weekend to see if Lock Haven could be a contender for the A-10 Championship.

DII: No. 10 Franklin Pierce vs Assumption
Franklin Pierce has started out their season on a strong note. So far they have only fallen to Saint Anslem by one goal. The match-up will be Assumption’s fourth game of the season. Will the game help prepare Assumption for the rest of the fall or will Franklin Pierce continue to climb in the rankings?

DIII: Kean vs RPI
Although neither team is listed in the rankings, this is a game that could be a predictor for the rest of the season. Kean is one of the many Division III Schools that has an undefeated season. The impressive part is that Kean has played two more games than any other DIII School who is undefeated. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
(RPI) has also started their season off strong. They haveonly fallen to Hamilton, losing by one goal. Will we see Kean maintain their undefeated season or will RPI snap their streak?

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20

DI: Ohio vs Ohio State
Last weekend we saw the battle of Boston between Boston College and Boston University. This weekend, we have the battle of Ohio. Ohio University enters the game with the confidence of a win against Appalachain State and a .500 record. Before the game on Sunday, Ohio State will face off against Michigan State, leaving them with either the momentum of two back-to-back wins or a snap to their winning streak. Either way, the victor definitely will have bragging rights for the season.

DII: Slippery Rock vs Lindenwood
Lindenwood hasn’t made it onto the rankings after falling to West Chester but the team should not be discounted for the season. Over the past weekend, Lindenwood beat Limestone at home. This game could be the turning point for their season. Both teams will head into the game having faced tough opponents. Either team could be a contender for the win.

DIII: Randolph-Macon vs Bryn Mawr
Randolph-Macon will head into the game having played eight games so far this season while Bryn Mawr has only played three. Bryn Mawr is one of the few all women’s schools who compete in Division III Field Hockey. The game will certainly be a great one to watch.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22

DIII: Kean State vs No. 19 Trinity
Kean State will head into the game against Trinity having faced two New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) colleges. So far, Kean State has only fallen to Williams and the University of New England. Trinity will face three teams the week leading up to the Kean State game. Both teams had a similar result against Williams. The game should be a close one. Will it be one of the few games to go into a shoot-out this season?

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23

DI: Ohio State vs Miami of Ohio
The battle of Ohio continues on Wednesday with Ohio State and Miami of Ohio. Miami of Ohio will head into the game having played four top 10 teams. So far, Miami has only missed maintaining an undefeated record by inches. In week one, Miami took No. 6 Stanford into overtime. While in week two, Miami lost to No. 6 Virginia 0-1. Will Miami come out on top against their in-state opponents or Ohio State rule the roost?

DII: No. 1 West Chester vs No. 3 Millersville
The match-up between West Chester and Millersville will be one of the top match-ups for Division II Field Hockey all season. Both teams are currently undefeated. Millersville is the defending National Champions and have U.S. Women’s National Team Member Katie O’Donnell as their volunteer assistant. West Chester has the experience of two back-to-back National Championships ('11,'12). Either team could come away with the win and another National Title at the end of the year.

DIII: Johns Hopkins vs Salisbury
Johns Hopkins has started off their season well. However, Salisbury started their season off a little better by maintaining an undefeated season. Salisbury was able to maintain their undefeated season against No. 20 Messiah College. Will Salisbury continue their undefeated season through the weekend?

USFHA media release

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