News for 27 September 2015
All the news for Sunday 27 September 2015
QLD, WA men reach top four
NSW Waratahs, Tassie Tigers, Victorian Vikings & Canberra Lakers face make-or-break
The Queensland Blades and WA Thundersticks earned their places in the final four – Pool C – with victories over NSW Waratahs and SA Hotshots respectively on day two of the men’s Australian Hockey League.
The Waratahs’ 3-4 defeat at the hands of the Blades and Tassie Tigers’ 4-1 win over the Lakers sets up a mouthwatering winner-takes-all clash on Monday between New South Wales and Tasmania.
It’s still all to play for in Pool B behind the WA Thundersticks. The Victorian Vikings and RAMS Home Loans Canberra Lakers will go head-to-head on Monday; a win for Victoria will send them through but a Lakers win will almost certainly send them through behind WA. There remains, however, a slim mathematical possibility that both could miss out on Pool C if the SRA Territory Stingers pull off a surprise win over WA and Canberra beat the Vikings.
Despite Jarrod Lockley’s equalizer of Josh Pollard’s early opener, the Stingers could not contain the rampaging Vikings for whom Jayshaan Randhawa, Chris Ciriello, Kiran Arunasalam, Aaron Kleinschmidt and Josh Simmonds all scored in a 6-1 win.
The Thundersticks were grateful for a Tom Wickham double and Tim Bates’ late strike to seal victory over ACT’s Lakers and with it a guaranteed top four place following their day one win over Victoria. Bates and Wickham lead the scoring charts at the end of day two with three each, tied with NSW’s Blake Govers.
Kurt Mackey’s double was at the heart of the Tassie Tigers’ win earlier in the day, bolstered on either side by goals from Angus Bolton and James Dick before Cameron Joyce’s late consolation for SA.
Also in Pool A, in the much anticipated clash between NSW and QLD, it was end to end stuff with the Waratahs coming from two goals down to level things at three-apiece before Cale Cramer’s late winner. Adam Imer and Matt Gohdes had given the Blades a two goal cushion, a lead that was momentarily halved by Nick Hill before Jamie Dwyer re-established it. Goals from Tom Craig and Simon Orchard gave the Blades a scare before Cramer’s late winner sent Queensland through with a game to spare.
Men's Australian Hockey League
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Darwin
Day 2 Results
Tassie Tigers 4-1 SA Suns
Queensland Blades 4-3 NSW Waratahs
WA Thundersticks 3-0 RAMS Home Loans Canberra Lakers
Victorian Vikings 6-1 SRA Territory Stingers
Pool A
1. Queensland Blades (6 points)
2. NSW Waratahs (3 points)
3. Tassie Tigers (3 points)
4. SA Suns (0 points)
Pool B
1. WA Thundersticks (6 points)
2. Victorian Vikings (3 points)
3. RAMS Home Loans Canberra Lakers (1 point)
4. SRA Territory Stingers (1 point)
On social media, use #AHLMen
Don't forget, you can watch every match from the 2015 AHL live online here.
Upcoming Fixtures - Men, Saturday 26 September
Tassie Tigers v SA Hotshots
Queensland Blades v NSW Waratahs
WA Thundersticks v RAMS Home Loans Canberra Lakers
Victorian Vikings v SRA Territory Stingers
Hockey Australia media release
Raining goals on day two
Convincing wins from QLD & NSW on women’s AHL day two
2014 runners-up the Queensland Scorchers continued their winning-streak with a crushing 9-0 win over the NT Pearls on day two of the women’s Australian Hockey League (AHL) powered by Premier Technology Solutions.
Queensland forward and national development squad member Murphy Allendorf’s hat-trick coupled with strikes from Jill Dwyer, a double from Jodie Kenny, siblings Savannah and Madison Fitzpatrick and Renee Taylor helped the Queensland Scorchers hold their position at the top of the standings in Pool B.
In the Victorian Vipers' clash against the SA Suns, experienced forwards Emily Hurtz and Georgia Nanscawen’s two goals, ten minutes apart, helped settle their 2-0 victory.
The results mean that the Scorchers and Vipers are guaranteed their places in Pool C to play for positions one to four later in the competition with neither the Pearls or Suns able to make up the deficit in their final Pool B clashes.
In Pool A and under the watchful eye of new head coach Katrina Powell, the NSW Arrows were on target with a 7-0 win over the Tassie Van Demons. A double from captain Emily Smith and strikes from Greta Hayes, Mariah Williams, Cara Simpson, Grace Stewart and Lily Brazel made up the NSW Arrows’ firepower for the day.
Battling it out in the final match of the day, the Canberra Labor Club Strikers overcame the WA Diamonds 2-1 after Laura Gray and Catriona Bailey-Price netted two late goals in the fourth quarter. Hockeyroos forward Kathryn Slattery also hit target for the WA Diamonds earlier in the match.
Women's AHL, powered by Premier Technology Solutions
Day 2
Sydney, NSW
Results
Queensland Scorchers 9-0 NT Pearls
SA Suns 0-2 Victorian Vipers
NSW Arrows 7-0 Tassie Van Demons
WA Diamonds 1-2 Canberra Labor Club Strikers
Pool A
NSW Arrows (6 points)
WA Diamonds (3 points)
Canberra Labor Club Strikers (3 points)
Tassie Van Demons (0 points)
Pool B
Queensland Scorchers (6 points)
Victorian Vipers (6 points)
SA Suns (0 points)
NT Pearls (0 points)
Upcoming Fixtures - Women, Monday 28 September
Canberra Labor Club Strikers v Tassie Van Demons
NSW Arrows v WA Diamonds
SA Suns v NT Pearls
Queensland Scorchers v Victorian Vipers
>>Watch day three live from Sydney
Hockey Australia media release
Holcombe and Surbiton tie after wins
Sam Ward battles to find a way through the Australia defence. Credit Ravi Ghowry GB Hockey
Holcombe moved level with Surbiton at the top of the Men’s Hockey League Premier Division following their 4-1 win over Cannock on Saturday evening.
The pair now have identical records, with Surbiton battling to a 3-2 win at Beeston at the same time as Holcombe’s victory.
Sam Ward struck twice for Holcombe to put them 2-1 ahead at half time, and Nick Catlin and Ashley Jackson added second half strikes to secure the win.
Meanwhile, Alan Forsyth scored twice for Surbiton, with Andy Hayward scoring the other.
Mark Gleghorne and Chris Proctor scored second half goals for the hosts, but it wasn’t quite enough.
Meanwhile, champions Wimbledon secured their first win of the season, beating East Grinstead 3-2 in a repeat of their Finals Weekend victory.
Phil Roper scored twice and Caspar Phijffer added a third just before half time. Simon Faulkner and Adam Seccull scored for the visitors.
Neil Hamilton scored in each half as Hampstead and Westminster won 2-1 at Canterbury, while Ali Parkes also bagged a brace to help Reading to a 3-1 win over Brooklands Manchester University.
Men’s Conference West
Luke Hawker scored the winner as Cardiff and Met came from behind to claim a 2-1 win at home to the University of Birmingham in the Conference West on Saturday.
Jimmy Devney’s goal cancelled out Jack Clee’s first half strike to help send Cardiff to the top of the table.
Chichester Priory Park registered their first win of the season, 5-1 against Cheltenham thanks to two goals from Tom McCarthy.
Two goals from Tejinder Hanspal helped India Gymkhana to a 4-2 win away at Guildford, whilst Team Bath Buccaneers won 3-1 at Fareham and the University of Exeter beat Isca 3-1.
Men’s Conference North
Ed Horler scored four times and Luke Taylor three as leaders Loughborough Students beat Sheffield Hallam 7-1 in the Conference North.
Bowdon Hightown won 5-2 at home against Wakefield with Ben White and Liam Kennerley both scoring two, while Doncaster were 2-1 winners at Preston.
Olton and West Warwickshire also won away from home, with Tom Mallett, Alex Czerniewski and Edwin Waters scoring in their 3-2 win over hosts Lichfield.
Men’s Conference East
Sevenoaks put five past Harleston Magpies to move to the top of the Conference East on Saturday.
Richard Turner, George Torry, Michael Shelton and Andrew Ross were all on target in the first half for Sevenoaks before Mike Barber added a late goal to cap a 5-2 win.
Teddington blew an early lead at home to West Herts to go down to a 3-2 defeat, Dan Webster, Andy Seiman and Terry Kynaston with the visitors’ goals.
Brighton and Hove were held 1-1 at home by Southgate and Oxted were 3-2 winners in a tight match at home to Cambridge City.
Men’s Hockey League (Saturday, September 26 2015):
Premier Division: Beeston 2, Surbiton 3; Canterbury 1, Hampstead and Westminster 2; Holcombe 4, Cannock 1; Reading 3, Brooklands MU 1; Wimbledon 3, East Grinstead 2.
Conference West: Cardiff & Met 2, University of Birmingham 1; Chichester Priory Park 5, Cheltenham 1; Fareham 1, Team Bath Buccaneers 3; Guildford 2, Indian Gymkhana 4; University of Exeter 3, Isca 1.
Conference North: Bowdon 5, Wakefield 2; Lichfield 2, Olton & West Warwicks 3; Loughborough Students 7, Sheffield Hallam 1; Preston 1, Doncaster 2.
Conference East: Brighton and Hove 1, Southgate 1; Harleston Magpies 2, Sevenoaks 5; Oxted 3, Cambridge City 2; Teddington 2, West Herts 3.
England Hockey Board Media release
Leaders survive early scare
University of Birmingham women’s hockey team. Credit: Andy Smith.
The University of Birmingham survived an early scare to defeat Bowdon Hightown 5-1 at home and stay top of the Investec Women’s League Premier Division on Saturday.
Natalie Wray scored early for Bowdon before Rebecca Condie hauled the home side level before the break, but a second half onslaught from the students resulted in goals from Emily Defroand, Hannah Martin, Holly Hunt and Lily Owsley to put Birmingham two points clear at the top.
Canterbury are still second after a convincing 5-0 win over bottom club Reading. Anna Kolarova led the scoring with a brace. Jen Wilson, Kirsten Greaves and Susannah Townsend also found the target.
East Grinstead remain third after a 4-0 win at home to Leicester, thanks to goals from Laura Unsworth, Maude Van Der Kamp, Lucy Bairner and Pippa Chapman.
The result leaves the hosts two points behind the leaders whilst Leicester’s second defeat of the season sees them fall to sixth.
Surbiton secured their first win of the season when they beat Buckingham 5-0 with two goals from Jo Hunter and others from Jenna Woolven, Sara Page and Charlotte Calnan.
Elsewhere Clifton staged a remarkable late comeback to rescue a 2-2 draw at Holcombe after Emily Kirkham scored twice in the final three minutes.
The visitors had looked to be heading for defeat after Stef Elliot and Emily Maguire each scored for Holcombe before Kirkham’s late show rescued a point.
Investec Conference North
A late burst of goals saw Wakefield keep their 100 per cent start to the season and stay top of the Investec Conference North as they beat Springfields 4-0.
Heather Stafford broke the deadlock on 59 minutes before Emma Berry notched in the 67th minute. Georgia Byas added a third two minutes later and in the dying seconds, Berry scored her second.
Ben Rhydding enjoyed the biggest win of the day, beating Belper 6-1. Sophie Robinson hit a hat-trick in Beeston’s 5-1 away victory at Liverpool Sefton.
Loughborough Students remain second despite drawing 1-1 with Brooklands Poynton. A Laura Bevan double saw the University of Durham draw 2-2 with Whitley Bay and Tynemouth.
Investec Conference West
Sutton Coldfield remain top of the Investec Conference West with a superb 10-0 victory over the University of Bristol. Vicky Woolford and Susan Wood both hit hat-tricks.
Swansea City remain second after goals from Jo Westwood, Abi Welsford, Sophie Clayton and Natalie Blyth saw them beat Trojans 4-1.
Isca won a seven-goal thriller, beating Bristol Firebrands 4-3 and Stourport took a 3-0 win away to Olton and west Warwickshire. Gloucester City and Oxford Hawks drew 1-1.
Investec Conference East
It was first against second in the Investec Conference East as Slough met Cambridge City. Slough made sure they stayed at the top of the pile with a 3-0 win with Philipa Newton hitting a brace.
The result enabled Hampstead and Westminster to jump into second place as they beat Sevenoaks 4-2 with Emma Stocking, Fleur Horner, Amy Askew and Louise Radford all scoring.
Eleanor Watton scored four as her St Albans side battled to a 5-3 win over Maidenhead and Harleston Magpies beat Ipswich 2-1. Chelmsford hosted Wimbledon and the game ended 1-1.
Investec Women’s Hockey League (Saturday, September 26 2015):
Investec Women's Premier Division: Holcombe 2, Clifton 2; University of Birmingham 5, Bowdon Hightown 1; East Grinstead 4, Leicester 0; Surbiton 5, Buckingham 0; Canterbury 5, Reading 0.
Investec Women's Conference East: Chelmsford 1, Wimbledon 1; Slough 3, Cambridge City 0; St Albans 5, Maidenhead 3; Sevenoaks 2, Hampstead and Westminster 4; Ipswich 1, Harleston Magpies 2.
Investec Women's Conference North: Liverpool Sefton 1, Beeston 5; Whitley Bay and Tynemouth 2, University of Durham 2; Loughborough Students 1, Brooklands Poynton 1; Wakefield 4, Springfields 0; Ben Rhydding 6, Belper 1.
Investec Women's Conference West: Olton and West Warwicks 0, Stourport 3; Swansea City 4, Trojans 1; Gloucester City 1, Oxford Hawks 1; University of Bristol 0, Sutton Coldfield 10; Isca 4, Bristol Firebrands 3.
England Hockey Board Media release
Telkom tackle Falcons as Sliders face varsity side
By Elizabeth Mburugu
Orange Telkom will tackle Daystar University Falcons today at the City Park Stadium in one of the 11 Kenya Hockey Union league matches lined up for this weekend.
The reigning champions Orange will be seeking victory in their quest to retain the title they have held on to for 17 seasons.
Despite the students not posing a threat to Orange’s title ambitions, the African queens seek to make the best out of the tie as skipper Betsy Ommala affirms.
“This match is important to us as any other because it is not just about the national title, but also a successful defence of the continental trophy as we are using these matches to prepare for the tough Africa battle.”
Orange are top on the league standings while the Falcons are second last on the table. In another women’s league encounter, second-placed Sliders will play bottom-placed Mount Kenya University while last year’s first runners-up Strathmore University will square it out with United States International University of Africa in the women’s university derby tomorrow.
Men’s premier league 2013 champions Police are out to extend their lead with five points when they lock horns with 2009 and 2010 champions Strathmore University Gladiators tomorrow.
Police are at the summit with 33 points, two above defending champions Butali Sugar Warriors.
In Kakamega, Western Jaguars are lying in wait to pounce on 2012 champions Nairobi Sikh (Simba) in a battle of the cats. Greensharks, who came from behind last weekend to secure a 3-3 draw with Wazalendo, will face USIU-A in another men’s tie.
The battle for premier league promotion will see Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology travel to Kisumu where they will play Kisumu Youngsters today then tackle Bay club tomorrow.
Multimedia University will face off with Dedan Kimathi University today and play Technical University tomorrow.
The Standard Online
Aiming to make our attack stronger: SK Uthappa
NEW DELHI: The Indian hockey team would aim to become a stronger attacking unit during the upcoming away Test series against New Zealand as it prepares for the Hockey World League in November-December, mid-fielder SK Uthappa has asserted.
Aiming to do well in the tournament, which is scheduled from October 2 to 11, Uthappa said the team would look to showcase the dexterity gained from the ongoing preparatory camp.
The New Zealand tour will be in preparation for the Hero Hockey World League Raipur scheduled from November 27 to December 6 in Raipur, followed by the all important Rio Olympics next year.
Well aware of the fact that mid-fielders have played an active role in scoring goals, Uthappa emphasised on ball possession to craft well-connected passes.
Speaking ahead of the Tour, Uthappa said, "The team has been trying to give their best so far and the New Zealand tour will help us to polish our skills for the most important 2016 Rio Olympics. We aim to capitalise more goal scoring opportunities and make our attack even stronger in the tour ahead.
"We will look to carry out our game strategies in high detail and structure as we expect an intense clash. The coach is working on different combinations so that we are aware what works best for us before the all important tournaments ahead. With Manpreet and Dharamvir back in the squad it automatically adds huge boost to the line-up."
India and New Zealand A will be playing their first match on 2nd October 2015 in Auckland.
The Times of India