News for 05 February 2016
All the news for Friday 5 February 2016
More cards than goals, even as Uttar Pradesh Wizards get full points against Punjab Warriors
K Arumugam
A displeasing contest where more cards were scored than goals -- three yellow and three green-- ended with the visiting Uttar Pradesh Wizards earning full points against the hosts Jaypee Punjab Warriors at a 3-0 scoreline.
Its second straight win for the Wizards.
The Hockey India League was conceived to thrill audience, both on the stands and those glued to TV screens, even rules were tweaked to generate not just goals but a pleasing variety of field goals, but at Chandigarh today, the sparse crowd were not given any goal treat or rout but a boring ball possession game.
Instead, what they saw was yellow cards for Simon Orchard, Tobias Hauke and Nicholas Spooner while three others, Nithin Thimmaih, Jasjeet Kular and Jake Whetton have got green each.
Flurry of cards is an indicator how the game was full of so brusque and rough, eyesore for most part.
After a barren first half, Akashdeep Singh deflected deftly a cross to post a field goal, and then the visitors also converted a penalty corner to expand the lead to 3-0.
Despite close misses and sloppy game, expect great goalkeeping by PR Sreejesh, there was nothing to say about the quality of the game.
At the very start, Ramandeep Singh of UPW muffed up a open choice. He dived to connect a loose ball after chasing goalie fell, but on the move Mark Knowles just put the stick to deflect the flight of the ball. In the next quarter and in the fourth, again Ramandeep Singh muffed with such sitters.
The third quarter began on a similar note with both the teams playing a lot in the midfield. Uttar Pradesh Wizards however tried pressing hard through some classy passes but the hosts displayed their skills time and again to deny the visitors any opportunities to score. However the visitor's perseverance to attack in the Punjab circle finally saw result. Mazzili and Jamie Dwyer combined so well to get the ball into D, and sent a cross into D, which Akashdeep Singh deflected for the long awaited goal.
The fourth quarter began with hosts, Jaypee Punjab Warriors desperately trying to find their feet back in the game, but the Uttar Pradesh Wizards seemed in no mood to give any chances to them.
Wizards continued their attack and their efforts saw results in the final minute of the game when Gonzalo Peillat made no mistakes in converting a penalty corner.
The Coal India Goal of the Match award of INR 50,000 was given to Akashdeep Singh (UPW) while his team mate Ramandeep Singh walked away with the Most Entertaining Player trophy. SV Sunil (JPW)won the Man of the Match award of INR 50,000. Armaan Qureshi (JPW) won the INR 25,000 Hero Emerging Player of the Match award.
Tomorrow, Kalinga Lancers and Delhi Waveriders will meet at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium, Bhubaneshwar.
Stick2Hockey.com
Wizards too good for Punjab Warriors
Indervir Grewal
Punjab Warriors (blue) and Uttar Pradesh Wizards players in action during their match in Chandigarh on Thursday. Uttar Pradesh Wizards won 2-0. Tribune photo: Vicky Gharu
Chandigarh: Punjab Warriors had a "lazy" day in office as they missed their chances and conceded soft goals to go down 3-0 against Uttar Pradesh Wizards here today.
It was a frustrating result for the hosts and their supporters as they watched at least half-a-dozen deflections go past the Wizards' post, while Akashdeep Singh deflected in a Tobias Hauke cross at the end of the third quarter and Argentine Gonzalo Peillat converted a penalty corner in the dying seconds of the match.
It was an erratic performance from Punjab - especially in the last two quarters - with the team dropping from an electric to a pedestrian pace constantly. They created good chances from quick moves but then suddenly slowed down, struggling in attack and allowing the Wizards to dominate. And they wasted four penalty corners. Sardar Singh, embroiled in the rape controversy, played the whole match, but had very little impact. In fact, one of his lazy passes in the opposition's third led to a dangerous counter-attack, and it was the quick-thinking of their goalkeeper Tristan Clemons that got them out of trouble.
"It was a lazy performance, more in the body than mind," said Warriors' Mark Knowles. "We missed many chances, but even so, we didn't test (PR) Sreejesh enough. We didn't have enough shots on goal."
After two very exciting, but goalless, quarters, which saw the momentum shifting constantly, the Punjab team dropped in intensity. It didn't help that one of their star players, Australian Simon Orchard, was shown a five-minute yellow card at the start of the third quarter.
Even so, the hosts had just one real goal-scoring opportunity. Matt Gohdes stretched out desperately to meet a wild raised cross from the left. The deflection needed a reflexive save from Sreejesh as the crowd, considerably better in number than the previous matches, let out a collective sigh.
The visitors, meanwhile, controlled that quarter. After a few missed chances of their own, the Wizards went 2-0 up in the 44th minute. Varun Kumar was too slow to control a loose ball and Agustin Mazzilli stole it off him in the Punjab third. The Argentine drew in the defender and reverse-flicked it to Hauke at the right edge of the circle. The German fired in a cross and Akashdeep made no mistake.
Punjab started the fourth quarter positively, but they again missed two chances right at the beginning. But from then on the UP team defended well, seeing the match through. For the Wizards, it was their second consecutive win after a string of losses.
"We had a break of six days before these two matches. It gave us time to regroup. This is the important phase of the league so we want to keep the momentum going," said Wizards' VR Raghunath.
The Tribune
UP Wizards register 2nd win on trot, beat Punjab Warriors 3-0
With this win, the UP Wizards are now placed fifth in the points table with 17 points from six games.
Uttar Pradesh Wizards defeated Jaypee Punjab Warriors 3-0 to register their second consecutive win and get their campaign back on track in the fourth edition of the Hockey India League, in Chandigarh on Thursday.
After barren opening two quarters, striker Akashdeep Singh finally scored a fine field goal in the 44th minute to break the deadlock before Argentine Gonzalo Peillat (60th) converted a penalty corner in the final minute of the match to script the win for the visitors. It was a hard fought battle between the two sides in the opening two quarters with both sides creating scoring chances.
But it was the UP Wizards who finally capitalised on their chances in the 44th minute when Akashdeep scored with a fine finish after he was fed by Mezzli from a counter attack. The goal ensured a 2-0 lead for UP Wizards as according to new scoring rules introduced in HIL this year one field goal is counted as two.
Punjab Warriors had their chances which included four penalty corners, two of which came in the last quarter, but they lacked the firepower to convert the opportunities into goals. UP Wizards sealed the match in their favour in the final minute when Peillat found the back of the net with a fierce dragflick to disappoint the hosts, whose captain Sardar Singh has been embroiled in a off-field controversy after an Indian origin British hockey player has filed sexual harassment charges against the India skipper in a Ludhiana police station.
With this win, the UP Wizards are now placed fifth in the points table with 17 points from six games, while the Waveriders are placed a rung ahead with same points from as many games. UP Wizards will next host Dabang Mumbai at Lucknow on Saturday, while Punjab Warriors will travel to Bhubaneswar to face Kalinga Lancers on Sunday.
DNA
UP Wizards register 2nd win on trot, beat Punjab Warriors 3-0
CHANDIGARH: Uttar Pradesh Wizards defeated Jaypee Punjab Warriors 3-0 to register their second consecutive win and get their campaign back on track in the fourth edition of the Hockey India League on Thursday.
After barren opening two quarters, striker Akashdeep Singh finally scored a fine field goal in the 44th minute to break the deadlock before Argentine Gonzalo Peillat (60th) converted a penalty corner in the final minute of the match to script the win for the visitors.
It was a hard fought battle between the two sides in the opening two quarters with both sides creating scoring chances.
But it was the UP Wizards who finally capitalised on their chances in the 44th minute when Akashdeep scored with a fine finish after he was fed by Mezzli from a counter attack.
The goal ensured a 2-0 lead for UP Wizards as according to new scoring rules introduced in HIL this year one field goal is counted as two.
Punjab Warriors had their chances which included four penalty corners, two of which came in the last quarter, but they lacked the firepower to convert the opportunities into goals.
UP Wizards sealed the match in their favour in the final minute when Peillat found the back of the net with a fierce dragflick to disappoint the hosts, whose captain Sardar Singh has been embroiled in a off-field controversy after an Indian origin British hockey player has filed sexual harassment charges against the India skipper in a Ludhiana police station.
With this win, the UP Wizards are now placed fifth in the points table with 17 points from six games, while the Waveriders are placed a rung ahead with same points from as many games.
UP Wizards will next host Dabang Mumbai at Lucknow on Saturday, while Punjab Warriors will travel to Bhubaneswar to face Kalinga Lancers on Sunday.
The Times of India
Upbeat Lancers take on Waveriders
J. R. Shridharan
Kalinga Lancers, riding high on three away wins, has the edge when it begins its three-match home leg in the Coal India Hockey India League against Delhi Waveriders for first time in the tournament at the Kalinga Stadium here on Friday.
However, Lancers suffered a setback when Devendra Walmiki was declared unfit; he will be out of action for three weeks, effectively ruling him out of the rest of this year’s tournament, after injuring his shoulder in the match against Dabang Mumbai. In his place, Karnataka forward M.G. Poonacha will take the field.
Lancers, after five matches, is placed joint second with 17 points, along with Waveriders and Punjab Warriors, both of who have finished six matches.
Despite early loss to Uttar Pradesh Wizards in the inaugural tie, the Lancers regrouped admirably registering three wins, beating Uttar Pradesh Wizards 10-2 and Dabang Mumbai 4-2 and 6-4 in two games.
But the defeat against defending champion Ranchi Rays (2-3) will still rankle the team management.
Leading the home side will be the marauding Glenn Turner who is the tournament top scorer with 10 goals already. He will be supported by Adam Dixon, Lalit Upadhyay, Malak Singh and Stanli Minz in the attack.
There will be pressure on the defence too and a lot will be expected of drag-flicker Gurjinder Singh.
On the other hand, back-to-back losses to Uttar Pradesh Wizards and Punjab Warriors at home would have created a dent in the morale of Delhi Waveriders. A good number of penalty-corner fumbles by the drag-flicker Rupinder Paul Singh hampered the team’s progress against the Wizards.
Waveriders have to make an effort to fortify its defence too, and add more teeth and variety to its attack.
The Hindu
Schedule confirmed for Champions Trophy
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has confirmed the match schedule and six teams who will compete at the 2016 Women’s Champions Trophy in London from 19-27 June.
The Black Sticks Women will go up against the Netherlands, Argentina, Australia, Great Britain and USA as they battle it out to be crowned the best of the best as Champions Trophy winners.
The Kiwis get their campaign underway with a clash against world number one Netherlands on Sunday 19 June (NZ time), with a rematch of December’s World League Final against Argentina looming seven days later.
New Zealand, ranked fourth in the world, will take plenty of confidence from their runners up finish in Rosario in what was their best ever result at a major FIH event.
In the last edition of the Champions Trophy in December 2014, the Black Sticks finished fourth after being edged 2-1 by the Dutch in the bronze medal game.
Reigning Olympic and World Cup champs Netherlands will be looking to get back to winning ways after missing out on the title at last year’s Hockey World League Final and the EuroHockey Championships.
Defending champions Argentina, who recently leapfrogged Australia into second place in the world rankings, will be looking to win two events in succession.
Oceania champions Australia will be looking to go one better at this year’s event, as they finished runners up to Argentina’s ‘Las Leonas’ in the 2014 Champions Trophy held in Mendoza, Argentina.
Hosts Great Britain, ranked sixth in the world (based on England’s rankings), will be looking to build upon last year’s success when they won the Hockey World League Semi-Final in Valencia, Spain.
USA qualified for this year’s event through the Champions Challenge in Glasgow, Scotland back in April 2014.
This will be the last major international hockey competition before these teams meet again at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
CLICK HERE for the full match schedule
Hockey New Zealand Media release
Black Sticks to face Netherlands first at Champions Trophy
Charlotte Harrison opened the scoring for the Black Sticks.
New Zealand have drawn world No 1 the Netherlands in their opening game at the women's Champions Trophy hockey tournament in London in June.
Seven days later, the fourth-ranked Black Sticks will have a rematch of the World League final last December against defending champions Argentina.
In between, they have games against world No 3 Australia, No 6 Britain and the seventh-ranked United States.
The six-team tournament shapes as the ideal leadup to the Black Sticks' Rio Olympic campaign in August.
The tournament runs from June 19-27 (NZT).
The New Zealand Herald
Our journey has begun
Lily Owsley the FIH Rising Star celebrates scoring for Great Britain.
2016 is undoubtedly a huge year for every single one of the players in the Great Britain Central Programme. With only 16 places plus the two reserves available for the Rio Olympics competition is fierce for those coveted spaces on the plane to Rio.
The upcoming tournaments, test matches and training sessions all play their part in Danny Kerry’s final decision on who he will take to try and capture the most sought after medals in hockey. 2016 for many of these players is the most important year in their hockey careers.
Right about now, Great Britain’s squad are somewhere in the air on their way to take on Australia in a six-test series down under as they take another step on their journey towards the Olympic Games.
Kerry has taken 22 athletes with him to take on the Australians in their own back yard. Backed all the way by the team’s principal sponsor, Investec, this tour is part of Great Britain’s quest to cover all bases, leave no stone unturned and focus on every detail as they count down to the big kick off in Brazil. As this exclusive video from Investec shows, Danny Kerry’s side will leave it all out there on the pitch in their obsessive pursuit of the grand prize.
Their most immediate challenge is that of the Hockeyroos. Great Britain’s opponents in this series were runners up in the 2014 World Cup, are the current World No3 and the side with some of the biggest names in women’s hockey. There is no doubt Adam Commens’ team will pose a stiff test for Kate Richardson-Walsh and her team, but they will take on the opposition head on as they build towards the Olympics.
The six matches which will be streamed live online have an added element of spice in the wake of this week’s FIH announcement that the Hockeyroos will make their way over to London in the summer to compete in the star studded Women’s Hockey Champions Trophy. Joining the likes of Netherlands, Argentina, USA, New Zealand and of course the hosts, Great Britain, the Hockeyroos will be desperate to go one better than the last edition of the tournament where they had to settle for silver after losing out to Las Leonas in the final.
With all the top teams starting their own journey, their own race to Rio, Australia and Great Britain could use this series to lay down a marker for their rivals.
Our girls have started their journey and you can join them, every step of the way.
England Hockey Board Media release
India will seek to win back the hockey gold
Amitabha Das Sharma
SOMETHING TO PLAY FOR: Team India’s main rival in the hockey event will be defending champion and traditional rival Pakistan. Photo: K. Murali Kumar
India will look to reassert its ‘giant’ status in the 12th South Asian Games, which gets under way with the opening ceremony scheduled for Friday.
With the Games coming only a few months ahead of the biggest sporting spectacle on earth — the Olympics — some of country’s top athletes have given this event a miss.
Badminton star Saina Nehwal has opted out in the last moment, as has Dipika Pallikal from the squash event.
But there will be no shortage of entertainment as star shooter Gagan Narang, boxers M.C. Mary Kom and Shiva Thapa, and quarter-miler M.R. Poovamma have confirmed their participation.
India will be keen to wrest away the hockey gold from its traditional rival, Pakistan. While most of the regulars are busy with the on-going Hockey India League, coach B.J. Kariappa said the team here, under the captaincy of Mandeep Antil, has the right mix to challenge for gold.
India is grouped with Pakistan, which has won the gold in the previous two editions.
The Indian women’s team, which has qualified for the Olympics after 36 years, will also look for glory under the captaincy of Ritu Rani.
India, which won 90 golds in the 2010 edition in Dhaka, is expected to dominate in athletics, archery, badminton, boxing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, wrestling, weightlifting and cycling events.
The host will look to regain gold in squash and football where it had lost the top position to Pakistan and Bangladesh respectively in the last edition.
In squash, Saurav Ghosal, Harinderpal Singh Sandhu and Joshna Chinappa will be the players to beat.
In football, India announced its 28 probables of the men’s team barely four days ahead of the tournament and is yet to announce the final 20, with only two days to go for the start of the competition.
The women’s team will start its campaign in Shillong.
The Hindu
South Asian Games: Pakistan all geared up for mega event
PHOTO: AFP
KARACHI: Pakistan’s 436-member contingent is all set to take part in the 12th edition of the South Asian Games, scheduled to begin from Friday in the Indian cities of Guwahati and Shillong.
This year’s Games would consist of 23 disciplines and 228 events which would make them bigger than any of the previous editions, and would feature 2,500 athletes from eight nations — hosts India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives.
Pakistan would be participating in 21 of the 23 events — due to the ongoing tussle within the Pakistan Football Federation, Pakistan would not be participating in both the men’s and women’s football discipline — while they would be defending their hockey, handball and squash crowns.
This edition of the Games will especially be great for aspiring female athletes in the country as, for the first time, Pakistan would be participating in women’s boxing, kabaddi and weightlifting, while the women’s volleyball team would feature in the Games after almost two decades — they last featured in 1995 in Madras where they bagged bronze.
Pakistani athletes would be looking to improve on their last edition’s medal tally of 80 — 19 gold, 25 silver and 36 bronze — and hope to at least maintain their second position in the regional mega event.
However, given that they only have had just a month of training — they couldn’t train before as the Pakistan Olympic Association was embroiled in a power struggle — and with the rise of Sri Lankan athletes in various events, there is not much expectation riding on the athletes.
The Express Tribune
Pakistan, India in same pool at SA Games hockey
KARACHI: Defending champions Pakistan and runners-up India are placed in the same pool of the 12th South Asian Games hockey tournament which is being held at Moullana MD Tayabullah Hockey Stadium, Guwahati, from Sunday.
Pakistan retained the hockey gold defeating arch rivals and the host India 4-3 on penalty stroke shootout after being locked one-all in the regulation and extra time.
According to draws, four teams are competing in the men’s hockey event that will be played on the league cum knockout basis.
Other two nations competing in the event are Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Pakistan is drawn to meet Sri Lanka in the opening match on Sunday. The high voltage Pakistan-India clash will be played on Monday while the greenshirts takes on Bangladesh in their third match on Feb 10.
The third and fourth finishers at the end of league will play for the bronze medal while the top two will fight for gold. Both the matches will be played on Feb 12.
Meanwhile, three teams will fight for glory in the women’s hockey event.
The teams include India, Sri Lanka and Nepal.
Dawn
USWNT To Compete in their First Capped Series of 2016
CHULA VISTA, Calif. – The U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) are heading full force into 2016 with Olympic preparation, approaching their first international series of the year against Pan American rival, Canada. From the Home of Hockey at Spooky Nook Sports in Lancaster, Pa., the team will migrate to the West Coast of the United States to revisit their former training ground at the Chula Vista Olympic Training Center for the four-game contest. The series is free of cost to attend and will be held February 8 – 12. Compared to the varying winter conditions the eastern portion the country is accustomed to during this time frame, the warmer weather of California will provide a more comparable environment to Rio de Janeiro where the 2016 Olympic Games will be held.
"The time in California allows us to train uninterrupted as we get guaranteed fine weather," said Parnham. "We also know that reduced Vitamin D levels can have a significant impact on a number of physiological adaptation processes and can potentially limit long-term performance. Having performed an early season screening of athlete Vitamin D it was apparent that exposure to training outdoors at this time of year would be beneficial."
The previous time the two opponents met on the pitch was an intense match played on Canadian soil at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. With a 3-0 win over Canada in the Pan American Games Semifinals, confirmed Team USA's qualification to the Olympics. Canada currently holds a FIH World Ranking of 19th.
"The focus during this phase is to continue to develop the technical aspects that we have been looking at over the past weeks," said Parnham. "In addition the series of games will allow us to look closely at our team structure with the view to further developing our understanding."
Following the series, the USWNT will continue to train at the Olympic Training Center until the end of February.
Match Schedule:
Monday, February 8 at 2:00 p.m. PST
Tuesday, February 9 at 2:00 p.m. PST
Thursday, February 11 at 12:30 p.m. PST
Friday, February 12 at 12:30 p.m. PST
Team USA series roster:
Katie Bam (Blue Bell, Pa.), Marie Elena Bolles (Phoenixville, Pa.), Lauren Blazing (Durham, N.C.), Jackie Briggs (Robesonia, Pa.), Lauren Crandall (Doylestown, Pa.), Rachel Dawson (Berlin, N.J.), Katelyn Falgowski (Landenberg, Pa.), Stefanie Fee (Virginia Beach, Va.), Ali Froede (Burke, Va.), Melissa Gonzalez (Mohegan Lake, N.Y.), Michelle Kasold (Chapel Hill, N.C.) Kelsey Kolojejchick (Larksville, Pa.), Alyssa Manley (Litiz, Pa.), Ali McEvoy (Gilbertsville, Pa.), Julia Reinprecht(Perkasie, Pa.) Katherine Reinprecht (Perkasie, Pa.), Kat Sharkey (Moosic, Pa.), Loren Shealy (Charlotte, N.C.), Caitlin Van Sickle (Wilmington, Del.), Michelle Vittese (Cherry Hill, N.J.), Alesha Widdall (Whitney Point, N.Y.), Jill Witmer (Lancaster, Pa.) and Emily Wold (Freehold, N.J.)
*A rotating/flexible roster will be established for each game.
USFHA media release
Group of Canadian women bring off-season experience abroad to National Team
Shaheed Devji
It’s been a while since the Canadian women’s field hockey team played in a meaningful game.
After the Women’s National Team won bronze at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto last July – the first time the Canadian women medaled at the event since 1999 – the program de-centralized, with the fall and winter on the horizon.
But elsewhere around the world, hockey season was in full swing.
While National Team training continued in Vancouver for a small group throughout the fall, and others played for Canadian universities in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) competition, a handful of Canadian Women’s National Team athletes hopped on flights across the world to continue their competition season.
For the second straight year, defender Abigail Raye joined Royal Wellington, a top club that competes near Brussels, Belgium.
“I found when I came here last year, I think I improved a lot with building my confidence and my game sense,” says Raye.
“The level over here is also really good. Training with the team I’ve found it’s maybe a different style of hockey. It’s broadening my hockey knowledge.”
With the National Team in a non-competition period, the timing was right for Raye, who was joined in Belgium by midfielder Natalie Sourriseau and forward Brienne Stairs, both of whom competed for Victory, a team which plays south of Antwerp.
While in Belgium, the athletes kept up with their National Team prescribed training before returning to Canada in December for end-of-year camp.
“(Women’s National Team coach Ian Rutledge) has been super accommodating,” says Raye. “I’ve been super motivated to keep my fitness up.”
Earlier in the off-season, it was also a perfect time for defender Danielle Hennig and forward Hannah Haughn to head to New Zealand to compete in the National League tournament for Northland.
“Because we didn’t have any competition going on for Canada, it was a good opportunity to go get some high level games without missing out anything here,” says Hennig. “It was something I thought I’d jump at.”
“Most of the teams had 2-5 Blacksticks (New Zealand senior National Team members) within their team, and a lot of Under-21s and development players as well. Most of the teams were very strong all around and it was a pretty high level.”
Hennig and Haughn helped in sending Northland all the way to the final, before losing to powerhouse Auckland.
Overall, the experience for Hennig was a good one and allowed for a bit of variety during National Team downtime.
“It was just really fun to get to play with and against different players,” she says. “Playing in Vancouver there is a very small field hockey community. You very quickly get to know players very well. You know players’ strengths and tendencies and as a defender I can pick that out.”
“In New Zealand, like in international games, you have to read the play as it happens. It was a high level where I was challenged and couldn’t get away with developing bad habits.”
Having been back with the National Team since the beginning of January and with the first competition of 2016 on the horizon next week in San Diego, the women turn their focus once again to Canada and to what the last year both with Canada and abroad can do for the team’s future.
“I think Pan Ams was a huge benchmark for us,” says Raye. “Now we’ve proved that we can play with the best.”
The Canadians start the year with a four-game series against the seventh ranked United States beginning on Monday in San Diego, California. The last time the two teams met was in the 2015 Pan Am Games semifinal when the U.S. narrowly beat out the host Canadians 3-0 before going on to beat Argentina for the gold medal.
Field Hockey Canada media release
Christopher Rühr - Hockey Stars 2015 Men's Rising Star of the Year
After taking the FIH Rising Star of the Year Award for the second time, Germany’s wonder striker Christopher Rühr is brimming with enthusiasm for the year ahead. “This is the perfect way to start the Olympic year and gives me a lot of self confidence.”
The fact that Rühr is feeling ever more confident will be of little comfort to his rivals. In the 30 international matches he played in 2015, Ruhr scored 15 goals including six in the Hockey World League Semi-Final in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which Germany won, and a further three at the Hero Hockey World League Final in Raipur, India.
With his speed and power, the young German is one of the most devastating forwards currently playing on the international stage.
“I feel very honoured and proud to be the first player who has received this award twice! I could never have done this without all my amazing team mates and staff members of both my former club Alster Hamburg and my new club Rot-Weiss Köln as well as the German national team.
“I also am truly thankful to all the people who voted for me and believe in me! Also huge thanks and much love to my family for the strong family ties and the support all the way and especially in 2015."
FIH site
Hockey coach Arulselvaraj leaves national set-up
by S. Ramaguru
National Junior coach A. Arulselvaraj during a training session with the Porject 2016 hockey squad last year.
KUALA LUMPUR: Former Malaysian Juniors hockey coach A. Arulselvaraj has quit the national set-up.
Arulselvaraj coached the Project 2016 team, who failed to qualify for the Junior World Cup. He was then moved to the newly-formed development team as assistant to Wallace Tan.
The development team have yet to start training.
Arulselvaraj, who is one of the full-time coaches under the payroll of the National Sports Council (NSC), said he has decided to quit and will return to Ireland to be with his family.
His contract with the NSC was due to expire in August.
“I took some time off late last year and decided on this course of action. I have informed the NSC and the MHC (Malaysian Hockey Confederation) of my intentions. I would like to thank them for the chance to work with the national set-up,” he said.
“But it’s time for me to move on.”
Arulselvaraj was assistant national coach to South African Paul Revington from 2012 to 2014, when he was given the chance to handle the Project 2016 team.
He also took over as national coach for the 2014 Asian Games.
“I still have a contract with the Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) club ... I handle their development programme. I will continue doing it for a while before making a final decision on when to return to Ireland,” said Arulselvaraj, who had also worked with the national teams in South Africa and Ireland before returning to Malaysia.
MHC chief executive officer K. Logan Raj confirmed having received Arulselvaraj’s resignation letter.
“We have not made any decisions ... we’ll discuss the issue at a later date,” he said.
The Star of Malaysia
Malaysian hockey CEO takes Podium snub as challenge
by S. Ramaguru
National Sports Council director general, Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail speaking at the National Hockey Development Plan Workshop in Bukit Jalil last month. - KAMARUL ARIFFIN/ The STAR
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) have taken the Podium Programme snub as a challenge.
The MHC intend to fight and prove their worth so that they will eventually be included in the programme.
“We were hoping for the team to get a place in the programme. But, since we did not meet the criteria, we have had to accept it,” said MHC chief executive officer K. Logan Raj.
“The way we see it ... it’s a challenge for the team. We must look at the criteria and try as hard as we can to make it when they review the programme.”
The Podium Programme got under way officially on Tuesday with the launch by Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
A total of 97 athletes and 36 coaches from 21 sports have been selected for the programme which is targeted to win Malaysia’s first gold medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
It is also to ensure that the teams under the programme do well at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games in 2018.
Hockey’s failure to make the programme had more to do with the team’s failure at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. The team also failed to make the cut for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in August.
Logan said that the MHC would pursue the targets they’ve set and ensure that the blueprint launched earlier is fully implemented.
“We cannot always depend on the government to fund all our programmes. There is no change in what we want to do. Of course, getting into the Podium Programme will bring immense benefits and expert help at all levels,” said Logan.
“But it’s not the end. We have a plan which we have embarked on. We need to move on.
“As the Minister said, that the door is open to other sports to get into the programme so long as they meet the set criteria. We will strive towards it.”
The Star of Malaysia
Prescot Hockey Club gain 40 new members through Back to Hockey in 18 Months
Having lost a few players due to moving pitches in 2012, Prescot HC knew there were players who just needed a nudge to get them playing again. Back to Hockey gave them the perfect opportunity to contact former players and invite others who fancied trying their club.
David, the clubs Back to Hockey organiser, advised the aim for the sessions was all about enjoyment, followed by a drink and catch up. The clubs set about promoting the sessions by emailing their current and previous members asking them to spread the word, posting on social media and utilising an outdoor banner.
With a couple of first team players helping at the sessions, the club found a great mix of players turning up, from mum and dads who had never played before through to former players who wanted to have another go.
David told us the best outcome for the club was a new wave of older players, with 26 new men and around 14 ladies that have started to play regularly again in just 18 months. He continued;
‘It gives the players an opportunity to just enjoy the buzz of playing again at a level they choose. For those players who want it, we can now also tour, enter tournaments and play competitive games in the cup. We will continue to run Back to Hockey and hopefully gain more players.'
David’s advice for other clubs thinking of running Back to Hockey sessions;
‘Do it! It’s very easy to organise and you will find everyone at the sessions are just enjoying themselves and trying their best.’
England Hockey’s national Back to Hockey campaign is taking place from 9th May to 19th June 2016 and it promises to be bigger and better than ever!
England Hockey Board Media release
My social media accounts misused: Sardar Singh
Hindol Basu
CHANDIGARH: Indian hockey team captain Sardar Singh came out all guns blazing on Thursday and accused the UK-based girl, who has charged Sardar of sexual harassment, of misusing his social media accounts and posting concocted stories, without his permission.
"She had my email ids and all. My friends also used it before. She took my passwords from them and she used to tweet and retweet. I did not operate my Twitter account. She used to post on her own that we are getting married. At that time, I was playing in Spain and I told the coaches about this," the 29-year-old said here on Thursday.
"I will only say my focus is completely on hockey and please let me play. Whatever will happen in the future, I will update," a disturbed Sardar appealed to the media Sardar also made it clear that he was not involved in any romantic relationship with the girl and they were just "good friends". "We were good friends. There was no romantic relationship between us. I still respect women and I am hurt by the words she has used against me," Sardar said.
Sardar pointed out that he was not in touch with the girl for the last two years and hence the allegation regarding sexual harassment and getting her child aborted were baseless. "I know my limits. I play the game with honesty," Sardar pointed out.
The Times of India
Sardar claims sex accuser misused his social media accounts
CHANDIGARH: India's hockey captain Sardar Singh on Thursday threatened to sue the woman who has accused him of sexual harassment, saying she used his social media accounts to post her side of the story without his consent.
Saying that they were good friends but there was no "romantic relationship", the 29-year-old denied the allegations of a sexual harassment against him by the British woman hockey player of Indian origin. "Last time when I was playing in Spain, she had access to my emails as earlier my friends used to use these," a visibly-disturbed Sardar Singh told reporters here.
"Some tweets that were attributed to me were also misused. She had also announced through Twitter that we will get married soon. At that time we were playing in Spain," he said. "We met before London Olympics (in 2012) through Facebook and then we have not met. There was no romantic relationship. I agree that she went to my home. But there was no much talk between my parents and her parents."
Sardar Singh, an official with Haryana Police, said he was not in touch with the woman for two years and the allegation regarding rape and getting her child aborted were false. "When the (police) report comes, I will see what legal action is required," he added.
Punjab Police on Wednesday constituted a special investigation team to look into allegations of "sexual exploitation" levelled by the 21-year-old British national against Sardar Singh. The police have not registered any case against Sardar so far. Clarifying that he played safe in his relationship with the woman, he said: "She took my passwords (of my social media accounts) from my friends. She posted on her own that we are getting married. At that time (playing in Spain), I informed my coaches. My entire focus is on hockey. I will take legal action against her."
The woman had alleged that Sardar refused to marry her after exploiting her. She hails from Leeds and comes from a business family. She alleged that she was "mentally, physically and emotionally tortured".
The complainant is the first Sikh to play in Britain's Under-19 women's hockey team. Sardar's father Gurnam Singh told reporters in Haryana's Sirsa district on Wednesday that his son knew the woman but denied both were engaged. The woman alleged that Sardar got engaged to her in 2014 and she became pregnant last year as a result of their physical relationship. She said he forced her to abort and began avoiding her thereafter. The complainant said she met Sardar in 2012 after becoming friends through a social networking site. She claimed they began living together after their engagement.
In the past, Sardar had posted tweets and his photographs with the British woman. Sources close to Sardar defended him on Wednesday, saying that he had withdrawn from the relationship with the British hockey player after she started putting pressure on him to marry her and settle down in Britain.
They said that Sardar, who remains busy in India due to his commitments with the national team and HIL, did not want to settle in Britain. "She started black-mailing him through SMSes and phone calls to force him to settle in the UK," a close aide of Sardar said on Wednesday.
The Times of India
Never had ring ceremony, never forced her to abort, says Sardar Singh after woman alleges sexual assault
Sardar Singh (Getty Images)
A British woman, who claims to be the fiancee of Sardar Singh, has filed a police complaint alleging that she was harassed.
Under fire Indian hockey captain Sardar Singh on Thursday rubbished the allegations made by the British woman, who claimed that he, along with his brother, harassed her physically and mentally.
"We had met through Facebook during the London Olympics. The allegations she levelled and the words she used against me are inappropriate and false. I know my limits. I represent my country. I believe myself,? Singh told the media in Chandigarh.
"She had tweeted that very soon we are getting married. Right now, I can say my full focus is on hockey...so let me play. It is totally wrong that she was forced to abort," he added. The veteran midfielder further said reports of ring ceremony is also wrong and added that they were just good friends.
Indian hockey captain Sardar Singh
"No, there was no ring ceremony between us. She was just a good friend. The allegations are false," he said.
A British woman, who claims to be the fiancee of Sardar Singh, has filed a police complaint alleging that she was harassed. She alleged that Sardar forced her to abort the child after she got pregnant.
"I have been in a relationship with Sardar Singh for last four years. I have been engaged to him for last two years. After engagement, Sardar forced me to be in a physical relationship on the terms that we are going to get married," the complainant told ANI.
"Our relationship developed and within a year of 2015 he got me pregnant. After consulting with Sardar on this matter, he refused to speak to me and was adamant that I should abort the child right away," she added.
The complainant further said that after Sardar forced her to abort the child following which she returned to UK and consulted her family.
"I was left with no other option but to abort this child against my will. After this matter, Sardar abandoned me, he doesn't speak to me, has no contacts with me. He actually denied the fact that I am his fiancee when it is a world known matter," she said.
"After being physically and mentally harassed by Sardar Singh, as a woman it's not fair that I should take this abuse and not just by him but by his elder brother as well as him," she added. Sardar's family members had on Wednesday alleged the entire episode to be a conspiracy to malign his image and ruin his career.
DNA
We were just good friends: Sardar
Indervir Grewal with Gaurav Kanthwal
Sardar Singh addresses a press conference in Chandigarh on Thursday. Tribune photo: Parvesh Chauhan
Chandigarh: Sardar Singh has again refuted the allegations of sexual harassment made against him by an Indian-origin British hockey player. The woman also claims that she and Sardar were engaged to get married, but that the Indian captain reneged on this promise.
The woman, a former England U-19 hockey player, had on Tuesday filed a complaint in Ludhiana, alleging that Sardar had “mentally, physically and emotionally tortured” her. She claimed that she got pregnant with his child but Sardar persuaded her to undergo an abortion and later “abandoned” her.
But Sardar, in his first planned interaction with the media since the controversy broke out, categorically refuted all the charges. Not only did he deny ever being engaged to the woman, he went on to say that the two were “just good friends” and never a romantic couple.
‘Just good friends’
During the press briefing, Sardar repeatedly denied having sexually assaulted the woman or having forced her to have an abortion. “I have not seen the (police) report as yet. As soon as I get the report I will decide on my next action. All the allegations made by her are completely untrue,” Sardar said.
Sardar admitted knowing the woman from before the 2012 London Olympics. He also said that she had visited his home but the two were never engaged. “I met her before the 2012 London Olympics on Facebook. We were good friends, she used to visit during the tournaments too,” Sardar said. “I had informed all the coaches about it.”
He denied ever having a romantic relationship with the woman. Asked about all the evidence — photographs of the two, posts on twitter — on their social media accounts, Sardar accused the woman of misusing his accounts. “My email accounts used to be with my friends but last time when I was playing in Spain, she took all the passwords from my friends,” Sardar said. “She used to tweet from my account and then re-tweet it from her account. She had tweeted from my account that we’d be getting married soon. In the last two to three years, I haven’t been using my social media accounts.”
Sardar usually comes to the media interaction room at the Sector 42 hockey stadium to discuss the game. Today, however, it was a different scenario, but he said he is focussing on the HIL, and that he doesn’t wish to be distracted as he’s preparing hard for the Rio Olympics.
To drive in his point, right after the media interaction, Sardar went straight to the field. He practised for over 15 minutes in what was probably a show put up for the benefit of the mediapersons.
No branding
Till recently, Sardar had been the poster boy of Hockey India. But today, before he came out with his side of the story, Hockey India symbolically distanced itself from the controversy. Minutes before he was to address the media, the posters with HI branding and logos of sponsors behind the dais were covered with white and black sheets of cloth. It was unfortunate that Sardar entered the conference hall with a hockey stick — but he was flanked by lawyers on both sides.
The Tribune
Hockey India to file defamation cases against Kirti Azad
NEW DELHI: Livid with allegations of corruption levelled by Kirti Azad, Hockey India is planning to file civil and criminal defamation suits against the suspended BJP MP, saying that his sustained outbursts are costing HI sponsorship.
The suits are likely to be filed on Monday or Tuesday, a source in the HI told PTI.
"HI officials are peeved with Azad's continuous allegations against the body. It has tarnished our image and has also created a situation where HI is finding it difficult to get sponsors," the source said.
HI President Narinder Batra also confirmed that legal action is being taken to counter Azad, who has alleged that there is corruption in HI owing to the influence wielded by former Delhi and Districts Cricket Association President Arun Jaitley.
Azad has claimed that there is widespread financial mismanagement in HI, a charge that Batra has already rejected.
"HI is compiling all the documents relevant to the case and the legal action will be initiated by Monday or Tuesday," the HI source said.
The Times of India
Hockey shows its Pride
Hockey clubs and associations join the Victorian Pride march
Last weekend, representatives from Hockey Australia joined Hockey Victoria and Brunswick and Bayside hockey clubs in Melbourne for the annual Victorian Pride march.
It was all part of Hockey Victoria’s commitment to increasing awareness and celebrating sexual and gender diversity in hockey, and promoting safe, welcoming and inclusive hockey environments.
Ben Hartung, General Manager – Hockey, and James Liggins, Participation Coordinator, joined Hockey Victoria's Community Hockey Coordinatior Eliza Caldecott among the thousands that marched from Fitzroy Street to Catani Gardens in St Kilda in recognition and celebration of the diversity and community of Victoria’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, intersex and transgender people.
It is the sixth consecutive year that hockey has joined the march under the Fair go, sport! banner, an association that stretches back to 2011 when Hockey Victoria and Hockey Australia partnered with the Victorian Equal Opportunities and Human Rights Commission to launch the Fair go, sport! project.
For more information about Fair go, sport! visit the website here.
Hockey Australia media release