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News for 16 February 2016

All the news for Tuesday 16 February 2016


Ratcliffe to debut for Hockeyroos

Adam Commens makes seven changes for third test v GB



Young Victorian Madi Ratcliffe will make her senior international debut for the Hockeyroos against Great Britain on Tuesday night after coach Adam Commens made seven changes to the side that played the opening two matches of the series in Bunbury at the weekend.

The 18 year-old from Warrnambool will come into Australia’s line-up with a number of players unavailable due to fitness concerns.

Confirming his teams for match three on Tuesday and the fourth test on Thursday, Commens said, “Madi's getting her chance with a few players nursing knocks. She put in some great performances as part of our Junior World Cup qualifying group in the Gold Coast recently and has trained well. Madi is a bit of a goal sneak with some good skills.”

Speaking about the first two encounters with Great Britain, Commens added, “We’ve had two tight contests in the opening two matches, which is exactly what we need at this time.”

The other athletes coming in for Tuesday night’s match at Perth Hockey Stadium are Laura Barden, Jane Claxton, Kirstin Dwyer, Karri McMahon, Georgia Nanscawen and Renee Taylor.   

A double from Kathryn Slattery and strikes by Mariah Williams and Ashleigh Nelson helped the Hockeyroos to a 4-3 win over GB on Friday night but the series was pegged level on Sunday when Susie Gilbert’s only goal of the game settled the tie 1-0 in Britain's favour.

Tickets for the matches are on sale from ticketmaster.com.au and at the gate on the day of the match.

Each game of the series is being live streamed at epicentre.tv.Watch the first two games of the series back on the same link.

Hockeyroos v Great Britain Fixtures
Tuesday 16 February: 9:00pm AEDT / 6:00pm AWST, Perth Hockey Stadium
Thursday 18 February: 9:00pm AEDT / 6:00pm AWST, Perth Hockey Stadium
Saturday 20 February: 6:00pm AEDT / 3:00pm AWST, Perth Hockey Stadium
Sunday 21 February: 6:00pm AEDT / 3:00pm AWST, Perth Hockey Stadium

Hockeyroos’ squad for match 3 v Great Britain, 16 February
Laura Barden (Kew, VIC)      
Madonna Blyth (Brisbane, QLD)
Edwina Bone (Evatt, ACT)        
Jane Claxton (Adelaide, SA)        
Kirstin Dwyer (Mackay, QLD)      
Anna Flanagan (Canberra, ACT)
Rachael Lynch (Melbourne, VIC)   
Karri McMahon (Berri, SA)
Georgina Morgan (Armidale, NSW)  
Gabrielle Nance (Kingscliff, NSW) [SASI athlete]
Georgia Nanscawen (Melbourne, VIC)
Ashleigh Nelson (Wagin, WA)   
Madi Ratcliffe (Warrnambool, VIC)
Casey Sablowski (South Coast, NSW)
Kathryn Slattery (South Stirling, WA)
Grace Stewart (Gerringong, NSW) 
Renee Taylor (Everton Park, QLD)  
Ashlee Wells (Moe, VIC) 

Hockeyroos’ squads for match 4 v Great Britain, 18 February
Teneal Attard (Mackay, QLD)
Laura Barden (Kew, VIC)
Edwina Bone (Evatt, ACT)       
Jane Claxton (Adelaide, SA)      
Kirstin Dwyer (Mackay, QLD)     
Madison Fitzpatrick (Cabarita Beach, NSW) [QAS athlete]
Kate Hanna (Constitution Hill, NSW)
Jodie Kenny (Wamuran, QLD)    
Rachael Lynch (Melbourne, VIC)    
Karri McMahon (Berri, SA)
Georgia Nanscawen (Melbourne, VIC)
Georgie Parker (Berri, SA)
Brooke Peris (Darwin, NT)
Madi Ratcliffe (Warrnambool, VIC)
Casey Sablowski (South Coast, NSW)
Emily Smith (Crookwell, NSW)
Ashlee Wells (Moe, VIC)     
Mariah Williams (Parkes, NSW)

Hockey Australia media release



Punjab Warriors into the semis with a last minute draw

Chandigarh: Helped by a last minute field goal that produced the Hockey India League' first draw, Punjab Warriors became the second team after Ranchi Rays to book the semifinals of the Hockey India League.

Punjab staged a remarkable comeback come back after trailing 0-4 to register a 4-4 win over Kalinga Lancers.

with this draw, Punjab Warriors got 29 points.

Kalinga Lancers drew first blood in the 14th minute through a field goal from Malak Singh (2-0) as the first quarter came to an end.

The Lancers however enhanced the lead in the next quarter with a second field goal from Quirjin Caspers in the 29th minute (4-0)

The third quarter witnessed Punjab Warriors better organised. After a good number of attacks, Punjab finally found success through a field goal from Matthew Ghodes in the 35th minute (2-4).

The final quarter of the match began with Kalinga Lancers trying hard to score but the Jaypee Pynjab Warriors defenders proved their worth keeping the Kalinga Lancers’ forward line at bay. The hosts who tried hard to score could not taste success until the 59th minute when a spectacular field goal from Jake Whetton finally got the hosts the much needed equaliser (4-4) in the match giving the first draw of the 4thCoal India Hockey India League.

Best Goal scorer: Jake Whetton
Most Entertaining player: Moritz Fuerste
Man of the Match: Mark Knowles
Emerging Player of the Match: Mathew Dawson

The next match is between Dabang Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh Wizards, Mahindra Stadium, Mumbai tomorrow.

Stick2Hockey.com



Punjab Warriors draw 4-4 with Kalinga Lancers, book semi-final berth


The match also marked the first draw of the fourth edition of HIL

Jaypee Punjab Warriors came back from behind to hold Kalinga Lancers to a 4-4 draw and seal their place in the semifinal of the fourth Hockey India league, in Chandigarh on Monday.

The match also marked the first draw of the fourth edition of HIL. Punjab Warriors, who now have 29 points in their kitty, became the second team after defending champions Ranchi Rays to book a semifinal berth. Kalinga Lancers raced to a 4-0 lead through two field goals from Malak Singh (14th minute) and Quirjin Caspers (29th) before Punjab Warriors made a strong comeback with field strikes from Matt Gohdes (35th) and Jake Whetton (59th). According to new scoring rules introduced in HIL, one field goal is counted as two.

The match began with the visitors pressing hard to score. While Punjab Warriors put up a decent show in the first few minutes, the Lancers set up a strong attacking front to break through the hosts' defensive wall. The Lancers drew first blood in the 14th minute through a field goal from Malak taking an early lead of 2-0.

The Lancers continued their attacking game in the second quarter and their efforts yielded results when Caspers scored a second field goal in the 29th minute to give the visitors a 4-0 lead at the half-way mark. The Punjab Warriors looked more organised in the third quarter and made synchronised moves with the intent to score, but the Lancers defence stood tall. The lancers looked threatening on counter attacks but failed to score due to some scintillating saves from Punjab Warriors goalkeeper Triston Clemans.

Punjab Warriors, who seemed to be playing with a different strategy in the second half, stuck to the basics and kept on attacking at regular intervals. The hosts finally found success through a field goal from Ghodes in the 35th minute to reduce the scoreline to 2-4.

The rest of the third quarter saw many attacking moves from both the teams but none of them could materialise the chanes into goals. Punjab Warriors drew parity just a minute from the hooter through a spectacular field goal from Whetton to register the first draw of the ongoing HIL.

DNA



Coal India Hockey India League: Week 4 Round-up


Ranchi Rays bounce back from Delhi defeat to confirm semi-final berth

In week four of the Coal India Hockey India League, Ranchi Rays recovered from a defeat at Delhi Waveriders to seal crucial home wins against Uttar Pradesh Wizards and Dabang Mumbai to become the first team to qualify for the competition's semi-finals.

The Rays’ visit to the Indian capital last Thursday (11 February) was not a happy one as Waveriders Head Coach Cedric D’Sousa masterminded a brilliant victory for the home side, with Mandeep Singh and Talwinder Singh both netting doubles as Delhi won 7-4.

The Rays bounced back on Saturday (13 February) with a superb 6-0 win over the Wizards before battling to a 1-0 victory over Mumbai on Sunday (14 February) to make it five wins from five matches at Ranchi’s Jharkhand Stadium, which is, rather significantly, the host venue of this weekend’s showpiece semi-final and final matches.

Saturday’s win over the Wizards came courtesy of three field goals - which count double in this year’s League - with Australian international attacker Flynn Ogilvie, Great Britain star Ashley Jackson and Sumit Kumar all scoring to confirm Ranchi as the first team to seal a place in the semi-finals.

Midfield ace and team captain Jackson was also on target in Sunday’s showdown against Dabang Mumbai, netting the only goal of the game with a trademark penalty corner to move his team onto 37 points in Ranchi’s final match of the league phase. 

For Ranchi, a first place finish in the league phase sets up a semi-final meeting against the team that finishes in fourth place, with the other semi-final being contested with the teams that finish in second and third place respectively.

As it stands, Ranchi Rays are the only team absolutely guaranteed of competing in the semi-finals, although second placed Jaypee Punjab Warriors all but cemented their participation in the title matches with a hard earned 4-4 draw at home against Kalinga Lancers on Monday (15 February).

The Lancers moved into a 4-0 lead thanks to field goals from Malak Singh and in-form Dutchman Quirijn Caspers, but high quality strikes from Aussie duo Matt Gohdes and Jake Whetton - the latter a stunning backhand drive from the top of the circle with just two minutes remaining - moved the Warriors onto 29 points at their end of their league campaign.

Kalinga Lancers currently sit third in the standings on 25 points, two points in front of fourth-ranked Uttar Pradesh Wizards on 23. Fifth placed Delhi Waveriders have 22 points while Dabang Mumbai are two points further back in sixth place.

The final two matches of the league phase will be played this week, with all four competing teams mathematically capable of reaching the semi-finals.

Dabang Mumbai play host to Uttar Pradesh Wizards on Tuesday (16 February), while on Wednesday (17 February) Kalinga Lancers take on the Waveriders in Delhi.   

To follow all the live action, visit the Coal India Hockey India League website by clicking here.

FIH site



HTHC win Euro indoors once again


Picture: EHF/Ariane Schirle

Harvestehuder THC won the EuroHockey Indoor Club Champions Cup thanks to their 2-1 win over Austria’s SV Arminen in Sunday’s final.

Michael Körper’s penalty stroke in the 34th minute proved crucial after a tightly fought battle. Arminen opened the scoring in the 16th minute as Patrick Schmidt sneaked a shot passed goalkeeper of the tournament Tobias Walter.

Just after the half-time break, HTHC equalised with Jan-Philipp Heuer who used the boards excellently, rebounded the ball back to himself before firing home.

In the 34th minute HTHC earned a stroke and the  tournament joint  top scorer Körper, stepped up and slotted the stroke home.

Arminen had a corner chance with two minutes to go against a reduced HTHC defence but could not convert and the German side held on for their second title in three seasons.

Euro Hockey League media release



East Grinstead forced to settle for fourth in Europe


EG team talk Super 6s

East Grinstead suffered heartbreak in the EuroHockey Indoor Club Champions Cup, losing out in the bronze medal match to Partille SC at the end of an action-packed weekend of indoor hockey.

The Sussex outfit started their campaign against Arminen of Austria. A 1-1 draw was the outcome thanks to a superb goalkeeping display from Paddy Smith and a strike from Jannis Schwebs five minutes from time.

The next match pitted the English champions with Polish outfit Grunwald. In a game of cat and mouse both teams exchanged the lead and could not be separated at the end. EG thought they had the winner in the final minute but it was deemed to not be a goal following an appeal from Grunwald. The 3-3 put Grunwald top of the pool with 7 points (5 earned in their earlier tight win over Complutense), but it was all to play for in the next matches.

East Grinstead v Complutense was the final group game and was one where Ross Stott, player of the match in the Super 6s final a week ago took centre stage. The Scotland star netted a hat-trick against a very defensive minded Complutense. East Grinstead came under pressure when Complutense went to a kicking back but despite late goals from Nevado, Stott’s treble and one for skipper SimoN Faulkner were enough.

For the first time in the history of EuroHockey Indoor the Pool ended for East Grinstead and Arminen tied on matches won, goal difference, goals scored and they had drawn against each other so there was to be a shoot out to determine who would take first and second in the pool.

In order to find the ranking in the Pool B SV Arminen and East Grinstead played a shoot out which Arminen won 2-0.

After 14 games it was time for the 4 teams, East Grinstead, hosts HTHC, SV Arminen and Partille to step up to see who would be in the 2016 EuroHockey Indoor Club Champions Cup.

East Grinstead’s semi-final was against hosts and red-hot favourites Harvestehuder.

It was a powerful display of indoor hockey from both teams, but HTHC, buoyed by a boisterous crowd and a full hall proved to be the better team on the day. Michael Korper, the Austrian who later was named player of the tournament inspired his team with two goals in a 4-0 win to the delight of the home crowd.

After the disappointment of their semi-final defeat, East Grinstead had to pick themselves up for the bronze medal match with Partille SC. Both teams had chances to break the deadlock, but it was Partille who opened the scoring as Tobias Grand the competition’s top scorer beat Paddy Smith with reverse flick into the roof of the net in the 15th minute. Grand beat the keeper on the run, this time a flick on his forehand, bringing the score to 2-0 in the 31st minute. With 5 to go EG captain Simon Faulkner reduced the arrears but with East Grinstead pushed ahead using 6 field players, Grand took advantage to net twice more to hand his side the win, 4-1.

Hosts Harvestehuder won the title with a 2-1 win over Arminen in the final.

England Hockey Board Media release



Dutch clubs win at Top Hockey Barcelona


Picture: José Mari Llorens

After three days and nine intense games over a sunny weekend in Barcelona, the Dutch pool came out on top ahead of their Spanish counterparts at the Top Hockey tournament.

MHC Oranje Zwart, HC Rotterdam and HC Den Bosch won the 4th edition of this high quality pre-season tournament, winning out 7-2 on the scoreboard over the Spanish pool that featured RC Polo, Atlètic Terrassa and Club de Campo.

The first round was played on Thursday night. The current European and Dutch champions Oranje Zwart started out strong beating Club de Campo from Madrid with a 6-1 result thanks to a hat-trick from Jelle Galema.

Rotterdam also had an opening win, 5-2 over Atlètic Terrassa. Fortunately for the Spanish pool, RC Polo won 3-2 against Den Bosch.

Following a rest day on Friday, OZ won the first battle of Saturday morning 3-1 in a tightly contested battle with Atlètic.

Polo and Rotterdam played out one of the best games of the weekend, with a final 4-4 draw and two goals – one on each side – in the last minutes. Rotterdam won the game after a shoot-out.

Den Bosch closed out the day with a 3-2 win over Campo, leaving the Dutch pool with five wins and one loss with only three games left, securing the title.

Atlètic Terrassa brough some honour to the Spanish pool, beating 2-1 Den Bosch.

Club de Campo were a victim of Jeroen Hertzberger who scored six of his side’s seven goals in a 7-4 outcome, rendering Tolini’s hat-trick meaningless.

OZ played out an entertaining tie against EHL rivals Polo. The Dutch side led 3-0 before the Barcelona hosts stormed back to get a draw.

Speaking about the event overall, Polo’s Paco Cavaller said: “The event has probably been the best of the four organized till now and the level that Barcelona saw on the Eduardo Dualde field makes us excited about an amazing and exciting EHL KO16 a month later in Amstelveen.”

Euro Hockey League media release



Wimbledon back in English playoff places



Wimbledon bounced back up to a playoff position in the English Premier Division as they held on for a 4-3 win over Cannock last weekend.

The Birmingham side nearly staged a remarkable comeback as two goals from Jayshaan Randhawa and one from Arjan Drayton Chana got them back to 4-3. Ali Brogdon (pictured), James Jewell, Chris Gregg and Caspar Phijffer had given the hosts a commanding lead.

Elsewhere, bottom of the table Canterbury pulled off a shock 4-2 victory over second-placed Surbiton as the battle to avoid the drop intensifies in the Men’s Hockey League Premier Division.

Wei Adams scored twice for Canterbury with Andrew Sutherland and Craig Boyne also on target to help register just their second league victory of the season. Scott Evans and Robert Marx scored the consolation goals for Surbiton.

Defeat for Surbiton means they slip to four points behind leaders Holcombe who could only draw 3-3 at home to Reading, Stephane Vehrle-Smith, Sam Ward and Gareth Andrew scoring the goals as the league leaders recovered from 3-1 down at the break. John Jackson hit a double for Reading and their third was added by Simon Mantell.

Beeston snatched a 2-2 draw away at Brooklands Manchester University, Harry Martin and James Albery scoring late goals after Stefan Ray-Hills and Richard Slater had put the hosts two in front.

Euro Hockey League media release



‘SAG gold should inspire hockey revival’

Mohammad Yaqoob



LAHORE: Pakistan’s player-coach Rehan Butt hoped the hockey gold at the South Asian Games could help the country revive its former glory in the sport.

Talking to reporters here at the National Hockey Stadium after the team returned from India on Sunday night, Rehan said their victory in Guwahati could mark a turning point for the game.

“This should boost our morale and inspire us to regain our former glory in the game,” Rehan said, referring to Pakistan missing out on qualification to next year’s Olympic Games following their failure to reach the 2014 FIH World Cup.

Having travelled to India as a coach, the Olympian was forced to take to the field after his squad was hit by fitness and visa issues and was a vital cog of the side which beat hosts India 1-0 in the final.

“The Indian supporters were good to us after the final and gave us a standing ovation,” Rehan said.

Despite returning with a gold medal, Rehan said he had no intention of withdrawing his international retirement and said the future was bright for Pakistan.

“I’d like to continue as a coach,” he said. “The players have shown great character and have the potential to represent the Pakistan in the future and take them forward.”

DREAM COMES TRUE FOR AWAIS

Awais-ur-Rehman, who scored the decisive goal in the final, said it was dream come true for him.

“Scoring the winner in such a high-profile match, and that too against India, is a dream of every hockey player in Pakistan,” the 20-year-old said. “It is the greatest moment of my life so far.”

Awais said he was inspired by the legendary Hasan Sardar which is why he played in the same centre-forward position as his idol.

“I hope the new generation of hockey players can take Pakistan back up to the heights they enjoyed in the past,” the Sheikhupura-born player added.

“I started playing hockey with that goal in mind and also because the game runs in my family,” the PIA player added, referring to his father Saif-ur-Rehman who was a former international.

Dawn



Leaders Police win weekend ties to open gap

By BRIAN YONGA


Kenya Police hockey team during their Kenya Hockey Union Premier League match against Kenyatta University at City park Stadium on February 14, 2016. Police top the league with 54 points from 21 matches. PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU |  NATION MEDIA GROUP

Kenya Police moved eight point clear at the top of the Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) men’s Premier League table after matches played at the weekend.

The 2013 champions had a successful weekend after collecting maximum points from their two matches.

The law enforcers followed up their 2-0 win over United States International University of Africa (USIU) on Saturday with a 5-0 thrashing of Kenyatta University’s Vultures on Sunday.

Kenyan international Samuel Wokila hit a brace for Police, with Felix Okoth, Samson Birir and Willis Okeyo also scoring to put Vultures to the sword.

Police are on 54 points from 21 matches but have played four more matches than second-placed Butali Sugar Warriors who are on 46 points from 17 matches.

Police skipper Brian Saina has urged his teammates to maintain consistency until the end of the season to boost their chances of reclaiming the title. “It was good weekend, we played well and got the six points which was our target, we need to keep this form until the end of the season and hope Butali drop points as well,” Saina told Daily Nation Sport.

USIU DISLODGED GREENSHARKS

USIU dislodged Greensharks from third place after they bounced back from their defeat to Police to beat Strathmore University Gladiators 1-0 in Sunday’s last game with Steve Wokka hitting the winner. The students are on 34 points while Gladiators moved into fourth place with 33 points after their 5-1 over Vultures on Saturday. Sharks drop into fifth place with 32 points.

Mombasa Sports Club (MSC) and Mvita XI continue to occupy the bottom two places after both teams lost to Kenya College of Accountancy (KCAU) at the weekend. MSC are bottom with three points while Mvita are 14th with nine points.

In the women’s national league, Strathmore University Scorpions missed a chance to move to within two points of league leaders Telkom Orange after they fell 1-0 to USIU Spartans.

Scorpions remain second with 37 points from 17 matches, five points behind champions Orange who lead with 42 points. Sliders boosted their chances of finishing second after a 2-1 win over KU Titans.

Daily Nation



Pahang Sports School have to thrash Olak for a shot at the title

by S. Ramaguru



KUALA LUMPUR: Pahang Sports School (SSP)-MSP-Thunderbolt will be on a dual mission when they play Old La Sallians Association of Klang (Olak)-Tigers in Division One of the Malaysian Junior Hockey League at the Kuantan Hockey Stadium on Wednesday.

They are aiming for full points and an avalanche of goals.

Only then will they stand a realistic chance of denying defending champions Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI)-Thunderbolt a sixth league title.

SSTMI lead the standings with 21 points from seven matches while the Pahang side have 15 points from six.

These two sides will meet on Friday, with fancied SSTMI standing a good chance of sealing the title. If Pahang can pull off an upset, then the title race will go down to the wire.

But for now, their focus is on Olak.

“There is Olak to play and only full points will allow us to aim for the title. We’re not going to underestimate Olak ... they have played some good hockey. There is no pressure on my players. We want them to get the three points and, if possible, go for a big win,” said Pahang Sports School team manager Wan Mazlan Isa.

“We will be playing three matches in five days ... there’s no room for mistakes or even a draw.

“Our last match is against Politeknik Malaysia, who are still in contention for a top-four finish. So, they won’t give up easily.”

The Pahang side will be hoping that penalty corner specialist Mohd Idris Samad will be on form. He is their leading scorer with seven goals.

“We have players who can score but, like I said, we are missing far too many chances. I will feel better if they can improve on it. And I’d like to see them play to instructions, like they did against SMK Datuk Bentara Luar on Sunday,” said Wan Mazlan.

“Hopefully, we will win tomorrow and be ready for the cruncher against the champions on Friday.”

The Star of Malaysia



Lautoka hockey season

Zanzeer Singh

THE Lautoka Hockey Association will start its 2016 season with a five-aside competition in Fiji on Saturday.

The association held its annual general meeting at the weekend, where the plans for the new season were discussed.

The association's media liaison officer Fergus Underwood said five clubs were presented at the AGM.

He said Baka Newton was appointed as the development officer for the primary schools.

"There will be more development work especially at the grassroots level," Underwood said.

"Weather permitting a five-a-side tournament will be played this Saturday. We will continue with the format as it will be our buildup for the Easter Championship in Suva next month."

Underwood said they would be holding talks with the Nadi and Ba association executives to form a western body.

He said the aim was to boost interest in the sport in the Western Division.

Marcel Hicks was elected as the president and Martin Coffin as the vice-president.

Andrea Manueli is the secretary and Helen McLeran is the treasurer. The committee members are Hamlet Wedlock, Mikiela Manueli and Ernest Coffin.

The Fiji Times



Australian indoor head coach appointments

Australian men’s and women’s indoor head coach announcement



Hockey Australia is pleased to announce the appointment of Stewart Fenton as the Australian Women’s Indoor Hockey Head Coach and Steve Willer as the Australian Men’s Indoor Hockey Head Coach.
 
Hockey Australia’s General Manager – Hockey, Ben Hartung, acknowledged the high calibre of applicants for the indoor coaching positions. “ The quality of applicants was extremely high and they all brought different leadership skills and experience to the table which made the evaluation process for the selection panel very challenging.
 
“We are pleased to reappoint Stewart Fenton to the Women’s Indoor Head Coach position so that he can continue the great development work that he has been doing over the past few years. Stewart has an incredible passion for indoor hockey and he has some exciting plans for how we can grow the interest and develop indoor hockey at a grassroots level and also improve the skills and performance of our elite athletes."
 
Fenton said that he was extremely honoured to be reappointed Australian Women’s Indoor Head Coach.
 
“The last World Cup demonstrated that we have the ability to compete with the best players and the best teams in the world and I am very excited by our development in recent years and the outstanding group of elite young players coming through that share my passion and love of the game.
 
"The focus, as we lead into the next World Cup will continue to revolve around skill development and development of a team environment that promotes a positive and inclusive culture and playing an attacking style of hockey built around a strong defensive setup and without fear of making mistakes.

"I am very much looking forward to the next few years and this wonderful opportunity to again lead our team to the Indoor Hockey World Cup.”
 
Hartung welcomed the appointment of Steve Willer to the Men’s Indoor Head Coach position. “Steve has the leadership skills, experience and fresh approach to steer some changes in the men’s indoor program. His desire to build a high-performing team culture will be strongly supported by Hockey Australia.
 
"Willer said that he was excited to work with Hockey Australia and the next generation of indoor hockey athlete to positively move the game forward and create a strong Australian style of indoor hockey.
 
“This year’s Australian Indoor Championships in Wollongong showed the outstanding talent in young athletes emerging in the game from all corners of the country.
 
"A key focus will be on developing the depth and experience level of this new generation of athlete through international experience.
 
"We will be building a positive and high-performing team culture, with strong values, elite athlete attitudes and effective leadership.”
 
Hartung noted, “Both national indoor coaches have committed to increasing the engagement with the State and Territory Hockey Associations in relation to the development and promotion of indoor hockey. There will be a greater integration and synergies created across the two programs. Indoor hockey is the fast and furious version of hockey which involves an incredible amount of skill and a high level of fitness as well as quick decision making and tactical nous. It is a high scoring and highly entertaining form of our game.”
 
Both coaches will commence their roles immediately and one of the key tasks will be to identify the national indoor squads for 2016. Hockey Australia will be working with the coaches to identify qualified support staff to assist in the programs.

Hockey Australia media release



What makes great hockey player?

Sarah Juggins, for PAHF

With the Junior Pan Am Hockey Championships just a short few weeks away, we thought it was a good time to examine just what attributes a young hockey player needs to become an elite performer. What is that special something that players such as Delfina Merino, Sukhi Panesar, Javiera Villagra or Stephane Vehrle-Smith have in abundance that has made them standout since they first picked up a stick?

The answer to that question is complex. There is no one type that fits the bill, but in discussions with a number of coaches from both the Pan American region and from around the world, we can come up with some qualities that are most definitely needed by the modern hockey player.

For Trinidad and Tobago star player and top coach, Kwan Browne, the number one attribute is attitude. Talking about his experiences as both a club coach and an international coach, Browne said: “We set high standards and we expect full commitment from our players. There can be no occasions when players do not turn up, or the big players decide they don’t want to play – it must always be full commitment from everyone.”

Alyson Annan is head coach to the world number one women’s team, the Netherlands, and a former leading light of the Australian women’s team. As a player she won gold at the Sydney Olympics; as a coach she has taken charge of some of the top male and female players in Europe at both club and national level. She identifies three types of player she has to work with. “There are those that are talented and motivated, mostly you just let them get on with it. Then there are those that are not so talented but they work hard, you can help and work with them. The third group are the toughest group – these are the players that are not so good but also do not have the desire to work hard, now they are the difficult ones. You can coach skills, attitude is not so simple.”

So the right attitude and high levels of motivation are two qualities that young players must possess in abundance if they are to make it to the top, but we can assume that the players who will be representing their countries in Tacarigua and Toronto are both committed and motivated, so what else are we looking for?

Steph Andrews is coach to the Canadian women’s junior team. She has this to say about the attributes required of talented young athletes: “Mental attitude and coach-ability are key to team culture and a huge selection based area that coaches look for in today’s game.

“But in addition, athletes in the modern game need to have a range of physical attributes. These include a good aerobic base, speed, agility and strength. Athletes across the field need to have these attributes.”

As any follower of the game will know, high levels of speed and stamina are two attributes that modern hockey players have in abundance. For example, are there many sports where the field players are expected to run an average of 11 kilometres during a 60 minute match, including within that time a number of explosive sprints; some energy-draining changes of direction; and some powerful arm movements as the ball is flung/pushed or hit at upwards of 90 kilometres an hour at the goal?

Providing the evidence of these fitness demands, sports scientists at Loughborough University – one of the top sports universities in the world and innovation partner to the International Hockey Federation (FIH) – have spent hours poring over video material from the 2014 Hockey World Cup and looked at two main qualities: namely, the distances run during a match, and the intensity maintained while running. They then compared these to other invasive team sports, in this case rugby 7s and football (soccer).

They found that on average, field players in hockey cover more metres and work at a higher intensity than either footballers or rugby players. And that doesn’t just happen – it involves hours of training, as USA hockey player Paige Selenski highlighted in a recent issue of ESPN magazine. “It's not like I woke up one day and I had a really athletic body and ripped-up abs. I was lucky that I was naturally gifted with an athletic body, but I also put a lot of work into it. It just comes with running and all the things I do to stay in shape, I use my body every day for my job. We constantly put our bodies through pain.”

Back to the science. In an average pattern of play, the three team sports of football, rugby and hockey all incorporate sprinting, jogging, walking and periods where they stand still. The data from video action reveals that where a rugby 7s player will cover an average of 94 metres in a minute, a footballer covers an average of 125 metres in the same time frame, while a hockey player outruns them all with a huge 140 metres per minute. Remember, this includes all actions, jogging back after a sprint, or running flat out to chase down opponents and set up attacks.

Perhaps a more pertinent figure when relating to the overall fitness of a player can be seen by the amount of the game that is played at a high intensity. Where a football player spends just nine per cent of the game working at an intensity that sees the heart-rate reaching 85-90 per cent of its maximum, a hockey player can sustain that work rate for 30-40 percent of the game. A rugby player works at a high intensity for 20 per cent of the game. During those periods of high intensity activity, a hockey player will be running at speeds of above 19kmh.

But, a player can be the fittest person on the pitch but if he or she doesn’t have the skills to match, then all that training effort will be in vain. At junior level, it seems that coaches around the world are looking for one thing – getting the basics right. Australia women are ranked two in the world, with high quality players coming through the national age groups, but head coach Adam Commens is looking for just one thing in his young players: “A really good first touch and being able to execute this under pressure. It drives me crazy seeing kids wanting to throw overheads, Tomahawks and attempt drag flicks before they have mastered the basic core skills. These advanced skills are required in the modern game, but they must be developed over time.”

So far we have identified attitude, fitness and skills as three of the qualities needed on the pitch; our last quality is an elusive one – the ability to read the game. This is something that has been the centre of debates at coaching workshops and conferences for years. Is reading the game coachable or is it an innate skill that cannot be learned? Some coaches describe this quality as the ability to know what is going to happen two passes in advance; these are the players who make skills appear effortless and seem to have all the time in the world.

Such awareness, or physical literacy, can be seen across the pitch. It is the moment the goalkeeper makes a decision to dive to his left and make a tricky save appear easy; it is the run that the forward makes that just opens up the space before her; it is the interception that the defender makes that prevents an overload by the attacking team.

A paper published by Dr Daniel Bishop, a sports scientist from Brunel University in London, England, put forward a very strong argument to suggest that the ability to read the game came from a combination of innate skill and experience. He devised an experiment to show that those players with greater levels of games experience were more likely to be able to guess what would happen next within a match situation.

Argentina U21 men’s coach is Mariano Ronconi. He is a firm advocate of extending his young players’ experiences: “We have a lot of interaction between the senior and the junior teams.  We train together to make sure there is a smooth transition between teams, and the experience they gain is vital for the juniors when we start mixing them with the seniors.”

Which makes our final requirement for a top player a very simple one – access to consistently high quality training programmes delivered by highly skilled coaches. It is a point that Steph Andrews stresses: “I believe that coaching has to evolve to accommodate today’s generation.”

Pan American Hockey Federation media release



Richard Alexander: Brits specialise in sport too soon

As the Rio Olympics near, the Sports Show ambassador and former GB hockey player tells of trying his hand at golf, swimming, tennis and more
           

Richard Alexander: the Olympian hockey player joins the Sports Show Photo: EMPICS Sport

Olympic year always resonates for Richard Alexander, the former England and Great Britain hockey player.

Now 34, Alexander was ever-present at both training and the plethora of tournaments that hockey seems to stage across the globe, from the moment the two-time Olympian first began to make his mark in 2005.

It was during the 1988 Olympics in Seoul when Alexander, then aged seven, was first bitten by the sporting bug, as he watched a raft of sports over the two-week jamboree.

“I remember watching Daley Thompson, and thinking ‘wow’, but watching the Olympics as a whole and seeing all those athletes was just an amazing thing. They were the people who inspired me and made me want to be an Olympic competitor.”

So much so that he remembers telling his father that, one day, he too would become an Olympian.

Alexander laughs: “He told me not to be silly and said, ‘You’re going to be a farmer’. We made a bet there and then for £200 and he has paid up.”

And so began a lengthy international career as Alexander accrued 188 international caps across the England and Great Britain set-up.

How he got to the top is largely down to his parents – both hockey players – who took Alexander to their local sports club in Suffolk.

“I was always immersed in sport, whether that was hockey, or tennis, or rugby,” he says. “Both Mum and Dad were very sporty, as well as my older brother and sister, so we were always at swimming galas, swimming competitions, golf competitions – everything and anything.

"I got dragged along to all these events but one thing I now know is that until you try a sport, you won’t know if you are good at it.


Give it a shot: Alexander believes people should try different sports  Photo: AK Pictures

“I think in this country it’s one of the biggest wastes we have. Someone could compete on a world level at sailing for example but until they try it, they just won’t know. Until you throw a dart for the first time, you won’t know that you could be the best in the world one day. Everyone can excel at something, you just need to find what that thing is – and you do that by trying everything.”

This statement is one which certainly fits well with hockey, perhaps more so than any other Olympic sport.

For across the current Great Britain’s men’s and women’s squads lie a number of multi-talented athletes. For example, Dan Fox, the defender, is a useful cricketer, having played for Oxford University and its academy for a couple of years. Meanwhile, rising forward Lily Owsley is one of the quickest in the women’s side and an accomplished 800 metres county runner.

And Alexander admits to being a “massive advocate” of playing as many sports as possible, a scenario which has helped both hockey squads over the years. Thus, he should be more than at home at The Sports Show.

“I was quite lucky at an early age that I had fairly strong hand-eye coordination, and played lots of sports at county level – such as tennis, cricket, and athletics – anything I could have a go at,” he says.

“People specialise too soon nowadays. They don’t carry on playing multiple sports for long enough.”

Ashley Jackson is another such player. The standout member of the men’s side, Jackson last year turned out for a four-week stint at Kent ice-hockey team Invicta Dynamos during the off-season outdoors. Some feat.

Alexander says Jackson will be a “massive player” for Team GB at Rio 2016. However, he tips Germany as the team to beat.

“The Aussies should win it in terms of sheer form, but they always seem to struggle in Olympic year,” he admits. “They win every single championship in the run-up, and then fall short at the Olympics. The Germans do the opposite. They hardly win anything until it comes to the Olympics, where they smash it out of the park.”

The Telegraph



RIP – Horst Wein



The world of hockey is mourning the loss of International Hockey Federation (FIH) Master Coach, Horst Wein, who died yesterday (Sunday 14 February) in Barcelona, Spain.

Born in Hanover, Germany in 1941, he was one of the most highly respected global experts in hockey and football development. His skill set also saw him engage with other sports including ice hockey, rugby and basketball as well.

Horst, a former German hockey international with a university degree in Physical Education, became a top coach after his playing career, leading Spain to their first ever European title and an Olympic silver medal.

He was the first to be awarded the title of FIH Master Coach and was also named the coach of the first ever European team for their match with Asia in 1975.

Author of a total of 36 books, Horst’s first book, ‘The Science of Hockey’, has sold more copies than any other hockey book. Additionally, he has majored in the ground-breaking concept of ‘Game Intelligence’ in hockey since 2002, having lectured about this subject around the world. Horst was also the creator of FUNhocKEY, a game which stimulates and develops creativity and game intelligence for children under 10 years.

As well as all of his work for hockey, Horst also worked extensively in football, working with some of the world’s most successful teams including FC Barcelona, the Spanish national team and the German Football Federation (Deutscher Fussball Bund,DFB).

During his career, Horst built strong ties with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) where he regularly worked in cooperation with the Olympic Solidarity Committee and was appointed as a Director of the Sports Department of the Organising Committee of the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany.

FIH President Leandro Negre, who presented him with a plinth in recognition of his contribution to the worldwide development of hockey last year, spoke of his sadness at losing a good friend. He said: “Horst was a pioneer in the hockey world, developing new techniques for coaching and playing that have shaped the modern game as we know it. His drive and passion for sport was inspiring, no matter where he was and who he was with – people were engaged by his innovative philosophies. To add to that, he was a true gentlemen with great character. He will be a huge loss to the hockey family, however his spirit lives on in all of the great work he has undertaken for the sport. We are all deeply saddened to hear of Horst’s death and our thoughts go out to his family and close friends at this extremely difficult time.”

The EHF President, Marijke Fleuren, joined with Leandro in expressing her sorrow to hear the news “I was watching the incredible EuroHockey Indoor Club Champions Cup in Hamburg when I heard the sad news. We have truly lost a member of the hockey family today. A pioneer, a professional and a visionary to ensure that hockey developed  into the fantastic game that we saw in Hamburg yesterday and that our players love to play.  We extend our sincere condolences to Hort’s family at this time and hope they take consolation from his work living on in our young players.”

The funeral will take place in Sant Gervasi, Barcelona, Spain on Tuesday 16 February at 13.00 GMT.

For more information about Horst Wein, visit his website: horstwein.net

FIH site



Horst Wein 1941 - 2016



Horst Wein (Hannover 1941) died on Sunday 14 February in Barcelona. The funeral will take place in Sant Gervasi on Tuesday 16 February at 13.00.

Horst Wein a decisive part of the history of our hockey. Coach of the national team between 1973 and 1984, passing through the Spanish hockey represented an absolute revolution in the way of training and conceiving hockey in our country.

After leading the Spanish team in their footsteps they went to sports training, not only in the world of hockey but throughout the spectrum of sports which has been recognized worldwide collaborating with many countries and sports and with the publication of a large number of books and publications.

His passion for the sport has been a constant throughout his life.

REST IN PEACE

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