News for 18 February 2016
All the news for Thursday 18 February 2016
Semi-final line-up complete at Coal India Hockey India League
Rays, Warriors, Waveriders and Lancers to fight it out for the title this weekend
Ranchi Rays' Ashley Jackson battles with Dabang Mumbai's Matthew Swan (Photo: Coal India Hockey India League)
The line-up for the semi-finals of the Coal India Hockey India League has been confirmed, with Jaypee Punjab Warriors, Delhi Waveriders and Kalinga Lancers all joining defending champions Ranchi Rays in the final four matches that will take place in Ranchi this weekend.
Host franchise and league phase winners Ranchi Rays will face fourth place finishers Kalinga Lancers, with second-ranked Jaypee Punjab Warriors going head-to-head with third-placed Delhi Waveriders in the other semi-final.
The final two matches of the league phase of the competition took place on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively, and were packed full of entertainment.
On Tuesday, Matthew Swann’s Dabang Mumbai temporarily put themselves into fourth position with a 6-3 win over Eddie Ockenden’s Uttar Pradesh Wizards, a result which ended Wizards’ hopes of competing in the title matches.
Delhi Waveriders went into their match against Kalinga Lancers knowing that only a win would be good enough for them to book a ticket to Ranchi, a test that they passed with flying colours thanks to a superb 6-0 triumph on home soil. Indian international penalty corner ace Rupinder Pal Singh netted a double, with team captain Simon Child and Parvinder Singh on target with field goals.
The result saw the Waveriders climb from bottom of the six-team league table into third position, providing a clear indicator of just how closely contested the 2016 edition of the Coal India Hockey India League has been.
That heavy defeat at the hands of the Waveriders almost proved disastrous for Kalinga Lancers, who took fourth place ahead of Dabang Mumbai by virtue a marginally superior goal difference.
The Lancers must now prepare themselves for a semi-final showdown with reigning champions and final four hosts Ranchi Rays, a team that has a 100 percent win record on home soil in this year’s Coal India Hockey India League.
Thursday and Friday are competition rest days, with the action both resuming and concluding this weekend.
The first of the semi-final matches to be played in Ranchi this Saturday (20 February) will be the Jaypee Punjab Warriors versus Delhi Waveriders contest, which takes place at 15:00 (Indian Standard Time).
That match will be followed at 17:30 by the meeting between Ranchi Rays and Kalinga Lancers.
On Sunday (21 February), the 3v4 play-off match will be commence at 15:00, with the showpiece final getting underway at 17:30.
To follow all the live action, visit the Coal India Hockey India League website by clicking here.
FIH site
Semifinalsts spotted, as Delhi Waveriders squeeze in
Kalinga Lancers will take on their tormentor Ranchi Rays while it will be between two north based teams, Punjab Warriors and Delhi Waveriders in the Saturday semifinals of the Hockey India League.
The puzzle of spotting semifinalists of the Coal India hockey India League came to an end today with Delhi Waveriders posting an emphatic 6-0 win over Kalinga in the last match of the league phase in Delhi.
This outright win dashed the hopes of Dabang Mumbai, which would have made it to the semif had Kalinga defeated Delhi. It proved tall order.
Kalinga and Dabang had 25 points in 10 matches, but all parameters (goal aggregate, goal difference etc) were decisively in favour of Kalinga for the semis.
Its first semifinal entry for Kalinga while its straight fourth entry in the semis in as many as four seasons.
As so many combination and permutations were theoretically possible, all waited for today's HIL match No.30.
The massive home crowd support propelled Delhi Waveriders to showcase an attacking extravaganza and book their Semi-Final berth by defeating Kalinga Lancers 6-0. The Semifinals and finals will be played at the Astro Turf hockey stadium in Ranchi on the 20th and 21st February 2016.
The semifinal picture emerged after today's match which is outlined below:
Despite being eventful, the first quarter ended with no team moving the scoreboard.
The second quarter started with the Delhi Waveriders looking to make inroads in the do or die battle and the first opportunity came in the 18th minute and Rupinder Pal Singh converted the penalty corner to give Delhi a 1-0 lead which remained intact till the half time.
The second half started with the Delhi Waveriders pressing hard. They got a penalty corner in the 33rd minute which Rupinder Pal Singh converted again. Delhi continued to attack, with the striking duo of Mandeep Singh and Talwinder Singh penetrating the circle with finesse. Meanwhile colt Harjeet Singh sent a good cross into D, which was tapped into the goal by Simon Child (4-0 in the 34th minute).
The fourth quarter started with Kalinga Lancers looking to bounce back in the match. The first penalty corner opportunity of the quarter came the away team’s way in the 49th minute but the home team goalkeeper Devan Manchester again denied them the chance to score. Delhi capitalised on a missed penalty corner by the visitors and Parvinder Singh made them pay with a field goal to take the score to 6-0 in the 56th minute.
The Coal India Goal of the Match award of INR 50,000 was presented to Simon Child (DWR)wwhile his teammate Devon Manchester won the Most Entertaining Player of the Match award. Rupinder Pal Singh (DWR)walked away with the Man of the Match award while Mandeep Singh, also from DWR won Hero Emerging Player of the Match award.
Stick2Hockey.com
Waveriders trounce Lancers, surge into the semifinals
Uthra Ganesan
Delhi Waveriders upped its game when it needed to the most, registering a 6-0 win over Kalinga Lancers in the final league game of the Coal India Hockey India League here on Wednesday.
The victory helped Waveriders book a semifinal spot, placing third on the table with 27 points, while Lancers, despite the defeat, managed to sneak into the last four with 25, level with Dabang Mumbai on points but with a healthier goal difference.
At a packed Shivaji Stadium that had more than a thousand people clogging the roads outside desperately trying to get in, Waveriders drew energy from the supporters, playing an attacking game to control the proceedings.
The teams took time to size each other up but once the hosts got the momentum in the second quarter, it did not let up.
Lancers, on the other hand, were unable to break the shackles and remained subdued throughout the game.
With its talismanic striker Glenn Turner rendered ineffective with at least two players marking him all the time, Lancers’ attack was reduced by half, and Waveriders took full advantage of the same despite the best efforts of captain Moritz Furste to create chances.
Capacity crowd as cheerleader
For the sceptics claiming it was difficult to market the sport or popularise the event at par with other sporting leagues in the country,
Wednesday’s game would have been an eye-opener. The 7,500 capacity stadium was packed to the rafters, with some even standing in the aisles.
The organisers claimed that the glass doors on one side of the stadium had been damaged by the crowd trying to get in. The last time such a crowd was seen at a hockey game in Delhi was way back in 2010 when India played host to the World Cup and the Commonwealth Games at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.
A penalty-corner in the 17th minute saw Rupinder Pal Singh put Waveriders ahead while another one at the other end towards the end of the second quarter saw Aran Zalewski’s shot gloved away by goalkeeper Devon Manchester.
Twin strikes
Another penalty-corner by Rupinder in the 33rd minute and a deflection in by Simon Child the next minute meant Waveriders were up 4-0 and thereafter it was all about Lancers struggling to keep the margin of defeat low.
Lancers did earn three more penalty-corners but were unable to find a way to put the ball past Manchester.
Pradeep Mor was brilliant with his runs down the flanks for Lancers but the forwards failed to utilise the opportunities even as the Waveriders defence marshalled by Iain Lewers and Vikram Pillay foiled every attempt.
The finishing touch was a one-two combination between Talwinder Singh and Parvinder Singh, the former drawing Lancers goalkeeper Andrew Charter out of position and the latter coolly slotting it into an open goal to make it 6-0.
The result:
Delhi Waveriders 6 (Parvinder Singh 2-FG, Simon Child 2-FG, Rupinder Pal Singh 2-PC) bt Kalinga Lancers 0.
The Hindu
Rupinder shines as Waveriders blank Lancers 6-0 to enter semifinals
Mukesh Thapliyal
NEW DELHI: Riding on drag-flick specialist Rupinder Pal Singh's fine brace, Delhi Waveriders put up a dominating show to blank Kalinga Lancers 6-0 in their must-win league clash and made it to the semifinals of the fourth edition of the Hockey India League (HIL) played at the Shivaji Stadium on Wednesday.
Besides Man-of-the-Match Rupinder (18' PC, 33' PC), Simon Child (34' FG) and Parvinder Singh (56' PC) also scored for the winning home team while the visiting Kalinga side, which also made the semi-final cut despite losing failed to find the back of the net.
Table-topper Ranchi Rays face Kalinga Lancers, who grabbed the fourth spot in the points table ahead of Dabang Mumbai on the basis of a better goal difference, in the first semi-final on Saturday. Delhi, who moved to third place in the overall standings with 27 points, will take on Jaypee Punjab Warriors in the second semi-final on the same day.
In their do-or-die clash, Waveriders started positively, creating a goal-scoring opportunity as early as the sixth minute when their skipper Child after some fine dribbling inside the striking circle passed the ball to Mandeep Singh who failed to connect. Delhi launched a series of attacks right from the word go in the rival citadel but couldn't break through the visitors' defensive wall as the first quarter ended goalless.
Delhi - backed by a vociferous home crowd who turned up in huge numbers - came out strongly in the second quarter as they got back-to-back penalty corners in the first five minutes of the play. Delhi's star player Rupinder didn't disappoint the crowd and his team as he unleashed a scorching dragflick to give his team a 1-0 lead. The visitors pressed hard for the equaliser and created two good chances towards the end of the second quarter but Delhi goalkeeper Devon Manchester - who was the difference between the two teams - denied them any breakthrough on both the occasions.
The first of those came when Kalinga striker Glenn Turner deflected a fine hit towards the goal but an alert Devon made a fine save. A minute later, at the stroke of half-time, Kalinga got their first penalty corner of the match and once again Devon was up to the task, making an instinctive dive on his left to thwart rival skipper Mortitz Fuerste's solid dragflick as Delhi held on to their 1-0 lead.
The story remained the same even after the change of ends for Kalinga as Delhi got their third PC of the match and Rupinder this time sounded the board to make it 2-0. Rupinder unleashed a sharp low dragflick onto the left side which also foxed the goalkeeper. Soon after the second goal, Delhi's Steven Edwards made a fine solo run inside the D and fumbled before his hit was timely saved by jumping Kalinga goalkeeper AK Pandey.
Child extended the Delhi lead to 4-0 by scoring a superb field goal - which accounted for two as per new HIL rules - and they finished the third quarter with a healthy 4-0 lead.
The fourth and final quarter saw a number of good goal scoring moves from both the sides but luck eluded Kalinga on Wednesday with all their PCs (five) saved. Delhi striker Mandeep didn't have a good day either as he wasted a second open chance to score but missed a sitter, hitting it wide of the goal. Lancer got their fifth and final PC towards the end but failed to convert it as well. On the other hand, Parvinder Singh tucked Talwinder Singh's pass into an empty net in the 56th minute on a well-planned counter-attack to make it 6-0.
The Times of India
Delhi beat Kalinga 6-0, both in semis
A match in progress between Delhi Waveriders and Kalinga Lancers on Wednesday.
New Delhi: Delhi Waveriders crushed Kalinga Lancers 6-0 in a do-or-die match to enter the semifinals of the Hockey India League here today.
Kalinga also managed to make it through because of a better goal difference than Dabang Mumbai. Both finished the league stage at 25 points, while Delhi climbed to the third spot with 27 points.
The first semifinal will be played between Punjab Warriors and Delhi and the second between holders Ranchi Rays and Kalinga. The semifinals and final will be played in Ranchi over the weekend.
The first quarter started with Delhi making many circle penetrations. Kalinga’s defence looked strong as they anticipated the home team’s moves well and didn’t allow them to hold possession.
As the first quarter progressed, the visitors started attacking but missed their chances. Delhi’s first opportunity in the second quarter came in the 18th minute and Rupinder Pal Singh converted the penalty corner. Lancers got a penalty corner at the end of the second quarter but goalkeeper Devon Manchester stopped Mortiz Fuerste from levelling the score. Rupinder Pal scored his second from another penalty corner in the 33rd minute.
In the next minute, Simon Child tapped in a Harjeet Singh pass . The goal extended the lead to 4-0. Kalinga got a penalty corner in the 49th minute but Manchester again denied them. Parvinder Singh scored a field goal after a counter-attack in the 56th minute to finish off the match.
The Tribune
The plan to reinvent hockey’s circle
After the success of the two-goals-a-goal experiment in HIL, FIH contemplating increasing dimensions of scoring arc.
Written by Nitin Sharma
The shooting circle in hockey is currently 14.83 m from the back line.
As the fourth edition of the Hockey India League wore on, the public frenzy too waned. There was hardly any buzz that greeted the previous editions and players were mostly met with empty glares from the stands. But for reasons purely on-field, this installment, so far, has been successful. The radical two-goals-a-field goal change—to infuse more excitement—might not have seen more crowd teeming into stadium, its perceived purpose. But it certainly has impressed FIH president Leandro Negre, who says the rule might be formalised in international matches. Moreover, they are deliberating on re-sizing the scoring arc, increasing its dimensions by five metres, a measure the rule-makers believe would make the game even more an attractive package.
The two-goal experiment was the buzz in the hockey fraternity this season. From present players to coaches and former players to administrators, the virtues of the rule, and the way it has altered the players’ mindset, such as bringing in improvised methods to execute penalty corners, was expounded at length. The 69-year-old Negre, who has been watching the HIL matches with keen interest, says it could be incorporated into the next rule book, which will be published in 2017. “People are open and ready to test everything. I think the 2 points for a field goal has been a good experience. We are learning about that and we are waiting for our reports and with due time and consultations, I think we can even try these at the international level. But this has to be done under rule book and Mandatory Experiments whenever such things happen. I was not surprised about this idea when we first heard it.
This was in our head for many years,” Negre told The Indian Express.
The FIH’s focus clearly is to increase the goal-scoring opportunities, which the expansion of the arc clearly caters to.
“I think we are ready to change to make the game more attractive. There have been changes in the past too. One of the things which FIH is studying is to increase the circle. Because in this way, it is more difficult to defend and also one gets more room for passes, more easy to shoot to goal and is less important for short corner. An increase of even five metres in the present circle will make the game more scoring. Perhaps, we can ask Hockey India to test this in HIL. We have two top competitions in the world which really help FIH to run new ideas. One is Hockey India League and other is European Hockey League,” he said.
While any increase in the circle would increase the distance from the back line, it would also mean that it will give more opportunities for the team to score at narrow angles and from the right and left corners.
Jaypee Warriors assistant coach Jagbir Singh also sees the players concentrating on field goals. Singh believes that a move to increasing the circle area would increase goal-scoring opportunities. “I believe this is the need of the hour. Of course the pressure on the defenders would increase and it will make them difficult for them to defend. The recent years have seen team focusing on conceding less and earning more penalty corners. Any increase in the area would mean more passes and more moves to be produced. Right now most of the top teams like Germany, Australia and Netherlands focus on conversion from the circle and 23 m line entries into goals and it would also give forwards a chance to try goals from a narrower angle near the goal-post. It would increase the creativity,” says Singh.
Easier for keepers
The increase would be from the back-line parallel to the goalposts, making the goalkeepers’ life relatively easier. But they have to be vigilant about narrow angles now. Says former goal-keeper Baljit Singh Dadhwal: “The number of defenders would be the same in case of penalty corner or an attack in any situation. But it would also mean that the ball has to cover more distance in case of penalty corners. And that will give goal-keeper more time to save. On the contrary, it would result in more moves and narrow angle shots from near the post and outside the post. There will be more deflections and more possibilities will be there,” said Dadhwal.
The game, it seems, is in constant evolution, as the FIH seems obsessed to tinker with rules. “Over the years, we need to change. We have good ideas and we need to analyse it. For the youth, TV would be their cellphones. We need to make hockey a very attractive package. We need to make a product that attracts youth. It is not only how they play. We are also thinking how to present the game. And that also means there has to be focus on spectators. Whether it is television of cellphones, hockey as a product will be for spectators,” said Negre.
Indian Express
Line-ups almost set for Junior Hockey World Cups
India men won the Junior Asia Cup last year and will play as hosts at the Men's Junior Hockey World Cup in December (Photo: Hockey India)
With only a few Continents still to qualify teams for the Junior Hockey World Cup, we take a look at who has qualified so far
While the best senior teams in the world will be eyeing the Rio Olympic Games as their big target this year, the next generation of hockey stars will have their own moment in the spotlight at the end of the year when the Junior Hockey World Cups get under way.
Over the next few months the last continental qualifiers will be played to decide who will be competing at this showcase junior event, the women's taking place in Santiago, Chile from 24 November to 4 December and the men's in India from 1-11 December.
The Men’s Junior World Cup came into being in 1979, with the women’s event started 10 years later in 1989. From 1985 it has been played every four years.
Germany is the most successful men’s team with six titles to its name, while the Netherlands women have won the title three times, with Korea women winning the title twice.
So far, Europe, Oceania and Asia have played their continental qualifiers, with the Pan American women’s event taking place in March and the men’s event in June. The Africa Junior Cup for Nations will also be taking place in March.
The European qualifying event took place back in 2014 in Waterloo, Belgium, with Netherlands, Germany, England, Belgium, Spain and Austria qualifying on the men’s side and Netherlands, Germany, England, Spain, Belgium and France qualifying from the women’s competition.
It was a two-horse race between Australia and New Zealand in the Oceania qualifier, which took place in January in the Gold Coast, Australia.
Both teams qualified but the young Australian teams have the bragging rights. The men completed a hat-trick of victories, beating their Black Sticks rivals 3-0, 5-1 and 2-1. Two names for the future are penalty corner specialist Frazer Gerrard and lively forward Max Hendry, who scored a hat-trick of field goals in the 5-1 victory and finished the competition’s top scorer.
The women’s team also won all three games, although these were close encounters, with Australia's Jillaroos winning 2-1, 3-2 and a more comfortable 4-1. Madison Ratcliffe of Australia finished the competition as top scorer.
It was India all the way in the Men’s Junior Asia Hockey Cup as they defeated Pakistan 6-2 in an exhilarating display of attacking hockey at the Wisma Belia Hockey Stadium in Kuantan, Malaysia.
In the eighth edition of this tournament, man of the moment was Harmanpreet Singh, who scored four penalty corners, three of them in the first half of the match.
The bronze medal went to Korea after they beat Japan in a cagey 2-1 match. The prize for the teams finishing in the top four places – India, Pakistan, Korea and Japan – is automatic qualification for the Men’s Junior World Cup.
In the women’s Junior Asia Cup held in Changzhou, China - China, Japan and Korea all qualified, with India losing out to Korea in the bronze medal match. China beat Japan in a tense final that went to shoot-out.
Who will be representing the Pan American region will be decided through two events: from 29 March to 10 April the women’s event will get under way in Trinidad and Tobago, while from May 20-28, the men are off to Toronto in Canada.
Eleven women’s teams and eight men’s teams will be competing at this year’s Junior Pan American Championships and with the Rio Olympics taking place on the continent just a few weeks later, there is bound to be a certain buzz around the matches as the teams battle to qualify for the Junior World Cup.
The Junior Pan American Championships started in 1978 for the men, with the women’s event commencing 10 years later. In that time, it has been an almost total Argentinian domination. The men have won every edition of the tournament, the women have been beaten only once, by the USA in 2008.
Final confirmation of Junior World Cup qualifiers will be announced in June. Check the FIH website for further details, including details about the Junior Hockey World Cups.
Junior Hockey World Cup composition
Men's (TBC, India)
Continent Teams
Africa 2
Asia 4
Europe 6
Oceania 2
Pan America 2
Total Teams 16
Women's (Santiago, Chile)
Continent Teams
Africa 2
Asia 3
Europe 6
Oceania 2
Pan America 3
Total Teams 16
FIH site
How to tame the Argentina lion cubs?
Sarah Juggins
It is the question vexing all the teams lining up to participate in this year’s men’s and women’s Junior Pan Am Hockey Championships. How to beat Argentina?
Since the Junior Pan Am Championships began in 1978 for the men and 1988 for the women, only one other team has managed to lift the trophy – the USA team in 2008.
While that USA team were very worthy champions, beating Chile in the final, it was actually Chile who put a dent in the Argentine domination of the event. A 3-1 victory in the semi-finals was a combination of well-taken chances and determined defence as well as the tactical nous of the coaching team of Ronald Stein, Alfredo Castro and Diego Wenz.
In that match, Chile took the lead through Christine Fingerhuth after Chile’s goalkeeper, Claudia Schuler, pulled off a string of great saves to keep Argentina at bay.
Argentina fought back and scored immediately after the break for half-time, Macarena Rojas latched onto a cross from Rocio Sanchez Moccia to equal the match. But where Chile might have been expected to retreat at this point, they defied the odds and marched back into the lead with goals from Sophia Walbaum and Camila Caram.
Despite this chink in the armour of the blue and white team, Argentina were back on song in the 2012 edition, with both the men and the women winning against Canada in the finals.
Canada’s coach is Steph Andrews and we caught up with her to find out just how she was planning on beating Argentina this time around.
“Argentina historically have always been classy. Their ability to be creative and play with flair makes it hard for teams to match up against them and stop their flow. Any team that is going to beat Argentina will need to be good defensively and take their opportunities when it counts.”
From Andrew’s point of view, Canada is definitely closing the gap on their south American rivals at junior level. She pinpoints developing depth within the junior squad as being key to this. “I believe we are establishing a good group under our senior team both at a junior national squad level and the development squads below that, all of which will aid in closing the gap between us and Argentina.”
However, Mariano Ronconi, coach of the U-21 Men's Team and Agustin Corradini, who is in charge of the U-21 Women’s Team would disagree with Andrews. Both men have been involved at the top level of coaching with Argentina’s men’s and women’s senior sides and bring that wealth of experience to the junior team.
Speaking of his team’s dominance in the competition, Ronconi says: “It is all about preparation. The continued success of Argentina in the Pan Am Games is due to many factors: we have a large pool of players to draw from; we play a lot of high level tournaments so the players are used to the pressure; and for this tournament, we have been working in a systematic way for the past two years doing concentrated training sessions each month. This ramps up to a higher degree now as we will be training together throughout the whole year.”
For Ronconi, it is the club system of Argentina that plays such a big part in player development. His players all compete regularly at the top level of club hockey in the country. This, he says, gives them unprecedented opportunity to gain match play experience and learn how to deal with the toughest demands of the game.
It is not just at club level that the junior Argentine men get to play alongside older, more experienced players. Ronconi says there is a lot of interaction between the senior international side and the U21 players. “Today we have a a lot of interaction between the senior and the junior. We try to train the same and play the same and sometimes train together. This means that young players who move to the senior team can make a smooth and gentle transition between teams. For the juniors, you can see the difference in their play as soon as they start mixing with the seniors.”
Corradini has a similar outlook. The coach has worked as an assistant with some of the great Argentina coaches of recent years and sees the same ethos and hockey culture reflected at every level of the game, from schools through to the senior program.
“Without schools, the recruitment process of young players would be more difficult. Without the specialist training provided through the clubs, nothing could be real. It really is a question of team work, between schools, clubs, and the national team.” he says.
In this way, Corradini believes that the young players who are selected at junior international level are already well on their way to being the ‘finished’ article. “There are good young players all over the country. When they get selected for the national team, they have already been part of very good development programs within their own clubs. We make sure that they have all the elements in place and then work with those qualities to make them even better – as a result our players have very good technical skills, they are perfectly physically trained, and they have a professional mindset.”
Unlike the men’s team, where the transition between juniors and seniors has been smooth, Corradini says that within the women’s team things have been a little trickier in the past few years. “I agree with Mariano, there is a lot of communication between squads. Junior coaches are also with the senior teams, so transition of knowledge is smooth. With the women however, last year the transition wasn’t like that because a lot of experienced players quit the national team. This caused some difficulty, but slowly this transition is getting very strong again. It will come with patience and hard work.”
And what of the question of Argentina’s impact on the Junior World Cup because, despite dominating the Pan American Junior Hockey Championships, both the men and the women have only claimed the world title once apiece – in 1993 for the women and 2005 in the case of the men.
“There are some differences in favour of teams from Europe and Oceania,” says Ronconi. “Water pitches are the biggest factor. We just don’t have many, so our players lack that experience.”
Corradini says the styles of hockey across continents are non-comparable. ‘There are just not points of comparison. Every country or continent has its good and bad points, but you are talking about continents, and even countries within the content, that have different cultures, different infrastructures, different distances between clubs.”
One bright spot for the teams seeking to dismantle the Argentine dominance of the event is the lack of international experience among the current crop of players. The junior men only played one international tournament last year, while Corradini says that budget constraints have limited the junior women’s team to one tour, albeit providing a great experience.
“We don’t have a lot of international experience because of budget. We just played some matches against Australia; that was an extraordinary experience for all the girls.
“One difficulty is balancing the players who have travelled and played with the senior team with those that have not yet had that experience. That is an impossible balancing act. Our solution is just to continue with the development program, giving those that are not playing senior international hockey the tools to improve and get stronger.”
And ominously for the teams lining up in Tacarigua and Toronto, Corradino says: “We believe the best results for Argentina ever are just around the corner.”
Pan American Hockey Federation media release
Irish U18 Girls Squad for Scotland Series announced
Following a recent selection series at St Gerard’s School and Queen’s University the U18 panel has been reduced to a training squad of 22. This squad will train towards a test series against Scotland at the University of Ulster this Easter, from which the final squad of 18 players will be selected for the EuroHockey Youth Championship in Cork from 24th/30th July.
After this selection Head Coach Steven Arbuthnot was quick to praise the training group.
“From the new year we had been working with a group of around 30 players, where the technical ability of all the girls was of a very high standard. My team and I reflected on Monday afternoon after a tough camp, how we had noticed significant improvements in some targeted areas. With the level of play being so high the group should be commended for making selection a difficult process for us. I would like to praise the efforts of all those involved and I am very much looking forward to taking this group forward in the coming months as we prepare for a competitive series against our Scottish neighbours”.
1 Michelle Barry
2 Emma Buckley (GK)
3 Kerrie Burns
4 Rachel Burns
5 Michelle Carey
6 Niamh Carey
7 Ellen Curran
8 Alana Doyle
9 Kathryn Edgar
10 Kathrine Egan
11 Erin Getty
12 Rosie Henderson
13 Hannah Irwin
14 Suzie Kelly
15 Freya McDermott
16 Grace McLoughlin
17 Hannah McLoughlin
18 Jess McMaster
19 Elizabeth Murphy (GK)
20 Abbie Russell
21 Megan Todd (GK)
22 Sarah Torrans
Irish Hockey Association media release
Players to get Rs500,000 each for hockey gold
KARACHI: Pakistan Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, who is also the patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), announced a Rs500,000 cash award for every Pakistan Whites player after they claimed gold in the South Asian Games on Friday.
Pakistan defeated India 1-0 in the final to successfully defend their crown and also complete a hat-trick of titles and, according to PHF secretary Shahbaz Ahmed Senior, the Prime Minister was extremely pleased with the team’s performance.
“The Prime Minister has ordered the prize money to be released within a week and might even arrange a ceremony to commemorate the players,” said Shahbaz.
The players have breathed a sigh of relief as they received their daily allowances before the event and are in line to get their prize money as well, which wasn’t happening when the previous management was in charge.
“The new federation is really working for the revival of hockey,” said striker Touseeq Arshad. “When we know our payments are safe then we can focus on the more important aspects of the game. This mental security also reflected in our performance at the games.”
The PHF still owes 22 players of the squad a total of Rs13.8 million — Rs630,000 for each player — for the team’s international tours and domestic camps. The international tours include trips to Australia and Korea along with the Hockey World League Semi-finals.
Shahbaz, meanwhile, added that the dues are expected to be cleared after the 25th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, which commences in April.
The Express Tribune
3 Thunderbolts and UniKL check into quarters
By Jugjet Singh
THREE Thunderbolts and UniKL Young Guns have checked into the quarter-finals in Division One of the Junior Hockey League.
But the League title will only be decided Friday when double champions SSTMI Thunderbolts and SSP-MSP Thunderbolts play in Kuantan.
The other Thunderbolts qualified for the knock-out are Bukit Jalil Sports School.
SSTMI have been under the Tenaga Nasional sponsored and run Thunderbolts programme for the last 10 years and have nailed four consecutive doubles thus far.
However, Pahang Sports School and BJSS only came under Thunderbolts this season but have shown tremendous progress.
UniKL is the lone lion, but will find it hard to defend their two slivers won last season.
The fourth Thunderbolts, Anderson, are playing in Group B of Division Two and after 16 points from seven matches they too look set to play in the TNB Cup quarter-finals.
The Division Two format is a little complicated as two teams each from the three groups will play another round divided into two groups and the top-two teams qualify for the quarter-finals.
SSP-MSP Thunderbolts received a big blow to their maiden title quest when they were held to a 3-3 draw by Olak Tigers on Wednesday.
Now SSP-MSP must beat SSTMI today, then hope UniKL Young Guns too beat SSTMI on Sunday -- and SSP-MSP beats Politeknik on Sunday to lay their hands on the League title.
For SSTMI to claim their fifth consecutive League title, all they have to do is beat SSP-MSP today -- which is an easier passage.
The Girls JHL, with 14 teams divided into two groups, starts Friday.
FRIDAY -- Boys' JHL: Division One: SSP-MSP Thunderbolts v SSTMI Thunderbolts (Kuantan), SSTMI Juniors v PJCC (SSTMI), BJSS Thunderbolts v Nur Insafi (National Stadium).
Division Two: Group A: Azlan Shah Science v Perlis Young Lions Jnrs (K. Kangsar), Kedah Jnrs v Matri (Sg Petani); Group C: Malacca Hurricanes v MSN-PHT (Malacca), TBSS Tampin v SM Sains Johor (Seremban II).
SATURDAY: Division Two: Group A: USM Penang v Azlan Shah Science (Sg Petani); Group C: MSN-PHT v Sabah Sports School (Malacca Pitch II), Malacca Hurricanes v Pahang Hockey Academy (Malacca Pitch I), SMKDBL Jnrs v TBSS Tampin (Batu Pahat).
SUNDAY: UniKL Young Guns v SSTMI Thunderbolts (National Stadium Pitch II), SSTMI Juniors v Nur Insafi (STMI), SMKDBL Young Guns v PJCC (Batu Pahat), Olak Tigers v BJSS Thunderbolts (Tun Razak), SSP-MSP Thunderbolts v Politeknik Malaysia (Kuantan).
GIRLS' JHL -- Friday: Group A: Selangor Girls v Tun Hussein Onn (Ministry of Education), UniKL Young Guns v Southern Girls (National Stadium Pitch II, 7pm), SSTMI Thunderbolts v SMK Za'ba (SSTMI, 7pm)
SUNDAY: UniKL Young Guns v Tun Hussein Onn (National Stadium Pitch I), Selangor Girls v Southern Girls (Ministry of Education).
NOTE: Matches start at 5pm unless stated.
DIVISION ONE
P W D L F A Pts
SSTMI TNDER' 7 7 0 0 34 9 21
SSP-MSP-TNDER' 7 5 1 1 34 12 16
UNIKL YOUNG GUNS 8 5 1 2 23 16 16
BJSS TNDER' 7 5 0 2 25 13 15
POLITEKNIK 8 3 1 4 13 15 10
OLAK TIGERS 8 3 1 4 20 27 10
SMKDBL YOUNG GUNS 8 2 1 5 15 20 7
PJCC 7 2 0 5 9 15 6
NURINSAFI 7 1 2 4 11 31 5
SSTMI JRS 7 0 1 6 6 32 1
Jugjet's World of Field Hockey
Pahang Sports School blew it with draw in junior hockey league
by Aftar Singh
BJSS Thunderbolt's Muhammad Rahimi Rosley (left) takes a shot as Politeknik Malaysia's Muhammad Fakhri Ardillah Saifullah tries to block during their Malaysian Junior Hockey League match at National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Wednesday. - IZZRAFIQ ALIAS / The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: The Pahang Sports School (SSP)-MSP-Thunderbolt’s title hopes are as good as gone.
The Pahang side could only draw 3-3 against Olak-Tigers in their Division One match in the Malaysian Junior Hockey League at the Kuantan Hockey Stadium on Wednesday.
With defending champions Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI)-Thunderbolt leading the 10-team standings with 21 points from seven matches, the Pahang Sports School needed to beat Olak to take the title fight down to the wire.
Instead, the east coast team now have only 16 points from seven matches.
With both teams having two matches to go, all SSTMI need to do to keep the Division One crown for a fifth consecutive time is to beat the Pahang Sports School when they clash at the Kuantan Hockey Stadium on Friday.
The two teams will wrap up their fixtures on Sunday, with SSTMI facing Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) in Bukit Jalil and the Pahang Sports School taking on Politeknik Malaysia in Kuantan.
Pahang Sports School coach Mohd Sufian Mohamed was clearly annoyed with his players’ performance against Olak.
“I was expecting a big win against Olak so that we could to stay on track for the league title, but my players let me down,” he said.
“We missed a number of scoring chances. We failed to score a single field goal against Olak.
“With the draw, our hopes of winning the league title is as good as over.”
Olak took the lead through Nur Najibrullah Ramle in the sixth minute before Pahang Sports School went 2-1 ahead through Mohd Idris Samad’s two penalty corner goals in the 19th and 23rd minutes.
Although Olak levelled the scored through Mohd Hameran Anuar in the 28th minute, Idris put Pahang ahead again with his hattrick – a penalty corner – to make it 3-2.
But Nur Najibrullah had the last say when his 69th minute goal snatched a draw for Olak.
In the other match, Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS)-Thunderbolt came back from a goal down to beat Politeknik Malaysia 4-2 at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil for their fifth win.
Muhd Noor Firdaus Rosdi (5th, 67th) scored a brace for BJSS while Arif Sabron (28th) and Muhd Hafiizhuddin Zaidi (34th) chipped in with one goal apiece.
Muhd Fakhri Ardillah Saifullah (3rd) and Muhd Ammirul Hafiz Rashid (57th) scored for Politeknik Malaysia.
The Star of Malaysia
Chasing the Dream with Rachel Dawson
As part of our weekly Wednesday Chasing the Dream posts, we’ll be featuring a USWNT athlete up until the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The bold, block style letters traditionally printed on the U.S. Women’s National Team’s jersey have quite a history and a future with the last name of Dawson. Following the path of her two sisters, Natalie and Sarah former USWNT athletes, Rachel Dawson has kept the hockey heirloom alive and well at the very pinnacle of play.
From her childhood home in Berlin, N.J., Dawson shared her competitive spirit, natural athleticism and a tiny bathroom with her seven siblings. For Dawson, being a part of a big team is second nature and has molded her into a better teammate.
“It made me more able to go with the flow and deal with different people feeling different things at different times,” said Dawson. “It allows me to be to okay with situations like with sitting in back of the van on bus rides no matter what is or isn’t going on. Growing up in a big family has had a tremendous impact on me as a teammate.”
The versatile defender, midfielder joined the junior national team in 2001 and advanced to the senior squad in 2005. Graduating from University of North Carolina in 2007, she continued to pursue hockey. Now, she is the most capped athlete on the team with more than 260 marks. A substantial amount of personal development occurs within these many international caps. Dawson taps into yoga and writing as vessels to track and perpetuate self-discovery and exploration. More than often, those worlds overlap.
As athletes our internal voice becomes a cheerleader, pushing us to the finish line during exhausting workouts. Recently, Dawson was in the midst of a demanding conditioning exercise and reverted back to moments during mediation at a yoga teacher training. During her first rep, she wondered what would happen if she silenced the motivator, the enforcer, how each step was landing and was just focused totally on the run itself.
“I felt a sense of peacefulness,” said Dawson. “I could really get into the flow of the run without the mind’s forceful voice yelling ‘be better, you have to do this.’ I ran faster because it came from this real peaceful place of acceptance and being in the moment and how I was doing verse the expectation of how I should be performing.”
This sense of composed calm is an aura the two-time Olympian has continued to carry regardless of the competition, score or opponent. She has sported the red, white and blue at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and London 2012 Olympic Games. Her advice to others going through their first Olympic cycle and selection is simple: be present.
“Don’t expect anything just experience everything,” said Dawson. “Experience each moment for what it is. Accept it and love it. Don’t get caught up in wanting things to be one way or another.”
In her latest blog post on The Athlete Way, Dawson reflects on the question as to why continue hockey after two Olympics, within 15 years spent with the national team pipeline between the junior to senior level and various other accomplishments at the international level.
“I’m not going to be the hero you read about in books. I’m not that type of hero. I am a weaver. I weave seemingly random moments into a tapestry of words that come together to form a message that connects the outwardly disparate, distinct threads of my life. I merge bold obnoxious hues of green, red and orange, with soft pastels of pink, yellow, purple and blue. That is my craft, my gift. I connect things, subtly, invisibly, patiently, into an intelligible whole.
It’s an abstract, confusing and frustratingly slow process. People often ask me why I’m still playing field hockey. Well, its simple really. The tapestry isn’t complete. I’m still weaving.”
And what a piece of artwork it will be.
USFHA media release
Richie McCaw OK with fiancee Gemma Flynn going to Rio despite Zika virus threat
The Olympics are taking precedence over wedding plans for Richie McCaw and his hockey star fiancee Gemma Flynn. RICHIE McCAW FACEBOOK
Richie McCaw is comfortable with his hockey star fiancee Gemma Flynn attending the Rio Olympics despite Zika virus fears in Brazil.
An outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease - which is being linked to severe birth defects - has caused growing concern ahead of the Games, particularly for female athletes.
Flynn is a member of the Black Sticks women's team who have qualified for the Games and looks set to feature at her third Olympics following appearances at Beijing (2008) and London (2012).
McCaw seems confident that Olympic officials will do their utmost to keep athletes informed and make health safety a priority.
McCaw appeared on NewstalkZB on Thursday after being named New Zealander of the year the night before and was asked if he was concerned about Flynn attending the Games amidst the Zika threat.
"Not really," McCaw said. "The Olympic team, I know they will all be making sure that ... the Olympics, the last thing they want is to hear all the bad stories.
"They will be making sure that things are the best they can be."
He laughingly added: "I think blokes are just as vulnerable too, so I'll have to decide if I go."
Flynn watched McCaw lift the Rugby World Cup for the second time at last year's tournament in England and the retired All Blacks skipper looks set to be in the stands in Rio following the fortunes of the hockey team.
McCaw made it clear that the Olympics were taking precedence over the couple's wedding plans after announcing their engagement last month.
"Obviously the priorities at the moment are looking at Rio," he said.
McCaw, discussing his life since stepping down from rugby, said Flynn was an inspiration to him to keep fit and active.
"With Gemma training for the Olympics, when you see her going out the door to train, it's pretty hard to sit there and do nothing," he told NewstalkZB.
McCaw has immersed himself in adventure racing and lost weight since he hung up his rugby boots on October 31.
"You see good and bad examples," he said of rugby players in terms of maintaining physical condition after retiring.
"That's why I got myself in an adventure race in April to make sure I get off the couch," he said.
"I've learned if you do it right, you feel good. There is wear and tear from what you have done and the worse thing you can do is do nothing.
"Actually I feel remarkably good having kept going and doing things. I never want to let that slip. It is better to carry on than wait 12 months and then have to start again."
Stuff
Gerry Ralph
Gerry Ralph, pictured left, with former Scottish Hockey Director Jim Aitken at the Annual Awards in 2012
Scottish Hockey, European Hockey Federation and Kelburne Hockey Club are today mourning the loss of Gerry Ralph, Former President of Scottish Hockey and former Chairman of the EHF Development Committee, who died this morning in his hometown of Paisley, Scotland.
Gerry was a pivotal figure in the development and success of Kelburne Hockey Club; a founder member in 1969, Gerry's guidance and commitment to the growth of the club was invaluable. He was prominent in the set up and development of the junior section and in particular the girls side. His drive and enthusiasm was an inspiration to others who found it impossible to refuse when he asked them to get involved in helping out.
Gerry was given an honorary dinner by the club in 2000 in recognition of his tremendous work and achievements. It was thought appropriate at this time, as Gerry’s influence was key in taking the club forward into the 21st century in great shape.
Gerry became President of SHU in 2000 and helped progress the name of Scottish Hockey within Europe, not only during his Presidency, but over the past 16 years of involvement as a Member and then Chairman of both the EHF Development Committee and Development Projects Committee.
Gerry was a family man, and his children followed in his footsteps with his love of the sport of hockey and of course the club. Gerry was very proud of his children's involvement and achievements at Kelburne and rightly so. His contribution to the success of Kelburne Hockey Club is immeasurable, a true gentleman, he will be sorely missed by all who knew him. He leaves behind him a tremendous legacy at Kelburne and everyone at the club is deeply saddened at his passing.
The President of the EHF, Marijke Fleuren speaking on behalf of the whole European Hockey family said “I am deeply saddened to hear this morning of the death of Gerry Ralph. Gerry was devoted to the development of youth hockey all his life, both in his own club of Kelburne and later when he brought his knowledge and dedication to his work for the European Hockey Federation.
"Gerry was instrumental in developing our youth leadership programmes and later was responsible for setting up our very successful Youth Panel as Chairman of our Development Projects Committee.
"His softly spoken manner, kindness coupled with his leadership skills were the perfect combination to develop our incredible young leaders.
"To Maria, Claire, Mark, Nicola and his much loved 6 grandchildren we pass on our deepest condolences and hope that you take come consolation in the fact that Gerry’s legacy of giving and leadership will live on in those he inspired.”
Anne Wotherspoon, President of Scottish Hockey said “ Gerry Ralph was one of the most respected members of Scottish Hockey and was a tremendous ambassador for our sport both within Scotland and Internationally.
"He was passionate about hockey and that came across in my personal contact with him. He was also very wise counsel.
"Ours is a great family sport and Gerry embraced that within his immediate and extended family, all of whom are involved whether as players or as supporters.
"Gerry was a loyal Kelburne man but he gave so much to the wider hockey community, serving as one of my predecessors as President and as long standing member of our International Affairs group where he kept us all informed of the work being done within the EHF through his Development Committee. The Scottish Hockey family will miss him. He was certainly one of the good guys.”
Norman Hughes, EHF, Development and Education Manager added “Not only a good colleague and champion of the smaller nations Gerry was just a pleasure to work with. A gentle spoken but determined man he was always available to offer wise advice. EHF Development Projects Committee will miss him immensely but will always remember the massive contributions that he has made”
Funeral details will be announced at a later stage.
Scottish Hockey Union media release
Canadian field hockey community mourns loss of Graeme Carswell
Shaheed Devji
It is with great sadness that Field Hockey Canada joins the Canadian field hockey community in mourning the loss of former Men’s National Program athlete Graeme Carswell.
The 21 year-old native of Tsawwassen, British Columbia lost his life on Sunday after a fishing accident at the Chilliwack River.
A former member of the Canadian Under-21 Junior National Team, Carswell had also played local club hockey for Detla and West Vancouver with many athletes who have played and currently play for Canada’s National Teams.
He recently returned from playing club hockey in the Netherlands. Carswell was also a member of the University of Victoria Vikes field hockey team.
“Over the last month I have enjoyed watching Graeme come to our club and start loving hockey again,” says Rob Short, a former Canadian National Team player and captain and member of the West Vancouver Premier Men’s Team. “He was playing the best hockey of his life. Tonight I felt the true feeling of how important my club is to me.”
Athletes and staff at Field Hockey Canada offers our deepest condolences and prayers to the Carswell family during this difficult time.
Field Hockey Canada media release