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All the news for Thursday 7 April 2016

Black Sticks trounce Korea to progress


Olivia Merry and Sophie Cocks celebrate a goal. Photo: www.photosport.nz

The Black Sticks Women have recorded an emphatic 6-0 victory over Korea to progress to the semi finals at the Hawke’s Bay Cup.

It was a dominant performance from the home side who took control from the opening whistle and were relentless on attack throughout the match.

The Black Sticks scored three goals in each half with Anita Punt picking up a brace of penalty corner flicks while Olivia Merry, Sophie Cocks, Sam Charlton and Pippa Hayward also found the back of the net.

The result sets up a semi final against trans-Tasman rivals and defending champions Australia at 6:15pm on Saturday, while the second semi sees Japan up against China at 4:00pm.

Both semi finals and classification playoffs will be streamed live at hockeynz.co.nz/Video

Black Sticks captain Sam Charlton said it was a complete team performance from her side.

“I think we were pretty happy to put away six goals against a good defensive side like Korea, so that is pleasing,” Charlton said.

“You can see how connected we were as a unit tonight and we transitioned from defence to attack very well.

“It’s important to be able to win these sort of crunch matches consistently and I think, touch wood, we’re heading that way but Saturday will be another big test for us.”
 
The Black Sticks grabbed an early advantage midway through the opening quarter thanks to a cutting run from Rachel McCann who slipped a pass in to Olivia Merry for an open shot at goal.

New Zealand pushed their lead further in the 18th minute after a long overhead clearance found Merry wide open to run the ball into the  circle, finding a diving Sophie Cocks to knock home.

Two minutes later the Black Sticks earned their first penalty corner of the game, and capitalised on the opportunity with Anita Punt flicking low and to the left to give her side a 3-0 lead at halftime.

Sam Charlton added to the score line in the 47th minute after pouncing on a loose ball and smashing a reverse stick shot into the goal from the edge of the circle.

That wasn’t the end for the Black Sticks who added a further two goals in the final 30 seconds with another penalty corner flick from Punt before an opportune tap in by Pippa Hayward.

In other results today Japan outmuscled India 3-1, China edged out Canada 1-0 and defending champions Australia beat Ireland 3-0.

Hawke’s Bay Cup – Semi Finals
Saturday 9th April

3rd/4rd Playoff, India (Loser QF1) v Canada (Loser QF2), 11:30am
3rd/4rd Playoff, Ireland (Loser QF3) v Korea (Loser QF4), 1:45pm
Semi Final 1, Japan (Winner QF1) v China (Winner QF2), 4:00pm
Semi Final 2, Australia (Winner QF3) v Black Sticks (Winner QF4), 6:15pm

BLACK STICKS 6: (Anita Punt 2, Olivia Merry, Sophie Cocks, Sam Charlton, Pippa Hayward)
KOREA 0
Halftime: Black Sticks 3-0

Hockey New Zealand Media release

Parker at the double

Hockeyroos advance to semi finals

By Lawrence West



Georgie Parker’s double either side of an Ashleigh Nelson deflection secured a 3-0 win over Ireland and with it the Hockeyroos’ place in Saturday’s semi final at the Hawke’s Bay Cup in Hastings.
                 
Australia’s women will face either hosts New Zealand Black Sticks or Korea, who finished bottom of Pool A, as they seek to secure a third consecutive appearance in the event’s grand final.          
           
Hockeyroos Head Coach Adam Commens was far happier with his side’s performance against Ireland following a frustrating match against Canada on Tuesday.       
           
He said, “Today, against a more accomplished opponent, to win 3-0 was satisfying, particularly in the pressure situation of a quarter final.         
           
“They’re [Ireland] a very good side. We saw against the Black Sticks the other night they were leading for the first few quarters and they played some enterprising hockey. We knew that if we played our style of game and continued to be persistent throughout the match the opportunities would come.
            
“Our style of play is a relentless pressing game and putting on a lot of defensive pressure. I thought we were good in that area today and when we won the ball we counter-attacked quickly. We created opportunities from that.          
           
“You need to be able to create a lot of chances and then you need to take them. We were a bit unlucky. We hit the post and I thought the ‘keeper pulled off some great saves so a promising performance for us.”          
           
Two-goal heroine Georgie Parker admitted the coach had had stern words following Tuesday’s match.

She added, “To win 4-0 [on Tuesday] against most teams you’d be pretty happy but considering the amount of shots and circle penetrations we had [against Canada] 4-0 wasn’t good enough so we had a bit of the blasting that we deserved and came out today with a better, more cohesive performance.       
           
“As a striker it’s our job to score goals. We’ve been struggling to score field goals in last couple of years so it’s nice to put a couple of field goals away today.”          
           
Against the world number 15 side, the third-ranked Hockeyroos enjoyed another dominant performance, led upfront by in-form South Australian Parker. It was Parker to whom the first chance of the match fell but her shot went wide, and the Hockeyroos were almost punished moments later when only a scrambling defence kept out Ireland at the other end.          
           
From then on, however, while Ireland competed well, it was largely Australia’s game. Parker’s close range reverse stick strike nestled in the bottom corner in the 11th minute and it was only through the luck of the Irish that Casey Sablowski’s shot immediately after quarter time cannoned back off the post instead of finding the back of the net.          
           
A series of penalty corners came and went for the Hockeyroos, who were denied by the Irish goalkeeper on several occasions.

The Hockeyroos have largely opted for straight flick set piece efforts as teams hide their alternative routines with the Olympic Games just 121 days away. But it was from an alternative routine that Ashleigh Nelson made it 2-0; the penalty corner injector deflecting home on the back post in the third quarter.          
           
And it was Parker who struck late on with her fourth of the tournament as she fired a powerful low tomahawk effort beyond Irish goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran from the narrowest of angles. She now sits equal first in the tournament top scorer standings, level with Mie Nakashima of Japan.
            
The Hockeyroos will face the winner of the fourth quarter final between New Zealand and Korea in Saturday’s semi final (4:15pm AEST).

Hawke's Bay Cup, Hastings

Quarter Final

HOCKEYROOS: 3 (1)
Georgie Parker 11, 56 (FG, FG)
Ashleigh Nelson 40 (PC)
 
IRELAND: 0 (0)
-
 
Results & Fixtures, today
Japan 3-1 India
China 1-0 Canada
Australia 3-0 Ireland
New Zealand 6 Korea 0

Semi Final & Classification Fixtures, Saturday, 9 April
5-8th: India v Canada (9:30am AEST)
5-8th: Ireland v New Zealand OR Korea (11:45am AEST)
Semi 1: Japan v China (2:00pm AEST)
Semi 2: Australia v New Zealand OR Korea (4:15pm AEST)                                                                         
                                                                                                       
Hockeyroos’ squad v Ireland, Hawke's Bay Cup
Started
Madonna Blyth (Brisbane, QLD) 328/70
Jodie Kenny (Wamuran, QLD) 168/94
Rachael Lynch (Melbourne, VIC) 144/0
Karri McMahon (Berri, SA) 92/9
Georgina Morgan (Armidale, NSW) 34/6
Ashleigh Nelson (Wagin, WA) 203/69
Georgie Parker (Berri, SA) 95/31
Brooke Peris (Darwin, NT) 83/13
Casey Sablowski (South Coast, NSW) 240/44
Emily Smith (Crookwell, NSW) 145/59
Mariah Williams (Parkes, NSW) 42/5
                             
Used Substitute
Edwina Bone (Evatt, ACT) 103/2
Jane Claxton (Adelaide, SA) 90/9
Anna Flanagan (Canberra, ACT) 164/34
Gabrielle Nance (Kingscliff, NSW) [SASI] 28/2
Kathryn Slattery (South Stirling, WA) 44/11
Grace Stewart (Gerringong, NSW) 11/5

Unused Substitute
Ashlee Wells (Moe, VIC) 71/0

Hockey Australia media release

Tough Battle Between Green Army and Hockeyroos



A highly competitive match saw the Green Army keep pace with world number 3 Australia but just unable to take their opportunities.

The game began at a blistering pace, and rarely relented, as both sides had attempts on goal inside the opening 90 seconds. Frazer set out her stall early on with a jinking run into the circle in the opening minutes but it was the Australians who broke the deadlock in the 11th minute. A wayward pass lead to a long corner which the Hockeyroos used to distribute the ball to Parker who cleverly dragged Tice the wrong way before shooting low on the reverse.

The Green Army defence remained composed throughout the second quarter as the Australians drove into the attacking third, winning 3 penalty corners. McFerrans contribution can’t be underestimated as she made several important saves to give her backline some breathing space. 1-0 down with 2 minutes left in the half saw Watkins smoothly sweep the ball into the path of Carroll who drew a high save from Lynch.

An even third quarter saw the sides differentiated by 2 cards for Ireland and a deflected goal by Nelson. Neither team had many chances in the period but a green card for Carroll and a yellow for O’Byrne, both seeming harsh, gave the Hockeyroos the upper hand. Nelson, on the cusp of 200 caps, deflected a training ground PC drag from Kenny to give them a 2-0 lead in the 40th minute.

McFerran, making some superb saves look simple, denied the Aussies 6th and 7th penalty corners in the opening minutes of the final quarter. Despite the heat and high tempo of the game Pinder and Daly had several darting runs with composed vision and awareness. While Frazer made it look easy as, several times, she broke through the centre pairing of Blyth and Sablowski with over 550 caps between them. But too frequently the final pass evaded the Green Army and made goal scoring opportunities hard to come by against an experienced Australian side. Ireland’s sole penalty corner came from persistence by Mullan in the 55th minute but Frazer’s drag was well saved.

The final goal left McFerran with no chance as Parker scored another quality goal on the reverse in the 56th minute.  

 Speaking after the match Coach Graham Shaw said " We were a little disappointed to be 1-0 down at half time. We had a few good goal scoring opportunities and we needed to take them. We'll learn from this game against the world number 3 and be ready to go again on Saturday".

The Green Army will face Korea on Saturday (April 9th) at 12:45am GMT.

Hawkes Bay Cup

Ireland 0
Australia 3 (Parker x2, Nelson)

Squad:

McFerran (GK), O’Byrne, Watkins, Daly, Frazer (Captain), Sargent, Wilson, O’Flanagan, Duke, Evans, Smithwick (GK), Matthews, Tice, Pinder, Loughran, Carroll, Beatty, Mullan

Irish Hockey Association media release

Black Sticks women set-up semifinal showdown with Australia at Hawke's Bay Cup

Clay Wilson


The silky stick skills of Stacey Michelsen were on show in New Zealand's quarterfinal win over Korea at the Hawke's Bay Cup. PHOTOSPORT

The Black Sticks women will face arch-rivals Australia for a place in the Hawke's Bay Cup final.

Tournament hosts New Zealand, ranked fourth in the world, put on a clinical display to dispatch ninth-ranked Korea 6-0 in the quarterfinals at the Hastings Regional Sports Park on Thursday.

It sets up a semifinal showdown with their third-ranked trans-Tasman neighbours on Saturday (6.15pm), the first time the teams have met since Australia prevailed in a shootout in the Oceania Cup final in Stratford in October last year.

China (5) will meet Japan (10) in the other semifinal, after that duo scored 1-0 and 3-1 victories over Canada and India, respectively.

After winning all three of their pool matches against India, China and Ireland, the Rio Olympics-bound Kiwis upped the ante further against the defensively-minded Koreans.

The Black Sticks up-tempo, attacking approach allowed them to create chances throughout as the possession-starved visitors had to make do with a handful of chances on the counter-attack.

In the end, the one-sided scoreboard still flattered Korea as the hosts consistently applied pressure in and around the attacking zone.

It took New Zealand just nine minutes to open the scoring, Olivia Merry knocking a Liz Thompson long ball into the path of fellow striker Rachel McCann, who made an unselfish pass back to Merry for the straightforward finish.

Other chances went begging before quartertime, but it was not long into the second stanza before the Kiwis did get more reward for their dominance.

Sophie Cocks knocked the ball into an open goal from close range when the Black Sticks expertly worked their way out of deep defence and Merry latched onto a Anita Punt overhead flick, with Punt making it 3-0 moments later when her penalty corner drag flick went in off a defenders stick.

Only a lack of execution in front of goal prevented New Zealand from increasing their buffer on several occasions as they went further into the ascendancy in the third quarter, but they were able to regroup in the final break and finish with a flurry.

Defensive midfielder Sam Charlton buried a reverse stick shot into the bottom corner soon after the restart for her team's fourth, forcing Korea to drop into a half-field, 11-player defence that only enabled the Black Sticks free reign to pepper the circle.

And after several more good opportunities were missed, the Kiwis did manage to put the icing on the cake in the final two minutes as Punt converted her second penalty corner flick of the night and Pippa Hayward tapped in after a searching run and shot from Gemma Flynn.

Korea's best chance of the game followed in the final moments, but in one of her only actions of the contest, Black Sticks keeper Sally Rutherford comfortably parried the hard shot away with her glove.

NZ 6 (Anita Punt 21 (PC), 60 (PC), Olivia Merry 9, Sophie Cocks 19, Sam Charlton 48, Pippa Hayward 59) Korea 0. Q1: 1-0. Q2: 3-0. Q3: 3-0.

Stuff

Early goal gives China quarterfinal win over Canada at Hawke’s Bay Cup

Shaheed Devji


PHOTO: Canada’s Thea Culley watches as a Chinese player makes a pass in Canada’s quarterfinal match at the 2016 Hawke’s Bay Cup

Canada’s women’s field hockey team had an impressive showing in its Hawke’s Bay Cup quarterfinal match against China, but a goal in the first minute was the difference as the Chinese beat the Canadians 1-0 Thursday in New Zealand.

The Canadians will be pleased with the effort they gave for sixty minutes, but disappointed they could not overcome the one-goal deficit in an evenly played match.

From the opening whistle, Canada pressed the Chinese in their own end. China was forced to move the ball quickly and it worked in their favour in the first minute as the ball popped loose in the midfield and ended up finding its way to Yang Peng, who managed to put a quick hit by Canadian goalkeeper Kaitlyn Williams for the game’s first goal.

The game settled in quickly after the goal, with both teams knowing the importance of the next tally.

Canada had a good chance to equalize at the end of the first quarter when they were awarded a short corner at the 15 minute mark.

Karli Johansen took the ball, but couldn’t convert on her flick. The Canadians had a few swipes at the loose ball before the Chinese cleared for the end of the first quarter.

China had a corner chance of their own early in the second quarter, but Williams came up big for Canada with a diving save to her right off a Mengyu Wang flick.

The save seemed to spark the Canadians who picked up the pace, saw more of the ball, and kept the play in the Chinese end for long passages before the half. But they were not able to convert and the score remained 1-0 at the break.

After a Holly Stewart chance was turned away early in the third quarter, Canada faced a setback in the second half when captain Kate Gillis was sent off for five minutes with a yellow card.

The Canadians withstood the Chinese pressure thanks in part to Williams who read a play well on a Chinese counter-attack, charging out to make a save on an open player in the 44th minute.

China slowed the game down considerably in the fourth quarter, trying to keep the ball away from the Canadians and it worked well for the most part.

Canada’s best chance to score came in the 59th minute when the ball was driven from the baseline across the face of the Chinese goal, but there was no Canadian stick at the other end and the Chinese held on for the 1-0 victory.

Canada will now face India – which lost to Japan in another quarterfinal – on April 9 at 11:30am in New Zealand (4:30pm PT/7:30pm ET on April 8 in Canada). The game can be watched live at hockeynz.co.nz. The winner of the match will play for 5th place on April 10, while the loser will play for 7th.

Field Hockey Canada media release

Indian women hockey team lose Hawke's Bay Cup quarters 1-3

HASTINGS (New Zealand): Indian women hockey could never recover from three early setbacks and ended up losing the Hawke's Bay Cup quarterfinal 1-3 to Japan, here on Thursday.

Japan struck as early as fifth minute through a penalty corner and added two more goals in the next two minutes to leave India gasping 0-3.

The Indian team earned their first penalty corner in the 14th minute and Rani converted it to reduce the gap.

The game went into half time with Japan leading 3-1.

India came out of half time stronger, and immediately tested the Japanese goal keeper in the beginning of the third quarter, only to be thwarted by their goalkeeper who cleared the ball off the line.

The Japanese, who started the half defensively were pushed back constantly, as the Indians pressed hard to find the goals.

Deflection by Poonam missed the target, while captain Deepika also missed a chance in the quarter.

Late in the fourth quarter, India had a flurry of PCs as they looked to convert a goal to put their opponents under pressure. Japan's goal keeper Asano Sakiyo was called into action as she cleared off the line from Rani's try in the final minutes to ensure her team qualified for the next round.

India next play Canada in the classification game on Saturday.

Australia and New Zealand will take on Ireland and Korea respectively in the other quarterfinals.

The Times of India

World famous men’s invitational competition set to celebrate 25th edition with stellar line-up


Will New Zealand pick up back to back wins at the 25th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup? Photo: Malaysian Insider

Following the start of the Hawke’s Bay Cup in New Zealand at the weekend, another major international event is now underway as  the Malaysian city of Ipoh welcomes the 25th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.

With the first game now complete, Pakistan defeating Canada 3-1, we look forward to what the competition has to offer:

The Silver Jubilee edition of this action-packed men’s invitational competition is set to be another high quality occasion, with all seven of the competing teams placed inside the top 20 of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) World Rankings.

Four of the teams – reigning world champions Australia (FIH World Ranking: 1), Asian champions India (WR: 7), 2015 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup winners New Zealand (WR: 8) and Canada’s Red Caribous (WR: 14) - have qualified for the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. The line-up is completed by Pakistan (WR: 10), Malaysia (WR: 13) and Japan (WR:16), teams all capable of producing strong performances.

The Sultan Azlan Shah Cup has been an annual feature in the FIH calendar since 1998, although it initially started life in 1983 as a biennial event. The event is named after legendary hockey fan and former FIH Executive Board Member HRH Sultan Azlan Shah, the ninth Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) of Malaysia, who sadly passed away in 2014. Although the man known as “the father of Malaysian Hockey” is no longer with us, both his name and legacy lives on in this ever entertaining competition.

With eight titles to their name, Australia’s Kookaburras are the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup’s most successful team, with fellow competitors India (5 titles), Pakistan (3) and New Zealand (2) having also lifted the Cup over the years.

Australia's Kookaburras will certainly enter the competition as favourites, with Head Coach Graham Reid selecting a near full strength team. Legendary forward Jamie Dwyer and ace defender Mark Knowles are both included, as are penalty corner expert Chris Ciriello and young striker Blake Govers, two players who missed the Hero Hockey World League Final 2015 through injury. Speaking about his selection, Reid said: “It’s a strong team, which reflects the importance we put on the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, particularly this year in our preparations for the Olympic Games.”

Australia’s biggest challenges for the title are likely to come from India and New Zealand. The Indian team has enjoyed considerable success in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, having won the event in 1985, 1991, 1995, 2009 and 2010, while New Zealand's Black Sticks can boast of having beaten the Kookaburras in 2015 competition final, adding to the title they claimed in 2012. Like the Australian's, both nations have named extremely competitive line-ups as they begin their preparations for a very big year ahead.

India Head Coach Roelant Oltmans has named a side which features a solid balance of youth and experience, describing the event as “a testing ground for all the youngsters in the squad to prove that they are ready for the big stage in Rio.” Iconic captain Sardar Singh will be hoping that a strong showing in Ipoh could lead to even greater success not just in Rio de Janiero but also at this summer’s Hockey Champions Trophy in London.  

Following their thrilling 3-1 shoot-out victory over Australia in the 2015 final, New Zealand’s Black Sticks will be looking for back-to-back Sultan Azlan Shah Cup wins. Feared striker Simon Child will captain the team, with midfielder Shea McAleese returning to the international fold for the first time in nine months. “I’m really looking forward to getting back out on the turf with the Black Sticks”, said McAleese. “I’m confident we can put together a good performance at the tournament.”   

Canada’s squad features 14 of the 16 players that won silver at the 2015 Pan American Games including inspirational captain and defender Scott Tupper, while a large number of Pakistan’s 2014 Champions Trophy silver medal winning squad will be on show in Ipoh, ensuring that they will be an opponent to be feared.

Despite having reached the final on six occasions, host nation Malaysia still await their first success in this competition and will be hoping that 2016 is their year. Japan are using the event to give some crucial tournament experience to some of their rising stars, with no fewer than nine uncapped players being given the opportunity to shine in Ipoh.

You can follow all of the action from the 25th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup on the official website, facebook and twitter links below:

Website: http://azlanshahcup.my
Facebook: Click here.
Twitter: Click here

#lovehockey

FIH site

Malaysia 3 NZ 3

By Jugjet Singh

MALAYSIA'S sick-bay trio salvaged a 3-3 draw against New Zealand in the 25th Edition of the Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh yesterday.

Skipper Razie Rahim, forwards Firhan Ashaari and Shahril Saabah were fielded in the first-11 even though they were down with high fever for the last three days -- and all three scored a goal each.

Even though the trio had barely recovered, all three played with full zest and Firhan scored a beauty of a goal in the dying seconds of the first quarter for the lead.

In a fast paced 15 minutes, Malaysia matched the Kiwis in speed and ball control and just when the first quarter clock showed 15 seconds to end, the deadlock was broken.

A pass from Meor Azuan found Firhan, whose first attempt was blocked by goalkeeper Kyle Pontifax, but Firhan made sure with a cheeky lift over the towering goalkeeper for the lead.

However, New Zealand got back into the match in the 22nd minute when Nick Wilson weaved past three defenders to slot in the ball past rookie goalkeeper Hafizuddin Othman.

And the score stood until the half-time 10 minute break.

New Zealand took the lead off a similar attack in the 34th minute, and it was Wilson who was on target again.

Skipper Razie gave Malaysia a life-line off only the second penalty corner in the 44th minute, when he drove home a thundering drive to draw level at 2-2.

Malaysia came back from the dead to lead 3-2 when Shahril Saabah scored off a penalty corner attempt in the 48th minute.

However, New Zealand were handed six back-to-back penalty corners and Simon Child scored the equaliser in the 55th minute.

In the opening match Pakistan upset Olympics-bound Canada 3-1 with goals from Muhammad Arslan Qadir (27th, 28th) and Muhammad Arshad (52nd).

The Canada goal was scored by Richard  Hildreth (52nd).

India survived an early goal from Kenji Kitazato off a 17th minute penalty corner to edge Japan 2-1.

The India come-back was spurred by Harmanpreet Singh (25th) and skipper Sardar Singh scored the winner in the 32nd minute.
 
STANDINGS

             P  W  D  L  F  A  Pts
PAKISTAN     1  1  0  0  3  1  3
INDIA        1  1  0  0  2  1  3
MALAYSIA     1  0  1  0  3  3  1
N ZEALAND    1  0  1  0  3  3  1
JAPAN        1  0  0  1  1  2  0
CANADA       1  0  0  1  1  3  0
AUSTRALIA    0  0  0  0  0  0  0

RESULTS: Pakistan 3 Canada 1, Japan 1 India 2, Malaysia 3 New Zealand 3.

April 7: Australia v India (4pm), New Zealand v Canada (6pm), Malaysia v Japan (8.35pm).

April 8: REST DAY.

April 9: Japan v Canada (4pm), New Zealand v Pakistan (6pm), Malaysia v Australia (8.35pm).

April 10: Japan v New Zealand (4pm), Australia v Pakistan (6pm), Canada v India (8.35pm).

April 11: REST DAY.

April 12: Australia v New Zealand (4pm), Pakistan v India (6pm), Malaysia v Canada (8.35pm).

April 13: New Zealand v India (4pm), Australia v Japan (6pm), Malaysia v Pakistan (8.35pm).

April 14: REST DAY.

April 15: Japan v Pakistan (4pm), Australia v Canada (6pm), Malaysia v India (8.35pm).

April 16: Classifications and Final.

Jugjet's World of Field Hockey

Malaysia hold New Zealand to a 3-3 draw


Malaysian Hockey player Fitri Saari pressured by New Zealand players on the first day of the Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh today. Bernqama photo

MALAYSIA held New Zealand to a 3-3 draw in the 25th Edition of the Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh today.

The national players played a fast-paced match and scored the first goal in the 15th minute when Meor Azuan found Firhan Ashaari who tucked in the ball from close range.

However, in the 22nd minute Nick Wilson equalised for New Zealand and the score stool until the half-time break.

But Wilson was on target again in the 34th minute, to give the Kiwis a 2-1 lead.

Malaysia refused to be beaten, and in the 44th minute Razie Rahim scored off a penalty corner to make it 2-2.

And Shahril Saabah gave Malaysia the lead yet again when he perfected Malaysia's third penalty corner in the 48th minute.

New Zealand then won six-back to back penalty corners before Simon Child finally scored off a set-piece in the 55th minute.

In the opening match Pakistan upset Olympics-bound Canada 3-1 with goals from Muhammad Arslan Qadir (27th, 28th) and Muhammad Arshad (52nd).

The Canada goal was scored by Richard Hildreth (52nd).

India survived an early goal from Kenji Kitazato off a 17th minute penalty corner to edge Japan 2-1.

The India come-back was spurred by Harmanpreet Singh (25th) and skipper Sardar Singh scored the winner in the 32nd minute.

RESULTS: Pakistan 3 Canada 1, Japan 1 India 2, Malaysia 3 New Zealand 3.

April 7: Australia v India (4pm), New Zealand v Canada (6pm), Malaysia v Japan (8.35pm).

April 8: REST DAY.

New Straits Times

Malaysia squander lead for a draw with New Zealand

by S. Ramaguru


Malaysia's Razie Rahim (right) fights for the ball with New Zealand Nick Wilson in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. - SAIFUL BAHRI / The Star

IPOH: Malaysia had the lead twice. Yet, they ended up drawing 3-3 against defending champions New Zealand in their opening match of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament.

The world No. 8 New Zealanders were in control of the match, but were let down by their poor penalty corner executions.

They had 11 attempts and scored from just one. Malaysia had three attempts and converted two.

But Malaysia also have rookie goalkeeper Mohd Hafizuddin Othman to thank for keeping them in the game. He was rightly named man-of-the-match.

Hafizuddin was called into action twice in the first five minutes when the Kiwis earned two penalty corners.

Although the Kiwis were in command, it was Malaysia who took the lead through Mohd Firhan Ashari in the 15th minute.

Meor Mohd Azuan Hassan ran off with the ball at the 50-metre line and crossed to the unmarked Firhan to slot past goalkeeper Kyle Pontifex.

Nick Wilson, playing his 150th match for New Zealand, equalised in the 22nd minute with a superb solo goal – beating four players in the D before firing past Hafizuddin.

Wilson was on target again in the 34th minute, with a similar move, to give his team a 2-1 lead.

Ten minutes later, Malaysia made it 2-2 when skipper Mohd Razie Rahim scored with a hefty drag flick off their second penalty corner.

Malaysia went ahead for the second time in the 48th minute when they gained their third penalty corner. This time, Razie, instead of going for goal, cleverly passed it to Mohd Shahril Saabah, who beat the Kiwi defence with a low flick to the right.

The Kiwis then laid siege on Malaysia’s goal. They earned six penalty corners in a row in the 53rd minute. Finally, their 11th attempt bore fruit, with skipper Simon Child slotting home to make it 3-3.

National coach Stephen van Huizen was happy with the point.

“We did well ... it was a good all-round effort. The three players who had fever over the last two days – Firhan, Shahril and Razie – played a good game,” he said.

“We let in two soft goals and that’s something we need to look at. The Kiwis gave us a good fight and this is the kind of match we’re looking for. We will be ready to face Japan tomorrow.”

New Zealand coach Colin Batch felt that they were the better side.

“We had more control of the match. Yes, the goal scoring was not that good although I thought we could have won by a few more goals. I don’t think the draw was a fair reflection of the game ... we were clearly better.”

The Star of Malaysia

Black Sticks draw entertaining match

By David Leggat


Nick Wilson in action for the Black Sticks. Photo / Getty

New Zealand's defence of the Azlan Shah men's hockey title got off to an exciting, if not entirely satisfactory start in Ipoh, Malaysia as they were held to a 3-3 draw by the hosts last night.

Indeed, the eighth-ranked Black Sticks needed a goal five minutes from the end off the last of a stunning passage of six successive penalty corners to secure the draw.

In an entertaining match, New Zealand got what they wanted in terms of a tough, competitive match before a noisy crowd but they'd be disappointed not to take maximum points.

''Overall it was a pretty good performance from us," New Zealand coach Colin Batch said.

"We operated really well in the midfield throughout the game and created a number of opportunities in the attacking circle.

"The guys showed maturity to come back from behind twice, and we took control late in the fourth quarter but weren't able to score a winning goal."

New Zealand had beaten 13th-ranked Malaysia 2-1 in a home international series last month and the Malaysians pace and quick stick work impressed.

That said, two-time title winners New Zealand had the majority of possession and more scoring opportunities.

They unexpectedly fell behind just before the end of the first quarter when Firhan Ashari scored from close range against the run of play, after goalkeeper Kyle Pontifex had blocked his initial attempt but couldn't stop the follow up.

However there had been encouraging signs. Striker Stephen Jenness had struck a post and Malaysia's goalkeeper Hafizuddin had pulled off a couple of smart saves.

New Zealand equalised in the 22nd minute with a fine individual goal by attacker Nick Wilson. Picking the ball up wide on the left, he beat three defenders before flicking the ball inside Hafizuddin's near post.

He then celebrated his 150th international with a second goal, after good inter-passing with Shay Neal, his bouncing shot evading Hafizuddin.

One area Batch would have been unimpressed with was his team's ineffectiveness at the penalty corner. Kane Russell and Nic Woods were the primary shooters and a mix of good defensive work and inaccurate shooting threatened to cost New Zealand dearly.

Malaysia equalized a minute before three-quarter time when captain Razie Rahim scored from a penalty corner shot which took a deflection, and 12 minutes from the end the hosts were ahead.

From a planned move at a penalty corner, Rahim shaped to shoot but held his shot and laid on the chance for Shahril Saabah who scored with a sharp shot.

Then followed the hectic penalty corner drama as New Zealand received six penalty corner opportunities in succession, captain Simon Child finally getting the equalizing goal, deflecting a Russell drive into the net. It had been New Zealand's 11th PC of the match.

New Zealand play 14th-ranked Canada in their second game on Thursday night (NZT).

In other opening day results, the Canadians went down 3-1 to No 10 Pakistan, while India, ranked seventh, beat No 16 Japan 2-1.

World No 1 Australia start their campaign against India tonight.

The New Zealand Herald

Black Sticks in hard fought draw with Malaysia


Nick Wilson attempts to bring the ball under control. Photo: Megat Firdaus, PMF Sport Photography

The Black Sticks Men have battled to a 3-3 draw with hosts Malaysia in their opening game at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.

It was a fast tempo game which saw the lead exchanged several times in front of a vocal home crowd in Ipoh.

Striker Nick Wilson starred with a double in his 150th international appearance while Simon Child added to the goal tally.

Black Sticks head coach Colin Batch said it was disappointing not to take away the win but there were positives to come out of the match.

“It’s disappointing that we didn’t get the win to take all three points, but overall it was a pretty good performance from us,” he said.

“We operated really well in the midfield throughout the game and created a number of opportunities in the attacking circle.

“The guys showed maturity to come back from behind twice, and we took control late in the fourth quarter but weren’t able to score a winning goal.”

The hosts were first to strike late in the first quarter from a swift counter attack which saw Firhan Ashari flick into goal over grounded goalkeeper Kyle Pontifex.

New Zealand responded in electric fashion in the 22nd minute when Wilson went on a solo run into the circle, beating three defenders before hitting past the keeper from a tight angle.

With the score level 1-1 at halftime, it was Wilson who broke the shackles early in the second half after controlling a bouncing ball on the run and slipping the ball inside the left post for his second of the match.

Malaysia captain Razie Rahim equalised from a penalty corner in the 44th minute with a precision drag flick into the top corner of the net.

The hosts then regained the lead five minutes later with Shahril Saabah firing a penalty corner flick past the legs of Devon Manchester.

The Black Sticks were able to draw level once more midway through the fourth quarter after six penalty corner attempts in a row finally paid dividends with Simon Child getting a perfect deflection on Kane Russell’s flick.

The Black Sticks have a short turnaround ahead of their next game at the tournament against Canada at 10pm tonight (NZ time), with live coverage on SKY Sport 3.

BLACK STICKS 3: (Nick Wilson 2, Simon Child)
MALAYSIA 3: (Firhan Ashari, Razie Rahim, Shahril Saabah)
Halftime: 1-1

Hockey New Zealand Media release

Nippy Malaysia hold defending champions New Zealand 3-3

IPOH (Malaysia): Hosts Malaysia produced a spirited performance to hold defending champions New Zealand to a 3-3 draw in their opening match of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament, here on Wednesday.

Three Malaysian players, including captain Razie Rahim, got up from their bed to score a goal each in the home team's fighting 3-3 draw.

Down with flu for the past three days, the three players were considered non-starters and reserves were yesterday summoned to Ipoh, but these senior players -- skipper Razie, Firhan Ansari and Shahril Saabah -- insisted on playing.

Firhan opened the scoring for Malaysia by capitalising on a diagonal ball from Azhan Hasan in the 15th minute.

Ansari's first shy was blocked by Black Sticks goalkeeper Kyle Pontifex but he picked the ball off the custodian's pads to scoop it into the goal.

Nick Wilson then scored two identical field goals in the 22nd and 34th minutes, going past a couple of Malaysian defenders on each occasion.

Captain Razie sent a soaring penalty corner into the net to bring Malaysia to 2-2 parity in the 44th minute.

Four minutes later, Shahril shot on target during a penalty corner melee to raise prospects of a Malaysian victory.

It was a chance they hung on to while defending a series of penalty corners five minutes before the hooter.

New Zealand wasted six consecutive penalty corners as the Malaysian defence stood their ground before Simon Child's flick eventually earned the equaliser for the Black Sticks.

Earlier, former champions India and Pakistan posted narrow wins on the opening day of the 25th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.

Asian Games winners India overcame a stiff Japanese challenge 2-1, while Pakistan prevailed 3-1 against Canada.

The Times of India

India, Pakistan off to good starts in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup

by S. Ramaguru


India’s Sunil Sowmarpet (left) vies for the ball with Japan’s Hirotaka Zendana in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup match at Sultan Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh. — Bernama

IPOH: Not even a piece of bad news before the game could stop India from getting off to a bright start in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament.

World No. 7 India took on world No. 16 Japan with a heavy heart when top forward Manpreet Singh learned that his father had passed away just four hours before the game. The player has returned home.

India’s Dutch coach Roelant Oltmans said that they are likely to go through the tournament with a player short as the tournament rules state that no changes can be made after the team managers’ meeting.

Still, India managed to edge Japan 2-1 in their opening match at the Azlan Shah Stadium here.

Japan opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Kenji Kitazako’s drag flick beat Indian goalkeeper Harjot Singh.

India then earned a penalty corner in the 25th minute and specialist flicker Harmanpreet Singh slotted in the equaliser.

Seven minutes later, skipper Sardar Singh scored with a reverse hit from an acute angle for what turned out to be the match-winner for India.

Oltmans admitted that they did not get off to a good start.

“We got better as the game progressed. We could have scored more goals, but we lacked penetration. Still, we should celebrate every win.”

Earlier, Pakistan pulled off an upset when they defeated Olympic-bound Canada 3-1 in their opening tie.

The Pakistanis scored through Mohd Arslan Quadir (27th and 28th) and Mohd Arshad (52nd). Canada replied through Richard Hildreth (48th).

“It’s a good start ... it will motivate the younger players for the coming matches,” said Pakistan coach K.M. Junaid.

“This tournament is important for us to gauge our performance as we’re building for the future. Our target here is to improve and learn from the others.

“We have a tough match next against Australia. We hope to keep them at bay and pull off another surprise.”

Canadian coach Anthony Farry was not overly concerned with the result.

“It’s not the best start, but we did have our moments in the game. The first half wasn’t so good, but the second saw us playing with greater purpose. We haven’t played them for a long time ... about six years, I think ... but our main target is to prepare for the Rio Olympics,” he said.

The Star of Malaysia

India starts with a narrow win

s2h Team

Helped by a simple looking but timely low reverse flick from captain Sardar Singh, India eked out a narrow 2-1 win over Japan in the opening match of the 25th Azlan Shah Cup here in Ipoh.

Sardar Singh scored the winning goal a minute into the second half, which sustained full time. This goal this maestro's only his second goal in six Azlan Shah appearances.

Earlier, Pakistan defeated Canada 3-1 in the tournament opener.

Japan showed energy and enterprise in making more moves and hold on ball in the first quarter and then Kenji of Japan posted the winning goal off the first penalty corner.

Mid way of first half, Harmanpreet converted first Indian penalty to restore score parity. A minute form the the third quarter, Sardar struck to give India lead, which sustained till the end.

India got two successive penalty corners in the dying moments, but failed to convert any of them.

Stick2Hockey.com

Sardar, Harmanpreet star in India’s victory


Sardar Singh.    

India struggled to find a leeway through the hard-working Japanese outfit, nine of them are making international debut.

Asian Games champions India came from a goal down to clinch an unimpressive 2—1 victory over hard-working Japan on the opening day of the 25th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament, in Ipoh on Wednesday.

Squandering a series of scoring chances created by defence-splitting crosses that sailed across the goalmouth, India managed to earn full points against the lowly-ranked rivals through goals from young drag-flciker Harmanpreet Singh (24th minute) and captain Sardar Singh (32nd) after Kenji Kitazato (17th) gave Japan the lead.

Earlier, Pakistan banked on two goals from Muhammad Arslan Qadir to open their campaign with a 3-1 victory over Canada in extremely humid conditions at the Sultan Azlan Shah Stadium here.

Qadir opened the account with a field goal in the 27th minute and converted a penalty corner a minute later to give Pakistan a two-goal lead. Canada then pulled one back through Richard Hildreth’s flash strike, but Muhammad Arshad capitalised on a 52nd—minute penalty corner to seal Pakistan’s victory.

In their opening match later in the day, India struggled to find a leeway through the hard-working Japanese outfit, nine of whose 18-member squad at this tournament are making their international debut.

After an early foray into the Japanese circle, the Indian strikers were not allowed break into the scoring zone by the rivals, who also managed to assert some pressure on the Indian defenders.

SV Sunil’s deflection on a diagonal cross from Ramandeep Singh went over the cross-bar before Japan stunned the Indian defence in the 17th minute. Kitazato converted Japan’s first penalty corner by placing a fine flick to the left of Indian goalkeeper Harjot Singh.

Taken aback by the reversal, the Indians began exerting some pressure and were rewarded with their first penalty corner that Harmanpreet converted through a drag-flick into the right corner in the 24th minute.

Skipper Sardar then capitalised on a short diagonal pass from Jasjit Singh Kular on the right wing to beat Japanese goalkeeper Takashi Yoshikawa with a reverse shot that went into the far corner of the goal two minute into the second half.

Indian strikers then had more than a couple of chances to deflect crosses into the Japanese goal, but were often caught on the wrong foot.

India will next play world champions Australia on Thursday.

The Hindu

Uninspiring India beat Japan 2-1 in Azlan Shah Cup

IPOH (Malaysia): Asian Games champions India came from a goal down to clinch an unimpressive 2-1 victory over hard-working Japan on the opening day of the 25th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament, here on Wednesday.

Squandering a series of scoring chances created by defence-splitting crosses that sailed across the goalmouth, India managed to earn full points against the lowly-ranked rivals through goals from young drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh (24th minute) and captain Sardar Singh (32nd) after Kenji Kitazato (17th) gave Japan the lead.

In their opening match, India struggled to find a leeway through the hard-working Japanese outfit, nine of whose 18-member squad at this tournament are making their international debut.

After an early foray into the Japanese circle, the Indian strikers were not allowed break into the scoring zone by their rivals, who also managed to assert some pressure on the Indian defenders.

SV Sunil's deflection on a diagonal cross from Ramandeep Singh went over the cross-bar before Japan stunned the Indian defence in the 17th minute. Kitazato converted Japan's first penalty corner by placing a fine flick to the left of Indian goalkeeper Harjot Singh.

Taken aback by the reversal, the Indians began exerting some pressure and were rewarded with their first penalty corner that Harmanpreet converted through a drag-flick into the right corner in the 24th minute.

Skipper Sardar then capitalised on a short diagonal pass from Jasjit Singh Kular on the right wing to beat Japanese goalkeeper Takashi Yoshikawa with a reverse shot that went into the far corner of the goal two minute into the second half.

Indian strikers then had more than a couple of chances to deflect crosses into the Japanese goal, but were often caught on the wrong foot.

India will next play world champions Australia on Thursday.

Earlier, Pakistan banked on two goals from Muhammad Arslan Qadir to open their campaign with a 3-1 victory over Canada in extremely humid conditions at the Sultan Azlan Shah Stadium here.

Qadir opened the account with a field goal in the 27th minute and converted a penalty corner a minute later to give Pakistan a two-goal lead. Canada then pulled one back through Richard Hildreth's flash strike, but Muhammad Arshad capitalised on a 52nd-minute penalty corner to seal Pakistan's victory.

After the match, India's chief coach Roelant Oltmans said he was always confident of winning the encounter against Japan even after a rusty start. "We did not have a good start today, but it is the just the beginning of a tournament," said Oltmans, insisting that the young players he had fielded would gain a lot from playing in this tournament.

"We should have scored more goals and our control was well organised," he said. "Not even for a second did I not believe we would win this match. We will improve as the event progresses and the young players settle down."

Oltmans said the Indian team must improve its ability to retain possession. "We need to improve in possession, but out performance shows that we are taking small steps forward," he said.

The coach was pleased with the penalty corner conversion by Harmanpreet Singh that equalised for India. Harmanpreet has emerged from the junior national team and this is his maiden international tournament.
Top Comment
A win is still a win. Good luck for rest of the matches.Akshey

"It was nice to see Harmanpreet score his first goal," said Oltmans. "That's the sort of thing we want out of this tournament."

Oltmans said Thursday's league fixture against World champions Australia will be the challenge in which he wants to test his side.

The Times of India

Sultan Azlan Shah Cup: Pakistan off to winning start as Canada downed

By Nabil Tahir


Rashid Mehmood tries to keep the ball as two Canadians close in on him during Pakistan’s clash against Canada in the opening match. PHOTO COURTESY: FIELD HOCKEY CANADA

KARACHI: The Pakistan hockey team got off to a winning start at the 25th edition of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup as Mohammad Arslan Qadir scored a brace to guide the Greenshirts to a 3-1 win over Canada 3-1 in Ipoh, Malaysia yesterday.

The tournament’s opening match did not live up to expectations in terms of quality as both teams struggled not only with the weather but also with their overall game plans — Canada, in particular, couldn’t handle the heat.

Pakistan coach Mohammad Khawaja Junaid feels the win will spur his players on. “It is a good start for us and it will motivate the younger players for the coming matches,” said Junaid while talking to The Express Tribune.

With valuable international experience on offer, Junaid is looking forward to using the tournament to help build the team. “We tried some new ideas and game plan. We will be doing so in the next few matches too and hope to see how it fits into our usual playing style,” he said. “This tournament is really important for us to analyse the team’s performances.”

The 50-year-old felt the senior players are playing really well, but knows a tough match against New Zealand lies ahead. “We have two days before the match [against New Zealand], and we will look at how they play against Malaysia and Canada.”

Rizwan Ali had two opportunities to give Pakistan an early lead in the first quarter, but was unable to convert and fluffed the two chances that fell his way in the fifth and 12th minute.

It was more of the same in the second quarter as Pakistan dominated but were unable to convert it into something tangible. That changed when Qadir picked up a through pass inside the semi-circle and blasted the ball past onrushing Canadian goalkeeper Scott Tupper in the 27th minute to take a 1-0 lead.

Sensing weakness, Pakistan had a go at the Canadians and just a minute later, Qadir converted from a penalty corner to make it 2-0 in their favour.

“The coaches came up with the game plan and we executed it perfectly,” said Qadir. “We have a tough match ahead against the Kiwis but we hope to keep them at bay.”

Canada pulled one back in the 48th minute to halve the deficit and haul themselves back in the game but Richard Hildreth’s strike proved academic as Pakistan restored their two-goal advantage soon after.

This time it was Mohammad Arshad who converted from a penalty corner in the 52nd minute to make it 3-1 to Pakistan. The strike ensured Pakistan top the rankings after the first day’s play on goal difference.

Other results

In the second match of the day, India completed a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Japan. Kenji Kitazato gave them a surprise lead in the 17th minute but their joy was short-lived as Harmanpreet Singh equalised in the 25th minute before skipper Sardar Singh scored the winner in the 32nd.

Later in the day, New Zealand played out an entertaining 3-3 draw against hosts Malaysia.

Malaysia took the lead in 15th minute through Firhan Ashaari’s goal, while Razie Rahim doubled the lead in 44th minute and Shahril Saabah scored in 48th minute. New Zealand’s Nick Wilson scored two goals in the 22nd and 34th minutes while skipper Simon Child netted the equaliser in the 55th minute.

The Express Tribune

Arslan brace inspires Pakistan in Azlan Shah Cup opener



IPOH (Malaysia): Former champions Pakistan banked on two goals from Mohammad Arslan Qadir to open their campaign at the Azlan Shah Cup with a 3-1 victory over Canada here on Wednesday.

In hot and humid conditions at the Sultan Azlan Shah Stadium, Pakistan came close in the opening two minutes but Mohammad Rizwan was unable to position himself well to deflect a cross by Umar Bhutta.

The first quarter saw both teams playing cautiously but Pakistan were looking more dangerous.

Arslan opened the account with a field goal in the 27th minute and converted a penalty corner a minute later to give Pakistan a 2-0 lead.

Canada then pulled one back through Richard Hildreth’s flash strike, but Mohammad Arshad capitalised on a 52nd-minute penalty corner to seal Pakistan’s victory.

“It’s a good start ... it will motivate the younger players for the coming matches,” said Pakistan coach Khwaja Mohammad Junaid.

“This tournament is important for us to gauge our performance as we’re building for the future,” added Junaid, with Pakistan having failed to qualify for this year’s Olympic Games in Rio.

“Our target here is to improve and learn from the others. We have a tough match next against Australia [on Friday]. We hope to keep them at bay and pull off another surprise.”

Asian Games champions India, meanwhile, came from a goal down to clinch an unimpressive 2-1 victory over Japan.

Squandering a series of scoring chances created by defence-splitting crosses that sailed across the goalmouth, India managed to earn full points against the lowly-ranked rivals through goals from young drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh (24th minute) and captain Sardar Singh (32nd) after Kenji Kitazato (17th) gave Japan the lead.

In the final game of the day, hosts Malaysia produced a spirited performance to hold defending champions New Zealand to a 3-3 draw.

Dawn

Pakistan beat Canada 3-1 in Azlan Shah Hockey Cup

Uninspiring India beat Japan 2-1, hosts Malaysia hold defending champions New Zealand 3-3

IPOH - Pakistan routed Canada by 3-1 in the in inaugural match of the 25th edition of the Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Cup here on Wednesday in Ipoh, Malaysia.

Pakistan were off to flying start and hammered two back-to-back goals in the first half of the match. M Qadir played superb hockey and scored a brace for green caps. Richard Holdreth reduced the deficit 2-1 in the 48th minute. But M Tousiq converted a penalty corner beautifully to give Pakistan unassailable 3-1 lead. Pakistan maintained the lead till the end and won the match. Pakistan will next play New Zealand on April 9.

In the second match of the day, India came from behind to outpace hard-working Japan 2-1. Squandering a series of scoring chances created by defence-splitting crosses that sailed across the goalmouth, India managed to earn full points against the lowly-ranked rivals through goals from young drag-flciker Harmanpreet Singh (24th minute) and captain Sardar Singh (32nd) after Kenji Kitazato (17th) gave Japan the lead.

India struggled to find a leeway through the hard-working Japanese outfit, nine of whose 18-member squad at this tournament are making their international debut. After an early foray into the Japanese circle, the Indian strikers were not allowed break into the scoring zone by the rivals, who also managed to assert some pressure on the Indian defenders. SV Sunil’s deflection on a diagonal cross from Ramandeep Singh went over the cross-bar before Japan stunned the Indian defence in the 17th minute. Kitazato converted Japan’s first penalty corner by placing a fine flick to the left of Indian goalkeeper Harjot Singh.

Taken aback by the reversal, the Indians began exerting some pressure and were rewarded with their first penalty corner that Harmanpreet converted through a drag-flick into the right corner in the 24th minute. Skipper Sardar then capitalised on a short diagonal pass from Jasjit Singh Kular on the right wing to beat Japanese goalkeeper Takashi Yoshikawa with a reverse shot that went into the far corner of the goal two minute into the second half. Indian strikers then had more than a couple of chances to deflect crosses into the Japanese goal, but were often caught on the wrong foot. India will next play world champions Australia on Thursday.

Just after the match, India’s chief coach Roelant Oltmans said he was always confident of winning the encounter against Japan even after a rusty start. “We did not have a good start today, but it is the just the beginning of a tournament,” said Oltmans, insisting that the young players he had fielded would gain a lot from playing in this tournament.

“We should have scored more goals and our control was well organised,” he said. “Not even for a second did I not believe we would win this match. We will improve as the event progresses and the young players settle down.” Oltmans said the Indian team must improve its ability to retain possession. “We need to improve in possession, but out performance shows that we are taking small steps forward,” he said.

The coach was pleased with the penalty corner conversion by Harmanpreet Singh that equalised for India. Harmanpreet has emerged from the junior national team and this is his maiden international tournament. “It was nice to see Harmanpreet score his first goal,” said Oltmans. “That’s the sort of thing we want out of this tournament.” Oltmans said tomorrow’s league fixture against World champions Australia would be the challenge in which he wants to test his side.

In the third and last encounter of the day, hosts Malaysia produced a spirited performance to hold defending champions New Zealand to a 3-3 draw in their opening match of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament.

Three Malaysian players, including captain Razie Rahim, got up from their bed to score a goal each in the home team's fighting 3-3 draw. Down with flu for the past three days, the three players were considered non-starters and reserves on Tuesday were summoned to Ipoh, but these senior players - skipper Razie, Firhan Ansari and Shahril Saabah - insisted on playing.

Firhan opened the scoring for Malaysia by capitalising on a diagonal ball from Azhan Hasan in the 15th minute. Ansari's first shy was blocked by Black Sticks goalkeeper Kyle Pontifex but he picked the ball off the custodian's pads to scoop it into the goal. Nick Wilson then scored two identical field goals in the 22nd and 34th minutes, going past a couple of Malaysian defenders on each occasion.

Captain Razie sent a soaring penalty corner into the net to bring Malaysia to 2-2 parity in the 44th minute.

Four minutes later, Shahril shot on target during a penalty corner melee to raise prospects of a Malaysian victory. It was a chance they hung on to while defending a series of penalty corners five minutes before the hooter. New Zealand wasted six consecutive penalty corners as the Malaysian defence stood their ground before Simon Child's flick eventually earned the equaliser for the Black Sticks.

Australia, Japan, India, New Zealand, Canada, Pakistan and hosts Malaysia are competing in the annual hockey cup. Pakistan has won Azlan Shah Tournament thrice earlier, 1998, 2000 and 2003. The greens ended up runner-ups as many as six times in the past. The last installment of the competition in 2015 was won by New Zealand.

The Nation

Canadian men drop first game of Azlan Shah Cup to Pakistan

Shaheed Devji



Canada’s men’s field hockey team opened the 2016 Azlan Shah Cup with a 3-1 loss to Pakistan in the sweltering Malaysian heat on Wednesday.

Despite a good second half, two first half goals were too much to overcome for Canada’s men as the 10th ranked Pakistanis were able to hold on for the win.

After a feeling out process for the first ten minutes, Pakistan went on the offensive and forced Canadian keeper David Carter to make an outstanding save on Rizwan Ali, who got open behind Canada’s back line and had a breakaway opportunity.

Carter read the play well and charged out to cut off the angle and made a pad save.

Canada settled in after the save and made for a fairly even first quarter, getting up the field multiple times but were unabale to penetrate the Pakistani circle.

Carter made another big save of a Pakistani smash in the second quarter and kept the game scoreless until late in the half.

In 27th minute, Pakistan – against the run of play, just as Canada was beginning to see more of the ball – countered with an aerial to Muhammad Arslan Qadir who deflected the ball by Carter in close.

Qadir was able to add another goal just a minute later on a penalty corner as Carter made the first save but the rebound was put in.

Canada came out with renewed purpose in the second half and began to take over the game. They possessed the ball in the Pakistani end for most of the third quarter and got a quality opportunity from the stick of Iain Smythe, who found himself at the end of a play that built up from the midfield with Sukhi Panesar. Smythe’s shot was stopped by Pakistani keeper Imran Butt.

But Canada kept pressing and were rewarded early in the fourth quarter.

After sustained pressure, Mark Pearson quickly took a free hit from the 23 meter line and found Matthew Sarmento on the baseline. Sarmento rushed towards goal and moved the ball to Richard Hildreth wide open at the side of the net where he tapped it in for Canada’s first goal.

Canada, sensing the Pakistani’s frustration, continue to push to tie the game, but in the 52nd minute their hopes for a comeback were dashed when Pakistani earned a penalty corner, once again against the run of play.

This time, the ball was put behind Carter on a dragflick by Muhammad Arshad, who went high to the stick side to seal the 3-1 win.

Canada is back in action on Thursday when they face New Zealand at 6:00pm in Ipoh, Malaysia (3:00am PT/6:00am ET in Canada).

GAME NOTES:

    Canadian midfielder Taylor Curran played in his 100th international match for Canada
    The temperature in Ipoh reached 41 degrees with humidity during the game
    This was the first time Canada and Pakistan have met since the 2010 World Cup; Canada won that match

Field Hockey Canada media release

Manpreet flies back home

The Indian midfielder Manpreet Singh flew back home from the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup on Wednesday after the death of his father. “We heard about it four hours before the game. It is very sad news and Manpreet is on his way to Kuala Lumpur now and will be on a night flight to India,” said the head coach Roelant Oltmans after India defeated Japan in the tournament-opener.

“We will miss him but his family situation is far more important at the moment. He is a real winner and a very good boy and the best thing we could have done today was to win this game for him.”

Oltmans revealed that India was not allowed to fly in a replacement.

“We are not allowed to bring in a replacement,” he said. “I asked the FIH and they said no replacement was allowed after the team managers’ meeting; and that took place yesterday. There is a small chance that he (Manpreet) could be back later next week but all that is secondary.”

The Hindu

Manpreet to miss Azlan Shah Cup following father's demise

IPOH (Malaysia): Indian men's hockey team on Wednesday suffered a big jolt even before the start of their Sultan Azlan Shah Cup opener against Japan after centre-half Manpreet Singh was ruled out of the tournament following the sudden death of his father.

Manpreet returned home on hearing the death of his father just before India's opening fixture against Japan, which the Sardar Singh-led side won 2-1 at the Sultan Azlan Shah Stadium.

India's squad was reduced to 17 for the opening match against Japan and to make matters worse they will not be able to get a replacement for Manpreet.

Manpreet got the news of his father's demise hours before the match against Japan. He was immediately given permission to return to Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur and board the evening flight to India.

It takes three hours by road to reach Kuala Lumpur from Ipoh.

A minute's silence was observed before the start of the match between India and Japan. The Indian team also sported black arm-bands as a mark of respect to Manpreet's father.

India chief coach Roelant Oltmans said the loss of the pivotal centre-half was a big blow for the team. "Losing Manpreet is a big blow to the team. He has to be with his family at this critical moment," said Oltmans.

Oltmans said after checking with the tournament director and International Hockey Federation (FIH) staffs, he got to know that India were not allowed to bring in a replacement for Manpreet as per the tournament rules.

"We cannot bring any replacement. The tournament rules are such that any replacement of players is permitted until the team managers' meeting," said Oltmans.

"The meeting of team managers was held yesterday. There's not much that can be done," the coach said, adding that the Indian squad would now be officially made 17.

The Times of India

Indian players condole teammate Manpreet's personal loss

IPOH (Malaysia): Indian players on Wednesday sported black arm bands in their opening match of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament against Japan here as a mark of respect for teammate Manpreet Singh's father, who passed away just hours before the start of the match.

India thus missed the services of centre-half Manpreet, who left for home after hearing of his father's death.

A minute's silence was also observed before the start of the match.

Manpreet, therefore, is unavailable for the rest of the tournament and India chief coach Roelant Oltmans said the loss of the pivotal centre-half was a big blow for the team.

The Times of India

Aussie Masters conquer world

Australia makes home advantage count in Canberra

By Lawrence West



Australian teams made home advantage count as they scooped medals in all nine of the age groups at the Masters Hockey World Cup, Canberra.

The haul included five gold medals, two silver and two bronze, while there were also some fantastic results and performances along the way for a number of Australian non-national teams and athletes, who were also taking part.

Australia’s Masters emerged top of the pile in the women’s over 40, over 45, and over 50 competitions, and in the men’s over 40 and over 45 events. There were silver medals for Australia’s men’s over 50 and over 55 teams, both of which went down to England in their respective finals, and bronze for the women’s over 55 and over 60 teams.

Hockey Australia thanks everyone involved in the successful hosting of the event, including Visit Canberra, the organising committee, the participants, officials and volunteers, Hockey ACT, StayOz, Just Hockey, Altius and all of the spectators that attended over the past week.

For more details on the results, stats and other information visit the Masters Hockey World Cup competition pages here.

Australian Masters hockey is preparing now for the Grand Masters Hockey World Cup in Newcastle, which runs from 3-12 May.

FINAL PODIUM STANDINGS
Women's Ov40: Gold: Australia, Silver: England, Bronze: New Zealand
Women's Ov45: Gold: Australia, Silver: New Zealand, Bronze: United States
Women's Ov50: Gold: Australia, Silver: Ireland, Bronze: New Zealand
Women's Ov55: Gold: New Zealand, Silver: England, Bronze: Australia
Women's Ov60: Gold: England, Silver: New Zealand, Bronze: Australia
Men's Ov40: Gold: Australia, Silver: England, Bronze: New Zealand
Men's Ov45: Gold: Australia, Silver: England, Bronze: New Zealand
Men's Ov50: Gold: England, Silver: Australia, Bronze: New Zealand
Men's Ov55: Gold: England, Silver: Australia, Bronze: Scotland

FINALS DAY RESULTS
Women's Ov40: AUS 4-1 England, grand final
Women's Ov45: AUS 1-1 (4-3 SO) New Zealand, grand final
Women's Ov50: AUS 3-2 Ireland, grand final
Women's Ov55: England 2-0 New Zealand, grand final
Women's Ov60: New Zealand 1-0 England, grand final
Men's Ov40: AUS 4-3 England, grand final
Men's Ov45: AUS 3-1 England, grand final
Men's Ov50: AUS 1-3 England, grand final
Men's Ov55: AUS 1-4 England, grand final

TOP GOAL SCORERS
Women’s Ov40: Lizzie Laird (Australia) – 7 goals
Women’s Ov45: Carolyn Tooby (New Zealand) – 8 goals
Women’s Ov50: Claire Wright (Australia), Cathy Walsh (Ireland) – 8 goals
Women’s Ov55: Pippa Bull (England) – 5 goals
Women’s Ov60: Jill Sheehan (Australia), Katherine Peri (New Zealand) – 5 goals
Men’s Ov40: Chris McCarthy (Australia) – 9 goals
Men’s Ov45: Grant Boyde (New Zealand) – 12 goals
Men’s Ov50: Andrew Batchelor (England) – 8 goals
Men’s Ov55: Noel Morrison (Australia) – 11 goals

Hockey Australia media release

Masters Win World Cup Silver Medal



Three Irish Masters teams travelled to the Masters World Cup in Canberra 2016.
50W, 55M and 45M will compete against 5 teams in their divisions in this 9 day tournament.

Congratulations to the Women's O50 squad who have won a World Cup Silver Medal!

                                 6/4/2016               

                                 50W                  IRELAND 2 VS 3  AUSTRALIA - World Cup Final

All times are in Australian Eastern Daylight Time.

For all other fixtures, click here.

Irish Hockey Association media release

U.S. O-45 Women Win Bronze as FIH Masters World Cup Comes to a Close

CANBERRA, Australia - April 5, 2016 - The FIH Masters World Cup has come to a close as the U.S. O-45 Women's Masters Team earned bronze in a thrilling shootout victory over South Africa. Tenacious defense and solid offensive play helped the U.S. O-40 Women's Masters Team claim fifth place.

O-45 Women’s vs South Africa

With both teams playing their seventh match in 8 days and third against each other, both fatigue and strategy were key factors. South Africa had taken the first two games, both close matches, 2-1 and 2-0. With a draw of only four teams this match would determine the Bronze Medal winner, which Team USA could claim with just one victory.

At the start, with 80 degree heat and full sun the teams started slow. Team USA effectively set their press to work the ball to South Africa's left. Back and forth action ensued, both teams on attack earned penalty corners. Toward the end of the first half South Africa capitalized on a rebound in a corner to take the lead 1-0.

The second half showed similar action with both teams attacking and thwarting offensive pressure. Finally, Team USA started to show their better fitness, working the attack and were rewarded with a penalty corner. Trying to insert short right, Team USA botched the corner and the ball left the circle not touched. As South Africa rushed to the ball, Team USA's Deb Atkins (Quarryville, Pa.) put the ball back into the circle to Nicky Hitchens (Wilmington, Del.). Hitchens passed the ball to Denise Zelanak (Wilmington, Del.) who sent it toward goal to be tipped to the back of the cage by Toni Arner (Red Hill, Pa.). Team USA tied the game 1-1. Regulation time ended with a 1-1 draw to go to overtime shootouts

One at a time, five players from each squad had 8 seconds to do a 1v1 against the goalkeeper. Team USA started with Sue Elliott (Downingtown, Pa.). Elliott dribbled in at moderate, controlled speed, moved left, pulled hard to the right, and carried the ball by the South African goalkeeper to ensure the ball made it into the goal. 1-0 Team USA. The first South African player moved the ball into the circle with goalkeeper, Maria Keesling (Downingtown, Pa.), shadowing. With a good pull back the South African player was able to lift it over and into the goal making it 1-1 after the first round.

Team USA continued with Lisa Cropper (Franklin Mass.). The South African goalkeeper showed no inclination to change her strategy. Cropper pulled to the right of the goalkeeper to score. 2-1 Team USA. The second South African player used a similar tactic as her teammate; however, Keesling was able to slow her movement by staying back and delaying until the 8 seconds ended before she completed her attempt. Team USA 2, South Africa 1 after the second round.

Team USA's third shooter, Zelanak, decided not to change a good thing. She dribbled into the circle, moved left and dodged right to secure the ball into the goal. Team USA increased its lead 3-1. The third South African player was unable to get the ball by Keesling, who made the player hesitate on her move-exciting as the ball was in the air to the goal as the time expired. Team USA 3, South Africa 1 after the third round.

The fourth shooter, Hitchens, approached the starting point ready to score and secure the win for Team USA. Using the same moves as her teammates, Hitchens moved to the right to score the fourth goal for Team USA securing the victory, Team USA 4, South Africa 1.

In summary, Team USA was fit, played well together and grew as a unit throughout the tournament. While not yet in the same league as Australia and New Zealand, Team USA showed improvement and for significant time were able to competitively play with their better, more experienced teams.

O-40 Women’s vs. Wattles (Australia)

Team USA met Wattles for the second time to battle for fifth place in the FIH Masters World Cup.

In the first quarter, Wattles applied significant pressure, resulting in three penalty corners. They scored on the third attempt with a pass left at the top, a shot and tip into the cage to take a 1-0 lead.

In the second quarter, Wattles continued to pressure Team USA's defense to earn penalty corners. The defensive unit kept Wattles from capitalizing on these penalty corners. Team USA took advantage of counter and attacked with a break away, but the shot went wide. The first half ended with Wattles leading Team USA 1-0.

In the third quarter, Team USA pressured offensively and earned a penalty corner. Megan Fraser (Baltimore, Md.) shot the ball from the top of the circle and scored to tie the game 1-1. With two minutes to go in the third quarter, Team USA possessed the ball with solid passing down the field into their offensive end. Kari Johns (Darien, Conn.) passed the ball from outside the circle to Nancy Houghton (Wallingford, Vt.) on the left. Houghton shot the ball past Wattles’ goalkeeper, and Team USA took the lead 2-1. The U.S. continued to dominate play in the third quarter.

The fourth quarter was evenly balanced. Team USA brought the ball down the field consistently on the right side with effective passing by the midfielders and forwards. Team USA earned a penalty corner with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter but was not able to convert on the opportunity. Team USA displayed tenacious defense and solid offensive play in the final minutes of the game to claim the victory over Wattles and earn fifth place at the FIH Masters World Cup.

USFHA media release

Singapore Hockey women set to go


National women’s coach David Viner with national players Nike Nurashikin, Nurul Sofia Atikah, Syasya Rifqah at the sponsorship signing ceremony with local sports apparel company Dreamatron.

They have flown under the radar since the South-east Asia (SEA) Games ended last June, but the Republic's hockey women claim they are ready for the World League (WL) Round 1 (April 9-17) which kicks off this weekend at the Sengkang Stadium - and they could well surprise.

National coach David Viner, who took charge in October last year, has put in action a blueprint aimed at helping the hockey women evolve and they have already seen some results, with the girls scoring goals for fun now - banging in as many as 22 in a friendly game against the Hollandse Club, a team made up of Dutch nationals based in Singapore.

Viner did not want to reveal exactly how many goals his charges have scored in the nine warm-up fixtures they have played in the lead up to the WL, and the Aussie also refused to get carried away with the performances.

"We've been scoring more goals than Singapore teams have in the past, and I've been told that we're playing a slightly different style, but whether they can define that difference, I don't know," said Viner, speaking on the sidelines of a sponsorship ceremony between the Singapore Hockey Federation (SHF) and Dreamatron yesterday.

"And no, why would I put a number on it (goals), give our opponents information and put pressure on the girls?"

"I've got no expectations for the WL, 50 per cent of our team are girls from the (national) Under-21 team, while the other 50 per cent are from the SEA Games squad," the coach added, pointing to a slew of retirements that he's had to deal with.

"We've focused on ball movement and player movement... And being more mobile and not taking backward steps on the field.

"It took a bit of work to convince them that going forward is the way forward."

CONFIDENCE

And positivity is growing from within the team.

"The friendly games have built confidence in the team, that's what they've done. There are still some mixed feelings in the team, but I'm very positive about the WL," said midfielder Syasya Rifqah.

"We used to be a defensive team, but we're more focused on attack now."

"Also, we used to be given strict instructions in training, but he (Viner) gives us freedom to express ourselves," added Nurul Sofia Atikah, who has been in the national side since 2012.

"There is a positive energy about the team and it's what keeps us going and we're positive that we will be able to do the same (as we did in the friendly games) at the WL."

The women line up against Sri Lanka at 8pm on Saturday at Sengkang, but they are looking forward to next Wednesday's clash against rivals Thailand, who will give them a gauge of how far they've come.

At last year's SEA Games on home soil, the Malaysian women won gold, with the Thais finishing second and the hosts collecting the bronze medal.

"Usually the difference in standard between us and Thailand isn't very big and we lost 1-0 to them at the SEA Games. We're really looking forward to taking them on again," said Syasya.

"We don't have a target, but we're focused on process goals."

Dreamatron director Darren Chua seems perfectly aligned with the girls.

After inking a two-year deal worth $35,000 to kit out the national hockey men and women, Chua said: "Getting involved with hockey is a milestone for us, we're moving onto the next level.

"We're about realisation of sporting dreams... For Singapore, Singapore dreams and Singapore pride."

Asia One

England Boys' Schools Cup


Repton Boys U14 winners 2014-15

The semi final line-up of the Boys U18 Schools Cup and Plate competitions are now known. The ties will be played at Lee Valley on Wednesday 20 April with the finals the following day.

In the Cup draw the two previous winners, Repton (2015) and Whitgift (2014) have been drawn against each other in the first semi.

Boys U18 Schools Cup Semis
Whitgift v Repton
Oakham v Dean Close

Boys U18 Schools Plate Semis
Portsmouth GS v Prior Park
Kings Chester v Merchant Taylors Northwood

The Quarter Finals' results were as follows

Boys' U18 Cup Quarter Finals
Queens Taunton 2-4 Repton
Simon Langton 1-1 Oakham (Oakham win 1-4 aps)
Kingston 2-3 Dean Close
Ipswich 1-5 Whitgift

The U18 Plate has also reached the same stage with four teams haviing it through to the semis at Lee Valley

Boys' U18 Plate Quarter Finals
Kings, Chester 4-2 Rugby
Merchant Taylors, Northwood 4-3 RGS High Wycombe
Portsmouth GS 3-3 Hurstpierpoint (PGS win 5-4 aps)
Bablake 0-4 Prior Park

The Boys U18 competitions join the final stages of the U14 and U16 championships at Lee Valley, 19-21 April. These competitions see qualifiers from Regions playing in two pools of four with the top teams in each pool playing in the final. The U14 tournament is on Tuesaday 19 April and the U16s on Wednesday 20 & Thursday 21 April.

Qualifiers are as follows

Boys U14

POOL A
Midlands 1 - Repton
North 1 - Wilmslow High
East 1 - Stamford
South/West Qualifier - RGS Guildford

POOL B
Midlands 2 - Oakham
South 1 - Whitgift
West 1 - Dean Close
North/East Qualifier - Bishop's Stortford

Boys U16

POOL C
Midlands 1 - Repton
East 1 - Ipswich
South 1 - Cranleigh
West/North Qualifier - Canford

POOL D
Midlands 2 - King Edwards
North 1 - Thirsk
West 1 - Marlborough
East/South Qualifier - Bedford/Reed's

For more details and how to purchase tickets for the event click here

England Hockey Board Media release

Chasing The Dream with Marie Elena Bolles



You can’t. You’ll never. You won’t.  These words can hurt. They can leave scars. They can knock you down and diminish progress on the way to goals. They can echo for an eternity.

But that’s only if you give them the power to.

Phoenixville, Pa. native Marie Elena Bolles let her belief be louder than their doubts and continued to pursue her dreams.  

“Don’t take others’ negative opinions of you playing too seriously,” said Bolles. “I was told I wasn’t good enough to play Division I field hockey. I kept working toward what I wanted. They said I should aim for a smaller college. I ignored that and pursued my goal anyway. I never wanted to be a big fish in a small pond. I would rather work my way up to try to be more successful. In a way, their words were a motivator.”

And right now, from where Bolles is standing, the view looks pretty good. After graduating from the University of Connecticut, Bolles’ name was added to the U.S. Women’s National Team roster in 2014 as a forward. She is used to defying the difficult.

At UConn, Bolles juggled hockey and the highly demanding degree of nursing. She accredits being successful in both to her coach Nancy Stevens and her teammates. A three-time member of the All-BIG EAST first team and the All-Mideast Region squad, Bolles concluded her collegiate career ranked sixth in UConn program history in points (129) and eighth in goals (47). College contained many special memories for Bolles but especially during her senior year when her sister Olivia joined the team as a freshman defender. Both playing on the right hand side of the pitch, the girls made it a point to keep close on and off the field.

“It was so much fun,” said Bolles. “I had 3 years under my belt, was captain and kind of established. She was coming in as a freshman and won a starting spot. Together, along with the rest of the team we won a national championship. It’s was an unforgettable experience. I literally couldn’t ask for anything more than that.”

The sisters always tried to keep it lose and light before competing. They joked around to avoid feeling tense. But as sisters may tend to do now and then, there was one instance of playful bickering that Bolles can laugh back on now.

“During one of our first games together, I think it was against Penn State, we were kind of having a little sister tiff, which was weird because we never really fight either,” said Bolles. “I would never say anything like this to another player but because it was my sister I did. I remember my mom yelling at us from the sideline saying, ‘Girls, knock it off. Stop it.’ It was a typical sister moment from our childhood but here we are playing DI field hockey and it happened for a moment. It’s funny to look back at now.”

The oldest of three, Bolles comes from a tight-knit family. Typically parents pass on a particular sport interest to their children. In this case, Bolles did the opposite. Through her playing, Bolles introduced the sport to her mother. As a result, her mom can’t get enough of it either.

“She coached a middle school team and mentions how she wished she played when she was younger,” said Bolles. “She loves to watch it too and is always so supportive in the stands. Without her constant encouragement, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

In 2014, Bolles became a volunteer graduate assistant coach for Duke University. She was employed as a registered nurse at the Duke University Hospital. For Bolles, both areas of her life tend to overlap when it comes to being part of a team.

“The mindset of teamwork translates into nursing," said Bolles. "I'm learning a lot of people don’t know the feeling outside of sport. I think I have an edge on the others because at this stage of my career I’ve been surround by that kind of team environment my whole life.”

It continues to be an environment Bolles thrives in. Securing her first cap in November of 2015, Bolles has inserted herself into the thick of the action in the midst of an Olympic Games cycle, eager to contribute.

“My experience with the team so far has been a whirlwind,” said Bolles. “I had a broken foot, my first serious injury. I got my first cap. We went to London and to California. A lot has happened in the year that I’ve been on the team. And the girls are so warm and inviting that it makes you want to work even harder. I love grinding it out with them.”

While her journey with Team USA may still be in its infancy, Bolles has fought and earned her rightful spot to contend with the world's best on Team USA. And you can bet she's going to continue to turn some heads in the process.

USFHA media release

Is Honor Carter considering a hockey comeback?


Dan Carter with his wife Honor at a Louis Vuitton fashion show in Paris earlier this year.

Is this the story behind Honor Carter's cryptic tweet last week?

Dan Carter's wife is apparently considering taking up hockey again now that she has settled into life in Europe.

The former Black Sticks international, who played 68 times for New Zealand from 2004 to 2011, is based in Paris where hubby Dan has a multi-million dollar deal with the Racing Metro club.

Racing also has men's and women's hockey teams and 33-year-old Honor seems interested.

"Should I pick up my hockey stick again," she tweeted overnight alongside a photo of the club's facilities where Dan can be seen walking one of their two sons.

The latest tweet appears to answer her cryptic message last week when she posted: "I refuse to be a shadow to my husbands life #watchthisspace."

The New Zealand Herald

Hockey projects celebrated on International Day of Sport for Development and Peace



As the world celebrates International Day of Sport for Development and Peace on April 6, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) looks at how hockey is being used as a tool to promote peace and well-being within communities. The work going on around the international community is living proof that hockey can bring people together, overcome social problems and help educate people to live better, healthier lives.

Hockey is a sport that prides itself on transcending gender, age and, increasingly, social class. The numerous global projects that we highlight on the FIH website each week, demonstrate that hockey is a game that can be enjoyed anywhere - whether on a sandy, rubble-strewn pitch as much as it can on top class artificial turf. Let’s take a quick look at some of the good work being carried out by the hockey community across the continents:

Haiti was struck by a devastating earthquake six years ago, with 160,000 people losing their lives and a further 1.5 million people displaced. The Caribbean island has been rebuilding communities ever since. While repairing buildings, re-installing water supplies and getting the infrastructure of the country up and running again has been the main priority, the health and welfare of the population remains a concern to both the government and aid agencies. Providing sporting activities is one way that this rebuilding process helps to teach young people how to live a healthy and social lives, and it is why the hockey tournaments organised by the IOC's Sport for Hope Centre are playing such an important aspect of the country’s healing process.


Participants of a recent hockey clinic at the Sport for Hope Centre in Haiti Photo: PAHF

When the Targeted Assisted Programme (TAP) was launched in West Africa in 2014, it had six targeted outcomes including: raising the standard of umpiring and coaching throughout Ghana and neighbouring countries; for the Ghana women’s national team to qualify for a world level event by 2022; and to deliver more equipment and resources to the West African region. The TAP project is part of FIH’s global initiative to drive forwards sustainable projects by working in partnership with continental and national associations. In the case of West Africa, this involved a joint venture between England Hockey, UK Sport, the African Hockey Federation and the Ghana Hockey Association By June 2015, 39 Level One and Level Two coaches from Ghana, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Togo, Cote D’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Nigeria had all been accredited. In the same time scale, 21 umpires had also received their training. In addition, at the 2015 Unibet EuroHockey Championships in London, England, 1,200 sticks were collected and sent to the TAP organisers.
Ghana women will be competing in this year’s Hockey World League Round One and, if all plans come into place – will be hosting the event in September on a new artificial surface.

Over in Asia, 250 children are benefiting from the work of Andrea Thumshirn and her work with children in deprived, rural areas. Hockey Village India was founded by Andrea in 2010, with the first hockey village, Garh Himmat Singh, opening in Rajasthan. Since then, four more Hockey Villages have opened across India. Andrea, who was a German national junior player, outlines what life is like for the children in these areas. “Most of our kids are from poor farmer families. We provide them with everything from shoes, socks, shorts, shirts, sticks, shin pads, track suits. We provide transport, accommodation and food when we go out for matches and tournaments. We even bought three cows to provide milk so the little ones get some protein. These kids are smaller in size and more skinny than the same age group kids in the cities.” Through the Hockey Villages, the pupils are given a basic, modern education, including English, mathematics and computing as well as drawing and arts. Then the pupils get sport – hockey - every day. Andrea explains: “Besides education, we believe in sports, as sports is important for a healthy body, for so many important skills in life like team spirit, motivation, going to our limits and achieving something.”


One of the Hockey Village India projects in India Photo: Hockey Village India

Providing sporting opportunities is vital for the health and social well-being of a nation, and no-where has an opportunity been seized more eagerly than in the Oceania region, where both the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu have used hockey to great effect in the process of building communities.

Vanuatu suffered devastating damage after cyclone Pam wreaked havoc on the Oceania island in March 2015. With 16 people losing their lives and many thousands affected by one of the worse storms to hit the area this century, the people of Vanuatu have been rebuilding their lives in the months since the cyclone struck. Following the disaster, the hockey family pulled together to support the small Pacific island which is home to just over 260,000 people. The IOC provided vital emergency funding to help the country rebuild their sports services , including the hockey facilities. The Vanuatu Hockey Federation also received assistance from the Oceania Hockey Federation and the Vanuatu National Olympic Committee which enabled them to send their teams to the Pacific Games in Papua New Guinea later last year, while from further afield, the European Hockey Federation provided funding to source a team coach. The support paid off as the Vanuatu hockey teams picked up a silver medal in the men’s event, losing to Fiji in the final; while the women won bronze after they defeated Tonga.

Over in the Solomon Islands, just 14 months ago, they had no hockey structure to speak off. But in just a few short months, there has been a complete turn around and, in 2015, the Solomon Islands were crowned the Oceania TAP Star after they embraced the ideals and aims of the FIH and Oceania Hockey Federation TAP project. Solomon Islands has a history of hockey but in recent years, a lack of leadership, government instability and natural disasters meant hockey had disappeared. To reintroduce the sport, Oceania Hockey Federation and the newly formed Solomon Island Hockey Federation (SIHF) got together to promote and the idea of a smaller game – Hockey5s. This was the catalyst needed to kickstart hockey in the region, and by the time the 2015 Pacific Games was held in July in Papua New Guinea, the had a men’s team that was not only ready for entry, but returned with a bronze medal. In addition, SIHF recently held its first Secondary Schools Championships with six boys and six girls teams competing and four clubs have started up. In a country where sporting opportunities, particularly for girls and women, are sparse, this has really addressed a serious need.


Vanuatu Hockey Outreach Programme participants Photo: Vanuatu Hockey

In Europe, Portugal are currently developing a scientific study among some university professors’ from Portugal and Canada. Since beginning of 2015 the Portuguese Hockey Federation created a project called Positive Youth Development within Coach Education for Youth Coaches which aims to understand the impact of coach education on coaches’ ability to teach life skills and foster a positive youth development climate. In this sense, the objective was to make scientifically based decisions about coach education curriculum so youth coaches could fulfil this very important role. Positive youth development, can be defined as a framework that includes intervention programmes and/or teaching models that enable a successful transition to adult life by creating sufficient environmental conditions, so young people can strive and flourish. Generally speaking, positive youth development promotes life skills so that children (young athletes) can be able to lead, be responsible, decide better, respect others and be autonomous, promoting a successful transition to adult life. On International Day of Sport for Development and Peace the Portugese Hockey Federation have planned a training session in a Porto school for a class containing deaf children and another class that has young people identified as at possible risk of social exclusion - children that come from identified risk environments. In those training sessions they will be applying this model, applying positive youth development through hockey.

Meanwhile, in Turkey, a country with more than its fair share of issues, the sphere of hockey it is making great progress. A seminar on indoor hockey was held last year and was attended by more than 250 coaches, umpires, club managers and players. a similar seminar is planned for the outdoor game in the coming months. The indoor hockey seminar received Olympic Solidarity funding and was organised and run by the Turkish Hockey Federation. As in West Africa and Oceania, this development work in Turkey is part of the FIH Targeted Assistance Programme (TAP). FIH is working with the Turkish Hockey Federation, the European Hockey Federation (EHF) and Netherlands National Association - KNHB – on developing a long-term strategy to build a good participation base for hockey across all levels and age groups, both indoors and outdoors in the southern European country.


A youth hockey festival held recently in Turkey Photo: Türkiye Hokey Federasyonu

These examples from around the world demonstrate just how powerful sport can be in bringing communities together, despite the difficulties faced in every day life. The sport of hockey helps promote peace and equality whilst also helping communities improve their health and well-being. Although there are many examples of such development, FIH is committed to do more by helping the sport grow across the world.

As Nelson Mandela said: “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair."

FIH site