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News for 08 April 2016

All the news for Friday 8 April 2016


Malaysia 4 Japan 3.. almost blew it


By Jugjet Singh

MALAYSIA spiraled to the top of the Azlan Shah Cup standings when they beat Japan 4-3 in Ipoh yesterday.

The national players, who held New Zealand 3-3 on Wednesday, were in total control of the match and will remain at the top on four points for the next 48 hours as the tournament takes a break today.

National coach Stephen van Huizen said: "We had a very good start but the last five minutes were not that good. We need to close up the game after taking a big lead, instead of fighting till the end."

"If you told me before the start of the tournament that we will be having four points after two matches, it would have looked unlikely. But here we are today and I'm very happy with the way my players committed themselves in two fast paced matches," said van Huizen.

When pointed out that letting in late goals has been Malaysia's biggest problem for decades van Huizen said: "Agreed, and we would have to look into this problem again, to avoid it in Ipoh for a start."

After a day's break, Malaysia take on mighty Australia.

Malaysia started on an aggressive note and were rewarded in the second minute itself when Razie Rahim scored off the first penalty corner.

However, Japan equalsied off their first penalty corner when skipper Hiroki Sakamoto perfected a set-pice. It was just the third minute, but plenty of action was being displayed by both sides.

The national players, urged on by a capacity crowd, pushed foward in numbers and won their second penalty corner in the 11th minute. Razie was on target again with a low drive, and eased some pressure on the back-line.

Penalty corners, Malaysia's strength, provided the third goal when in the 14th minute, Razie's attempt was deflected by goalkeeper Takashi Yoshikawa but Haziq Samsul pounced on the rebound and made it 3-1.

And right after the half-time break, Malaysia won their fifth penalty corner and Razie's flick hit a Japanese defenders' head and the umpire awarded Malaysia a penalty stroke.

Fitri Shaari stepped up to the spot and scored the fourth goal in the 32nd minute.

Shota Yamada made it 4-2 in the 54th minute, and then 4-3 in the 59th minute but Malaysia held on to the three points.

STANDINGS

             P  W  D  L  F  A  Pts
MALAYSIA     2  1  1  0  7  6  4
AUSTRALIA    1  1  0  0  5  1  3
PAKISTAN     1  1  0  0  3  1  3
INDIA        2  1  0  1  3  6  3
N ZEALAND    2  0  2  0  4  4  2
CANADA       2  0  1  1  2  4  1
JAPAN        2  0  0  2  4  6  0

  RESULTS: Australia 5 India 1, New Zealand 1 Canada 1, Malaysia 4 Japan 3.
  April 8: REST DAY.
  April 9: Japan v Canada (4pm), New Zealand v Pakistan (6pm), Malaysia v Australia (8.35pm).

Jugjet's World of Field Hockey



Malaysia edge Japan for first win at Sultan Azlan Shah Cup

by S. Ramaguru and T. Avineshwaran


Kishita Takuya (left) from Japan and Saari Fitri run after the ball while Saari Fitri during the Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Cup. - RONNIE CHIN/The Star

IPOH: Poor finishing and sloppy defending marred an otherwise improved performance by Malaysia in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament.

Although Malaysia defeated Japan 4-3 at the Azlan Shah Stadium here on Thursday, coach Stephen van Huizen must be worried about his team’s shaky display in the last quarter when Japan scored twice to narrow the deficit.

Malaysia were leading 4-1 when they took their foot off the pedal. This allowed Japan to stage a fightback.

Luckily for Malaysia, the Japanese ran out of time.

Malaysia took the lead in the second minute through skipper Mohd Razie Rahim off their first penalty corner set piece.

Their joy was shortlived as Japan hit back in the very next minute with a penalty corner goal of their own through Hiroki Sakamoto.

Razie restored Malaysia’s lead in the 11th minute when he scored from their second penalty corner attempt.

Malaysia then made it 3-1 with another penalty corner goal in the 14th minute, with Mohd Haziq Shamsul scoring off a rebound.

Malaysia earned their fourth penalty corner in the 32nd minute but Razie, who took the flick, was fouled by a Japanese defender. Malaysia were awarded a penalty stroke and Fitri Saari made no mistake from the spot.

Shota Yamada netted a brace in the 54th and 60th minute to reduce the deficit to give Malaysia a late scare.

“We started off well and managed to get four early goals, but we finished poorly ... especially in the last five minutes,” said national coach Stephen.

“It’s dangerous to allow a team to come back when you have a good cushion. You need to kill them off by finishing off your moves ... and not allow mistakes to creep in.

“I’m happy with our game and I hope the players learn from this.”

Razie was glad that their plan to attack Japan right from the word go paid dividends.

“We played well, except for the fourth quarter,” he said.

“We rotated the players many times in that quarter and it affected our rhythm.”

This is Malaysia’s first win in the tournament, having drawn 3-3 against defending champions New Zealand on Wednesday.

Japan last defeated Malaysia in the 1973 World Cup – winning 1-0. Since then, the two teams have met 10 times and Malaysia have won seven of those encounters.

Malaysia, who top the seven-team standings with four points, will face world champions and world No. 1 Australia tomorrow.

The Star of Malaysia



Canada and New Zealand draw on a pair of short corner goals

Shaheed Devji


PHOTO: Antoni Kindler and the Canadian penalty corner defence stand tall against New Zealand at the 2016 Azlan Shah Cup.

Canada’s men’s field hockey team picked up its first point of the 2016 Azlan Shah Cup thanks to a 1-1 draw with New Zealand Thursday in Ipoh, New Zealand.

After a strong first half, in which they were the dominant team on the field, the Canadians narrowly missed out on the victory after the Blacksticks scored on the buzzer at the end of the third quarter on a corner.

As it often is with two evenly matched teams, it was a tale of two halves.

Canada and New Zealand know each other well having met just last year at the World League Semifinal in Argentina, but there was still a feeling out process for the first ten minute of the match.

After that, it was Canada that began to carry the play.

With a quick pace and quick ball movement, the chances started to roll in and in the final two minutes of the first quarter, Canada was awarded back-to-back corners.

The first was partially blocked but the ricochet came free to Matthew Guest who swept it just wide of the New Zealand goal. On the next opportunity, Gordon Johnston’s number was called.

The 23 year-old native of Vancouver stepped up with a heavy dragflick that was only caught at the last second by the stick of Kiwi keeper Devon Manchester.

Guest had another opportunity to score early in the second quarter when the Canadians turned over the ball and his solo dash ended in a backhand that was turned away by Manchester.

The play evened out again before New Zealand had their best chance to score on their first corner. Antoni Kinder, who started in goal for Canada after David Carter played Wednesday against Pakistan, turned the attempt away. It was one of 11 Kiwi corners on the night. Kindler and the Canadian corner defence managed to turn 10 of them away.

Only minutes later, the tide turned once again in Canada’s favour and this time they made good on their opportunity to strike first.

Johnston was up on another corner in the 25th minute and this time his low flick beat Manchester for the game’s first goal.

Canada took the lead into the second half and that’s when the Blacksticks began to press for an equalizer.

By the fifth minute of the third quarter, the Kiwis had been given four penalty corners and Canada was able to turn them all aside with a combination of blocks from the front runners, saves from Kindler, and a batted save on the goal line from Scott Tupper.

The Canadians got passed the barrage of corners and settled into the second half, but before the third quarter was out New Zealand was able to put one by Kindler and the Canadian on one of their 11 corners. Nic Woods’ goal in the 45th minute tied the game with 15 to go.

The teams battled hard in the fourth, but neither was able to get another goal and the game ended in a tie.

Canada picked up its first points of the tournament and has a rest day on Friday before taking on Japan on Saturday at 4:05pm in Malaysia (1:05am PT/4:05am ET in Canada).

GAME NOTES:

    Canadian keeper Antoni Kindler was named the Man of the Match for his outstanding effort in goal
    This is the second straight game Canada and New Zealand have been tied after regulation; the last time the two teams met at the World League Semifinal in Argentina ended in a scoreless draw before heading to a shootout

Field Hockey Canada media release



Black Sticks draw with Canada at Azlan Shah

By David Leggat


It was a defensive tussle between the Black Sticks and Canada. Photo / Megat Firdaus

Failure to capitalise on a flood of penalty corner chances has cost New Zealand dearly in their second match at the Azlan Shah men's hockey tournament in Malaysia.

New Zealand drew with Canada 1-1, following their 3-3 draw with the hosts 24 hours earlier but will rue not making better use of 10 penalty corners.

Of the 10, New Zealand scored off one - an equaliser by Nic Woods in the last movement of the third quarter.

From 11 penalty corners against Malaysia, New Zealand scored from just one.

Gordon Johnston had put Canada in front, also from a penalty corner, five minutes before half time, sending his low drive past goalkeeper Devon Manchester's left.

The Canadians, ranked 14th, six places lower than the Black Sticks, had the better of the first quarter.

New Zealand looked sluggish and by halftime Canada had enjoyed 65 percent of possession and had got in double New Zealand's three shots.

New Zealand improved in the third quarter, Nick Wilson and Shay Neal prominent in their attacks and in the 15-minute block, they won six of their penalty corners, the last of which was whipped past impressive Canadian goalkeeper Anthony Kindler's left into the goal.

Woods and Neal both had chances in the closing stages as Canada clearly sat back hanging on for the point.

New Zealand finished up with 27 circle penetrations to Canada's 12, and 14 shots to six by Canada.

"We had a poor performance in the first half and let Canada dominate us," coach Colin Batch said.

"We looked tired and I think there was some residual effects from our first game but we need to get better at handling that."

Batch liked the second half improvement, and the number of chances created. Not grabbing them, however, has left him frustrated.

After a rest day, New Zealand next face 10th ranked Pakistan on Saturday night, knowing it's time for the defending champions to start winning, but equally knowing they are still very much in the tournament.

World No 1 Australia kicked off their campaign with a 5-1 win over India.

The New Zealand Herald



Black Sticks men record second straight draw at Sultan Azlan Shah Cup


The Black Sticks men will need to get on a winning run at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup to reach the semifinals. SULTAN AZLAN SHAH CUP

The Black Sticks men have drawn 1-1 with Canada in their second match at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia on Thursday.

It was a defensive tussle between the two sides, with Canada striking first close to halftime before Nic Woods delivered a 45th-minute equaliser from a penalty corner.

The Black Sticks managed to create plenty of chances on attack but were largely stifled by a well-organised Canadian defence.

The game saw strikers James Coughlan and Jacob Smith both record their 50th international caps for New Zealand.

Head coach Colin Batch said his side were left to rue a slow start and forced to play catch up.

"We had a poor performance in the first half and let Canada dominate us. We looked tired and I think there was some residual effects from our first game but we need to get better at handling that," he said.

"We did some good things in the second half and are still creating a lot of chances but they aren't going our way, which is frustrating.

"So far we have two draws, which weren't to be so we move on and front up for our next game against Pakistan knowing we are still very much in this tournament."

Canada were first to score in the 25th minute with a penalty corner flick from Gordon Johnston, which went just wide of goalkeeper Devon Manchester's right foot.

The Black Sticks created some genuine chances in the first half, including several penalty corners, but weren't able to convert them into goals.

New Zealand earned a penalty corner right on three quarter time which Woods powered into goal between the goalkeeper and line defender to equalise.

The Black Sticks have a rest day on Friday ahead of their next game against Pakistan at 10pm on Saturday (NZ Time), with live coverage on Sky Sport 2.

Black Sticks 1 (Nic Woods) Canada 1 (Gordon Johnston). HT: 0-1

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Stuff



Black Sticks men know penalty corner execution must improve as hopes of title defence come into focus

Clay Wilson


Black Sticks men's coach Colin Batch says their penalty corner execution is still very much a "work-on". PHOTOSPORT

Converting penalty corners into goals is crucial to winning games and tournaments in international hockey, and Black Sticks men's coach Colin Batch knows it.

The defending champion Kiwis' inability to do just that in their first two games at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia has brought their clash with Pakistan on Saturday night (NZ time) into sharp focus.

World No 8 New Zealand scored just two goals from 21 corners in drawing 3-3 with 13th-ranked Malaysia and 1-1 with 14th-ranked Canada on Thursday, well below the accepted conversion rate at international level.

With London-based former No 1 flicker Andy Hayward, who has 81 goals in 197 tests, not selected in the 2016 squad and younger exponents Kane Russell and Nic Woods stepping into the breach, Batch acknowledged corner execution was a "work-on".

"I think everyone would acknowledge that," he said in the post-match press conference. "It is not going as we would like, but we are working hard at it.

"It is certainly an area of our game we need to take care of because it is so important if you want to break into that next group [of teams].

"We are working with two young flickers here to see what they can produce, but it is not just the flick. The all-round skills around our penalty corner need to improve."

Matches against 16th-ranked Japan, the world No 1 Australians and seventh-ranked India follow for the Kiwis after their clash with Pakistan, who beat Canada 3-1 in their first match of the tournament.

A minimum of two wins is likely to be required to finish in the top two and play in the final, meaning New Zealand would take a significant amount of pressure of themselves with a win on Saturday.

After playing their first two games within 24 hours, Batch was optimistic a welcome rest day would help them produce a more complete performance.

Capitalising on more of the chances they were creating, in general play and at corner time, was a key part of that and Batch said he was keen to shake the habit they were making of not putting away games they should be winning.

"We are still creating a lot of chances but they aren't going our way, which is frustrating.

"We really need to win. It is an area of our development we have to get better at. We've known that for some time, that we have too many draws at tournaments and that places us out of top contention."

New Zealand and Pakistan have met just twice in the past three years, winning one match apiece.

The Black Sticks prevailed 4-2 in an international series in Hobart, Australia in May last year, while Pakistan were 4-2 victors at the 2013 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.

Kiwi captain Simon Child was under no illusions his side had to be better if they were to pick up an all-important three points against the 10th-ranked Pakistanis.

"We didn't show enough intent or positivity," he said after the draw with Canada.

"We knew in the second half we would be able to create more chances and we did that, but we weren't good enough to take them. There are a few things to work on."

Stuff



Malaysia edge past Japan, Canada split points with New Zealand

IPOH (Malaysia): Two penalty corner conversions by captain Razie Rahim helped hosts Malaysia scrape past Japan 4-3 and move to the top of the round-robin league standings in the 25th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup on Thursday.

The game was only in its second minute when Razie opened the Malaysian account with a firm penalty corner drive, but rival captain Hiroki Sakamoto shot on target with a penalty corner flick at the other end a minute later.

Razie restored the Malaysian lead with his second penalty corner conversion in the 11th minute, followed by another penalty corner striker from Haziq Samsul in the 14th minute.

Fitri Saari duly placed a penalty stroke past Japanese goalkeeper Takashi Yoshikawa in the 32nd minute to make it 4-1.

But Japan came back strongly in the last quarter and Shota Yamada scored twice with successive penalty corner drag-flicks in the 54th and 59th minute to make it a keen contest.

Coming after their 3-3 draw with defending champions New Zealand, Malaysia's victory puts them on top of the standings with four points from two matches, followed by Australia and Pakistan on three points through victories in their lone outings so far.

Australia began their campaign today with a 5-1 drubbing of India, who are in fourth place in the seven-nation event with three points from two outings.

Today was a rest day for Pakistan, who posted a 3-1 victory over Canada in the opening fixture.

New Zealand have just two points after drawing both their matches. The Black Sticks were today held to a 1-1 draw by Canada, for whom custodian Anthoni Kindler played an outstanding game.

Bringing off half a dozen outstanding saves to thwart New Zealand shots at the goal, Kindler was adjudged man of the match in the encounter.

Gordon Johnston's 25th minute penalty gave Canada the lead that they enjoyed until Nic Woods equalised with a penalty corner conversion 20 minutes later.

Japan are at the bottom of the table with two defeats in successive games.

The Times of India



Kookaburras’ take their first win at Azlan Shah

Australia defeats India 5 - 1

By Holly MacNeil



The Kookaburras dominated against India in their opening match at the Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia.

Blake Govers was quick to give the Kookaburras an early lead, scoring a penalty corner for Australia five minutes into the first quarter. India responded immediately with a penalty corner of their own courtesy of a low drag flick from Rupinder Pal Singh.

Reaching a milestone 100 caps, Jake Whetton followed up with a field goal 13 minutes in to the first quarter.

Eddie Ockenden and Simon Orchard stretched the lead out from India to a healthy 4 – 1 with a field goal each in the second quarter. The third quarter was relatively slow, with no goals from either side.

Matt Gohdes took the Kookaburras’ lead to 5 – 1 with a field goal in the 53rd minute of the game thanks to a brilliant pass from Simon Orchard.

Kookaburras Head Coach Graham Reid said: “The 5 – 1 score tonight was very flattering; but we didn’t create as many opportunities as we might normally.

“It was a really good, tough match which is why we are here, and we’ll take away some good learnings from the game today. Playing with smaller numbers than usual was a real challenge in the heat and was a really good test for us.”

The Kookaburras next play against Malaysia on Saturday at 10.35pm AEST.

Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2016

KOOKABURRAS: 5 (4)
Blake Govers 5 (PC)
Jacob Whetton 13 (FG)
Eddie Ockenden 20 (FG)
Simon Orchard 26 (FG)
Matt Gohdes 53 (FG)

INDIA: 1 (0)
Rupinder Pal Singh 8 (PC)

Results & Fixtures, today

Australia 5 – 1 India
New Zealand 1-1 Canada
Japan 3-4 Malaysia

Kookaburras’ squad v India

Started

Andrew Charter (Canberra, ACT) 105/0
Jamie Dwyer (Rockhampton, QLD) 352/234
Matthew Gohdes (Rockhampton, QLD) 144/47
Blake Govers (Wollongong, NSW) 18/17
Jeremy Hayward (Darwin, NT) 46/17
Fergus Kavanagh (Gerladton, WA) 217/15
Mark Knowles (Rockhampton, QLD) 276/22
Eddie Ockenden (Hobart, TAS) 263/64
Jacob Whetton (Brisbane, QLD) 100/43
Tristan White (Wollongong, NSW) 67/3
Aran Zalewski (Margaret River, WA) 78/9

Used Substitute

Chris Ciriello (Melbourne, VIC) 178/114
Tom Craig (Lane Cove, NSW) 17/15
Matthew Dawson (Killarney Vale, NSW) 33/6
Simon Orchard (Maitland, NSW) 188/55

Unused Substitute

Tyler Lovell (Perth, WA) 60/0
Flynn Ogilvie (Wollongong, NSW) 20/8
Matthew Swann (Mackay, QLD) 129/6

Kookaburras’ fixtures

Saturday 9 April - Kookaburras vs Malaysia – 8:35pm AWST / 10:35pm AEST
Sunday 10 April – Kookaburras vs Pakistan – 6:05pm AWST / 8:05pm AEST
Tuesday 12 April – Kookaburras vs New Zealand - 4.05pm AWST / 6.05pm AEST
Wednesday 13 April – Kookaburras vs Japan – 6.05pm AWST / 8.05pm AEST
Friday 15 April – Kookaburras vs Canada - 6.05pm AWST / 8.05pm AEST
Saturday 16 April - TBC

Hockey Australia media release



Amazing Australia whip India in Azlan Shah Cup


Harjeet Singh from India marks Ciriello Chris from Australia during the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup match. - RONNIE CHIN/The Star.

IPOH: Former champions Australia opened their Sultan Azlan Shah Cup campaign in emphatic fashion – thrashing India 5-1 at the Azlan Shah Stadium.

Australia’s coach Graham Reid said that the score line “flattered us as India gave us a good fight”.

“It was a good opening match for us and the score line a little one-sided. There were chances at both ends, but we executed our moves better.

“The objective, other than to win, was to expose the players to a high-quality game,” he said.

World No. 1 Australia took the lead as early as in the fifth minute through a Blake Govers penalty corner goal.

Three minutes later Rupinder Singh put India on level terms from their first penalty corner.

Jacob Whetton, playing in his 100th match for Australia, put the Kookaburras ahead again in the 13th minute. It was his 43rd career goal.

Australia continued their domination, with 37-year-old veteran Jamie Dwyer in the thick of the action whenever he was on the field.

Eddie Ockenden made it 3-1 in the 20th minute before Simon Orchard added the fourth in the 26th minute.

Matt Ghodes wrapped up the rout in the 53rd minute with a field goal.

The Australians have a rest day today and play Malaysia on Saturday.

Reid said that he’s looking forward to playing in front of the boisterous home crowd.

“Malaysia are a completely different team when they play in a proper tournament,” he said.

India coach Roelant Altmans said that his young players’ inexperience was glaring in the match.

“We created ample chances ... just like them. The difference was they had the ability to finish off their moves.

“This is a good lesson for the players. It’s never easy playing the world No. 1, but you can learn from playing against them as they take every match seriously.

“It was a high-quality match ... one that will be beneficial to us.”

In the other match, poor penalty corner executions proved to be the bane for defending champions New Zealand, who battled to yet another draw – 1-1 against Canada.

The Kiwis had 11 penalty corners – and several other chances. But all they had to show for was a Nick Woods’ penalty corner conversion in the 45th minute.

Canada had earlier taken the lead in the 25th minute through Gordon Johnson, also off a  penalty corner.

It was the Kiwis’ second draw in the tournament after the 3-3 stalemate against Malaysia on Wed­nesday.

Canada had lost 3-1 to Pakistan on the opening day.

The Star of Malaysia



Mighty Aussies trounce India 5-1 at Azlan Shah Cup


Ipoh: Players of Japan and Malaysia vie for the ball during their Azlan Shah Cup match on Thursday

IPOH: Australia defeated India 5-1 while Malaysia overcame Japan 4-3 in the 25th Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament matches here on Thursday.

New Zealand played a 1-1 draw against Canada.

India was playing without some of their seniors and big names but that will be a difficult excuse when they look at the match video in the evening.

Good teams are known for defending as a unit and the Indians were way off the mark.

Goalkeeper Harjot Singh will realise he had a bad night, once he goes through the replays and understands that his wrong positioning contributed to two goals.

Even Harmanpreet Singh might need to spend some time with himself knowing that a defender’s job is to watch the ball and not the player.

For a team that is struggling to score, build-ups are the way to boost confidence. But against Australia the midfield let India down badly.

Time and again, the players lost the ball, giving away attacking opportunities to the Aussies. Nine times India lost possession five metres away from the Australian striking circle. And six times, the build-up was cut short because the passes were wayward.

Coach Roelant Oltmans cannot claim that the team has a mix of young players playing their first big tournament; irrational passing that gives the ball to the Aussies cannot be explained by that.

Rupinder Pal Singh did score the equalizer that lifted the mood briefly but it was his pass in India’s striking circle that went to Australia’s Edward Ockenden who flashed in a strike at 108 km an hour which Harjot probably never saw.

Australia at that stage led 3-1 and the match had been effectively wrenched away from India’s grasp.

The Aussies, on the other hand, have come with a full side – and when they select the team for Rio, there would not be too many changes.

At the age of 37, Jamie Dwyer, who plays for Punjab Warriors in the Hockey India League and has over 220 international goals is still capable of weaving geometric patterns.

In the 13th minute, Jamie was on India’s right flank, inside the striking circle. Harjot covered the left post. Probably, any other player might have taken a shot at goal. Not Jamie. He saw an unmarked Jacob Whetton in the middle of the circle.

The ball skillfully bisected the defence and before Harmanpreet Singh realized that he had been sold a dummy, Whetton celebrated his 100th international match by giving a 2-1 lead to Australia.

But what is utterly baffling is SV Sunil and Ramandeep — two seasoned campaigners — seem to have lost their situation grasp. Both seem to have lost control of how to handle the ball when faced with a defender or while cutting into the circle.

Thrice, Sunil had the chance to pass to better placed players. But he took pot shots at the goalpost knowing that the angle was just not there. Ramandeep was a passenger and the few chances that he had, tried to bounce the ball on his stick and rush in — the opponents were Australia and not the Mauritius team.

The fourth goal came in the 26th minute when Jamie again showed why he is one of the greatest to have played the sport.

Stuck in a corner on the right with his back to the goal, he flicked the ball into the circle where Simon Orchard had run in to pick up and score an easy goal.

Harjot had again been caught in no-man’s land.

The Indian defence was bunching up and giving away space to the Aussies to score. On the other hand, the Australians stood in a line, one behind the other or spread out when the Indian forwards moved, keeping an eye, marking them so that there was no space for inter-passing or even shots at goal.

The third quarter went past quickly and even though India had striking circle penetration, shots were not on target. At that stage, Australia had possession of around 55 per cent.

The 4th quarter was a slow affair. Humidity was taking its toll and even the Aussies seemed relaxed, not pushing too hard in their build-ups. The fifth goal was again a failure of the defence.

Even with Kothajit and Jasjit Singh Kular in position to stop Simon Orchard’s late pass, both reacted slowly. Matt Ghodes went into a dive and the ball deflected off his stick to trickle into goal.

In the other matches of the day, New Zealand played 1-1 draw against Canada while Malaysia defeated Japan 4-3. Nic Woods and Gordon Jonston scored for Kiwis and Canada respectively.

Razie Rahim was the hero for Malaysia as he banged home two goals. Haziq Shamsul and Fitri Saari were the other scorers for the winners.

Hiroki Sakamoto and two-goal Shota Yamata tried to reduce the margin for Japan but in vain.

Results:

Australia 5 India 1
New Zealand 1 Canada 1
Malaysia 4 Japan 3

Dawn



Australia thumps India

Australia thumped India 5-1 in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament here on Thursday.

Blake Govers put Australia ahead in the fifth minute but India swiftly restored parity three minutes later through Rupinder Pal Singh.

But Australia then wrested the initiative and went on a scoring spree, finding the target in the 13th, 20th and 26th minutes to build a sizeable 4-1 lead.

India was able to play out a goalless third quarter before Matt Gohdes completed India’s humiliation. “I am not satisfied with the performance today. Our defenders did not gel well,” said Roelant Oltmans, India’s chief coach.

The results:

Australia 5 (Blake Govers 5, Jacob Whetton 13, Eddie Ockeden 20, Simon Orchard 26, Matt Gohdes 53) bt India 1 (Rupinder Pal Singh 8).
Canada 1 (Gordon Johnston 25) drew with New Zealand 1 (Nic Woods 45).
Malaysia 4 (Razie Rahim 2, 11, Haziq Shamsul 14, Fitri Saari 32) bt Japan 3 (Hiroki Sakamoto 3, Shota Yamada 54, 59).

The Hindu



Hapless India suffer 1-5 thrashing against Australia in Azlan Shah


(TOI Photo)

IPOH (Malaysia): Indian defence crumbled under the onslaught of a rampaging Australia as they were handed a 1-5 thrashing by the world champions in their second league fixture of the 25th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament on Thursday.

Australia, the eight-time winners of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, launched their campaign to reclaim the title they lost to New Zealand last year with a dominant performance against the Indian side seeking to provide exposure to several youngsters.

Blake Govers (fifth minute), Jacob Whetton (13th), Eddie Okkenden (20th), Simon Orchard (25th) and Matt Ghodes (53rd) scored for Australia, who have brought virtually their full-strength squad to prepare for the Olympic Games.

India's lone goal came through a penalty corner conversion by Rupinder Pal Singh in the eighth minute.

This was Australia first outing in the round-robin league, while India prevailed 2-1 over Japan yesterday in an unimpressive campaign opener.

India paid the penalty for poor clearance and yawning gaps in their circle, which presented Australia two of their five goals.

Starting with four circle penetrations in the initial 10 minutes, the Indians failed to capitalize on an early chance when S V Sunil went too far ahead and failed to collect a fine diagonal ball from Chandana Thimmaiah in the third minute.

Australia opened the scoring in the fifth minute through Govers, whose stinging shot on the first penalty corner beat the outstretched pads of goalkeeper Harjot Singh to land in the right corner of the goal.

India were back on level terms within three minutes as Mandeep Singh did well to earn a penalty corner from a cornered position on the goal-line by pushing the ball on to a defender's foot.

Rupinder converted the penalty corner with a low drag-flick into the board, but collided with an onrushing defender and had to be helped off the pitch.

Two minutes later, Sunil darted into the circle from the right and was in a one-on-one position with goalkeeper Andrew Charter, who did not face any difficulty in palming away the Indian's rising shot.

Captain Jamie Dwyer's brilliance created Australia's second goal in the 13th minute as he collected a pass inside the circle and flicked the ball across the goalmouth and Whetton duly swept it past goalkeeper Harjot Singh.

India exerted some pressure through a combined move into the rival scoring zone, but the Australian defence held their ground in the goalmouth melee.

The Indian defence then presented an easy goal when Rupinder misdirected a clearance from inside the circle in the 20th minute, sending the ball to Australian striker Okkenden. Trapping the ball on top of the circle, Okkenden took two steps forward and placed his rasping shot into the net.

Five minutes later, the dominant Australians found plenty of gaps in the Indian scoring zone as the ball was switched around before Orchard capitalised on Dwyer's cross from left.
Top Comment
The way India played against Japan yesterday showed their fatigueness and not wiling to take command of the game when they were 2-1 ahead. Looked like they just wanted to pass the ball with each oth... Read MoreKaran Agarwal

India had a chance to pull one goal back in the 44th minute when Mandeep Singh got a diagonal ball on the right and had only the Australian goalkeeper to beat, but shot straight into the custodian.

Ghodes rounded off the scoring in the 53rd minute with a diving deflection on a long through-ball from Orchard.

The Times of India



Oltmans rues Indian team's defensive lapses against Australia

IPOH (Malaysia): Indian men's hockey team's chief coach Roelant Oltmans has expressed his disappointment over the indifferent performance of his defenders in the 1-5 loss to World champions Australia in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup on Thursday.

The Indian defence crumbled under the impact of Australia's robust raids in the round-robin league encounter.

"Australia scored four times from five circle penetrations, which does not reflect well out on our defence," said Oltmans ruing that the Indian defenders did not combine well enough.

Blake Govers opened the scoring for Australia with a fifth minute penalty corner conversion, but India shot back to equalise within three minutes through Rupinder Pal Singh's low drag flick from their first penalty corner.

After that it was a one-way traffic with Australia pumping in four field goals to expose the Indian defence. Jacob Whetton (13th minute), Eddie Okkenden (20th), Simon Orchard (25th) and Matt Ghodes (53rd) made entries on the score-sheet, while Indians failed to convert a few chances that came their way.

This was Australia's first outing in the round-robin league, while India had won their opening fixture against Japan 2-1 on Wednesday.

India paid dearly for allowing Australia plenty of opportunities to move inside the circle.

"I am not satisfied with the performance today. Our defenders did not gel well," said Oltmans.

"On the other end, we had a few chances that we failed to convert," said the Indian coach, who has fielded several youngsters from the 33-player talent pool to assess them ahead of picking the squad for the Rio Olympics.

Australian captain Mark Knowles too was not very pleased with the way his team played.

"The scoreline is flattering, but not our game today," said Knowles, whose team is seeking to extend their eight-title record at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and reclaim the title they lost to New Zealand last year.

The Black Sticks prevailed in a penalty shootout to win the title after the final against Australia ended in a draw.

"We did not create as many chances as we do in most matches," said Knowles.

"India had equal number of opportunities, but our finishing was better," said the Australian captain.

The Times of India



Tahir, Rashad to attend FIH courses in Malaysia

LAHORE - Former coach and Olympian Tahir Zaman and former international hockey umpire and FIH umpires’ manager Rashad Mahmood Butt have been nominated by International Hockey Federation (FIH) and Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) to attend two international courses for coaching and umpiring in Ipoh, Malaysia during the ongoing 25th Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament.

Tahir will lead the coaching course, whereas the umpiring course will be conducted by Rashad Butt respectively, said a press release issued by Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF).

The two courses will help identify and train competent umpires and coaches for hockey, which would ultimately help in improving hockey standards at national and international levels.

The Nation



With Pan American Semifinal Victory U-21 USWNT Captures 2016 Junior World Cup Berth

TACARIGUA, Trinidad –  With more than a prized first place title up for grabs at the Junior Women's Pan American Championship, nine teams from around the world continue to bring their best to the pitch for event gold and an automatic berth to 2016 Junior Women's World Cup in Chile. Today, the U.S. U-21 Women’s National Team took another step closer toward a championship medal while also solidifying their selection to the World Cup. With their 5-0 win over Chile in the Semifinal round, Team USA became a contender for the World Cup by becoming one of the top-two finishers of the Junior Pan American Championship. The red, white and blue will enter Pan American Championship finals against Argentina on Saturday.

Accumulating a total of 40 tournament goals to date and only conceding one lone goal, Team USA took the pitch looking to keep their undefeated event streak alive. Despite Chile's strong counter attack against USA, our defenders held composure to come up with the ball and dish play to Margaux Paolino (Villanova, Pa.) who, with some stick skills in the right hand side of the pitch, grabbed USA's first penalty corner. USA's initial penalty corner attempt was broken, but they were rewarded with a long corner in the opening minutes of play. As a result, USA's Tara Vittese (Cherry Hill, N.J.) tested Chile's backfield with a straight drive to cage that glided inches away from the goal post.

Together as a unit USA continued to press high, forcing Chile at the midfield line to be extra cautious with their passing to keep play away from the eager sticks of the USA. All of Team USA's hard work from pressing paid off in the 17th minute when off of an interception, a great passing combination from Vittese to Gab Major (Royersford, Pa.) on the baseline led to Paolino who locked in the team's first goal. The score became USA 1, Chile 0. Continuing with an attacking mentality, Laura Hurff (Newark, Del.) with an interception found Vittese who launched a hard shot on cage that went just wide of the post. On the opposite end of the pitch, Chile earned their first penalty corner of the match in the 19th minute. USA's keeper Kelsey Bing (Houston, Texas) absorbed the direct shot to let Vittese sweep the ball out of danger and transition the ball to the offensive end of the field.

In the 22nd minute of play, Erin Matson (Chadds Ford, Pa.) notched the team's second goal of the game from a penalty corner. Matson sent a clean insert to Ashley Hoffman (Mohnton, Pa.) who sent the ball back to baseline where Matson redirected the ball into the net to create a new score of USA 2, Chile 0. The first half came to a close with a score of USA 2, Chile 0.

From the starting line, Chile sprinted into their attacking end to earn their second penalty corner of the match but was unable to convert. Play transitioned to the USA's offensive circle where a sharp pass split Chile's defender and goalkeeper to locate Julianna Tornetta (Plymouth Meeting, Pa.) who just missed the cage on a redirection. In the 41st minute, J. Tornetta received the ball again to tip a pass to Lauren Moyer (York, Pa.) who sent a hard shot into the back of the cage to make it USA 3, Chile 0. In the 43rd minute, Team USA lit up the scoreboard again with a precisely placed drag flick courtesy of Hoffman to transform the goal count to USA 4, Chile 0.

Without a lull in play, Nicole Woods (Beverly, Mass.) developed a 1v1 situation with Chile's goalkeeper. Woods launched a drive on target, but the shot hit the post. Staying persistent, Paolino snagged a ball from a Chilean offender in USA's defensive end. She was able to propel a leading pass to Vittese who anticipated the forward movement to then connect the ball to Major. The quick passing created an numbers up attack in the attacking circle but Chile's defense cut off the aggressive forward action. In the later stages of the game, Chile earned back-to-back penalty corners but USA's keeper Bing denied entry past the goal line. In the 64th minute, Matson capitalized on a Chilean defender's error, set herself up for a crisp backhanded shot and delivered the ball to the goal turning the score USA 5, Chile 0. As the match minutes began to expire, signaling the end of the Semifinals, USA's defense kept calm under Chilean pressure with poise, taking care of the ball in critical areas of the pitch. The game closed USA 5, Chile 0.

USA will enter the final against an undefeated Argentina Saturday April 9 at 4 p.m. EST to crown a tournament victor.

USFHA media release



T&T girls turn back Bajans 3-1

Nigel Simon

This country’s junior hockey women team set up a meeting with Uruguay for fifth spot tomorrow from 11.30am after beating neighbours Barbados 3-1 in their fifth to eight spot semifinal play-off in the Junior (Under-21) Women’s Pan American Hockey Championship at the National Hockey Centre, Tacarigua, yesterday.

Following a 5-0 loss to Chile in their quarterfinal on Tuesday, the Kayla Brathwaite-led junior Calypso Stickwomen were eager to make amends against the Barbadians after their hopes of appearing in a second ever FIH Junior World Cup were dashed in the Chile loss.

And they got the perfect start when defender Savannah De Freitas converted a penalty-corner set play initiated by her younger sibling Shania De Freitas as early as the second minute to the delight of the local supporters who had brave the hot and humid weather conditions to cheer on their team.

With little emphasis on defence at both ends of the field, T&T had a golden chance to double its lead on a fast break through USA-based Brianna Govia, but she hesitated with her effort from less than ten yards out from out, and in the end dragged it wide of the mark.

Barbados then began to put some pressure on the T&T back-line marshalled by another USA-based player Stephanie Whiteman, but despite creating a few chances from penalty-corners the visitors failed to make T&T pay.

However, Barbados eventually drew level in the 17th minute via an Ayana Wilson field goal, after which both teams failed to add to their tally before the half-time whistle as the heat started to take its toll on the players.

Twelve minutes after the restart, another of T&T’s USA-based contingent Kristin Abreu regained the lead for the locals with a penalty conversion and in the 56th, Govia finally made amends for her earlier missed effort, after which the Brian Garcia-coached young women held on for the win.
Earlier on, Uruguay got the better of Mexico, 3-1 on penalty stroke shoot-out after a 0-0 deadlock at the end of the 70-minute contest.

Six-time champion Argentina is yet to concede a goal after crushing Canada 9-0 in their main draw semis and will face USA in Sunday’s gold medal match from 4pm after the Americans dumped Chile 5-0 in their main draw semifinal. Both finalist will also be fighting for a place at the World Cup in Chile, from November 26 to December 4.

The Trinidad Guardian



Junior women to play for bronze after semifinal loss to Argentina

Shaheed Devji



Canada’s Junior Women’s National Team will play for the bronze medal at the 2016 Junior Women’s Pan American Championships after a semifinal loss to tournament favourite Argentina on Thursday.

The Canadians, who were coming off a quarterfinal win in a shootout against Uruguay, were put under the gun early in the semifinal and surrendered a penalty corner goal to Maria Ortiz in the eighth minute.

From there, the Argies didn’t look back, scoring just a minute later and often throughout the game en route to the 9-0 win.

“Argentina is a world class side, so you if you give them an inch they’ll take a mile and then some,” says Canadian goalkeeper Lauren Logush, who has played in each of Canada’s five game in the tournament . “I think we were a bit too loose and obviously they’re going to capitalize.”

In the other semifinal, the United States defeated Chile 5-0 meaning Canada will play for bronze medal against Chile on Saturday (10:45am PT/1:45pm ET).

Chile is a team that the Canadians juniors have come to know well recently, having played a seven match test series against the Chileans in Santiago in January of this year.

Canada won three of those matches, including a 5-0 win the in the final game of the series. They familiarity between the two teams, as well as what medal on the line should make Saturday’s match evenly matched and highly competitive.

And despite the lopsided loss in the semifinal, the Canadians are confident they can come away with a win.

“We didn’t put out the game that we wanted to play,” says Samantha McIlwrick. “We’ll come back better next time and hopefully can put out a strong performance in our last game.”

With their wins and passage to the tournament final, Argentina and the U.S. clinch a spot at the 2016 Junior World Cup, which will be played in Chile later this year.

Playing for bronze, the Canadians fall just short of a top two finish and a berth in the World Cup, but have a chance to take home a medal at their continental championship on Saturday, like the senior women did – also against Chile – last summer at the Pan American Games.

Canada and Chile get going at 10:45am PT/1:45pm ET on Saturday.

Field Hockey Canada media release



Singapore ready to open Hockey World League Season 3


The Singapore women's team, which won bronze during the 2015 South East Asian Games, will be looking for inspiration from the home support Photo: Sport Singapore

The third Hockey World League will burst into action on 9 April in Singapore as nine men’s teams and seven women’s teams get ready to begin an exciting hockey adventure as they set off on their long journey to qualification for the 2018 Hockey World Cup.

The beauty of the Hockey World League is that it opens opportunities for new, as well as established, hockey nations to make it all the way to the top. The prize for the teams finishing top in Singapore will be qualification for Round Two and the potential to play on an ever-expanding global hockey stage.

Taking part in the event is China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan and Myanmar. These teams will play in two pools, with crossover finals to decide placings.

The women’s event will consist of a round-robin. The teams taking part are: Kazakhstan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Cambodia and Singapore.

This is the second time that Singapore has hosted a Round One event and the hockey-loving nation is fast proving itself a hockey hub. The two-pitch Sengkang Stadium has also hosted three of the top women’s teams in world hockey, the Netherlands, Germany and Australia, when the TPG International Tri-series was held at the stadium in January this year.

Singapore men and women will be hoping that they can improve upon the silver and bronze medal that they won respectively in the final of the South-East Asia Games, that took place at the Sengkang Stadium last year.

The men, who are ranked 38th in the FIH World Rankings, lost to Malaysia in a shoot-out after holding the regional giants to a draw in regulation time.

For the Hockey World League event, China men will be the top-seeded team. They are currently 19th in the world rankings. The only other men’s team in the top 50 is Sri Lanka, ranked 42nd. Hong Kong is ranked 52nd, Kazakhstan is ranked at 76th and the other teams are currently unranked.

The highest ranked team in the women’s competition is Kazakhstan (33rd), with Thailand ranked 35th, Hong Kong 39th, Singapore 43rd and Sri Lanka 45th, Brunei and Cambodia are unranked.

The top three teams of the men’s tournament and the top two in the women’s event will qualify for the next round, so the battle for the top places will be fierce. The final placements in the Hockey World League also impacts world ranking points, so all teams will be determined to finish as high as they can in the competition.

Talking about the enthusiasm to host hockey events in Singapore, the Singapore Hockey Federation (SHF) President Mathavan Devadas said: "We have hosted two World League tournaments - one men's and one women's - in the past, and this time we've offered to host both together.

"The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is familiar with the venue, our organisational capabilities and the track record that we have in previous tournaments. The Sengkang Stadium is a legacy item from the 2010 Youth Olympic Games and, with the two international-grade pitches there, it has proven to be a very good venue for international events," Devadasi added.

The first Hockey World League event of the 2016-2018 season runs from 9-17 April. The opening matches will see Hong Kong women take on Brunei, while the first men’s game is Thailand versus Brunei.

For all the information, visit the FIH event page by clicking here.

Hockey World League
Launched in 2012 and played every two years, the World League acts as another avenue for nations to qualify for the 2018 FIH Hockey World Cup (in addition to those qualifying as continental champions and the World Cup hosts). World ranking points are also at stake. The competition will be played over four rounds, with the first round featuring teams ranked 20th and below in the FIH World Rankings (dependent on number of entrants), with the top three men's teams and top two women's sides from the tournament qualifying for Round 2.

FIH site



Danny Kerry appointed permanent England and Great Britain Women’s Head Coach


Danny Kerry gives his team talk

England Hockey is delighted to announce that Danny Kerry has been appointed Head Coach of the England and Great Britain Women’s Hockey teams on a permanent basis through to the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020.

Kerry is widely recognised as one of the best coaches in the world. He has made the decision to become coach on a permanent basis after a very successful period as our Performance Director since 2012, then a dual role as Performance Director and Interim Women’s Head Coach since 2014. In the last 18 months he coached the women to become Unibet European EuroHockey Champions for the first time in more than 20 years, and he was also named High Performance Coach of the Year at the scUK Awards in 2015.

Danny said, “My passion is coaching and that is the fundamental basis for me making this decision. My coaching is still developing, I'm only 45 and while I have the energy and keep getting better at what I do, I want to keep pursuing that passion for as long as I can.

“I've thoroughly enjoyed the dual role as Performance Director and Interim Women's Head Coach for the past 18 months, and we’ve set in place important, much-needed and profound changes at both elite and development level. We’ve centralised the men’s programme, improved our talent pathway, developed our coaches and I am very satisfied that we are moving in the right direction.

“So with that work well underway, I'm really excited about leading the programme into the next cycle. We have a fantastic, well-funded programme from UK Sport, a great sponsor in Investec, excellent players in the programme and more talent coming in. We were successful in the Euros last year, we have the Champions Trophy and Rio this summer, a home World Cup in 2018 and then Tokyo in 2020, so I think the combination of factors across the board makes my decision the right one.”

Chief Executive Sally Munday said, “Danny is an exceptional coach and rightly considered one of the best in the world. He has also been an excellent Performance Director and under his leadership we have made huge progress in our coaching and talent development programmes. Keeping talented people like Danny is an absolute priority for us and seeing him back coaching the women’s team in the past 18 months it is clear the impact he has and I fully believe he will provide our talented players with the best chance of winning more gold medals moving forwards. I am thrilled we have been able to retain him permanently through to Tokyo.”

Kerry will continue in his dual role through to the Rio Games and the recruitment for a new Performance Director will begin immediately, with the intention of the new appointment starting their post immediately after the Rio games.

Danny Kerry timeline

2005-2012: Women’s head coach, leading the team to Olympic bronze at London 2012, a first women’s Olympic medal in 20 years.

2012-2014: Performance Director, overseeing men’s and women’s team qualification for Rio 2016 Olympic games, and driving significant improvement to the junior international programmes that support the development of future international hockey players; centralising the men's programme, changing the single system to a talent pathway, developing coaches and getting greater frequency of contact at the top end of our youth pathway nationally.

2014-2016: Performance Director and interim women’s Head Coach following the departure of Jason Lee, winning gold at the 2015 Unibet EuroHockey Championships in London, defeating Olympic and World Champions Netherlands in the final to secure a first success in 20 years. Named High Performance Coach of the Year at the scUK Awards in 2015.

England Hockey Board Media release



Play-Off semi-finals signal start of the business end of the season for top clubs

Scottish Hockey's European & Relegation Play-Off Semi-Finals get underway this weekend with eight semi-final matches across Men's and Women's National League Division 1 taking place on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 April.

National Champions Trophy / European Play-Offs

Men's competition

In the men's semi-finals, Bromac Kelburne will take the first step towards trying to achieve their aim of claiming all the domestic outdoor silverware on offer this season.

They face old foes Western Wildcats this weekend, with the first leg at Auchehowie (11.00), before they return to the Glasgow National Hockey Centre on Sunday (14.00)

Wildcats face a daunting task against the league and Scottish cup winners, and will need to be on their best form to progress to next weekend's Grand Final.

Results between the two teams this season, including two Kelburne wins (4-1, 3-0), suggest a difficult tie for the Wildcats.

An intriguing battle awaits in the second semi-final as league runners-up Grove Menzieshill take on Grange, (Sat 12.30, Fettes College; Sun 12.30, DISC)

The Dundonians have made an immediate impact on their return to the top division, taking Kelburne all the way to the wire in the regular season.

Ironically, one of their only two defeats this season was at the hands of the Stags, so a close contest is expected.

Having tasted experience of the EHL this season, Grange will be eager to defend their National Champions Trophy that they won last season.

Women's competition

A Dundee derby between league runners-up Grove Menzieshill and Dundee Wanderers is the highlight of the women's semi-finals.

The two sides will meet for the second semi-final this season, having played in the Scottish Cup last month.

Wanderers host their city rivals at Dalnacraig (15.30) on Saturday, before they make the short distance to DISC for Sunday's encounter (14.30).

Grove Menzieshill will aiming to bounce back from Cup final disappointment last weekend, but Wanderers know that they have beaten their old foes this season and could provide a real obstacle to reaching the Grand Final.

A close match awaits.

Edinburgh University are bidding for cleen sweep of the outdoor domestic competitions to add to their league and Scottish Cup titles.

They will start as slight favourites against a Milne Craig Clydesdale Western side who they have inflicted two 4-1 league defeats upon already this season, while also eliminating them from the cup.

The two teams meet at Titwood on Saturday (time TBC), before the return leg on Sunday at Peffermill (time TBC).
Relegation Play-Offs

Men's competition

Second division Inverleith have the opportunity to return to the top flight at the first time of asking when they play PSL Team Sport Clydesdale in the promotion/relegation play-offs.

The Purple Robes narrowly lost out on automatic promotion to capital city rivals Watsonians, so a place in Division 1 will need to be earned via the play-off route.

Clydesdale sit bottom of the form guide table with four defeats in their last five games; a return to form will be most welcome at a crucial stage of the season.

A clash between Hillhead and Uddingston is the second promotion/relegation semi-final.

Having hauled themselves above relegated Dundee Wanderers into ninth place, Uddingston go into this match in reasonable form against a Hillhead side who have lost the last four games in a row, including a 2-1 reversal against this weekend's opponents.

Capturing early season form is the goal for the Hornets, including refreshing their memories of a 6-0 win over the Lanarkshire side.

Uddingston's home pitch is the venue for the first leg (15.00), before the two sides make the short journey to Old Anniesland for the return leg on Sunday.

Women's competition

The women's promotion and relegation semi-finals feature four teams from Edinburgh.

Grange EL and Watsonians will go head-to-head in an all-city tie, while CALA Edinburgh and Erskine Stewart's Melville FP are involved in another derby.

Four wins in a row for Grange in Division 2 means they go into the weekend's tie with confidence, while Watsonians defeated GHK Ladies by a large margin in their final league encounter.

Naturally, one may favour the team from the top division, but a tight match will be anticipated.

The pair meet on Saturday (time/venue TBC), before the second leg on Sunday at Peffermill (16.00)

Difficult to predict a winner in the CALA-ESM match, both sides pocketed a win each against each other in the league this season while recent form is a mixed bag of results.

Peffermill hosts Saturday's encounter (13.00), while Meggetland will be the venue for the return leg (time TBC.

Scottish Hockey Union media release



Riaz confident TN will do well in the Nationals

The Tamil Nadu State men’s hockey team left on Thursday night for the Senior National (B division) championship to be held Saifai, Uttar Pradesh from April 8 to 21.

Md. Riaz, former India captain and Olympian, who was with the team for eight days during the State camp at the insistence of Chelladurai Abdullah, president, Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu, said he is confident that the team will do well in the Nationals.

“Given the group (Bihar, Madhya Bharat & J&K) that TN is in, I think they can top it and can, possibly, go further,” he said.

Riaz said he coached the boys on trapping the ball inside the circle, off the ball running, and how to play collective hockey.
The drawback

The drawback of the team, according to Riaz, was that since most of the boys from the districts have hardly played on synthetic surfaces, trained as they are on gravel surfaces, their deflections were below par. “So I taught them how to play the ‘slap’ shot as the boys are used only to the push shot,” said Raiz.

Riaz refused to be drawn into the debate on selectors picking mostly youngsters ignoring the senior players and arguably better players from Chennai.

“I was given this team and I did my best with it,” he said.

The Hindu



Polytan to supply World Cup and Olympic hockey turf


Stephen Niven, CEO Sport Group Asia Pacific with FIH CEO Kelly Fairweather

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is pleased to confirm Polytan as an official Global Supplier, guaranteeing them exclusive rights including the supply of the turfs for the 2018 and 2022 Hockey World Cups and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

The seven-year partnership, with an option for a two year extension to incorporate the 2024 Olympic Games, represents a major leap for FIH and is proof that the Hockey Revolution strategy provides hockey’s partners with real business opportunities.

This relationship signifies a major increase in the commercial value of hockey. As well as a significant investment, the agreement includes the provision of hockey turfs for the 2018 and 2022 men’s and women’s Hockey World Cups and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. One of the key features will be the creation of an FIH Hockey World Cup turf that will add value to Polytan’s product range and build brand equity for the FIH.

FIH will actively support Polytan’s business in key growth markets such as India and China and traditional hockey markets in Europe. Polytan will also be provided with a customised set of visibility, marketing and networking opportunities that are all designed to actively create new business.

Speaking about this news, FIH CEO Kelly Fairweather said: “We are delighted to confirm this partnership with Polytan, an organisation that has built a solid foundation of trust having delivered a number of world class hockey turfs over the years, including at both the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic venues. Being named as our Global Supplier is recognition of both their continued investment in our sport and their innovative approach to developing top quality surfaces to play hockey on.”

FIH President, Leandro Negre added: “Polytan’s commitment to hockey and growing the game, along with their professional approach and renowned quality ensured this was the perfect match for both organisations. We look forward to working with them to build hockey over the coming years through their commitment to and engagement in our 10-year Hockey Revolution strategy, aimed at making hockey a global game that inspires the next generation.”

Frank Dittrich, CEO of SportGroup (owners of Polytan) commented: “This relationship is incredibly important for the future of hockey, a sport which we firmly believe in. That’s why we have done everything in our power to develop class-leading products to enable us to become a strong partner that FIH can trust.”

He continued: “This has involved a considerable amount of investment which has seen our experts draw upon the knowledge of FIH and seek practical input from the sport’s leading athletes. This shows just how passionate we are about providing the best for our customers - something that will be recognised by the sport as we continue to work with FIH to develop hockey over the coming years as part of our relationship.”


Frank Dittrich, CEO of SportGroup, owners of Polytan (left), with FIH CEO Kelly Fairweather

This latest partnership follows last year’s launch of the FIH Quality Programme for Hockey Turf, aimed at ensuring good quality hockey fields are built for all levels of play, from elite level competition to community development. For more information about this programme, visit the Hockey Turf section of FIH website by clicking here.

To find out more about Polytan, click here to visit their website.

FIH site

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