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All the news for Wednesday 13 April 2016

Aussies edge Kiwis

Australia edged New Zealand 1-0 in the battle of the Oceania teams at the Azlan Shah Stadium.

The win gives the Aussies 12 points and virtually a place in the final with two matches to play.

Australia had won all three of their matches, defeating India and Malaysia 5-1 and Pakistan 4-0.

On the other hand New Zealand started with a 3-3 draw against Malaysia and a 1-1 draw against Canada before defeating Pakistan 5-3 and  Japan 4-1.

The Aussies therefore were looking for a win that would virtually assure them of a place in the final while the Kiwis were hoping to inch closer to a place in Saturday's final.

Hence the game started at a furious pace as both teams threw caution into the wind to attack from the first whistle.

After three failed penalty corner attempts, the Aussies got it right at the fourth attempt as Jamie Dwyer scored in the 22nd minute.

The Kiwis created several chances but failed to find the mark as Hugo Inglls and Kane Russel missed easy chances.

The Kiwis took out their keeper Devon Manchester three minutes from time and Arun Panchia assumed the role of kicking back.

New Zealand will finish their campaign with a match against India while the Aussies have Canada and Japan remaining in the round robin matches.

Unofficial Sultan Azlan Shah Cup website

India on song against Pakistan

India outclassed Pakistan 5-1 to stay on course for a place in the final of the Azlan Shah Cup.

It was a devastating display of clinical finishing as four of the Indian goals were from field attempts.

Both the teams had lost their matches against Workd champs Australia , India losing 5-1 while Pakistan were handed a 4-0 defeat.

Both had to win to stand a chance to make the final or at least assure themselves of a podium finish.

India took the lead in the 3rd minute as Manpreet Singh broke on the left before unleashing a reverse hit that left Imran Butt stranded.

But Pakistan hit back in the 7th minute as skipper Muhammad Irfan converted a penalty corner to make it 1-1.

However SV Sunil was at hand to select a pass from Manpreet to give India the 2-1 lead in the 10th minute,

Pakistan then took control of the match and looked more likely to score but it was India who struck again.

SV Sunil was on hand to finish off a brilliant move in the 41st minute for a 3-1 lead.

Talwinder Singh made it 4-1 after pouncing on a poor clearance by Muhammad Rizwan.

Rupinderpal Singh inflicted further damage by converting a penalty corner in the  54th minute.

Rupinderpal then saw his penalty stroke four minutes from time saved by Imran Butt. But the game was already lost long before that for Pakistan.

Unofficial Sultan Azlan Shah Cup website

Canada hold Malaysia to a draw

Malaysia were held to a 2-2 draw by Canada at the Azlan Shah Stadium.

Malaysia wanted a win to stay in contention for a berth in the final.

But after insipid performance, they should be thankful for walking off the pitch with a win.

The players seem to be confused and lacked coordination as they played like 11 individuals instead of a team.

Malaysia had held New Zealand to a 3-3 draw in their opening match before defeating Japan 4-3.

They however were outclassed by Australia 5-1.

On the other hand the Canadians lost their opener 3-1 to Pakistan before holding New Zealand to a 1-1 draw and defeated Japan 3-1.

They however lost 3-1 to India in their fourth match.

Malaysia have two Asian Giants - Pakistan and India to face before completing their pool matches.

And the hosts will need to win both matches to make the final or a podium finish.

Both teams started cautiously and were awarded two penalty corners each but failed to make any headway.

But it was third time lucky for the Canadians who scored through a Scott Tupper penalty corner in the 21st minute.

Malaysia played a set piece in their fourth penalty corner as Razie Rahim played the ball square to Shahril Saabah who buried it into goal for Malaysia to draw level in the 29th minute.

And barely a minute into the third quarter Malaysia went ahead.

A delightful exchanges of passes between Fitri Saari, Shahril Saabah saw the ball related to Nabil Fiqri who tapped into goal for a 2-1 lead.

Canada forced three consecutive penalty corners but good running by Rashid Bahrom kept them at bay.

A lapse in concentration saw Canada equalise 10 seconds from the end of the third quarter through Mathew Guesr.

Unofficial Sultan Azlan Shah Cup website

Malaysia 2 Canada 2

By Jugjet Singh

MALAYSIA played hot-and-cold to hold Olympic-bound Canada 2-1 in the Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh Tuesday.

With five points after four matches, Malaysia are out of the running to play in the final, but can salvage some pride by winning against Pakistan and India in the next matches to play for the bronze.

Playing in front of another capacity crowd, Malaysia played a fast-paced game but after 15 minutes, they failed to break the duck as Canada defenders played a robust game.

The national players needed a win, at any cost, to make sure they finish among the top-four in the 25th Edition.

But it was Canada who took the lead off their skipper Scott Tupper, who converted a penalty corner in the 21st minute.

Malaysia were rewarded for pushing forward in numbers, when Shahril Saabh perfected a penalty corner set-piece in the 29th minute to draw level and enter the half-time dressing room with some breathing space.

After the break, Shahril's shot at goal was deflected in by Nabil Fiqri in the 31st minute, and Malaysia were back in the match.

However, in the last five minutes of the third quarter, Malaysian defenders started taking unnecessary risks and were punished by Matthew Guest in the 45th minute -- 20 seconds from the break hooter.

The score stood, and Malaysia held the the Olympic-bound Canadians.

"Both the teams came out looking for a win to move higher on the standings, but we missed too many crosses across the goalmouth that forced us to share points.

"However, it was another good game from my players and we are still within our target of finishing among the top four in the tournament, provided we get the better of Pakistan tomorrow (today) and India in our final pool match," said Malaysian coach Stephen van Huizen.

Australia edged New Zealand 1-0 to place a foot in the final of the Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh Tuesday.

Jamie Dwyer, who will be playing in his fourth Olympics in Brazil, made the difference with a 22nd minute penalty corner goal.

Defending champions New Zealand tried to steal a point from the World N 1 by removing their goalkeeper in the last four minutes of the match, but failed to score off the four penalty corners they won.

In another match, India hammered Pakistan 5-1 with goals from Manpreet Singh (4th), Sunil Sowmarpet (10th, 41st), Talwinder Singh (50th), Rupinder Pal Singh (54th),

The Pakistan consolation was scored by Muhammad Irfan (7th).

STANDINGS

             P  W  D  L  F  A  Pts
AUSTRALIA    4  4  0  0  15 2  12
INDIA        4  3  0  1  11 8  9
N ZEALAND    5  2  2  1  13 9  8
CANADA       5  1  2  2  8  10 5
MALAYSIA     4  1  2  1  10 13 5
PAKISTAN     4  1  0  3  7  15 3
JAPAN        4  0  0  4  6  13 0
 
RESULTS: Australia 1 New Zealand 0, Pakistan 1 India 5, Malaysia 2 Canada 2.
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 blow chance for final after Canada draw

by S. Ramaguru



IPOH: Malaysia had a great chance to keep pace with the leaders and stay in the hunt for a final berth in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.

Instead, they ended up drawing 2-2 with Canada at the Azlan Shah Stadium on Tuesday.

Again, it was poor defending that let the Malaysians down.

Canada took the lead in the 21st minute through a Scott Tupper direct flick off their third penalty corner attempt.

Malaysia hit back with a penalty corner goal of their own in the 29th minute through Mohd Shahril Saabah before Nabil Fiqri Mohd Nor put the hosts 2-1 ahead a minute into the third quarter.

Then, as always, the defence went to sleep in the 45th minute, allowing Matthew Guest to score the equaliser past goalkeeper Mohd Hafizuddin Othman.

National coach Stephen van Huizen was clearly unhappy with the draw as “we were going for a win”.

“I don’t think the Canadians are happy either. This is a match we had targeted to win ... we tried hard in the last quarter,” he said.

“It was a good match in patches.”

The coach also commented on the Canadians’ robust game.

“You have to expect these against such teams and learn to handle it.”

The draw sees Canada in fourth spot in the seven-team standings with five points. Malaysia also have five points but are fifth due to their poor goal difference.

Leaders Australia are already through to the final. India are second with nine points, followed by defending champions New Zealand.

“We have two tough matches coming up – against Asian rivals Pakistan and India,” said Stephen.

“We will aim for a win, but these two teams always raise their game against us. We will see how those games go.”

Canadian skipper Tupper felt that his team should have gone for a win after netting the equaliser in the 45th minute.

“We lost two points and that’s crucial. We came back and I thought a win was possible.

“We wanted the three points to give ourselves some confidence for the next two matches.”

Tupper, however, praised his team-mates for nullifying Malaysia’s counter attacks, saying “we knew we were in for a tough fight against the speedy Tigers”.

“Malaysia have fast players in the middle and they can catch you off guard,” he explained.

“We made sure they did not threaten us with their counter attacks. We kept it tight.”

The Star of Malaysia

Australia edge New Zealand in a meeting of equals

by S. Ramaguru



IPOH: Australia came out tops in a game of two halves as they eked out a 1-0 win over New Zealand to secure their place in the final of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.

The hot weather clearly affected both teams, who missed a series of chances and also had a goal each disallowed in the first quarter.

Australia got the crucial breakthrough in the 22nd minute when veteran forward Jamie Dwyer, unmarked in the box, thumped home a Chris Ciriellos cross.

New Zealand, the defending champions, did everything they could, including taking out goalkeeper Kype Pontifex and replacing him with an extra outfield player in the last five minutes, but to no avail.

World No. 1 Australia held on for victory to top the seven-team standings with maximum 12 points from four outings.

Dwyer summed the game succinctly: “We were dominant in the first-half, while New Zealand were better in the second-half.

“The conditions did not help both teams at all. We did not hold the ball well enough in the second-half.”

Pontifex, who was named man-of-the-match, said it was “hard playing in such ex­treme hot conditions”.

“I’m sure the conditions will be the same in Rio de Janeiro (for the Olympics in August). We can take a lot from this game and play better against India tomorrow,” he said.

While Australia can take on Japan without any pressure now that they have booked a final berth, New Zealand know they have their work cut out for them as they face India.

India kept themselves in the running for the final with a 5-1 trouncing of bitter rivals Pakistan in the second match of the day.

This is India’s biggest win over Pakistan. India’s biggest win over Pakistan before this was the 7-4 triumph in the 2003 Champions Trophy.

In Tuesday’s match, goals by Manpreet Singh (fourth minute), Sunil Sowmarpet (ninth, 41st), Talwinder Singh (50th) and Rupinder Pal Singh (54th) moved India up to second spot with nine points. New Zealand dropped to third with eight points.

Pakistan’s consolation goal came from a Mohd Irfan penalty corner set piece in the seventh minute.

The Star of Malaysia

Kookaburras narrowly defeat the Black Sticks

The Kookaburras claim their fourth win at Azlan Shah

Holly MacNeil


                                                                                       
Australia took on New Zealand at the 2016 Azlan Shah Cup tonight in Ipoh, Malaysia. The Kookaburras took control of the game early on, putting pressure on the Black Sticks defence. The Black Sticks fought back to get the first opportunity for a penalty corner in the match, but the Kookaburras defence was too good with the flick abruptly cut off.

Australia almost had an early goal when Tom Craig managed to get the ball into the net, but this was quickly disallowed. The New Zealand team immediately followed this up with a near goal of their own, however this goal was also quickly disallowed.

Twenty-two minutes into the game and Australia managed to get on the scoreboard with a smooth penalty corner shot courtesy of Jamie Dwyer.

The Black Sticks narrowly missed out on getting on to the scoreboard two minutes into the third quarter, after Hugo Inglis sent the ball wide of the net, with Australian goalkeeper Tyler Lovell out of position.

Into the fourth quarter and New Zealand did their best to get the game back from the Kookaburras, with four narrow Penalty Corner misses in as many minutes. The Kookaburras defence was too good, and they held on to the game winning their fourth match of the tournament.

Kookaburras Head Coach, Graham Reid said: “The first half of the game was reasonably good and we were quite happy. Going into the third quarter and we were quite poor, we needed to be more patient. New Zealand created a lot of opportunities.

“The heat definitely affected both teams. There were mistakes from both sides, but playing in 37 degree heat it’s to be expected to a point and we can definitely learn from this.”

Australia next play Japan tomorrow at 6.05pm AWST / 8.05pm AEST.

KOOKABURRAS 1 (1)
Jamie Dwyer 22 (PC)

NEW ZEALAND 0 (0)

Results & Fixtures, today
AUS 1 – 0 NZL
PAK 1 – 5 IND
CAN 2 - 2 MAS
                                                                                        
Kookaburras’ squad v New Zealand
Started
Chris Ciriello (Melbourne, VIC) 181/114
Tom Craig (Lane Cove, NSW) 20/17
Jamie Dwyer (Rockhampton, QLD) 355/236
Matthew Gohdes (Rockhampton, QLD) 147/48
Blake Govers (Wollongong, NSW) 21/18
Jeremy Hayward (Darwin, NT) 49/17
Mark Knowles (Rockhampton, QLD) 279/22
Tyler Lovell (Perth, WA) 62/0
Eddie Ockenden (Hobart, TAS) 266/64
Matthew Swann (Mackay, QLD) 130/6
Tristan White (Wollongong, NSW) 70/3
      
Used Substitute
Matthew Dawson (Killarney Vale, NSW) 36/6
Fergus Kavanagh (Gerladton, WA) 220/15
Flynn Ogilvie (Wollongong, NSW) 23/10
Simon Orchard (Maitland, NSW) 191/55
Aran Zalewski (Margaret River, WA) 81/10

Unused Substitute
Andrew Charter (Canberra, ACT) 106/0
Jacob Whetton (Brisbane, QLD) 102/44

Kookaburras’ fixtures
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

Gritty Black Sticks edged by Australia


Stephen Jenness ready for anything. Photo: Megat Firdaus

Despite a strong finish, the Black Sticks Men have been narrowly beaten 1-0 by Australia at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia.

It was a determined performance from the Kiwis who played a strong defensive game against the world number one ranked side in blistering 36 degree heat.

Down by one goal, the Black Sticks had the better of the Kookaburras in the second half and came painfully close to equalising on several occasions in the dying stages of the match.

The result sees New Zealand now with two wins, two draws and one loss at the tournament going into a must-win final match of round robin against India tomorrow at 8pm (NZ time), with live coverage on SKY Sport 4.

Head coach Colin Batch said the end result was disappointing but there were a lot of positives to come out of the game.

“They took it to us in the first half and we had trouble breaking down their play but I thought we played very well defensively and limited them to just one goal,” he said.

“In the second half we saw the tide turn and had some strong circle penetrations, but we weren’t able to take advantage and that’s why they’re world number one.

“Overall it’s disappointing not to get the result but to be able to push the best in the world so closely is pleasing and shows that as a team we are really building in belief.”

The opening quarter had it all with yellow cards dished out to Simon Orchard and Jacob Smith, along with a disallowed goal for each side.

Australia’s Thomas Craig had his goal called back with the pass into the circle deemed dangerous before Nick Wilson took advantage of a free hit to the Kookaburras and scored, with captain Simon Child showing great sportsmanship to reject the goal after it was awarded.

The Black Sticks defended bravely throughout the first half, but after three repelled penalty corner attempts the Kookaburras finally found the back of the net when a loose ball went out for Jamie Dwyer to shoot into an open goal.

New Zealand created more circle penetrations than Australia in the third and fourth quarters and were left to rue several chances that could have equalised the score.

Goalkeeper Devon Manchester was subbed for an extra field player with four minutes left on the clock and the move paid off with the Black Sticks earning three penalty corners but unable to deliver a levelling blow.

BLACK STICKS 0
AUSTRALIA 1: (Jamie Dwyer)
Halftime: Australia 1-0

Hockey New Zealand Media release

Tupper, Guest score as Canada ties host Malaysia at Azlan Shah Cup

Shaheed Devji


PHOTO: Captain Scott Tupper celebrates his goal with the “Red Caribou” antlers in Canada’s 2-2 tie with Malaysia at the 2016 Azlan Shah Cup.

In recent history, when the Canadian men’s field hockey team faces Malaysia, the match usually comes with drama.

It helps when there is a packed stadium. It helps when there is history between the two teams. And it helps when the game is meaningful. And all three conditions were met Tuesday night in Ipoh, where the teams tied 2-2 at the 2016 Azlan Shah Cup.

With 3 points on the line and only one round robin game remaining for Canada and two for Malaysia after Tuesday’s match, the game had heavy implications on the final tournament standings.

The tournament format sees teams play for final placing in a one game playoff directly after group play, which means every point during the pool stage is valuable for final positioning.

Heading into Tuesday night’s match, Canada and Malaysia were tied with four points each, with Malaysia holding the game in hand. The teams were both looking for the victory to take sole possession of fourth place and better their chances at playing for a medal.

The game began with both teams getting early touches on the ball and possession in the other team’s end.

To the delight of the home crowd, Malaysia earned two corners by the fifth minute. The first was blocked by Canada, which resulted in a second corner, which was stopped by Canadian goalkeeper Antoni Kindler.

Less than five minutes later, Canada ended a spell of possession by earning two corners of its own in the 9th monute. The first was blocked; the second was flicked high by Gordon Johnston.

The game was scoreless until the second quarter, when Scott Tupper made good on a Canadian corner with a dragflick in the 21st minute to beat Malaysian keeper Hafizuddin Othman and give Canada the 1-0 lead.

The Canadians held the lead until late in the half, but with the Malaysians pressing, Canada conceded consecutive corners in the final minute. Razie Rahim pushed the ball to Shahril Saabah who drove it by Kindler to tie the game.

Malaysia added another early in the second half, when a ball was hit hard from the top of the circle to Kindler’s right, across the face of the goal and was deflected in by Nabil Noor to give the home side a 2-1 lead.

The hosts had a chance to take a two-goal lead in the 39th minute but Kindler slid out to of his net to challenge an onrushing Malaysian and make the save.

That’s when Canada began to pressure for the equalizer.

A string of good play through the midfield ending with Gabriel Ho-Garcia drawing a corner led to another Tupper dragflick in 38th minute. His attempt was stopped, but Canada earned three more in the 39th minute and once again the Malaysian keeper Othman did well to keep the out.

Ho-Garcia created another opportunity when he got loose in the midfield after a free hit in the 44th minute. He made his way past the Malaysian defenders and fired a backhand pass across the goal to Richard Hildreth who just missed.

A minute later, Canada finally converted when a was hit hard by Sukhi Panesar into the circle to Matthew Guest, who quickly shifted around a defender and put a backhand by Othman to tie the game.

Both teams earned a point and sit on five for the tournament. Canada current sits in 4th place, Malaysia in 5th due to the Canadians holding the first tie-breaking (goal differential).

The Canadians now have two days off before facing the world’s number one team, Australia, on Friday, April 15 at 6:05pm in Malaysia (3:05am ET/6:05am ET in Canada).

GAME NOTES:

    With his goal in the 21st minute, Scott Tupper now has two goals on the tournament.
    Scott Tupper was named Man of the Match; it is the second time in the tournament he has been given the honour

Field Hockey Canada media release

Black Sticks Men beaten by Australia

By David Leggat


The Black Sticks. Photo / Getty

New Zealand suffered their first loss at the Azlan Shah men's hockey tournament tonight, but it leaves the defending champions vulnerable in their bid to make the weekend's final.

There was only one goal in their match in Ipoh, Malaysia against world No 1 Australia, and it went the way of Australia's veteran attacker Jamie Dwyer.

New Zealand left Dwyer unguarded at the back post after a penalty corner, with all eyes on the ball as they scrambled to clear it nine minutes before halftime.

At that point it was the least Australia deserved.

They completely bossed the first half, in which they had a 16-5 circle penetration edge; had seven shots to two by the eighth-ranked Black Sticks and an 80-20 possession advantage.

New Zealand owed seasoned goalkeeper Kyle Pontifex a debt, for some sterling work in the half, while Kane Russell and Ryan Archibald were prominent figures in an often-desperate defensive operation.

Attacker Nick Wilson did have the ball in the Australian net in a rare attacking foray, but it was ruled out for an earlier infringement.

However New Zealand were chasing the game for most of the half as Australia, last beaten by the Black Sticks in the final of this tournament a year ago, tightened the screw.

However the second half was a different story. New Zealand were more assertive and did create chances.

They found space to attack down the right in particular, with Russell prominent, and from that flank came New Zealand's best chance.

Russell made good ground in from the right, got the ball back to an unmarked Hugo Inglis, who swivelled and slapped his shot inches wide of an open goal.

Replacement goalkeeper Devon Manchester made an important block from Flynn Ogilvie but New Zealand gained traction through the half.

The shots and circle penetrations favoured New Zealand in the third quarter and they managed five penalty corners overall but were unable to find a way past Australia's classy goalkeeper Tyler Lovell.

Australia sit top of the standings, unbeaten with 12 points from four games.

New Zealand have eight points from five, while India are shaping as their rivals to make the final. They have six points from three games before their match against fierce rivals Pakistan tonight.

World No 7 India and New Zealand meet on Wednesday night before New Zealand have a bye. That match is expected to decide the second finalist for next Sunday night.

The New Zealand Herald

Black Sticks men go down fighting in gritty 1-0 defeat to Australia in Malaysia


Black Sticks captain Simon Child called back a goal that could have given his a side a draw against Australia. ANTHONY AU-YEUNG/PHOTOSPORT

The Black Sticks men showed they are not that far off the pace heading into the Rio Olympics following a gritty 1-0 defeat to Australia at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia.

With temperatures reaching 33degC, the Kiwis produced a tremendous defensive display in the first-half to trail by just one goal before Hugo Inglis blew a golden chance to equalise in the third quarter.

They may have even snatched a draw against the world No 1 were it not for an incredible act of sportsmanship by skipper Simon Child, who called back Nick Wilson's goal in the first quarter following a mix-up over an Australian free-hit.

As impressive as they were, though, it was their fifth consecutive defeat to Kookaburras since winning the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup last year, and leaves their hopes of defending their title in jeopardy.

They must now beat India in Wednesday's final round-robin game and hope other results fall their way to have a chance of finishing second, with the undefeated Aussies all-but wrapping up top spot.

There was no shortage of action in the first quarter despite finishing at 0-0 as both teams were shown yellow cards and had goals ruled out.

Australia dominated possession in the opening 15 minutes but other than Thomas Craig's disallowed strike, they rarely threatened the New Zealand defence.

The Black Sticks continued to be starved of the ball in the second quarter and - given the energy-sapping conditions - it was surely only a matter of time before Australia found the breakthrough.

And their brave resistance was broken 22 minutes into the match when Jamie Dwyer fired into an open goal.

Kiwi goalkeeper Kyle Pontifex was kept busy up until halftime as Australia enjoyed 80 per cent of possession inside New Zealand's territory.

But they couldn't turn the pressure into points and Colin Batch's side somehow went into the break just 1-0 behind.

The Black Sticks clearly made the most of the spell as they finally built some sustained attack at the start of the third quarter.

And they should have equalised only for Inglis to send his shot wide with the goal wide open.

Australia offered the Kiwis another way back into the match when Matthew Dawson was given a yellow card heading into the final stanza.

However, New Zealand couldn't generate enough with the ball to capitalise.

They had more than enough opportunities to score in the dying stages with the Kookaburras conceding four late penalty corners.

But having struggled in that department throughout the tournament, the Black Sticks again failed to convert as Australia held on for victory.

Australia 1 (Jamie Dwyer) NZ 0. HT: 1-0.

Stuff

India outplays Pakistan for a 5-1 win

K. Arumugam

Manpreet Singh's early enthusiasm, Sunil's opportunism, youngster Kothajit's energy, together with constant attacking attitude, helped India outplay Pak 5-1 in the Azlan Shah Cup. With the third win four matches, India now is placed second in the points table only behind Australia.

Manpreet Singh struck on his own in the third minute before setting up SV Sunil for second goal in the first quarter where Pakistan also struck the only goal of the match through captain Irfan off the second penalty corner.

Thereafter in the next quarters, India neatly outplayed Pakistan with an emerging brand of attacking hockey.

Manpreet Singh, who defended an Indian PC and got hurt in the third quarter, came back with vengeance and troubled the Pak defence. On one occasion, he was tripped from behind on the top of edge of D, which led to Australian umpire Murray Grime to signal the dreaded spot. However, ever reliable Rupinder Pal Singh, who just a couple of minutes before struck off India's third and last penalty corner, just placed the ball on the body of Imran Butt.

India by then was leading 5-1 and was rattling Pak defence. A close range deflection from Ramandeep Singh entered the D, celebration followed, but it took for a while for Murray to realize it is off a defender's stick, own goal, therefore no movement on the scoreboard.

Pak defence wilted as time wore out, getting a couple of temporarily suspension, even a loose stop by Rashid led to alert Talwinder bouncing on for India's fourth goal.

In line with the expectation, the India-Pakistan match started on a brisk note, with Manpreet Singh striking in the very third minute while off his same striker's feed, speedstar SV Sunil added another one close to tenth minute. In between, hardworking Umar Bhutta earned a penalty corner from the right backline placing his minus on the right foot of Rupinder Pal Singh. It was a test of character for new goalie Akash Chike. Imran took the drag, but hit the leg of Rupinder again, leading to second penalty corner. Imran this time placed it top of right net to bring score 1-1.

First quarter ended with a goal advantage for India.

After a sedate second quarter, India came alive with a gem of goal from SV Sunil. It was Kothajit who send a parallel from right flank, which Nikkin cleverly deflected to SV Sunil standing at the second post, lost no time to dive and connect, the ball reaching the net to the right of hapless Imran Butt, the rival goalie.

Shortly later, Rupinder sent a hit in, which got bounced off a defender inside the D, which Talwinder, just substituted, trapped and whacked a forehand for Indian goal (4-1).

Stick2Hockey.com

Hockey arch rivals: India-Pakistan matches on week days

By B.G.Joshi (India)

In Hockey it is believed that on Friday (Mohammedan’s prayer day) Pakistan often wins, but it is not true. Big win by 7-4 of India versus Pakistan occurred in Amstelveen Champions Trophy on August 22,2003, the day was Friday and India was trailing 2-4 when 21 minutes remaining, 5 unanswered goals of Indians brought glorious victory in annals of Hockey.

Yesterday India beats Pakistan by 5-1, which is biggest victory in terms of goal difference, however the same score line was there in Dhaka SAG (2010) league match, although both nations have fielded their experimental team there.

Day wise break up of India-Pakistan Hockey matches are as under:

Fieldhockey.com

India ride roughshod over Pak

Pump in five goals against Pakistan’s one for a comprehensive victory; climb to second spot in pool table


Ramandeep Singh celebrates after scoring. His celebration, however, was short-lived as the goal was disallowed — the umpire was not sure if the ball had been deflected off Ramandeep’s stick

Ipoh (Malaysia): India registered their biggest victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in six years when they coasted to a 5-1 win in a round-robin league match of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup here today. India had beaten Pakistan 7-4 in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

Putting up an exhibition of the Subcontinental style of hockey, India lifted their game up several notches to dominate the match, forcing Pakistan to crowd their own territory in the second half to deny Sardar Singh’s men more goals.

India opened the scoring through Manpreet Singh in the fourth minute. However, Pakistan equalised in the seventh minute through captain Muhammad Irfan.

But after that, it was one-way traffic as the Sardar Singh-led India controlled the proceedings, SV Sunil scoring two opportunistic field goals in the 10th and 41st minutes.

Talwinder Singh then capitalised on a rebound to score India’s fourth goal in the 50th minute before Rupinder Pal Singh converted a penalty corner in the 54th minute.

India’s victory should have been bigger but Rupinder failed to convert a penalty stroke in the 55th minute, and a deflection into the net by Ramandeep Singh in the 69th minute was disallowed as a goal after the umpire initially signalled a goal.

The victory took India to the second spot in the round-robin league standings with nine points from four outings.

World champions Australia are on top of the points table with 12 points from four straight wins.

Australia took one step into the final when they prevailed 1-0 over defending champions New Zealand, who now have eight points from five matches. The all-important goal for Australia was scored by captain Jamie Dwyer, who capitalised on a rebound to shoot into an open goal, with the goalkeeper at his mercy.

In the last match of the day, hosts Malaysia were held to a 2-2 draw by Canada.

Today: India v NZ, 1.35pm

Live on Star Sports 1

The Tribune

India thrash Pakistan 5-1 to jump to second spot

IPOH (Malaysia): A dominant India registered their biggest victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in six years when they coasted to a 5-1 win in a round-robin league match of the 25th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup on Tuesday.

This was India's biggest win since their 7-4 triumph against Pakistan in the 2010 Commonwealth Games at New Delhi.

Playing their best game of the tournament, Manpreet Singh opened the scoring for India in the fourth minute but Pakistan equalised in the seventh through captain Muhammad Irfan.

But thereafter it was all India as the Sardar Singh-led side controlled the proceedings with SV Sunil scoring two opportunistic field goals in the 10th and 41st minutes.

Talwinder Singh then capitalised on a rebound to score India's fourth goal in the 50th minute before Rupinder Pal Singh converted a penalty corner in the 54th minute.

India's victory would have been bigger had Rupinder converted a penalty stroke in the 55th minute and an deflection into the net by Ramandeep Singh in the 69th was not disallowed after the umpire initially blew for a goal.

The victory took India to the second spot in the round-robin league standings with nine points from four outings. The table is being led by world champions Australia on 12 points from four straight wins.

Australia took one step into the final when they prevailed 1-0 over Oceania rivals and defending champions New Zealand, who now have eight points from five matches.

The all-important goals for Australia was scored by captain Jamie Dwyer, who capitalised on a rebound to shoot into the open goal with the goalkeeper at his mercy.

Later in the day, in an exhibition of the sub-continental style of hockey, India lifted their game by leaps and bounds to dominate the match, forcing Pakistan to crowd their territory in the second half to deny Sardar's men more goals.

India got off to a flying start with Manpreet picking up a short pass from Sunil on the left and shooting on target with a firm reverse drive in the fourth minute of play.

Pakistan equalised within three minutes when they forced two successive penalty corners with captain Muhammad Irfan converting the second one with a low drag-flick to the right of Indian goalkeeper Akash Chikte.

The Manpreet-Sunil combination produced the second Indian goal in the 10th minute when Sunil got a faint deflection into the net to Manpreet's free-hit from 25 yards.

Pakistan goalkeeper Imran Butt then brought off a fine save when he leapt to his left to palm away a rasping drag-flick by Rupinder from India's first penalty former in the 18th minute of play.

Rupinder was off the field, serving two minutes for a green card suspension, when Pakistan earned their third penalty corner, but Irfan's rising drag-flick struck Manpreet on the knee and he had to limp off the pitch.

Sunil boosted India's lead to 3-1 when he pushed the ball into an open goal after receiving Nikkin Thimmaiah's square pass on an opening created by Kothajit Singh's push from the sideline in the 41st minute.

Talwinder then picked up the ball from a defender's stick to shoot on target for an opportunistic goal in the 50th minute before Rupinder's rasping drag-flick ended in the net from a penalty corner four minutes later.

Manpreet later came back to earn India a penalty stroke, when he was tripped in the scoring zone, but Rupinder sent the flick straight into the goalkeeper's pads.

India will next play title holders New Zealand on Wednesday.

The Times of India

India demolish Pakistan 5-1, move to second spot


(Twitter Photo)

IPOH (Malaysia): Forward SV Sunil scored two crucial goals as Indian hockey team outclassed traditional rivals Pakistan 5-1 to move to the second spot in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup on Tuesday.

After Manpreet Singh's fourth minute field goal was equalised by Muhammad Irfan's flick in the seventh minute, SV Sunil scored twice in the 10th and 41st minutes to make it 3-1.

Later, Talwinder Singh scored a field goal in the 50th minute, while Rupinder Pal Singh's goal from a penalty corner gave India the 5-1 win. Rupinder's penalty stroke miss was probably the only blip on the Indian side coached by Roelant Oltmans.

With this win, India moved to the second spot with nine points from four games, while Pakistan remain on the sixth spot with three points from four matches.

The top two teams will automatically qualify for the final, while the third and fourth ranked teams play the bronze medal match after the conclusion of the round-robin competition.

India, coming into the match with three insipid performances, needed a win over their eternal rivals. And in such a match the start is important and India did just that, aided by Sunil's pace.

The 26-year-old's speed helped him race from the centre of the pitch to the rival circle in a flash. The Karnataka winger then passed the ball to his left to Manpreet, who fired a reverse-flick, beating goalkeeper Imran Butt who remained stranded on the near post in the fourth minute.

Pakistan responded strongly three minutes later by earning a penalty corner. The hit was blocked illegally and in the second attempt, Irfan's 104 km/ph flick managed to beat a diving goalkeeper Akash Chitke on his right.

India's reaction to the goal was quick. In the 10th minute, Manpreet was back in the thick of things as he drilled the ball into the Pakistan goal from the right that was deflected home from a point blank range by Sunil to make it 2-1.

The exhilarating first quarter meant that the crowd expected another fiery show in the next 15 minutes. But the second quarter was bereft of clear-cut chances. India got a chance to go 3-1 up but the variation tactic in executing a penalty corner went awry as it ended 2-1 in favour of India at the break.

India continued with the momentum even though Pakistan threatened early after the break. However, Sunil delivered a crucial goal at the important juncture. After receiving a pass from Kothajit Singh, Nikkin Thimmaiah squared pass for Sunil, who was lurking in front of the goal at the far post, to tap in with a diving effort.

This two-goal cushion was enough to deflate the defensive structure of Pakistan and it played into the hands of the Indians.

Talwinder drove a ball home in a goal-melee in the 50th minute that almost sealed the game in India's favour. However, more drama was still in store as Rupinder stepped up to convert a penalty corner and later missed a penalty stroke to deny India a 6-1 win.

New Zealand, who lost to Australia and gave their trans-Tasman neighbours a fourth straight win from as many games earlier in the day, dropped to the third position with eight points.

Veteran Jamie Dwyer's 22nd minute strike gave table-toppers Australia a 1-0 win over defending champions New Zealand, who must now beat India in their final group match on Wednesday and hope that their other rivals falter in their upcoming matches. India play their final match against Malaysia on Friday.

The Times of India

Sultan Azlan Shah Cup: India thrashes Pakistan at Sultan Azlan Shah Cup

By Nabil Tahir


Indian forward Somwarpet exults after scoring his side’s second goal to retake the lead in the first quarter. PHOTO: MALAYSIAN HOCKEY CONFEDERATION

KARACHI: Pakistan’s hopes of winning a medal at the 25th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament ended with a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of arch-rivals India in Ioph, Malaysia yesterday.

The defeat was Pakistan’s biggest against India since their 5-1 defeat in the 2010 South Asian Games.

Greenshirts’ third defeat in a row, followed by losses to New Zealand and Australia, means they now sit sixth with only win. India, on the other hand, are primed to reach the final after moving into second.

Such was India’s dominance that the emphatic scoreline could have been much worse had they been more clinical, with Pakistan spending most of the time parked inside their own half.

Team manager Hanif Khan admitted the defeat was a bitter pill to swallow but pointed out that the team is still in a re-building phase.

“We were a force to be reckoned with once, but in the last decade our performances have dipped,” he said. “However, we are taking the positives from this defeat. The players are the best from Pakistan and for the next match, we will push them and train them hard.”

Turning a corner

Head coach Muhammad Khawaja Junaid was a bit more critical, saying that the players had recently defeated India in India in the final of this year’s Asia Cup and should therefore not have an excuse for the thumping. “They defeated India in a more difficult situation in their own home ground,” he said. “This shouldn’t have been a problem for them but they committed a lot of mistakes.”

However, he was also eager to look towards the future rather than dwell too much on the past. “We will be preparing them for the next two matches which are against minnows Japan and hosts Malaysia,” he said. “The youngsters need to learn from this match and we will show them their weak areas.”

India were quickly out of the blocks and opened the scoring in just the fourth minute when Manpreet Singh’s strike from an acute angle had Imran Butt well beaten. Just three minutes later, Pakistan equalised through skipper Muhammad Irfan Senior.

But India snatched back the lead in the 10th minute through a Sunil Somwarpet field goal. Goalkeeper Butt then kept Pakistan in the game as he pulled off a brilliant stop from Rupinder Pal Singh’s rising hit.

In the 41st minute, Somwarpet picked up his second through a field goal to double India’s lead before Talwinder Singh made it 4-1 in the 50th minute.

Pakistan went on the attack looking for a consolation goal but that left them exposed as the Indian defence stood firm. Rupinder soon made it 5-1 but India coach Roelant Oltmans said afterwards that the result could have been even more stark had Rupinder converted earlier and India’s goal in the 52nd minute not been disallowed.

“We defended well, mixed our variations and tried to keep them away from our circle,” Oltmans said at the pre-match conference. “There is always room for improvement and we always take one match at a time.”

The Express Tribune

India humble Pakistan 5-1 in Sultan Azlan Cup

IPOH - India thumped Pakistan 5-1 to put themselves in a position to qualify for the finals of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament. Their next match is against New Zealand will decide their fate.

It was Pakistan’s biggest lost to their rivals since the 4-7 defeat at the 2003 Champions Trophy and also their worse defeat ever. It could have easily have been a couple of more goals for India, if not for a penalty stroke miss by Rupinder Pal Singh and a disallowed goal in the closing stages of the match.

Rupinder Pal Singh, who was one of the goalscorers for India, said the win was one of the best against Pakistan that he has played in. “Whenever we play Pakistan, we always get excited. Before the start of this match though, we were calm and it showed in our game.” As for Pakistan, it was indeed a humbling defeat.

Team manager Abdul Haniff Khan said it was humbling to be defeated by an Olympic side and said that Pakistan were still in a rebuilding phase. “Once upon a time, we were a force to be reckoned with. In the last decade, though, our performances have dipped. We are taking the positives from this defeat. The current players that we have are the best from Pakistan. For the next match, we will push them and train them hard,” he said.

India opened scoring in the fourth minute of play. Sunil Sowmarpet worked his way from inside the Pakistani half to the top D, before releasing the ball to Manpreet Singh, whose stinger from an acute angle had Imran Butt well beaten.

But Pakistan struck back within three minutes. They forced to penalty corners in quick succession and scored off their second in the 7th minute. It was a clean hit from captain M Irfan to put Pakistan back on level terms.

India not to be outdone, snatched back the lead in the 10th minute. A blistering shot from outside the D from Manpreet Singh was deflected into goal by Sunil Sowmarpet. The hard running Manpreet was awarded the Man of the Match, despite having to miss the third quarter due to an injury. Imran Butt kept Pakistan in the game, brilliantly stopping Rupinder Singh Pal’s rising hit and on several occasion it seemed that he will be a stumbling block for the Indians in the game.

In the 41st minute Sunil Sowmarpet picked up his second to increase India’s lead. The move was started from Chandanda Thimmiah whose drive from outside the D was steered to far post by Kothajit Khadangbam. A diving Sunil mades the connection to beat Imran from close distance. In the 50th minute, it was an opportunistic goals from Talwinder Singh. He picked up a square pass inside the D, sidestepped the Pakistani defence and unleashed a reverse stick hit to sound the board.

India forced a penalty corner in the 54th minute and Rupinder Pal Singh’s rising flick gave Imran no chance at all as India stretched their lead to 5-1. With five minutes to go, goal bound Manpreet Singh was brought down and India were awarded a penalty stroke. However, Rupinder Pal Singh sent the stroke straight into Imran.

And in the closing stages, India had sounded the board again but Sunil’s deflection into goal from a Ramandeep cross was disallowed for an infringement.

Indian coach Roelant Oltmans said it could have been worse for Pakistan had Rupinder converted the stroke and the goals for India in the 52nd minute was allowed. “We defended well, mixed our variations and tried to keep them away from our circle. There is always room for improvement and we always take one match at a time,” said Oltmans.

He was also of praise for Manpreet Singh, whose father passed away last week. Manpreet returned to Ipoh to play for the Indian team and in the match against Pakistan, he scored one goal. “He feels his teammates are like his brothers. We will support and to me, he has been fantastic so far. He is real winner and he showed what he is capable off today.”

Defending champions New Zealand’s hopes of making the final is on tenterhooks following their 0-1 defeat to favourites Australia. New Zealand must now beat India in their final group match and hope for their other rivals falter in their upcoming matches. Australia, who lost the title last year on a shootout against the Black Sticks, sit pretty at the top of the table with four wins out of four. A 22nd minute goal from veteran Jamie Dwyer broke the Kiwi hearts after coming close to at least snatching a draw.

Malaysia also kept their final hopes alive, despite their 2-2 draw with Olympic bound Canada. Malaysia after a strong first half, drifted in and out of the game as the match progressed with Canada tightening their own game.

Malaysia need to beat Asian giants Pakistan and India in their next two games to steal a place in the final.

National coach Stephen van Huizen was not too happy with the draw as they were going for a win. “I do not think that the Canadians are happy either. This is match we had targeted to win and we tried hard in the last quarter. But that is the result we got. It is a good match in patches and we are not unduly worried about their robust play,” said Stephen. “You have to expect these against such teams and learn to handle it. We have two tough matches against Asian rivals Pakistan and India. We will aim for a win but these two teams always raise their game level when playing us. We will see how that game goes,’ he added.

STANDINGS

Pos Team Played w D L Points
1 Australia 4 4 0 0 12
2 India 4 3 0 1 9
3 New Zealand 5 2 2 1 8
4 Canada 5 1 2 2 5
5 Malaysia 4 1 2 1 5
6 Pakistan 4 1 0 3 3
7 Japan 4 4 0 0 0

Today’s Fixtures

New Zealand vs India
Australia vs Japan
Pakistan vs Malaysia

Results

Canada 2-2 Malaysia
India 5-1 Pakistan
Australia 1-0 New Zealand

The Nation

India give attacking masterclass in 5-1 win over Pakistan


Pakistan suffered their third straight defeat at the Azlan Shah Cup - Photo courtesy Hockey India

In a masterclass of attacking hockey, India handed Pakistan a 5-1 defeat and dent Mohammad Imran's side's prospects of a podium finish in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup on Tuesday.

For Pakistan, the opponents changed but the result was as damning as their previous two losses where they were outdone 4-0 and 5-3 by Australia and New Zealand respectively.

India were put on the board in just the 4th minute through Manpreet Singh and though Pakistan came back through captain Mohammad Imran's penalty corner in the 7th, it was one way traffic for the rest of the encounter.

Sunil added another goal to his tally in the 10th minute while Talwinder Singh (50) and Rupinder Pal Singh (54) scored one each in a clinical display by India.

Pakistan are currently placed at the 6th spot on the table and with two more games to play against Malaysia and Japan, they need a dramatic turnaround to ensure a 3rd-4th place bronze medal playoff.

Dawn

India hammer Pakistan 5-1 to go second

IPOH: Forward S.V. Sunil scored two crucial goals as a dominant India registered their biggest victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in six years when they coasted to a 5-1 win in a round-robin league match of the 25th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup here on Tuesday.

This was India’s biggest win since their 7-4 triumph against Pakistan in the 2010 Commonwealth Games at New Delhi.

Playing their best game of the tournament, Manpreet Singh opened the scoring for India in the fourth minute but Pakistan equalised in the seventh through captain Mohammad Irfan.

But thereafter it was all India as the Sardar Singh-led side controlled the proceedings with Sunil scoring two opportunistic field goals in the 10th and 41st minutes.

Talwinder Singh then capitalised on a rebound to score India’s fourth goal in the 50th minute before Rupinder Pal Singh converted a penalty corner in the 54th minute.

India’s victory would have been bigger had Rupinder converted a penalty stroke in the 55th minute and an deflection into the net by Ramandeep Singh in the 69th was not disallowed after the umpire initially blew for a goal.

The victory took India to the second spot in the round-robin league standings with nine points from four outings. The table is being led by world champions Australia on 12 points from four straight wins.

Australia took one step into the final when they prevailed 1-0 over Oceania rivals and defending champions New Zealand, who now have eight points from five matches.

The all-important goal for Australia was scored by captain Jamie Dwyer, who capitalised on a rebound to shoot into the open goal with the goalkeeper at his mercy in the 23rd minute.

New Zealand must now beat India in their final group match on Wednesday and hope that their other rivals falter in their upcoming matches if they are to make the final.

India play their final match against Malaysia on Friday.

India, coming into the match with three insipid performances, needed a win over their eternal rivals.

And in an exhibition of the sub-continental style of hockey, India lifted their game by leaps and bounds to dominate the match, forcing Pakistan to crowd their territory in the second half to deny Sardar’s men more goals.

India got off to a flying start with Manpreet picking up a short pass from Sunil on the left and shooting on target with a firm reverse drive in the fourth minute of play.

Pakistan responded strongly three minutes later by earning a penalty corner. The hit was blocked illegally and in the second attempt, Irfan’s 104 km/ph flick managed to beat a diving goalkeeper Akash Chitke on his right.

India’s reaction to the goal was quick. Manpreet was back in the thick of things as he drilled the ball into the Pakistan goal from the right that was deflected home from a point blank range by Sunil to make it 2-1.

The exhilarating first quarter meant that the crowd expected another fiery show in the next 15 minutes. But the second quarter was bereft of clear-cut chances.

Pakistan goalkeeper Imran Butt brought off a fine save when he leapt to his left to palm away a rasping drag-flick by Rupinder from India’s first penalty former in the 18th minute of play.

Rupinder was off the field, serving two minutes for a green card suspension, when Pakistan earned their third penalty corner, but Irfan’s rising drag-flick struck Manpreet on the knee and he had to limp off the pitch.

India continued with the momentum even though Pakistan threatened early after the break.

However, Sunil delivered a crucial goal at the important juncture. After receiving a pass from Kothajit Singh, Nikkin Thimmaiah squared pass for Sunil, who was lurking in front of the goal at the far post, to tap in with a diving effort.

Talwinder then picked up the ball from a defender’s stick to shoot on target for an opportunistic goal in the 50th minute before Rupinder’s rasping drag-flick ended in the net from a penalty corner four minutes later.

Manpreet later came back to earn India a penalty stroke, when he was tripped in the scoring zone, but Rupinder sent the flick straight into the goalkeeper’s pads.

Dawn

Rupinder rues missed stroke after India's big win

IPOH (Malaysia): Elated at having played a part in India's runaway 5-1 win over Pakistan, ace drag-flicker Rupinder Pal Singh on Tuesday rued the missed penalty stroke that would have bolstered the victory margin in the Sultan Azlan Shah hockey tournament.

India's win is their biggest against the sub-continental hockey rivals, equalling the 5-1 win in the 2010 South Asian Games in Dhaka. The result sparked celebrations among the expatriate Indian population here.

"It was one of our best performances. We played well to dominate the game and post the four-goal victory," said Rupinder, who converted a penalty corner to round off the Indian scoring in the 54th minute.

The earlier goals were scored by Manpreet Singh (fourth minutes), SV Sunil (10th and 41st) and Talwinder Singh (50th).

Rupinder could have bolstered the margin in the 55th minute, but messed up a penalty stroke that was awarded when Manpreet Singh was tripped inside the scoring circle.

Rupinder's penalty stroke flick went straight to goalkeeper Imran Butt.

"I did not execute the penalty stroke well. I was looking to send it into the top right corner, but faltered with the flick," said Rupinder.

"I failed to make the most of this scoring chance. We could have scored more goals the way we dominated the second half of the match," said Rupinder, adding that the Indian players benefitted from keeping their composure.

"Earlier, the players would get excited when playing against Pakistan. But today we stayed calm and struck to our game-plan," said Rupinder.

Pleased with India's show, coach Roelant Oltmans also said it could have been a bigger scoreline.

"We controlled the game in the second half. I was very pleased at the number of chances we created," said Oltmans.

The Indian coach complimented half-back Manpreet Singh, who played a key role for his team and was adjudged the Player of the Match.

Manpreet had to leave for home ahead of India's first outing on hearing news of his father's death. He returned after his father's cremation and played a key role in India's victories over Canada on Sunday and against Pakistan.

"We're very proud of what Manpreet has done for the Indian team," said Oltmans.

"You don't always see players coming back from their bereavement and playing such an outstanding match," said Oltmans.

"Manprret has told us that he also had to fulfil his duty toward the team, and that the teammates are like his brothers," said Oltmans, showing rare signs of emotion at the post-match conference.

Pakistan team manager Hanif Khan acknowledged that India were very strong in the field.

"India played very well, we all know that India are preparing for the Olympic Games, while we're in the process of re-building our team," Hanif said.

"Losing a match is always a big issue, but we're trying to learn from every game," he said.

The Times of India

Players lack fitness: Shahnaz Sheikh

ISLAMABAD: Former Olympian Shahnaz Sheikh has blamed lack of fitness for Pakistan’s defeat against India in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup on Tuesday.

Talking to APP, Shahnaz said fitness is the main issue that has been lacking in the players throughout the tournament.

“Our players were looking helpless when India was scoring goals,” he said. “The coaches need to improve players’ fitness as it is the most important thing for the game.”

He said Pakistan’s defense and goal-keeping was below par which was sad to see. “India played aggressively whereas our team missed scoring opportunities on several occasions,” he noted.

The former national coach said it was disappointing that the players were not performing though the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) had given them “a free hand”.

Responding to a question, he said it is extremely disturbing to know that the selectors are favouring those players in the team who belong to their own districts or areas instead of selecting players on merit.

When asked that the PHF Executive Board meeting hasn’t been held for over a year, he said it is the federation’s job to ensure it is convened as soon as possible in order to take key decisions for the revival of the game.

Dawn

Pak hockey fraternity blames PHF after 1-5 loss to India

KARACHI: Pakistan hockey community has blasted the national federation (PHF) after the green shirts were routed 1-5 by arch-rivals India in the Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh on Tuesday.

"This is what happens when the Pakistan Hockey Federation continues to appoint its favorites to key positions and ignores merit and the need of the hour," Olympian Samiullah said.

He said it was shameful to witness the way India drubbed Pakistan today.

"No matter what we do in an international event but whenever we play India our players have always picked up their game and shown passion. But today India showed how quickly it was moving ahead in hockey," Samiullah said.

Another Olympian Ayaz Mahmood blamed Pakistan's poor showing in the Azlan Shah Cup to the circumstances that the national team went through before its departure for Malaysia.

"Just before the tournament, the manager and chief coach Hanif Khan left the training camp in protest over selection issues. Then the PHF again brought back Khawaja Junaid as chief coach when in the past he has failed to deliver," he said.

Another former player Ahmed Alam added: "Our hockey is just not improving at all even after the federation was changed. It is clear we need to bring in a foreign coach and support staff now or we will be nowhere in a few months time."

The PHF also came in for criticism recently when they turned down an invitation to send the national team to the Champions Trophy in London this summer.
Latest Comment
they did not shame when lost by Aussie 0-4 and New Zealand 3-5. Why only feel after loosing after India. Grown up boysBraj Kishore

Former captain Hasan Sardar also rued the dismal state of Pakistan hockey.

"Pakistan were already out of the Olympics and before that the World Cup. Now we are losing by such a big margin to India. A lot of brainstorming is required to set things right. The federation needs to reassess its priorities," he said.

The Times of India

Great Britain downed by Germany


Georgie Twigg

A double strike from Germany’s Marie Mävers condemned Great Britain to a 3-1 defeat in the first of two tests in Cologne. The 25-year-old struck either side of half time with Luisa Steindor also netting for Jamilon Mulders’ side. Despite Sophie Bray’s second half strike, her tenth for great Britain, Danny Kerry’s team were unable to salvage the match and went down 1-0 in the two-match series.

The first quarter was typically cagey with both sides seemingly sizing each other up. No goals were scored despite Germany playing for a spell with ten players due to Pia-Sophie Oldhafer’s spell in the sin bin.

Germany struck twice in the second quarter with some clinical forward play. Mävers notched her first from open play in the 23rd minute and then three minutes later Steindor got in on the act to give Danny Kerry’s side a lot to do. A number of chances went begging for the visitors with good spells of possession and some promising openings not taken.

Four minutes after half time it was 3-0 and again it was Mävers cast as tormentor in chief, grabbing her second of the match. On 38 minutes, Great Britain were given a glimmer of hope thanks to a strike from Bray, but despite plenty of endeavour, Great Britain were unable to salvage the result and Mulders’ side ran out 3-1 winners.

Assistant coach Karen Brown said afterwards:

“They were three cheap goals that started from our possession. We tried something new in our team defence to give us some variety and we were a little disjointed as a result. Despite that we had enough possession and chances at the back post to win the game. A lack of execution cost us in the end. We were right to try the things we did and are in a better position moving forward than had we not looked at them.”

Great Britain will take on Germany in the second and final match of the series tomorrow at 10am UK time.

Germany 3 (2)
Marie Mävers 23 34 (FG FG)
Luisa Steindor 26 (FG)

Great Britain 1 (0)
Sophie Bray 38 (FG)

England Hockey Board Media release

HWL R1 Singapore: Read all about it!



The men's and women's Hockey World League Round 1 event in Singapore is very much underway, with nine men’s teams and seven women’s teams at the start of an exciting hockey adventure as they set off on their long journey to qualification for the 2018 Hockey World Cup.

The good people at the Singapore Hockey Federation are writing match reports at the event, and we have posted reports from the opening days of the competition to the match pages on this website. To see the reports simply visit the Pools & Matches section, select whether you want to look at the men's or women's competition and then click the View Match button in the right hand column. We will aim to upload match reports at regular intervals as the competition progresses.

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.

Tournament website

FIH site

Health scare for Hager

By Anendra Singh


Coach Mark Hager (foreground) with sport psychologist Rod Corban on Sunday after the Black Sticks women's team won the Hawke's Bay Cup for the first time. Photo / Duncan Brown

Eat, drink lots of fluids and rest was the advice from doctors after Black Sticks women's hockey coach, Mark Hager, had a health scare in Hawke's Bay at the weekend.

Hockey New Zealand officials had rushed Hager to the Hawke's Bay Hospital in Hastings after he complained of feeling unwell on Saturday night soon after the New Zealand team pipped Australia 3-2 in the second semifinal of the annual eight-team international Hawke's Bay Cup tournament in Hastings.

"He was holding his grandson at the time so he put him down and said he was feeling a little light headed," Hockey NZ high performance director Terry Evans said last night, after the Black Sticks won the Hawke's Bay Cup for the first time in a 3-2 victory over Japan on Sunday.

"He said he was feeling a little unwell in the stomach so we got him to the doctors," he said of the Australian who turns 52 on April 28.

The Queenslander was reluctant to go but was persuaded to do so after the tournament doctor at the Unison Hockey Stadium had recommended he be referred to hospital for a complete medical check up.

"We didn't know our way around too much to take him to [private] doctors so we decided to take him to hospital where they were going to be more thorough," he said, adding it was more a case of "being cautious" than anything else.

At the hospital routine checks were conducted, including blood tests, before he was discharged.

Evans said the team wanted to ensure Hager wasn't carrying any sort of virus that was likely to affect the players.

"There was concern Mark might have had a little flu and that would have posed a storm of issues ... "

Evans said Hager, in the mould of coaches in every other code, had not slept too well on Friday night, got up at 4am to do work pertaining to his semifinal plans and also had skipped breakfast.

Hager and Hockeyroos counterpart Adam Commens especially appeared to be highly strung throughout the week-long tourney which was part of the third annual Hawke's Bay Festival of Hockey.

Evans said the New Zealand coach had followed the advice of the doctors and felt fine the next day.

Hager was at the warm-up routine with his players for the 5.15pm final on Sunday and then appeared again for the ritualistic after-match pep talk as well as the speech and medal ceremony.

His presence at the dugout during the game was minimal as his support staff conducted matters.

He had had a couple of beers with the players after the victory on Sunday night and was feeling much better, he said.

Coaches, especially the Rio Olympic-bound ones from New Zealand, Australia, China, Japan, South Korea and India, were using the Bay tourney as a stepping stone to the big Brazilian stage in August.

The Black Sticks are expected to play in an Aussie series, involving India and Japan, in Darwin from May 30 to June 5 before the Champions Trophy in London from June 18-26.

Maryborough-born Hager is a former field hockey player from Australia who competed in two summer Olympics for his country and won bronze with the Kookaburras at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

He has been coaching the Kiwi women since 2008.

Hager's profile:

Some highlights of Mark Hager's coaching career that included numerous Olympics:

* 2008 Beijing Olympics: Ast coach Australian men (bronze).
* 2009 8 Nations: Coach Australian U21 men (gold).
* 2007 Youth Olympics: Coach Australia (gold).
* 2004 Athens Olympics: Ast coach Australian women (5th).
* 2003 Champions Trophy: Ast coach Australian women (gold).
* 2001 Champions Trophy: Ast coach Australian women (bronze).
* December 2008: Appointed New Zealand women's coach.

Hawkes Bay Today

2016 President’s XI teams named


Photo: Planet Hockey

The 2016 Hockey NZ President’s XI teams have been named following the third edition of the Affiliates Tournament held in Hawke’s Bay last week.

This was the largest Affiliates Tournament to date, with 14 teams from New Zealand and Australia competing.

The competition was fierce all week, with the Hawke’s Bay Women’s side taking out their section with an impressive 4-0 win over Australian Country, while in the Men’s final the Australian Country team got one back over the locals, defeating the Hawke’s Bay Men’s team 7-1 in an entertaining encounter.

CLICK HERE to see the President’s XI teams

CLICK HERE for Men’s Affiliates results and top goal scorers

CLICK HERE for Women’s Affiliates results and top goal scorers

Hockey New Zealand Media release

USA Field Hockey Announces Renaming of PDS

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - In its inaugural year, the Presidents’ Day Showcase (PDS) held at the Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch, Fla. brought a total of 114 club teams together for USA Field Hockey’s first-ever outdoor showcase. More than 110 total college coaches were in attendance helping to increase the event’s focus of showcasing athletes in a competitive club tournament.

USA Field Hockey is pleased to announce that PDS will again take place in 2017 but will be renamed to The National Hockey Showcase (NHS). This tournament will take place on February 2-7, 2017 at the Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch, Fla. and will feature U-16 and U-19 Divisions. Parking will be complimentary, stewarded and provided on site. Admission will not be charged.

"We are very happy to bring The National Hockey Showcase back to the Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch," said Karen Collins, USA Field Hockey Event Director. " Last year's fields play very well and we are excited to be able to keep that level of play into 2017."

Registration for NHS will open on Monday, May 2, 2016 for all club teams and divisions. An open registration will be conducted.

For the first time at any event, the Futures Program offered the opportunity for athletes to be evaluated for possible advancement into a Level I Futures training site. More than 100 athletes from across the country were evaluated who had been recommended by their club team coaches. Based on the positive feedback received from the pilot program at the event, USA Field Hockey will also be offering similar selecting opportunities at NHS.

"We received very positive feedback from the hockey community from the first event in February," said Simon Hoskins, USA Field Hockey's Executive Director. "The venue allows us to really focus in on the hockey experience with the playing surface being among the very best we have used for a national tournament on grass. A big thank you to all those who made the first tournament such a success and we now look to put on an ever better tournament in 2017."

USFHA media release

Leo confirm Belgian playoff place

Royal Léopold became the third Belgian team to confirm their place in the Audi Hockey League’s end of season playoffs, following Dragons and Racing Club de Bruxelles, thanks to their 3-2 win over Beerschot.

John Bessell’s side left it late but finally got the best of the Bees  in the closing minute to confirm they will finish in third place in the regular season.

Gaëtan Perez gave Beerschot a 20th minute lead but Max Plennevaux equalised straight away. Both teams were without Argentine stars due to international commitments with Agustin Mazzilli and Lucas Rossi missing out while Leo’s Arthur Verdussen was also unavailable with a broken hand.

Perez restored the lead two minutes before half-time but Léopold got back on terms in the 54th minute and Elliot van Strydonck won it with 45 seconds to go to complete the victory.

And the defender said afterwards to the Hockey Belgium website: “Since the EHL and our good performance against Oranje Zwart, we have had a couple of difficulties finding our defensive form. Against Beerschot, we came back well in the third quarter but we had some fear.

“With this win, we have third place in the regular season assured and that is where we wanted to finish so it’s perfect.

“Now, we can prepare calmly for the playoffs. We don’t mind who we face of Dragons or Racing. There isn’t a big difference between the teams and we must, in all senses, beat both of them if we want to become champions.

Elsewhere, Braxgata ensured that the battle for fourth place will go down to the wire after they beat Waterloo Ducks 3-2. Those two teams are now locked on 33 points with two rounds of matches still to go.

Euro Hockey League media release

Egara leap-frog Polo to top in Spain

Club Egara produced their second win of the season over Real Club de Polo in the Spanish league to over-take their Catalan rivals at the head of the table.

Xavi Lleonart gave Polo a 14th minute lead but goals from Eduard Arbos and Josep Romeu from a corner swung the game, the latter scoring in the 49th minute to win the day for a 2-1 result.

It lifts Egara into top spot with two rounds of matches to play in the regular season with both already guaranteed places at the end of season playoffs.

For Atlètic Terrassa, despite being in the FINAL4 of the EHL, they are still battling to confirm their place in the top four of the league. They lost 2-0 to a pair of Alex Gil goals for Junior FC.

Atlètic sit third in the table on 31 points with Club de Campo on 29 after a draw at UD Taburiente while Junior are in fifth place on 28. It means Atlètic’s game with Egara on April 24 is a crucial one for the destination of the playoff berths as is the final day meeting between the yellows and Club de Campo.

Euro Hockey League media release

Kelburne and Grove through to Scottish final

Bromac Kelburne are closing in on the perfect season in Scotland as they reached their national finals having already won the Scottish Cup and topped the regular season table to ensure they already have a European spot in the bank.

In the Cup last week, they beat Edinburgh University 4-1. They raced into a 2-0 lead with Ben Peterson’s cross deflecting in off a defender’s stick for the first before Ross McPerson turned and fired home.

Peterson's second goal in the 25th minute further pressed home Kelburne's advantage and Lee Morton extended the lead out to four before Dan Coultas got a consolatory drag-flick.

And the Paisley side followed up with a two-legged cruise in their national semi-finals against the Western Wildcats. They won Saturday’s first leg, again on a 4-1 scoreline with Ben Peterson, Jack McKenzie, Michael Christie and Josh Cairns putting them in a commanding position.

On Sunday, Cairns extended the lead in the first half of the second leg as they eventually won 4-2, stretching the aggregate lead to 8-3 overall.

They will next meet Grove Menzieshill in the grand final after they saw off Grange 5-3 on aggregate in the other final four encounter. They won the first leg 3-1 before drawing 2-2 in the second leg to earn their place in next weekend’s final.

Euro Hockey League media release

How to train like an elite hockey player

By Stuart Marsh


Elite Hockeyroos defender Anna Flanagan with all the tips to get your training on-point. (image) RedBull Media

Whether you pick up the stick to play for your local team on a weekly basis or are looking to break into the national side, if you want the best performance on the pitch, you'll need to train like some of the world's best hockey players.

And they don’t come any better than gun defender Anna Flanagan, who's currently preparing for the 2016 Olympics in Rio with the Hockeyroos.

"The lead-up to the Olympics is really intense – we all put work and study on hold to train full-time as a team," Flanagan tells ninemsn Coach.

"The Australian squad has incredible depth and all of the girls have an enormous work ethic. It really pushes you to succeed when you know that any of the girls could take your place."

Build your strength for explosive on-field speed

If you want to build lightning-fast reaction times on the pitch, it may be time to put down the stick and head into the gym, because the best way to improve your short-distance speed is to gain strength.

"The strength aspect of our training is probably a lot more than people expect. We do three to four gym sessions a week, mainly CrossFit- style workouts which involve barbell strength training like squatting," says Flanagan.

"We also do a lot of Olympic lifting, which helps develop that power and acceleration – something you need in hockey to close down space."

Olympic lifting, as Flanagan points out, is excellent for developing your fast-twitch muscle fibres (which control how much force your body can put out at any one time). Olympic lifting is based around two main exercises: the snatch and the clean and jerk, and are best done under the supervision of a trained coach.



To boost hockey endurance, ditch the long runs

For decades your average weekend player has relied upon long, slow runs to build their aerobic base in time for hockey season – but modern strength and conditioning science is beginning to tell us that this does little else other than making you better at long, slow runs.

"It's all about shorter, more intense training sessions – the days of long jogs are definitely over for hockey training because all they do is zap the power and speed out of your legs," advises Flanagan.

"Hockey is essentially 70 minutes of work, and although a lot of that is aerobic fitness, the quicker the game becomes the more you need those short, intense 10-metre sprints."

For Flanagan, it's pushing herself to exhaustion in these short (but intense) sessions that helps her to build a level of mental toughness required to play hockey at an international level. She recommends that aspiring hockey players work on short 10 to 40-metre sprints, and slowly build up how many they can do in a 15-minute period.

"A great drill to improve your fitness is to do something called shuttle runs. Go down to your local hockey pitch — a soccer or football pitch is just as good — and mark out every 25 metres," explains Flanagan.

"Then run to the first 25-metre mark and back, then to the 50-metre mark and back, and so on"

Even the pros practice the fundamentals

It’s all well and good to be the strongest, fittest, even the fastest player on the team – but if you can't trap, pass and shoot, you won’t get very far in the sport.

So it may come as a surprise to some that even the elite practise the very basic fundamentals of hockey. From trapping the ball over and over to repeatedly hitting passes, they practice the simple aspects to make sure that in the heat of the game their muscle memory can take over.

"It's funny but even the national team practices the basis fundamentals of soccer over and over. For instance we'd do a two-hour session of just trapping the ball. Someone will hit the ball at us at all different angles and we just work on receiving it over and over," explains Flanagan.

"We'd probably do two to three sessions a week on just the basics of hockey like trapping and passing – you can never be too good and it helps with the muscle memory when your body is fatigued."

Injury-proof yourself for a longer career

As Flanagan explains, a vital part of strength and conditioning for any sport isn't about becoming the fittest team in the world – it's about becoming the most injury-proof.

In hockey, the most common injury suffered is a tear to the anterior cruciate ligament (otherwise known as "doing an ACL"). If that all sounds like Latin to you, your ACL is one of the main ligaments of the knee that protects it from bending further than it needs to, which is called hyperextending.

(For those with a strong stomach, there's several examples of hyperextension here and here.)

To battle this, Flanagan regularly works on her flexibility and mobility, and the team as a whole trains to injury-proof their bodies as much as possible.

"The reason why there's so many ACL injuries in hockey is the sharp turning and direction changes we make on the turf," explains Flanagan.

ACL injuries are just about the most devastating injury a hockey player can endure, thanks largely to the lengthy recovery period. If an ACL needs to be reconstructed with surgery, most people will look at anywhere between six to 12 months before hitting the pitch again.

"To try and prevent ACL injuries from happening we do a lot of strengthening and unilateral work, things like single leg squats," advises Flanagan.

"There's also an emphasis on flexibility, and we do yoga once a week, often to get us warm before a big strength session."



NineMSN Coach