News for 13 May 2016
All the news for Friday 13 May 2016
Clinical Germany Punish Ireland
Germany, the current Olympic champions, dealt the Green Machine a tough blow in Hamburg as they racked up 9 goals in the sides opening encounter.
The home side were quick on the score sheet with a well-worked goal from play before they added a second from their first penalty corner in the 11th minute.
Ireland enjoyed some good phases but the Germans proved clinical in the final third and added their third goal from a goal-mouth scramble before a fourth followed thanks to a swift counter attack.
One more goal before half-time brought the score to 5-0 and Germany wasted no time in adding to their tally as they got 2 goals in quick succession in the opening minutes of the third quarter.
A penalty stroke and tap in from the back post saw the scoreboard tick up to 9-0 and that was to be how it would finish with the Green Machine holding their hosts at bay for the fourth quarter.
Surgeon-like precision by Germany punished Ireland who were without captain David Harte and their Banbridge contingent who travelled to Glasgow to compete in the Eurohockey Club Champions Trophy.
The 2 sides meet again in Hamburg tomorrow at 19:30 (local time).
Germany 9
Ireland 0
Uhlenhorster Hockey Club Hamburg
Irish Hockey Association media release
Saturday’s Opening Match of USA vs. Chile Series to Bring Olympic Games Excitement to Fans
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – On Saturday, the U.S. Women’s National Team enters into a final phase of competition before the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The first of three tournaments for the USWNT before they leave for Brazil in August will be against Chile’s National Team. This three-game series presented by Eastern Alliance will take place Saturday, May 14, Tuesday, May 17 and Thursday, May 19 with all matches beginning at 7:30 p.m. EST. The games will be held at the Home of Hockey, Spooky Nook Sports in Lancaster County, Pa. Although the attendance rate continues to grow, the last few hundred tickets for the series will also be available prior to each night’s game for purchase at the door. Cash and credit card will be acceptable forms of payment.
Theme nights for the USWNT vs. Chile series include Patriotic Pride night where all fans will wear their favorite red, white and blue attire to show the team their support. Prize packages will be given out to the most spirited attendees. Before Tuesday’s game USA Field Hockey will be handing out 250 USA Field Hockey and OAL sunglasses to the first 250 people who arrive to Team USA’s second match. After the team’s final game on Thursday, you’ll get the chance to meet the team and get your apparel autographed! This showcase of international talent coupled with the fun themes of each night will leave fans filled with excitement and USA pride.
The last meeting between the two teams was at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada. The USWNT was tested defensively in the match but held full-field composure and early scoring helped lead the team to a 2-0 victory in their second pool play match.
Don’t miss out on the excitement surrounding the USWNT vs. Chile test series presented by Eastern Alliance by downloading the USA Field Hockey App to see team rosters, photo galleries, game recaps, theme nights and more. To view the event program, download the App, click the three horizontal lines in the upper left hand corner and click USWNT vs. Chile. #USAvCHI
USFHA media release
Kookaburras Squad named for GB Series
27 named in team
By Holly MacNeil
Almost every member of the Kookaburras Squad will be given the opportunity to prove themselves ahead of Olympic selection at the Narrogin and Perth test events against Great Britain which run from 21 – 24 May.
Graham Reid and the Kookaburras coaching staff have selected a squad of 27 athletes to take part in what will be the last games for the Kookaburras on home turf before the Rio Olympic Games.
The series forms a part of the Kookaburras preparations in the lead up to the games, and will see the squad take on Great Britain with two games in Narrogin and one game at the Perth Hockey Stadium.
The series will see the return of Glenn Turner, Tim Deavin, Trent Mitton, Dylan Wotherspoon, Daniel Beale, Joshua Beltz, Kiel Brown, Tristan Clemons, Matthew Swann and Andrew Philpott to the Kookaburras squad for the first time in 2016.
Kookaburras Head Coach, Graham Reid said: “We’ve chosen a larger squad than usual to take part in the series against Great Britain, and it’s great that playing in Narrogin and Perth has given us the opportunity to do so.
“This is really to give everyone the chance to show their worth, and for discovery ahead of both the Champions Trophy and the Olympic Games selection.”
Great Britain, currently ranked fourth in the world, have chosen a squad of 22 athletes to take part in the three games series, and will begin their preparations in Perth with training at the Perth Hockey Stadium this Saturday.
Matches will be streamed live via Epicentre.tv. For full details on how to watch the matches click here.
Tickets for the events are limited, so make sure you head to ticketmaster.com.au to gets yours and avoid disappointment.
KOOKABURRAS V GREAT BRITAIN FIXTURES
Saturday 21 May: 2.30pm AWST / 4.30pm AEST, Narrogin Hockey Stadium
Sunday 22 May: 2.30pm AWST / 4.30pm AEST, Narrogin Hockey Stadium
Tuesday 24 May: 6.30pm AWST / 4.30pm AEST, Perth Hockey Stadium
KOOKABURRAS SQUAD v GREAT BRITAIN
Daniel Beale (Brisbane, Queensland)
Joshua Beltz (Hobart, Tasmania)
Kiel Brown (Toowoomba, Queensland)
Andrew Charter (Canberra, ACT)
Chris Ciriello (Melbourne, Victoria)
Tristan Clemons (Ferndale, Western Australia)
Tom Craig (Lane Cove, New South Wales)
Matthew Dawson (Killarney Vale, New South Wales)
Timothy Deavin (Launceston, Tasmania)
Jamie Dwyer (Rockampton, Queensland)
Jeremy Edwards (Howrah, Tasmania)
Matthew Gohdes (Rockhampton, Queensland)
Blake Govers (Wollongong, New South Wales)
Jeremy Hayward (Darwin, Northern Territory)
Fergus Kavanagh (Geraldton, Western Australia)
Mark Knowles (Rockhampton, Queensland)
Tyler Lovell (Perth, Western Australia)
Trent Mitton (Perth, Western Australia)
Eddie Ockenden (Hobart, Tasmania)
Flynn Ogilvie (Wollongong, New South Wales)
Simon Orchard (Maitland, New South Wales)
Andrew Philpott (Melbourne, Victoria)
Matthew Swann (Mackay, Queensland)
Glenn Turner (Goulburn, New South Wales)
Tristan White (Wollongong, New South Wales)
Dylan Wotherspoon (Murwillumbah, Queensland)
Aran Zalewski (Margaret River, Western Australia)
Kookaburras’ events pre-Olympics
10-17 June: Champions Trophy, London (Featuring Australia, Great Britain, Germany, India, Belgium and Korea)
Hockey Australia media release
EHL broadcasts around the world
The Euro Hockey League (EHL) is delighted to announce that the FINAL4 will once again be broadcast live across the globe as the world’s premier club competition reaches its climax in Barcelona on May 14 and 15.
The EHL has agreed a number of key distribution deals that will allow hockey fans and beyond the chance to witness the climax of what has been an epic ninth edition of the competition.
EHL chairman Hans-Erik Tuijt says these deals are another big development for the competition and for hockey around the world.
“The EHL, as always, provides a unique and innovative platform for broadcasting the best club hockey to an even wider audience,” he said. “These agreements in Europe and beyond show the massive global interest in the competition.”
The KO16 and KO8 event in Amsterdam bear this out with the competition shown live in over 70 countries.
Broadcasters from the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, South Africa and Australia have all agreed to broadcast matches from the tournament while EverSport will provide a streaming service to more territories than ever before.
In the Netherlands, NOS will broadcast the semi-final between SV Kampong and Atlètic Terrassa live on Saturday on their Studio Sport from 2.15pm (CET) with extended highlights of Harvestehuder THC vs AH&BC Amsterdam. Both games will be available to live stream on NOS.nl.
Should a Dutch side make it through to the GRAND FINAL, NOS will also broadcast that game live on television on Sunday. At the KO8, Kampong’s win over Rot Weiss Köln had a peak viewership of 788,000 on NOS.
Sport 1 Germany will broadcast the two Harvestehuder THC games to take place in Barcelona. They will also show extended highlights of the final if the Hamburg-based club does not reach that stage.
Catalonian service Esport 3 will broadcast all four games live on its free to air digital terrestrial channel.
South Africa’s SuperSport will broadcast all games live as will BeIN Australia. In addition, Perform will stream all four games on its betting platforms.
Online, the EHL and EverSport signed an exclusive one-year deal earlier this year to expand the reach of the matches to many more regions internationally such as the Americas and Asia, through the EverSport.tv streaming platform, syndication network and via their smart embed player.
The games will be available to be streamed everywhere globally except for the UK, Holland and Germany.
“We are excited to bring the EHL matches to new territories, such as the US, South and Central Americas and Asia, so fans around the world can watch this exciting sport,” said Wayne Sieve, CEO of EverSport.
EverSport is an innovative media company that provides a best-in-breed streaming platform proven to grow rights holders’ audience and revenues more effectively than any other platform by harnessing the power of syndication, marketing and social media.
The Euro Hockey League will continue to live stream every minute of every game via www.ehlhockey.tv, making the game available for viewers from outside the countries above to keep up to date with all the action.
Euro Hockey League media release
Stellies hosts a smorgasbord of all that’s best in student hockey
By JONATHAN COOK
It’s all systems go for the eight teams gunning for Varsity Hockey men’s hockey glory at Maties Astro this weekend and the indicators are that the quality is going to be a treat for fans.
That entrance is free on all four days – Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday – is also sure to bring the varsity students in by the dozen. University of Pretoria (Tuks) and defending champs University of Johannesburg (UJ) won all their matches at UJ this past weekend and look to be cruising towards Monday’s late afternoon/early evening semi-finals.
Goalscoring hasn’t been much of a hurdle for the Tuks lads who have potent strikers supplemented by a creative midfield and a solid defence. Their conversion rate in front of goal and miserly defence ensured the Tuks men top spot at the close of the UJ leg of the competition, albeit on goal difference against UJ.
UJ have been involved in some classic Varsity Hockey contests where their fortunes have swayed to and fro, but the calibre of their personnel suggests they have a real chance of retaining the trophy won back in 2014, in what is a biannual men’s event interspersed in the intervening years by the equally popular women’s competition.
Maties, in third place going into Friday’s action, were finalists in 2014, and boast a speedy bunch of front runners, whose tempo has caught a posse of opposition defensive line-ups napping. A generous 18 strikes in four outings attests to this and one fancies that the defenders who come up against this classy combination on the Maties turf are in for a busy time.
The Maties’ blemish was a nail-biter of a defeat at the hands of the hosts on day one at UJ but this is unlikely to worry canny coach Ashlin Freddy – indeed it’s sure to fire up the talented Stellenbosch lads in a manner that is not to be welcomed by their opponents.
Semi-final time on Monday is sure to produce fireworks of the first order and a defeat here or there is not going to make much of a difference either way as the top four teams, post-league phase, will get a slot in the last-four playoffs.
Fourth-placed Wits have been most impressive – particularly so as they haven’t fared particularly well in the annual University Sport South Africa tournament since the rise and rise of UJ hockey from its early days as Rand Afrikaans University.
The heyday of Wits University’s dream teams well stocked with legends like Mandy Yachad were long gone in the drought years but a shrewd employment policy that brought successful sports administrators and coaches of the calibre of Adrian Carter and Ricky West into the mix respectively duly attracted class acts on the pitch and the omens suggest that Wits are heading back to their glory days faster than expected.
It’s well to note that Maties and Wits are level-pegging on nine log points a-piece but the former enjoy a superior goal difference. For fifth-placed University of Cape Town (UCT) and sixth-placed NMMU Madibaz (Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University) the hunt for silverware is not over yet and they will be looking to target maximum returns from their bust-ups on days one and two with the seventh and eighth-ranked varsities after the UJ leg, University of the Free State (Kovsies) and the Pukke of North West University in Potchefstroom.
For the proud Pukke and Kovsies combinations this weekend’s fare presents the perfect opportunity to redeem themselves after the disappointments of the past.
Now that the cards from the UJ leg have been dealt it is clear that a select number of matches at Maties could have a significant bearing on the jockeying for places in the top four. Just a couple of the match-ups for fans to savour already stand out – and there’s going to be no waiting for them to unfold as first-up Friday in the 1.30pm opening muscle-up, it’s a battle for eGoli bragging rights as Wits seek to upstage their star-studded UJ rivals.
As compelling as the UJ-Wits contest is, the big one that is guaranteed to see the Stellies students descend in their droves on the picturesque Maties hockey centre is the last clash of the day Friday, when the regal institution’s flagship team cross blades with Pretoria’s formidable Tuks come 6.45pm.
The Maties have everything in their favour: the vociferous backing of their campus friends, their innate familiarity with every nook and cranny of their home turf, as well as the scores of local schoolboys and schoolgirls – complemented by equally enthusiastic Moms and Dads – from the likes of the players in the schools’ hockey theatre of dreams, such as Paul Roos Gym and Paarl Girls High.
Indeed for hockey fans from Paul Roos it’s barely a hop, step and jump to the Maties Astro, as are the surrounding Stellenbosch schools while for those a bit further afield, like Paarl Girls High for instance, it’s hardly 30 minutes in the car. There’s no better place to be than Maties Astro over the next four days. See you there.
Fixtures for Friday 13 May:
13:30 UJ vs Wits
15:15 Kovsies vs UCT
17:00 Pukke vs Madibaz
18:45 Maties vs Tuks
Varsity Sports media release
Madibaz will apply lessons learnt for Stellenbosch leg of Varsity Hockey
By Coetzee Gouws
The NMMU-Madibaz are determined to improve their sixth place on the Varsity Hockey log by applying the lessons they learnt last weekend to their matches in Stellenbosch from Friday.
The league phase of the biennial men’s tournament will be completed on Sunday, with the top four sides qualifying for Monday’s semi-finals. The remaining teams will play for positions five to eight.
The Madibaz started well with a thrilling penalty shootout triumph against UCT last Friday, but then lost to Wits, Maties and Tuks.
With a young team under his command, coach Cheslyn Gie was not discouraged by the results and said they would absorb the lessons they had learnt as they looked ahead to the remaining three league games.
“The youngsters are learning very quickly, and we are getting there. There was a big improvement after the Maties game.
“If we do really well this weekend and win our three matches, which we can if we convert our chances, we could go to 12 points and then it would depend on other results.”
He acknowledged, though, that it had been a big adjustment for some of the younger players to compete at a higher level.
“It’s a steep learning curve and unfortunately our league is not strong enough for the adjustment you have to make once you get to this level.
“But having learnt some lessons, we definitely want to take it further this weekend.”
Gie felt the Madibaz had been competitive in their matches, but added they needed to work on their finishing up front.
“I thought we started off okay against UCT and did nicely to come back after being 2-1 and 3-2 down to make it 3-3, and then did well to win the shootout.
“The next game was against Wits (losing 5-2) and we were a bit unlucky, and that happened the whole weekend because our strikers just did not convert the chances we created.
“Even against Maties, when we lost 8-0, their keeper made three or four brilliant saves to keep us out. That loss was a big wake-up call for the youngsters in the squad; our intensity was just not good enough.
“Although we lost 3-1 against Tuks, we dominated for large parts of the game, but just didn’t get the ball in the net.”
Madibaz next face Pukke in Stellenboch on 13 May at 17:00.
Varsity Sports media release
English sides in European action this weekend
Canterbury captain Grace Balsdon
This weekend Surbiton and Canterbury return to European competition for the second consecutive season to take part in the EuroHockey Club Champions Cup.
Last season, Surbiton finished fifth after narrowly losing their quarter-final against Club Campo De Madrid on shootout. Wins over CSP Ismailovo and University College Dublin not only helped them to fifth place but also earned them the Fair Play award. Canterbury had to settle for seventh place after a shootout loss to Dutch outfit SCHC and a narrow defeat to UCD before they handed out a thumping to CSP Izmaylovo in their final match.
This season, Surbiton face a tough test in the last eight, facing UHC Hamburg in the opening match of the tournament at 1315 (local time) on Friday 13 May. Hamburg have German internationals, Jana Teschke, Eileen Hoffmann, Janne Muller-Wieland, Marie Mävers and goalkeeper, Yvonne Frank in their squad. However, Surbiton are not short on quality with a plethora of stars of their own in Great Britain internationals, Giselle Ansley, Sarah Haycroft, Georgie Twigg and Hollie Webb along with Scottish international, Robyn Collins.
Surbiton will play either ‘s-Hertogenbosch (Netherlands) or CSP Krylatskoye (Russia) in their second match of the tournament. They will play the winners on Saturday or the losers on Sunday.
Surbiton celebrate winning the title
Canterbury will once again face SCHC, a side with a raft of international stars including Xan de Waard, Caia van Maasakker and Maike Stockel. With the Polo Farm seeking revenge for their shootout defeat last time out it promises to be a superb clash. Captain Grace Balsdon leads by example and will be a threat from penalty corners, whilst Susannah Townsend and Dirkie Chamberlain are two players who can cause any side problems. Add into the mix the defensive solidity of the outstanding Mel Clewlow and Canterbury have a real chance.
The winner of the match between SCHC and Canterbury will play the winner of Campo (Spain) and Pegasus (Ireland). The two losers will also play off.
All the classification matches will be played on Monday.
You can follow all the results, scorers and updates on the EuroHockey Website here.
England Hockey Board Media release
Irish hockey's renaissance and the men who made history
We speak to Stephen Barry and Mitch Darling as they set off on the Road to Rio
Image: ©INPHO/James Crombie
It's more 100 since an Irish hockey represented Ireland at an Olympic Games. For the first time in over a century, we will once again send our finest over to bring home gold and make history.
It's fair to say, though, that they've made history in their own right. Qualification perhaps the culmination of years of rebuilding and with the heartache of missing out on London four years ago, Irish men's hockey is growing in popularity. Would a medal at the Games of the XXXI Olympiad inspire the next generation of players on these shores?
"Yes, 100 percent" says team leader Stephen Barry, "What it could do for the sport in Ireland is massive. It’s very much played in big cities and in tighter communities and we want to make that spread out all over the country.
"That’s the dream for everyone involved in hockey for the association, for the team and to inspire the next group. One of the really cool things off the back of this is that we have 16 people who have gone to the Olympics and will be able to go home and stand in their own clubs as an Olympian which has never happened before.
"You walk into a clubhouse in Ireland and the team will have a plaque on their wall of players who have represented Ireland. Now it’ll say that these players represented Ireland at an Olympic games. That gives a hockey player who’s a kid a dream they have never had before."
It's been a task of rebuilding for this hockey team, the departure of head coach Paul Revington in May 2012 manager Peter Jackson stepping down shortly resulted in the team becoming unstuck.
After being pulled from Champions Challenge in Argentina the team came together and fundraised enough money [through the campaign "Get the Green Machine Going"] where they would finish third in the competition.
This propelled them to new heights and under the stewardship of Craig Fulton in 2014, the team have gone from strength to strength.
"I like to look at this achievement [qualification] and celebrate it. We worked so hard to box above our weight to get where we are at the moment. We won a bronze medal at the Europeans last summer, beating teams that had made it to the London semi-finals.
"We have an expectation and a belief in ourselves that if we go out there and do our best we can make things happen. Realistically we ranked fifth in our group of six and only four go through to the quarter finals.
"The realistic finish is to finish in the top three or four there, get ourselves into a quarter final and with a decent draw there’s no reason we can’t get through to the semi-finals.
"We have that belief in ourselves/ yes we’re excited to be there and be part of team Ireland, with the boxers and the sailors and those who have gotten medals before. We want to be part of that list and we’re not going there to make up the numbers. That’s not what we want to do and we believe we can."
A new level was reached with their Olympic qualification; Australia beat New Zealand 3-2 in Stratford in the Oceania Cup final, ending a nervous interim period since after last July’s heroics in the World League 3.
During that summer, Ireland beat higher-ranked Malaysia and Pakistan to finish fifth overall in that tournament, missing out on direct qualification but placed them third on the waiting list for Olympic qualifying berths.
The result pushed them over the line, the first team to represent Ireland at the Games since 1908.
"It was fairly surreal, like a dream coming true," says player Mitch Darling, "It happened quite slowly for us, we had to wait for another result for us to qualify.
"As soon as you find out you've qualified for the Olympics you get a realisation that OK, we’re doing this. We need to get training and develop. We need to improve.
"More recently it’s been focused on week to week stuff, day to day. It’s all about winning your preparation and after that hopefully the Olympics will go well.
"We knew we were very capable for a long time. We can punch well above our rate in our ranking. We’ve moved up to 12 in the world and I think when I came into the squad at 18 years old we were at 24.
"We've improved incrementally in the last few years. We came so close to the London Olympics as well, so there was a large cohort of players and staff who knew we could do it and go all the way so that’s spurred us on this year."
In contrast to the leagues they would compete year-on-year, the Games presents a new set of challenges and a bigger platform on which to perform. However, they remain familiar with the teams they had overcome previously and will take confidence from these results.
"This will be the first multi-sport event that we’ll be attending, so it’ll be different in that respect" says Darling.
"When it comes to playing the teams at the Olympics, we've pretty much played all the other teams that will be there in different world events. The world league, which is how we qualified, we've played all the teams, in the Europeans every two years.
"So, it’s nothing too unusual to be playing all these other teams. The actual event of the Olympics will be our first time. Luckily we have our coach who is a double Olympian [Fulton, with South Africa] so he’s been able to share the experience with us. I think we’ll be well prepared for it."
Addressing a shortfall in funding once again, the team aim to raise €225,000 to get them to Rio under the campaign "Obsessed".
Despite the detractions of funding, the team are ready to perform and hoping to soak up as much of the experience as they can.
"It’s an unbelievable feeling. It’s the realisation of a dream for guys who had to make history. No one in our lifetimes have been involved in a hockey team who’s been to an Olympic Games. It’s a massive celebration, it’s a massive boost for hockey in Ireland as well as for the players and coaches involved for a number of years just to get us here" says Barry.
"We have a number of games so we have time to settle in and adjust to the climate and get comfortable in the Olympic village. But after the first couple of minutes you just get into the zone and you treat it like any other game at the end of the day."
Ireland’s Pool B fixtures (all times local)
Saturday, August 6: India v Ireland, 11am
Sunday, August 7: Netherlands v Ireland, 6pm
Tuesday, August 9: Germany v Ireland, 12.30pm
Thursday, August 11: Ireland v Canada, 11am
Friday, August 12: Ireland v Argentina, 7.30pm
News Talk 106 - 108 FM
Olympic-themed week planned for July; Canadian men to host United States in Vancouver
Shaheed Devji
With Canada’s men’s field hockey team returning to the Olympic Games this summer in Brazil, Field Hockey Canada will celebrate in style during an Olympic-themed week this July.
From July 4-10, a series of events centered around Canada’s participation at the Olympics Games – previous and upcoming – will take place in Vancouver, British Columbia – the home of Canada’s field hockey programs.
Beginning July 7, Canada’s men will host the United States in a three-game competition, the “Summer Games Send-off” series Presented by London Drugs.
The first match will be played at Surrey’s Tamanawis Field on July 7 at 7pm. The following two games will be played at West Vancouver’s Rutledge Field on July 9 and 10 at 7pm and 6pm respectively.
The games are open to the public and admission is free. Fans, friends, and family are encouraged to come watch Canada’s Olympic team and wish them well on the Road to Rio.
The series is the first time Canada’s men’s Olympic team will compete together after being named in the days prior. It is also the last competition for the men before departing for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil later that month.
The weeklong Olympic celebration and send-off will also include Field Hockey Canada’s 2016 Hall of Fame induction ceremony on the evening of July 8 at St. George’s School in Vancouver.
To honour Canada’s Olympic past, each inductee from this year’s class will have a special tie to the Olympic Games.
The Hall of Fame event will ticketed and open to the public.
More details about the Olympic-themed week, the “Summer Games Send-off” series, and the 2016 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony – including inductees and ticket information – will become available shortly.
Field Hockey Canada media release
Razak Cup: Razie power for Police
By Jugjet Singh
NATIONAL skipper Razie Rahim and midfielder Nabil Fiqri are set to play for Police in Division One of the 54th Razak Cup on May 21-29 at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
Razie and Nabil, both stalwarts in the national team, joined Police Inspector's training on May 8 and are supposed to be out of touch with hockey for nine months, but special arrangements have been made for them to play in the Razak Cup.
Police became the Division Two champions last season, and their promotion to Division One could see them land a medal with a strong cast.
Three other former internationals Kelvinder Singh, Jivan Mohan and Baljit Singh Sarjab; who have completed their Inspector's trainings; together with former international Megat Azrafiq will be the main pillars of Police again.
Baljit almost 'single handedly' handed Police the Division Two title and promotion with 17 penalty corner goals last season.
But this season, they will have Malaysia's No 1 penalty corner flicker and top defender Razie for goals.
"I have not been informed about Razie and Nabil's situation as they have just joined training and would need a release letter to play in the Razak Cup.
However, if they are allowed to play, Police will be able to give a stronger challenge in Division One," said former national coach Gurmit Singh.
Gurmit, with Sarjit Singh, coached the national squad for the 2008 Kakamigahara Olympic Qualifier.
Police are in Group A with defending champions Malacca, Johor and Pahang. In Group B are silver medallists Perak, Kuala Lumpur, Negri Sembilan and Terengganu.
In Division Two, Group A consists of Selangor, Kedah, Perlis and Penang. In Group B are Kelantan, Armed Forces, Sabah and Sarawak.
The women's Razak Cup will also be held simultaniously, and Polcie are again the 'big winners' as natinal players Farah Ayuni Yahya and Noor Hasliza Ali, who also joined Inspectors training on May 8, will be released to play.
The women's Group A is made up of Pahang, Sarawak, Police, Johor, Selangor; Group B: Kuala Lumpur, Negri Sembila, Armed Forces, Terengganu, Sabah; Group C: Malacca, Penang, Perak, Kedah.
The women's Razak Cup will make its debut, in what is actually a name change from the previous Raja Noora Ashikin Cup.
Jugjet's World of Field Hockey
MHL will go on despite renovation work in Bukit Jalil
By S. Ramaguru
KUALA LUMPUR: The start of the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) in August will not be affected by the closure of the National Sports Complex in Bukit Jalil for renovation.
Work on the complex, where the hockey stadiums are located, will start in July in preparation for the 2017 SEA Games.
The MHL is due to start in August, beginning with the Division One and Women’s League on Aug 5.
The Premier Division will start two weeks later and the MHL final is slated for Sept 25.
Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) deputy president and competitions committee chairman George Koshy said that there are enough facilities around to compensate for the closure.
“Anyway, for the preliminary round, it’s up to the teams to choose their home ground. We can’t tell them where to play their home matches,” he said.
“The Tun Razak Stadium and the KL Hockey Stadium are still available. And I understand that the MBPJ Hockey Stadium would be ready by then as well.
“So, I do not see this (stadium closure) as a big problem. Everything is status quo ... the MHL will start in August, as planned.”
George said that the closing of entries will be in mid-July.
“The Premier Division will have six to eight teams and playing format will be home and away. For Division One, the format will be decided once we have received all the entries,” he said, adding that the venue for the knockout stage will be decided later.
“It will depend on the availability of the stadiums. But I do not see it as a problem, either,” he said.
The Star of Malaysia
Punjab, HP, Haryana boys make early exit
Chandigarh: Punjab and Himachal Pradesh failed to qualify for the semifinals of the junior men’s hockey National Championships in Raipur on Thursday.
Punjab, who needed a win to advance, were held to a 4-4 draw by Gangpur-Odisha in their final pool game. Gangpur-Odisha qualified because of a better goal difference.
HP thrashed Chhattisgarh 9-5 but it was not enough to see them through. Jharkhand qualified with a better goal difference.
Haryana thrashed Tamil Nadu 5-0 in their final pool game, but they were already out of contention after losing two matches.
In the semifinals on Saturday, Odisha will take on Jharkhand, while Gangpur-Odisha will face Sports Authority of India.
The Tribune
Head of Domestic Game appointed
Scottish Hockey are pleased to announce that Jamie Frail has been appointed as the Head of Domestic Game.
Jamie will start his new Role on May 30 and the appointment is part of a restructure within Scottish Hockey.
A former Cashback coach, Jamie joined Scottish Hockey as Glasgow and West Development Officer, working his way up to the role of West Regional Development Manager, and then National Development Manager a post he has held for two years. During his time as the National Development Manager he has created a strong team including our regional posts which in partnership with our clubs and districts have seen a membership growth of over 40% in two years. He has led on Legacy activities from the Commonwealth Games and has created a number of strong partnerships including with the other Home Nations, Scottish Student Sport and programmes including Hockey Fest and Back to Hockey.
Jamie is a well-known figure in Scottish Hockey as a National One Goalkeeper for Hillhead and part of the Scotland Girls Under 16 Coaching team.
David Sweetman Scottish Hockey CEO commented “I am delighted that Jamie has been successful in securing the Head of Domestic Game role. Jamie has the passion, drive and leadership to deliver in this position and I know he is excited at the opportunities that the role can bring to Hockey in Scotland”
Scottish Hockey Union media release
Old Loughtonians complete Hackney Half for Tom Wilson
Old Loughts Hackney Half
A number of players from Old Loughtonians Hockey Club recently completed the Hackney Half Marathon in memory of their good friend Tom 'Willo' Wilson who sadly was taken from us on the 10th of December 2015 in a tragic hockey training accident.
Tom Wilson was known to many as one of the kindest, least self-centred individuals you could have known; he was not only a team mate but a really close friend to many. After he passed away, it was discovered that Tom had signed up to be an organ donor whilst at university and many of his organs were found to be matches for many and even after death Tom was able to help others.
As a result, The Tom Wilson Memorial Fund was set up to raise money for various donor organisations, concussion research and England Hockey related sporting charities. By raising money the aim is to help to limit any further sporting tragedies.
Harry Kempe, one of the Old Loughts players who completed the half marathon told England Hockey:
“We’re trying to raise as much money as possible but we are also keen to do as much as we can to raise awareness and to make sure people are given the right care so that hopefully things like the tragedy that happened to Tom become a thing of the past.” he continues: “It’s been a great comfort the response that there’s been to our situation. Everyone seems to be keen to their bit. All our team have signed up to be organ donors and so have Wapping’s 1st XI and Nottingham Trent. It makes a real difference when you see how the hockey family rallies round and it’s a testament to Tom and how well thought of he was and also the strength of the hockey family. We had clubs all over the country supporting us but we also had people in New Zealand, Spain and all sorts of places.”
Rob Bloss, Elliott Smith, Harry Kempe, Pat Longston, Fred Whitfield and Martyn Lear all completed the half marathon in less than two hours, despite it being the hottest day of the year and they were greeted at the finish line by Tom’s mother, Lisa. So far their efforts have raised almost £4500 but Kempe is keen to keep the momentum going:
“This is hopefully the start of many different events, some of our team mates are riding from Nottingham [where Tom studied] down to Old Loughts to raise some more money. Nottingham Trent’s players have donated 18 pints of blood to the National Blood service. Mitch Jones one of our team mates is doing a Half Iron Man and we’re looking at some memorial tournaments, too. We want to celebrate Tom’s life and hopefully give something back.”
If you would like to donate to the Tom Wilson memorial, you can do so on this link.
England Hockey Board Media release