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All the news for Friday 10 June 2016

Ireland 2-0 Canada



Ireland Men played their first of four test matches this evening at the beautiful setting at the Playball, Stormont.  Both Canada and Ireland will be in the same Pool in Rio.  David Carter, in the Canadian goal, was the busier keeper making top class saves to deny the Irish on numerous occasions.  The corner count was 8/5 in favour of Ireland but no goals came from any of the set pieces.  The first and second quarter the teams were evenly matched with the game scoreless at the half time break.

Ireland dominated for large part of the third quarter but could not break through a well marshalled defence. The 4th quarter saw Ireland camped in the Canadian half and just when the game looked as if it would end in a draw a grandstand finish by the Green Machine claimed victory  FIrst it was a rasping shot by Mitch Darling that Watt jdeflected past Carter for the lead in the 59m and seconds later a rasping backing was roofed by John Jackson to double the lead.

On the overall game it was a well deserved victory for the home team in front of great crowd.  The teams will meet again tomorrow evening at the same time and venue. 

Ireland 2 (Michael Watt, John Jackson)
Canada 0

Ireland: D. Harte, Jacskon, Watt, CArgo, Watkins, Jermyn, Caruth, O Donoghxue, Bell, C Harte, Loughrey,
Subs: Gormley, Shimmins, Darling, Good, Gleghorne, S Cole (Fitzgerald Not used)

Canada: D CArter, Tupper, Ho Garcia, Hildreth, Pereria, Froese, Johnston, Bissett, Pearson, Sarmento, Guest
SUbs: Martin, Noronha Teixera, Gill, Smythe, Panesar, Curran, Kindler

Remaining Fixtures
Friday June 10th Ireland v Canada - NICS HC, Playball 7.30pm
Sunday June 12th Ireland v Canada - Pembroke Wanderers HC, Dublin 2pm
Tuesday June 14th Ireland v Canada - Trinity Hockey Grounds, Santry Ave.,Dublin 11am

Irish Hockey Association media release

Two late goals gives Ireland win in first of four games with Canadian men

New Westminster, British Columbia’s Brenden Bissett played in his 50th international match for Canada.

Shaheed Devji



In a battle of two Olympic-bound teams, Ireland defeated Canada’s men’s field hockey team 2-0 Thursday in the first game of four test matches between the two teams in Ireland.

Canada and Ireland have both been drawn into Pool B at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil, making the four-game series in Belfast and Dublin important for both teams’ Olympic preparation.

The game was fairly evenly played, with 13 corners being given throughout – eight to Ireland and five to Canada.

No goals came from the set piece as Canadian keeper David Carter had an impressive performance in between the pipes.

Despite the Irish holding possession for large parts of the second half, Canada’s defense – led by captain Scott Tupper – did a good job of holding the home side to the outside.

It was not until the 59th minute that Michael Watt deflected a Mitch Darling shot by Carter for the game’s first goal. Only moments later, John Jackson put another by Carter for the two-goal lead.

The two teams will meet again on Friday at 7:30pm local time in Belfast (11:30am PT/2:30pm ET) before the series shifts to Dublin for games on June 12 and June 14.

After the Ireland series, Canada will head to Madrid, Spain for three matches against Spain.

Field Hockey Canada media release

Japan thrash Malaysia, again

By Jugjet Singh



MALAYSIA played friendlies, but Japan took both the matches seriously to thrash Malaysia 5-1 and then 3-1 in Kakamigahara.

Coach Stephen van Huizen's men are on a Tour of six matches, four of which are friendlies, while two are Test matches.

On Wednesday, his charges were down 5-0 before the consolation was scored Norhizzat Sumantri. And yesterday, Harvinder Singh gave Malaysia the lead off a 12th minute penalty corner rebound, but Japan won the match with ease in a seven minute blitz -- 55th, 58th and 62nd minutes.

The two Test matches will be played on Saturday and Sunday, followed by two more friendlies.

Van Huizen attributed the defeats to poor marking and decision-making, particularly during crucial moments.

"Overall, we played much better in the second friendly. But the results clearly show that without our key players, we struggle. I believe this is an opportunity for several of the younger players to step up and understand the demands of international hockey. While the enthusiasm is good, we find ourselves wanting in many areas.

The coach went to Japan without several key players who are nursing injuries, had examinations and also joined the Police Force.

Goalkeeper S. Kumar is still nursing his thigh injury, Faiz Helmi and Fitri Saari have examinations and Shahril Saabah has family commitments.

National skipper Razie Rahim and Nabil Fiqri are back with Police training after getting a brief release to play in the Razak Cup.

"Positively, there is progress in our game. We will prepare as best as we can for the upcoming Test matches. We need to up the level significantly to get a result. The games have provided me and the coaching staff with sufficient insight about the players and our squad entirely", he added.

Japan are preparing a team to host the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, while van Huizen and his men will be attempting to qualify for the Olympics, which Malaysia last played in 2000 Sydney.

NOTE: Some of the players are fasting during the japan Tour. Like they did during the World League Semi-finals in Belgium where Malaysia failed to beat India in the quarter-finals after taking a 2-1 lead, and lost a chance to play in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Jugjet's World of Field Hockey

World class TV production to broadcast Hockey Champions Trophies to millions


Find out where to watch and what to expect! Photo: FIH/Getty

The Hockey Champions Trophies in London, Great Britain are already making history. These events will not only see the biggest worldwide TV distribution of a hockey event ever - it will be the first time in the sport's history that hockey has been broadcast in 4K (ultra high definition).

Over the course of the men's Hero Hockey Champions Trophy (10-17 June) and women's Hockey Champions Trophy (18-26 June), host broadcaster BT Sport will be providing sports fans with a world class TV broadcast, never before seen in the sport of hockey, bringing fans much closer to all of the action.

Each day of competition will see one single programme produced. This will give viewers the opportunity to watch all of the action from the very first match of the day until the very last match - meaning that broadcasters do not have to switch to other sports or programmes in between matches.

Over 2,000 hours of hockey broadcast to over 120 countries
As a result of this new programming, over 2,000 hours of hockey will be broadcast during both events, to more countries than ever before. At the time of writing, over 120 countries will be able to watch live or delayed on TV, while fans in countries without broadcast agreements will be able to tune in to the live action on FIH's YouTube channel.

4k Ultra HD
New technology will also be introduced by BT Sport at these events, the most significant being the introduction of 4K ultra high definition viewing for fans. The stunning picture quality of this new technology provides four times the detail of standard high definition channels. This will make the viewers experience real - it is the next step in high definition TV and provides a truly cinematic viewing experience.

Hawk Eye SMART Replay
The company behind the video replay technology seen at Wimbledon and the US Open (tennis) and in cricket, will be supplementing the live TV production with the Hawk Eye SMART Replay system.

This Synchronised Multi-Angle Replay Technology (SMART) is an exciting new video replay and distribution technology that puts control of every broadcast camera angle into the hands of those who need it the most.

SMART Replay records every broadcast angle in real time, with no limit to the amount of inputs, and makes this content available immediately either on-site or remotely to help various areas across sport. As a result, this will not only be a great addition to the TV broadcast, it will also be of huge benefit to video umpires, as well as player welfare and coaching staff.

As a result of all this new technology, fans will be given more content and analysis in addition to being brought closer to the live action.

These latest innovations are part of International Hockey Federation's (FIH) 10-year hockey Revolution strategy which aims to make hockey a global game that inspires the next generation. One of the key initiatives designed to achieve this goal is to create world-class TV production and distribution.

Make sure you don't miss out on any of the action - find out where to watch the Hockey Champions Trophies by clicking on our TV page.

To see all of the action live, buy tickets for the Hockey Champions Trophy 2016 in London by clicking here.

#HCT2016 #BestofTheBest

FIH site

Champions Trophy Squad Changes

Kirsten Dwyer & Andrew Philpott join the teams

By Holly MacNeil



Changes have been made to both the Kookaburras and Hockeyroos squads who will contest the Champions Trophy tournament in London from 10 – 26 June.

Andrew Philpott will join the Kookaburras team in the men’s competition from 10 – 17 June, in place of Tom Craig who has been ruled out of the series due to an ankle injury.

The Hockeyroos have the addition of Kirsten Dwyer who recently celebrated her 100th game at the International Hockey Open in Darwin. Dwyer takes the place of Anna Flanagan who was stood down from the competition.

The new squads for the series are:

Kookaburras Champions Trophy Squad
Daniel Beale (Brisbane, QLD)
Josh Beltz (Hobart, TAS)
Andrew Charter (Canberra, ACT)
Chris Ciriello (Melbourne, VIC)
Matthew Dawson (Killarney Vale, NSW)
Tim Deavin (Launceston, TAS)
Blake Govers (Wollongong, NSW)
Jeremy Hayward (Darwin, NT)
Tyler Lovell (Perth, WA)
Trent Mitton (Perth, WA)
Eddie Ockenden (Hobart, TAS)
Flynn Ogilvie (Wollongong, NSW)
Simon Orchard (Maitland, NSW)
Andrew Philpott (Melbourne, VIC)
Matthew Swann (Mackay, QLD)
Glenn Turner (Goulburn, NSW*)
Tristan White (Wollongong, NSW)
Aran Zalewski (Margaret River, WA)

*Represents ACT

Kookaburras Champions Trophy Fixtures
Friday June 10, AUS v GBR: 8pm BST / 3am AWST (Saturday 11) / 5am AEST (Saturday 11)
Saturday June 11, AUS v KOR: 6pm BST / 1am AWST (Sunday 12) / 3am AEST (Sunday 12)
Monday June 13, AUS v GER: 2pm BST / 9.00pm AWST / 11.00pm AEST
Tuesday June 14, AUS v BEL: 6pm BST / 1am AWST (Wednesday 15) / 3am AEST (Wednesday 15)
Thursday June 16, AUS v IND: 4pm BST / 11.00pm AWST / 1am AEST (Friday 17)
Friday June 17, TBC

Hockeyroos Champions Trophy Squad
Madonna Blyth (C) (Brisbane, QLD)
Edwina Bone (Evatt, ACT)
Jane Claxton (Adelaide, SA)
Kirsten Dwyer (Mackay, QLD)
Jodie Kenny (Wamuran, QLD)
Rachael Lynch (Warrandyte, VIC)
Karri McMahon (Berri, SA)
Georgina Morgan (Armidale, NSW)
Gabrielle Nance (Kingscliff, SA)
Georgia Nanscawen (Melbourne, VIC)
Georgina Parker (Berri, SA)
Brooke Peris (Darwin, NT)
Casey Sablowski (Albion Park, NSW)
Kathryn Slattery (South Stirling, WA)
Emily Smith (Crookwell, NSW)
Grace Stewart (Gerringong, NSW)
Ashlee Wells (Morwell, VIC)
Mariah Williams (Parkes, NSW)

Hockeyroos Champions Trophy Fixtures
Saturday 18 June: AUS v USA | 12pm BST / 7pm AWST / 9pm AEST
Sunday 19 June: AUS v NZL | 4pm BST / 11pm AWST / 1am AEST (Monday 20)
Tuesday 21 June: AUS v ARG | 2.30pm BST / 9.30pm AWST / 11.30pm AEST
Thursday 23 June: AUS v NED | 6pm BST / 1am AWST (Friday 24) / 3am AEST (Friday 24)
Saturday 25 June: GBR v AUS | 4pm BST / 11pm AWST / 1am AEST (Sunday 26)
Sunday 26 June: Finals TBC

Hockey Australia media release

Black Sticks call on late injury cover


Kelsey Smith has been called up for CT. Photo: www.photosport.nz

Injuries have forced two late changes to the Black Sticks Women’s team for the FIH Champions Trophy in London.

Veteran Emily Gaddum will miss the tournament due to a back injury while Samantha Charlton is recovering from a hairline fracture in her hand picked up during the International Hockey Open in Darwin.

Capital midfielder Kelsey Smith (13 test caps) has been called into the team following an impressive performance in Darwin, while Auckland’s Julia King (105 caps) also slots in as cover.

The Black Sticks go up against the Netherlands, Argentina, Australia, Great Britain and USA at the Champions Trophy from 19-27 June, in what serves as the final major tournament before the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Despite injuries, the team is still hugely experienced and led by the likes of Kayla Whitelock (243 tests), Anita McLaren (232), Gemma Flynn (231), Stacey Michelsen (201) and Charlotte Harrison (207).

The Black Sticks open their campaign against world number one Netherlands on Sunday 19 June  at 3am (NZ time), with a rematch of the Darwin final against Australia the following day.

All Black Sticks games will be broadcast live and replayed on SKY Sport.

The team has flown out of the country today for one-off games against Netherlands and Belgium before heading to London for the Champions Trophy.

The New Zealand Women’s Olympic team will be selected following the conclusion of the tournament.

CLICK HERE for the full Champions Trophy match schedule

BLACK STICKS WOMEN
Champions Trophy, London

Hockey New Zealand Media release

Champions Trophy: All time records

By B.G.Joshi (India, in London))

36th edition of men’s Champions Trophy (from June 10)and 22nd version of women’s CT (from June 18)will be held in London. FIH have issued lot of statistics on these tournaments.However following stats and records compiled by me  are worthwhile to be seen:

Fieldhockey.com

Time for India to get out of the Jinx

K Arumugam



Champions Trophy is one tournament in which Indian hockey had no ‘past glory’. Instead, it has acquired a jinx of sort. The jinx – unlike Australia which had a jinx at Olympics Gold – pertains to bronze. If India can overcome the jinx in London, it will boost its morale at Rio. It is a must if India is to be taken seriously in Rio by its hockey crazy masses.

Indian men had many wonderful matches in the run up to the knock out stages in the history of Champions Trophy, but buckled at semis and then notably in the bronze medal matches.

Only bronze India obtained in 1982 was when the Champions Trophy was played in its original format, a simple round-robin.

In the knock-out era of CT, India has chance at bronze on seven occasions.

It came as a cropper in all.

The latest was at Bhubneswar two years ago.

Home crowd, and some turn around matches en route did not help India to get the elusive bronze. Australia walked away with 1-2 result.

On many occasions, its Pakistan which lost to India in the league, that unnerved India at crucial third place play off.

Nothing fortifies the point than what transpired when India hosted Champions Trophy on its soils twice.

India was almost sure of making it to the first CT final when it engaged Pakistan in its last pool match at Chennai. On the same venue when it outplayed Pakistan in the South Asian Games, it faltered.

New stadium in Chennai witnessed India falter at 16 penalty corners and then finished 0-1.

Then Germany washed out India 0-5 to clinch the bronze the next day, one of the darkest days of Indian hockey, to say the least. Christopher Beechamann struck a beautiful hattrick in Gemany’s merriful win.

Pakistan somehow established its reputation as Indian tormentor at Bronze Matches.

Melbourne, Cologne, Amsterdam…..the list goes on.

Now, its opportune time for India to go for Gold.

Now, the chief coach Roelant Oltmans has had sufficient time to build, test and evolve each player and the team in preparation for the Rio.

He has also taken a bold decision to rest some stalwarts, instead taken with him younger lot.

The younger lot are always daring, and it is the asset.

A shot at medal is right tonic India needs to go heads held high to Rio.

India has to therefore play three crucial matches, quarterfinal, semifinal and then the medal match.

A medal at London will be a wake up call to rested seniors, some of whom are really playing less than their reputation.

London therefore offers younger lot to take on established ones indirectly.

India, being underdogs at Olympics, and Rio not being an exception, needs to do some wonders if it needs to be counted in August.

The wonder here is a simple question of playing three above mentioned knock-out matches, well.

Some of India’s bronze medal ordeal
1996: Lost to Germany 0-5
2002: Lost to Pakistan 3-4
2003: lost to Pakistan 3-4
2004: lost to Pakistan 2-3
2012: lost to Pakistan 2-3
2014: Lost to Australia 1-2

Stick2Hockey.com

India to battle Germany in opening match of Champions Trophy


Team India will aim to add a medal to their Champions League tally

The Indian team will take on Olympic gold-medalists Germany in their opening match of the Champions Trophy hockey tournament in London on Friday.

PR Sreejesh will captain the squad in the competition as Sardar Singh has been rested.

The other four participating teams in the tournament are: Great Britain, Australia, Belgium and South Korea.

Launching their campaign at the Lee Valley Hockey Centre, India are seeking to add to their only Champions Trophy medal -- a bronze -- they won at Amsterdam in 1982.

Indian coach Roelant Oltmans said a medal in the event, will be a big confidence-booster for the team ahead of the Rio Olympic Games.

The current edition of the Champions Trophy returns to the old format of six teams competing in round-robins, with the top two teams advancing to the final.

The third and fourth placed teams in the round-robin league will play-off for the bronze medal.

DNA

Ahead of Rio, Indian hockey men seek medal boost

Aiming to gain in confidence before the Olympic Games, the Indian men’s hockey team will be eyeing a podium finish in the Champions Trophy that starts tomorrow.

Launching their campaign with a clash against Olympics champs Germany, India are seeking to add to their only Champions Trophy medal — a bronze — they won in 1982. On seven occasions thereafter, India have been edged away from the podium as they lost crucial bronze-medal encounters.

“A podium finish is a realistic target we’re chasing,” said coach Roelant Oltmans as the Indian team went through its training regimen ahead of the German encounter. “A medal here will be a big confidence-booster ahead of the Olympic Games. Rio de Janeiro is our main focus this summer and good results on the way will surely lift the team’s morale.”

“We like a challenge, but we have to execute our tactics in match situations and keep evolving,” said Oltmans, who has continued his rotational policy to provide exposure to all players ahead of picking the squad for Rio de Janeiro.

“We’ll need to play our best hockey to get good results and aspire for a medal,” said Oltmans. “Some other teams are also fielding a lot of youngsters.”

The Tribune

India look to fine-tune ahead of Rio at Hockey Champions Trophy

LONDON: India will look to make the most of the Hockey Champions Trophy , the final major tournament before the Rio Olympics, when they kick off their campaign in the six-nation tournament against reigning champions Germany here on Friday.

Of the six teams competing in London, five will be in action in the Rio Games, to be held between August 5-21, and the players will get a great opportunity to present their case of being in the 16-member squad for the quadrennial extravaganza.

Apart from Asian Games 2014 champions India, the tournament will feature current world champions Australia (world No.1), two-time reigning Olympic champions Germany (No.3), host nation Britain (No.4), rising European giants Belgium (No.5) and South Korea (No.9).

India, having finished runners-up in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup earlier this year with an inexperienced squad, are high on confidence. Their confidence stems also from the third place finish at last year's Hero Hockey World League (HWL) Final in Raipur.

And the motivation can't be bigger because India have won only a medal in the 36 editions of the Champions Trophy -- a bronze at the 1982 tournament. In the last two editions, India have finished fourth.

Although they have rested their talismanic midfielder and regular captain Sardar Singh and key drag-flicker-cum-defender Rupinder Pal Singh, Roelant Oltmans' wards will look to make another podium finish, which will give them plenty of confidence going into the Rio Games.

Seasoned goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh will captain the side that will have striker S.V. Sunil as the vice-captain and the latter will lead the attack line featuring youngsters like Akashdeep Singh, Manpreet Singh , Nikkin Thimmaiah and Talwinder Singh.

In the midfield, Manpreet Singh may play at the centre of the pitch, while S.K. Uthappa, Danish Mujtaba, Chinglensana Singh and Devinder Sunil Walmiki will be on the flanks at the Lee Valley Hockey Centre.

In defence, V.R. Raghunath and Kothajit Singh are regulars and will lead the back-line. India's second drag-flicking option will be Harmanpreet Singh.

Other regular defenders Rupinder and Birendra Lakra have been rested and in the meanwhile, Pradeep Mor and Surender Kumar will look to make the most of the chances.

In goal, 21-year-old Vikas Dahiya will be the back-up goalkeeper for Sreejesh. It will be interesting to see how Dahiya fares in the limited opportunities he will get.

All the teams, barring the South Koreans, who have not qualified for the Olympics, are ranked higher than the Indians and it is a big task for the Asian champions.

And the big test starts against the Germans, who though not being at their brilliant best in recent months, have a reputation for getting it right in an Olympic year.

And with world class players like midfield star and 2013 FIH Player of the Year Tobias Hauke, defensive rock Martin Haner and extraordinary striker Florian Fuchs (FIH Young Player of the Year 2012), they certainly have the firepower to make a solid defence of their Champions Trophy title.

Experienced attacking midfielder Oliver Korn is back after an injury lay-off and will boost the champions, who have rested Moritz Furste (FIH Player of the Year 2012) and Christopher Ruhr (FIH Young Player of the Year 2013 and 2015).

The second match of Day One will see Belgium take on South Korea -- a team that booked their ticket to London by winning the 2014 Hockey Champions Challenge.

Belgium have earned a reputation as one of the world's most feared attacking sides, with striker Tom Boon and midfield star John-John Dohmen being two of many exceptional players amongst their ranks.

The final match of the Day One schedule will see home favourites Great Britain -- a side containing the respective talents of attacking duo Barry Middleton and Ashley Jackson -- get their campaign underway against reigning World Cup and World League champions Australia.

The mighty Australians will be determined to add to their record haul of 13 Champions Trophy titles here in London. And even though they will be without veterans -- forward Jamie Dwyer and defender Mark Knowles -- they have every chance of doing so.

The round-robin games will conclude on June 16, with the classification matches and showpiece final taking place on June 17.

The Times of India

Hockey star Middleton targets medal in Rio


England's Barry Middleton battles for the ball with Canada's Keegan Pereira at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Photo: Martin Rickett/PA Wire.

Doncaster’s Barry Middleton is on a mission this summer to finally get his hands on an Olympic hockey medal – but the experienced international knows there is a job to be done first at the upcoming Champions Trophy in London.

Middleton England’s most capped international, can already boast an impressive international record including Commonwealth Games bronze, European gold and World League bronze.

But despite three Olympic appearances – at Athens, Beijing and London – he is yet to record a podium finish at a Games – agonisingly missing out on bronze with a fourth-place finish four years ago on home soil.

The 32-year-old is currently back at the London Olympic Park for the Champions Trophy with Great Britain’s first game against Australia this Friday - and knows he can’t afford to let his mind wander to Brazil just yet.

“The Champions Trophy is a big tournament. It’s tricky because obviously everyone has one eye on the Olympics but in terms of hockey in general, the Champions Trophy is massive for us,” he said.

“Confidence is high, we’ve been building to this summer for a long time so we’re just looking to carry on what we have been doing in the games we have played over the last two or three months. We want to prove how good a team we think we are.

“This tournament isn’t about Rio. I don’t believe that how we play here will impact how we will play at the Olympics, this tournament is about this tournament and we want to go and win it.

“For me, the Olympics is about winning things. That isn’t necessarily the Olympic spirit but for me, this will be my fourth Games but I don’t have a medal to show for it.”

“When you’re at the Olympics, it is everything. It’s something you dream about, and when international hockey players talk, the conversation always comes back to the Olympics.”

Holcombe midfielder Middleton has plied his trade at a number of club sides throughout his career while he also turned out for Loughborough University where he studied sports science.

Over 60 per cent of gold medallists since 1992 have participated in BUCS sport, with 56 members of Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics competing for Great Britain at the World University Games.

And Middleton insists the experience of playing at BUCS level is one that cannot be underestimated.

“I played one year of BUCS and for me, it was good to have the opportunity to play hockey while I was at university and to have it taken seriously.

“It gave me something to focus on other than my international hockey, but for others, it was good for them because it enabled them to keep playing hockey when they weren’t quite making the national standard.

“I remember playing in the final against the University of Birmingham, and 10-15 of the players on the pitch that day became full internationals.

“It just shows how much of a place BUCS has. When I was growing up, it was a big thing.”

* British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) is the national governing body for Higher Education (HE) sport in the UK, representing more than 150 institutions. Covering 52 sports, BUCS aids grass roots participation through to supporting aspiring elite athletes en route to Commonwealth or Olympic Games www.bucs.org.uk

The Star

Vehrlé-Smith breaking boundaries for club and country


Picture: Yan Huckendubler

Holcombe’s Stéphane Vehrlé-Smith is in line to become the first Brazilian international to play in the Euro Hockey League when the English side make their EHL debut next October.

His club qualified as the regular season champions in England to win their EHL ticket in their first season in the Premier League having earned promotion from the Eastern conference just 12 months earlier.

It has been an eye-catching rise for the Kent club who have attracted some of the top stars like Barry Middleton, George Pinner, Ashley Jackson and Nick Catlin in recent years.

No one in the current Holcombe panel has played more for the club than Vehrlé-Smith who made his debut in the first team aged just 15. From there, he took a few detours to Hampstead and Westminster and Rot-Weiss Munich before returning in 2013 to the club of his teens and is delighted they have made the breakthrough.

“Ever since I have been part of the Holcombe first team, it has always been the ambition to get promoted and be a Premier League team,” he told the EHL website.

“I have seen a lot of players come and go since being here as a boy, playing with a lot of senior internationals who were brought in to get us promoted and it never quite worked.

“But I was excited when I came back to Holcombe – even though we didn’t have the dressing room we have now – as we had a couple of big names from the GB squad.

“It’s my boyhood club and I wanted to help them get promoted step by step, then qualify for the EHL and win the league. We were very close to doing all of those things this season so it has been a bit of a roller-coaster.”

Now 28, such aspirations were nowhere near the fore-front of his mind when he was a schoolboy but said he always relished the challenge of first team hockey at Holcombe.

“At that point, I just loved the thought of playing against adults at the weekend where I would get bullied a bit! I liked the challenge to prove myself and everyone else I was worthy of my spot.

“I didn’t really think about where we could go as a team because I didn’t know if I would be playing the next week, let alone next year.

“Of course I wanted to play at the top level but the Premier League was so far away. Not many 14 or 15 year-olds can say they play at that level so it wasn’t really on my mind.”

Holcombe have been in a hurry to rise through the ranks in recent times, a process that has seen many big names arrive. A lot of migration has happened in England in recent years with the national programme drawing many from the north of the country down south.

The Kent club, though, has seen a number of raised eyebrows with how they were able to attract some top stars to play in the second tier.

Vehrlé-Smith says the attention is “unfortunate but I completely understand why” but adds that the utopia of 100% growth from within for a club very much on the periphary is a pipe dream and deflects from the hard work done within the club to grow the sport.

“All the guys are realists in the team as well. It’s a shame when you compare to other professional sports where it revolves around how much a player is worth and which club can swoop this player for next season.

“Of course, it would be nice to say you are bringing success with a bunch of homegrown players but, realistically, what team in what sport does that regularly?

“Everyone is a top bloke in the dressing room, everyone has to pay bills and have a life. Yes, money will be a big attraction but everyone still has to put the work in, people aren’t just turning up.

“Everyone is committing and I think that shows through our work on the field. I think the look of Holcombe is a bit distorted because it is a great family club.

“The number of people who are my friends I have made here is phenomenal and it is life-long and I am sure if you speak to any of the other players, they would say the same thing.

“Before we got promoted, we came close and lost out to Southgate by a point. When we did get promoted, the bulk of the squad had suffered and so when we did manage to achieve promotion, it was a relief and really meaningful because everyone had tried before and failed.

“It was a great feeling and made the team very close and I am just thankful to be part of that journey.”

And, now, Vehrlé-Smith has both an Olympics to look forward to – he was adopted by an Anglo-French family having been born in Recife – as well as the EHL, one of his targets when he returned to Holcombe.

“I wrote a list a few years ago of what I want to achieve a few years ago with hockey; qualifying for the EHL was the first goal. Although we didn’t win the playoffs but did win the regular season, we celebrated like nothing else.

“To be able to play top hockey, it puts the club on the map and is something the players have always wanted.”

Euro Hockey League media release

Things look promising for Gilgit-Baltistan Hockey

Gilgit-Baltistan, which offers great attraction to the tourists all over the world, also has a lot of potential for hockey.

The last PHF elections were held in 2014. Around the same time, elections for the provincial body of Gilgit -Baltistan province were also held. However, due to some reasons, the notification wasn’t made for those provincial elections.
 
PHF decided to send a representative.  Director General PHF, Brig (R), Musaratullah Khan recently visited Gilgit where he met the governor, provincial sports minister and the deputy speaker of the provincial assembly apart from the hockey officials.

Brig Musarratuallh gave the notification on behalf of the PHF to legitimise the elections of the provincial hockey body.

D.G was greatly impressed by the enthusiasm shown by the government dignitaries as well as the hockey officials who all are very keen to develop game in the region.

The synthetic turf approved sometime back is yet to be installed in Gilgit.  Hopefully, it is done soon. That would go a long way to promote hockey further in the province.

PHF media release

CD Terassa Women win Spain's National U16 Championship

CD Terrassa women have won gold at the the Spanish U16 National Championship, held from June 12th to  15th after an impressive 2-0 result over hosts Junior F.C. in the final.

The two goals of the red team were PC scored by Laia Vancells (‘9) and Julia Strappato (’37).

R.C. de Polo won bronze beating Atletic 1-0.

In individual awards Julia Strappato (CD Terrassa) was declared "MVP" of the championship.

The Spanish U16 Champions are: Maria Fonollosa (P), Marta Cardús, Berta Mata, Aina Villoro, Gemma Amejeiras, Júlia Strappato, Maria Vera, Itziar Fontans, Estel Forte, Júlia Gamiz, Ona Castro, Elia Aguado, Laia Vancells, Patricia López, Aina Abad, Emma Pirla, Fiona Adell i Mariona Salvador. Coach is Pol Solano and team leader is Francesc Vera.

About CD Terrassa:
CD Terrassa is the oldest Field Hockey Club in Spain. Was founded in 1910 and has an spectacular record of National Championships and has produced over 20 Olympic players. CD Terrassa is located in Matadepera - Barcelona, a natural heaven nearby the impressive mountain of Sant Llorenç and at the doorstep of a national park.

CD Terassa media release

Living Legend Balbir Singh gets Life Time Award from leading TV

K Arumugam



Triple Olympian and living legend Balbir Singh, 93, was honoured with Life Time Achievement Award by the jury of the CNN News18 Indian of the Year Award.

Balbir Singh Dosanjh, affectionately called Balbir Sr, richly deserved the adulation, as his sporting achievements are unmatched and helped Indian continue its hockey’s golden era into the Independent India.

Balbir anchored all the Olympic Golds India won after Independence, even leading India in the 1956 at Melbourne.

Balbir dedicated his feat to his team mates. Well known Olympians Vasudevan Baskaran, Zafar Iqbal, Rajinder Singh Sr, present captain Sardar Singh were among the sporting star present on the occasion when the legend was honoured amidst galaxy of Indian’s elite at Taj Hotel, Delhi.

Last year Hockey India honoured Balbir Singh with the Lifetime Achievement Award when it introduced the Hockey India Annual Awards. The award carried a trophy and Rs.30 lacs.

On the same occasion, hockey stole another show with father-son duo of Paes.

Leander Paes, who won 18 grand slams tennis titles, and is on the verge of making world record of playing his continuous seventh Olympics at Rio, was declared Special Achiever.

Leander Paes dedicated his awards and the feats to his father Vace Paes, who is also Olympic Bronze Medallist, a contemporary of Ajit Pal Singh.

The entire 1980 Olympics gold winning hockey team was there, and were honoured.

Stick2Hockey.com

Past US Olympic Games Teams

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - We are just 8 weeks away from the start of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. In the build up to the pinnacle of sporting events, USA Field Hockey would like to reflect back on past U.S. Olympic Games Teams who have already chased the dream before our current U.S. Women's National Team athletes (and some even before they were born!). Each Thursday, now until the Games, we will highlight a past team on our Twitter account, @USAFieldHockey.

For the first #TBT, we are featuring the 1932 U.S. Men's Olympic Games Team and 1984 U.S. Women's Olympic Games Team. Both teams went on to earn bronze medals in their respective games.


1932 U.S. Men's Olympic Games Team - Bronze Medal Winners (Los Angeles 1932 Olympic Games)
Not in order: Coach William Boddington, Harold Brewster, Roy Coffin, Amos Deacon, Horace Disston, Samuel Ewing,
James Gentle, Henry Greer, Lawrence Knapp, David McMullin, Leonard O'Brien, Charles Sheaffer, Frederick Wolters. Photo Courtesy of the USOC


1984 U.S. Women's Olympic Games Team - Bronze Medal Winners (Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games)
L to R Kneeling: Karen McGahey, Sheryl Johson, Judy Strong, Julie Staver, Beth Anders, Chris Larson Mason,
Anita Miller-Huntsman and Marcy Place-von Schottenstein Standing: Marge Garinger, Manager, Gwen Cheesema
 Alexander, Karen Shelton, Char Morett, Leslie Milne, Beth Beglin, Brenda Stauffer, Gina Buggy, Diane Moyer,
Marge Watson, Assistant Coach, Head Coach Vonnie Gros. Photo Courtesy of the USOC

USFHA media release