News for 05 September 2016
All the news for Monday 5 September 2016
Raghunath sparkles for IOC
PSB holds ONGC 3-3
By S Thyagarajan
Raghunath (centre) hemmed in by two Air India defenders in the IOC-Air India match in the Murugappa Gold Cup hockey tournament. Raghunath scored four goals of the five against Air India which scored four goals.
Olympian and one of the finest exponents in the execution of penalty corners in contemporary hockey, V.R.Ragunath was the cynosure of all eyes as he pumped in four of the five goals that Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) netted against Air India in an explosive Pool A match of the MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup tournament on Sunday at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium.
The 5-4 result underscored the growing evidence of the intensity of matches as the teams raced towards the spot in the semifinals.
Off the mark in less than five minutes from the push off, IOC, the defending champion, had everything rolling merrily in its favor and led 3-1 at half time though Joga Singh brought in the equalizer to Raghunath’s first goal.
There was a brief spell of dominance by Air India but the efficiency and expertise displayed by Raghunath clearly tilted the match to the side of IOC.
However, Air India did remain in the fight till the last quarter with Vikram Pillay netting the fourth goal in the 51st minute and it was followed by Raghunath who sealed the fate of the match with a penalty corner five minutes from the hooter. This was IOC’s second win in a row in Pool A.
Earlier, in a Pool B match, Army XI, runner up last year, recovered a bit of its poise and precision to earn its first victory after beating Hockey Karnataka by the odd goal in three.
Actually, it was Karnataka that sounded the boards first when Honnur Swamy struck late in the first half but could not consolidate the position despite enjoying a major share in the exchanges. A beautiful goal by Rajanish Salaria, one minute before the breather brought the teams on par.
After the break, Binoy Bhengra settled the issue for the Army XI to chart its first victory. The team plays Railways in a crucial match on September 7.
A lovely goal by Gaganpreet Singh that almost synchronized with the hooter enabled Punjab and Sind Bank to snatch a point against Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC). The match ended in a 3-3 draw.
Until the final minute ONGC had a 3-2 lead after Diwakar Ram struck 10 minutes before the hooter but Gangandeep Singh altered the final script in the 70th minute.
The results:
Pool A: IOC 5 (V.R.Raghunath 4, Deepak Thakur) beat Air India 4 (Joga Singh 2, Gagandeep Singh, Vikram Pillay)
Pool B: Army XI 2 (Rajinesh Salaria, Binoy Bhengra) beat Hockey Karnataka 1 (Honnur Swamy)
Punjab and Sind Bank 3 (Sarvanjit Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Gaganpreet Singh) drew with ONGC 3 (Gurvinder Singh Chandi, Gurjinder Singh, Diwakar Ram)
Fieldhockey.com
Jagwanth shines for ONGC
PSB upsets railways
By S Thyagarajan
Goals were plenty-18 in all to be exact-that kept the crowd in a mood of cheer as another day was slotted into history of the MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup hockey tournament at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium on Saturday.
The highlight of the evening program was the three individual goals by Jagwanth Singh for Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC) against the youthful Hockey Karnataka by six goals to three. The number of goals scored conveys the intensity of the contest.
The Karnataka boys whose enthusiasm, energy and efficiency were clear enough in their opening match when they subdued the more seasoned PSB, which prevailed over Indian Railways on Saturday, slumped after a great start against the former champion.
In fact, it was Karnataka that forged ahead midway in the first half through Honnur Swamy, but the joy was too brief as within a minute ONGC restored parity from a lovely goal by Preetinder Singh.
But it was Jagwanth Singh who cornered attention thereafter netting two goals before halftime and netting his third in the 60th minute.
Despite being overwhelmed the Karnataka boys fought the issue with admirable fervor with Abishek coming up with two goals, although Mandeep Antil and Gurjinder Singh kept the ONGC team on top netting a goal each.
Indian Railways, which started the competition with commendable flourish against the Army XI, floundered in the match in Pool B with Punjab and Sind Bank. Putting back its poor show against Karnataka on the opening day, PSB on Saturday was a side transformed and dominated the trend right through.
Gananpreet Singh’s penalty corner put PSB in the lead but an equally fierce penalty corner conversion by Amit Rohidas brought Railways back into the fight.
Eight minutes before the hooter came the match winner for PSB when Jaskaran Singh sounded the boards with a beautifully timed reverse shot to give his team full points which it richly deserved.
In a pool A match, BPCL spearheaded by the former international star Tushar Khandkar, who scored two goals, pulverized the inexperienced Mumbai team by five goals to one making the early goal for the latter by Anup Valmini meaningless
The results:
Pool A: BPCL 5 (Amir Khan, Gurpreet Singh, Tushar Khandkar 2, S.V.Sunil) beat Mumbai 1 (Anup Valmiki)
Pool B: ONGC 6 (Preetinder Singh, Jagwanth Singh 3, Mandeep Antil, Gurvinder Singh) beat Hockey Karnataka 3 (Honnur Swamy, Abhishek 2)
Punjab and Sind Bank 2 (Gaganpreet Singh, Jaskaran Singh) beat Indian Railways 1 (Amit Rohidas).
Fieldhockey.com
Raghunath strikes in IOC’s second successive win
K. Keerthivasan
STRIKING PERFORMANCE: IOC's V.R. Ragunath's used all his experience to help secure a win for his team against a resurggent Air India. Photo: M. Vedhan
Defending champion Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) survived a fright against a tenacious Air India before winning 5-4 in a Pool-A contest of the 90th all-India MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup hockey tournament here on Sunday.
Earlier, in a Pool-B match devoid of any action, Army XI managed to put it across Karnataka 2-1.
In an exciting tie later in the evening in the same group, Gaganpreet Singh’s penalty corner strike at the death secured a 3-3 draw for Punjab & Sind Bank against ONGC.
IOC must thank its talisman and penalty corner specialist V.R. Raghunath, who scored four times — all through penalty corners — to give his team its second successive victory in the group.
Leading 3-1 at half-time and 4-2 midway in the second session, IOC was cruising along when Air India struck twice in as many minutes. First, through a wonderful deflection by Joga Singh and later by Vikram Pillay, who converted a stroke that resulted from a stick-check by S.K. Uthappa on Arjun Halappa.
After the equaliser, IOC went on the back-foot and it was Air India which started to call the shots.
With Vinaya darting in from the right and Halappa providing the passes, Air India penetrated IOC’s defence at will.
Air India had two penalty corners after the scores were even, but couldn’t convert any of them. Had it done so, it would have been a different picture altogether.
It was here that Raghunath’s wide experience came in handy. The Olympian didn’t employ the usual drag flick technique which he used for his earlier three successful attempts. He did a little bit of jugglery and it paid dividends.
The 30-year-old from Bangalore did a short dribble, turned around and affected a fine backhander that found the roof of the net.
With the victory over Karnataka, Army scripted its first win from two matches. Meanwhile Karnataka with two defeats from three matches is still in with a chance to qualify for the semifinals. Its last match against Indian Railways on September 7 will be crucial.
The Karnataka boys didn’t play with the usual flair they are associated with. Unimaginative in counter-attacks, the forward-line looked to have lost its sharpness and guile. Honnur Swamy, as he has done in earlier matches, put Karnataka ahead with a wonderful shot from the right.
The equaliser by Rajanish Salaria was a gem. With three defenders surrounding him, Rajanish took a few steps backwards and unleashed a backhander that hit the top of the roof. Forward Binoy Bhengara scored the match-winner in the 54th minute.
The results: Pool-A: IOC 5 (V.R. Raghunath 3, 11, 47 & 65, Deepak Thakur 32) bt Air India 4 (Joga Singh 26 & 49, Gagandeep Singh 44, Vikram Pillay 51). Pool-B: Army XI 2 (Rajanish Salaria 33, Binoy Bhengara 54) bt Karnataka 1 (Honnur Swamy 28); Punjab & Sind Bank 3 (Sarvanjit Singh 26, Ramandeep Singh 62, Gaganpreet Singh 70) drew with ONGC 3 (Gurvinder Singh 6, Gurjinder Singh 45, Diwakar Ram 60).
The Hindu
Raghunath helps IOC beat Air India 5-4
CHENNAI: Defender VR Raghunath scored four goals to help IOC overcome Air India 5-4 in an action-packed encounter in the All India MCC Murugappa Gold Cup hockey tournament at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium here on Sunday.
The India international's four goals all came with penalty corners, with experienced forward Deepak Thakur's strike in the 32nd minute being IOC's only goal in normal play. Courtesy the victory, defending champions IOC now have two wins in their opening two matches.
Joga Singh was the stand out player for Air India with two goals to his name, the first coming in the 26th minute with yet another penalty corner before adding to his tally in the 49th minute.
In the afternoon match, Army XI edged past Hockey Karnataka 2-1while Punjab & Sind Bank held ONGC 3-3 in the final game of the day.
Results: Army XI 2-1 Hockey Karnataka, IOC 5-4 Air India, Punjab & Sind Bank 3-3 ONGC.
The Times of India
ONGC ride high on Jagwanth hat-trick
Vivek Krishnan
CHENNAI: Jagwanth Singh scored a hat-trick as ONGC started their campaign with a 6-3 win against Hockey Karnataka in the All India MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup hockey tournament at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium here on Saturday.
Karnataka, who had defeated Punjab & Sind Bank 2-1 in their previous match, opened the scoring here in the 15th minute through Honnur Swamy. The goal stoked huge protests from the ONGC players, who felt the referee should have ruled it out for dangerous play.
ONGC, however, did not let the goal affect their morale as they quickly bounced back with three goals before half-time. Preetinder Singh scored the equaliser for ONGC just a minute after conceding, while Jagwanth notched up two more in quick succession to take ONGC into the break with a 3-1 lead.
Like in the first half, Karnataka had the better of the proceedings at the start of the second half too and narrowed ONGC's lead courtesy of a goal from Abhishek in the 40th minute. With Karnataka pushing for an equaliser, the game really opened up with both teams enjoying a good number of chances.
Just as Karnataka seemed to be building some pressure, an accurate cross from Gurjinder Singh on the left was brilliantly deflected in by Mandeep Antil to give some ONGC some breathing space. The game was pretty much sealed when Jagwanth scored his third goal in the 60th minute to complete his hattrick and Gurvinder Chandi piled on the agony shortly afterwards with ONGC's sixth goal. Karnataka did pull one back with a couple of minutes to go when Abhishek once again got his name on the score sheet but it turned out to be too little too late.
The Times of India
Faizal Shaari sees red for 'bodoh'
Maybank's Juan Valeriano (with ball) in action against KLHC in the TNBMHL 2016 Premier League match at the KLHA Stadium in Jalan Pantai today. KHLC won 7-2.
SAPURA Hockey Club edged Tenaga Nasional 2-1 to hold on to the Premier Division lead in the Malaysia Hockey League.
In another match, Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) hammered Maybank 7-2 to keep pace.
Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) beat UniKL 2-1 but Fazial Shaari marred the win when he was flashed the red card for calling umpire Nor Azhar 'bodoh' (stupid).
Both the teams square off on Friday, in a match that could decide the which team has the stamina to lay their hands on the League title.
"The score does not matter as what we need to do is keep winning the three points to place the pressure on leaders Sapura. It is not was to hold onto a lead, and we hope to have a better time than today (yesterday) when we play Sapura on Friday," said KLHC coach Harun Rashid.
KLHC do not have a mid-week match as they are out of the Tan Sri P. Alagendra Cup knock-out tournament, while Sapura will meet SSTMI on Tuesday.
"We have a good rest before playing Sapura, and hopefully, it will help us to overtake them on Friday," said Rashid.
Sapura coach Yahya Atan also felt the Friday encounter would chart his team's fortunes.
"First we travel to Bandar Penawar to play SSTMI in the Alagendra Cup semi-finals, and after that we meet Sapura on Friday in the MHL. Both the matches are crucial for us as we aim to play in the final of the Cup, and also keep out lead in the MHL," said Yahya.
RESULTS: Premier Division -- Kuala Lumpur HC 7 Maybank 2, UniKL 1 Terengganu 2, Sapura 2 Tenaga 1.
ALAGENDRA CUP Semi-finals: Sept 6: Tenaga Nasional v Terengganu HT (KLHA,6pm), SSTMI v Sapura (SSTMI, 6pm).
PREMIER DIVISION
P W D L F A Pts
SAPURA 6 5 0 1 13 8 15
KLHC 6 4 2 0 21 9 14
THT 6 3 1 2 15 11 10
MAYBANK 6 2 0 4 11 22 6
UNIKL 6 1 1 4 5 11 4
TENAGA 6 0 2 4 11 15 2
Jugjet's World of Field Hockey
Hollow win for Terengganu in Malaysia Hockey League
by Aftar Singh
KUALA LUMPUR: Terengganu downed Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) 2-1, but there was no joy as forward Faizal Saari was sent off in the Malaysia Hockey League’s Premier Division clash.
The east coast side were leading 2-0 at the Kuala Lumpur Hockey Stadium when Faizal was shown the card for using foul language on umpire Nor Azhar Abiddin in the 35th minute.
Earlier, Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin Tengku Abdul Jalil (21st minute) and Jang Jong-hyun (25th) netted for Terengganu.
UniKL managed to reduce the deficit with Abdul Khaliq Hamirin’s field goal in 54th minute.
Faizal will now miss Terengganu’s semi-finals against Tenaga Nasional in the Tan Sri P. Alagendra Knockout Trophy at the KL Hockey Stadium on Tuesday.
Sapura, meanwhile, chalked up a hard-fought 2-1 win over Tenaga to stay on top of the Premier Division with 15 points from six matches. As for Tenaga, they are last in the six-team table with just two points.
Sapura started off well by taking a sixth-minute lead after skipper Muhammad Marhan Jalil converted a penalty corner.
Tenaga, however, managed to equalise in the 22nd minute when Syed Mohd Syafiq scored from a penalty corner.
Oscar Willaim Wookey then secured all the points for Sapura, also through a penalty corner, in the 45th minute.
Sapura coach Yahya Atan said they were lucky to win all three points.
“Tenaga were desperate for their first win and they gave us a fight until the final minute. We need to win every match to stay on course for the league title,” said Yahya.
In another match, second-placed Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) trounced fourth-placed Maybank 7-2 for the season’s biggest win at the Kuala Lumpur Hockey Stadium.
South Korean Nam Hyun-woo notched a hat-trick – the first this season – in the 20th, 33rd and 51st minutes.
Muhd Nur Asyraf Ishak (8th), Muhd Noor Faeez Ibrahim (27th), Muhammad Umar Bhutta (47th) and Pedro Lopez-Alonso (58th) contributed the other goals.
Hafifihafiz Hanafi netted both the goals for Maybank in the 11th and 46th minutes.
The Star of Malaysia
Day Two All About True Colours in Premier Hockey League
Blyde River Bunters' Phumelela Mbande makes save
DAY two of the South African Premier Hockey League (PHL) was a day of movement on the log, a couple of firsts and a little redemption for some.
With all teams having played at least a game at the end of the first weekend of the tournament, the Blyde River Bunters emerged as the only unbeaten team in the competition after beating the Wineland Wings 3-1 in a shootout.
The win, their second in the competition, also constituted one of the day’s firsts because in playing to a goalless draw against the Wings in regulation, the two teams became the first sides in the tournament’s two-day old history to contest a shootout.
During said shootout, which followed a hotly contested clash in oppressive heat, goalkeeper Phumelela Mbande would emerge the heroine in the shootout after saving three times against the Wings’Kaila Flemming and Heather McEwan before timing out Minjon van Tonder.
Mbande’s heroics meant the Bunters now sit atop the women’s standings with six points from two games, with the Wings lying in second on four points, and the Madikwe Rangers third (three points) and the Rafters fourth. That it took a shootout for the Bunters to hold on to their unbeaten status speaks volumes about the competitiveness of the tournament.
The Rangers are another team to look out for after they counter-punched their way to a 2-1 win in an entertaining clash against the St Lucia Lakers.
Another first to take place on the day was the Garden Route Gazelles’8-2 win over the Addo Elephants, which was the biggest winning total recorded yet. Having been embarrassed 1-0 by the Golden Gate Gladiators, SA Hockey’s men’s Under-21, on Saturday, the Gazelles also had redemption on the mind.
And boy did they get it, thanks to a rampant performance rooted in ruthlessness and relentlessness. They put four goals past a hapless Elephants in the first half alone, thanks to Keenan Horne (twice), Kurt Hensberg and Reece Arendse.
They then snuffed out whatever comeback hopes Ignatius Malgraaff’s goal would have given the Elephants, with goals by Lloyd Norris Jones (two), Tim Guise-Brown and Pierre de Voux.
Richard Pautz’s late goal failed to even give the score an air of respectability. That bonus point win (three for the win and one bonus for winning by a clear three goals) took the Gazelles to the top of the men’s log, with four teams, the Gladiators, the Cavemen, Dragons and Mambas all on three points.
There was more redemption on offer for the Drakensberg Dragons, who had walked the plank against the Maropeng Cavemen on Saturday, against the Mapungubwe Mambas.
Not only did they improve on their performance the day before, the Dragons actually made the previously impressive Mambas look more puffadder than mamba in their 3-1 win.
The Dragons put in easily the most impressive first 15 minutes played in the tournament to date, a period in which they all-but won their game.
During that time, their intensity could have wilted the Randburg Astro turf and, coupled with slick, accurate and visionary passing, they were simply unplayable.
Nick Gonsalves opened the scoring as early as the third minute, finishing off a mazy run with the exclamation mark of a reverse sticks flick into Sizwe Mthembu’s goal.
National team captain Tim Drummond followed suit with a diving goal at the far post, before something approaching a response came from the Mambas.
But the strain of chasing the game in the growing heat started telling, with Chad Cairncross scoring the third early in the fourth quarter for the Dragons. The Mambas hit back through Cerezo Comerasamy, but that was consolation stuff.
The final match of the day, between the winless Namaqualand Daisies (SA Under-21s) and the Orange River Rafters proved a staring contest in which the youngsters would blink two minutes from time after Megan Robertson scored to secure the Rafters their first win.
SAHA Premier Hockey League media release
3 top-5 teams remain undefeated
Janie Harris
UConn defeated Pacific 5-2 in late August.
With US College field hockey season in full swing, teams begin to face more opponents and battle to find out who is best. While some teams fall occasionally, others continue to thrive. Things may change as the season continues, but right now, there are three teams in the top five that remain undefeated as of Sept. 4.
No. 2 Syracuse
Currently 4-0, Syracuse faced a single ranked team out of these opponents. On neutral ground, the Orange allowed No. 6 Maryland to score a single goal while it posted a total of four for the afternoon. Otherwise, Syracuse topped Temple with a score of 8-0, Liberty with a score of 3-2 and Hofstra with a score of 5-1. However, this powerhouse team goes on to face much more difficult challengers in the weeks to come, including ACC rivals Boston College and North Carolina. Will Cuse be able to keep its win streak alive?
No. 3 Connecticut
UConn has already picked up a 3-0 record with wins over No. 11 Stanford, Pacific and Drexel with scores of 2-1, 5-2 and 7-2, respectively. The Huskies’ schedule looks to be a bit less challenging than Syracuse’s. However, UConn does go on to face ranked schools like Virginia, Maryland and Boston College, each of which could stop its win streak.
No. 4 Duke
With contests against William & Mary, No. 13 Liberty, No. 6 Maryland and No. 16 Northwestern, one might think Duke would have fallen by now. However, the Blue Devils posted scores of 8-4, 4-0, 1-0 and 3-2, respectively, against these teams, and they move on to face high ranked adversaries in the weeks to come. These include No. 5 Virginia, No. 19 James Madison, No. 1 North Carolina and No. 2 Syracuse. With this lineup, many may question if Duke will make it without posting at least one loss.
NCAA
Maryland field hockey beats Boston College, 3-1, to avoid its worst start in 40 years
By James Crabtree-Hannigan
The sixth-ranked Maryland field hockey team entered Sunday's game against No. 8 Boston College in danger of matching its worst start in program history.
The Terps opened the 1976 season by going 1-3 and had never been at that mark since. This year, after winning their season-opener against Saint Joseph's, the Terps lost games to No. 2 Syracuse and No. 4 Duke, moving them to 1-2 in 2016 and one loss away from the worst start in 40 years.
But a goal from Maryland senior forward Emma Rissinger broke a 1-1 tie in the 65thminute, giving the Terps a 2-1 lead in their eventual 3-1 win.
"Today's outcome was vital to our team," coach Missy Meharg said.
Senior forward Welma Luus finished the scoring with a goal four minutes later. It was Luus' second goal of the game, the first one coming in the 17th minute.
Luus' first score snapped a 153-minute scoreless drought for the Terps, whose shutout loss against Duke on Friday was the first time they'd been kept off the scoreboard in exactly five years.
"We knew we deserved to get the goals, we put in so much work," Rissinger said. "To see us hit the back of the cage finally, it was relief."
In the loss to Duke, the Terps had outshot the Blue Devils, 12-7, and won three more penalty corners but couldn't finish any of their opportunities.
"There was a lot of disappointment," said sophomore goalkeeper Sarah Holliday. "But there wasn't a whole lot of negativity."
Against Boston College, Maryland was even more dominant. They attempted 23 shots to the Ealges' 10 and had six corners while surrendering just one.
Still, it took until the later stages of Sunday's game for the Terps to solidify their second win.
Luus' 17th-minute goal held up until halftime, but Boston College tied the game in the 52nd minute. The game remained deadlocked until with five minutes left before Rissinger received a pass behind the keeper and made it 2-1.
Meharg, though, said she didn't mind the Eagles tied the game and kept it close.
"It shows that we can win under pressure," Meharg said. "We had to find a way to get [back] ahead and that was a really great breakthrough."
Rissinger provided that breakthrough with her third goal of the year. Sophomore midfielder Linnea Gonzales carried the ball up the baseline and crossed it to Rissinger, who was waiting at the far post. She easily finished past the goalkeeper.
"We call it framing the goal," Rissinger said of where she was positioned on her score. "We were kind of not in the correct places against Duke, so yesterday we worked on where we need to be in the circle."
While the Terps struggled in the final third of the field against the Blue Devils, their defense was stellar. The backline followed that up with another strong performance against Boston College.
Holliday, who made two saves against Duke but wasn't challenged much, stopped six Boston College shots, including all four of the Eagles looks at goal in the first half.
And with the offense struggling to produce, the defense's stinginess was more important than ever.
"It does add a little bit of stress for everyone. It's pressure," Holliday said. "But we're good about not panicking or freaking out … we played really well."
Friday, that strong play had gone for not, as the offense couldn't get the score they needed.
But Sunday, Luus, Rissinger and the rest of the offense consolidated the backline's performance with three goals to pick up the second win of the season.
"We played really good hockey against Duke and we played really good hockey again today," Rissinger said. "It's just such a better feeling walking off the field with a win."
The Diamondback
Cannon Strikes Twice; Field Hockey Downs No.9 Albany 3-1
Penn State opens the season at 4-0 for the first time since 2003 and for the 13th time in program history
EASTON, Pa. – For the 13th time in program history, and the first since 2003, Penn State field hockey is 4-0 following a 3-1 win over No. 9 University of Albany in a neutral site matchup Sunday afternoon. Penn State is now 2-0 all-time vs. Albany.
Penn State, who entered today’s match coming off an 8-1 win Friday night in Philadelphia over Temple, had a tough test ahead of them in the No. 9 team in the nation Albany.
The Nittany Lions needed little time to get into rhythm scoring in the first minute of the game on a Shay Cannon shot that slipped past a diving goalkeeper to put the Lions up 1-0.
Just a few minutes later, in the eighth minute, Cannon would strike again this time on a deflection from a corner shot into the circle extending the lead to 2-0 for Penn State.
Albany’s Molly Mariano kept the Great Danes in the game with her goal off a penalty corner, assisted by Dana Bozek right before the half to send the teams to the locker room with Penn State leading in a close game 2-1.
The second half featured a lone goal that sealed the game for the Nittany Lions as Katie Dembrowski scored her first goal of the season assisted by Emilee Ehret to cap the game and close out the game as Penn State defeated Albany 3-1 pushing the Lions record to 4-0 for the eighth time under the direction of head coach Charlene Morett-Curtiss.
Penn State outshot Albany 12-4 as well as limiting the Great Danes to one penalty corner. Penn State has now defeated three ranked teams to open the 2016 campaign (No. 20 Old Dominion, No. 5 Virginia, No. 9 Albany).
Penn State returns to Happy Valley to host Lock Haven Sunday, Sept. 11 at 12 p.m.
Penn State Sports
Delaware blanks UVa field hockey
The No. 5 Virginia field hockey team (2-2) closed out its weekend homestand with a 2-0 loss to No. 14 Delaware (3-1) on Sunday (Sept. 4) at University Hall Turf Field in Charlottesville.
The Cavaliers held a 19-8 advantage in shots, but the Blue Hens took advantage of their chances to score a pair of goals, one in each half. Delaware goalie Emmeline Oltmans made a career-high 11 saves against the Cavalier offense.
“We were able to generate the attack we needed, but Delaware was very good at shutting us down once it got to the goal,” said Virginia head coach Michele Madison. “Every game, we need to redefine who we want to be as a team and how we are going to advance forward. We will need to take a look at today’s game and answer that question.”
This was the second time this season the Cavaliers failed to score a goal in a game.
The Daily Progress
World League 1 to begin in Glasgow
World League 1 logoMen’s World League 1 will get underway on Tuesday in Glasgow at the National Hockey Centre and gives Scotland the chance to move a step closer to qualifying for the Hockey World Cup in 2018. There is great confidence in the team that there is enough fire power within the Scottish ranks to shoot Scotland to success in Glasgow.
The tournament, which will decide who qualifies for World League 2 next year, will run from 6-11 September and gives Scottish fans a close up view of world-class hockey on their own doorstep.
Scotland will face Wales, Portugal, Slovakia and Switzerland in a round-robin tournament for the right to progress in the World League, and come into the competition on the back of a number of high scoring victories.
The team made a great start to the summer by winning a 4-Nations tournament in Poland, and then they racked up 17 goals over three games against Czech Republic in Prague. The men’s final preparations for World League 1 saw the team score 16 over three games against Italy in Glasgow.
Scotland striker Alan Forsyth said: “We’ve had a lot of tough games with good results and we’re going into World League looking sharp. One of our best attributes is going forward because the players we have will always score goals - we’ll just have to make sure that from the front we keep them out as well. We have massive confidence in the team and everyone gets going as soon as we step out onto the pitch. We’ve all got the same goal of winning the games and winning the tournament.”
Scotland’s Patch Christie will be playing his first home tournament, he said: “There’s a really good mood in the team. We all feel this is a tournament where we can perform and really do well at. Preparations have gone really well; we always say we focus on the performances rather than results but the results have been there and the performances have absolutely been there. We just have to make sure those results keep flowing.”
Match schedule
Tuesday 6 September 2016
17:00 - Portugal v Wales
19:15 – Scotland v Switzerland
Wednesday 7 September 2016
17:00 – Portugal v Switzerland
19:15 – Scotland v Slovakia
Thursday 8 September 2016
17:00 – Switzerland v Wales
19:15 – Portugal v Slovakia
Friday 9 September 2016
Rest day
Saturday 10 September 2016
12:00 – Slovakia v Wales
14:15 – Portugal v Scotland
Sunday 11 September 2016
12:00 - Slovakia v Switzerland
14:15 – Scotland v Wales
Scottish Hockey Union media release
Historic trans-Tasman series confirmed
Photo: www.photosport.nz
The Black Sticks Men and Women are set to go head-to-head with the Kookaburras and Hockeyroos in the inaugural trans-Tasman series this November.
Hockey New Zealand and Hockey Australia have partnered up to confirm an annual event for the next four years, with this year’s series held at the Lloyd Elsmore Hockey Stadium in Auckland.
The series will alternate between countries with New Zealand hosting in 2016 and 2018 and Canberra set as the venue for 2017 and 2019.
The Black Sticks Men and Women will play three double headers against the Kookaburras and Hockeyroos on 17th, 19th and 20th November, with tickets on sale later this month.
Along with bragging rights, teams will be competing for a combined series trophy with results across all six men’s and women’s games determining an overall champion.
It’s the first partnership of this kind between the New Zealand and Australian national bodies, and marks a significant milestone in a wider long-term partnership either side of the Tasman.
Hockey New Zealand High Performance Director Terry Evans said the event will provide fantastic development opportunities for the Black Sticks against world class opposition close to home.
“This is a huge development for Hockey New Zealand as we look to build an even closer relationship with our Australian counterparts on all levels,” he said.
“Having the opportunity to play an annual event gives our Black Sticks Men and Women amazing experience against two of the world’s best teams as well as an unbeatable spectacle for fans.
“As our closest neighbours, we are excited about the prospect of building on a much closer relationship with Hockey Australia at all levels of the sport. From a high performance perspective it’s a rivalry which will help our teams get stronger and more confident the more we play them.”
Hockey Australia chief executive Cam Vale said it was an exciting development for hockey.
“Along with Hockey New Zealand we are pleased to announce the trans-Tasman series - an exciting new event which will see the Hockeyroos and Kookaburras take on the Black Sticks Men and Women every year in alternating locations,” Vale said.
“This will give our teams the opportunity to experience high level competition close to home, and will further develop our ties with Hockey New Zealand.”
All games from the trans-Tasman series will be broadcast live in New Zealand on SKY Sport.
Hockey New Zealand and Hockey Australia will be running a joint fan competition over the next month to give the annual event an official name, with more details to follow.
2016 TRANS-TASMAN SERIES – MATCH SCHEDULE
Lloyd Elsmore Hockey Stadium
Thursday 17th November
6:30pm – Black Sticks Women vs Hockeyroos
8:00pm – Black Sticks Men vs Kookaburras
Saturday 19th November
6:30pm – Black Sticks Men vs Kookaburras
8:00pm – Black Sticks Women vs Hockeyroos
Sunday 20th November
4:30pm – Black Sticks Men vs Kookaburras
6:00pm – Black Sticks Women vs Hockeyroos
Hockey New Zealand Media release
Both Black Sticks teams to face Aus in November
New Zealand's Kirsten Pearce, center, celebrates with teammate New Zealand's Charlotte Harrison after scoring against South Korea. Photo / AP.
Both national Black Sticks teams are to go head to head with Australia's national teams in the inaugural trans-Tasman series in Auckland in November.
The annual event is in place for the next four years, with Lloyd Elsmore Stadium to be the venue.
The series will alternate host countries, with New Zealand to also host in 2018, and Canberra next year and in 2019.
The format is three double header internationals on November 17, 19 and 20.
It's the first partnership of this kind between the New Zealand and Australian national bodies, and marks a significant milestone in a wider long-term partnership either side of the Tasman.
Hockey New Zealand high performance director Terry Evans said the event will provide fantastic development opportunities for the Black Sticks against world class opposition without the burden of lengthy travel.
Australia are ranked fourth and New Zealand fifth in the women's game, while Australia are No 1 among the men and New Zealand No 8.
"This is a huge development for Hockey New Zealand as we look to build an even closer relationship with our Australian counterparts on all levels," Evans said.
"Having the opportunity to play an annual event gives our Black Sticks men and women amazing experience against two of the world's best teams as well as an unbeatable spectacle for fans.
"As our closest neighbours, we are excited about the prospect of building on a much closer relationship with Hockey Australia at all levels of the sport. From a high performance perspective it's a rivalry which will help our teams get stronger and more confident the more we play them."
On the first day the women's international will be curtain raiser to the men, but the women hold the main stage on the second and third days.
The New Zealand Herald
Black Sticks confirm annual test series with Australia for men and women
Black Sticks' Hugo Inglis clashed with Australia's Matthew Swan during their Rio Olympics match. PHOTOSPORT
The Black Sticks men and women have lined up a test series with their Australian rivals that will be an annual event over the next four years.
Auckland's Lloyd Elsmore Hockey Stadium will host this year's three-test series in November.
The series will alternate between countries with New Zealand hosting this year and 2018 and Canberra set for 2017 and 2019.
The format sees the teams competing for a combined series trophy with results across all six men's and women's games determining an overall champion.
Hockey New Zealand high performance director Terry Evans said the event will provide development opportunities for the Black Sticks against world class opposition close to home.
Both the New Zealand teams are coming off Olympic campaigns that fell agonisingly short.
"This is a huge development for Hockey New Zealand as we look to build an even closer relationship with our Australian counterparts on all levels," Evans said.
"Having the opportunity to play an annual event gives our Black Sticks men and women amazing experience against two of the world's best teams.
"As our closest neighbours, we are excited about the prospect of building on a much closer relationship with Hockey Australia at all levels of the sport. From a high performance perspective it's a rivalry which will help our teams get stronger and more confident the more we play them."
2016 Trans-Tasman schedule (all games at Lloyd Elsmore Hockey Stadium, Auckland)
November 17
6:30pm – Black Sticks women vs Hockeyroos
8:00pm – Black Sticks men vs Kookaburras
November 19
6:30pm – Black Sticks men vs Kookaburras
8:00pm – Black Sticks women vs Hockeyroos
November 20
4:30pm – Black Sticks men vs Kookaburras
6:00pm – Black Sticks women vs Hockeyroos
Stuff
Hussain: Richardson-Walsh one of the best of all time
Kate Richardson-Walsh
Who’s the greatest of all time? A question posed many times over the years and discussed at length up and down the country. With the spotlight firmly on the sporting world once again after the superb Olympics Team GB had in Rio, the topic has come back around for discussion once more.
Daley Thompson, the Decathlete with a golden past stirred the debate up by naming his top ten sportswomen and men of all time in a Daily Mail column. As ever, many people took to social media to debate the issue, prompting the Mail to ask some of their other sporting columnists to name their own top ten.
Imagine our delight when former England Cricket captain Nasser Hussain name checked our very own golden girl Kate Richardson-Walsh in his selection. Hussain, whose daughter plays hockey, said of the skipper:
“This is a bit recent but having a daughter who plays hockey I watched every game in the Olympics and I’m going to go for the captain of the gold medal winning British team in Rio. She was Team GB’s flag bearer at the closing ceremony too which says all you need to know about what she’s done. She is our most capped female hockey player and is the key figure in transforming that team. They were terrible before the Games and then to become Olympic winners was incredible. They came from nowhere.”
We don’t necessarily agree about the team being “terrible” before the games, but we thank Nasser for his bringing Kate’s achievements to the nation’s attention once again. If it was up to us all of our team would get a mention!
England Hockey Board Media release
Babu the Dumbldore of UP hockey's Hogwarts
Pravin Kumar & Nischal Arora
Lucknow: One can safely bet on this. Poke any hockey aficionado about the state of the game in Uttar Pradesh and the conversation is bound to veer around one man -KD Singh `Babu'. His towering presence in Indian hockey -for the first two decades as a player and the latter two as a coach and administrator -brought in all that was good for the game.
Dhyan Chand, a generation older, was of course the wizard. Babu, however, was like Albus Dumbledore, the charismatic headmaster of Hogwarts, who groomed hockey talent under his fatherly tutelage like no one else. Plus he had his own ways of getting things done -his steel frame had dollops of magnet. A legion of pupils who have trained under him rue his untimely departure at the age of 57. "His mere presence would not only have ensured that there was no compromise with coaching, but also he won't have allowed Europeans to change rules for their benefit. Such towering influence he would wield," recalls Olympian Sujit Kumar, adding, "he was probably the first coach who used blackboard to explain the game.But, he could make the difference because he was as strong on the field."
His passion for the game, no doubt, drove Kunwar Digvijay Singh `Babu' to nurture the game like a gardener in his home state. But, he could do so also because he was master of his craft. Till date he remains the only Indian to have received the Helms Trophy after being adjudged `world's best player' in 1953.
Arguably India's best right-in ever, he spearheaded India to two consecutive golds in Olympics -London in 1948 and Helsinki in 1952. He was vicecaptain in the first and captain in the second. It is said Babu had been nominated captain for the 1948 side as well.However, he not only withdrew himself, but also suggested that his senior Kishen Lal should get the honour.
After a fairytale debut as a 15-yearold from Lucknow Youngmen's Association team at a tournament in Delhi in 1937, where he stole the limelight by his magical stick work against Olympian Mohammad Hussain, playing for the rival side, his playing career lasted till 1959. After this, he devoted his life to coaching and grooming youngsters.
He was instrumental in the setting up of NIS, Patiala, and was a member of All India Council of Sports. Besides, he set up the team of Indian Airlines. But his biggest gift, of course, was Sports Hostels at Lucknow and Meerut and then Sports College in Lucknow. The two institutions produced over 60 international players but after his demise, lost the way .
The hostel came up in late 70s and would be run with an unmatched passion. "For him, his students were dearer than us family members," recalls his son Vishwa Vijay Singh. "He would be there with them all the time, to ensure that they get best of food and facilities. Despite being sports director, he was on the field every day to watch hostel students practise. He would be accompanied by his peers, all experts of various positions, who would keep a watch on errors and get them rectified then and there," he says. "It could have been only possible with mastery of the game and indomitable courage and spirit," says his nephew Raghvendra, adding, "It is this spirit with which he continued to coach players in the sports hostel.He used to sit for hours watching players and then guided them on the moves, whether or not they were playing right, or what they could do to improve. No one has tried to take Babu's legacy forward. The state of the game is dismal in UP today".
"Being Babu's son, it's with great pain that I witnessed India's performance at Olympics," Vishwa Vijay said, adding, "And all of it is not the government's fault. Under chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, much is being done too. But, though the government can do much more for the game, the need here is more of commitment to the game, like Babu had. There is a need for a good coach, who visits different parts of the state to spot and nurture talent, to groom players to win. Let's hope the next Olympics bring some good tidings".
And then going down memory lane, he recalls: "Do you know, he had spotted Olympian Syed Ali at a local tournament played at Nainital's famous flat ground. It was his habit of watching local matches and picking the best of talent for training."
The Times of India