News for 11 September 2016
All the news for Sunday 11 September 2016
Scotland qualify for World League 2 in 9-0 win over Portugal
Scotland ensured qualification for World League Two in Dublin next year with another sensational high-scoring win at the National Hockey Centre in Glasgow. Their 9-0 win over Portugal means the Scots have scored 25 goals in their three games at World League 1, with three clean sheets.
Alan Forsyth scored Scotland’s first goal of the game, shooting into the right hand corner of the net less than five minutes into the game. 1-0. He then attempted to grab another goal shortly after but just missed from the right hand side.
From the first goal onwards Portugal became sticky opposition. Their physicality made it difficult for Scotland to play the slick hockey that has been a feature of the tournament so far.
As the half came to a close, Ed Greaves followed Alan Forsyth’s lead by scoring Scotland’s second goal with less than five minutes left in the first half. Minutes later Alan Forsyth banged his second goal into the net giving Scotland a 3-0 lead over Portugal at half time.
Scotland had a great opening to the second half with Hamish Imrie scoring his first goal of the game just three minutes into the second half giving Scotland to a 4-0 lead.
Scotland carried on with their scoring run with Fraser Cameron smashing the ball into the net for a fifth goal for Scotland followed by Kenny Bain scoring a sixth.
Lee Morton added to the goals by scoring their seventh of the game before Imrie missed an opportunity for a goal but won a penalty corner.
Scotland v Portugal men
The eighth goal was not long coming however with Duncan Riddell scoring his first goal of the match. This was closely followed by Kenny Bain’s second goal of the game giving Scotland a 9-0 lead.
A missed penalty flick by Kenny Bain denied a tenth goal and a hat trick for Bain, and the game ended on a fantastic 9-0 win to Scotland.
Scotland’s next match is tomorrow, Sunday 11th September at Glasgow’s National Hockey Centre starting at 14:15 where they play against Wales to see who wins the group.
Scottish Hockey Union media release
Ghana thrash Namibia in men’s world hockey league
The Ghana - Namibia hockey game
Ghana’s male hockey team hammered their Namibian counterparts 7-1 in the 2016 Men’s World Hockey League Round 1.
The Black Sticks who are ranked 46th in the World showed superiority over their colleagues from Southern Africa by defeating them in the second men’s game of the day after Kenya had beaten Nigeria in the other game.
Ghana with the win over Namibia will now face Nigeria and Kenya as they seek to secure a slot to Round 2 of the World Hockey League.
Ghana’s female team had earlier defeated Nigeria 2-0 in the Women’s division.
The action continues tomorrow at the Theodosia Oko Hockey Stadium in Accra.
GhanaWeb
Classy Kenya dispatch Nigeria in World League One Series opener
By BRIAN YONGA
National team hockey players during a training session at City Park Hockey Stadium on August 27, 2016. PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU | NATION MEDIA GROUP
The national men's hockey began their World League One Series campaign with an emphatic 3-1 win over Nigeria at the Theodosia Okoh Hockey Stadium in Accra, Ghana on Friday night.
Goals from captain George Mutira, Constant Wakhura and debutante Calvin Kanu gave Kenya a 3-0 lead after 24 minutes before the West Africans pulled a goal back through Sikiru Salawu.
However, the Kenyans were dominant throughout and should have added to their tally in the second half with Nigeria unable to deal with their opponents fast pace.
Kenya coach Meshack Senge was pleased with the result but urged his team to covert the many chances they create.
"I think we controlled this match from the onset and everyone effectively carried out their assigned tasks,” Senge told Sunday Nation Sport on phone from Accra.
“It was important to get the good start as it gives us confidence heading to our next two matches."
The two top teams in the men's and women's competitions will advance to the second round set for next year as they seek to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
Kenya beat Nigeria by the same margin in last year's Africa Cup of Nations-cum-2016 Olympics qualifier in Johannesburg, South Africa on their way to a third place finish.
During last night's encounter, Senge started with five players who were in the side that beat Nigeria last year with Mutira starting upfront alongside Strathmore Gladiators forward Festus Onyango.
The duo combined to give Kenya the lead after only eight minutes with Mutira firing past Nigerian keeper Oluyemi Siyanbola after receiving a through pass from Onyango.
The Kenyan attackers continued to cause trouble for the Nigerian defence and in the 16th minute, Onyango was felled inside the Nigerian final circle resulting in a penalty for Kenya.
Constant Mukhura gladly dispatched the penalty stroke to double Kenya's advantage at the start of the second quarter. The West Africans were finding it hard to get out of their own half with Kenya playing with confidence courtesy of their two goal advantage.
The game was effectively over as a contest in the 24th minute when substitute Calvin Kanu justified his selection to the team with a well taken field goal to make it 3-0.
The West African side, ranked 56th in the world, pulled a goal back a minute later in their first attack of the game. Salawu beat Kenyan keeper Linus Sang at his near post.
GHANA 2-0 NIGERIA
The second half was largely comfortable for Senge's boys as they continued to create chances but failed to add to their first half tally.
In other matches played on Friday, Ghana men's team whitewashed Namibia 7-1 in the last match of the day while their women's team beat Nigeria 2-0 in the opening match of the three day competition.
Senge’s charges face Ghana Sunday night at 10.45pm in what is expected to be a closely contested tie.
The women's team was set to open their campaign against Nigeria Saturday evening at 6.15pm.
Daily Nation
Kenya hit Nigeria
National hockey team win opener in FIH World League
By Elizabeth Mburugu
Chase Sailors George Mutira with the ball as Kenya Police Felix Okoth blocks when they played Men Premier at City Park yesterday, 17/07/2016. Chase Sailors scored 3-2. PHOTO: JENIPHER WACHIE
The men’s national hockey team began their International Hockey Federation World League One campaign on a high with on Friday night.
They beat Nigeria 3-1 at the Theodosia Okoh Hockey Stadium in Accra, Ghana. The Kenyan men were the better side as they subdued their opponents scoring three first half goals at an interval of eight minutes each.
The Kenyans now need victory in their remaining two matches against hosts Ghana and Namibia to secure their ticket to the next round.
National Team Manager Godfrey Bila said that the opening match victory had given his charges confidence to excel in their subsequent ties.
“This win given confidence to my players most of who are making their international debut.
“I believe that this conquest has ignited self-belief in them and they will be confident in their remaining matches,” Bila told Feverpitch on phone from Accra.
Captain George Mutira led from the front announcing Kenya’s intent to win eight minutes into play as he out-witted the Nigerian defence and goalkeeper Oluyemi Siyanbola to give Kenya an early lead.
Strathmore University’s Constant Wakhura made it two scoring from the spot after Kenya was awarded a penalty stroke following a foul in the circle in the 16th minute.
Calvin Kanu of Kenya Police made a memorable entry to the international scene giving Kenya a third goal eight minutes later.
National team coach Meshack Senge might have had a goal in mind and belief in Kanu’s abilities giving him a chance to prove his worth after 14 minutes of play.
Sikiru Salawu pulled one back for Nigeria in the 25th minute as the West Africans resorted to defensive play.
In other matches of the day, homeboys Ghana routed Namibia 7-1 to better their chances of qualifying for World League Two.
Michael Baiden bagged a brace for Ghana while Emmanuel Ankomah, Shadrack Baah, Johnny Botsio, Richard Adjei and Cofie Isaac scored one goal each.
Pieter Jacobs scored Namibia’s consolation goal.
The Black Sticks who are ranked 46th in the World showed superiority over their colleagues from Southern Africa by defeating them in the second men’s game of the day.
Ghana with the win over Namibia will now face Nigeria and Kenya as they seek to secure a slot to Round 2 of the World Hockey League.
Ghana’s female team had earlier defeated Nigeria 2-0 in the Women’s division.
The Standard Online
IOC takes on Railways in final today
By S Thyagarajan
BPCL's Tushar Khandekar (second from left) in a tackle with a Railway player in the semi final.
A formidable opposition awaits the defending champion, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), when it locks horns with Indian Railways in the final of the MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup hockey competition today at Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium.
In the semifinals before goodly crowd on Saturday, IOC sailed past ONGC without a trace of fuss by four goals to two, while Indian Railways recorded a pulsating 3-2 victory over Bharat Petroleum after recovering from a 0-2 deficit.
There was no hint of Railways making a match of it from the manner in which the BPCL marshaled it attacks. Added to the woes of the Railways was the repeated botching up of penalty corners.
The flow was very much in favor of BPCL and the second minute goal by Amir Khan confirmed the filament of assertion. The combination of the seasoned Tushar Khandekar and the skills of Sunil lent the BPCL a palpable authority.
The trend was very much was on the side of BPCL, which increased the lead midway through when Sunil slotted the second goal following an astute pass by Tushar Khandekar.
Only after the break did the Railways find traces of its rhythm largely due to the hard work by Affan Yousuf, who broke through the rival defenders with consummate ease to exert pressure. He narrowed the margin with a splendid reverse shot to give some hope for the team to recover.
Pepped up by the goal by Affan, the Railways surged into frequent sallies. And then came the equalizer from Stanli Minz from a cross by Jasjit Singh amidst spontaneous cheers. Almost a quarter of an hour remained from the finish at that point.
The outcome at that point was a guessing game and many reconciled to a tiebreaker. But Gurpreet Singh was destined to write another chapter and he pumped in a penalty corner at the stroke of the 70th minute to tilt the scales of victory for Indian Railways.
This eventful tie came in sharp contrast to the desultory encounter between IOC and BPCL. Expectedly, Raghunath was in the forefront of the winning team netting two goals after Deepak Thakur provided the early lead.
ONGC did try to match its opponent and the two goals by Mandeep Antil and Gurvinder Chandi infused a bit of excitement but could in no way alter the outcome in favor of the reigning champion.
The results (semi finals)
Indian Railways 3 (Affan Yousuf, Stanli mInz, Gurpreet Singh) beat Bharat Petroleum 2 ( Amir Khan, S.V.Sunil)
Indian Oil Corporation 4 (Deepak Thakur, V.R.Raghunath 2, Sanjay 58) beat ONGC 2 ( Mandeep Antil, Gurvinder Chandi)
Fieldhockey.com
Railways edge out BPCL in a thriller; IOC overcomes ONGC
K. Keerthivasan
Deepak Thakur (centre) of IOC scores the first goal against ONGCon Saturday. — Photo: R. Ragu
Each one of Indian Railways’ seven penalty corners against BPCL turned out to be duds in the semifinals of the 90th All-India MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup hockey tournament here on Saturday.
And with seconds remaining for the hooter, Railways earned its eighth and last penalty corner. For those who had watched Railways mess up the earlier chances, this one didn’t inspire a wee bit of confidence. A shoot-out looked the only possible outcome, with the scores tied 2-2 then.
But Railways’ skipper Gurpreet Singh’s drag flick sounded the boards for a sensational come-from-behind 3-2 and a place in the final of the tournament after a decade.
Earlier, defending champion IOC overcame ONGC 4-2 in a lacklustre first semifinal of the day. It was the Railways-BPCL clash that made the day for those who had thronged the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium.
Without a doubt, BPCL looked the better team in the first session. Its forwards showed purpose with S.V. Sunil, Amir Khan and Lalit Kumar making repeated raids. Few minutes into the first session, Amir Khan’s grounder gave BPCL the lead. The second goal for BPCL was well-conceived. Tushar Khandekar, the schemer, pushed one from the middle. Once Sunil trapped it, he weaved past two defenders, and bent down to shoot a backhander home.
Railways found its mojo in the second session. If Railways had to thank anybody other than Gurpreet, it has to be Affan Yousuf. The forward was tireless and was the one who was creating havoc in the circle with his speed and anticipation. His backhander from the top of the circle hit the board, without touching a sea of defenders.
Stanli Minz deflected home a powerful sweep by Jasjit Singh for the equaliser thereby setting the stage for Gurpreet.
The IOC-ONGC clash was slow-paced with the forwards of both teams lacking in speed and imagination.
IOC took the lead early through Deepak Thakur. A good one-two from the right from S.K. Uthappa and Roshan Minz saw the latter’s cross being deflected home by Uthappa.
IOC made it 2-0 through Raghunath’s penalty corner conversion.
ONGC’s forwards, who came a cropper in the first half, struck in the second through Mandeep Antil and Gurvinder Chandi.
Mandeep reduced the margin by pushing one to the roof of the net in a counter-attack. IOC attacked relentlessly but ONGC equalised thanks to a poor clearance by Raghunath.
Gurvinder made the most of it by unleashing a forehander home from the top of the circle.
What ONGC dreaded came true as Raghunath got another chance for a penalty corner. This time, he didn’t go for the usual drag flick. The push was received by Vikram Kanth instead of Raghunath which took ONGC by surprise. Vikram then passed it back to Raghunath who inched forward to slot it home.
One of IOC’s several counter-attack saw Sanjay use his speed to unleash a backhander to make it 4-2.
The results (Semifinals): Indian Railways 3 (Affan Yousuf 43, Stanli Minz 54, Gurpreet Singh 70) bt BPCL 2 (Amir Khan 2, S.V. Sunil 21); IOC 4 (Deepak Thakur 4, V.R. Raghunath 25 & 53, Sanjay 58) bt ONGC 2 (Mandeep Antil 36, Gurvinder Chandi 45).
The Hindu
Canterbury Cavs take charge in Round 3
Photo: www.photosport.nz
The Canterbury Cavaliers maintained their perfect record with two wins from two games following today’s 3-1 result over the Central Mavericks in Round 3 of the Ford National Hockey League.
Tom Mouldey opened the scoring for Canterbury in the ninth minute, with neither side adding to the sheet until a flurry of goals in the final three minutes saw Sam Lane and Richard Bain net for the Cavaliers and Johnny Thorn with a consolation goal for Central.
Canterbury currently sit second on the table on eight points, although they have a game in hand following a Round 2 bye.
In other Men’s results, North Harbour consolidated top spot on the table with a crushing 6-1 win against Midlands.
Robbie Capizzi scored his second hat-trick of the tournament, while Craig Jones scored a double and Cory Bennett added his side’s sixth. Zac Woods scored the lone goal for Midlands from a penalty corner.
Auckland recorded their first win at the tournament after defeating hosts Northland 2-0, led by second half goals from Guy Borren and Jonty Keaney.
On the Women’s draw, Auckland returned to winning ways with a 3-0 result over Northland thanks to goals from Anna Wetherall, Nicola McDonnell and Melissa Simpson.
North Harbour grabbed two points with a 3-1 shoot-out result against Midlands after the match was drawn 3-3 at fulltime.
Both sides went goal for goal with Ella Hyatt-Brown, Courtney Winterbottom and Stephanie Elliot scoring for Harbour while Natasha FitzSimons, Tarryn Davey and Kim Tanner netted for Midlands.
In the day’s final match, the Central Mysticks took a 3-0 shoot-out result over the Canterbury Cats after the two sides traded goals in the final 10 minutes to go into fulltime locked up at 1-1.
Round 4 kicks into full swing from 1:30pm tomorrow at the Whangarei ITM Hockey Centre.
The 2016 Ford National Hockey League is proudly supported by the Whangarei District Council and Trillian Trust.
FORD NHL ROUND 3 RESULTS – MEN
North Harbour 6: (Robbie Capizzi 3, Craig Jones 2, Cory Bennett)
Midlands 1: (Zac Woods)
Canterbury Cavaliers 3: (Tom Mouldey, Sam Lane, Richard Bain)
Central Mavericks 1: (Johnny Thorn)
Auckland 2: (Guy Borren, Jonty Keaney)
Northland 0
BYE: Capital Cobras
FORD NHL ROUND 3 RESULTS - WOMEN
Auckland 3: (Anna Wetherall, Nicola McDonnell, Melissa Simpson)
Northland 0
North Harbour 3: (Ella Hyatt-Brown, Courtney Winterbottom, Stephanie Elliot)
Midlands 3: (Natasha FitzSimons, Tarryn Davey, Kim Tanner)
North Harbour won shoot-out 3-1
Canterbury Cats 1: (Jenny Storey)
Central Mysticks 1: (Michaela Curtis)
Central won shoot-out 3-0
BYE: Capital
Hockey New Zealand Media release
Police ground Nabil and Razie
By Jugjet Singh
TERENGGANU Hockey Team (THT) beat Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club 2-1 in the Premier Division of the Malaysia Hockey League yesterday.
The defeat has placed a dent on KLHC's title charge, with two more matches to go.
THT got their goals off Jang Jong Hyun (22nd) and Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin (35th) while Nor Faeez Ibrahim scored for KLHC in the 28th minute.
KLHC got themselves into trouble when they fielded Police trainees Nabil Fiqri and Razie Rahim for the Sapura match on Friday.
Both of them were only released for national training, to do weights, but went on to play for their club in the Premier Division of the Malaysia Hockey League instead.
When the Pulapol Camp Commander found out about it, they were asked to report back for training immediately and left the match at half-time.
And yesterday, both the national stalwarts were missing in action for KLHC in a crucial match against Terengganu Hockey Team.
It was the first game of the season for both the players, and it looks like it would be the last as well as their Police training is until the end of the year.
"This sneaky move has placed both the players hockey careers in a lurch, as they might not get a release from Police to play in the Asian Champions Trophy in Kuantan on 20-30 Oct," said an Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) official who declined to be named.
However, KLHC coach Harun Rashid said he was not aware of the controversy surrounding his team.
"Razie and Nabil were not used for the second half on Friday for tactical reasons, while they did not play against KLHC today (yesterday) because they had Police training until late evening."
In another match, Sapura survived by the skin-of-their-teeth when they edged Universiti Kuala Lumpur 1-0 to top the standings.
It was a penalty stroke from Oscar William Wookey in the 38th minute which gave them three vital points to keep the League title in sight.
Otherwise, it was a listless match which saw mundane hockey being played for 60 minutes.
Meanwhile in Divison One, TNB Thunderbolt emerged as the League champions and went home RM30,000 richer following a 13-1 thrashing of ATM Airod. Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI) and Universiti Teknologi MARA-KPT (UiTM-KPT) finished second and third respectively.
In the President's Cup quarter-finals draw held yesterday, TNB Thunderbolt will meet Penang-based Nur Insafi, SSTMI go up against ATM Airod, UiTM-KPT plays Ipoh Municipal Council (MBI) and Politeknik Malaysia meets Bukit Jalil Sports School.
The first leg quarter-finals will be held on Sept 16 and return leg on Sept 18 followed by the two-leg semifinals (Sept 21 and 23). The final is on Sept 25 at the Tun Razak Hockey Stadium. The champion of the President’s Cup receives RM30,000 and runner-up RM20,000.
RESULTS: Premier Division -- Sapura 1 UniKL 0, Tenaga 3 Maybank 3, KLHC 1 Terengganu HT 2.
PREMIER DIVISION
P W D L F A Pts
SAPURA 8 6 0 2 14 11 18
KLHC 8 5 2 1 25 11 17
THT 8 5 1 2 22 14 16
UNIKL 8 2 1 5 8 12 7
MAYBANK 8 2 1 5 16 30 7
TENAGA 8 0 3 5 14 21 3
Jugjet's World of Field Hockey
Right or Wrong - Hockey loses
by Satwant Singh
Will 30 minutes of Hockey on Friday at the Tun Razak Stadium have dire consequences on Hockey in the country.
There are so many versions of the incident with regards to the sudden appearance of two probationary police Inspectors Mohd Razie Rahim and Nabil Fiqri Mohd Nor in the match between KLHC and Sapura.
Let's get one thing correct from the start - no rule or regulation of the MHL was violated in any way as the two players were registered to play for KLHC prior to the closing of registration of players for the MHL.
The two are currently undergoing training at Pulapol and this blog had revealed that they would not be given permission to play in the MHL.
However their commander at the police training centre had said that he had no problem allowing them to join the evening training sessions of the national team from September.
And they did that, only thing was the national team was not in training so they joined their club for training with the understanding that they not play any matches.
The intention was noble - to allow them to polish their Hockey skills so as to be considered for the AHF Champions Trophy to be held in Kuantan from October 20 to October 30.
This release was on the prerogative of the PDRM and it was based on self respect, trust and above all the call of duty to the nation.
But somehow these two players ended up to be pawns in a delicate game of deceit and treachery, as everyone pushed the envelope to one another when it emerged that unseen hands had misled their superiors into believing an unstated criteria with regards to their consideration for a place in the national team for the AHF Champions Trophy.
Who, why, what did this is of little concern now as the potential damage to Malaysian Hockey transcends everything else.
How would PDRM ever believe in hiring Hockey players when they realise that they had been not given a true picture of the actual situation?
Was it that important that they play in the MHL at the expense of putting their careers at risk? Was it so meaningful that they were willing to risk the chance of donning national Colours for three points in the MHL? Was it not a selfish act by those sitting in positions, be it at club or the national body to mislead their employers? Or was it just plain greed on the part of some.
And to be fair was it not a case of miscommunication between several parties that led to this sordid affair that has led to a bad taste being left the day after?
Many officials know the truth but why are they not coming forward to own up their mistakes and be man enough to admit that they are culpable, not that it's their fault entirely.
Who loses in the end? The national body, their employers, their clubs, the players?
None of them really as the real loser is Hockey and the Jalur Genilang that we swear our allegiance to.
The very fact that these two players were not at the stadium for the KLHC v THT match clearly goes out to show that something was amiss and all this talk about it being a tactical move and all that is a load of bull.
Frankly the entire MHL is a joke as really it should have never been held at this period in the first place.
But egos run the sport in this country, and no matter however good advice is given with a noble intention of helping the sport, it is often ignored as this handicapped of a person that has spent a good 33 years of his life devoted to Hockey is said to be detrimental to the sport.
I have Hockey etched in my bones, unlike many who use it for gains, be it self glorification or material gain.
Remember one thing though - by this one insane act, you may have very well destroyed the very Essence of the sport, destroyed whatever faith one may have had in you, destroyed relationships that took years to develop.
Was it the right thing to do? Was it the correct thing to do? Was it a good thing? Was it a bad thing?
Only the intellectuals as what they perceive themselves to be can answer that questions.
To me I view these people with only one thought - you are no gods gift to Hockey in this country.
Malaysian Hockey Blogspot
Gazelles and Bunters looking ominous
Two goal hero Lloyd Norris-Jones accept his man of the match award.
The Garden Route Gazelles and the Blyde River Bunters cemented the idea that they’ll be one of the teams to beat in the inaugural Premier Hockey League with victories that were different in both style and substance.
While the Bunters’ rise to the top of the table was courtesy of a straightforward win over an off-colour SA Under-21 side, campaigning in this tournament as the Namaqualand Daisies, the Gazelles fair burgled their result.
Both teams won 3-0, but the Bunters’ game was a simple case of putting away opponents who are uncertain of themselves as a side and at this level. For their part, the Gazelles put in a defensive masterclass in somehow outlasting a Mapungubwe Mambas side bristling with attacking intent.
There was only one team in the first quarter, with the Mambas signalling their bad intentions by camping in the Gazelles’ 25 and earning no less than four short corners in five the first minutes.
During that time, keeper Richard Curtis was the hero as he thwarted the Mambas at every turn when they had managed to get past his defence. When they did get sticks on the ball, the Gazelles, led by the sensational Lloyd Norris-Jones, were as clinical as they were lethal.
Twice Norris-Jones picked up the ball in his half after a Mambas move had broken down to run all the way in for sensational solo efforts either side of Lyndon Fredericks’ goal in the third quarter.
The bonus point win, their second in the competition, takes the Gazelles to the top of the men’s log on eight points despite their fluffing their lines with a defeat against the Golden Gate Gladiators in their opening game.
Steve Evans’s men are two points ahead of another impressive team, the unbeaten Maropeng Cavemen, who are on six points after an epic comeback against the Gladiators, but more on that later.
Earlier the Bunters had barely broken a sweat in the stifling Randburg heat in beating the Daisies 3-0. While the Daisies posed a threat, and missed their chances, they weren’t as secure at the back and were simply picked off by the Bunters, who scored through Kaydee Miller, Charne Hill and Lauren Nina.
The bonus points win means the Bunters are still unbeaten and top the table after winning all three of their games thus far.
Another team that is quietly serving notice in the tournament is the hard as nails Cavemen, who came back from 2-0 down against the SA Under-21, playing in their guise as the Gladiators here.
With both sides previously unbeaten until yesterday, somebody’s unbeaten record was on the line. And at halftime it looked as though it was the Cavemen who would leave with their first defeat after the Gladiators led by 2-0, thanks to Nqobile Ntuli and Khumo Mokale.
But Cameron McKay pulled one back for the Cavemen, before a controversial effort by Jarryd Jones meant they had equalised.
The Gladiators were upset that they’d heard the umpire’s whistle and stopped playing, which allowed Jones his free shot on goal as he’d had no such inclination…
Jacques Bleeker flicked the winner in from a short corner and the comeback, and 100% record, was complete.
In the game after that the Wineland Wings showed they are no shootout queens.
Playing in their second shootout in the competition, also the tournament’s second, after going down 3-1 to the Blyde River Bunters last weekend, the Wings repeated the trick with a 2-1 defeat this time.
This was after the two teams were tied at one-all at fulltime after a tense game which never quite spilled over into a spectacle. The Wings had been first on the board after Robyn Johnson converted Heather McEwan’s great turn and run into the box into the opener.
The Lakers equalised through Stephanie Baxter, whose sweetly struck short corner meant things would stay that way until the end of the game.
In the shootout, keepers Zimi Shange and Hanli Hattingh saved six of the nine shots, with Kelly Madsen and Jacinta Jubb scoring for the Lakers and McEwan for the Wings.
In the final game of the day the Madikwe Rangers took care of the Orange River Rafters 3-0 to go second on the women’s log on seven points with the bonus point, thanks to goals by Sylvia van Jaarsveld (two) and Lelethu Ndakisa.
SAHA Premier League Hockey media release
Bunters, Cavemen top Hockey League
by Ken Borland
Blyde River Bunters © Gallo Images
The Lip Ice Namaqualand Daisies were no more than a temporary obstacle for the Nestle Pure Life Blyde River Bunters, who registered a 3-0 bonus point win over the national under-21 women’s side to open up a three-point lead at the top of the Premier Hockey League standings at the Randburg Astro on Saturday.
It took less than a minute for the Bunters to open the scoring as a lovely through ball from Christine Roos was deflected over the goalkeeper and into the box by Kaydee Miller.
The Daisies did fight hard in the first half, creating opportunities, but they were no more than fleeting chances as the Bunters were typically solid at the back.
Charne Hill, a member of the triumphant Northerns team at IPT, then took over the limelight.
Having previously grabbed the Bunters’ second goal via a powerful short-corner slap, she then made good ground along the baseline and fed Lauren Nina for a simple tap-in that sealed a 3-0 victory for the leaders after the first round last weekend.
The opening men’s match of the day saw the previously unbeaten Private Property Golden Gate Gladiators – the men’s national under-21 side – squander a 2-0 lead as they lost 3-2 to the Milo Maropeng Cavemen.
The Gladiators were in charge of the early exchanges and they would have thought they were in firm control with a 2-0 lead at halftime.
Nqobile Ntuli opened the scoring in the 14th minute when he brilliantly glanced in Nduduza Lembethe’s cross and Khumo Mokale added the second goal when he beat a defender and fired in between goalkeeper Rassie Pieterse’s legs just a minute before halftime.
But the Cavemen pulled a goal back with three minutes remaining in the third quarter after great work by Reza Rosenburg along the baseline, who then pushed the ball back to Cameron MacKay to flick into goal.
The Cavemen were suddenly all over the Gladiators and they forced a short-corner a minute later but were unable to convert.
But they were not to be denied for much longer as Mackay’s initial shot hit the leg of a defender in front of goal and Jarryd Jones slapped in the rebound to level the scores.
There was no restraining the Cavemen by this stage and they immediately roared back on to attack from the restart, earning a short corner which Jacques Bleeker converted, thanks in part to the best of luck from a deflection off a defender.
The inexperienced Gladiators could not find a way back into the game, victory for the Cavemen lifting them temporarily to the top of the standings after Mark Saunders’ side collected their second-straight win.
The women’s game between the Young Solutions St Lucia Lakers and the Private Property Wineland Wings was a cagey affair that was eventually decided by a shootout.
The Lakers prevailed 2-1 in the shootout after the teams drew 1-1 in normal time; the tie-breaker has not been kind to the Wings as they have now lost twice in extra time.
Kelly Madsen finished expertly and Jacinta Jubb safely rounded the goalkeeper for the Lakers’ two shootout goals, while Heather McEwan was the only Wings player able to beat goalkeeper Zimi Shange, thanks to a brilliant swerve.
McEwan has been one of the standout players in the PHL and it was her great run that allowed Robyn Johnson to ram home the ball for the opening goal in the 18th minute.
Stephanie Baxter then equalised for the Lakers with a fine short-corner strike three minutes before halftime.
The Garden Route Gazelles produced a masterclass in counter-attacking hockey and lethal finishing as they beat the Mapungubwe Mambas 3-0 and are now top of the log two points ahead of the Cavemen.
The Gazelles waited until the 17th minute to strike, absorbing enormous pressure and nine circle penetrations by the Mambas, and it was captain Lloyd Norris-Jones who produced the goal, pouncing on a turnover ball inside his own half and bursting away on a superb run that ended with him firing home a great finish from wide right of the circle.
The halftime break did little good for the Mambas as they once again spurned chances and were then found wanting in defence at the start of the second half as Lyndon Fredericks finished well at the near post to make it 2-0.
Norris-Jones then grabbed the third, in similar brilliant fashion to his opening goal, 12 minutes into the second half as the Mambas failed dismally to make use of all their considerable possession.
The Orange River Rafters were implicated in much the same failing, losing 3-0 to the Madikwe Rangers as they started both halves badly, conceding early goals.
Sylvia van Jaarsveld struck twice for the Rangers, with Lelethu Ndakisa getting the other goal.
It was enough for the Rangers to climb to second in the standings and it will be a huge game on Sunday morning when they play the Bunters.
Defeat was a big blow for the Rafters as they now lie in fifth position, although they can move back into the semifinal places if they beat the Lakers in Sunday’s other women’s game.
In the men’s tournament, the Gazelles and the Cavemen will be meeting in a top-of-the-log clash on Sunday.
Supersport
No. 3 UNC cruises past No. 9 Wake Forest
North Carolina Athletics
The Tar Heels won their first game at home and its first in 2016 ACC play Saturday afternoon.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The third-ranked North Carolina field hockey team opened its home schedule with a win Saturday afternoon, beating No. 9 Wake Forest 4-1 in a game that was also the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams. Four different Tar Heels scored as UNC improved to 4-1 on the season. Wake fell to 3-2.
“I was very pleased with our first home outing,” UNC coach Karen Shelton said. “It was nice to be back here at Henry Stadium. I told [Wake coach] Jen Averill after the game that that’s probably the hardest-fought 4-1 victory that we’ve had in a long time. They’re only going to get better as the season goes on, so we’re happy to catch them early.”
Redshirt freshman Catherine Hayden scored the first goal of her Tar Heel career in the 16th minute of play and in the process provided the gamewinner. Senior Emma Bozek’s initial shot was saved by WFU goalkeeper Cat O’Connor, but Hayden put the rebound in the cage for a 1-0 lead. In the 24th minute, Carolina senior Lauren Moyer took a pass from sophomore Malin Evert and sent her shot into the top of the goal for a 2-0 Tar Heel lead.
“Malin had a beautiful assist and that goal was world-class,” Shelton said.
Wake’s goal came next, on the Demon Deacons’ only shot of the first half. Nicola Pluta got the ball from Madi Julius and then shot to the right of UNC keeper Shannon Johnson, who had come out of the goal to defend. The score stood at 2-1 at halftime.
In the second half, the Tar Heels picked up some more breathing room. In the 42nd minute, Bozek took and made UNC’s first penalty stroke of the season to push the lead to 3-1. In the 52nd minute, junior Sam Night scored her first goal of the season, on a pass from redshirt freshman Marissa Creatore, who registered her first career assist.
It marked the third time in the season’s five games that at least four different players have contributed goals. This fall, 10 Tar Heels have scored at least once.
“That’s the way we’re going to be,” Shelton said. “We don’t have the one go-to scorer – I think this is going to be a team that piecemeals the wins together. We’ve got a number of very, very good players who can score. I think that’s the kind of team we’re going to be.”
UNC will return to the Henry Stadium turf less than 24 hours after leaving it to host VCU on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Rams come to Chapel Hill 1-2 following an overtime win over Longwood on Friday.
NCAA
Maryland field hockey cruises to a 5-1 win against California in its home opener
By James Crabtree-Hannigan
The Maryland field hockey team huddles up during a 5-1 win over California at the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex on Sept. 10. (Reid Poluhovich / The Diamondback)
The Maryland field hockey team cruised to its third victory of the season in their home opener with a 5-1 win over California on Saturday.
The No. 7 Terps (3-2) were in control from the start of the game, scoring less than two minutes into the action and never letting the Golden Bears (0-4) threaten the lead.
"It's a strong performance," coach Missy Meharg said. "It was a great statement."
Forward Welma Luus gave the Terps the early point, scoring off a rebound after California goalkeeper Kori Griswold saved her initial attempt. Luus' strike was her fifth goal of the year, two more than any other Terp
After being held scoreless as a team for a span of 153 minutes earlier in the year, it was the team's third goal in just over eight minutes of combined game time. The Terps scored twice in the waning minutes of Sunday's 3-1 win against Boston College.
Sophomore forward Linnea Gonzales extended the Terps' lead to two goals about 20 minutes later with a near-post shot that snuck by Griswold's foot. It was Gonzales' first goal of the season, after she tied for second on the team with 10 last year in a campaign that earned her Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors.
"She's been playing in a lot of different positions," Meharg said. "She has found her home in being a really dominant player right now, for wherever she's asked to play."
Gonzales added her second goal about 10 minutes later, scoring off a pass from midfielder Lein Holsboer, who picked up her fifth assist of the season.
Maryland took that 3-0 lead into halftime, but the Golden Bears cut the lead to two with a score less than a minute into the second period.
For a moment, California's burst reminded the Terps of their loss to Syracuse in the opening weekend. Then, the team played a disappointing second half en route to a 4-1 loss. But Saturday, the team responded with a goal 36 seconds later.
"That was probably a weak piece of our game, coming out [playing well] in the second half," Meharg said. "We'll fix that up."
The score, off midfielder Kelee Lepage's stick, punctuated a series of eight passes off the restart. Lepage's point was her first score as a Terp, and a fellow rookie matched her milestone soon after.
On a penalty corner about four minutes after Lepage hit the back of the cage, defender Carrie Hanks whipped the ball toward freshman Sophia Pelzer, who redirected the ball past Griswold for her first college goal.
Maryland has been giving six rookies playing time so far this season, and Lepage and Pelzer's conversions were the first time any of the newcomers got on the board.
"Sophie Pelzer, Kelee Lepage — these guys are big time goal scorers coming out of their high schools," Meharg said. "So I'm not surprised. We're really pleased with the freshmen."
Saturday, the 29th-year coach was pleased with her team's performance. They out-shot the Golden Bears, 18-7, including a 9-1 advantage in the first half, and earned seven corners while allowing one.
The control helped Maryland cruise to their most lopsided win since defeating St. Joseph's, 6-2, in the season opener Aug. 26.
"It's a great feeling — you want to play better and better and better [as the season goes on]," Meharg said. "We've been working a lot on a mindset, and [today] Maryland stepped on the field with the right mindset."
The Diamondback
India to face Pakistan in Asian Champions Trophy in Malaysia
The last time India and Pakistan met was also in Malaysia, during the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, when India thrashed Pakistan 5-1 despite resting several senior players.
Asian Champions Trophy will be the first outing for India post Rio Olympics.
The Indian men’s hockey team would take on Pakistan in an international competition for the first time in six months when the teams face off at the 4th Asian Champions Trophy in Kuantan, Malaysia, in October.
The Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) has announced the schedule for the tournament, to be held from October 20-30, 2016. This would be the first edition of the tournament since it was included as the third continental ranking event from Asia by the FIH earlier this year and the first post Olympics, where India was the only team from the continent to qualify.
Besides India and Pakistan, the other teams in the competition are China, Korea and Japan besides host Malaysia. The tournament would be played in the round-robin format. It would also be the first outing for India post Rio Olympics. The last time India and Pakistan met was also in Malaysia, during the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, when India thrashed Pakistan 5-1 despite resting several senior players.
India’s schedule: October 20: vs Japan; October 22: vs Korea; October 23: vs Pakistan; October 25: vs China; October 26: vs Malaysia; October 29: classification matches; October 30: Final.
Sportstar Live
View from US: The death-spiral of Pakistan hockey
Anjum Niaz
Montreal Olympics 1976: Pakistan played field hockey for the first time on an artificial turf that we now call astro-turf. We didn’t win the gold, but we got the bronze. Thirty years later, on a wet windswept day, I was at the forlorn stadium where Canada hosted the summer Olympics. Overgrown grass and stray shrubbery welcomed us. Many memories flooded the mind with victory stories of Ali Iqtidar Shah Dara, Pakistan’s longest-serving hockey manager (and himself a gold medalist, we’ll come to that later) from hockey’s golden years — Rome (1960), Mexico (1968) and Los Angeles (1984).
It was raining as I stood there imagining the Pakistani delegation in green blazers, the leader in a Jinnah cap proudly carrying the national flag. Dara’s voice rang in my ears. He pushed his ‘boys’ to reach for the gold medal each time Pakistan played in the Olympics. After his return from Montreal in the summer of 1976, Dara was disappointed that they could not get the gold. “But never mind, there’s always a next time,” he told us. “My boys were not used to playing on artificial grass. Still, they played to win and they did!” We were kids then, so we really didn’t care for the technicalities of the game; what excited us were fascinating stories about some ‘wayward’ players and their ‘corralling’ by the manager. “You know there are always one or two boys who like to party. They resisted the 10 o’clock curfew,” Dara would say. “Instead of disciplining them the harsh way, I always took a gentler approach by appealing to their better judgment. That worked eight times out of 10.”
Because of its doughnut shape, Montreal’s stadium was nicknamed ‘The Big O’”. Its humongous roof cost the city 1.48 billion dollars that took 30 years to repay. “All Olympics are magic,” comments a Canadian sports fan. “But we had Comaneci, and the [boxers] Spinks brothers and Sugar Ray Leonard, the magnificent heroes of the modern Olympics.” Pakistanis well remembers the young Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci. She was the star who made history by getting the perfect score of 10.0.
The Olympic village is another spectacular sight to see. The 980 apartments surrounded by terraces are housed in two 19-storey buildings shaped like pyramids. Today they serve as luxury rental apartments. “Every night there was a roll call to insure that my boys were in their rooms at ‘curfew’ time.” Dara’s words are a reminder of how Pakistan’s hockey team reached its pinnacle of glory through sheer discipline, team spirit and obedience to rules.
Dara captained the hockey team at Berlin in 1936 when an undivided India won the gold, defeating the home team Germany (8-1). Sitting in the VIP stand was Chancellor Adolf Hitler, leader of the Nazi party ruling Germany. The historic photograph in sepia tone showing Hitler awarding the gold to Dara on the victory stand still sits in the Dara family’s living room 80 years later. Here’s a bit of historical trivia: it is said that Hitler was not a sports fan and was really not interested in Germany hosting the 1936 Olympics. It was Joseph Goebbels, his propaganda minister who convinced him about Olympic festivities that could be “exploited to advance the Nazi cause both inside and outside of Germany.” Hitler had begun the cleansing of German Jews by keeping them out of the Olympics. Nazi genocide and systematic persecution were in force.
Fast forward to Rio Olympics 2016: Dawn’s senior sports-writer Anwar Zuberi’s recent column headlined ‘Pakistan owes its Olympic glory to hockey teams’ is a poignant reminder of hockey’s pathetic downfall: “The country experienced the darkest hour of its sporting history when the national hockey team for the first time ever failed to qualify for the Rio Olympics.” His in-depth analysis details how Pakistan graced the victory stand for 36 years — from 1956 to 1992. And look where hockey is today! The one-liner quote by gold medalist Abdul Waheed Khan who played at the Rome Olympics (1960) says it all: “It’s unbelievable. No Pakistani can think that the greenshirts would fall so low and create history of sorts.”
Writing in the Boston-based Atlantic Magazine, global editor Uri Friedman says while Pakistan is the sixth-largest country with nearly 190 million people, “It is the biggest nation to be leaving Brazil without a medal. It gets worse. Pakistan dispatched its smallest-ever delegation to this year’s games, composed of seven athletes. It sent twice as many officials. Pakistan has not won an Olympic medal in 24 years.”
In America, Rio Olympics had a hard time competing with the crazy season of the US presidential elections. Inevitably, most of us got drawn to the ultra-nationalist statements and even sillier tweets put out by Donald Trump daily. He’s another Hitler, said many. The Republican Party candidate sucked all the oxygen out of one’s brain cells. Still we wanted more of his buffoonery instead of watching Americans walk off with the highest number of gold medals. The only exception was another buffoon named Ryan Lochte who won a gold in swimming.
Lochte lied. He and two other American swimmers went out to Rio’s nightspots for a celebration, only to get dead drunk and end up at a gas station. They were caught on camera ransacking the property and urinating in a public place. The next day they spun a tale of robbery claiming they had been held at gunpoint. The Brazilian police caught out their lie. They were ordered to appear before a judge. Meanwhile Lochte slipped out of Rio and reached the US, leaving his two friends to face the music. The scandal shamed the Americans, robbing them of celebrating the largest cache of medals their athletes had brought home.
So while Lochte’s lies overshadowed American excellence at Rio, Pakistan’s politicians, past and present, ensured the end of hockey forever. Rio sounded hockey’s death knell in Pakistan. Will it yet live to see another Olympics?
Dawn