News for 02 November 2016
All the news for Wednesday 2 November 2016
Women's Asian Champions Trophy in full swing following India triumph in men's event
India won the QNET 4th Asian Champions Trophy in a thrilling final against Pakistan Photo: Asian Hockey Federation
Asian Women’s Champions Trophy currently in progress in Singapore, with India’s Eves leading the way
India emerged victorious at the QNET 4th Asian Men’s Champions Trophy event thanks to a 3-2 triumph over Pakistan in Sunday’s competition final at the Wisma Belia Hockey Stadium in Kuantan, Malaysia.
Following an unbeaten run in the round-robin phase of the competition that included wins against Japan, Pakistan, China and Malaysia, India faced a semi-final meeting against a Korea team that had held them to a 1-1 draw earlier in the event.
It proved to be another close contest, with the match finishing locked at 2-2 before India snatched a 5-4 victory in the shoot-out. India scored all five of their attempts in the shoot-out, with Lee Daeyeol’s miss proving decisive for the team coached by Paul Lissek.
India’s opponents in the final were rivals Pakistan, a team ranked at 13 in the FIH Hero World Rankings, but famous for producing their best performances against the 6th ranked, eight times Olympic champions India.
The round-robin meeting between the two sides had finished with India taking a 3-2 win, a score-line that would be repeated in the gold medal match.
Second quarter strikes from Rupinder Pal Singh and Yousuf Affan gave Roelant Oltmans’ men a 2-0 lead, but Pakistan levelled things up thanks to goals from Muhammad Aleem Bilal and Ali Shan. India’s title deciding goal arrived nine minutes from the end, with Chandanda Thimmaiah firing home from open play to settle the contest.
“We were making mistakes but got away with it”, said ever-pragmatic India Head Coach Oltmans after the victory. “Nevertheless, this was a good win for India as the last time India won a major title was the Asian Games in 2014. The good thing is we got back on track and played to our game plan. The win today shows we are making progress.”
Pakistan’s coach Khawaja Junaid, congratulated India on the victory, describing it as an “excellent final” between the two nations.
“It was a great game, excellent indeed”, said Junaid. “We came back from two goals down to level 2-2 and were pushing for the shoot-out until India found the winning goal. But we kept pushing for the equaliser. It was a good game.”
In the bronze medal match, host nation Malaysia overcame Korea in a shoot-out after the match finished with the scores level at 1-1. It was the fourth time that Malaysia had claimed the bronze medal in the history of the competition.
Just as the men’s event was coming to a close, at the Sengkang Hockey Stadium in Singapore, the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy was just getting started.
The five nation event features Malaysia, China, India, Japan and Korea, with the event concluding on Saturday 5 November.
At the time of writing, India were sitting at the top of the standings with two wins and a draw from their opening three matches, with Japan in second place, three points behind but having played one game fewer. The two sides went head-to-head on the opening day of the competition in a match that finished in a 2-2 draw, with India following up that result with victories over Korea and Malaysia. Victory for Japan in their meeting with Malaysia on Wednesday 2 November would move them level on points with the Eves in the lead up to the classification phase.
More information about both events can be found on www.asiahockey.org.
FIH site
India struggles past Malaysia
s2h team
Malaysia posed tough challenge for higher ranked rivals, but India could salvage a goal in each half in seeing them off in their third match of the Asian Women's Champions Trophy at Seongong Sports Complex in Singapore and thus top the table with seven points ahead of Korea,China and Japan.
In the evenly played first quarter, rani Mallik cut through the entire Malaysian midfield on the left and with a couple of give and take with the shadowing Vantana Kataria sprinted into circle to backline shielding the ball, and then dodged well to give a minus, before back on time to deflect the feed from Vandana again for the beautiful first goal of the first match on Action Day 3 in Singapore.
This seventh minute goal stood unblemished till the 45th minute, before Deepkia added another one through penalty corners.
With 7 points after two wins and a draw, Indian place in the semifinal is assured.
undefined India had amble chances to go up, but poor finish led them down in the entire match, barring the Poonam feat.
First penalty corner was a good godsend, but Anuradha was too deep inside circle,and could only deflect the indirect ball to the right side netting.
Misfiring penalty corner has been a thorn in the match though India's second goal came out of the sixth.
Before half time, Deepika too hit her penalty corner shot very wide.
Five minutes in tothe second half Preeti made a brilliant solo, but was dispossessed on the top edge of the shooting circle. Chances thus were a galore, but the Malaysians under new coach Dharmaraj seemed equally determined.
When umpire Japan's Junko Wagatsuma signalled India's third penalty corner far off from shooting area for infringement, the hardworking Malaysian girls vehemently argued, and then when she again awarded PC on the previous drill follow through, the scene was tense. Dharmaraj had to step in to make the girls play, as they were still protesting and in disbelief.
However, India made at least three attempts before seeing the ball home in the controversial penalty corner, last touch given by Deepika
In the 48th minute, Deepika got another chance, but shot her hit inches to the right post.
Vandana in tandem with Poonam made another brilliant penetration, but at centre of shooting circle Al Noor Hasliza trapped perfectly shielding the ball to clear quite off.
India will take on China on 4th Nov in its last pool match.
Stick2Hockey.com
Poonam wants to emulate men and aims Asian Champions Trophy
s2h team
Indian women’s star striker Poonam Rani Malik wants to emulate their male counterparts and return happily from Singapore continuing the winning momentum set in motion by both India’s senior and junior teams last Sunday. The girls are playing in their fourth Women’s Champions Trophy in Singapore, and are at present on top of pool with two wins and a draw.
Elaborating on the last Happy Sunday, the Haryana Hurrican Poonam said: “Last couple of days have been great days for India. First senior boys won at Kuantan (Champions Trophy). Same day juniors also gave us the good news from Europe (winning Valencia 4-Nation Cup). Same day, that is Diwali Day, we also could beat Korea in a great match, Korea is always tough side to beat”.
The forward continued: “When our boys have done it, we can also do it (winning the Champions Trophy)”.
ON MATCH AGAINST MALAYSIA: It was a tough match. Considering our last Champions Trophy result against same Malaysia, today’s is not a good score for us.
“We defeated them 5-2 last time. I think yesterday we played a tough match against Korea. Because of that we may be a bit low on recovery".
"We did not play so well, but victory is victory, we got full points, you know".
On pointed out missing out penalty corner count shad concurred: "We got good number of penalty corners. Last match we could convert two out of three, but today it did not work out. We tried but not happened.
"We know the importance of PCs. Teams win or lose here. Therefore, we will focus more on this, and hope we will do better in the coming matches".
Poonam and Vandana combined beautifully in the first quarter to give India an early lead. And then Deepika tapped in a penalty corner rebound to add to the score board as India defeated Malaysia on Tuesday in its third match.
Stick2Hockey.com
India beat Malaysia 2-0 in Women's Asian Champions Trophy
SINGAPORE: Indian eves continued their impressive performance by registering an emphatic 2-0 victory over Malaysia in their third pool match of the 4th Women's Asian Champions Trophy on Tuesday.
With this win, India remained at the top of the pool table with seven points above Korea, China, Japan and Malaysia respectively.
Playing the first game of the day, India were under pressure to stay in contention for the knockout and they did not disappoint.
Any hopes of Malaysia taking the lead was undone in the first seven minutes as Poonam Rani scored a well-executed field goal to give India the lead.
Having got off to a strong start, Indian eves defended well throughout the game, not allowing the Malaysians too many forays into their D and constantly keeping them at bay.
In fact, right till the end, the Malaysian team was denied an opportunity to seek penalty corner.
Though the opponents took desperate attempts at field goals, they were palmed away rather brilliantly by the Indian custodian Rajani to help maintain the team's lead.
The Indian eves continued to put up an inspired show as they came back stronger after the halftime, when Deepika converted a penalty corner in the 45th minute.
Until then India had three failed attempted at converting penalty corners despite trying different variations. However, Deepika's experience and presence of mind enabled the team take a 2-0 lead over a hapless Malaysian side.
With this goal, Deepika became the highest goal scorer in the tournament.
The final quarter saw India hold their nerves, play tactfully and deny any room to Malaysian eves to come back into the game.
India will next take on China on November 4.
The Times of India
Malaysia denied win
by Satwant Dhaliwal
Malaysia will play an in-form Pakistan side in search of their first win at the Sultan Johor Cup after squandering a lead to draw 2-2 with Australia on Tuesday night.
Malaysia were on course to record their first win but settled for a draw when Kiran Arunasalam robbed the defender of the ball before finding the top corner with just four minutes left on the clock.
"Today was better that yesterday but must look to improve more in the future. I think the equaliser came from a high flick where the attacker was less than five yards, but we should have snatched the points nevertheless.
"Pakistan will be another tough match. I didn't see them play but if they can comeback against England to draw, I believe they have a good side.
"Pakistan are technically good and have a good fighting spirit," said Wallace Tan.
Australia attacked more and had three penalty corners in the first half but could not find a way past Zaimi Mat Deris, who was given a start in place of Ridzwan Azmi. Zaimi picked up the man of the match award for his efforts.
The hosts started the second half aggresive and broke the deadlock through Aiman Nik Rozemi flicked the ball past Ashleigh Thomas in the 39th minute.
Australia, however, pulled level from their fourth penalty corner of the night as Tom Craig scored in the 58th minute, only for Malaysia to take the lead again through Zulhamizam Awang Abas before Kiran's 66th minute equaliser.
Australian coach Ben Bishop was disappointed to go down twice during the match after failing to capitalise in the first half.
"We must improve the finishing. It's always good to play our neighbours New Zealand in the next game but we have to very cautious. Surely, they are out to bounce back after two defeats," he said.
The Sultan of Johor Cup official site
England squander lead to share spoils with Pakistan
by Satwant Dhaliwal
Pakistan came from two goals down to hold England 2-2 in the Sultan of Johor Cup (SOJC) on Tuesday.
England, who defeated host Malaysia 3-1 on Monday, found it difficult to break open Pakistan from open play and paid the price for switching off towards the end.
Pakistan, who stunned New Zealand 5-2 in the opening match match, play Malaysia next while England take on Japan on Wednesday. Japan defeated New Zealand 4-1 in the 4pm kickoff on Tuesday.
"It was a good comeback ... to get more points helps us in this tournament. Malaysia will be another tough ask as it is always hard to play them in Malaysia," said Pakistan coach Zaman Tahir.
"I felt our fitness and energy levels were the real difference against England, especially in the final 10 minutes of the match. We have to defend a lot before that."
Will Calnan gave the English the lead from a 12th minute penalty corner and later doubled his tally and England's lead with another short corner in the 39th minute.
Pakistan managed to pull one back in the 63rd, the match's third penalty conversion, through Sami Ullah in the 63rd minute. Pakistan could have drew level just two minutes later but Shakeel Butt's penalty stroke was saved.
The equaliser eventually came via Mahmood Abu's penalty corner in the 69th minute.
"It was good tactical performance in the first half but we gave the ball away in the second. Still credit to Pakistan for coming back and giving us a tough game," said England's Jon Bleby
The Sultan of Johor Cup official site
Revelling in the Sun
by Satwant Dhaliwal
A young Japanese side bounced back from their opening day defeat to defeat New Zealand 4-1 at the Sultan of Johor Cup (SOJC) on Tuesday.
Two penalty corners from Koji Yamasaki in the 19th and 25th minute set Japan on course for a victory after their 6-0 loss to Australia on Monday. The third goal scored by Kyohei Ogawa in the 28th minuted proved the attack led by Ryo Ozawa was more dangerous this time around.
With a disciplined approach, Japan controlled most parts of the match as New Zealand's midfield collapsed. The Black Stick only had two chances in Japan's D in the first-half.
New Zealand, however, were more composed in the second-half, only to be denied by a resilient Japanese defence.
New Zealand eventualy got a goal after Oliver Logan converted a penalty corner but Japan refused to let their guard down, nicking another goal, this time though Kaito Tanaka's field goal in the dying minutes.
New Zealand coach Bryce Collins said his charged were disappointing.
"After the Pakistan defeat, I expected a win today ... there were some positives though in the way we tried to comeback in the second half.
"I can deny that Japan played better but we'll take a valuable lesson from this to the Junior World Cup," said Bryce, who expects a tough encounter against Australia on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Japan coach Kyoiche Nagaya said the defeat to Australia fired his player up.
"Australia really pressurred us and we learnt from that and applied it against New Zealand. My players proved their worth," said Nagaya.
Japan meet England in their third match on Wednesday.
The Sultan of Johor Cup official site
Malaysia hold Australia to a draw in Johor
by Mohd Farhaan Shah
JOHOR BARU: Malaysia picked up their first point in the Sultan of Johor Cup hockey tournament after holding Australia to a 2-2 draw.
Nik Muhammad Aiman broke the deadlock for Malaysia when he converted a penalty corner in the 40th minute at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium on Tuesday.
But Australia increased their pressure and were rewarded in the 58th minute with Tom Craig converting a penalty corner to make it 1-1.
The Australians’ joy lasted only a minute as Mohamad Zulhamizan scored a field goal in the 59th minute to give Malaysia the lead again.
Malaysia’s hopes of getting all three points were dashed when Kiran Arunasalam scored for Australia in the 65th minute to make it 2-2.
Australia remain on top of the six-nation Under-21 tournament with four points, having outplayed Japan 6-0 on Monday. Malaysia dropped a rung to fifth after Japan registered their first win with a 4-1 triumph over New Zealand on Tuesday.
National Under-21 coach Wallace Tan said the team put up a better show compared to the 1-3 loss to holders England on Monday.
“But we need to rectify our play, especially when we are not in possession of the ball,” said Wallace.
In the day’s other match, Pakistan staged a remarkable comeback to hold favourites England to a 2-2 draw.
Will Calnan gave England a 2-0 lead with goals in the 12th and 39th minutes. But Sami Ullah reduced the deficit for Pakistan in the 63rd minute and Mahmoud Abu’s 69th minute strike denied England of all the three points.
The Star of Malaysia
Tough loss for Under 21 Men in Malaysia
Photo: Megat Firdaus
The New Zealand Under 21 Men have suffered a disappointing 4-1 defeat at the hands of Japan at the Sultan of Johor Cup in Malaysia.
Two penalty corners from Koji Yamasaki in the 19th and 25th minutes along with a Kyohei Ogawa field goal set Japan on course for victory with a 3-0 lead at halftime.
Japan controlled much of the match as New Zealand's midfield struggled which led to just two chances in the attacking circle during the first half.
The Kiwis were much more composed in the second half but Japan’s resilient defence ensured scoring opportunities remained sparse.
New Zealand eventually lit up the scoreboard after Oliver Logan converted a late penalty corner, while Japan scored again in the dying minutes.
Head coach Bryce Collins said it was a disappointing result from his side.
"After yesterday’s defeat to Pakistan I expected a win today. There were some positives though in the way we tried to comeback in the second half,” he said.
"I can’t deny that Japan played better but we'll take a valuable lesson from this in the build up towards the Junior World Cup.”
New Zealand now face another difficult prospect against trans-Tasman rivals Australia at 11:00pm tomorrow night (NZ time).
Hockey New Zealand Media release
Burras draw on Day 2 of Sultan of Johor
2 - all against Malaysia
Holly MacNeil
It was the second game of the 2016 Sultan of Johor Cup today for Australia’s Burras, as they took on home team Malaysia to come away with a two all draw.
The first half the match was tightly fought, with both teams reluctant to give anything away, and the Burras missing out on three penalty corner opportunities.
The second half was a different story with Malaysia and Australia going goal for goal. Malaysia were the first to get up on the board with Najmi Jazlan scoring a penalty corner to give the home team the edge.
Tom Craig went on to match the goal with a penalty corner of his own before Zulhamizan Mohamad took the lead back for Malaysia literally a minute later.
Australia were determined not to go down without a fight, with Kiran Arunasalam scoring an equalising field goal with only four minutes of play remaining.
Australian coach Ben Bishop commented that it was disappointing for the team to have failed to convert in the first half, and that the team needed to work on their finishing.
Australia next take on trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand on day three of the 2016 Sultan of Johor Cup.
BURRAS 2 (0)
Tom Craig 58 (PC)
Kiran Arunasalam 66 (FG)
MALAYSIA 2 (0)
Najmi Jazlan 39 (PC)
Zulhamizan Mohamad 59 (FG)
Full results from Day 2:
AUS 2 – 2 MAS
ENG 2 – 2 PAK
JPN 4 – 1 NZL
Hockey Australia media release
England U21s forced to settle for a draw against Pakistan.
Will Calnan celebrates
A last minute goal from Pakistan’s Abu Mahmood meant England’s U21s were forced to settle for a draw in their second match of the Sultan of Johor Cup. The Pakistan No4 slotted in a penalty corner in the 69th minute to secure a draw after England had led 2-0 going into the final ten minutes.
Buoyed by their win over the hosts yesterday, Jon Bleby’s side started in confident mood. A fairly even opening ten minutes was notable for the pace at which both sides attacked each other. It felt almost like a basketball match with the teams seemingly taking it in turns to try and score at a 100 miles an hour.
On 12 minutes England hit the front. Will Calnan’s penalty corner deceived the goalkeeper for his second goal of the competition.
England spent the next ten minutes on the back foot with Pakistan testing their defensive capabilities to their limits. Jack Waller acquitted himself well, using his pace and excellent tackling to great effect to keep his opposite number quiet.
Toby Reynolds-Cotterill did superbly to block from Muhammad Dilber and then pulled off an even better save somehow shifting his weight from one side to the other in the blink of an eye to keep out Ullah Sami.
Four minutes after the break England doubled their lead. Another Calnan penalty corner caused the damage. The goalkeeper saved well but the rebound fell to the Hampstead and Westminster man who turned and slotted a good low backhand shot into the net for his second of the match and his third of the competition.
England lost James Simpson to injury and the loss of a player seemed to tell as they were pushed further and further back by Pakistan. Reynolds-Cotterill excelled once again with a fine save but then with seven minutes remaining he was beaten as Ullah snapped up a penalty corner rebound from close range to halve the deficit.
Zaman Tahir’s team were awarded a penalty stroke moments later but the England goalkeeper pulled off a stunning save, diving to his right.
It looked like England were going to do enough to take the three points but with a minute left on the clock Pakistan got their equaliser as Mahmood finally broke Reynolds-Cotterill’s resistance from a penalty corner.
Head Coach Jon Bleby commented afterwards:
“It was a tough game for us. I thought we defended well in the first half but were perhaps not as good on the ball as we needed to be. We missed a chance to put pressure on them when they were down to ten men. We gave the ball away too much and that allowed them back into the match. I was worried when they got the penalty stroke but luckily our goalkeeper made a good save. It’s been a good lesson for us and showed the team it is important to keep the ball better.”
“We play Japan next. We’ve had two tough matches so far and we expect Japan to be tough as well.”
England Hockey Board Media release
Drawing level: Colts leave it late
KARACHI: Down two goals with just seven minutes to go, Pakistan U21 hockey team staged a remarkable comeback to come away with a 2-2 draw against defending champions England juniors in their second fixture of Sultan of Johor Hockey Cup in Malaysia yesterday.
The match began at a frantic pace as both the defences were tested in the opening minutes. But it took 12 minutes for the opening goal to come as Will Calnan successfully converted a penalty corner.
When Calnan repeated the trick four minutes into the second half, an English victory seemed a foregone conclusion before the unpredictable Colts suddenly came alive in the final period.
First, it was Samiullah who netted in the 63rd minute off a rebound from a penalty corner, and with just two minutes left on the clock, Abu Bakr’s ferocious flick beat the English goalie for pace and earned his team a share of the spoils.
The Express Tribune
2017 Women’s World League Round 2 headed to West Vancouver, British Columbia
Shaheed Devji
Canada’s women’s field hockey team celebrates after winning a bronze medal at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, the last time Canada’s women played at home. (By Yan Huckendubler)
Field Hockey Canada has been awarded the bid to host the International Hockey Federation (FIH) Women’s World League 2 event, an eight-nation tournament which will take place in West Vancouver from April 1 to 9, 2017.
The FIH World League serves as a qualification pathway for World Cups and the Olympic Games. The World League event in West Vancouver will feature Canada’s senior women’s field hockey team, currently ranked 18th in the world, as well as opponents from India (12), Belarus (19), Uruguay (22), Chile (23), France (24), Mexico (30) and Trinidad & Tobago (34). The top two finishers in April’s tournament will move on to World League Round 3 later in 2017, where spots for the 2018 World Cup will be handed out.
“The District of West Vancouver, and the West Vancouver Field Hockey Club will work with Field Hockey Canada to deliver the event,” says Field Hockey Canada Chief Executive Office Jeff Sauvé. “Hosting World League provides a competitive advantage for our Women’s National Team, and the honour of competing on a pitch named after a legendary Canadian field hockey alumnus. We have an opportunity to engage local athletes in a community where field hockey is a youth sport of choice.”
“The community of West Vancouver, with its storied hockey history, knowledgeable fans, legion of dedicated volunteers, and physical beauty provides the perfect backdrop for this competition and our Women’s National Program.”
All games will be played at West Vancouver’s Rutledge Field, which is home to the West Vancouver Field Hockey Club and recently played host two international matches between Canada’s Olympic men’s field hockey team and the United States prior to the 2016 Olympic Games.
http://www.fieldhockey.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/drone_westvan_rutledge-e1478011450498.jpg
Aerial view of West Vancouver’s Rutledge Field during a series between Canada’s men’s Olympic field hockey team at the United States in July 2016.
“We are very excited to see our Women’s National Team play on the North Shore where field hockey is embedded in the community”, says Patricia Macleod, President of the West Vancouver Field Hockey Club. “The World League tournament will take place right as we kick off our popular Spring League program. This will create some unique opportunities for our youngest members to be inspired by international role models and to get involved in hosting this prestigious event.”
“It’s exciting to see this high-level competition taking place in West Vancouver,” says West Vancouver Mayor Michael Smith. “We’re very proud of West Vancouver’s sports and recreation facilities and this tournament is evidence of how they help to create a strong sporting culture here.”
Rutledge Field is named after former Canadian men’s field hockey team Captain Ross Rutledge, who competed at two Olympics Games for Canada and passed away in 2004 after a battle with cancer. The facility, which consists of a purpose-built, field-hockey specific turf field and is located at Ambleside Park, was dedicated to him in 2011.
Ticket information will be released soon.
Field Hockey Canada media release
Dominik quadruple returns Racing to top in France
Picture: Christopher Bellenger
Dylan Dominik netted four times as Racing Club de France ran up a massive 10-0 win over Wattignies to return to the top of the French elite division.
He opened the scoring very early on with a low corner push. Maxime Cheron doubled the advantage for 2-0 and Jules Francotte added the third. Another pair of Dominik corners made it 5-0 by the 15 minute mark.
It laid the base for a huge win and they added another five with Dominik running up his total of four while Celestin Duchesne netted twice with Antoine Ferec and Jean-Laurent Kieffer also finding the goal.
The win lifted Racing to 20 points after nine games, moving ahead of Saint Germain who were held to a 1-1 draw by CA Montrouge. Saint Ger are second in the rankings, two points behind but they have a game in hand on their rivals.
Four sides – between third and sixth – are covered by just one point with a race for the playoff places looking to be an epic one in the later stages of the season.
Three more rounds of matches will follow in quick succession in the coming weeks before the season enters its winter pause, returning in March.
Euro Hockey League media release
Dungannon Hockey Club's net loss as two goalies refuse to play in huge Sunday game due to faith
By John Flack
Vicky's club Dungannon in action
A hockey club is facing a goalkeeping crisis for a big match - because its two netminders do not play on a Sunday.
Officials at Dungannon are now desperately trying to sign a replacement after being refused a request to postpone the biggest game in their history.
Dungannon is due to play Lurgan in the semi-finals of the Ulster Shield on Sunday, but neither first-choice goalkeeper Vicky Kerr nor her deputy play on the Sabbath due to their Christian beliefs.
Because the last line of defence is such a specialised position in hockey, Dungannon made a request to have the game switched to another day.
However, the sport's governing body declined and Dungannon's game will be staged as part of a double-header with the other semi-final between Queen's University and Randalstown at Lisnagarvey's grounds in Hillsborough.
There is no question of Dungannon pulling out, but the club is disappointed at Ulster Hockey's refusal to budge, citing a slightly different precedent that was set last season.
The Kilkeel men's team were granted a postponement of their scheduled Anderson Cup final date with Belfast Harlequins which was originally set for Sunday, May 2 of this year.
However, Kilkeel's policy not to play Sunday hockey is a collective one, enshrined in the club's constitution.
The Anderson Cup final was eventually played in a midweek slot, and Dungannon felt they had a good case for seeking a postponement of Sunday's game.
"We are naturally disappointed that neither of our top keepers will be able to share in our achievement of reaching the Shield semi-final for the first time," said team captain Lynda Elliott.
"The goalkeeper situation is not ideal, and I suppose we felt that, as Ulster Hockey had accommodated a similar scenario in the men's game, it was worth asking for a postponement."
Dungannon chairman David Mulligan says that the club is now facing a race against the clock in a bid to sign a new goalkeeper.
"Our third-team keeper normally plays her hockey nine leagues below the First XI, so that would be a huge step-up," he said.
"We have yet to find a replacement for Vicky, who is going to miss out on the biggest day in Dungannon's history, admittedly from personal choice."
Ulster Hockey honorary president Liz Lamont says that while she can sympathise with Dungannon's predicament, the show will go ahead as planned on Sunday.
Her own club Ballymoney twice had to play Irish Cup finals on Sundays without key players due to their religious beliefs.
"We had no option back then but to play the games and, in fact, we lost them both, so I can certainly sympathise with Dungannon in this instance," said Ms Lamont.
"I wasn't involved in the scheduling for the Shield semi-finals or the request by Dungannon to be granted a postponement, but they have been held as a Sunday double-header for several years now.
"Bar the final itself on Boxing Day, it's the biggest day in the Ulster hockey calendar and by holding both games on a Sunday, we are able to maximise revenue and the profile of the sport.
"With most hockey being staged on Saturdays, more players from other clubs and spectators are able to attend which adds to the atmosphere and boosts the gate, which is important commercially."
Belfast Telegraph
Juniors prepare to step up and be counted
Uthra Ganesan
Even as the spotlight was focused on the men’s hockey team for lifting the Asian Champions Trophy on Sunday, the Indian junior team returned in the early hours of Tuesday after winning the four-nation tournament in Spain, beating reigning junior World champion Germany 5-2 in the final.
With India hosting the junior World Cup in December, coach Harendra Singh admitted it was the best possible way to get into the final countdown for the tournament. “It was very important to come away with a win — especially against the No. 1 side, in such a convincing manner.
“What is more significant is that these wins, whether against Germany or England, came on their soil. Earlier, we were only playing in Asia but now we have performed well in Europe and Australia. That is a big boost for the boys both mentally and physically. They now know what to do and what are the areas of concern, which are minor and can be sorted out easily in the upcoming camps,” Harendra told The Hindu.
The coach, who has handled Indian junior teams at previous editions of the World Cup as well, insisted that while the past teams might have had more individual talents, the winning factor and a certain correctness of combination was present this time around.
“The key element to better results now is the continuity in the teams at all levels. The only time India won the junior World Cup (2001), it was with a group that had played together for 3-4 years from 1998 onwards. This time also the core group has remained undisturbed since April 25, 2014 when I first took charge.
“It’s the same with the seniors. That long-term vision was missing earlier and I am thankful to HI, SAI and Narinder Batra for giving that freedom which has helped develop confidence in all the players and the staff,” Harendra added.
That core group may well graduate after December and senior coach Roelant Oltmans agreed it would be time for changes. “We generally begin a cycle with 33 players so even with the entire 26 from the present lot intact there are seven vacancies for juniors. But quality matters to me more than numbers and there may be fewer seniors and more juniors. Let us see after the World Cup,” Oltmans told The Hindu.
The Dutchman, who would be around till 2020 Olympics and used the bench strength optimally in Malaysia including resting captain P.R. Sreejesh for a few matches, said it was all about a coach’s confidence.
“The Indian hockey team’s bench was always strong but people did not give it an opportunity to show it. That’s the confidence a coach must have in his boys. I have seen them train and I am not afraid to test them. That’s my advice to every coach — don’t be afraid of testing. If you break my confidence in some way, then you are in trouble but most players have proved my confidence right,” Oltmans said.
About the present team, Oltmans was relieved to see players control their emotions on field and stick to the plan. “I sometimes tell the players, I want to get into your minds to see what you are thinking because I do not understand some of their decisions! I told them, if you make 1-2 mistakes, suddenly everyone starts making mistakes and then everyone is afraid of making mistakes and the planning goes for a toss.
“Accept a mistake and move on. No player in the world can avoid making mistakes. What is important is to not let it affect your game. I always say, ‘if you can’t lose, you can’t win; and if you are afraid to lose, you will lose’. The players realised it earlier also, good thing is that they are now able to execute it and focus only on their performance and no external factor, including the opposition,” he stressed.
The Hindu
Hopeful to receive NOC from government for Junior World Cup: PHF secretary
By Muhammad Yousaf Anjum
LAHORE: With only five weeks left in the Junior World Cup, Pakistan hockey team has still not received a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the government.
Fédération Internationale de Hockey (FIH) men’s mega event is schedule to be held in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh from December 8, 2016 but keeping in sight the current political tensions between both countries, approval from Pakistan government is mandatory to participate in the event.
Three weeks ago, Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) wrote a letter to Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Ministry and Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) for permission to participate in the competition.
“We are still waiting for NOC from government,” PHF secretary Shahbaz Ahmed Senior told Express News on phone.
“As far as I know, the matter is in process and it may take two more weeks. We are in touch with the IPC ministry and PSB. We will abide by whatever instructions the government gives us and are very much hopeful to receive an NOC,” he added.
The event is set to feature junior team from 16 countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Egypt, England, Germany, India, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan and Spain.
Pakistan is placed alongside Netherlands, Belgium and Egypt in Pool B. Meanwhile, the team is currently in Johar Baru, Malaysia for world cup preparations.
The Express Tribune
PHF awaits NOC on Junior Hockey World Cup participation in Lucknow
KARACHI: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) is still awaiting the No Objection Certificate (NOC) from its government to send its national squad for the Junior Hockey World Cup, to be held in Lucknow from December 8.
PHF secretary Shahbaz Ahmed told the media on Tuesday that the Federation had applied for the clearance and NOC from the Ministry of Inter-Provincial coordination and Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) three weeks ago.
"The ministry and PSB have taken up the matter with the foreign ministry and concerned authorities. We are confident that we will get the clearance to participate in the event in India," Ahmed said.
He conceded that ongoing tensions between the two countries and the daily cross border incidents were a matter of concern.
"...We have taken part in many FIH events in India in recent years whatever the political climate and generally have not faced issues in India," insisted Ahmed.
Pakistan team has appeared in the FIH men's World Cup, Commonwealth Games, South Asian Federation Games and the Champions Trophy on India soil since 2010.
Last January, the PHF had sent its hockey team as part of the Pakistan contingent for the SAF Games in India.
"In existing circumstances it is mandatory for us to get clearance and approval from the government to participate in any event in India," he said.
The former Pakistan captain and Olympian said that the PHF would have to abide by whatever directions came from the government.
"The Junior World Cup is very important for the future of our hockey set-up as we need to test the new talent in a major tournament and majority of these players will be front runners to play in the senior team in the World Cup qualifying tournament next year," he said.
Ahmed pointed out that the two matches played in the Asian Champions Trophy in Malaysia recently between Pakistan and India were competitive in nature.
"Both teams played hard but in good sporting spirit which is good for everyone," he said.
Ahmed said he was satisfied that in both matches, Pakistan had fought hard before going down to the arch-rivals.
"We are presently ranked 13th in the world while India is 6th so we need to understand we have some catching up to do with other nations that is why the Junior World Cup is significant for our hockey," he said.
The Junior World Cup will feature teams from 16 nations -- Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Egypt, England, Germany, India, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan and Spain.
Pakistan is placed alongside Netherlands, Belgium and Egypt in Pool B.
The Times of India
Samiullah lashes out at PHF, hockey team
Mohsin Ali
ISLAMABAD - Olympian Samiullah termed Pakistan hockey team performance in the recently-concluded 4th Asian Champions Trophy in Kuantan, Malaysia as an eye-opener for the federation saying their tall claims have nothing to do with ground reality.
Talking to The Nation, Samiullah, known as flying horse, said: “Frankly speaking, the way entire Asian teams played in the event was a matter of grave concern for all the Asian hockey federations and clearly indicates that we lack far behind when it comes to watching top international hockey playing nations.
The margin of goals, poor finishing and pathetic hockey on display are more than enough reasons of concerns for all the Asians hockey federations and especially for Pakistan Hockey Federation.
It also proved that we are still living in the era of 80s and early 90s and struggling to get over that honey-moon period.”
Samiullah said one thing was quite sure that unless the PHF didn’t start practical work to revive Pakistan hockey.
“There is an urgent need of reviving club level hockey and enhancing pool of players, as we can see almost same players have been representing Pakistan team since long and not a good number of new faces were introduced.
Now the time is high when the PHF must start work on producing and grooming fresh blood, and the appointments must be made on past performances and coaching staff should be hired purely according to modern day needs.”
Samiullah said that he was feeling that the PHF was not taking December’s Junior World Hockey Cup in India seriously.
“It is a highly prestigious event and Pakistan has to play against the best juniors in the business, so they must select the best team and prepare them well for the mega event.”
When asked about boycotting the Junior World Cup due to India’s non-cooperative behaviour in sports, Samiullah replied: “It is not possible, as it is the FIH event and we have to participate in it.
The FIH will ensure security and other related matters, so we must prepare team for the mega event rather than thinking on other lines.”
He said: “The government is not going to release grant or provide big money.
Now the present office-bearers have spent more than enough time, and made tall claims regarding hockey uplift, but still a great number of promises have to be fulfilled regarding providing central contracts to players, jobs, financial benefits, starting Pakistan Super League and arranging funds through exploring own resources, but after a lapse of almost two years, nothing on ground was done.
Like past, the PHF is whole-solely depending on government for funds, while the PSL is nowhere near from launching, while central contracts and other promises are yet to be fulfilled.
I personally believe, the PHF must start delivering as already too much time has been wasted.
Former Olympians should be taken onboard for positive suggestions and the federation must implement their suggestions and recommendations in true letter and spirit, as it is the only way of taking Pakistan hockey back to old glory days,” Samiullah concluded.
The Nation
After Asia, got to rise in world: Oltmans
Hockey coach says India have a serious chance to win a medal at the World Cup and Olympics
Sabi Hussain
The Indian hockey team arrived in New Delhi on Monday after beating Pakistan in the Asian Champions Trophy in Kuantan, Malaysia. PTI
India’s chief hockey coach Roelant Oltmans is a difficult man to please. Two days after guiding the national team to the gold medal at the Asian Champions Trophy, the 62-year-old Dutchman is already busy setting new goals for the team, which include a podium finish at the 2018 World Cup in Bhubaneswar and culminate with a medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Oltmans, in his own words, now has more “freedom and time” to devote to coaching and lead the Indian team till the Tokyo Games after getting a four-year extension. This time, Oltmans would be purely working as the chief coach, while Australia’s David Ian John would take over the mantle of high performance director.
For Oltmans, with India’s experienced and young players performing consistently in tandem at the international competitions, the Asian Champions Trophy triumph has “started a new episode” where the team has to continuously set “new benchmarks” to beat tough sides from Europe, Australia and South America.
Oltmans spoke to The Tribune on the team’s return from Malaysia. Excerpts:
What’s your takeaway from the Asian Champions Trophy title win?
Winning a tournament is always good, but the way we did it was certainly a huge boost for the entire team. It’s no mean feat to become No. 1 in Asia for the second time in a row. It’s good to see youngsters such as Afaan Yousuf, Pradeep Mor and Talwinder Singh rising to the occasion and stepping up in the absence of some of the senior players. They got the chance to showcase their skills and they performed impressively. Apart from them, the seniors were terrific, especially Rupinder Pal Singh with his penalty corner conversions. I am pleased with the overall performance. It’s the start of a new episode for us. But there are teams from Europe, Australia and South America above us in the world ranking, so there’s still a lot to be achieved in terms of results.
How special was it to beat Pakistan twice?
I wasn’t only focusing on Pakistan… The focus was to win the tournament. We did beat Pakistan twice, which was simply great. We all knew how important those wins were for us. Not only were we playing our arch-rivals but also the whole country was watching us. The boys showed plenty of resolve and determination.
In the next World Cup and Olympics, some of the senior players may not be there. In that context, how do you assess India’s bench strength?
Well, things are obviously moving in the right direction as far as our juniors are concerned. We need these experienced players for the World Cup and the Tokyo Olympics but, at the same time, we need to have a strong pool of juniors, which we thankfully have. We will be trying different combinations in the coming international events. Our focus, most importantly, is on the Junior World Cup in Lucknow in December. That will give us a good picture of our bench strength.
Now that you would be focusing only on the job of chief coach, how do you plan to build the team for the Tokyo Olympics?
The process has already started. The process is to finish at the podium in the World Cup and Olympics. I have always said that it takes four to six years to build a team before you become a serious medal contender at the Olympics. Being the chief coach, it gives me the freedom and opportunity to solely focus on the improvement part. I would be watching a lot more videos, planning the combination and preparing the strategies…. No more doing some of the odd jobs as high performance director. I would be taking care of the performance part of the team — that’s it. The World Cup in India would provide us a chance to see where we stand before the Olympics. We have a serious chance to win a medal at the World Cup and Olympics and that’s what I am aiming for. Probably, Tokyo would be my last Olympics with the Indian team, and otherwise also. It would be great to leave on a high.
Sardar Singh was terrific. Your thoughts…
Sardar is a great player. He showed as a midfielder what he is capable of. He not only defended, but created goal-scoring opportunities too. The way he prepared Ramandeep’s goal against South Korea in the semifinal was just fantastic. This is what we would like to see of him more often. He was the best player in the final… It shows that he is reinventing himself.
Sreejesh dedicates win to Uri martyrs
Bengaluru: Skipper PR Sreejesh today dedicated the Asian Champions Trophy triumph to the Indian soldiers martyred in the Uri attack and their families. “Winning the Asian Champions Trophy is a Diwali gift to the Indian soldiers. The Indian soldiers would enjoy this medal more than any other medal,” said Sreejesh. Asked about the emotional state of the team while facing Pakistan in the final, the skipper said: “The players do go through a lot of emotions, but they have to focus more on the on-field battle. The players did not let emotions get to them, they just shut themselves off from the outside world. We also stayed away from social media to avoid any controversy.” Sounding extremely pleased with the team’s showing, the skipper said: “Of the seven matches we played, we won six and drew one. That shows how good we are at the Asia level.”
The Tribune
Sreejesh dedicates Asian Champions Trophy triumph to Uri attack martyrs
BENGALURU: National team captain P R Sreejesh dedicated the Asian Champions Trophy triumph to the Indian soldiers martyred in the Uri attack and their families, saying it's a Diwali gift to those who lost their lives while safeguarding the country.
"Winning Asian Champions Trophy is a Diwali gift to the Indian soldiers. The Indian soldiers, who are safeguarding our borders, would have definitely enjoyed this medal more than any other medal," Sreejesh told reporters after arriving from Kuala Lampur.
Sreejesh, along with Nikkin Thimmaiah, arrived at the city airport around 11.45 last night after defeating Pakistan in Asian Champions Trophy final.
"It is also a Diwali gift to those kins of martyred soldiers who lost their lives in Uri attacks carried out by cross-border terrorists," the Indian goalkeeper said.
The army base, located barely a few kilometers from the Line of Control (LoC) and about 70 km from Srinagar, was subjected to the brazen attack by four terrorists on September 18 at around 5.30 am, causing heavy casualties in the Dogra regiment.
Asked about the emotions running through the players while playing the final against Pakistan, Sreejesh said, "Yes, a lot of emotions run through the Indian players when they play against Pakistan. However, the players nowadays tend to focus more on the on-field battle than off-field issues," he said.
The players did not let emotions get to them and shut themselves off the outside world, Sreejesh said.
"The players did not let their emotions take them over. The tournament was more about winning the title and performances," he said.
The players also stayed away from social media to avoid controversies, especially when India was playing Pakistan, Sreejesh said.
"I think that was the best factor, apart from these players. It is a team with several youngsters, but they showed maturity on the field. We dominated this tournament," he said.
"It was a different feeling this time," he said.
"Of seven matches, we won six and drew one. That shows how good we are at the Asia level. That's how we prepared for the league match against Pakistan," he added.
The Times of India
India hockey team shut itself off emotionally before playing Pakistan: PR Sreejesh
Jamie Alter
NEW DELHI: PR Sreejesh, captain of the Indian hockey team that reclaimed the Asian Champions Trophy with a 3-2 win over Pakistan on Sunday in Kuala Lumpur, is a happy man following the team's success. And for a good reason, because beyond the success over the last 10 days, he sees a bright future for Indian hockey.
Speaking to TOI Sports after the Indian team's return from Malaysia on Tuesday, Sreejesh addressed a range of issues, pertinently how his squad shut itself off from social media when preparing to play Pakistan and how this is the fittest group of Indian hockey players he's played with.
Excerpts:
About a month ago, you vowed to beat Pakistan in the Asian Champions Trophy and dedicate the win to India's soldiers. As it panned out, your team beat Pakistan not once, but twice. How tough is it to prepare for a match of that intensity?
It's an emotional factor, because a lot of feelings go through you when India plays Pakistan. Nowadays the players tend to focus more on their performance rather than what happens outside the hockey field. What we did here in this tournament was shut off the outside world and not let emotions get to us. This tournament was more about individuals focusing on their roles, and planning to win the title with a proper system and performances.
Secondly, we stayed away from social media because when it comes to India and Pakistan, chances are there will be a lot of comments and negativity and controversies. I think that was the best factor, apart from these players.
It's a team with several youngsters but they showed maturity on the field. We dominated this tournament. Of seven matches, we won six and drew one. That shows how good we are at the Asia level. That's how we prepared for the league match against Pakistan. The final was difficult for me because I didn't play, but I had faith in the team that they would win the title for us. It was a different feeling this time.
At the Asian level it seems this team is one step ahead of the opposition. But looking at the top three in the world - Australia, Germany and Netherlands, even Belgium - where do you see India? And how do you close the gap?
It will take more time to beat the top three which you mentioned, but teams like Belgium, England and Argentina are beatable. It's all about how we perform against them on the day. If you see the Rio Olympics, we had close matches with Germany and Holland, and we beat Argentina. Earlier, we had beaten England in the quarter-finals [of the Champions Trophy]. We can beat any team in the world, but we need to show consistency. We need to step up in higher level tournaments, we need experience.
Over the last three years we've been carrying a bunch of players as a core group. If you compare this to Australia, Germany, Holland and Belgium, you will see that they've been carrying the same performers for ten years. Hence they are consistent. If you keep a core group for a long time, the understanding between players increases. These teams, before they take the field, are already talking and training in the way they want to win.
Tell us a little about the team's mental strength. In the last quarter of the final versus Pakistan the team refreshingly did not show any jitters, which has been the case so many times before.
Correct. That used to happen to us a lot before, especially in the dying moments of matches in even those where we were leading. There was a tendency to relax. We gave 100 percent and 200 percent but in the last minute or so it was often like 'Oh God, it's over now'. But in modern hockey that time is sufficient for an opponent to score a goal. This happened to us against Germany in the final minute. We just relaxed and they scored a goal. This is where we really have to learn from the big teams, the champions.
They don't give up or spare a second for opponents. That's what we are learning from Germany. In their Olympics quarter-final versus New Zealand they were down 0-2 [with six minutes to play] and then in the last minute they scored two goals to win the match 3-2. That is how we need to step up. We need to activate our brains in the dying moments of games.
Often in the third quarter when the break comes up, we start to lag but now the coaches say to us that we cannot afford to and that we have to give our best in the first five minutes and the last five minutes. In Malaysia the players stepped up and did this. That was a big positive for us from this tournament. This shows the maturity of the players in a psychological way.
The game is now played at such a high intensity that fitness levels are absolutely paramount. Where do you see this Indian team in comparison with the best in the world?
I think we are one of the fittest teams in the world. I felt this in the Champions Trophy and the Olympics and now in the Asian Champions Trophy. Things changed after foreign coaches came in. We changed our training methods, focused on strengthening sessions and our fitness levels were raised. In modern hockey, fitness is the key and with rolling substitutions a player is getting about three or four minutes and then a break. So in those minutes he needs to give his best and push really hard. We have worked hard on this. On training days we hit the gym and on other days we do a lot of running, so I feel we are one of the fittest teams.
How tough is communication in a team where the coach speaks English but players come from various parts of the country where they aren't so fluent?
There is an issue but we have a translator, Tushar [Khandekar] (part of India's coaching setup), and the senior players help the youngsters. Now we have common terms and when we train we can show the way with our actions, like doing push-ups to get everyone on the same page. That is easy to understand.
It's tougher during matches when the coach lays out his points at the quarter breaks. At these times some players take a few seconds more to understand. But a good quality of the seniors is that they take initiative and try to ensure that what the coach says is communicated to everyone.
How is the bonhomie among team members?
Nowadays, we know the focus has to be as a team. You cannot focus on individuals. Our mentality has changed; we feel that as a team we can win. Individuals cannot win tournaments, unless he's a goalkeeper. As far as players go, they can win you a match but not a tournament. One extraordinary move can win a match, yes. Our focus is on the team. We bond well and I think everyone is happy.
You have players like Sardar Singh and Rupinder Pal Singh from north India, several from the south, such as you and Nikhil Thimmaiah and SK Uthappa, and some from the north east. How do you mingle when on the road? Do your families meet?
Generally when we play in the north, players' families come and visit us in the hotel but we don't go to their homes. We try to create opportunities for players to mingle, such as going for movies together or to the beach and also during recovery sessions we engage in fun games. We talk a lot, which is good, because we discuss more than hockey.
As a team we generally speak in just Hindi or English. Everyone is comfortable in Hindi. Of course, if five or six of the Punjabi players go out then they will speak in Punjabi, but as a team we keep it common so that everyone can understand.
Among the youngsters, who stands out?
Affan Yousuf has the talent to succeed, as does Lalit [Upadhyay]. It's about how they utilize that talent on the field for the betterment of the team.
What about the team's relationship with foreign coaches? Who has been the most acceptable to the team?
Each coach has his comfort zone. Jose Brasa was trying to develop the basics and he approached coaching us in that way. The first few times he was quite hard and rough, but when it came to the performance stage he assumed a very cool personality. We, as a team were more attached to Brasa, Terry [Walsh] and Roelant [Oltmans]. Under Terry we trained really hard. The first training period was the toughest but once we became comfortable it worked well. Same with Roelant, so I rate these three as the best I've worked with.
The Times of India
I worked hard on my basics, says Nikkin Thimmaiah
Sunil Subbaiah
BENGALURU: After a stellar performance at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in 2015, Nikkin Thimmaiah had to endure an indifferent season this year. His trapping and receiving was not up to the mark, he struggled to work the ball along and his passing too was weak.
Enduring a prolonged slump in form, Thimmaiah decided to focus on his game and got back stronger. His confidence received a boost at the Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) in Malaysia when he scored the winner as India defeated Pakistan 3-2 to clinch their second title on Sunday.
"I wasn't scoring because I wasn't receiving the ball well while my running with the ball wasn't effective. I worked on all these issues before going to Rio Olympics in August and and got the results," said Thimmaiah, who along with his teammates PR Sreejesh, Birendra Lakra and SK Uthappa, arrived on Monday night.
Although Thimmaiah scored only two goals in the tournament, he is happy with the overall improvement he has shown. "Compared to last year I am playing much better from the last two tournaments. I am happy with my performance," said Thimmaiah, who scored the winner against Korea in a crucial Champions Trophy league encounter in London earlier this year.
Talking about the intense final against Pakistan, Thimmaiah said: "We knew Pakistan were weak playing on the lines. We focused on that area and were successful. There were some anxious moments in the second half when Pakistan fought back to draw 2-2, but we stuck to our plans to beat them," he said.
Meanwhile, his fellow teammate Uthappa, who played a key role in the midfield, said the strategies they adopted to earn penalty corners worked well for the team. "Before ACT, we struggled to force penalty corners. So we spent a lot of time in the camp working on it. This helped us score more goals in Malaysia,"he said.
Uthappa also pointed out that India-Pakistan hockey rivalry no longer puts extra pressure on the players. "There was absolutely no pressure on us. We just treated it as just another match," he said.
Going forward, Uthappa said the team's focus is to do well at bigger events. "We are No. 1 in Asia and we look to dominate in global events," he said.
The Indian team will regroup at SAI centre on Sunday to prepare for the four-nation series in Melbourne from Nov 23-27.
The Times of India
Indian goalkeeper Sreejesh charged extra for excess baggage by airline
Sreejesh was charged Rs 1500 for carrying 'sports equipment' that was termed as excess baggage. (TOI Photo)Sreejesh was charged Rs 1500 for carrying 'sports equipment' that was termed as excess baggage. (TOI Photo)
NEW DELHI: An angry Indian hockey team goalkeeper PR Sreejesh on Tuesday vented his ire on airline career Air Asia which penalised him for excess baggage which included his sports equipment as he was returning after winning Asian Champions Trophy beating Pakistan 3-2 in the finals.
It was learnt that Sreejesh was charged Rs 1500 for carrying 'sports equipment' that was termed as excess baggage. An irate Sreejesh took to twitter to express his disappointment.
"Extra charges for the sports equipment bag which come below 15 kg?? Are they expecting me to carry make up kit ??.. funny concept @Air Asia," Sreejesh tweeted posting the a screenshot of the penalty receipt.
The star custodian's, who is also one of the captains of the Indian senior team, equipment is expected to be heavier than his teammates as goalkeepers have heavy protective gears which includes upper body protection, thick pads, gloves and a helmet unlike other players who need to carry their hockey sticks.
The Times of India
National Age Group Squads selected
After a fantastic four days of Futures Cup action at Oaklands College, the England coaches have undertaken the difficult task of selecting players to be taken forward for the Under 16 and Under 18 national training squad.
432 athletes represented the 24 teams at the Futures Cup and the standard was extremely high. Spectators were treated to an abundance of goals, saves and plenty of drama as the brightest young talent stood toe to toe in pursuit of glory and their chance to realise their dream of representing their country.
Players have now been selected for the Under 16 Boys, U16 Girls, U18 Boys and U18 Girls training squads, those being taken forward at this time are on the links below:
U18 Boys U18 Girls
Please could both selected and non-selected players read the attached document (at the bottom of the page) to find out about the next steps in the Player Pathway.
Ed Barney, Performance Director at, England Hockey commented: “Futures Cup has provided an excellent best versus best tournament environment. Our sincere thanks goes to St Albans Hockey Club and Oaklands College, not forgetting the small army of volunteers who have made a significant contribution to put on a quality event.
"With the ‘end in mind’ and taking into consideration the Overarching Principles, it’s encouraging to see players from across Great Britain playing with such intensity, showcasing their ability to execute skills and making good decisions under pressure. I very much look forward to watching all of the players within the Player Pathway and across the home nations continue their development over the coming months and years. For those successful in making the squads, there will be a fantastic period of further development as players prepare and learn how to perform on the international stage”
Training schedules and match schedules will follow in due course, but in the meantime we would like to congratulate all the players on their efforts and on being selected.
England Hockey Board Media release
Rourkela school annexes 34th Nehru Sub-Junior Crown
s2h team
Striking a brace in the last minute, Birsa Munda Vidyapitha, Odhisa annexed the prestigious 34th Jawaharlal Nehru Sub-Junior Nehru Cup today at Shivaji Stadium, New Delhi, with a hard fought 4-3 win over Indira Priyadarshini Higher Secondary School, Bhopal.
Samir Ekka's untiring efforts borne fruit at last the dying seconds to give the winners the winning goal, while his team's Sandeep Chirmako just converted a stroke to level the score 3-3.
The winning team got Rs.64,000 as prize money while the runners up where Himanshu Sanik scored two goals, got Rs.64,000.
Nehru Cup Series is the serious effort in India to give national platform for schools. Winners of each's State's Champion Schools get entry for the prestigious tournament.
Nehru in all organizes six all India level tournaments. The first one was for the girls, followed by the Sub-Junior edition which Rourkela school won today.
Stick2Hockey.com
Toni Cumpston appointed High Performance Director Beginning December 5
Holly MacNeil
(Melbourne, Victoria) - Hockey Australia is pleased to announce that Toni Cumpston has been appointed to the position of Hockey Australia High Performance Director, replacing Andy Smith who left the role in September 2016.
Toni comes from a high performance sports background, which most recently saw her spend the last three years at the AIS as a Performance Manager where she worked with Equestrian Australia, Netball Australia, Sailing Australia, Water Polo Australia, Basketball Australia and Wheelchair Rugby.
Previously, Toni worked as High Performance Manager for Hockey New Zealand, as an assistant coach for the Hockeyroos, and as head coach of the Victorian Institute of Sports women’s program. Toni has also been a Hockey Australia Board appointed national selector.
On her appointment, Cumpston said: “I am thrilled to be returning to Hockey Australia at this exciting time when we will be looking to mould the shape of Australian hockey ahead of the home Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in 2018, and with the upcoming appointment of new head coaches for the Hockeyroos and the Kookaburras. I look forward to getting settled in Perth and beginning this new challenge.”
Hockey Australia Chief Executive Cam Vale said: “I am delighted to have Toni join us as our new High Performance Director. Toni’s extensive sporting and hockey experience, and success across high performance sport in a range of different roles makes her the ideal candidate to lead our sport forward over the next four-year cycle as we look towards Tokyo 2020.”
Acting AIS Director Dean Kenneally said: “During her time at the AIS as a Performance Manager, Toni has made an exceptional contribution to the high performance sector, especially through her support of sports within her portfolio. The AIS has been fortunate to have someone of Toni’s calibre on staff and we are delighted that her expertise and passion for Australian high performance sport will continue with Hockey Australia.”
Toni will begin in the role on Monday, 5 December.
Hockey Australia media release
Hockey Ireland Shortlisted For Best NGB
Hockey Ireland is delighted to be shortlisted for NGB of the Year at the Sport Industry Awards, alongside Rowing Ireland, Gymnastics Ireland, Swim Ireland and Paralympics Ireland. The awards ceremony takes place on November 10th in the Mansion House.
The Federation of Irish Sport announce the finalists of the Sport Industry Awards 2016:
NGB of the Year
Rowing Ireland
Gymnastics Ireland
Swim Ireland
Paralympics Ireland
Hockey Ireland
Established Sports Business
Titan Experience
INPHO Sports Photography
Nemeton TV
Emerging Sports Business
AGP Sport Consulting
GourmetFuel
Sport for Business
Best Mass Participation Programme
Run in the Dark
SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon & Race Series
Ladies Gaelic Football Association – The Lidl National Gaelic4Mothers&Others Blitz Day
Best International Sports Event
Pentathlon Ireland – 2016 UIPM World Championships
Irish American Event Limited – 2016 Aer Lingus College Football Classic
GAA – the Etihad Airways GAA World Games 2016
Best Sponsorship of a Team or Individual
AIG Sponsorship – Dublin GAA
PwC Ireland’s U-20 rugby team
Allianz Ireland’s sponsorship of Team Ireland at the 2016 Paralympic Games
Best Sponsorship of a Sporting Event or Competition
Lidl – Ladies Gaelic Football Association
AIG Sponsorship – AIG Fenway Hurling Classic
AIB – Backing Club and County #TheToughest
Best Use of Social Media
Life Style Sports – #FootbALLorNothing
AIB – Backing Club and County #TheToughest
Lidl – Ladies Gaelic Football Association
Best Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative in Sport
FAI – The Late Night Leagues
GAA Healthy Club Project, in Partnership with Irish Life
Best Innovation in Sport
Powerfullogos Ltd
GolfGraffix
RAMfit
Best LSP Initiative
Cork Local Sports Partnership – Community Sports and Physical Activity Hub
Meath Local Sport Partnership – Kickstart 2 Recovery
Limerick Sport Partnership – Positive Ageing Week/Go for Life Games
Irish Hockey Association media release
Patricia Pomphrett RIP
Hockey Ireland is saddened to have learnt of the passing of Patricia Pomphrett, wife of former Hockey Ireland Chairman Tom Pomphrett.
Pomphrett, (nee Roughneen) Patricia, (Templeroan, Knocklyon) October 30th 2016 at Tallaght Hospital. Beloved wife of Tom, loving mother of Emma and Laura and grandmother of the late Noah. Very deeply regretted by her family, sister Rosaleen, brothers Dermot, John and Gerard, sons-in-law Ross and Paul, grandchildren Isaac, Joshua and Eliza, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.
May she rest in peace.
Removal from Fanagans Funeral Home, Lr Kimmage Road to St. Colmcille’s Church, Knocklyon arriving at 5:00oc on Wednesday evening. Funeral on Thursday after 10oc Mass to Bohernabreena Cemetery. Family flowers only please. Donations, in lieu of flowers, to the Marie Keating Foundation.
Irish Hockey Association media release