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All the news for Tuesday 13 December 2016

Five more teams reach Junior World Cup Quarter-Finals



Australia, Argentina, Belgium, the Netherlands and host nation India all confirmed their places in the Quarter-Finals of the Uttar Pradesh Hockey Junior World Cup Men Lucknow 2016 on an absorbing fifth day of play. The five teams join Germany and Spain, the respective first and second placed finishers from Pool C, in the knock-out stages, with only one Quarter-Final position left to be filled. 

Although the match order and timings are yet to be decided, we now know that Pool A winners Australia will face Pool B runners up the Netherlands. Pool D winners India and Pool C’s second placed Spain are also a match-up, with Belgium and Argentina – whose senior teams competed in the Olympic final at Rio 2016 – also going head to head. Pool C winners Germany are still awaiting their opponent, which will be revealed at the close of play on Tuesday (13th December) following the completion of the pool phase.

In Pool A, Australia and Argentina both sealed their places in the Quarter-Finals of the competition, with Australia finishing the day as the pool winners with a game still to play. The Burras overcame a strong challenge from surprise package Austria to emerge 4-2 winners, with Joshua Simmonds, Lachlan Sharp, Blake Govers and Jack Welch all on target in the win. “It was slow to get going in the first half but it was coming, we just needed to stay patient and focus on what we were doing”, said Australian Olympian Blake Govers after the match. “In the second half we did that and actually let them off the hook a little bit at times. I think we could have bettered that performance, but we will keep building ahead of the Quarter-Finals.”

That result left Austria sitting second in Pool A with four points, meaning that Argentina needed to win their match against Korea by three clear goals in order to leap-frog the Austrians and snatch the ticket to the Quarter-Finals on goal-difference. The South American continental champions achieved their target in impressive style, overpowering their Asian opponents with a 5-1 victory. Argentina were on fire in the first period, establishing a 3-0 lead inside 14 minutes thanks to efforts from Martin Ferreiro, Tomas Domene and Thomas Habif, with Nicolas Keenan adding another just before the break. A Park Joohan strike reduced the arrears six minutes after half time, but Keenen grabbed his second and Argentina’s fifth to complete the scoring and seal that all important Quarter-Final place. Despite that achievement, Argentina captain Maico Casella was far from satisfied. “Yes, I’m happy that we won and to score four goals in the first half was very good, but we still missed a lot of chances and we need to correct that.”

Pool B was also settled on Monday, with Belgium taking first place ahead of the Netherlands, who finished second. The Netherlands moved temporarily into top spot with a 7-0 victory over Egypt, scoring three goals in the first period and four in the second. First half goals from Thijs van Dam, Jip Janssen and Bram van Groesen established a strong lead for the Dutch, with Thierry Brinkman, Sebastian van der Graaf, Janssen again and Noud Schoenaker completing the rout. The Dutch were quickly bumped down into second in Pool B by Belgium’s Red Cougars, who proved too strong for Malaysia to claim a third successive win. Gregory Stockbroekx gave Belgium an early lead before Quentin van Lierde doubled the advantage ahead of half time. Thomas Verheijen’s 55th minute penalty corner put the result beyond all doubt.

The final match of the day was in Pool D, where India defeated South Africa but were made to work hard for their win. A passion-filled crowd were thrilled when India captain Harjeet Singh rifled home in the 11th minute, but a penalty corner from Kyle Lion-Cachet ahead of half time levelled the scores at the break. Mandeep Singh scored the winner with 15 minutes of the match remaining, sending the crowd into raptures and sealing top spot in the pool. Although not their best performance of the competition, the home favourites are gathering momentum here in Lucknow and will be hoping to continue their winning run in the Quarter-Final phase.

On Tuesday (13th December), the final matches of the pool phase will be played to complete the line-up for the quarter-finals. England take on Canada in Pool D in a match that will decide the last qualifier for the Quarter-Finals.  In Pool A, table toppers Australia take on Korea. 

RESULTS

Pool A: Australia 4, Austria 2; Korea 1, Argentina 5.
Pool B: Netherlands 7, Egypt 0; Malaysia 0, Belgium 3. 
Pool D: South Africa 1, India 2.

Quarter-Final line-up (as of 12th December. Times & playing order TBC)

Australia (1st Pool A) – Netherlands (2nd Pool B)
India (1st Pool D) – Spain (2nd Pool C)
Belgium (1st Pool B) – Argentina (2nd Pool A)
Germany (1st Pool C) – TBC (2nd Pool D)

FIH site

Belgium and Netherlands add to JWC quarters line-up



Belgium and the Netherlands both progressed to the knock-out stages of the Junior World Cup in Lucknow with comfortable wins over Malaysia and Egypt, respectively.

The Dutch moved temporarily into top spot in their group with a 7-0 victory over Egypt, scoring three goals in the first period and four in the second. First half goals from Thijs van Dam, Kampong’s Jip Janssen and Bram van Groesen established a strong lead for the Dutch. Thierry Brinkman, Sebastian van der Graaf, Janssen again and Noud Schoenaker completed the rout.

The Dutch were quickly bumped down into second in Pool B by Belgium’s Red Cougars, who proved too strong for Malaysia to claim a third successive win.

Gregory Stockbroekx gave Belgium an early lead before Quentin van Lierde doubled the advantage ahead of half time. Thomas Verheijen’s 55th minute penalty corner put the result beyond all doubt.

As such, Australia will face the Netherlands while Spain meet Pool D winners India. Belgium and Argentina – whose senior teams competed in the Olympic final at Rio 2016 – are also going head to

head. Pool C winners Germany are still awaiting their opponent, which will be revealed at the close of play on Tuesday following the completion of the pool phase with England and Canada’s tie set to be decisive. Austria bowed out of contention with a 4-2 loss to Australia.

Euro Hockey League media release

Aus, Belgium sail into quarterfinals of Jr Hockey World Cup

Lucknow: Pre-tournament favourites Australia and Belgium comfortably secured their berths in the quarterfinals of the men's Junior Hockey World Cup with resounding wins over their respective opponents at the Major Dhyan Chand Astroturf Stadium here today.

While Australia defeated surprise element Austria 4-1 in Pool A, Netherlands thrashed lowly Egypt 7-0 in a Pool B fixture.

With two wins from as many matches, Australia are leading Pool A with six points and they are set to top the pool even if they lose against Korea in their final match which looks highly unlikely.

Argentina, who beat Korea 5-1 in another Pool A match today, narrowly scrapped past Austria to qualify for the quarterfinals because of a better goal difference.

Both Argentina and Austria finished their pool engagements with four points from three games but the former sailed through by virtue of two-goal advantage.

Belgium, on the other hand, finished on top of Pool B with an all-win record followed by Netherlands, who ended second with six points from three matches.

Belgium today defeated Malaysia 3-0 to register their third consecutive win in the tournament.

In the opening match of the day between Australia and Austria, Joshua Simmonds (4th minute), Lachlan Sharp (24th), Blake Govers (45th) and Jack Welch (46th) scored for the winners while Austria's goals came from the sticks of Phillip Schippan (8th) and Franz Lindengrun (67th).

In the second match of the day, Argentina scored through Martin Ferreiro (2nd), Tomas Domene (12th), Thomas Habif (14th), Nicolas Keenan (29th, 50th), while Korea's lone goal was scored by Joohan Park (41st).

The first match of Pool B was a one-sided affair as Netherlands streamrolled Egypt with goals from Thijs van Dam (7th), Jip Janssen (9th, 54th), Bram van Groesen (25th), Thierry Brinkman (37th), Sebastian van der Graaf (45th) and Noud Schoenaker (58th) to register their second win in the tournament.

Later in the day, Belgium scored through Gregory Stockbroekx (10th), Quentin van Lierde (33rd) and Thomas Verheijen (55th) to keep a clean slate in the pool stages.

Irrespective of the result of their last pool match, Australia will play Netherlands while Belgium will be up against Argentina in the quarterfinals scheduled for Thursday. SSC PDS PDS

The Times of India

Burras make it two for two at JWC

AUS 4 - 2 AUT

Holly MacNeil



The Australian Burras have dominated Austria 4 – 2 in their second pool match at the Junior World Cup in Lucknow, India today with the Aussies ruling the game from the opening minutes.

Joshua Simonds kicked off the game for the Burras when he scored a field goal four minutes into the first half to force Austria to chase the Australians from the get go.

Four minutes later and Austria were awarded a penalty corner which Phillip Schippan flicked into the net to equalise the score. Australia continued to press, and with possession remaining down in the Burras half it wasn’t long before they again took the lead thanks to a field goal from Lachlan Sharp.

Coming back from the half time break and the Burras were in an excellent position to maintain control of the game, and they did just that. A double goal combination with a penalty corner from Blake Govers in the 45th minute and Jack Welch with a field goal in the 46th minute saw Australia’s lead leap to 4 – 1.

Late in the game Austria made a final effort to reclaim the match with a field goal from Franz Lindengrun in the 67th minute decreasing the Burras lead slightly to 4 – 2, giving Australia the win in their second match at the Junior World Cup.

Burras head coach Ben Bishop said: “It was a solid performance for us. Austria have proven to be a formidable opponent in this tournament so we needed to be ready.

“We created a number of opportunities and got an encouraging result in the end. We look forward to improving again in our next match."

The Burras next play Korea on Tuesday at 2.30pm AWST / 5.30pm AEDT, with the game to be live streamed via the FIH YouTube Channel.

BURRAS 4 (2)
Joshua Simmonds 4 (FG)
Lachlan Sharp 24 (FG)
Blake Govers 45 (PC)
Jack Welch 46 (FG)

AUSTRIA 2 (1)
Philip Schippan 8 (PC) 
Franz Lindengrun 67 (FG)

Burras Fixtures
December 13: AUS v KOR 2.30pm AWST / 5.30pm AEDT

Burras Squad v Austria
Name (Home town / suburb)
Matthew Bird, (Coolbellup, WA)
Tom Craig, (Lane Cove, NSW)
Matthew Finn, (Paddington, QLD)
Frazer Gerrard, (Cottesloe, WA)
Max Hendry, (Camberwell, VIC)
Sam Liles, (Tamworth, NSW)
Kurt Lovett, (Parkes, NSW)
Ryan Proctor, (Engadine, NSW)
Joshua Simmonds, (Ringwood North, VIC)
Jack Welch, (Hobart, TAS)
Corey Weyer, (Biggera Waters, QLD)

Used Substitutes
Kiran Arunasalam, (Doncaster East, VIC)
Joshua Beltz, (Old Beach, TAS)
Stephen Gale, (Bulleen, VIC)
Blake Govers, (Wollongong, NSW)
Tim Howard, (Wakerley, QLD)
Lachlan Sharp, (Lithgow, NSW)
Ashleigh Thomas, (Baulkam Hills, NSW)

Hockey Australia media release

Hockey novices get lessons from the masters

By Swaroop Swaminathan



LUCKNOW: “Aapke mooh mein ghee shakkar (your words are sweet).” Those were coach Cedric D’Souza’s exact words when asked if Austria, just like France in 2013, would reach the final of the ongoing Junior World Cup.

They did not. A heavy defeat to Australia on Monday (coupled with Argentina’s comfortable win over Korea) meant they failed to qualify for the knockout stages. The result, though, shouldn’t take the gloss off from what has, inarguably, been the story of this World Cup so far. There are, according to D’Souza, some 2,500 field hockey players there. For comparison, there are nearly 1,000 registered hockey players in Mumbai alone.

Despite the successes of the underdogs in 2016 — think Leicester in the English Premier League and Iceland in the European Championships — the thought of a seemingly-inferior team upsetting the established order is still enough to send one in search of a shrink. So, how did Austria reach here?

The 60-year-old D’Souza wanted the team, both seniors as well as juniors, to learn. So, he took them on tours where he knew they would get ‘butchered’ by the opposition teams. When he first walked into the Austrian Hockey Federation in March this year, he realised how there was little international exposure. A plan was hatched as he used his contacts to convince bigger teams to play them.

The results were bad, as he himself says. “We took them to the lion’s den,” he says. “If you want to be the best, you play them. Get butchered and learn. And that’s what they have done.”

This tournament has offered ample proof. Their first match was against Argentina, whose senior team won gold at the Olympics. That finished 1-1. Their second match was an emphatic 5-2 victory over Asian powerhouse South Korea.

Their playing style is a very similar template to most teams who are aware of their limitations. “We try to keep a disciplined structure. We know that we are a counter-attacking team and don’t have the skills to match others. So, we play to a plan.”

Crucially, the players of the team have not only backed the plan, but have also actively endorsed it. “We started our initial preparations some five years ago,”
Oliver Binder, who scored for them against Argentina, says. “We played close to 15 times against the likes of Bangladesh, Netherlands, England and Germany. At first, we were nowhere close to them. But we have improved gradually. We might not have the skills of other players, but we have a fighting spirit.”

New Indian Express

Argentine cubs aim to emulate Los Leones

With a rich history in the sport, Argentina's U-21 men's team has a tough task to continue the legacy and raise the bar.

by Mihir Vasavda


Almost every Argentine participating in Lucknow has had a relative who’s played for the national hockey team.

When Valeria Keenan asked her teenage son Nicolas to take up hockey, his response was: “Isn’t that what girls play?”

Nicolas played football, and like most Rosario kids, he day-dreamed of being like Lionel Messi. But three generations of Keenans had played international hockey for Argentina’s men’s and women’s teams. And Nicolas was expected to carry on the tradition.

Rosario is also home to another sporting legend – Luciana Aymar. The hockey stalwart beat the football superstar to the 2010 Argentine sports personality of the year award. At times, she was compared with Diego Maradona for her skills. But it only fostered hockey’s image as a ‘feminine’ sport in Argentina. “Men play football and rugby. Hockey was for women,” Nicolas says. “When I carried my kitbag, most people thought it was a guitar or something. The concept of a boy walking to a hockey ground is something most of Argentina never understood.”

The men’s team has always been good, if qualifying for the Olympics is a benchmark. Mired in mediocrity, they, however, were never good enough for medals. The women, meanwhile, raised the bar.

In this century alone, the Aymar-led side medalled at all four Olympics, missing out in Rio, won two World Cups and seven Champions Trophy crowns. Their male counterparts, meanwhile, played in relative obscurity. Even when they achieved their (previous) best international result, a bronze at the 2014 World Cup, the women matched it as well.

But earlier this year, they shattered the 108-year old perception. At Rio, Los Leones, or the Lions, won their first ever Olympic medal. A gold. What made it slightly sweeter was that, for once, the women returned empty handed.

“Suddenly, everyone noticed the men’s team. They were on TV stations, newspapers…everywhere. They were the most watched team during the Olympics,” says Valeria, who played for Las Leonas.

It wasn’t only about the women’s team. The long, dark shadow of the national football team was perennially cast over them. The hockey team was everything that the Albiceleste weren’t. They were unattractive and lacked aggression, while the Argentine football team is seen as macho and always brimming with creative players.

But any attempt to compare the two sports fades when you take into account the popularity. “You have football, a huge gap, and then the other sports. Hockey is a part of other sports, not very big,” says Emilliano Bosso, the captain of their under-21 side. “Football is huge. Everyone plays. Everyone follows.”

Maradona is a hockey fan, they say. He walked into the women’s team locker room to console them after they lost the gold medal match at the Beijing Olympics. At the World League last year in Buenos Aires, he was once again in the stands cheering the side on.

But most others do not care. You wonder, why would someone pick up a hockey stick in the land of Maradona and Messi?

“Because it’s a family sport. You play hockey because someone in your family has played. That’s the main motivation,” striker Nicolas Acosta says. In the under-21 team that has travelled to Lucknow, almost every player has had a parent or grandparent who once played for the national team. Acosta is among the few whose family hasn’t played hockey.

A lot of credit for Argentina’s turnaround goes to Carlos Retegui. Think of a Diego Simeone or a Jurgen Klopp, and double their passion levels. That’s Chapa, or the Boss, for you. “Argentina are 70 percent because of Retegui’s passion and aggression. The remaining is talent,” a member of the Indian team that beat Argentina at the Rio Games says.

It’s not an exaggeration. Argentina had silently been working on their youth structure over the last six years but Retegui knew how to get the best out of it. He inherited a young, talented side in 2013 and within months, took them to another level. “He just fires you up with his style. Some coaches have that in them, don’t they?” Nicolas says.

Retegui was the coach of Argentina’s men and women teams at the 2014 World Cup, when both won medals. For the men, the bronze worked wonders. Suddenly, they became an international force. When they thrashed London Olympics gold medallists Germany in the semifinals of the Rio Games, it only asserted their new-found status.

The under-21 side, which scraped through to the quarterfinals on Monday, has a legacy to follow. Their women’s team won the junior World Cup in Chile last week. The boys have a tough act to follow.

Nicolas, though, isn’t concerned. “It’s not pressure. It’s a privilege,” he says. “At least back home when I now walk with my kitbag, people know I’m a hockey player. It’s a good time to be a hockey player in Argentina now.”

Indian Express

India overcomes stiff South African Challenge

s2h team

Low steam India faced stiff challenge from South Africa before snatching its third consecutive victory today at the Major Dhyan Chand stadium in Lucknow, to top the pool D. Mandeep Singh's spectacular diving reverse hand shot in the 55th minute gave India the winner after captain Harjeet Singh's goal was evened out by an immaculate penalty corner conversion of sturdy K. Lion-Catchet. Despite 2-1 win, India for the first time in the Junior World Cup looked a beatable side, after churning out two stupendous performance this week.

With nine points India top Pool D and majestically qualifies for the quarterfinal. Tomorrow's match between England and Canada will decide the second qualifier from this pool.

India started the proceedings on a brisk note, generating quick-silver attacks from both flanks, and surprising the African giants with deep overheads.

Arman Qureshi early on sent a strong backhand only to see agile goalie kicking it from danger with his right leg. Moments later Nilakanta Singh, gem from Manipur, hit from other side of the circle, and saw agonisingly the ball just inches off the target.

After these two close misses, skipper Harjeet Singh bounced on to a Gurjant Singh’s minus from left backline to push hard into right side of the net 1-1) in the 11th minute.

Indians looked formidable at this juncture with better ball possession and nippy turn overs, but slowly the Africans gained ascendency.

South Africa converted its first penalty corner that came after Manpreet Junior stick checked a forward on the right top edge of the circle. Sturdy Keyle Lion-Cachet delayed his drag, studied the rival disposition and let his fierce push reach home on his onside of the net (1-1).

This equalizer came moments after South Africa, now improving by leap and bounds would just miss a sitter, hitting a close range ball on the chest of Vikas Dhaiya who narrowed the angle.

In a closely knit attack Simranjit carried the ball to let go a golden chance to go up. However, moments later India got its second penalty corner but the pushed ball was not stopped properly for any worthy attack to come off.

India also missed its first penalty corner in the 17th minute and saw Harmanpreet’s straight push could not go beyond the pads of rival goalie.

The sides changed sides with levelled scoreline.

The ordeal of penalty corners, where most teams struggled at stopping the pushed ball, came to haunt India when it got its third penalty corner in the 49th minute. On the bounced ball, Nilakanta Sharma took a hard push but was well anticipated and cleared.

In the 55th minute, Indian camp came alive. Hardeep sent another of good push into D, Mandeep received after it bounced from a defender and then turned full before whacking the ball to the right of goalie (2-1).

Ajit Pandey had a chance to enhance Indian lead in the 58th minute but he harried his forehand from right top side of D.

Eight minutes into the clock, Harjeet Singh's pacy run and ball control saw him spiliting the defence and sending the ball to D where Mandeep Singh trapped neatly, but before he attempted a shot South African captain made a daring body tackle to deny Mandeep another goal.

Manpreet Junior made a neat tackle in the midfield and sent a guile push into D, but Mandeep again could not give that touch, allowing the ball go home though. Africans made a couple of good saves in the last five minutes even as Harjeet failed to put the ball into the net.

South Africa got a chance to level when they got their penalty just withing 150 seconds from hooter, after missing a field goal chance.

Lion-Cachet now could not convert, as his drag going way off right post.

Stick2Hockey.com

India, though patchy, manages to beat South Africa

Uthra Ganesan


Impressive start: Captain Harjeet Singh put India ahead during the course of an aggressive first 10 minutes of the match. Photo Credit: Rajeev Bhatt

India just about managed to edge 2-1 past a gritty South Africa, and finish unbeaten atop Pool-D in the Junior World Cup here on Monday.

In contrast to the structured performances of the previous games, there appeared little planning and more random rushing in, and shots were sprayed wide. That India still managed to come away with full points was more due to relentlessness than control in the attack.

The result effectively ended South Africa’s hopes of reaching the quarterfinals.

The first 10 minutes were impressive, though. India was aggressive, opening up the flanks well and advancing from all sides to push South Africa on to the back-foot. It resulted in captain Harjeet Singh getting a reverse stick to shoot a rebound into the net after Manpreet’s shot came off goalkeeper Siyavuya Nolutshungu’s pads.

Thereafter, however, the South Africans stepped up their game as India went astray. Manager Roelant Oltmans admitted the energy levels dropped, coach Harendra Singh added that the team missed chances and Harjeet admitted that individual play crept into the team after the opening goal.

The biggest concern for the team would be past errors coming in. Spain in the quarterfinals will be a tougher opponent.

The players admitted the team did not stick to its plan, and it was evident on the field. Harmanpreet Singh, Varun Kumar and Dispan Tirkey were solid enough in defence and, along with Vikas Dahiya, kept India in the game.

Harmanpreet and Varun, in particular, were impressive with their long aerial passes that landed perfectly in the scoring zone, only for the forwards to mess up.

Harjeet was committed in the middle but had little support from the rest. His pass to Mandeep inside the circle in the 55th minute was fluffed before the latter managed to regain control and strike on second attempt to finally get the winner.

Mis-trapping was rampant, the finishing coarse and the stopping during penalty corners sloppy. Armaan Qureshi, Parvinder Singh, and Mandeep Singh — despite his third Man of the Match award in as many games — were all guilty of holding on to the ball for too long and losing possession.

“Maybe somewhere everyone, including me, felt we had qualified and began trying fancy things,” a downcast Qureshi admitted.

South Africa, in contrast, kept its defensive structure intact while attempting to hit and run on counters and managed to score off its first penalty corner.

“We stayed defensive and played a tactical, passing game, and it almost worked for us. You cannot give space to India if you have to restrict them,” a satisfied South African coach Garreth Ewing said.

The one positive for India from the game would be a disciplined display. There was not a single foul or card for the Indians through the 70 minutes, a huge improvement from the previous outings.

Earlier, Australia beat Austria 4-2 for its second win in as many games to go atop Pool A. Argentina drubbed Korea 5-1 to finish second in the Pool, ahead of debutants Austria on goal difference, despite being tied on points.

In Pool B, the Netherlands thrashed Egypt 7-0 to round off its league engagements but still finished second behind Belgium, which remained unbeaten with a 3-0 win against Malaysia.

The results: Pool A: Australia 4 (Joshua Simmonds, Lachlan Sharp, Blake Govers, Jack Welch) bt Austria 2 (Phillip Schippan, Franz Lindengrun); Argentina 5 (Nicolas Keenan 2, Martin Ferreiro, Tomas Domene, Thomas Habif) bt Korea 1 (Joohan Park). Pool B: The Netherlands 7 (Jip Janssen 2, Thijs van Dam, Bram van Groesen, Thierry Brinkman, Sebastian van der Graaf, Noud Schoenaker) bt Egypt 0; Belgium 3 (Gregory Stockbroekx, Quentin van Lierde, Thomas Verheijen) bt Malaysia 0. Pool D: India 2 (Harjeet Singh, Mandeep Singh) bt South Africa 1 (Kyle Lion-Cachet).

Strategy coach van Gent to quit

The ongoing men’s junior World Cup might well be Roget van Gent’s last outing with Indian hockey, with the Dutchman set to quit due to family commitments. The strategic coach confirmed the same before India’s last league match against South Africa here on Monday.

“It was a tough decision for me, but my family needs me because we are going through some difficult times,” he said. van Gent had been with the Indian side for the past one year, joining the side before the Hockey World League Finals where India won bronze, and is a key member of the team think-tank.

“It was a short but wonderful journey. From 13th in the world we rose to sixth. We were just like family. I have already started missing the team,” he said while denying any external pressure to quit.

“After the end of the Australia tour recently, when I told the senior team players that I am leaving, they were shell-shocked,” he said.

Saying a title triumph here would be the perfect send-off gift, van Gent did not rule out returning for shorter stints. “I am not coaching any other side. I have also told Roelant and Hockey India that if they need my services any time I am ready,” he added.

The Hindu

India make it three in three, but not error-free

Mandeep’s 55th-minute winner takes India to quarterfinals, despite a complacent performance.

Written by Mihir Vasavda


Harjeet Singh’s goal had put India in front as early as the 11th minute.

India skipper Harjeet Singh walked in with swag after India had defeated England 5-3 on Saturday. His side was ruthless against the European Championship bronze medallists, hammering the proverbial nail in their coffin.

On Monday, though, Harjeet was more downcast. He was locked in an animated debate with a couple of his teammates as they walked off the pitch, pointing towards South Africa’s 25-yard line. He had scored one goal in India’s 2-1 win over South Africa, but Harjeet wildly gesticulated towards the areas of the pitch where the team wasn’t clinical.

This was India’s third straight win, which helped them top Pool D. But if Spain, India’s quarterfinal opponents, would have watched Monday’s match, they’d suddenly give themselves a good chance of pulling off an upset against the hosts.

It was a win, alright. And the stats will also show it was pretty one-sided as well. India entered South Africa’s ‘D’ 33 times in the 70 minutes, once almost every two minutes. South Africa, on the other hand, managed just 17 circle penetrations. India had double the shots than South Africa as well, six compared to their three, and enjoyed 59 percent possession. But as the old cliché goes, statistics often hide more than they reveal.

The hallmark of the recent Indian teams – junior and senior – is the manner in which their attack flows; ball being smoothly passed around from one stick to another at a high tempo with minimal dribbling. That’s when they are most dangerous. The Indian team calls it ‘simple’ hockey.

For the first 10 minutes, India stuck to their plans. It yielded instant results, with Harjeet putting hosts in the front as early as the 11th minute. But then, style overtook substance. Every once in a while, though, the ‘simple’ gave away to the complicated. India have a tendency of reverting to their old habit of holding the ball for an extra second. It breaks the flow of the attack, slows down the pace and gives the opponents time to restructure their defence. Against South Africa, India were guilty of doing just that.

Striker Armaan Qureshi put it down to complacency. But he could have well described it as overconfidence and it would still mean the same. The players, Qureshi admitted, knew at the back of their mind they had sealed their quarterfinals berth.

It also meant they had underestimated South Africa, lulled into believing that there wasn’t even a remote chance of an upset. That mindset resulted in the players taking some freedom, which they wouldn’t have against tougher opponents. “We ran unnecessarily with the ball. We had the possession but weren’t really doing much with it,” Qureshi confided.

South Africa, too, were smart in their approach. Unlike England, they sat back and happily let India do all the fancy stuff and play to the gallery, which was filled by thousands, braving the evening chill and fog. The defenders held their line well, barring the one moment wherein they conceded a soft penalty corner, which allowed Kyle Lion-Cachet to score the equaliser. Other than that, they were precise with their timing of individual tackles and goalkeeper Vikas Dahiya pulled off a stunning save in the final moments to ensure three points. But the attackers were wasteful. Despite all the possession and circle entries, they could barely manage a serious effort on goal. The forwards tried penetrating South Africa’s defence from the wings and centre, but they were well organized and shut the doors firmly on India.

It took Mandeep Singh’s brilliance in the 55th minute to break the deadlock. He brilliantly controlled a powerful ball drilled in by Harjeet, and beat South African goalkeeper Siyavuya Nolutshunghu with a reverse flick. Apart from the goal, Mandeep had also created two penalty corners, but Harmanpreet Singh’s poor drag-flicking form meant India could not extend their lead. In the end, India clung on to the win. But the side’s performance raised more questions about their title credentials. “I’ll repeat what Harjeet said the other day, humein itne keel gaadhne chahiye the ki murde uth na sake,” coach Harendra Singh said. “We started with that attitude. But after 10 minutes, we lost our killer instinct. Against tougher teams, we can’t afford that.” That’s exactly what they’ll be aspiring for in the knockouts.

Indian Express

India colts labour to victory

Hosts continue winning run, beat South Africa 2-1; face Spain in quarterfinals

Indervir Grewal


Harjeet Singh celebrates after scoring a goal against South Africa in the Junior World Cup. tribune photo

India were “sloppy” in large parts and were almost made to pay for it by a spirited South Africa. The hosts, however, pulled through to a 2-1 win that confirmed they will finish on top of their pool and face Spain in the quarterfinals of the Hockey Junior World Cup.

The tight win, in which South Africa had a late chance through a penalty corner, brought high-flying India down to earth. Coach Harendra Singh said it was good that this slump happened in the pool stage, while manager Roelant Oltmans said it had given the team something to think about. “We have to ask ourselves some questions; why after playing that well for the first 15 minutes did our performance fall,” Oltmans said.

Mandeep Singh was named the Man of the Match for the third match in a row, the 21-year-old striker scoring the winner. It had to be a cracking shot to beat goalkeeper Siyavuya Nolutshungu, who had an incredible game that made him one of the contenders for the best player award.

He made many saves to keep South Africa in the game till the end. But India did themselves no favour by missing their chances, a few easy ones at the end when the South Africans went all out for the equaliser. “They should have scored had they used a little…” Oltmans said pointing to his temple.

“South Africa got a late penalty corner and they could have scored. They should have closed out the game. We have to improve for the quarterfinals,” Oltmans added.

India picked off from their performance in the last match, pressing high in numbers. They scored in the 11th minute. A quick transition from the right to left saw Santa Singh in acres of space. He drew the defenders to the right before passing the ball left to Gurjant Singh. The striker burst into a run along the baseline and drew the goalkeeper out before passing the ball back towards the penalty spot. Harjeet Singh ran in from the 25-yard line to get a hold of the pass that went through everyone before calmly slapping the ball high into the empty net.

Despite struggling to gain any ground — they had their first chance in the 16th minute — South Africa held on defensively. Structurally just about tight enough, the South Africans made up with the persistence — winning the common balls and making crucial interceptions to disrupt the momentum.

The game became chaotic and scrappy; India’s concentration and “energy” levels fell and errors started creeping into their game. Out of nowhere, South Africa got their first penalty corner and Kyle Lion-Cachet converted it.

India then pushed hard to regain the lead but were not very organised; they still managed a few chances — the best one was Gurjant’s shot from close range that was kept out by Nolutshungu’s left pad. Just when India starting finding space on the flanks after South Africa started attacking, they were outnumbered at the back but the halftime hooter blew.

After the break, India could not regain their concentration for long periods — credit also goes to South Africa’s disruptive tactics. Not being able to climb out of the slump should worry India. “At the end, they were “motivated” to find a goal but they didn’t score,” Oltmans said.

The Tribune

India fight past South Africa to top pool

Asheem Mukerji

LUCKNOW: India checked into the box seat of Pool D at the Junior Men's Hockey World Cup, but not before braving some spirited fight by the South Africans on Monday.

They had to fight tooth and nail at the Major Dhyan Chand stadium before prevailing 2-1. After some flawless shows against Canada and England, this was a wake-up call for the si de, who now take on Spain in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

Playing a man-to-man marking game, the Springboks had enough spring in their heels to match the home side equally all through the game.

That upset the free-flowing game of the home side. Their dependable linkman and skipper Harjeet Singh also wasn't in his best form. And that starved the Indian forwards with proper through passes.

To add to the woes, they even committed elementary mistakes in trapping and relaying. Twice they even failed to stop the ball on their penalty corner attempts.

But credit must be given to the South Africans. They had enough verve and speed to bother the Indians. Their defen \ders were sure-footed and their goalkeeper Siyavuya Nolutshungu came up with a marvelous display under the bar to deny the Indians many times.

Indians broke the ice in the 11th minute on a foggy evening as Armaan Qureshi weaved in from the left inside the South African circle. His first attempt was saved by Nolutshungu, but the ball rebounded to Harjeet, who slotted the ball home with a crisp shot.

The Springboks earned their equalizer off a short corner in the 28th minute. This time Kyle Lion-Cachet came up with a powerful drag-flick to the right of Vikas Dahiya, giving the Indian custodian no chance.

Then, after some furious exchanges, India got the winner in the 55th minute when Mandeep Singh came up with a superb reverse hit after receiving the ball from Harjeet Singh. Mandeep was named man-of-the-match. Stung by the reverse, the visitors threw everything into the attack. But the Indian defense braved some tense moment successfully to send the cheering home crowd back happily.

The Times of India

India beat South Africa 2-1 to top pool

Hijam Raju Singh

NEW DELHI: Favourites India continued their strong showing in the men's Junior Hockey World Cup as they beat South Africa 2-1 in their last league game at the Major Dhyan Chand Astroturf Stadium in Lucknow on Monday.

With three wins in as many games, India colts topped pool D and will now face Spain in the quarterfinals. The last-eight contests will be played on Thursday, December 15.

India scored a goal each in both half through skipper Harjeet Singh (11th minute) and Mandeep Singh (55th) to win a tight contest, with South Africa scoring their goal in the 27th minute. Harjeet put India 1-0 up early in the game, scoring a brilliant field goal from the right flank, but after missing few clear chances the hosts went into the half-time break with the score reading 1-1.

South Africa found their equaliser well before the break when their penalty-corner specialist Kyle Lion-Cachet converted their first PC of the game superbly, hitting it low to the right of out-stretched India goalkeeper Vikas Dahiya.

Twenty minutes into the second half, Mandeep, who was a constant threat to South Africa goal, thundered in the winner for India with a reverse flick. For his brilliant performance in the Indian attack today, Mandeep was adjudged the man-of-the-match.

India dominated the proceedings from the word go, but they failed to increase the lead after Harjeet's goal despite their relentless penetrations into the South African circle.

India's first opportunity of the game came in the fifth minute when India forwards found themselves in the two-to-one situation just outside the opposition circle, but Parvinder Singh took little too much time to shoot with just goalkeeper in the front.

While, the best chance for South Africa came five minutes after Harjeet's goal but the final shot was not powerful enough to create any difficulty for India goalie Dahiya, who blocked it easily. A minute later, India earned the first penalty corner of the match and it took a diving South Africa goalie Siyavuya Nolutshungu to stop a fine effort from Harmanpreet Singh.

India got another chance to regain the lead in the 31st minute but Gurjant Singh's reverse flick went just wide of the post. And India made a mess of the second penalty corner chance just before half-time, when they failed to stop the ball rolled in from the back.

The dismal state while taking the PCs continued for India in the second half too as they made a mess of the third chance in the 49th minute, failing to trap the ball again. But Mandeep created another chance to increase the lead in the 62nd minute only for South Africa skipper Alex Stewart to defend it gallantly to negate the effort. India survived a penalty corner three minutes to the final hooter when Lion-Cachet shot it wide, which was turned out to be their final chance to level the match.

The Times of India

Unconquered India edge South Africa 2-1 to enter quarters


Action during the match between India and South Africa on Monday (PTI)

India finished the pool engagements with possible nine points from three wins and will now face second placed team in Pool C, Spain in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

Favourites India maintained their unbeaten run in the tournament and eked out a fighting 2-1 win over a spirited South Africa in their final Pool D match to book a place in the quarterfinals of the men's Junior Hockey World Cup at the Major Dhyan Astroturf stadium in Lucknow on Monday.

India scored both their goals from field efforts through skipper Harjeet Singh (11th minute) and Mandeep Singh (55th), while Kyle Lion-Cachet (28th) found the net for the Africans. India, thus, finished the pool engagements with possible nine points from three wins and will now face second placed team in Pool C, Spain in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

India started as favourites and the hosts lived up to their billing at least in the opening 20 minutes of the game. It was a one-way traffic initially as India went all out attacking that forced South Africa to fall back and defend. The Indians attacked in numbers from the word go but they seemed to fizzle out once inside the opposition circle.

India finally tasted success in the 11th minute when skipper Harjeet scored with a slap shot after being set up by Manpreet (Jr's) hardwork from the left flank.Pepped up by the goal, India stepped up the pressure and managed to secure their first penalty corner six minutes later but Harmanpreet Singh's effort was saved by South African goalkeeper Siyavuya Nolutshungu.

After sitting back for most part of the first half, South Africa came into the groove and earned their first penalty corner in the 27th minute. Kyle Lion-Cachet scored with a powerful low flick to the right of Indian keeper Vikas Dahiya.

Minutes later, Gurjant Singh came tantalisingly close to restoring India's lead but his reverse hit from close range went just wide. With a minute remaining for half time, India secured a second penalty corner but this time Harjeet fumbled to stop the push and the two teams went into the break locked at one-goal apiece.

The Indians continued in the same vein after the change of ends and had another shot at the South Africa goal in the 45th minute. Gujrant set it up for Nilkanta Sharma whose shot from inside the circle was brilliant parried away by the South African custodian.

India's relentless attacks continued as they earned their third penalty corner in the 49th minute, which Nilkanta fumbled to stop but his reverse shot from the second chance was brilliantly saved by the South African goalkeeper.

Desperate for a win in front of a cheering home crowd, India restored their lead in the 55th minute through a brilliant strike from Mandeep. Mandeep pounced on Harjeet's diagonal pass from outside the circle and then unleashed a fierce reverse hit to beat the South African goalkeeper all ends up.

Three minutes before the final hooter, South Africa got a golden opportunity to draw level when India conceded a penalty corner but the effort went wide. The loss shattered South Africa's hopes as they needed a win to stay alive.

Besides India, England qualified for the quarterfinals from Pool D as the second best team although they have one more match remaining against lowly Canada on Tuesday.

DNA

Despite win, coaches not happy with India's display against SA

LUCKNOW: India might have finished their pool engagements with an all-win record but their performance against South Africa was far from impressive with the team's head coach Harendra Singh terming the display as a wake-up call for his wards ahead of the knockout stages of the men's Junior Hockey World Cup.

All but through to the quarterfinals, India were made to work hard to register a fighting 2-1 win over South Africa in their final Pool D match and keep their unbeaten run intact in the 16-nation tournament.

Harendra was critical about his wards' performance on Monday.

"Nothing was missing but we just did not play simple hockey today. But the good thing is that it has happened before the knockout stages," he said.

"I was not surprised with South Africa's performance but I was surprised with our performance because we did not play to our potential after the first 15 minutes. I always say that I don't think about opponents, I am always concerned about our own methods. We play simple one-touch hockey and that is what we should play," he said.

The coach, however, was satisfied with the fact that they could pulled off a win.

"We missed a couple of chances but if we look at the possession of the ball, circle penetrations I think we were superior. We have to work on a few areas, but overall I feel we played well. But I am happy that we could sustain the momentum," Harendra said.

Indian men's senior hockey team chief coach Roelant Oltmans, who is the manager of the junior side here, cannot afford to disagree with Harendra.

"My glass is always half full. The first 15 minutes we played very well and after that the energy level went a bit down but still we created a couple of number of opportunities. The little link was missing today but it is part of sports which happens with every team.

"Looking at the number of circle penetrations and possession of the ball we deserved to win but we could have done a little bit better. We know we have to be better in the next round, there is no doubt," Oltmans said.

"One thing for sure is that we can't afford to play like this in the knockout stages. I just wonder after such a good start today why all of a sudden we started doing things which is completely not according to our plans," he said.

The Dutchman called the Indian colts to use their brains a bit more and stick to their game plan instead of trying too many things.

"The most important thing is to stick to our game plan and to be honest I feel we did not do that enough today. But that's a lesson for the next match.

"If we would have used a little bit more brain, we could have scored more goals and that is what we have to learn. If you can close the game we should close it. We should not give our opportunity to come back into the game," Oltmans said.

Oltmans said going into the knockout stage, the hosts can't afford to be complacent at any point of time.

"We made it clear to them (players) not to take the game lightly. We prepared ourselves very well for this game. After the first goal it became a bit sloppy and there was less energy and that was the disappointment for me," he said.

Indian captain Harjeet Singh, who scored the first goal for his side, said they did not stick to their game plan today which made it difficult for them against less-fancied South Africans.

"We started off well and were playing simple hockey but after scoring the goal we all started to play individual hockey, no one was passing the ball and so we faced problems," he said.

The Times of India

Stats Speak :Harmanpreet Singh -  an asset to Indian Hockey in future

B.G.Joshi (Sehore-Bhopal,India)

Olympian (Rio-2016) and silver medalist in Champions Trophy (London-2016) Harmanpreet Singh established himself as a drag flicker. In Kuantan Junior Asia Cup (2015) and Sultan of Johor Cup (2014) he was top scorers with 14 and 9 goals respectively.

Son of a farmer Harmanpreet lives in outskirts of Amritsar (Punjab), he polished his skill in Surjit Hockey Academy Jalandhar.

Harmanpreet had scored at least a goal in a match in junior level, thus maintaining strikes rate 114 percent.

Born on Jan 6, 1996 Harmanpreet will be an asset to Indian Hockey in future.

Statistics of Harmanpreet as on Dec 11, 2016 are:

 Fieldhockey.com

Belgium drub clueless Malaysia to top group

Chander Shekhar Luthra


Belgium and Malaysia players vie for the ball during their match in Lucknow on Monday

Malaysia ended their embarrassing run in the Junior World Cup hockey when they were blanked 0-3 by Belgium in the last group B tie at the Major Dhyan Chand hockey stadium here on Monday.

Malaysia, thus, ended their campaign with just three points their lone win coming against minnows Egypt. Their first game against Holland had ended with a 7-2 loss. Coach Wallace Tan's boys, who came as last-minute replacement for Pakistan, who withdrew from tournament due to political reasons, looked pedestrian against world's top teams as they failed to match the speed and power of Europeans.

What's even more alarming for Malaysian hockey is that its Under-21 players, who are always considered to be the supply line for the seniors, failed to create any chance against Belgium in entire 70-minute play on Monday.

Belgium, who defeated European Champions Holland a day before, started aggressively from the word go until 10th minute when Gregory Stockbroekx scored a field goal.

Belgium ensured that they finish on top of Pool B when Quentin van Lierde (33rd) and Thomas Verheijen (55th) ensured an all-win record with nine points.

In other Pool B fixture, Holland found no resistance from Egypt to score a comfortable 7-0 win.

In an one-sided affair, Thijs van Dam (7th), Jip Janssen (9th, 54th), Bram van Groesen (25th), Thierry Brinkman (37th), Sebastian van der Graaf (45th) and Noud Schoenaker (58th) scored for the Holland to set up a mouthwatering quarterfinal clash with Australia.

This came after Australia defeated tournament's surprise package Austria 4-2 in their second Pool A tie. With six points from two games already, Australia in all probability would top the pool as they will take on another struggling Korea on Tuesday.

Joshua Simmonds (4th), Lachlan Sharp (24th), Blake Govers (45th) and Jack Welch (46th) scored for the Australians while Austria's goals came from the sticks of Phillip Schippan (8th) and Franz Lindengrun (67th).

However, the biggest relief of the day was for Argentina, who defeated Korea 5-1 to book a place in the next round on a better goal difference than Austria.

Knowing that Austria has been sitting pretty with better goal difference, Argentina first had to wait and see how much Austria scores in an early match, before pumping in five goals to ensure a smooth sailing with a plus two advantage.

Argentina scored through Martin Ferreiro (2nd), Tomas Domene (12th), Thomas Habif (14th), Nicolas Keenan (29th, 50th), while Korea's lone goal was scored by Joohan Park (41st).

Irrespective the results on Tuesday, Belgium will now be taking on Argentina in the other quarter-final clash on Thursday.

DNA

Malaysian juniors miss top-eight playoff spot after losing to Belgium

by S. Ramaguru

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s hopes of making the top eight playoffs in the Junior World Cup hockey competition came to end after a 3-0 defeat by Belgium in Lucknow.

The Malaysians, who had three points after their 2-0 win over Egypt on Sunday, had a mammoth task on their hands as they needed a big-margin win against the Belgians.

But the Malaysians were no match for the much more mobile and structured Europeans.

Malaysia will now be involved in the playoffs for the ninth to 16th positions.

Belgium topped Group B with nine points while the Dutch ended up with six after beating Egypt 7-0 in an earlier match.

The Belgians dominated the match from the start and took the lead in the 10th minute off a deflection by Gregory Stockbroek.

They went further ahead in the 33rd minute from another field goal by Quentin van Literde.

In the second half, Malaysia failed to make any headway as their opponents built on their lead with a goal in the 55th minute through Thomas Verheijen.

The Star of Malaysia

Canada aiming for consistent effort in final pool match at Junior World Cup

Shaheed Devji


Canada faces England on December 13 at 10:00am local time in India (8:30pm Pacific/11:30pm Eastern on December 12). There will be no live stream for this match. (Photo by Yan Huckendubler)

After coming up short in both of its first two matches at the Junior World Cup, Canada’s Under-21 Men’s National Team has one game remaining in the pool stage of the competition.

And while the results against India (4-0 loss) and South Africa (3-1 loss) were disappointing for Canada’s junior men, the team is still hopeful headed into its last match against England on Tuesday (10:00 local time; 8:30pm Pacific/11:30pm Easter Monday December 12 in Canada).

“We are focusing on process,” says Head Coach Inderpal Sehmbi. “To get a result we need to play our best. We want to see what these guys can do when they play our best for 70 minutes.”

Currently in fourth spot in Pool D, Canada still has an outside chance of advancing to the quarterfinal round by finishing in the top two.

With each of the teams ahead of them sitting on 3 points, the Canadians will need a substantial victory over England to leap from the English and South Africans and slot into second spot.

“As the youngest team in the tournament it’s been a big learning curve,” says forward Amrit Sidhu, who is playing in his first Junior World Cup. “The pace of the games and the quality of teams is something we don’t see very often in Canada.”

The adjustment has likely contributed to what Sehmbi calls a lack of consistency in the first two game’s.

Canada’s men, however, have by no means looked out of place in India.

“Regardless of the start to the World Cup, the group isn’t spending anytime sulking,” Sidhu adds. “The group is refocused for what is an enticing game vs England.”

“I feel we are knocking at the door and if we just get some of the details right anything is possible.”

Regardless of the result, the Canadians will have at least two more matches following the game against England, meaning the tournament is far from over.

“We haven’t played our best game yet as a group,” Sehmbi says. “That is what we are focusing on for the next three games.”

Canada faces England on Tuesday, December 13 at 10:00am in India (8:30pm Pacific/11:30pm Eastern on December 12 in Canada. Due to the schedule change brought about by heavy fog, there will be no live stream for this match.

Field Hockey Canada media release

India's strategic coach Van Gent to leave after Junior Hockey World Cup

LUCKNOW: Indian hockey's strategic coach Roger van Gent of Netherlands is set to quit after the ongoing men's Junior World Cup due to family commitments.

For Van Gent, who has been a key figure in the Indian hockey team's think tank, it was a tough decision to choose between his demanding job and family.

"Yes, I am quitting after this tournament. It is my last assignment with Indian hockey," Van Gent told PTI on the sidelines of the 16-nation tournament.

"It was a tough decision for me but my family needs me because we are going through some difficult times," he said.

For Van Gent, who joined his India assignment in November 2015, the 13-month journey has been a pleasant one.

"It was a wonderful journey though a short one. It was bliss to see the way the Indian hockey is progressing with every passing day. From 13th in the world we rose to sixth. Roelant (Oltmans), other coaching staff and I formed a great team. We were just like family. I have already started missing the team," he said.

Asked whether any external factor was behind his resignation, Van Gent answered in the negative and said it was an emotional decision not only for him but the entire team.

"After the end of the Australia tour recently, when I told the senior team players that I am leaving they were shell shocked. They just couldn't believe," he said.

In his last assignment with Indian hockey, Van Gent hopes to end on a high note by winning the gold in the ongoing Junior World Cup.

"I can't ask for a better send off. When we started the tournament we just had one goal to win the gold here and I just hope we achieve our goal. But it won't be easy as the competition is very tough," the Dutchman said.

The Dutchman, however, did not rule out the possibility of returning for a short-term role.

"I am not coaching any other side. Right now my priority is my family but I don't rule out returning to coaching in future. Even I have told Roelant and Hockey India and Narinder Batra that if they need my services anytime I am ready," Van Gent said.

In his role in India, Van Gent was assisting chief coach Oltmans .

Van Gent embarked on his coaching career after securing the International Hockey Federation (FIH) high performance coaching qualification in 2000. Ever since then he has worked with various domestic teams in the Netherlands.

He himself has been a part of the MEP in Boxtel club in the head division of Netherlands for a decade (1978-88).

As a FIH high performance coach, he also worked with the Kenyan men's team in 2007.

The Times of India

Black Sticks seal game two against Malaysia


Photo: www.photosport.nz

The Black Sticks Women have taken out the second of five tests against Malaysia 2-0 at the TET MultiSports Centre in Stratford.

New Zealand followed up Monday’s opening 3-0 victory with another clean sheet thanks to goals from Michaela Curtis and Catherine Tinning.

Black Sticks assistant coach Sean Dancer said it was pleasing to record another win against an improved Malaysia side.

“Tonight was another good win for us, we dominated the first half and created a lot of good scoring opportunities so we need to work on putting more of those into the goal,” he said.

“Malaysia played well, particularly in the second half but to our girls’ credit we fought hard and pressed well which is what led to the second goal. We finished well with lots of energy.

“With a rest day tomorrow we will look to freshen up a little bit and focus on building on our consistency for game three.”

It took just three minutes for the Kiwis to open the scoring with Curtis putting the finishing touch on a great assist from Natasha FitzSimons.

Malaysia tightened up on defence following the goal with the Black Sticks taking their one goal advantage into halftime.

New Zealand lifted once more coming out of the sheds and doubled the lead in the 43rd minute courtesy of some fantastic work by Catherine Tinning who made a tackle in the circle before slipping the ball past the keeper’s pads.

Both sides have a rest day tomorrow ahead of game three at 6:30pm Thursday night, with tickets still available through www.hockeynz.co.nz

The Black Sticks Women vs Malaysia series is proudly supported by the Taranaki Electricity Trust (TET).

BLACK STICKS WOMEN 2: (Michaela Curtis, Catherine Tinning)
MALAYSIA 0
Halftime: Black Sticks 1-0

Hockey New Zealand Media release

Black Sticks Women fight to scrappy 2-0 win over Malaysia

Christopher Reive


Black Sticks defender Natasha Fitzsimons. GRANT MATTHEW/Fairfax NZ

It might have been scrappy, but the Black Sticks Women have taken a 2-0 series lead against Malaysia after being made to work for a 2-0 win in Taranaki on Tuesday night.

After their 3-0 win in the first game of the series on Monday night, Black Sticks coach Mark Hager said the side needed to play more as a unit.

His words must have worn off on the team as striker Michaela Curtis scored inside three minutes, tapping home a stinging long pass into the circle from defender Natasha Fitzsimons.


Frances Davies for the Black Sticks. GRANT MATTHEW/Fairfax NZ

After such a strong start to the game, the Black Sticks let off the pace - with calls from "move the ball" echoing from the New Zealand dugout.

READ MORE: Black Sticks Women untroubled in 3-0 win over Malaysia

With few chances for either side in the first quarter, the match was begging for something to break it open.

However, the second quarter followed suit and saw Malaysia gain the upper hand with the better of the field position and only thwarted by some strong work by the Black Sticks defenders.

The sides struggled back and forth before the Black Sticks went back on the offensive to close out the quarter.

Despite some quality balls into the circle, they were unable to capitalise and went into half time one goal up.

The arm wrestle continued into the third period of play as the Black Sticks found themselves in the attacking third on a number of occasions but were unable to make the most of it.

Thier best chance came when livewire forward Deanna Ritchie was tripped in the circle, earning a penalty corner.

However, Malaysia coped and had a five on two break away, but their final effort on goal was stopped by an outstretched Erin Goad.

The Black Sticks finally got on the board again with two minutes to go in the period when striker Catherine Tinning scored her first goal for the national side in her second game with the team.

The final quarter began with a flourish, with Malaysia's Hanis Nadiah Onn shown a green card for a careless tackle inside the first minute - her second card in as many games.

Onn was one of three Malaysian player to been shown the warning card in the match.

Had it not been for some superb stops by Malaysian goal keeper Siti Noor Hafiza Zainordin, the New Zealand side might have been able to knock in a few more goals, but they struggled to get the better of Zainordin and took a 2-0 win.

Holding down the fort at the back, Fitzsimons was the clear standout for the New Zealand side, assisting on the opening goal and providing reliable support both on attack and in defence.

At a glance

Black Sticks Women 2 (M Curtis, C Tinning)
Malaysia 0.

Stuff

Black Sticks Women get off to winning start against Malaysia


Sam Harrison opened the scoring for the Black Sticks Women in their win over Malaysia. Photo / Photosport.

The Black Sticks Women have drawn first blood in their five-match series against Malaysia with a 3-0 victory in Taranaki tonight.

Following a nervous start, veteran midfielder Sam Harrison opened the scoring in her 97th international appearance, by steering in a wayward shot following a penalty corner.

The home side extended their lead towards the end of the first quarter with Michaela Curtis providing the finishing touch on a well-placed pass in front of goal.

The Black Sticks wrapped the result up early in the second quarter with striker Amy Robinson scoring on debut following a flurry for the ball in front of goal.

Malaysia managed to stem the scoring tide throughout the remainder of the contest while New Zealand were unable to capitalise on several promising attacking opportunities.

The visitors predicament worsened however when Hanis Nadiah Onn was yellow carded for deliberately stalling a restart.

Malaysia persisted and pressed for a goal in the dying stages but was unable to penetrate the Black Sticks defence.

Black Sticks Women 3 (S Harrison, M Curtis, A Robinson)

Malaysia 0

The New Zealand Herald

Malaysian women begin test series with a loss

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian women’s hockey team failed to get off to a winning start in their five-test match against New Zealand.

The Malaysians went down 3-0 at the the TET Multisports Centre in Strafford yesterday.

The Kiwis took the lead in the sixth minute through Samantha Harrison’s penalty corner. Michaela Curtis extended their lead in the 15th minute from a field goal. Three minutes later the Kiwis completed their first-half blitz off Amy Robinson’s field goal.

Coach K. Dharmaraj said the players’ slow start cost them dearly.

“This has been a problem with our team this year. They are slow to get off the block and it was no different today.”

The Malaysians are using the matches as part of their preparations for the World League Two competition which will be held in Kuala Lumpur next month.

The second match will be played today.

The Star of Malaysia

Wales Women's Squad named for Round 2 of the FIH World League



Wales Senior Women’s Head Coach Kevin Johnson has named his side for the highly anticipated Round 2 of the FIH World League. Wales will travel to Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur for the tournament, which takes place from 14-22 January.

Johnson, who was appointed head coach in March, recognises that the tournament will be a valuable learning experience the side, but is also confident in the team’s ability to progress after their performance in Round 1 in Douai, France. He said:

“As a group, we are aspiring to play better international tournaments more often and World League Round 2 will be ideal as an opportunity to challenge ourselves and further our development.

“As individuals, the players will learn a great amount playing in the high temperatures and humidity of Kuala Lumpur, as well as experiencing different types and styles of opposition from around the globe. It will be an invaluable experience and after our recent gains, we are fully confident in our ability to perform well.”

Kevin JohnsonWales have had a number of positive performances over the past year, including their second-place finish in World League Round 1 against a strong roster of European Nations, as well as securing a number of international test series victories over world top 20 ranked teams, including Italy and Poland.

The announcement of the squad for Round 2 sees few changes, with Eloise Laity the only new addition to the line-up. Johnson added:

“Following recent training camps, there have been no surprises or changes in World League 2 selection, which is testament to the positive performances the team managed in round 1.

 “We are bringing in Eloise Laity for Sophie Clayton, who is unfortunately unavailable to travel, and it is a good opportunity for Eloise to show what she can do at this level. Eloise has trained well with us and her selection also comes off the back of some encouraging club performances for Clifton Robinsons in the Premier League.”

WALES SENIOR WOMEN
Kuala Lumpur 2017

Rose Thomas (GK), Wimbledon
Ella Jackson (GK), Buckingham
Xenna Hughes, East Grinstead
Tina Evans, Birmingham University
Natalie Blyth, Swansea City
Jo Westwood, Swansea City
Leah Wilkinson (VC), Holcombe
Sian French, Bowdon
Beth Bingham, Loughborough University
Sarah Jones, Holcombe
Danielle Jordan, Clifton
Hannah Cozens, Loughborough University
Julie Whiting, Reading
Abi Welsford (C), Swansea City
Eloise Laity, Clifton
Lisa Daley, Swansea City
Phoebe Richards, Buckingham
Natasha Marke-Jones, Swansea City

Follow the progress of Wales Senior Women on Twitter @HociCymruWomen.

Hockey Wales media release

U.S. Men's Masters Rosters Established for Inaugural Masters Indoor World Cup



COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The U.S. Men’s Masters Committee is pleased to announce the traveling rosters for the inaugural 2017 IMHA Masters Indoor World Cup to be held February 2-5, 2017 in Krefeld, Germany. The USA teams selected include three players who have competed for the U.S. Men’s National Team in previous Indoor World Cups, including Steve Danielson (2003 and 2011), Olaf Maack (2003) and Peter Jones (2003 and coach 2011). Danielson also represented the United States in the Atlanta 1996 Olympics Games.

Having participated in the three prior Masters Outdoor World Cups in Canterbury, England (2012), Rotterdam, The Netherlands (2014) and Canberra, Australia (2016), this will be the fourth Masters World Cup for Warren Prestwich, Ian Wagge and Peter Jones. This will also be the fourth international U.S. Masters event for Ashley Jones, who will serve as the lead of video analysis.

Racking up their third Masters World Cups will be Jonathan Drucker, Bob Khosla, Olaf Maack, Manuel Morales, Jeremy Roberts and Vernon Vassou. Second-timers will be Tommy Hoang, Fernando Diez de Oñate, Greg Pereira, Fede Baudini, Harry Labana and Paul Lewis. This will be the second World Cup for Neville Gardner in the role of team manager.

That leaves a special congratulations to those making their first Masters World Cup team: Don MacPherson, Steve Danielson, Hugo Mazzalupi, Barry Merriman, Angus Miller, David Sculley, Garfield Stewart, Sau Thong Lee and Rutger Wiese.

The team is extremely fortunate to have a sports medicine doctor with a wealth of experience accompanying the squad. Dr. Doug Cutter is part of HCA VA Sports Medicine and affiliated with HCA Chippenham Hospital. He has volunteered at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. and accompanied U.S. Men’s National Indoor Team on tours to Europe and to the Pan American Indoor Championship.

Also joining the travel squad is Physiotherapist, Anja Hossbach. Hossbach accompanied the U.S. Women’s Masters Teams to the 2016 Masters World Cup to Canberra, Australia. In addition to once again being the Women’s Team Physiotherapist, Hossbach will also act as Physiotherapist for both Men’s teams.U.S. 

USFHA media release

Ghanaian side set for memorial hockey tourney

By BRIAN YONGA


Wilson Otieno of Sikh Union Nairobi (right) challenges Mike Akuamoah of Ghana Revenue Authority Customs during their 2015 Vaisakhi tournament match at City park hockey stadium on April 25, 2015. PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU |  NATION MEDIA GROUP

Ghana Trustees men’s hockey club will take part in the second edition of the Heroes Memorial Tournament which begins on Thursday at City Park Stadium, Nairobi.

The four-day competition has attracted 12 men’s teams and four women’s teams. Trustees are the only foreign club in the competition.

The West Africans, who will be using the event to prepare for next year’s Africa Club Championship set for the same venue, headline Pool A alongside local sides Impala and Wazalendo Academy. Trustees are set to arrive in the country on Tuesday morning.

Men’s champions Chase Sailors will not defend their title. Sikh Union Nairobi are in Pool B with Thika Rovers and Wazalendo Youth.

Last year’s losing finalists Kenya College of Accountancy University are in Pool C with Parkroad Badgers and Veterans while the last Pool has Wazalendo, Karate Axiom and Development Boys.

The top two teams in each pool will advance to the quarter-finals. Women’s champions Telkom Orange are favourites to retain their title. They will come up against Sliders, Orange Rovers and Development side.

The winning teams will receive Sh50,000 each and runners-up Sh30,000 each. According tournament director James Akweri, team managers will meet on Wednesday at the City Park Stadium.

“We expect fans to turn out in large numbers to enjoy this competition and also cheer their favourite teams,” Akweri told Daily Nation Sport.

“All matches shall be 22 and a half minutes long with a two-minute break and each while in the knockout stages, there will be no extra time and incase of draw, penalties shall be used to decide the winners.”

Akweri further confirmed that a number of university sides including men’s league champions Strathmore University Scorpions have opted out of the competition to prepare for East African University Games due December 16-22 this year at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT).

POOLS

MEN

Pool A - Trustees Ghana,Impala, Wazalendo Academy
Pool B – Sikh Union, Thika Rovers, Wazalendo Youth
Pool C- KCA-U, Parkroad Badgers, Veterans
Pool D- Wazalendo, Karate Axiom. Development

Daily Nation

Strong start to Women’s Indoor Hockey National League 1


Dundee v Inverleith Indoor. Photo by Duncan Gray

Dundee Wanderers got their campaign to retain the women`s indoor hockey first division championship off to a great start with three back-to-back wins, and a total of 23 goals in the process.

In the opening game against Western Wildcats, Wanderers were two up at the interval through a penalty corner conversion by Vikki Bunce and a further goal from 15-year-old Ruth Blaikie. Wildcats survived for most of the second half but with seven minutes left Emily Dark, Jess Ross and Bunce again advanced the score to five without reply.

The champions followed this up with an 11-1 win over Inverleith who had the audacity to take an early lead through Carly Bissett in the opening exchanges. Thereafter Wanderers were all guns blazing with Heather Elder, Blaikie and Julie Bryce scoring twice.

Wanderers then defeated CALA Edinburgh 7-0 in their final encounter, Bunce scored four and the other goals came from Dark, Blaikie and Rachel Osborne.


CALA v Edinburgh Uni indoor. Photo by Duncan Gray

Grove Menzieshill were also unbeaten in their opening day, in the morning they struggled their way past Aberdeen Bob-Accord 5-4. In fact, the Aberdonians were 2-1 up at the interval, Nicola Davidson scored twice while Leigh Fawcett replied for the Taysiders.

In the second half the score advanced to 3-2 for the Aberdonians, Iona Armour levelled for Grove while Debbie Massie restored Bon-Accord`s lead. But then strikes by Katie Stott, Pauline Stott and Armour again put the Dundonians into a 5-3 lead before Millie Skidmore scored a consolation at an overtime penalty corner.

Grove then saw off their traditional rivals Milne Craig Western with a 3-1 win, Susan Hamilton converted two penalty corners and Armour added another to her tally while Susan Gillman notched a consolation for the Glasgow side.

Western opened their day with a 3-1 win over Inverleith, Lucy Jamieson put the Edinburgh side one up at the interval but two goals from Margery Justice and another by sister Kayleigh secured the three points.

Western`s contest with Edinburgh University was tied at 2-2 at the interval, Sophie Maunder scored twice for the students inside the opening two minutes but Margery Justice levelled. Two minutes into the second half Becky Dru put Edinburgh 3-2 ahead but Kayleigh Justice brought the scores level with eight minutes left.


Photo by Duncan Gray

Scottish Hockey Union media release

Leandro Negre receives Olympic Order award



Former International Hockey Federation (FIH) President Leandro Negre, from Spain, has been awarded the Olympic Order for his outstanding services to the Olympic Movement.

Negre, who was FIH President from 2008 until 2016, was informed of the news in a personal letter from International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach. It follows a decision made by the IOC Executive Board during their meetings in Lausanne, Switzerland between 6-8 December 2016.

The Olympic Order is awarded to an individual in recognition of their outstanding achievements in the cause of world sport and their faithfulness to the Olympic ideal as illustrated by Pierre de Coubertin, renovator of the Olympic Games.

Speaking about this, Negre said: "Words cannot describe my pride at receiving such a prestigious award. Since a young age hockey has been a passion of mine. I have dedicated much of my life to the development of the sport therefore special awards like this are particularly humbling. Whilst it may have my name on it, I do not see this as a personal award but more so recognition of the tremendous progress hockey has made in recent years. I would like to pay particular thanks to Thomas Bach who has been incredibly supportive of our sport during his time as IOC President and I look forward to watching hockey continue to evolve over the coming years as a key player within the Olympic Movement."

Negre was recently awarded FIH President of Honour at the Hockey Revolution Part 2 Conference and 45th FIH Congress in Dubai. At the same event his second consecutive four year term as President came to an end as he was replaced by India's Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra.

The Spaniard will be remembered for driving forward FIH's 10-year Hockey Revolution strategy which aims to make hockey a global game that inspires the next generation. For more information about this strategy, launched in 2014, click here.

FIH site

Hockey Ireland Announces Jerome Pels As New CEO

The Hockey Ireland Board is delighted to announce the appointment of Jerome Pels as the CEO for Hockey Ireland. He will be starting in the role from the 3rd of January 2017.

Jerome has been involved with international sport for much of his career. During this time, he has acquired a wealth of knowledge and experience. The Board believe that between Jerome’s skill set, and his experience, he is the ideal candidate to bring Hockey Ireland to the next level. The Hockey Ireland Board look forward to working closely with Jerome so that Hockey Ireland’s ambitions are achieved.

The Board would like to take this opportunity to thank Rob Johnson for stepping into the role as acting CEO and for all the work he has carried out in the last 12 months in that role. We welcome his continued commitment to Hockey Ireland - it is greatly appreciated.

Irish Hockey Association media release