News for 15 December 2016
All the news for Thursday 15 December 2016
South Africa set for highest ever Junior World Cup finish
Competition Day 7 proved to be a fruitful one for South Africa and New Zealand, who both recorded victories to set up a meeting in the 9-10 classification game at the Uttar Pradesh Hockey Junior World Cup Men Lucknow 2016. Japan and Korea were also winners in the 13-16 classification matches, seeing off the respective challenges of Egypt and Canada.
South Africa produced their most complete performance of the competition to defeat Austria 4-2, ensuring that they were now guaranteed of their best ever finishing position at a Junior World Cup. At worst, South Africa will finish tenth, bettering their previous highest finish of 11th, which was achieved at the 2001 event in Hobart, Australia. Austria took the lead with a stunning solo goal courtesy of Franz Lindengrun, but strikes from Matthew de Sousa and Courtney Halle put South Africa ahead at half time. Ryan Crowe made it 3-1 before Leon Thörnblom cut South Africa’s lead to just one goal with ten minutes remaining. However, a 68th minute field goal from Nqobile Ntuli put the result beyond all doubt.
South Africa’s opponents in the 9-10 classification match will be New Zealand, who claimed a 3-1 win over Malaysia to force their opponents into the 11-12 play-off game with Austria. Oliver Logan’s opener for New Zealand was cancelled out by a penalty corner rocket from Malaysia’s Firdaus Omar, but second half goals from man of the match Robbie Capizzi and Sam Lane moved the junior Black Sticks into a lead that they would not relinquish.
In the 13-16 play-offs, a moment of inventiveness from Koji Yamasaki gave Japan a 1-0 over Egypt. The winning strike arrived six minutes after half time, with Yamasaki getting a killer touch on pass from the right of the circle, guiding the ball behind his body to deceive Egyptian goalkeeper Ahmed Adel. Egypt hit the frame of the Japanese goal in the latter stages of the match, but Japan held on to seal a place in the 13-14 classification game where they will face an Asian derby match against Korea, who defeated Canada 2-1. All the goals came in the first half, with a Park Joohan penalty corner arriving ahead of an Oh Seyong field goal before Canadian captain Brandon Pereira bagged a penalty corner to keep his side within touching distance. Canada threw caution to the wind in the dying stages by replacing their goalkeeper with an outfield player, but it was not enough to save them from defeat.
Thursday (15th December) is Quarter-Final day in Lucknow, with Belgium taking on Argentina at 11:15 (Indian Standard Time) before reigning champions Germany face England at 13:30. Australia play the Netherlands at 15:45 with host nation India doing battle with Spain at 18:00.
FIH site
South Africa ends Austria’s hopes
LUCKNOW: South Africa and New Zealand ensured they would finish among the top-10 teams at the ongoing Hockey Junior World Cup with convincing victories in their respective classification matches here on Wednesday.
While South Africa ended debutant surprise package Austria’s hopes 4-2, New Zealand beat late replacement Malaysia 3-1 in the 9-12 place playoffs. New Zealand began early with Oliver Logan finding the net in the sixth minute through a penalty corner but Malaysia struck back with one of its own seven minutes from half time.
The Oceania side, however, stepped up the pace in the second half and Malaysia, which had been drafted in just one week before the tournament began as a replacement for Pakistan, had no answers to the frequent attacks other than packing up its defence. That, however, was not enough to prevent the Back Sticks from adding two more goals with the last one coming against a nine-man Malaysia side.
South Africa, which had come with a target of finishing among the top-10 sides — something coach Garreth Ewing admitted had not happened in the past two decades — stepped closer to achieving its objective with a clinical performance against Austria.
After a convincingly defensive outing against India that saw the host struggling in its last league game, South Africa played far more attacking hockey against a weaker opposition and controlled the run of play, scoring twice in each half.
Even though Austria went ahead through Franz Lindengrun’s strike in the 13th minute, it was South Africa that dominated and got the equaliser through Matthew De Sousa in the 21st minute. It became 2-1 and then 301 before Austria clawed back in the second half but Nqobile Ntuli’s 68th minute strike sealed it in South Africa’s favour.
Egypt and Canada meanwhile would battle to avoid the wooden spoon after losing their respective 13-16 place playoffs to Japan and Korea respectively. While the African champion put on a tough challenge before going by a solitary goal from Koji Yamasaki in the 41st minute, Canada went down to Korea 2-1 to continue a disappointing campaign in the competition.
The results: 9/12 place: South Africa 4 (Matthew De Sousa, Courtney Halle, Nqobile Ntuli, Ryan Crowe) bt Austria 2 (Franz Lindengrun, Leon Thornblom); New Zealand 3 (Oliver Logan, Robbie Capizzi, Sam Lane) bt Malaysia 1 (Firdaus Omar); 13/16 place: Japan 1 (Koji Yamasaki) bt Egypt 0; Korea 2 (Joohan Park, Seyong Oh) bt Canada 1 (Brandon Pereira).
The Hindu
Some joy for Kiwis and South Africa
Asheem Mukerji
LUCKNOW: There was some joy for New Zealand and South Africa as the classification matches were played in the Junior Men Hockey World Cup on Wednesday.
New Zealand, who had lost the qualification berth to Spain by a whisker - on goal differences - had enough steam to down Malaysia 3-1, while South Africa got the better of Austria 4-2 in the matches to decide the 9th to 12th places at Major Dhyan Chand stadium here.
In the games to settle the 13th to 16th places, Japan fought past Egypt by a solitary goal and Korea downed Canada 2-1. Later, a Japanese player Miyu Tanimitsu was suspended for a match by Rogier Warris, technical delegate of the championship, for breach of code of conduct for committing a serious physical foul in the game against Egypt. Now, Egypt and Canada will play on Friday to avoid the wooden spoon.
The Springboks dished out fast and attacking hockey to upset the plans of the Austrian side, who had done well in the pool games but lost out a place in the quarterfinals to Argentina on goal-average.
After Franz Lindengrun opened the account for the Austrians in the 13th minute, the South Africans opened up the flanks to create more space inside the Austrian circle. Khumo Mokale looked dangerous with his speed and skill whenever he received the ball on the right. With attack being the best defense for the South Africans, the side slowly inched back to subdue the Austrians.
In the other game, it was the same old story for Malaysia in the final 15 minutes of the game. After matching their opponents for the first 55 minutes, the side slipped in the final minutes to hand a win on the platter to the Kiwis.
The Times of India
South Africa, New Zealand face-off in 9th-10th place play-off
LUCKNOW: South Africa defeated Austria 4-2, while New Zealand prevailed over Malaysia 3-1 to set up a clash against each other for the 9th-10th place at the ongoing men's Junior Hockey World Cup on Wednesday.
In the first 9th to 12th place classification game, it was Austria who took the lead through Franz Lindengrun (13th minute) before South Africa scored two goals through Matthew De Sousa (21st) and Courtney Halle (32nd) to go into the breather with an one-goal advantage.
After the change of ends, South Africa extended their lead when Ryan Crowe (56th) scored from a field effort before Austria pulled one back through a penalty corner conversion by Leon Thornblom (60th).
Just two minutes from the final hooter, Nqobile Ntuli scored a field goal to make it 4-2 in favour of South Africa.
In the second 9th to 12th place play-off match later in the day, New Zealand took the lead through a penalty corner conversion by Oliver Logan in the sixth minute before Malaysia drew parity when Firdaus Omar (28th) struck from a set piece.
But thereafter it was New Zealand all over as they pumped in two more goals in the second half through Robbie Capizzi (56th) and Same Lane (60th) to emerge winners.
Meanwhile in the opening 13th to 16th place classification match, Japan rode on Koji Yamasaki's field strike to down their opponents by 1-0 margin.
Later in the day, Korea defeated Canada 2-1 in another 13th to 16th place play-off game.
All the goals came in the first half with Korea finding the net twice through Joohan Park (21st minute) and Seyong Oh (26th) before Canada reduced the margin two minutes later through skipper Brandon Pereira's (28th) penalty corner conversion.
While New Zealand and South Africa will face off each other for the 9th-10th place finish on Saturday, Austria will take on Malaysia for 11th-12th place.
Japan and Korea will face each other in a battle of Asian teams for the 13th-14th spot, while Egypt and Canada will fight it out to avoid the wooden-spoon in the 16-nation tournament.
The Times of India
Kiwis sink Malaysia in classification playoff
Photo: World Sports Pics
The New Zealand Under 21 Men have defeated Malaysia 3-1 in their 9th-12th classification playoff at the Junior World Cup in India.
After an early Oliver Logan strike, both sides were locked up 1-1 at halftime before late goals from Robbie Capizzi and Sam Lane sealed the result for the Kiwis.
The win sees New Zealand go up against South Africa with ninth place on the line at 1:30am on Sunday morning (NZ time), with live coverage on SKY Sport.
Man of the Match Robbie Capizzi said while his side missed out on the quarter finals, pride was still on the line as they look to finish on a positive note.
“We were pretty upset with the way we missed the quarters but our focus now is to finish as best as we can, and that’s to make sure we take ninth place,” he said.
“The first half wasn’t great today but we picked it up in the second and we are stoked to win. We know we’re a quality team and are going to go hard in our final game.”
New Zealand were first to score in the sixth minute with Nic Woods handing off a penalty corner variation for Logan to flick hard through the goalkeeper’s legs.
Malaysia responded close to halftime with Firdaus Omar netting low and in the corner from a penalty corner of their own.
Capizzi broke the deadlock in the 56th minute after deflecting a huge crash ball from Woods into the goal to give the Kiwis a crucial lead.
Sam Lane then delivered the knockout blow with 10 minutes remaining after receiving a penalty corner handoff and flicking into the top of the net.
NEW ZEALAND 3: (Oliver Logan, Robbie Capizzi, Sam Lane)
MALAYSIA 1: (Firdaus Omar)
Halftime: 1-1
Hockey New Zealand Media release
Canada comes up short in classification match against Korea, will face Egypt in final game
Shaheed Devji 
Floyd Mascarenhas carries the ball in Canada’s match vs Korea at the 2016 Junior World Cup on December 14, 2016 (By Yan Huckendubler)
Canada’s search for a win at the 2016 Junior World Cup continues after dropping a 2-1 decision to Korea Wednesday in Lucknow, India.
A chance to play for 13th place on Friday in India was on the line in the battle of two winless teams. The winner of Wednesday’s match would go on to face Japan, while the loser would take on Egypt for 15th place.
All the game’s scoring came in the first half, with Korea going up 2-0 and Canada equalizing late. The second half saw more action, but no goals, as Korea held on for victory.
Brandon Pereira scored Canada’s lone goal, which was his and his team’s second of the tournament.
If not for the scoreline, the Canadians would have likely been happy with their performance in the first half and in the game overall. From the opening moments of the match through to the final whistle, Canada put in its most consistent effort of the competition thus far.
Controlling a majority of possession to start the game resulted in the game’s first chance in the 8th minute when Kabir Aujla found some space in the Korean circle and decided to have a go at goal. The attempt was deflected away just as Aujla made contact.
Canada was then awarded the first penalty corner of the match in the 15th minute when Aujla played a free hit quickly outside of the Korean circle, forcing the umpire to call the Korean defender on the five-meter rule.
Brandon Pereira’s drag-flick was turned away by the Korean keeper Youngbin Kang, who left the rebound in prime position for Parmeet Gill to get a stick on. But Kang was able to stop the second attempt as well.
Another corner was given to Canada shortly after, and this time Kang was lucky to make the save as the flick from Ganga Singh was missed by the block and hit the goalkeeper’s stick.
Canada was unlucky not to have the lead by the 20th minute, which is when Korea started to press.
The Korean’s were given their first corner in the 20th minute. Joohan Park stepped up to the plate for the drag-flick and was stopped by Canada’s Iqwinder Gill. But Korea was given another corner and this time Park converted, freezing the Canadian keeper and putting the ball in the net for the game’s first goal in the 21st minute.
Five minutes later, Korea added a second goal in the 26th minute when quick ball movement gave them a 2-on-1 in close quarters to the Canadian goal. The ball made its way to Seyong Oh and he first-timed it past Gill for the 2-0 lead.
Canada immediately began to look for the equalizer.
Rohan Chopra picked up the ball and battled his way to the top of the Korean circle, where he earned a free hit. Chopra was given the ball back quickly, earned a quick corner.
The ball once against went to Pereira, who had his flick blocked, but picked up a second chance and smashed it home from close to give Canada its first goal of the game in the 28th minute.
For the better part of the final 15 minutes of the first half, Canada was on the offensive and looked like it would equalize. The best chance came in the 31st minute when Amrit Sidhu earned yet another corner for Canada.
Pereira again had the honours for the drag-flick, but this time his attempt was stopped and Canada went into the half-time break down by one.
The Koreans made an adjustment at half and came out stronger in the second. Two quick chances were turned away, the first by a good save from Gill, the second by the post on a drag-flick from Park.
By the 50 minute mark, Canada was in full desperation mode, looking for the tying goal, but despite good build-up, was not able to create a good scoring opportunity.
Korea had another chance in the 57th, and Gill made a strong stick save to keep the game in reach for Canada.
Canada’s best chance to tie came in the 67th minute, when the ball popped free to Rowan Childs at the top of the Korean circle. Childs quickly unleashed a hard hit towards the far-post, and as the ball was on its way there, a diving Amrit Sidhu re-directed it past the Korean keeper but just off the post.
It was the chance the Canadians were hoping for, but Canada came up inches short and in the end conceded to a 2-1 defeat.
Canada will now face Egypt – which lost the other 15th/16th classification match by a 1-0 score to Japan – for the 15th place on Friday at 11:15am local time in India (9:45pm Pacific on December 15/12:45am Eastern on December 16 in Canada).
Field Hockey Canada media release
India strikers need to fire to overcome gritty Spain
Uthra Ganesan
HONING THEIR SKILLS: The Indian junior hockey team at a practice session in Lucknow on Wednesday.
The last time India took on Spain in the hockey Junior World Cup in 2005, it ended up losing the bronze medal on penalties after a close-fought game.
Coach Harendra Singh was in charge then as well. India also beat Spain twice in the recent four-nation tournament in Valencia, which it won beating the defending champion here, Germany.
On paper, the host should move one step closer to achieving that target when it takes on the European side in the quarterfinals at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium here on Thursday but Harendra, as well as the players, know matches aren’t won on paper.
India’s last league game against South Africa, which it won 2-1, was the kind of wake-up call it needed before the business end of the tournament. The team management seems to have decided to get tough on unnecessary errors.
On Wednesday, the Indians practised for more than an hour in-camera, sharpening their attacking skills and working out combinations upfront before concentrating on other areas of the game.
Understandable, given the plethora of chances the forwards have missed so far even as the Indian defence has stood firm barring a few occasional gaps.
Penalty-corner conversion
While Harmanpreet Singh and Varun Kumar have tackled well and have been pinpoint in their long aerial passes, along with vice-captain and the wall of the side Dipsan Tirkey, they have not been as effective in penalty-corners, converting only two so far in three games.
The forwards have earned the corners but have been wayward in their shooting and guilty of holding on too long inside the striking circle.
The positive for India is that, despite the shortcomings, the team has managed to stick together and cover up the weaknesses with captain Harjeet Singh being the key factor.
Also, the team has stuck to its structure despite conceding early and not repeated its mistakes and coach Harendra is satisfied that his boys are looking inwards to improve.
“Hockey is the most gadget-heavy sport today. And when players spot their own errors and look at solutions, it becomes easier for the coach to explain strategies,” he said.
However, against Spain, India would have to strike early and force Spain out of its defence and try and score.
Confidence booster
For Spain though, the fact that it managed to hang on for a draw against New Zealand in its last group match to edge out the Oceania runner-up from the last-eight would be a big confidence booster.
“That was a key match for us to stay in the race, now we do not have any pressure and that’s when we play our best.
“India is the favourite side here for me, but they are playing at home so they may have more pressure.
”We did have our chances against them in the second game in Valencia and we have some plans for them here, hopefully we will be able to get lucky with our chances,” coach Roger Pallarols said.
The Hindu
Planning pain for Spain
India head into the quarterfinal as favourites but Spain could frustrate them with their strong defence
Indervir Grewal
The Indian team will need to be patient while looking for openings against Spain on Thursday. file photo
Entering the final leg of the junior World Cup, India have taken their place among the last-eight with authority. Their performance so far has justified their billing as the favourites to lift the trophy. Barring the game against South Africa, India have been on the top of their game; their destruction of England must have earned them the other contenders' respect and fear.
The team's biggest weapon is its speed, which the England coach had been wary of before their match. In skill, these boys match the players from the top teams, and tactically, too, they have been fairly sound. The players rotate the ball swiftly and their understanding makes them play a quick passing game. “They are very good at finding ways into the rival circle,” South Africa coach Garreth Ewing had said after their match against India. They are very dangerous when employing the full press and very swift with counterattacks as they showed in the second half against England. Their defence hasn't been troubled much. All these elements make this team a dangerous one.
Grey areas
But there are certain areas the team needs to work on to get India its first title since the 2001 triumph. India play fast, but single-paced for most part. They have tried to vary the pace while attacking, but not often enough. Against Canada, they got the first goal after a patient buildup, but it was missing for most parts in the other matches.
In defence, they have shown susceptibility to change in pace. “They are good at individual defence and rely on it too much, more than the better-structured teams. They need to work on their defence,” Ewing had added.
England had exploited this structural deficiency. After India's initial pressure, England got control of the possession, patiently built up for an opening, and pumped in the crucial opening goal.
Too eager to score
Conceding first meant India had to look for the equaliser, and England made India work hard for it. “It was a crucial moment. If we could have held on for a few more minutes, India would have become frustrated,” England coach Jon Bleby had said afterwards.
That's the strategy most teams use against India —deny them the first goal and they will unravel themselves. India are too eager to score because they always go for the win. Against Canada and England, they became impatient, therefore scrappy, while looking for the goal.
Against South Africa, the opposite happened. India lost their energy and concentration after scoring, probably due to overconfidence that the contest was over. They forgot their strategy and started hanging on to the ball for a little longer than usual, and that resulted in interceptions and eventually a goal.
Teams such as Germany and Australia had a similar situation as India's, in which even a draw against a relatively weaker team in their last match would have seen them top the group. They implemented their normal strategy, eventually finding the goals in comfortable wins. India went for goals against South Africa, got one and lost their way. And the worrying factor was that they failed to regain their composure.
They got the winner, but against a better team at a bigger stage, it might get to them. “With juniors you never know how they will cope with the pressure,” said India manager Roelant Oltmans.
Being disciplined enough to play consistently throughout has never been a feature of the Indian teams. This team has shown a lot of improvement in the mental department from the previous teams, but there is still some way to go.
Counterpunching Spain
And India's quarterfinal opponents Spain will know that, and take heart from England's first half performance against the hosts. Spain are also “defensively very tight and play a strong counter-attacking game”, said Oltmans. They will be looking to frustrate the Indians with possession hockey and keep them from scoring for as long as possible. However, in the presence of a huge screaming crowd, will Spain be able to? “This is a big opportunity for my team because of the atmosphere,” said Spain coach Roger Pallarols. “India are playing at home so it will be a tough match.”
The Tribune
India seek consistency against Spain
Asheem Mukerji
LUCKNOW: It will be a battle of the Indian team's flair against resilience of the Spaniards when the two sides clash in the quarterfinal of the Junior Men's Hockey World Cup at Major Dhyan Chand stadium on Thursday.
The Indians have shown enough spunk but the side will be striving for consistency. They had everything going in their favour in the first two games, but had a few tense moments against South Africa in their final pool encounter with the combo of forwards Mandeep Singh, Manpreet Junior and Armaan Qureshi finding the going tough. Spain's game isn't very different to what the hosts play. For them, it will be defense first, putting numbers at the back and then look for breakaway moves to score.
To counter that, the ability and agility of the linkmen will also be the key for Indian success. Skipper Harjeet Singh has been exceptional in the first two games playing at centre-half. The Indian skipper has controlled the tempo very well, and gone up to assist the forwards and fallen back to help the defenders in times of crisis.
The Indians do carry a worry in the form of penalty corner specialist Harmanpreet Singh. He has lacked the punch and has delivered less than what he promised.
Threatening the Indian defence will be Spain's powerful dragflickers Pablo de Abadal and Llorenc Piera Grau. In-form goal-scorers Manual Fabregas Bordas, Lucas Garcia Alcalde and Jan Lara Rosell are likely to give the hosts a hard time. Spain come in to the game on the back of a thrilling win against New Zealand that ensured their spot in the quarterfinal.
Indian coach Harendra Singh, a preacher of attacking hockey, does realise there are no cutting corners at this stage of the competition. Harendra conceded India's win against Spain in Valencia during the recent Four-Nation tournament will count for very little when the boys take the field.
The Times of India
England face Germany in JWC quarter-final
The men’s Junior World Cup reaches the quarter-final stage on Thursday with five European sides hoping to keep alive their chances of a medal.
England became the eighth and final team to qualify for the last eight in Lucknow thanks to a convincing victory over Canada.
The 6-0 score-line, in which Edward Horler scored a hat-trick, confirmed a second-place finish in Pool D which sets up a last eight meeting against reigning champions Germany, the winners of Pool C.
As well as the Germany versus England fixture, Pool A winners Australia face a huge clash with Pool B runners up the Netherlands, while Pool D winners India and Pool C’s second placed Spain will also go head to head. Belgium and Argentina, whose senior teams competed in the Olympic final at Rio 2016, is another fascinating Quarter-Final match-up.
“It was all about going out there and doing a job, as a lot of people were talking about the quarter-finals but we knew Canada would be a tough side and we had to get the job done,” said England captain James Gall after the match.
Regarding the Quarter-Final meeting with Germany, Gall said: “You know what you get with them, we have played them a lot. They are a good side, but we will debrief this performance, plan for the next match and have a really good go at them.”
Following the completion of the pool phase, the match order and timings for the Quarter-Finals, which take place on Thursday 15th December, have been revealed. All times local (Indian Standard Time GMT/UTC +5.30).
11:15 Belgium v Argentina
13:30 Germany v England
15:45 Australia v Netherlands
18:00 India v Spain
Euro Hockey League media release
Japanese player suspended for one match for deliberate foul
LUCKNOW: International Hockey Federation handed a one-match suspension to Japanese player Miyu Tanimitsu for a deliberate foul against an Egyptian player during their 13th to 16th classification match of the men's Junior Hockey World Cup on Wednesday.
Japan's Miyu Tanimitsu was found guilty of breaching FIH Code of Conduct regarding by deliberately hitting an Egyptian player during their classification match.
"It was reported to me that during the match between Egypt and Japan, player no. 4 of Japan committed a serious physical foul against a player of Egypt. In my view this can be seen as a breach of the Code of Conduct," FIH technical delegate Rogier Warris said in a statement.
"Video evidence was presented to me that shows that in minute 62nd of the match no 32 (Egypt v Japan) player no. 4 of Japan deliberately hits his opponent in the face with his stick.
"As I see this action as inappropriate and deliberate physical contact I will treat this as a breach of the Code of Conduct Level 1. Miyu Tanimitsu accepts the breach of the code of conduct and indicated that did not mean to hit the player. During the hearing the behaviour of Miyu Tanimitsu was very good," he said.
"After review of the video evidence of the situation, I have decided to suspend Miyu Tanimitsu for one match (match no. 38) for his behaviour on the pitch," Warris added.
Japan defeated Egypt 1-0 in the classification game to qualify for the 13th-14th play-off match scheduled for Friday.
The Times of India
Injured Sreejesh using Junior Hockey World Cup to hone coaching skills
LUCKNOW: Down with an ankle injury since the Asian Champions Trophy in October this year, India captain PR Sreejesh can't afford to get back to action and is utilising the ongoing men's Junior Hockey World Cup not only to undergo his rehabilitation but also to pursue his career option after quitting the game, i.e. coaching.
Sreejesh is currently with the India colts participating in the Junior World Cup as a goalkeeping consultant, a role which he feels will benefit him as well as junior goalkeepers Vikas Dahiya and Krishan B Pathak in the longer run.
He has been training the Indian colts in the national camp in Bengaluru in the run up to the World Cup. But he later requested the team management to involve him with the team during the Junior World Cup which will not only be beneficial for him but for the Indian colts as well.
"I was about to undergo my rehabilitation after the injury I sustained during the Asian Champions Trophy and then a thought suddenly came into mind to train with the junior side. I asked the coaching staff and Roelant (Oltmans) about it and they readily agreed," Sreejesh said on the sidelines of the tournament.
"Apart from helping the junior goalkeepers, I foresee this opportunity to study and analyse myself. This opportunity will give me an idea about where I am making mistakes because teaching is all about learning," he said.
Sreejesh said coaching has always been his passion but right now his role is all about fine-tuning.
"Coaching is something I look upto after I finish my international career. But right now it's all about helping the juniors by sharing experience and tips. Now you can only do polishing for these people. You can't do any visible changes. You can bring in some confidence.
"Being a goalkeeper, you can motivate them. Even they can relate to it, thinking that I've been in similar situations that they face. They will take my words seriously because of that," said the lanky Kerala lad, who is regarded as one of the finest goalkeepers in the world currently.
"Goalkeeping is a different story in hockey. More than technical, it's about the mental part. In 70 minutes, you will get the ball twice or thrice. Now, if one concedes a goal early, he's going to get another chance after a very long time.
"So I talk to them mainly about preparing themselves mentally for the match and how to control the negative or positive moments in the match. You can't make a couple of saves and be on a high. You need to keep your mind stable for rest of the match," an ever-smiling Sreejesh added.
Dave Staniforth had been preparing the goalkeepers of the junior side ahead of the ongoing World Cup, a role which Sreejesh took over after the South African left following the completion of his short stint a day before the start of the tournament.
Sreejesh too had to wait a lot for his chance and only got his break following a career-destroying eye injury to Baljeet Singh in 2009.
"I just didn't play 10 or 15 tournaments and got into the senior team. I waited a lot. You need experience. You can't feel good about yourself by making a couple of saves, nor should you get demotivated after conceding a few of goals. You can't achieve everything overnight. You have to be patient," he concluded.
The Times of India
Changes on the way as Black Sticks Women fail to fire against Malaysia
Christopher Reive
One of the worst performances he had ever seen from a team wearing the black shirt. GRANT MATTHEW/Fairfax NZ
Black Sticks Women's coach Mark Hager has labelled his side's 1-0 loss to minnows Malaysia in Taranaki on Thursday night as one of the worst performances he had ever seen from a team wearing the black shirt.
After taking scrappy wins in the first two games in their five-match series, the Black Sticks were outplayed by the 50th ranked Malaysian side.
Hager had been telling his team to play as a team following below par outings in the first two games, but instead found his side trying to do too much on the ball.
"We just don't play as a team, we don't have the high energies and they made us look a bit silly today with them being able to eliminate us. But credit to them, they stuck at it and I thought they were the better team on the day.
"They played as a team which I don't think we did today. It's pretty simple."
Malaysia parked the bus from the outset, with six players packing inside the circle and the other four in the defensive quarter of the pitch.
While the early signs were good for the Black Sticks, once they got into the attacking zone they were unable to get through the Malaysian bodies.
As a result, the opening quarter was a niggly affair with neither team able to really force the issue.
The trend continued into the second period, with the Black Sticks finding room to send passes into the circle, but they were lucky to link up with a team-mate among the blue jerseys.
The best chance of the half fell to Kirsten Pearce late in the stanza, but she mistimed her shot in front of goal on the end of a pass from Tarryn Davey.
With a decent wind at their backs in the second half, New Zealand looked to gain the upper hand.
However, their attacking mindset almost saw them caught on the break five minutes into the half, but a trip from Natasha Fitzsimons halted the attack - earning her a warning in the process.
With nothing coming to fruition for either team in the third quarter, it all came down to the final 15 minutes.
Malaysia had their first real opportunity of the game inside the first minute of the final quarter when they were awarded a penalty corner, but they were unable to get on the board as Black Sticks goalkeeper Brooke Roberts pulled out two massive saves.
With time winding down, the Black Sticks began to look panicked - trying to force passes that weren't on and trying to move the ball before it was under control.
Malaysia broke the deadlock with just over three minutes to go in the game from a penalty corner. The goal was their first in the three games played of the five-match series.
While the Black Sticks fought to get on the board, Malaysia were able to hang on for the upset.
Hager said he would be making changes before the sides play again on Saturday and hoped to see a better display of hockey from his team.
* The sides play again on Saturday December 17 at the TET Multisport Centre, Stratford, Taranaki at 3pm.
Stuff
Black Sticks buoyed by HPSNZ support
Photo: www.photosport.nz
Hockey New Zealand is pleased with confirmed support for the Black Sticks Men and Women from High Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ).
Earlier today HPSNZ announced their investment schedule for the next two years with the Black Sticks Women given an increase in funding and the Black Sticks Men retaining their current level.
Hockey New Zealand High Performance Director Terry Evans said the funding would allow both teams to continue building towards the target of winning medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
“We are very appreciative of the ongoing funding from HPSNZ. It is encouraging to see the belief in both our programmes, and that is certainly a sentiment we mirror as we now look to lay the ground work towards Tokyo.”
Next year is the first step in the next Olympic cycle for both sides and along with preparation for the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, fans will see the world’s best teams in action on home soil in November at the FIH Women’s Hockey World League Final in Auckland.
Hockey New Zealand Media release
Wimbledon to make history in Junior EHL
Wimbledon U14s
Wimbledon will make history as England Hockey’s first representatives in the ABN AMRO Junior EHL - which will be played on April 16-17
The Wombles’ U14 side won a playoff against Holcombe and as a result will take their place in the new expanded competition alongside teams from France, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Spain.
The competition offers unique opportunity for tomorrow’s stars to emulate their heroes under Euro Hockey League conditions.
Dutch outfit SV Kampong became the first team to qualify in September when they won the Dutch tournament ahead of Oranje-Rood and AH&BC Amsterdam.
In Spain, Real Club de Polo emerged victorious from their qualifiers ahead of Atlètic Terrassa and Club Egara in a hotly contested series.
In France, Saint Germain won a shoot-out against Racing Club de France in their qualifier match which ended 0-0 in normal time.
In Germany, Mannheimer was nominated to take part in the competition as the side with the best results in the German youth championships which finished up for 2016 in October.
In Belgium, the representative is chosen based on the men’s senior ranking from the previous season and so KHC Dragons took up the ticket for Eindhoven.
The six-team ABN AMRO Junior EHL competition takes place in tandem with the EHL KO16/KO8 weekend which runs from April 14 to 17, 2017 in Eindhoven. The final schedule will be confirmed in due course.
Congratulations to Wimbledon on their historic achievement, we wish them the very best of luck!
England Hockey Board Media release
MHC extend closing date for MHL to Dec 22
by S. Ramaguru
Earlier, the closing date was revised a few times as some teams felt they needed more time to recruit their players.
MHC chief executive officer K. Logan Raj said the Dec 22 deadline is final.
“All the teams have been given ample notice. They must also hand over their team lists on Dec 22. If not we will not accept their entries,” warned Logan.
Eight teams are expected to play in the top-flight Premier Division. To date, seven sides – Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC), Terengganu, Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL), Tenaga Nasional, TNB-Thunderbolt, Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI) and Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) – have confirmed their participation.
The MHC are awaiting for Maybank, a regular since the league’s inception in 1987, to fill up the last spot.
Sapura, the 2004 and 2005 league champions and overall winners in 2005 and 2006, are the most notable absentees. They informed the MHC last month that they would not be taking part.
“If Maybank decide to opt out, we will make do with seven teams,” said Logan.
Meanwhile, the MHC are planning to kick off their season with the Tan Sri P. Alagendra Knockout Trophy from Jan 4-13. The MHL is expected to begin on Jan 20.
The Star of Malaysia
Hockey Australia signs 4 year MOU with Japan Hockey Association
Teams to tour Japan in 2019
Holly MacNeil
Thursday, 15 December 2016 - Hockey Australia has signed a 4-year deal with the Japan Hockey Association which will see the two countries make reciprocal visits to strengthen the hockey ties between the nations.
The deal was agreed in Tokyo overnight, with Hockey Australia Chief Executive Cam Vale meeting with key members of the Japan Hockey Association including Secretary General Yuji Teramoto (pictured), to work out the finer details.
Under the agreement, the Australian National Hockey Teams, the Kookaburras and the Hockeyroos, will visit Japan in 2019 and 2020 as a part of the preparations for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic campaign.
The development of hockey was also a key point in the agreement with Hockey Australia to help bring the junior hockey development program Hookin2Hockey to Japan; junior teams from both nations invited to tour the other country; and through the exchange of umpires, officials, and coaches. 
Of the MOU, Vale said: “We are delighted to be able to sign a deal with Japan which will further the development of hockey both in Australia and Japan.
“Being given the opportunity to have our national teams, the Kookaburras and the Hockeyroos tour Japan prior to the Tokyo Olympics will be of a huge benefit in giving the teams every chance to prepare to the best of their ability.
“Along with this, the fact that we will be able to share Hookin2Hockey which is our junior program to help children aged 10 and under learn the basics of hockey is fantastic.
“We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with Japan Hockey.”
This continues Hockey Australia’s expansion of its international footprint after partnerships over the last 2 years with India, Malaysia, Singapore, USA and NZ, as well as through the Pacific Sports Partnership agreement with Oceania Hockey Federation and the countries of Vanuatu, Tonga, and Solomon.
Current World Rankings
Men
1 Australia
16 Japan
Women
4 Australia
10 Japan
Hockey Australia media release