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All the news for Saturday 17 December 2016

Belgium and India reach final as Germany’s Junior World Cup reign ended



Belgium and India will meet in the Final of the Uttar Pradesh Hockey Junior World Cup Men Lucknow 2016 after winning their respective Semi-Final matches on Friday (16th December).

Loic van Doren was the hero in the shoot-out as Belgium ended Germany’s hopes of winning a third successive title, following their triumphs in 2009 and 2013. Belgium’s opponents will be the host nation, who conquered Australia in front of a noisy and colourful capacity crowd at the Lucknow’s Major Dhyan Chand Hockey Stadium.

Germany and Australia will compete in the bronze medal match, which takes place ahead of the mouthwatering title match between first time finalists Belgium and 2001 title winners India on Sunday 18th December.

In the first Semi-Final, Belgium’s Red Cougars were marginally the better team in opening period, with Germany goalkeeper Lennart Küppers being forced into making two smart saves from the lively Thomas Verheijen. Germany looked a different side in the second half, with the exceptional Timm Herzbruch causing the Belgian defence no end of problems and keeping shot-stopper Loic van Doren extremely active. Germany’s Jan Schiffer came closest to breaking the deadlock with a far post deflection, but failed to hit the target. Belgium took an early lead in the shoot-out when Loic van Doren forced an error from Philip Schmid, but a fine save from Germany’s Niklas Garst, who replaced Küppers for the shoot-out, left things level after four rounds. The decisive moment arrived when Van Doren denied Timm Herzbruch, before Robbert Rubens slammed the ball home to send an elated Belgium into their first men’s Junior World Cup Final. Referring to his form in shoot-outs, Belgian shot-stopper Loic van Doren said: “I’ve been training a lot, analyzing all the stats and all the movements, and I think all of that training helped us win today. We are really going for gold now. We’re in the final it is going to be an amazing game.”

Nearly 7000 fans were in the stadium to watch host nation India in Semi-Final action against Australia, and they were treated to an absolutely thrilling contest. Tom Craig put Australia ahead in the first half, but Gurjant Singh pulling India level with a stunning run and backhand finish in the 48th minute before Mandeep Singh’s superb steal and shot put the hosts into a 2-1 lead. Lachlan Sharp made it 2-2 in the 57th minute, which proved to be the final goal of the game. Much to the delight of the home fans, India scored all four of their goals in the shoot-out with Matthew Bird and Lachlan Sharp proving unsuccessful as India reached their first Junior World Cup final since winning the competition in 2001.

Earlier in the day, a last-gasp strike from Koji Yamasaki gave Japan a 2-1 victory over Asian rivals Korea and seal a 13th place finish in the competition. Kota Watanabe scored in the 55th minute to give Japan the lead, but Korea restored parity thanks to Oh Seyong, who showed quick reflexes to volley home a shot that hit the frame of the Japanese goal. Yamasaki’s goal arrived from an overtime penalty corner, deflecting in from five metres out to condemn the Koreans to a 14th place finish. 

Egypt were winners of the 15/16 Place play-off, defeating Canada 2-1 in what was the opening match of the day. Rohan Chopra gave Canada the lead at the end of the first half when he forced home a saved penalty corner from close range before Mohamed Gadelkarim’s penalty corner drag-flick levelled the scores with 12 minutes remaining. Ahmed Elganaini hit the winner three minutes from the end of the match, cracking a fierce backhand effort into the top right corner to seal a 15th place finish for the African champions. 

Results – 16th December 2016

15/16 Place: Egypt 2, Canada 1.
13/14 Place: Japan 2, Korea 1.
Semi-Final:   Belgium 0, Germany 0. (Belgium win 4-3 in shoot-out)
Semi-Final:   Australia 2, India 2. (India win 2-4 in shoot-out)

Confirmed fixtures (all times local – IST)

17th December 2016
11:15  Argentina v England (5/8 Place)
13:30  Netherlands v Spain (5/8 Place)
15:45  Austria v Malaysia (11/12 Place)
18:00  South Africa v New Zealand (9/10 Place)

18th December 2016

11:15 7/8 Place
13:30 5/6 Place
15:45 Germany v Australia (3/4 Place)
18:00 Belgium v India (Final)

FIH site

Van Doren leads Belgium to first ever Junior World Cup final



KHC Dragons goalkeeper Loic van Doren said his shoot-out research proved crucial as Belgium reached the final of the men’s Junior World Cup, beating Germany in the semi-final.

Normal time ended 0-0 with van Doren not overly busy but he was in excellent form in the shoot-out as his side prevailed 4-3.

Speaking about his performance in the key moment, he said: “I’ve been training a lot, analyzing all the stats and all the movements, and I think all of that training helped us win today. We are really going for gold now. We’re in the final it is going to be an amazing game.”

The Red Cougars were marginally the better team in opening period, with Germany goalkeeper Lennart Küppers being forced into making two smart saves from the lively Thomas Verheijen.

Germany looked a different side in the second half, with the exceptional Timm Herzbruch causing the Belgian defence no end of problems and keeping shot-stopper Loic van Doren extremely active.

Germany’s Jan Schiffer came closest to breaking the deadlock with a far post deflection, but failed to hit the target. Belgium took an early lead in the shoot-out when Loic van Doren forced an error from Philip Schmid, but a fine save from Germany’s Niklas Garst, who replaced Küppers for the shoot-out, left things level after four rounds.

The decisive moment arrived when Van Doren denied Timm Herzbruch, before Robbert Rubens slammed the ball home to send an elated Belgium into their first men’s Junior World Cup final.

Nearly 7,000 fans enjoyed India winning their semi-final against Australia, also in a shoot-out after normal time had ended 2-2.

The final takes place on Sunday while Germany meet Austalia for the bronze medal. The fifth to eighth place playoffs start on Saturday morning with Argentina playing England and the Netherlands facing Spain.

Austria complete their campaign against Malaysia, meeting in the playoff for 11th place.

Confirmed fixtures (all times local – IST)
17th December 2016
11:15 Argentina v England (5/8 Place)
13:30 Netherlands v Spain (5/8 Place)
15:45 Austria v Malaysia (11/12 Place)
18:00 South Africa v New Zealand (9/10 Place)

18th December 2016
11:15 7/8 Place
13:30 5/6 Place
15:45 Germany v Australia (3/4 Place)
18:00 Belgium v India (Final)

Euro Hockey League media release

Belgium stun six-time champions Germany to enter maiden final

LUCKNOW: Belgium stunned six-time champions and title holders Germany 4-3 in the shoot out to progress to their maiden final of the men's Junior Hockey World Cup here Friday.

Belgium rode on their goalkeeper Loic van Doren's superb display in the shoot-out to register the upset win after the two teams failed to break the deadlock in regulation 70 minutes.

Van Doren made two brilliant saves in the shoot-out to deny Germany's Philip Schimid and Tim Herzbruch.

The Germans came into the match as favourites but it was Belgium who controlled the proceedings and created more chances for most part of the game.

If not for goalkeeper Lennart Kuppers, Germany could have lost the match in regulation time as he made some brilliant saves in the match to keep away the ever-charging Belgians.

In the shoot-out, Germany replaced their regular custodian Kuppers for shoot-out specialist Niklas Garst, but it did not help the defending champions as he could pull off just one save.

For Belgium, Nicolas Poncelet, Arthur de Sloover, Henri Raes and Robbert Rubens scored in the shoot-out while Johannes Grobe, Ole Thies Prinz and Constantin Staib were the successful converters.

Earlier in the day, Japan eked out a narrow 2-1 win over Asian rivals Korea in the 13th-14th place classification match, while Egypt defeated Canada by identical margin to avoid the wooden spoon.

In the match between Japan and Korea, Kota Watanabe (55th) and Koji Yamasaki (70th) scored for the winners while Seyong Oh found the net for the losing side.

In the match to avoid the wooden spoon, Canada surged ahead in the 35th minute through a penalty corner conversion by Rohan Chopra before Egypt found the net twice in the second half through Mohamed Gadelkarim (58th) and Ahmed Elganaini (67th).

The Times of India

Burra relegated to bronze medal match by India

Defeated 4 - 2 on shoot-out

Holly MacNeil



The Burras will compete in the bronze medal match of the Junior World Cup in Lucknow, India after tonight’s semi-final against India went to shoot out following a full-time draw. The Burras fought hard, but India will compete in the final of the Junior World Cup after the shoot-out finished at AUS 2 – 4 IND.

The Burras were off to a great start with Tom Craig and Josh Beltz doing some excellent work to get the ball down towards the Aussie goal, but India had their defence in numbers and the Burras couldn’t work into the circle.

India followed up with some quick work getting the ball down to their end, but Josh Simmonds intercepted the pass successfully to avoid danger. India continued to press hard putting the Burras under pressure.

In the 14th minute of play the Burras took control, forcing a penalty corner. The initial flick was defended by India, but Tom Craig came through with the goods scoring a goal from a deflection that tapped India’s goalkeeper on the way in.

India were up for a penalty corner with six minutes to go in the first half; the first attempt was missed, and the second was beautifully saved by goalkeeper Ashleigh Thomas.

In the 42nd minute India levelled the playing field. Gurjant Singh broke away from the pack, sprinting the ball into the India D, and smacking the a goal in from the top left of the D.

Only a few minutes later and India had the lead. The home side disposed Australia, before a pass to Mandeep Singh was converted to a goal for India.

The game continued to be hard fought, with India trying to maintain the lead, and Australia trying to reclaim it. Lachlan Sharp came through for the Burras with 13 minutes to go in the game, with a gentle tap on a deflection from an Indian hit going perfectly into goal to again level the playing field.

The match followed in the footsteps of the first semi-final between Germany and Belgium and was a draw at full-time, with the winner decided by shoot-out. After 8 shots at goal, India came away victorious, with a 4 – 2 win; the Burras relegated to the bronze medal match.

Burras head coach Ben Bishop said: “There is such great disappointment within the group tonight. As with all the knock out matches, ours was a very close affair too.

“The boys showed great resilience again to fight back and put themselves in a position where they had a chance at winning the match. The group is already determined to move on and be ready for our bronze medal match.”

Earlier in the day the first semi-final between Belgium and Germany went to a shoot-out with Belgium victorious after a nil – all full-time score. The results of the semi-finals mean that India will take on Belgium in the final, while the Australian Burras will compete against Germany for the bronze.

The Burras bronze medal match against Germany on Sunday will take place at 6.15pm AWST / 9.15 AEDT, with the game to be live streamed via the FIH's YouTube channel.

BURRAS 2 (1)
Tom Craig 14 (PC)
Lachlan Sharp 57 (FG)

INDIA 2 (0)
Gurjant Singh 42 (FG) 
Manpreet Singh 48 (FG)

Shoot-out details
AUS 2 – 4 IND
Blake Govers (AUS) Goal
Harjeet Singh (IND) Goal
Matthew Bird (AUS) Miss
Harmanpreet Singh (IND) Goal
Lachlan Sharp (AUS) Miss
Sumit (IND) Goal
Jack Welch (AUS) Goal
Manpreet (IND) Goal

Burras Fixtures
December 18: Bronze medal match v Germany at 6.15pm AWST / 9.15 AEDT

Burras Squad v India
Name (Home town / suburb)
Kiran Arunasalam, (Doncaster East, VIC)
Joshua Beltz, (Old Beach, TAS)
Tom Craig, (Lane Cove, NSW)
Stephen Gale, (Bulleen, VIC)
Blake Govers, (Wollongong, NSW)
Max Hendry, (Camberwell, VIC)
Joshua Simmonds, (Ringwood North, VIC)
Tim Howard, (Wakerley, QLD
Kurt Lovett, (Parkes, NSW)
Ashleigh Thomas, (Baulkam Hills, NSW)
Jack Welch, (Hobart, TAS)
Corey Weyer, (Biggera Waters, QLD)

Used Substitutes
Matthew Bird, (Coolbellup, WA)
Frazer Gerrard, (Cottesloe, WA)
Sam Liles, (Tamworth, NSW)
Ryan Proctor, (Engadine, NSW)
Lachlan Sharp, (Lithgow, NSW)
Jack Welch, (Hobart, TAS)

Unused Substitute
Matthew Finn, (Paddington, QLD)

Hockey Australia media release

India conquer Australian mount through Shootout

s2h team

India ultimately conquered the Australian mount to find its moorings in the increasingly exciting Uttar Pradesh Junior World Cup, and will now engage other semifinal stunner Belgium on Sunday's final.

A second half surge saw India not only even out the first session arrear but also build a lead with gem of an opportunistic goal from Mandeep Singh. Australia struck thirteen minutes before the hooter through Lalchan Sharp.

In the ensued shoot out, lanky Vikas Dahiya came on his own to twice deny Australia whereas all the four Indian forwards showed perfect skill to see their attempt fruitful.

A crowd exceeding 15 thousands were on the edge of the seat all through the seventy minutes the second semifinal between India and Australia, and in the end their energy and expectation did not go waste.

The Lucknowites on the stands and India on the small screen witnessed another of thrilling stuff dished out by Harjeet Singh's boys.

Unlike yesterday, India conceded first goal of the match, but the script did not go awry.

India showed a great temperament throughout the match, more than that character, to emerge deserving victors in the shoot out.

When Tom Craig punctured the Indian citadel in the 14th minute, silencing loud stands the team did not panic, kept on doing perfect way.

It helped them stay strong and move ahead.

India missed first two penalty corners before conceding one in the 14th minute but made enough inroads.

Simranjit Singh, a sharp shooter that he is, just missed a sitter of a kind when he pushed inches off the right post.

It seemed for a while he struck but it was not.

With this miss, India changed sides.

On resumption, from the word go, India showed cohesion in upping the ante.

Set up by captain Harjeet Singh

Stick2Hockey.com

India shoots down Australia

Set up title clash with Belgium, which stuns Germany

Uthra Ganesan


Jubilant: The Indian team breaks into celebration after Man-of-the- Match goalkeeper Vikas Dahiya (on the ground) saved two penalties to help the team make the final.  Photo Credit: Rajeev Bhatt

Stepping up when it mattered the most, Indian juniors dished out their best performance of the tournament so far, storming into the final of the hockey junior World Cup here on Friday with a 6-2 victory over former champion Australia, edging ahead on the penalties after the teams were tied 2-2 in regulation time. This is India’s third final in the tournament. It finished runner-up in 1997 and won the title in 2001.

Indian now takes on Belgium after the latter upset defending champion Germany 4-3 on penalties after being tied goalless in regulation time. This is Belgium’s first-ever final in the competition. Interestingly, India had lost to Australia in the semifinals of the tournament in 2005.

While the scoreline may indicate it was a close game, the Indians had the upper hand for almost 50 of the 70 minutes of the game and were deserved winners against an Australia side which was more defensive than usual and struggled for spaces upfront. Unlike against Spain where India struggled and lost structure after conceding, the team remained in control in the semifinals and ensured there was no desperation.

The few occasions that Australia stepped out, however, it appeared dangerous but could not make much inroads into the Indian defence that held firm with Dipsan Tirkey standing out with his tackling and snatching possession.
Also Read

‘Lucky hunting ground’ for Harendra

Goalkeeper Vikas Dahiya, hardly tested so far in the tournament, had busy day and proved his worth, thwarting five of the seven penalty corners Australia received besides saving a couple of close shots from Jack Welch and Joshua Beltz.

India began well, as usual, and attacked early but soon fell back as the teams preferred to size up the opposition before trying anything. Australia first entered the Indian circle in the 10th minute and three minutes later, got its first penalty corner, converted on the third rebound by Tom Craig. The host was far more attacking but was unable to make its chances count, trailing by the lone goal at break. An overhead lob by Sumit was hit wide by Simranjit Singh inches from the goal and a Vikramjit Singh shot was padded away by goalkeeper Ashleigh Thomas, who also saved a couple of penalty corners.

But every aspect of India’s game was far improved than the previous outings. Harjeet was back in his element, distributing balls all around and finding gaps. Simranjit Singh missed an easy scoring chance but more than made up for it with impeccable passing, stealing the ball at the half line and dodging past hapless Australian defenders. One of the those runs found Gurjant Singh, who was spot on with his trapping, and the latter shot in from an acute angle to get the equaliser.

Six minutes later, Frazer Gerrard’s shot was intercepted at the top of the circle by Mandeep — blocking the first pass, which Roelant Oltmans calls ‘outletting’ — who then played a 1-2 with Nilakanta Sharma to get the lead before a lucky deflection from Lachlan Sharp helped Australia level again. Once it was time for shootout, however, it was India all the way, scoring on all four attempts while Australia could only manage two.

Earlier, Germany did everything right except score and paid the price for the number of scoring chances it missed, specially in the second half. While Belgium attempted a few shots early on, it preferred to sit back and defend even as an attacking, aggressive Germany stitched up moves from all sides. None of the shots went in, however, as Belgian goalkeeper Loic van Doren stood firm, saving and deflecting everything. The last 25 minutes saw the game completely in Belgian half but Germany could not find the elusive goal.

The results: Semifinals: Belgium 0 bt Germany 0 on penalties (4-3 in shoot out); India 2 (Gurjant Singh, Mandeep Singh) bt Australia 2 (Lachlan Sharp, Tom Craig) on penalties (4-2 SO).

15/16 place: Egypt 2 (Mohamed Gadelkarim, Ahmed Elganaini) bt Canada 1 (Rohan Chopra); 13/14 place: Japan 2 (Kota Watanabe, Koji Yamasaki) bt Korea 2 (Seyong Oh).

The Hindu

India shoot out Australia

Edge out Australia 4-2 in shootout to enter final; Belgium stun Germany in other semifinal

Indervir Grewal



The Indian team celebrates after edging out Australia in the shootout in the semifinals of the Junior World Cup in Lucknow on Friday. Hockey India

Lucknow: As Manpreet’s shot sent ripples through the back net, the crowd burst into an ear-numbing roar that took its own sweet time to die down. All through the engrossing 70 minutes and nerve-jangling shootout, immense tension had built up with waves of joyous yelps and gasps of disappointment; and the winning goal came as a release, which like a tsunami submerged the Dhyan Chand Stadium.

Manpreet ran in for India’s fourth attempt, with the hosts leading Australia 3-2 in the shootout; he lost control of the ball for a second but settled himself before blasting the ball high into the net. The players, who, unlike the fans, couldn’t afford to lose their composure in the biggest match of their careers, sprinted towards a corner and bound themselves in a tight huddle.

Captain Harjeet Singh, towards whom everyone else looked for reassurance and motivation, finally had the luxury of letting himself go after leading his team into the final of the junior hockey World Cup for the first time since 2001; and he did, with an impromptu and unabated performance of bhangra to the beats of the dhols playing in the stands.

“It was a match that needed all of us to constantly keep motivating each other,” said Harjeet, who was the most charged up and vocal on the pitch. Did he feel he had to take up the responsibility of keeping everyone focused, especially after India’s nervy performance a day earlier?

“I want to thank all the players as they stuck to their duties. Everyone knew what had to be done and we really played to the plan,” he added. Asked about his bhangra performance, he smiled shyly; unlike on Thursday, after their 2-1 win over Spain, his smile was not reserved this time.

The Indian team’s performance today —a complete opposite from their jittery show yesterday — deserved all the applause it got from the crowd.

Reassuring sign

Against the ever-dominant Australia, India controlled the possession smartly. India’s intentions became clear early on. Manpreet dodged past a player and despite no opening ahead, it seemed he was determined to carry on with his run. That’s what the Indians had done yesterday. But on this occasion, Manpreet, realising that there were no options ahead, turned around and passed the ball back for it to be rotated.

A reassuring sign, and that set the tone for a game that saw India building their attacks with patience, even after falling behind in the 14th minute. Australia’s first penalty corner led to Tom Craig scoring an opportunistic goal from an acute angle to silent the crowd. Despite conceding the opening goal for the second time in two days, India planned their comeback with confidence. They missed their chances in the first half and came out harder in the second. They put pressure on the Australians and their do-or-die spirit — relentlessly going after the ball-carrier and lunging to intercept every pass — got them the equaliser in the 42nd minute. Simranjeet Singh, who had a brilliant game, stole the ball around the centre-line to set up a counterattack. In a two-one-one situation, he quickly released the ball for Gurjant Singh to his left. Gurjant’s initial touch looked to have taken him a bit too wide, but his low reverse shot went through the goalkeeper’s pads.

With their tail up, India pressed harder. Six minutes later, Mandeep Singh made the unlikeliest interception, bringing down a scoop from a 16-yard start with his upright stick. He had a one-two with Armaan Qureshi before beating a hapless goalie with a reverse shot.

The next 10 minutes were all about India, but they had nothing to show for it. The momentum shifted in Australia’s favour. They had penalty corners but goalkeeper Vikas Dahiya saved; until they got the unlikeliest equaliser. Lachlan Sharp, standing just in front of the keeper, got in a deflection from the top of the circle.

Winning is the most important thing in the knockout matches, manager Roelant Oltmans had said after the Spain match. What if we “play a brilliant game and lose 1-0”, he had said. It seemed his remark would come true. But Dahiya’s heroics in the shootout ensured that India’s brilliant performance was rewarded with a win.

Shootout:Blow by blow

•     Blake Govers starts the shootout. Scores, puts Australia ahead.India 0 Australia 1
•     Skipper Harjeet Singh walks up to start the proceedings for India. Oz keeper saves, but Harjeet puts it back in on the rebound.India 1 Australia 1
•     Matthew Bird takes Australia's second shot. Goalkeeper Dahiya kicks it away, doesn't allow him the second shot.India 1 Australia 1
•     Harmanpreet scores, India have their nose ahead now.India 2 Australia 1
•     It's a crucial shot for Australia. Sharp takes a shot but Dahiya comes up with a brilliant diving save.India 2 Australia 1
•     If Sumit strikes, India will have a huge advantage. And he does!India 3 Australia 1
•     Welch can't afford to miss this and he doesn't. Dahiya tries but is beaten.India 3 Australia 2
•     If Manpreet scores, India are through to the final. And he does! India are in the final after 15 years.India 4 Australia 2

The Tribune

India colts, a stride away from crown

India show admirable composure to come back and beat Australia 4-2 via penalty shootouts and enter junior World Cup final.

by Mihir Vasavda


India found a way out to push the Australians back in their own half and displayed opportunism that defined the attitude of this team.

Lucknow knows its hockey. So when India went into half time of their junior World Cup semifinal trailing Australia by a goal, the 15,000-odd inside the Dhyan Chand stadium weren’t overly concerned.

The closing stages of the first half had given enough glimpses of the team’s calibre. The fans were expecting a comeback. And for once, an Indian hockey team lived up to the crowd’s expectations.

The home side showed admirable composure to come back from a goal down and beat Australia 4-2 (2-2 after full time) via penalty shootouts to enter the final of the junior World Cup after a gap of 15 years. The manner in which India stunned their much-fancied opponents made the victory even more special.

Australia know just one way of playing: to play with such aggression that the opponents are left with no chance to comeback. Especially when the opposite team is playing on their home turf. Think of the Delhi Commonwealth Games final, or the 2014 World Cup final, when they humiliated Holland 7-1 in front of their own fans.

They began with the same intent on Friday. Tom Craig, one of the two players in the Australian team at the Rio Olympics, put his side ahead with a deflection from a penalty corner in the 14th minute. In the past, India would have simply given up after conceding a goal so early in the match, and Australia would have parked themselves in India’s half, scoring half-a-dozen goals. Such was the psychological impact the Kookaburras had on India.

But this Indian side has been fearless, and at times ruthless, in its counterattacking play. Earlier this week, England and Germany coaches remarked how India are a ‘changed’ side, playing with such ‘ridiculous pace’ that it gets tough to stop them at times.

Australia coach Ben Bishop is a proud man who refrains from praising his opponents, always ensuring he puts his team first. But after the semifinals, even he acknowledged the progress India have made in the recent past. “India have put a long time in their team, mature team and a good reason for that. Their trajectory is quite promising from what they’ve shown us,” Bishop said.

Bishop has seen a lot of this Indian side to know that instead of getting over-awed by their opponent’s reputation, they stick to their style. He tried to negate that by employing some strong man-to-man marking.

But India found a way out to push the Australians back in their own half, quickly to regained possession whenever losing it and displayed opportunism that defined the attitude of this team. It also reflected in both goals they scored.

In the 42nd minute, Simranjeet Singh picked up a loose pass near the half line and passed it to Gurjant Singh.

The 21-year-old went on a diagonal run that seemed to be heading nowhere. You could hear the entire stadium urge Gurjant to pass the ball to an unmarked Armaan Qureshi inside the ‘D’. But The Haryana boy was in the zone. From an acute angle, he unleashed a Gaganajit-esque reverse hit that nut-megged Australian goalkeeper Ashleigh Thomas.

For the third time this tournament, India were making a comeback from a goal down. Now, India looked even more dangerous. You could sense the second goal was coming, and it didn’t take long. Mandeep Singh, the most experienced player in this team, proved his worth by intercepting Australian defender Frazer Gerrard’s lobbed pass near their ‘D’. With no other defender around him, Mandeep played a give-and-go with Nilakanta Sharma before calmly beating Australian goalkeeper.

It gave India the lead with a quarter left to play. Never to be written off, Australia equalised with 13 minutes remaining and there were hints of the famous Indian meltdown in the closing stages of the match once again.

But this young bunch of players held on, defending resolutely while also threatening the Australians with their own creative attacks. Even in the shootouts, they did not falter. Senior team goalkeeper PR Sreejesh’s last-minute advice worked wonders as Vikas Dahiya pulled off two splendid saves to send India through to its first final since 2001.

India coach Harendra Singh has given each of the 18 members of his squad a list of 31 C’s. It’s his mantra for success, he says. Among other things, it includes two key points: change hockey and change history. On Friday, they did both. They will now take on Belgium in Sunday’s final. A win there would tick of another ‘C’ from Harendra’s list: Change your life.

Indian Express

Goal keeper Vikas Dahiya does a Sreejesh as India pip Australia in shootout to enter final


Indian junior hockey stars in jovial mood on Friday (Hockey India)

India came from a goal down to pip Australia 4-2 via shootout in a thrilling contest and enter the final of the men's Junior Hockey World Cup after a hiatus of 15 years

Favourites India came from a goal down to pip Australia 4-2 via shootout in a thrilling contest and enter the final of the men's Junior Hockey World Cup after a hiatus of 15 years in front of a packed Major Dhyan Chand Astroturf Stadium in Lucknow on Friday.

India, who last won the Junior World Cup way back in 2001 in Hobart, are on a mission to reclaim the title and will face Belgium in the summit clash on Sunday.

The hosts scored two skillful field goals in the second half through Gurjant Singh (42nd minute) and Mandeep Singh (48th) after Australia took the lead through Tom Craig (14th). But just when it was time to close out the game, the Indian defence conceded a soft goal and Lachlan Sharp (57th) drew level for Australia to take the match into shoot-out after both the teams were locked at 2-2 at the end of regulation time.

In the shoot-out, goalkeeper Vikas Dahiya who was regularly training under the watchful eyes of senior team custodian PR SReejesh, rose to the occasion and made two fantastic saves to deny Australia's Matthew Bird and Sharp. The Indians, on the other hand, were clinical in the shoot-out with skipper Harjeet Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, Sumit and Manpreet (Jr) finding the back of the net past the Australian custodian.

Earlier on Friday, India's final opponents Belgium stunned six-time champions and title holders Germany 4-3 in the shootout in the first semifinal to enter the tournament final for the first time. Belgium rode on their goalkeeper Loic van Doren's superb display in the shoot-out to register the upset win after the two teams failed to break the deadlock in regulation 70 minutes.

Van Doren made two brilliant saves in the shoot-out to deny Germany's Philip Schimid and Tim Herzbruch.

In the second semifinal, India had the better share of possession in the opening half but it was Australia who utilised their chances. It seemed Australia took a cue from the Spaniards as they hardly gave any space to the Indians, relying mainly on man to man marking.

Australia utilised the first chance they got in the match. The Burras earned their opening penalty corner in the 13th minute and Tom Craig scored from the third attempt with a reverse shot from close range after the initial flick and rebound were saved by the Indian defence.

Australia preferred to sit back and rely mainly on counters to surprise the Indians. Australia secured two consecutive penalty corners in the 22nd minute but this time India goalkeeper Dahiya came to his side s rescue to deny Blake Govers from the second attempt.

India pressed hard and minutes later earned two back to back penalty corners but Harmanpreet Singh failed to find the back of the net on both occasions. In the 32nd minute, Varun Kumar found Vikramjit Singh inside the circle but the latter s shot went straight to Australian goalkeeper Ashleigh Thomas pads.

The hosts had their best opportunity of the opening half in the next minute when Varun's long scoop from deep found Simranjeet Singh unmarked inside the circle after an Australian defender fumbled, but the striker pushed wide with only the rival custodian to beat.

DNA

It's now up to players to decide the colour of medal: Harendra

LUCKNOW: Hosts India on Friday entered the final of the men's Junior Hockey World Cup after a hiatus of 15 years and the team's head coach Harendra Singh said it is now up to the players to decide the colour of the medal on Sunday.

India defeated Australia 4-2 in the shoot-out after the second semi-final ended 2-2 at the end of regulation time.

India will now face Belgium in the summit clash on Sunday and Harendra has requested his wards to show their character on what is termed as the "biggest game" of their short career.

"Australia showed great fight back. But I really want to congratulate my players for making a terrific comeback in the match. All the players showed their eagerness to win the match.

"The victory goes to the entire team. I owe this victory to the players. December 18 match is the biggest game for these boys. I would fold my hands and request them to show their character on that day. They need to decide which colour medal they want to see hanging in their necks," an emotional Harendra said at the post-match press conference.

Harendra said going by history Lucknow has always been a happy venue for him.

"I have never returned empty-handed from this ground. The day it was announced that Lucknow will host the World Cup I told the boys that you will win a medal but you have to decide which colour it will be," he said.

Harendra said the best thing about his team is that they never tend to lose structure when put under pressure.

"I prepared the team mentally as well as physically. I don't agree we lost structure. The best thing about this team is that we never lose structure in the last two-and-half years. Yesterday (against Spain) our execution was not up to the mark," he said.

Indian men's senior team chief coach Roelant Oltmans, who is the manager of the junior side here, agreed with Harendra and said it is now time for the Harjeet Singh-led side to show their "perfect" hockey on Sunday.

"There is always room for improvement as I always say. In the first half we didn't put much pressure on the opponents. Energy level was little lacking in the first half. But the boys responded very well to what we have discussed at half time," the Dutchman said.

The Times of India

Canada finishes Junior World Cup with 2-1 loss to Egypt

Shaheed Devji


Canadian goalkeeper challenges an Egyptian player in the team’s final match at the 2016 Junior World Cup on December 15, 2016 in India (By Yan Huckendubler)

Two second half goals led Egypt the 2-1 victory over Canada Friday at the 2016 Junior World Cup in India, giving the Egyptians a 15th place finish and Canada 16th spot.

Rohan Chopra scored for Canada late in the first half to give the Canadians the lead – their first of the tournament.

In a re-match of the 15th place match from the 2013 Junior World Cup – which Egypt won 3-0 – Canada and Egypt were each looking for their first wins of the tournament this year.

The Egyptians tested Canadian keeper Iqwinder Gill early, with a chance in the 4th minute that he was able to kick away.

Canada then made its first foray into the Egypt end in the 7th minute and Kabir Aujla was able to find his way into the circle and take a shot on goal from in close, but he was stopped by Ahmed Adel.

From then on, Egypt picked up the pressure.

Gill was busy through the first half, with Egypt picking up penalty corners in quick succession 15 minutes in. Of the three penalty corners in three minutes, Egypt was only able to manage one shot on goal, which Gill blockered away.

He had to be sharp again soon after as in the 24th minute, the Egyptians had three consecutive chances off the rush, but Gill was able to turn away Abdelrahman Yossri on a breakaway, and followed that up by turning away Adelrahman Kasem and Ahmed Alganaini to keep the game scoreless.

Knowing they had likely dodged a bullet, Canada began to press forward but was not immediately rewarded with passage through the Egyptian defence.

In the 34th minute, however, as Egypt tried to clear its zone, Rohan Chopra made a quick interception and Canada pushed its way into the Egyptian circle, where Balraj Panesar – back in the lineup after missing the classification match against Korea – smashed a ball on goal which was stopped.

In the process, though, Canada picked up its first short corner of the game.

Brandon Pereira’s drag flick attempt was partially stopped by Adel, but the ball squeaked through towards the goal line and Chopra went to ground and on his second attempt put the ball in to give Canada the 1-0 lead in the final moments of the first half.

The second half had a slow start, but Egypt’s attempts to mount the comeback resulted in more work for Gill as the half progressed. He turned away an attempt on a corner in the 46th minute, but in the 58th Mohamed Gadelkarim was able to put a drag flick over the stick of the post man and by Gill to tie the game at one.

It looked as though the game might be headed to a shootout, but in the final moments a lucky bounce sent the ball over the stick of defender Gavin Bains at the top of the Canadian circle and onto the stick of an open Elganaini, who quickly moved into a position to shoot and let go of a reverse stick shot that beat Gill for Egypt’s second goal and the lead.

Canada had a late corner but weren’t able to put an attempt on goal and went on to take the loss.

Field Hockey Canada media release

This team hasn't lost its structure in two-and-a-half years: Roelant Oltmans

Chander Shekhar Luthra


Captain of Indian senior team PR Sreejesh celebrates with junior players Friday

When the final hooter was sounded here at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium on Thursday India senior team goalkeeper PR Sreejesh rushed to his junior teammate Vikas Dahiya.

"You need to make sure that you don't dive for the entire eight-second duration (allotted to execute the penalty stroke). Be on your feet whatever be the outcome," was the 'guru mantra' that came from a star, who tried this tested formula during the finals of the Asian Games to beat Pakistan for gold medal.

"In the shoot-out, we are expected to finish the stipulated eight seconds as soon as possible. A goalkeeper is expected not to commit too much and fall down. We are expected to stand those eight seconds because it puts pressure on the strikers," Dahiya shared his conversation with Sreejesh after India defeated Australia 4-2 (6-4 in aggregate) on Friday.

With scoreboard showing 2-2, Australians were already beaten in speed on the field. And now it was only a matter of keeping nerves in a packed stadium to overcome a bunch of players who had probably not seen this kind of atmosphere in their short exposure.

For most part of the 70 minutes, India played right into Australian half. There was a time when Indian colts were ready to overcome yet another Europeans hurdle for the second day in succession, after beating Spain a day earlier.

"I prepared the team mentally as well as physically because you always say that we tend to lose in the dying moments. Now, nobody should even try and discuss these things any more. The victory goes to everyone but the coming December 18 match is biggest game for these boys," said coach Harendra Singh.

Team manager and senior team chief coach Roelant Oltmans looked a satisfied man. "The team is on the right track. Look at their speed or for that matter, their composure under testing moments. This simply shows our overall progress is in right direction," the Dutchman summed it up.

"We changed the structure a little bit at half-time. We tried to intercept the ball early and tried to put pressure on their defence and result is there for everyone to see," added Oltmans.

Beating Australia has never been easy for anyone around the globe. But this junior team has defeated Burras four out of five last meetings.

"All the players showed their eagerness to win the match. We never lost structure throughout 70 minutes. In fact, this team has never lose structure in the last two-and-half years," added Oltmans.

Harendra, on the other hand, has fond memories of this Lucknow field. "I have never returned empty-handed from this ground. The day it was announced that Lucknow will host the World Cup I told the boys that you will win a medal but you have to decided which colour it will be," he kept his fingers crossed.

Australian coach Ben Bishop, on the other hand, did concede that Indians defeated them during the mid-game by keeping the ball possession.

"Yes, the momentum did swing up and down. We started off really well and had the momentum early. But we probably led India have too much ball possession and control through middle part of the match," was how he described the outcome.

He praised India for playing attacking hockey. "India is playing the way it has for decades. Just like us they like to play attacking hockey," said the coach.

DNA

Hockey goalkeepers should take inspiration from MS Dhoni’s style: Romeo James

Sharad Deep


(HT Photo)

Former India goalkeeper Romeo James admires the ‘acrobatic style’ of wicketkeeping of India’s one-day skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, whose ‘innovations’ in collecting the ball behind the sumps is a huge inspiration even for hockey goalkeepers.

James, who is also the goalkeeping coach of the junior team, said, “Dhoni’s style of keeping wickets is quite inspirational even for hockey goalkeepers in India.”

James, who hails from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, was part of the India squad at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, where the team missed a spot in the semifinals by a whisker and eventually finished fifth.

“The game has changed a lot since our days but it is the same for the guys under the bar. But goalkeeping still remains an exciting art,” said James, who was India’s main goalkeeper when the team won silver at the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi. “Courage, agility and hockey sense has to be there to be a good goalkeeper.”

He, however, admitted that the standard of goalkeeping has improved a lot in the country. He rates the present India goalkeeper PR Sreejesh as a cut above the rest. “He has all the qualities of a good goalkeeper, and is one of the best in the world,” added James.

“It takes about six to seven years for a goalkeeper to mature,” said James, who believes that junior India goalkeepers, Akash Chitke and Vikas Dahiya, are the ones to watch out for. “Both these young men are the stars of the future and they have the ability to handle any kind of pressure.”

After hanging his boots, James didn’t turn away from the game. The senior manager at Bharat Petroleum plugged back his experience into the game, becoming the goalkeeping coach of the senior India team from 1993-94 and then again from 2008-2011.

He had a nightmarish moment of his life when goalkeeper Baljit Singh hurt his eye during a training camp in Pune in July 2009. James was trying a unique technique of training with a golf set to improve the agility of goalkeepers and the ball went through the grill of the helmet and injured Baljit’s eye.

James, who was rattled by the incident, has guided many top goalkeepers and is now with the junior India team for the past one-and-a-half years. A product of the Lucknow Sports Hostel, James believes the problem of not starting training early was affecting the standards of goalkeepers.

“Here we start doing things technically at around 11 years, while in Europe, they begin at around five.” That, according to him, makes the difference in standards.

Romeo, who has the distinction of producing world-class goalkeepers like Bharat Chhetri and Adrian D’Souza, who represented India for almost a decade, also admitted that he has been enjoying his stint with the juniors, and claimed that if all went right, India would retain the Cup after 15 years.

Hindustan Times

Stats Speak: Hosts India has to break the jinx?

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

Red Cougars have maiden appearance in final. Belgium will lock horn with hosts India in final on Sunday. India has entered third time in final. In Hobart (2001) India won the trophy by thumping victory (6-1) over Argentina. Deepak Thakur of India had scored the only hat trick in 10 finals played so far. However hosts had never won the coveted trophy, hope India will break this jinx.

Junior World Cup Final: At a glance

Note: West Germany records merged with Germany.

Fieldhockey.com

Nostalgia JMWC 2001: Indian day at Hobart

K. Arumugam

Year 2001 was remarkable for India with impact making victories achieved in Kuala Lumpur and distant Hobart, Australia and the feat still etched in memory.

Coach Cedric D’Souza’s boys won their first ever Champions Challenge in Kuala Lumpur. And a bit earlier, Indian team led by Gagan Ajit Singh and coached by Rajinder Singh Sr., improved their previous Junior World Cup Silver into Gold.

Incidentally, Argentina was the last hurdle in Kuala Lumpur and Hobart whom the Indians overcame in style. Indians did not qualify for the previous two Junior World Cups when they made it to the Milton Keynes number in 1997.

undefined Baljit Singh Saini, now on tour of Bangkok with U-18 girls led the side in search of identify for the junior age group Indian national team.

Vasudevan Baskaran was roped in as coach. The team in Milton Keyness created history by reaching the final after defeating Germany in the semis. Final was a grand affair, India just missing out by an odd goal three.

Four years later, Baskaran’s Moscow Olympics colleague Rajinder Singh Sr.’s team allowed only one goal in the final at Hoboart while striking six times.

The Hobart number was played on a new format, Preliminary round followed by Championship round, as the field was increased from earlier 12 to sixteen now.

First two teams of each pool, that is eight teams, made it to the Championship Round. India was in Pool C with Spain, Scotland and Canada whom it beat 3-0, 7-1, and 5-1.

In the Championship round, it drew Argentina 2-2 before overwhelming Netherlands 4-3. India lost to Australia again 1-2 but made it to the semis on account of turns on other pools.

Lucky to be in the semis, India faced Germany there. It could beat them 3-2 to make it to the maiden Jr World Cup final.

The final played on 21st October 15 winters ago turned out to be a game changer for India.

Aided by a hattrick by Deepak Thakur, India set aside the challenge of Argentina 6-1. However, in the next Junior World Cup in a Dutch city, Argentina went on towin the final.

Bulk of the Hobort goldies shortly later graduated to senior side and went on to dominate almost another decade. Arjun Halappa, Ignace Tirkey, Prabhjot Singh, Raj Pal Singh, Inderjit Singh, Kanwalpreet Singh, Devesh Chauhan, youngest of the lot Prabodh Tirkey, Viren Rasquinha went on to become national heroes.

This writer conducted a survey of sort when the team returned to a grand welcome in the airport and also a party hosted by a Birla Group of companies. I asked the members to name three players whom according to them were the best at Hobart.

One name figured in majority of the victors was Ignace Tirkey, who later on went on to lead India and got both Arjuna and Padamshree awards.

This unanimity led me to declared him as the Hockey Year Book’s Best Younger Player Award.

Stick2Hockey.com

Black Sticks take series win over Malaysia


Photo: www.photosport.nz

The Black Sticks Women have powered to an unassailable series lead after defeating Malaysia 5-2 in game four at the TET MultiSports Centre in Stratford.

It was a dramatic turnaround following Thursday’s 1-0 loss to the world number 21 ranked Malaysians.

The Kiwis raced out to a three goal buffer in the first half before scoring another two in the third quarter to put the result beyond doubt.

Phoebe Steele, Kirsten Pearce, Rachel McCann, Samantha Harrison and Michaela Curtis all found the back of the net to give the Black Sticks a series win with one game still to play.

Black Sticks assistant coach Sean Dancer said it was a pleasing way to follow up a poor performance.

“It was a good turnaround from the girls after Thursday’s game, we were able to create a lot of opportunities and capitalised on five of those today,” he said.

“We have set a solid benchmark and will look to build on that and finish with our best hockey in the final game tomorrow.”

The Kiwis were first onto the score board in the seventh minute thanks to a slick penalty corner finish from Canterbury’s Steele.

Five minutes later the Black Sticks were in again as Pearce netted a field goal before McCann topped off the first half with a stunning reverse stick shot in the 20th minute.

Malaysia clawed a goal back early in the second half after Surizan Awang Noh scrambled her way through a congested circle to score.

A third quarter purple patch saw the Black Sticks score two goals in the space of a minute with Harrison roofing a reverse shot and Curtis hitting a penalty corner deflection into goal.

Malaysia scored a consolation goal in the final 10 minutes through Nuraini Rashid but New Zealand held firm for a quality win.

The Black Sticks play Malaysia in the fifth and final test at 1:00pm tomorrow, 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 5: (Phoebe Steele, Kirsten Pearce, Rachel McCann, Samantha Harrison, Michaela Curtis)
MALAYSIA 2: (Surizan Awang Noh, Nuraini Rashid)
Halftime: Black Sticks 3-0

Hockey New Zealand Media release

Black Sticks still not doing enough to please coach

GLENN MCLEAN


Black Sticks midfielder Erin Goad contests possession with Malaysia's Nurul Safiqah Mat Isa during the fourth test. ANDY JACKSON/FAIRFAX NZ

He might not have been anywhere near as frustrated as two days ago but Black Sticks coach Mark Hager was not exactly smiling after Saturday's test series clincher against Malaysia.

After watching the rookie Black Sticks line-up fall to a shock 1-0 loss on Thursday night in Stratford, Hager was always going to demand a massive improvement.

While he got some amends through a 5-2 scoreline, he did not get the big strides of improvement in overall performance.

"We just have to learn that when you are up on top you have to be ruthless," he said. "You have to keep doing the things you are doing well also, so that's what this group has to learn also, when you're up you have to keep going."

Hager has used the five test series, wrapped up 3-1 with the latest victory, to blood a host of new players.

With an average age of 21 across the 22-strong squad, there was always going to be teething problems with combinations and Saturday's performance proved that again.

While the Black Sticks made a positive start and gained an early lead, they failed to convert a host of good attacking chances into goals.

That meant the crowd being baked under a rare sunny summer's day groaned more than they cheered because they too could see the opportunities but were disappointed the accuracy of the last pass was absent.

Hager dismissed the suggestion the problem was solely to do with a lack of combinations.

"I think it's a want more than anything. There is a real want to score a goal and make it happen properly and it's not at times. The way we play a lot of the girls have taken up the attitude that they will get another chance or it doesn't matter and it's not as crucial. That has to change."

The veteran coach did confirm he was getting what he wanted out of the series that would be perceived by a lot of people of lacking any real purpose.

"It's [series] is making decisions for us in regards to the squad for next year. That's been pleasing. If we didn't have this we would be making decisions without the knowledge so it's really helped us with that."

Hager said the squad had talked about the "embarrassment" of the loss in the previous test and there was a determination to put in better performances over the last two tests, including Sunday's final one.

Black Sticks 5 (Phoebe Steele, Kirsten Pearce, Rachel McCann, Sam Harrison, Michaela Curtis goals)
Malaysia 2 (Siti Shahida Saad, Abdul Rashid goals). HT: 3-0.   

Stuff

Latest U18 Girls Training Panel Announced

Following two weekends of U18 Irish trials in Santry, Steven Arbuthnot has reduced his numbers down to a training panel moving into the New Year. After the two trials he remarked “Congratulations to all those who made it through to the reduced selection. All girls who were with us over the last two sessions deserve credit for being selected for trial and it was good to see as many players as we did. We are looking forward to seeing how we can push this reduced group of players towards international standards in the coming months.”

The upcoming training schedule will be released to players soon via the U18 manager.

*Please be advised there will be further reductions in the squad in January after the next session, when all have been trialed appropriately.

1 Grace McLoughlin
2 Issy Delamer
3 Niamh Carey
4 Caitlin Sheeran
5 Caoimhe Perdue
6 Holly Taggart
7 Lauren Mulholland
8 Katie Fearon
9 Sara Torrans
10 Laura Foley
11 Sophie McDowell
12 Sophie Thomas
13 Roisin Begley
14 Katie Osbourne
15 Siofra O’Brien
16 Gemma Ferguson
17 Jade Lamont
18 Hannah Humphreys
19 Emma Gregson
20 Christina Hamill

Players invited for FINAL trial as they missed original trial(s) due to illness or injury

21 Sara Dunleavy
22 Yasmin Pratt
23 Ciara Shaughnessy
24 Sophie Roopnarinesingh
25 Katie McKee
26 Caroline Matthews
27 Nina Heisterkamp
28 Rebecca McConnell

Irish Hockey Association media release

U.S. Women's National Indoor Team to Compete in 2017 International Rohrmax Cup in Austria


Photo courtesy of Neville Bailey

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The U.S. Women's National Indoor Team will travel to Vienna, Austria from January 4-9, 2017 with two teams to compete in the annual International Rohrmax Cup.

The USA teams will compete against Austria's U-21 Team and Switzerland's U-21 Team, who are currently preparing to play in the EuroHockey Junior Indoor Nations Championships later in January. The red, white and blue will also square up against SV Arminen, who finished 4th in the 2016 European Club Champions Cup, and Rot-Weiss Wettingen, who won the 2016 European Club Champions Trophy. Both SV Arminen and Rot-Weiss Wettingen are preparing to compete in the European Club Championship in February.

U.S. Women's National Indoor Team Head Coach Jun Kentwell has selected two teams from the full squad which has been training through the summer and fall in preparation for their build up to the Pan American Indoor Championships to be held in late 2017.

“This tournament will be a strong test for our players and allows me to see who can step up to compete with quality European opposition," commented Kentwell. "We have a good blend of experience and youth. I am giving an opportunity to some young players who have been playing very well in our training games to get some international experience.”

Kentwell will be evaluating the players’ performances in this tournament to make selections for the official Pan American Indoor Championship roster later this spring.

"We have trained extensively in preparation for this tour during the fall, and day-after-day we are growing together as a united group working toward one common goal: to win the Pan Am Games and secure this team a spot in the 2018 Indoor World Cup," said Hannah Prince, Indoor USWNT Captain. “We look forward to the challenge presented by the high level of competition we expect to face in Austria this January."

U.S. Women's National Indoor Team Traveling to Vienna, Austria:
Mary Beth Barham, Yale (Fairfax, Va.), Bryn Boylan, FSC (Doylestown, Pa.), Sam Carlino, UMass (Kennett Square, Pa.), Riley Donnelly, FSC (Doylestown, Pa.), Allyson Fuller, Drexel (Ellicott City, Md.), Riley Fulmer, Saints (Virginia Beach, Va.), Olivia Graham, W C Eagles (Morris Plains, N.J.), Paula Heimbach, Duke (Palm, Pa.), Elise Johnson, The Ohio State University (Dayton, Ohio), Sarah Johnson, W C Eagles (Lincoln University, Pa.), Rhian Jones, Duke (Rye, N.Y.), Sidonie Laplante, W C Eagles (Middletown, Pa.), Jessica McCarthy, Drexel (Havertown, Pa.), Annie McDonough, WC Eagles (Kennett Square, Pa.), Samantha Minrath, IFHCK (Louisville, Ky.), Maddie Orobono, W C Eagles (Macungie, Pa.), Abby Pitcairn, WC Eagles (Aspinwall, Pa.), Emma Plumb, Dartmouth (Sag Harbor, N.Y.), Sammy Popper, Princeton (Blue Bell, Pa.), Hannah Prince, UMass (Gorham, Maine), Meredith Sholder, Firestyx (Alburtis, Pa.), Claire Webb, Syracuse (Exton, Pa.), Paityn Wirth, Nook Hockey (Thompsontown, Pa.) and Corinne Zanolli, WC Eagles (Newtown Square, Pa.)

Assisting Kentwell on site at the venue is assistant coach Jon Williams and athletic trainer Charles Edwards.

Stay tuned to usafieldhockey.com regarding more information on the 2017 International Rohrmax Cup in Austria.

USFHA media release

Diamond Mineral Water Indoor Hockey Festival, Georgetown, Guyana

Philip Fernandes



The 2016 Diamond Mineral Water Indoor Hockey Festival was another huge success for Guyana as the tournament once attracted teams from the Caribbean and North America for one of its most exciting competitions ever.

The festival comprises of three divisions being men, women and over-35 (vets).  The men’s competition featured the three leading teams from Guyana, Pepsi Hikers, Old Fort and Bounty GCC along with a juniuor national squad side in Avengers.  These were joined by the Toronto Lions of Canada, the Bal-Wash-ers of the USA (players from the Baltimore & Washington area) as well as Queens Park and Carib HC from Trinidad.  The women’s division was contested between three Guyanese teams, Pizza Hut GCC, Old Fort and the Woodpecker Hikers plus the Toronto Torros of Canada.  The veterans division saw the visiting contingent of Bal-Wash-ers, Queens Park, Malvern HC and Carib HC compete against local sides the Hickers, Vintage and Old Old Fort.

Following their 5-5 pool round clash, which many considered to have been the match of the tournament thus far, Guyana’s Pepsi Hikers and Queens Park of Trinidad & Tobago squared off in a tense men’s division final. 

The umpires might well have used starter’s guns instead of whistles to begin the match, as both teams began the game in all-out attacking mode with players moving at top speed from end to end seeking the upper hand.  Just four minutes into the match, powerful Hikers striker Randy Hope received a ball on the right of the scoring circle and dispatched his shot cleanly into the Queens Park net past diving goalkeeper Reiza Hussein.

As the high-paced game saw the teams trading goals throughout the match, the Hikers would enjoy the lead up until five minutes from full time when Queens Park and Trinidadian national striker, Akim Toussant , drew the score level at 6-6 with a fine finish off a counterattack.  Fittingly it was the veteran Devin Munroe who was instrumental in all six previous festival wins for the Hikers, to close out Queens Park and the match with a terrific shot from the right.  With just four minutes remaining, Queens Park launched several futile attacks and the final whistle saw the Pepsi Hikers earn their record seventh men’s title.

The ladies final, though entertaining, did not prove to be quite as competitive as the men’s with the Toronto Toros crushing the Woodpecker Hikers by 5-1.  After an opening penalty corner goal in the second minute of play, competition MVP and Highest Goal Scorer, Toro right back Kaelan Watson punctuated her performance with the final goal of the match in similar fashion 35 minutes later.  Teammate Danica Jayme managed a hatrick of goals for the Toros to complete their five goals while Hikers guest player Allana Lewis managed their lone goal through a penalty corner early in the second half of the match.

The veterans final between Queens Park and the Bal-Wash-ers was another one to go the distance with the final score of regulation time was dead even at 4-4.  After all six attempts were saved in the resulting first round of a penalty shootout, fervid Bal-wash-er Inderjeet Bath and teammate Jesse Larson would pull off the win by both scoring in the sudden death round of the shootout.

Individual and team awards were then presented by representatives from Demerara Distillers Ltd and Ansa McAl as follows:

Vets
Best Goalkeeper –  Gregory Garroway (Bal-wash-ers)
Most goals –  Rafael Gouveia (Queens Park)
MVP –  Jerazeno Bell (Queens Park)
Winners –  Bal-wash-ers
Runners-up -  Queens Park

Women
Best Goalkeeper –  Latoya Fordyce (Woodpecker Hikers)
Most goals –  Kaelan Watson (Toronto Toros)
MVP –  Kaelan Watson (Toronto Toros)
Winners –  Toronto Toros
Runners-up -  Woodpecker Hikers

Men
Best Goalkeeper –  Jason Hoyte (Pepsi Hikers)
Most goals –  Jordan Vieira (Queens Park)
MVP –  Aroydy Branford (Pepsi Hikers)
Winners –  Pepsi Hikers
Runners-up -  Queens Park

Pan American Hockey Federaion media release

Competition heating up already in indoor Scottish National League 1



Suddenly the men`s indoor hockey first division competition has taken a twist as the traditional two horse race between champions Inverleith, and nearest rivals Grove Menzieshill, is being challenged by Bromac Kelburne, the outdoor league leaders. The Paisley side lead the first division by one point having seen off Inverleith, drawn with Grove Menzieshill, and defeated Uddingston Riva on the opening day of competition.

There seems to be an air of ambition in the Kelburne camp, top outdoor players appear to be taking to the indoor version of the game. Ten goal Johnny Christie will look to increase his personal tally while foreign imports Nick Finlayson, from New Zealand, and German Jonas Nommensen, have pitched in their experience.

The Morton brothers Lee and Craig, along with former Scotland player Iain Scholefield will run the midfield and the larger than life Josh Cairns remains solid at the back while converting set pieces at the other end. Kelburne will hope to maintain their pole position with six points from their outing against Clydesdale and Western Wildcats.National League Indoor logo yellow

Stuart Neave, coach of champions Inverleith, is content to take the positives out of last weekend`s events - after all his side still sit in second place only a point adrift of Kelburne. Neave admitted: "Whilst we were disappointed to lose the first game against Kelburne, we did not take our chances, and therefore did not deserve to win it."

The Inverleith coach then praised his praised his squad for the recovery against Grange and then rivals Grove Menzieshill. "We put in a tremendous (defensive) performance against Menzieshill, and so have to be relatively happy with six points from the weekend given the limitations of our squad."

This weekend the Edinburgh side are up against Hillhead and Clydesdale, but as usual Neave is cautious: "Both sides have good players who I`m sure will not make things easy for us."

Neave enduring last weekend with a severely truncated squad due to injuries and players unavailable, he will be hoping that some of his squad return to duty and provide more playing options.

Other pre-championships favourites Grove Menzieshill play the same opposition, but coach Bruce Cuthill will be satisfied with nothing less than the six points on offer having dropped five last weekend.

Grange have done the hard bit by playing both Grove Menzieshill and Inverleith last week, now David Knipe`s charges must set about the task of picking up valuable points against Western Wildcats and Uddingston Riva.

With many of their successful outdoor squad available in the ranks, it is expected that Grange will now make their presence felt as they did in the 7-2 win over Hillhead in their final game last weekend - Irishman Frank Ryan and Callum Milne were top scorers.

Uddingston, who finished a very creditable third in the championship last season, have only a point to their name after drawing with Wildcats and being on the wrong end of a thumping by Kelburne. The Lanarkshire side will hope to pick up something from their opening game against Hillhead, although their second outing against Grange could be a more problematic.

Clydesdale, Western Wildcats and Hillhead all have difficult assignments this weekend but will battle hard for all available points.

It is still very early days in the women`s competition but already Dundee Wanderers look invincible, last weekend they secured three back-to-back victories and slammed in 23 goals in the process.

This weekend they take on Milne Craig Western, last season`s beaten finalists, and Aberdeen Bon-Accord. If they can clock up two further resounding victories it will be a significant drive towards their fifth consecutive crown.

Tayside rivals Grove Menzieshill look the most likely challengers, they are unbeaten and sit in second spot, but to maintain the pressure the likes of Iona Armour, Susan Hamilton and the Stott mother and daughter combination of Pauline and Katie, must keep up their scoring record against strong resistance from Wildcats and Edinburgh University. Last weekend Grove Menzieshill bagged eight goals in two games, with five conceded.

Edinburgh University have the exact same goals stats from the opening weekend. The Edinburgh students have already made their mark, they drew 3-3 with Western followed by a 5-2 victory over CALA. Their opening joust with Wildcats could be the game of the day this weekend, both sides have already tasted success on the first day.

Bon-Accord, Inverleith and CALA have yet to break their duck in the competition, but as they play each other in at least one fixture on the day, someone will make progress up the table. Bon Accord has the strongest goal difference of the bottom three, with Dundee Wanderers inflicting heavy damage on both Inverleith and CALA last weekend. Bon Accord will face Wanderers this weekend and will hope to put the shutters up against the free-scoring defending champs. It’s a three-game weekend for Inverleith as they face Edinburgh University as well as the games against Bon Accord and CALA. CALA’s other game is against Western Wildcats.

Scottish Hockey Union media release

Women's Super 6s set for action


East Grinstead celebrate winning the Super 6s

The Women’s Super 6s is all set to get underway this weekend with the top nine indoor teams in the country all vying to make it through to the big day in at The SSE Arena Wembley in January.

Each team will play four matches this coming weekend with their remaining four matches set for the weekend of 7-8 January 2017.

Reigning champions East Grinstead have named a strong squad as they set about the task of retaining their crown. Goal machine Emma Lee-Smith is in the ranks and will be ably supported by the guile of Pippa Chapman, the skills of Takara Haines and the talent of Olympic gold medal winner Laura Unsworth.

Last year’s beaten finalists Canterbury have named a youthful looking squad with 17-year-old Hannah Griggs set to line up with fellow teenagers Anna Kolarova, Nina Steikowsky and Natasha Del Borrello. Lizzie Neal, fresh from the Junior World Cup is also in the squad whilst Grace Balsdon and Captain Sarah Kerly add some experience.

University of Birmingham, who made the semi-finals in the previous season have a good blend of youth and experience and have drafted in Suzy Petty as one of their guest players. Holly Hunt, Alice Wills and Katherine Somerville are back from the Junior World Cup whilst Vanessa Hawkins, who has won this competition previously will also be in the side.

Bowdon Hightown, winners of the competition two years ago and semi-finalists last time out are led once again by the outstanding Michelle Liptrot. Sally Walton, the competition’s top scorer last season is also set to return for them whilst Tina Cullen is named in the squad and will surely supply plenty of goals as she always does.

2014 champions Reading have Loughborough Students goalkeeper Laura Myers in their ranks whilst Emma Thomas will lead by example as ever. Defender Rebecca Van Berkel has had an impressive outdoor season and will hope to transfer that form to the indoor game.

Holcombe boast a star-studded line up with Olympic gold medallist Nicola White turning out for the Kent side. Ellie Watton is also in the squad which is led by Captain Steph Elliott. Leah Wilkinson, the defensive rock has been all the way to the final in this competition before and will be a huge asset to The Camels.

Slough are led by Kat McGonigle and have former England star Dilly Newton in their ranks. Laura Bailey and Mel Ball know where the goal is and will be threats to their opponents.   

Vicky Woolford captains the Sutton Coldfield Mighty Pinks and will be a goal threat as always. Goalkeeper Becky Batsford brings her considerable experience to the party whilst Julie Stowe is a defensive lynchpin.

Buckingham have Welsh international Ella Jackson keeping the ball out of the net and will be captained by Alex Naughalty. Abbie Brant has been in a rich vein of goalscoring form outdoors and will hope to bring that run to the indoor game with her.

You can keep up to date with all the fixtures, results, scorers and standings by visiting the live results website.   

England Hockey Board Media release

Men's Super 6s starts this weekend


David Condon and Dom Bowden celebrate in the Super 6s final

The men’s Super 6s will begin this weekend with the Men’s Premier Division springing into action on Saturday. The best men’s teams in the country come together to play their first four games of the qualifiers; with the top four heading to finals day at the SSE Arena  Wembley to fight it out for the coveted title.

The team to beat will once again be East Grinstead. The side from Saint Hill are going for their ninth title in a row and will take some stopping. They ran out 5-1 winners over Canterbury in last year’s final and the hero of that day, David Condon is in the squad once again. Three time Olympian Ashley Jackson and brother Wesley will also line up for the champions. Scottish star Ross Stott is as good an indoor player as they come whilst Dom Bowden has skills in abundance.

Last year’s beaten finalists Canterbury are led by Craig Boyne and will have a new look about them this time out with many of last year’s squad moving on. Tom Bean has shown a keen eye for goal outdoors whilst goalkeeper Diccon Stubbings has been there and seen it all before.

Sevenoaks, last year’s semi-finalists have a familiar look about them with the Barker twins Chris and Nick showing their skills on the court year in year out. George Torry found goals easy to come by last year and in Rob Schilling they have added a very canny player with a lot of experience.

Reading also made the semi-finals last season and will be led this time around by Tom Carson. Brothers Edward and James Carson will also be in the side whilst Richard Mantell will bring his considerable experience and defensive solidity to the party.

Loughborough Students field some exciting young talents alongside some more seasoned performers. Coach Jerome Goudie will add some nous and skill whilst Marc Edwards is a classy performer. Evan Kimber is an exciting rising star.

Bowdon look to the leadership of Ian Wilson whilst David Egerton will provide them with some quality all over the court. In Alex Humphreys they have one of the competition’s most energetic and fearless players who will put everything on the line for his side.

Team bath Buccaneers are looking strong with John Jackson a fine addition to a strong side. Andy Pett will be their guest player whilst 17-year-old Will Hewer is a talented young player with a lot to offer.

Two of the heavyweights from the Premier Division outdoor, Wimbledon and Surbiton have named strong squads. Surbiton will be captained by Welsh star Lewis Prosser and have the considerable talents of David Goodfield, Player-Coach Mark Pearn and Brendan Creed. Harry Gibson will be in goal for Surbiton whilst hot-shot Alan Forsyth will hope to transfer his eye for goal outdoors to the indoor game.

Wimbledon boast England duo James Bailey and Michael Hoare and will be looking to Phil Ball and Johnny Kinder to supply the goals as they bid to reach Wembley for the first time.

All the details of the scores, scorers and standings can be found on the live scores website here.

England Hockey Board Media release

Sport England pledges significant hockey investment


Quicksticks

Sport England has today announced significant investments into a number of sports as part of their new strategy for sport. As part of this investment, England Hockey has been awarded £9.03m for the four years from 2017-2021.
 
England Hockey Chief Executive Sally Munday said, “We are delighted with the continued support from Sport England and the National Lottery for hockey. We have worked closely with Sport England to articulate our plans to maximise the impact of Rio. The club game has seen huge growth - particularly at junior levels - on the back of medals at the last two Olympics. This is testament to the outstanding work of hockey clubs, schools and universities to help grow hockey and promote the sport to all ages and both genders.

“We are hugely ambitious about where we can take hockey in this country over the next decade, we are making great progress on broadening investment into the sport and with commitment from Sport England and UK Sport now in place we can look ahead to the next four years with confidence, starting with the launch of our new strategy in 2017.”
 
More information on Sport England is investment here: https://www.sportengland.org/news-and-features/news/2016/december/16/major-new-funding-to-keep-nation-active/

England Hockey Board Media release