News for 15 January 2017
All the news for Sunday 15 January 2016
Malaysia and Ireland score big on opening day in Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia's Tigress turned out a highly entertaining game en route to a 9-0 victory over Hong Kong in the women's Hockey World League Round 2 at the Tun Razak Stadium tonight.
The host was successful in six of the 13 penalty corners earned against Hong Kong in this Group B encounter played under a drizzle.
Drag-flick specialist Nuraini Abdul Rashid notched a hat-trick (48th, 56th and 60th minutes) whilst team captain Siti Noor Amarina Ruhani (34th), Fazila Sylvester Silin (29th) and Fatin Shafika Mohd Sukri scored a piece. Tigress other goals came through Nurul Nabiha Mansur (17th), Hanis Nadiah Onn (41st) and Noor Hazliza Ali (46th minute).
Italy, the highest ranked team here (FIH Hero World Ranking: 15), posted a 3-0 victory over Wales (WR: 32) and Thailand (WR: 31) downed Singapore (WR: 43) 4-0 in Pool A matches whilst the Irish were comfortable 12-0 winners over Kazakhstan in a Pool B match.
Malaysia Tigress coach, K. Dharmaraj, said: “It is good to win 9-0 despite missing out on so many chances in the first half. But I was confident we will win this match though we could have scored a few more. But you can score 20 goals and it will not make any difference in the new format as goal difference don’t count anymore. Now we need to go into our next match against Ireland (Monday) on the right footing. It will not be as easy as we won against Hong Kong as the Irish are a far tougher side and we have to contain them."
In a one-sided contest, it was a tough day in the office for Kazakhstan goalkeeper Guzal Baakhavaddin as the Irish Green Army pulverised them with ease. Remarkably, eight of the 12 goals came in the second half.
Anna O’Flanagan scored four goals (6th, 19th, 40th and 58th minutes) and Nicola Evans notched a hat-trick (5th, 20th and 35th) whilst Kathryn Mullan (48th), Chloe Watkins (48th), Rebecca Barry (51st), Gillian Pinder (52nd) and Nicola Daly (58th) added to the Irish scoring machinery.
Ireland coach, Graham Shaw, said: “We did not set any target in the number of goals against Kazakhstan but they just came flowing from field goals though we missed quite a number in penalty corners.”
“It’s amazing how quickly the players have acclimatised to the conditions here and I am happy with the performance. But I do expect our match against Malaysia on Monday to be tough. The host are very comfortable on home ground and we need to go out there with a much better activation plan and performance,” he added.
Italy were sensational in the first half of their match against Wales despite both sides having to play under sweltering hot conditions that currently enveloped the city.
They took just 14 minutes to break the deadlock with Eugenia Mastronardi scoring from open play and Valentina Braconi further inspired her side with a brace (23rd and 36th minutes) to grab the vital points.
Italy’s captain, Chiara Tiddi, said: “It was a good game. We took our opportunities well against Wales and are very happy to start the tournament with a victory which is vital for us. We must carry on playing like this against Thailand in our next match tomorrow (Jan 15).
“The first half was pretty cautious for both sides and we were just waiting for the right opportunities to score. We were confident of making the breakthrough eventually,” added the 29-year-old Chiara who earned her 120th international cap today.
Prior to the start of the match, Italy Hockey Federation Vice-President Enrico Medda presented a bouquet of flowers to midfielder Jasbeer Kaur Singh for her 50th international appearance.
Wales coach, Kevin Johnson, however, credited the Italians who played a far better game in this opening tie between the two European nations. “The difference lies in creating opportunities and turning those chances into goal. We could not do that and the Italians took theirs very well,” said Johnson, adding that his side will certainly rise from this setback to gain full points against Singapore tomorrow (Jan 15) and Thailand (Jan 16).
Thailand, who claimed gold medal in the 4th Women's AHF Cup last October with a clinical 4-0 finish against Singapore in the final, produced the same kind of performance against the nation they defeated for the title who were this time led by a mix squad of seniors and Under-18 players.
Kornkanok Sanpoung inspired the Thais early in the game with a seventh minute field goal strike but Korean coach Bae Young Wook’s side were restricted to a 1-0 lead until the 52nd minute.
A three-goal blitz within a space of six minutes from Praphatson Khuiklang (52nd), Sirikwan Wongkeaw (57th) and Kornkanok’s second in the match (58th minute) gave the Thais a resounding start to their campaign.
Results
Group A: Italy 3, Wales 0; Thailand 4, Singapore 0.
Group B: Malaysia 9, Hong Kong 0; Ireland 12, Kazakhstan 0.
Fixtures
Sunday (15 Jan, 2017)
Group A: Wales v Singapore (6.15pm); Thailand v Italy (8.30pm). Both matches at Tun Razak Stadium
Report provided by the Malaysia Hockey Confederation
FIH site
Green Army Begin World League 2 With Clinical 12-0 Win
The Green Army got their World League 2 campaign off to a strong start with a 12-0 win over Kazakhstan in Kuala Lumpur.
It took just 5 minutes for Ireland to get on the scoresheet with Nikki Evans scoring the first of her hat-trick, followed a minute later by Anna O’Flanagan getting her first of four. The Irish defence controlled the game from a position high up the pitch as they distributed the ball at will. Again, within a minute of each other O’Flanagan and Evans doubled the lead to 4-0 by the 20 minute mark against the world number 33. But the Green Army didn’t take their foot of the gas and there were chances aplenty created. A break down the left side and a crisp reverse strike across goal from Evans just evaded the final touch it needed at the back post, while Katie Mullan tore into the circle on more than one occasion to place the ball around the penalty spot for any one of the strikers lining up. The half concluded with a simple penalty corner routine that saw Shirley McCay’s sweep deflected inches wide by Yvonne O’Byrne.
The Green Army went up another gear as the second half began in energy-sapping conditions with the temperature reaching 30 degrees and humidity hovering at the 90% mark. Mullan was again on hand to provide the perfect pass as she pirouetted around her marker on the base line and found Evans waiting on the penalty spot, and so the goal-deluge that was the second half began. O’Flanagan completed her hat trick in the 40th minute and Mullan got a deserved goal in the 48th. 60 seconds hadn’t passed before Naomi Carroll darted along the base line, drawing defenders as she went, leaving Chloe Watkins free on the penalty spot to fire home Carroll’s pass. Rebecca Barry added her name to the scoresheet in the 51st minute with an effective penalty corner strike, while a minute later Gillian Pinder made it 10-0. The Irish defence, along with McFerran and Cassin splitting the duties in goal, were rarely troubled and frequent bounding runs by Elena Tice and her defensive counterparts played an integral role in creating an abundance of chances. Nicci Daly and Anna O’Flanagan rounded out the scoring to leave the final tally at 12-0 in the Green Army’s opening Pool B fixture, 5 goals more than the 2 earlier Pool A matches had produced combined.
Ireland will enjoy a rest day tomorrow before being back in action against hosts Malaysia on Monday 16th at 12:30pm (Irish time).
Ireland 12 ( Evans x3, O’Flanagan x4, Mullan, Watkins, Barry, Pinder, Daly)
Kazakhstan 0
Squad: McFerran, Sargent (Captain), Evans, Mullan, McCay, Watkins, Colvin, Daly, Matthews, O’Flanagan, Wilson
Subs: Cassin, O’Byrne, Tice, Carroll, Pinder, Upton, Barry
Irish Hockey Association media release
It’s a rout
by S. Ramaguru
Close attention: Hong Kong’s Weeraya Ho closing down Malaysia’s Juliani Mohamad Din during the women’s World Hockey League Second Round match at the Tun Razak Stadium yesterday. Malaysia won 9-0.
KUALA LUMPUR: Group B favourites Malaysia and Ireland scored emphatic wins in the opening matches of the women’s World Hockey League Round Two at the Tun Razak Stadium.
While Malaysia thumped Hong Kong 9-0, Ireland did even better – trouncing Kazakhstan 12-0 – yesterday.
Hong Kong, who were roped in at the last minute following Fiji’s withdrawal, were clearly unprepared for the meet.
Nuraini Rashid was the star for Malaysia, who have never lost to Hong Kong in 13 prior outings, as she bagged a hat-trick.
Malaysia made heavy weather of the opening exchanges, but once they opened the scoring in the 17th minute through a Nurul Nabiha Mansur field goal, the floodgates opened.
World No. 21 Malaysia then ran riot, with goals from Siti Ruhani Othman (24th minute), Fazila Sylvester Silin (29th), Hanis Nadiah Onn (43rd), Noor Hasliza Ali (46th), Nuraini (48th, 56th, 70th) and Fatin Shukri (49th) sealing a convincing start.
Earlier, in another Group B match, Anna O’Flanagan scored four goals while Nicola Evans notched a hat-trick to steer Ireland to a 12-0 demolition of Kazakhstan.
O’Flanagan scored in the sixth, 19th, 40th and 58th minutes while Nicola was on target in the fifth, 20th and 35th minutes.
World No. 16 Ireland’s other scorers were Kathryn Mullan (48th), Chloe Watkins (48th), Rebecca Barry (51th), Gillian Finder (52) and Nicola Daly (59th).
In Group A, the tournament’s top seeds and world No. 15 Italy also got off to a winning start, beating Wales 3-0.
Eugenia Mastronardi put Italy ahead in the 14th minute before a Valentina Braconi brace in the 26th and 33rd minutes completed the rout.
In the other Group A match, Thailand dumped Singapore 4-0.
Only the top two teams from this tournament will qualify for the World League Semi-Finals – to be played in Brussel, Belgium (June 21-July 2) and Johannesburg, South Africa (July 8-22).
The Star of Malaysia
Day 2 Round-up – EuroHockey Indoor Junior Championships, II, Puconci
Day 2 at the EuroHockey Indoor Junior Championships in Puconci and another full schedule of games as Turkey, Italy, Wales and Ukraine are all still in contention for the coveted promotional slots for the EuroHockey Indoor Junior Championships in 2019.
Match 8 : Slovakia v Wales
A very anticipated game after the teams performances on Friday. An end to end first half saw the teams finish 2-2 at half time but in the second half Italy had the tactical edge and converted 3 penalty corners with Luca Valentino scoring 3 PC goals in the match. Finals score 6-3 to the Italians.
Match 9 : Turkey v Norway
A very one-sided performance here with Turkey having the greater physicality and tactics. 4 players each scored 2 goals in the 9-0 win. 6 of the 9 goals were from penalty corners
Match 10 : Ukraine v Wales
This was always going to be a tight and tactical match. Wales had the better of the first half exchanges, scoring 2 penalty corners. The final 10 minutes of the game saw 4 goals with Welsh Captain Hzwel Jones scoring Wales 4th with 2 minutes to go. Ukraine came back to within one goal in the last minute of the game, but time was soon up. A close game, as Wales sneaked the win 4-3.
Match 11: Italy v Slovenia
A real goal feast and a special performance from a strong and talented Italian side. 6 goals from Sandy Grosso, 5 from Mattia Ambrosini amongst others in a 17-0 comprehensive win. Slovenia battled hard and ran well but the Italians were too strong in defence and attack.
Match 12: Turkey v Slovakia
Turkey began the game in style by scoring with the first attack of the game. This set the tone for a high energy game. After 10 minutes Turkey were dictating the pace and led 2-0 at half time. Slovakia went out to attack in the second half however the strong Turkish defence scored regularly from the counter attack. Slovakia received 2 yellow cards towards the end of the game, showing their frustration. Slovakia played the final 8 minutes using the power play however this did not put Turkey off and consequently Turkey scored more goals, making the final score 8-0.
Match 13: Norway v Ukraine
Norway took a surprise early lead, giving them confidence. Ukraine absorbed this pressure and led 3-1 at half time. Norway started strong, their best performance of the tournament so far however the speed, passing intensity and running of Ukraine was too much for them to handle. The final score was 7-1 to Ukraine.
Match 14: Slovenia v Wales
Slovenia took an early lead and this set the tone for a great first half from them. Benjamin Clague equalised for Wales from a PC to make the score 1-1 at half time. Both goalkeepers were in inspired form as both teams knew that victory was important. Wales webt into a 3-1 lead with 10 minutes to go and they tried to pass Slovenia off the park but they did not relent. However a goal from Nejc Potokar made the final 2 minutes interesting but Wales made sure of victory with a quick reply to restore their 2 goal advantage.
Ranking after Day 2:
Daggers drawn as Telkom Orange, GRA battle for African title
By BRIAN YONGA
Veteran Telkom Orange forward Jackline Mwangi drives the ball during their Africa Cup of Club Championship semi-final match against Heartland of Nigeria in the at City Park stadium on January 13, 2017. PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Champions Telkom Orange renew their rivalry with Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) in the women’s final of the Africa Cup of Club Championship on Sunday at the City Park Stadium, Nairobi.
It is a fitting final between the two best sides in the competition after eight days of sizzling action.
Orange, who are chasing more history by seeking to win a ninth title - their fifth in a row, thrashed two-time champions Heartland of Nigeria 7-0 in the semi-final to reach their fifth successive final while GRA saw off debutants Kada Queens, also from Nigeria 1-0 in the other last four clash on Friday.
The two giants have met four times before with Orange coming out on top on all occasions but GRA, who are eyeing their maiden title, have revenge on their mind.
Their first meeting was in the final of the 2012 competition in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, where Orange won 4-2 on post-match penalties to claim their fifth title.
In the next competition played in January 2014 in Kampala, Orange beat GRA 2-1 in the semi-final en-route to an all-Kenyan final with Strathmore University. In December of that year in Bulawayo, the duo against crossed paths in the semis and the Kenyans won by the same margin.
GRA were to suffer more heartbreak at the hands of Orange during the 2015 edition in Lusaka, Zambia as Kenyan girls beat the Ghanaian tax collectors 2-0 at the semi-final stage once again.
Orange coach Jos Openda expects a very close encounter bearing in mind that the two clubs know each other well but is optimistic of clinching victory.
“We have met several times and fought harder for victory. This time will not be different because our title is at stake and the more reason for us to give our all,” Openda said.
OPOKU OPTIMISTIC
Openda is likely to start with the side that triumphed against Heartland meaning Maureen Okumu, Audrey Omaido and Jackline Mwangi will start in attack.
The trio have been in impressive form scoring 20 out of the 30 goals scored by Orange so far in the competition.
Omaido leads the scoring charts with nine goals, one ahead of GRA’s star forward Elizabeth Opoku.
Barbara Simiyu, Lilian Aura and Betsy Ommalla will anchor the midfield while Terry Juma will be charged with keeping Opoku quiet in defence.
Opoku, who also turns out for the national team, has promised to end her side’s losing streak.
“We want to win the title after many years of heartache and Orange should expect a tough battle,” Opoku said.
Heartland and Kada Queens will face off in the third-place play-off match.
FIXTURES
Women’s third-place playoff- Kada Queens v Heartland – 8am
Men’s third-place play-off – 10.15am
Women’s final: Orange v GRA – 12.30pm
Men’s final - 2.45pm
Daily Nation
Renewed rivalry
Telkom take on Ghana Revenue Authority in women’s final
By Elizabeth Mburugu
Orange Telkom Audrey Omaido(l) with the ball as Nigeria Kada Queens Edna Ememeruria blocks when they played Africa Cup Championship at City Park yesterda, on 07/01/2017 PHOTO: JENIPHER WACHIE
Mother of all battles is expected today when arch-rivals Telkom Orange and Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) face off in the women’s final of the hockey Africa Cup for Club Championships (ACCC) at City Park Stadium. Today’s clash will rekindle the love-hate relationship between the two most revered women’s clubs on the continent.
A 4-2 win in a penalty shootout in Bulawayo set the reigning queens Orange to succesful four straight years at the helm of women’s hockey in Africa. GRA popularly known as Customs back home on the other hand have suffered one defeat after another in the hands of the Kenyan girls watched the prestigous trophy elude them.
Since 2012, GRA have lost to Orange three times in the semi-finals. In 2013 edition in January 2014, they went down 1-2 in Kampala, later on in the same year it was no different as they lost by the same margin in Bulawayo.
A year later the Kenyan girls subjected them to a 2-0 defeat in Lusaka, Zambia before going ahead to beat their counterparts Ghana Police 3-2 in a penalty shootout to win a record eighth title and a fourth in a row.
Orange coach Jos Openda told Feverpitch that he expects the Ghanaian girls to make it difficult for them but they are not ready to relinquish their crown. “We expect stiff competition from our opponents but my girls are ready to fight tooth and nail to defend their honour. We are playing at home the more reason we have to win this trophy because we can’t allow our guests to subdue us on our home turf,” Openda said.
Openda will rely heavily on his forward line of veteran Jackline Mwangi, fast-rising Sinyolo Girls alumnus Maureen Okumu, Irene Ofula and Audrey Omaido. He will also need a strong midfield to maintain ball possession and feed the strikers as well and he is likely to start with international Lilian Aura, Barbara Simiyu and captain Tracy Karanja.
In defence, former skipper Betsy Ommala, veteran and penalty corner expert Terry Juma, Racheal Ousa, Flavia Mutiva and Lucy Wangeci will be tasked with restricting GRA attackers from their territory.
The home girls will be wary of a GRA’s pacey striker Elizabeth Opuku who has been a thorn in the flesh for opponents in this tournament.
The Standard Online
Eastern send Butali Sugar Warriors packing in penalty shootout
By BRIAN YONGA
Egypt's Eastern Company players celebrate a goal against Butali Warriors during their semi-final match of the Africa Cup of Club Championships at City Park Stadium on January 14, 2017. PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Kenya’s Butali Sugar Warriors on Saturday lost 4-2 in a penalty shootout to champions Eastern Company of Egypt in a dramatic men’s semi-final match of the Africa Cup of Club Championship at the City Park Stadium, Nairobi.
The defeat ended Butali’s dream of reaching their maiden final after a painfull loss at the hands of the Egyptians. Eastern will on Sunday play in the final against either Kenya Police and Ghana Police, who were due to face each other in the second semi-final, later Saturday evening.
Butal had recovered from a goal down to lead 2-1 at halftime before the North Africans levelled matters in the second half. Butali squandered chances to win the match in regular time and were made to rue those misses as Eastern clinically converted their first four kicks.
Mahmoud Aboutaleb, Ahmed Amr, Ibrahim Amr and Ibrahim Abdallah were successful in their spot kicks while Elnaggar missed his penalty.
Butali stand-in coach Meshack Senge (above) put on a brave face despite the defeat admitting his charges should have won it in regular time.
“It is painful to lose in such a way. The lads gave their all but we lacked the finishing touch and our opponents were clinical in their penalties,” Senge said.
Constant Wakhura, Frank Wanangwe and Emmanuel Simiyu were unable to score past Eastern keeper Shehata Farahat to the disappointment of the home fans, who turned out in large numbers.
Joost Ruksen and Jannis Van Hattum scored their penalties for Butali.
Eastern’s Mohamed Ramy praised Butali for their effort.
“We were able to recover well after falling behind and our fighting spirit carried us through,” he said.
Butali, bronze medallists in 2009, will now contest the third place play-off match on Sunday. Eastern took the lead in the 24th minute after Ramy slotted home from a penalty corner. The lead lasted just seconds as Butali hit back through Simiyu’s backhand effort that found the top right hand corner.
Dutch import Joost Ruksen gave Butali a 2-1 lead at the break finishing off another short corner. The visitors levelled after the break through another well worked short corner by Amr.
Twenty three times winners Sharkia, who have had a disappointing tourney, finished in fifth place after they edged out Ghana’s Exchequers 3-2 in a seeding match.
Ibrahim Sameer, Ahmed Gamal and skipper Moahmed Ahmed were on target for the Egyptians while Elorm Akaba and Emmanuel Ankomah replied for the West Africans.
It is the first time since the inception of the tourney in 1988 that the Egyptian club will not feature in the final. Sharkia finished third in Pool B behind Ghana Police and Butali, who finished in first and second place respectively.
The 2015 women’s silver medallists Ghana Police secured position five in the women’s category after they thrashed Sharkia 6-2 in their seeding match. Faustina Aggrey grabbed a brace as the law enforcers recovered from falling behind to claim an emphatic win.
Daily Nation
Egyptians shatter Butali's hopes of maiden title
By Elizabeth Mburugu
Kenya Butali Sugar Zack Aura(l) with the ball as Niger Fliger Manman give chase when they played Africa Cup Championship at City Park. ON 11/01/2017 PHOTO; JENIPHER WACHI
Butali Sugar Warriors hopes of winning their maiden Africa Cup for Club Championships hockey trophy were crashed after a painful 2-4 defeat to defending champions Eastern Company of Egypt in a penalty shootout.
The match had ended in a 2-2 draw in regular time despite Butali taking the lead at half time.
Butali’s Constant Wakhura, Frank Wanangwe and Emmanuel Simiyu were outwitted by Eastern goalkeeper Shehata Farahat who frustrated their efforts forcing them to shoot wide.
Aboutaleb Mahmoud, Amhed Amr, Ibrahim Amr and Ibrahim Abdallah beat Butali goal Akbar Salman to score while he saved Elnaggar Ahmed’s shot.
Dutch imports Joost Rijksen and Jannis Van Hattum beat Eastern Shehata Farahat to score for Butali.
Butali’s Islam Fauda broke the deadlock in the 24th minute but Emmanuel Simiyu responded rapidly to cut their celebration seconds later. Rijksen converted a penalty corner a minute to the half time whistle to give Butali a 2-1 advantage at the break.
The homeboys failed to hold on to their lead as Ibrahim converted a penalty corner to restore parity. Both sides struggled to break the tie but none was able to break the opponent’s defence forcing the winner to be decided in a shootout.
Butali stand-in coach Meshack Senge said that lack was not on their side because his charges gave the best. “We gave the match our best but I guess luck was not on our side because Eastern emerged the stronger side.”
Former title holders Sharkia of Egypt rallied from behind to beat Bank of Ghana’s Exchequers 3-2 to settle for fifth place. Exchequers took the lead but their celebration was short-lived as Sharkia veteran defender converted two penalty corners in the ninth and 14th minutes to give his side a 2-1 lead before the quarter hour mark.
Sharkia captain Ahmed Mohamed made it 3-1 in the 51st minute before Exchequers John Adams scored a penalty stroke to reduce the deficit in the 62nd minute.
However, Sharkia women were unlucky falling 2-6 to Ghana Police to settle for sixth place. Despite going ahead in the 14th through an Aya Ali flick, the Egyptian girls failed to hold on to their lead.
Ghana international Faustina Aggrey bagged a brace while Nafisatu Umaru, Martha Sarfoa, Cecilia Amoako and Serwaa Boakwy scored one goal each to secure them a fifth-place finish.
Women final: Orange (Kenya) v GRA (Ghana) 12:30pm.
Play-offs: Heartland (Nigeria) v Kada (Nigeria) 8:00am
The Standard Online
Lachlan’s Stock rises after scoring hat-trick for UniKL in MHL debut
by Aftar Singh
On fire: UniKL’s Lachlan Stock of Australia celebrates after scoring against SSTMI in the Malaysian Hockey League on Friday. He hit a hat-trick in the 5-0 win.
KUALA LUMPUR: It’s always a thrill to score a goal. But to score three on your debut is just amazing.
And that’s exactly what Australian Lachlan Stock, a last-minute replacement for India’s Tushar Khandakar, did for Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) in their 5-0 win over Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI) in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) Premier Division match on Friday.
And that has only boosted his confidence as he prepares to lead the line in UniKL’s next match – against Tenaga Nasional at the Kuala Lumpur Hockey Stadium today.
“Usually, it takes me a while to get used to the hot weather ... but the first game was good as it wasn’t that hot.
“I’m really enjoying playing for UniKL ... there is great team dynamics and the group seems to be very strong and well-rounded.
“I’m also enjoying the high standard of hockey and the fast-paced game that is played here,” said Stock, who is from Powerhouse St Kilda Hockey Club in Melbourne.
Even UniKL coach A. Arulselvaraj was impressed with Stock’s debut in the MHL.
But the coach admitted that their next match would be tough as “Tenaga are a good side”.
“Their players are physically fit and playing well,” he said.
“We need to cut down on our mistakes in defence and not lose the ball easily. We also need to make good use of our chances.”
Tenaga coach Mohd Amin Rahim wants his men to do better this time after losing both matches to UniKL last year – 1-0 away and 3-0 at home.
“We struggled in the Premier Division last year, but we’re well-prepared to put up a strong challenge this time.
“Our matches against UniKL have always been close ... it won’t be any different this time,” said Amin.
The Star of Malaysia
Kelburne duo named in Scottish panel for busy year
Bromac Kelburne’s Rory Kerr and Lee Morton, pictured, have been named in the Scottish men’s panel as they begin preparations this week for their bid to try and qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
They are part of a panel that will play Russia on Sunday, Monday and Tursday in Spain as part of their build-up to World League Round 2 in Stormont, Ireland.
Indeed, it’s a big year for Scotland’s men’s team as the team will also compete in August to qualify for the Commonwealth Games when they play at EuroHockey Championship II held in Glasgow.
Derek Forsyth, Scotland’s head coach, said: “This is the start of our build up towards World League 2 and the games against Russia will be a good test. The squad is looking forward to the challenges ahead throughout 2017. Our main aim is to ensure our participation in the Commonwealth Games Gold Coast in 2018.”
Kerr and Morton were both part of the Kelburne panel that came close to qualifying for the EHL KO16 with a win over Dinamo Kazan and a big tussle with Atletic Terrassa in ROUND1 last October.
Their club currently leads the Scottish standings by five points but has played two more games than closest rivals Grange who provide Cammy Fraser and Duncan Riddell to the Scottish side.
It is a diverse squad with three Surbiton players – Nick Parkes, Wiliam Marshall and sharp-shooter Alan Forsyth – part of a group of six plying their trade in England. There are also inclusion from Dusseldorf, Klipper and Nurnburger clubs in Germany and Dutch sides Qui Vive and Schaerweijde.
Former Banbridge player Ben Cosgrove is also included for his first caps having previously played with the Irish Under-21 side in 2014 in their win in the second tier of the European Championships.
Euro Hockey League media release
Scottish Men’s Indoor National League back in action - Kelburne maintain pole position
There appears to be no stopping striker Johnny Christie and Bromac Kelburne in the men’s indoor hockey first division, the Paisley striker scored nine times in his side`s 6-3 defeat of Grange and 9-3 win over Hillhead.
Christie has now amassed a total of 29 goals in the seven league encounters which has been a major contribution to Kelburne staying in pole position in the table, a point ahead of second placed Inverleith.
The Paisley side had a rocky ride in their opening encounter with fourth placed Grange, they only led 4-3 with five minutes remaining, Christie scored all four for Kelburne and Luke Cranney got a double for the Edinburgh side.
Grange`s Ali Irvine then picked up a red card; Kelburne took immediate advantage with further strikes by German Jonas Nommensen and Christie again for a 6-3 win in the end.
There was only one winner against Hillhead when Christie and Jack McKenzie put Kelburne two up inside the first minute. The score advanced to 6-1 at the interval, Christie again along with Adam Bain, Iain Scholefield and Craig Morton were on target.
Christie added two more in the second period along with Kiwi Nick Finlayson although Hillhead did manage to pull two back.
Inverleith maintained their second place in the table with back-to-back victories over bottom side Uddingston and Western Wildcats.
The win over Uddingston was a stroll after the champions held a 5-1 lead at the interval and then went on to add another four in the second half. Patrick Christie was top scorer with a hat-trick while there were two each for Derek Salmond and Stephen Dick.
The second encounter with the Wildcats was a closer affair - Inverleith moved into a three goal lead but were pegged back by a double from Joe McConnell for 3-2 at the interval.
Midway through the second half the score had moved on to 4-3 with Wildcats` McConnell completing his hat-trick. Then the Edinburgh side`s expertise at the penalty corner took over with three goals without reply and a 7-3 win. Adam McKenzie got three in total with Dick picking up another brace.
Third placed Grove Menzieshill were under no pressure with back to back 8-2 victories over Uddingston and Western Wildcats.
It was a tight opening in the first match, the Taysiders were only one up against the bottom team in the league at the end of the first half, and veteran Ross McPherson was the sole striker. However, Grove Menzieshill opened out after the break, they scored seven more with Ben Cromar on target with four.
Against Wildcats it was rather different, the Dundonians were five up at the interval, Cameron Golden grabbed a couple, and Gavin Tomlinson scored from the spot, while the other goals came from Mike Ross and Chris Wilson. Grove Menzieshill added three more in the second half, all came from Wilson.
Grange recovered their composure after the Kelburne reversal to defeat Clydesdale 9-2 and hold on to fourth place, Cranney was the catalyst with four goals.
The final game of the day proved to be the closest encounter - a 6-6 draw between Uddingston and Clydesdale in the lower reaches of the table. The contest was poised at 4-4 at the interval, then Clydesdale took a 6-4 lead through Struan Walker - that was his hat-trick - and Andrew Allan at a penalty corner.
The Lanarkshire side did not give up the ghost, on the contrary strikes by Steven Percy for his fourth of the match and Tom Hyndman brought the scores level with eight minutes left.
The Wildcats picked up their point with a 1-1 draw with Hillhead. After a goalless first half the evergreen Scott McCartney put the Auchenhowie side ahead only for Fraser Ward to level.
The results leave Uddingston bottom of the table on goal difference from the Wildcats, while Clydesdale continue to occupy sixth place.
Scottish Hockey Union media release