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All the news for Monday 20 February 2017

Argentina secure series win over Black Sticks


Photo: Hernan Pablo Barrios

Hosts Argentina have taken a series win following their 2-0 result over the Vantage Black Sticks Women in Monday's fifth test in Buenos Aires.

The Kiwis put in a tough defensive effort for most of the game but Argentina stunned the Black Sticks with two goals in one minute late in the fourth quarter.

Argentina were buoyed by a vocal home crowd in a clash which served as the final outing for retiring player Carla Rebecchi.

Black Sticks defender Brooke Neal brought up her 100th international cap during the match.

Following a scoreless first half, Maria Granatto lit up the score board in the 41st minute with a deflection beating Sally Rutherford in goal.

Straight from push back Argentina grabbed a turnover which allowed Rebecchi to receive the ball unopposed and smash home.

Assistant coach Sean Dancer said his side were troubled by some defensive errors while Argentina were clinical in their finishing.

“We did not start the game at the level required, but to the girls’ credit managed to take it up a gear,” he said.

“We worked hard and created some good chances, but we need to be better with a few errors costing us. Congratulations to Argentina on the series win and to Rebecchi on her excellent career.”

The Black Sticks play Argentina in the sixth and final match at 10:00am tomorrow morning (NZ time), with the game streamed live online

CLICK HERE for more on the Vantage Black Sticks Women vs Argentina

VANTAGE BLACK STICKS 0
ARGENTINA 2: (Maria Granatto, Carla Rebecchi)
Halftime: 0-0

Hockey New Zealand Media release

Argentina too good for Black Sticks


Charlotte Harrison attacks during the international test against Argentina. Photo / Getty Images

Argentina has wrapped up its six test series against the New Zealand women's hockey team with a match to play.

The hosts have beaten the Black Sticks 2-0 in the fifth test in Buenos Aires, to take an unassailable 3-1 series lead.

Assistant coach Sean Dancer says they struggled to match Argentina's intensity.

Dancer says unfortunately the girls didn't start the game with the right tempo that was required.

The final test is Tuesday morning.

Radio Sport

Black Sticks women lose against to hand Argentina stest series


Black Sticks player Natasha Fitzsimons. FAIRFAX NZ

The Black Sticks women have conceded their test series to Argentina.

Argentina won the fifth test 2-0 in Buenos Aires on Monday (NZ time).

That gave them a 3-1 lead in the six-test series after the fourth test was drawn 2-2 at the weekend.

New Zealand competed well for much of the latest test but a sloppy end to the third quarter saw them give away two unanswered goals.

Argentina captain Carla Rebecchi, who is set to retire, and Maria Jose Granatto netted within a minute of each other and New Zealand could make no headway over the final quarter.

Black Sticks defender Brooke Neal brought up her 100th international cap during the match.

New Zealand assistant coach Sean Dancer said his side were troubled by some defensive errors while Argentina were clinical in their finishing.

"We did not start the game at the level required, but to the girls' credit managed to take it up a gear," Dancer said.

"We worked hard and created some good chances, but we need to be better with a few errors costing us. Congratulations to Argentina on the series win and to Rebecchi on her excellent career."

The sixth and final match is scheduled for Tuesday.

Stuff

Festival of Hockey attracts some of world's best on its return to Hawke's Bay next month

By Alice Lock


GEARING UP: Samantha Charlton will be one of the leaders for the Vantage Black Sticks at the Hawke's Bay Festival of Hockey next month. PHOTO/FILE.

Some of the world's best women's hockey teams will take to the turf next month as the Vantage Hawke's Bay Festival of Hockey returns.

Hockey New Zealand and Hawke's Bay Sports Events and Education Consortium (HBSEEC) were excited to announce yesterday what promises to be an exciting 10 days.

Hockey NZ chief executive Ian Francis said it was tremendous to have this international festival back and he looked forward to plenty of top-class hockey.

The 2017 Festival features 24 teams playing 76 games over 10 days, including the elite Hawke's Bay Cup which sees the Vantage Black Sticks Women (ranked fifth in the world) go to battle in a four-nations contest against Australia (4th), USA (6th) and Japan (11th).

Festival event director David Nancarrow said he was looking forward to the action-packed festival.

"It's fantastic to once again be welcoming back to Hawke's Bay some of the top women's hockey teams in the world to go up against our very own Vantage Black Sticks on home turf."

Vantage Windows & Doors, who are the naming rights partner of the Vantage Black Sticks, have also extended their support for hockey as naming rights sponsor for the festival.

"Vantage is a very strong New Zealand brand and to have their support extended even further into hockey is fantastic," Mr Francis said.

The Furnware Cup is back, with some of the top-ranked girls' schools from around the North Island participating in the festival.

Mr Nancarrow said the lineup of teams competing was even stronger than previous years with Diocesan Auckland, Iona College, Napier Girls High School, Palmerston North Girls High School, Hamilton Girls High School, Woodford House, Havelock North High School and Gisborne Girls High School all attending.

"It's great to be able to provide an opportunity for these girls to play at a high level and to have the opportunity to witness elite international hockey at the same time."

As part of the festival, the Hockey New Zealand Affiliates Tournament will see the addition of the New Zealand Universities teams as well as the New Zealand Indians compete alongside NZ Maori, Hawke's Bay, Poverty Bay and the National Senior Tournament XI.

The event runs from March 31 to April 9 at the Hawke's Bay Regional Sports Park in Hastings and Park Island in Napier.

Tickets will be available to the general public online from 9am tomorrow or through the Festival of Hockey website on hockeyfestival.nz.

Hawkes Bay Today

Men’s squad announced for series against Germany and England

South African men’s coach Fabian Gregory has announced a squad of 22 players to take on Germany and England in the second Cape Town Summer Series.

Action starts on Thursday 2 March. All matches are played at Hartleyvale Stadium in Observatory. This series follows the first Summer Series that was played earlier this year where SA took on the Netherlands and Belgium.

Various regular players such as Tim Drummond, Taine Paton, Dylan Swanepoel and Daniel Bell is not available for this series due to club or working commitments. Alex Stewart, captain of the SA u21 team, still battling an injury will also be missing from the 22-man squad.

Ryan Crowe will be fit to play again and the series sees the return of veteran goalkeeper Rassie Pieterse. The National Selectors have seen to it again to include youngsters Dayaan Cassiem and Andrew Hobson who matriculated only last year; both players are relishing the opportunity to be tested against world-class competition.

It will be another physical and testing series for the South Africans as they take on Germany world number 4 and England world number 7. Coach Gregory looks to using this series to prepare for the upcoming FIH Hockey World League in July as well as the Africa Cup of Nations in August with both events taking place in Johannesburg.

Fixtures: Thursday, 2 March @ 18:00 – South Africa v England; Saturday, 4 March @ 16:00 – England v Germany; Sunday, 5 March @ 16:00 – South Africa v Germany; Monday, 6 March @ 18:00 – South Africa v England; Wednesday, 8 March @ 18:00 England v Germany; Thursday, 9 March @ 18:00 – South Africa v Germany.

Squad: GOALKEEPERS – Rassie Pieterse (SG); Gowan Jones (KZN Coastals). DEFENDERS – Robin Jones (Northerns Blues); Jethro Eustice, Mo Mea (both KZN Coastals); Tyson Dlungwana (SG); Rhett Halkett, Andrew Hobson (both WP). MIDFIELDERS – Rusten Abrahams (SG); Ryan Julius (WP); Reza Rosenberg, Clinton Panther (both SG); Jonty Robinson (KZN Coastals); Owen Mvimbi (SG). Forwards – Keenan Horne (WP); Ignatius Malgraaf (EP); Tevon Kok (Northerns Blues); Nqobile Ntuli (KZN Coastals); Ryan Crowe (SG); Damian Kimfley (EP); Richard Pautz (Northerns Blues); Dayaan Cassiem (WP). 

SA Hockey Association media release

England to test Proteas in hockey Summer Series

Allan Isaacs


Daayan Cassiem, 18, has retained his place in the Proteas side. Photo: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix

CAPE TOWN - The second installment of hockey’s Summer Series takes place at Hartleyvale from Saturday, with England’s men’s and women’s teams and the German men’s side on the menu.

The England women’s team will be an interesting combination as they are made up of the bulk of the Great Britain team that captured the gold medal at the Rio Olympics

Ranked second in the world, they will be tough opposition for the Proteas and provide a superb test for our team to hone their skills.

There are bound to be a few hugs before the game as a few SA players also ply their trade in the English leagues.

The England men’s team will be a new-look outfit with no fewer than nine uncapped players in the 21-man squad travelling to Cape Town.

The bulk of the squad is made up of the under-21 team that played at the junior World Cup in India, but they have also included six Olympians in the squad.

George Pinner is one of the best goalkeepers in the world and will no doubt be one of the main drawcards.

Bobby Crutchley, the England coach said: “The trip is a great opportunity to expose the new squad to international matches early in the cycle.

“With matches against Germany and South Africa, it provides an ideal opportunity to start our preparations for the World League semi-final and the Europeans later in the year”.

Olympic bronze medallists Germany are ranked fourth in the world. That means the city would be hosting three of the Olympic semi-finalists with Belgium, Holland and Germany visiting South Africa in the first two months of the year.

While the results are important, tactics and combinations are of far greater in a year packed with international hockey.

The SA men’s team has been selected with the element of youth a defining factor.

Andrew Hobson and Dayaan Cassiem, the two 18-year-olds, retain their place after the series against Holland and Belgium.

Four players, Clinton Panther, Rassie Pieterse, Rustum Abrahams and Ryan Crowe, have been recalled to the squad.

The squad has been trimmed to 22 players, giving the selectors another chance to fine-tune their selections before the Africa Cup in August and World League semi-finals in July. Both those tournaments take place in Johannesburg.

Men’s fixtures:

Thursday, 2 March (6pm) - SA v England
Saturday, 4 March (4pm) - England v Germany
Sunday, 5 March (4pm) - SA v Germany
Monday, 6 March (6pm) - SA v England
Wednesday, 8 March (6pm) - England v Germany;
Thursday, 9 March (6pm) - SA v Germany.

SA squad: GOALKEEPERS - Rassie Pieterse (SG); Gowan Jones (KZN Coastals). DEFENDERS - Robin Jones (Northerns Blues); Jethro Eustice, Mo Mea (both KZN Coastals); Tyson Dlungwana (SG); Rhett Halkett, Andrew Hobson (both WP). MIDFIELDERS - Rusten Abrahams (SG); Ryan Julius (WP); Reza Rosenberg, Clinton Panther (both SG); Jonty Robinson (KZN Coastals); Owen Mvimbi (SG). Forwards - Keenan Horne (WP); Ignatius Malgraaf (EP); Tevon Kok (Northerns Blues); Nqobile Ntuli (KZN Coastals); Ryan Crowe (SG); Damian Kimfley (EP); Richard Pautz (Northerns Blues); Dayaan Cassiem (WP).

The Weekend Argus

Uttar Pradesh Wizards hold Delhi Waveriders in a 1-1 draw   



New Delhi: It was an important clash between the Uttar Pradesh Wizards and the Delhi Waveriders as a win would ensure a Semi Final spot in the fifth edition of Coal India Hockey India League. But as it turned out, both teams were determined not to lose, thus ending the match in a 1-1 draw in an evenly fought contest.

The first quarter saw the Delhi Waveriders make a strong start with some excellent counter attacking skills, creating a lot of chances with brave forays into the circle. They won two early PCs but Uttar Pradesh Wizards’ goalkeeper P.R Sreejesh was rock solid at the post as he made four important saves in the first 15 minutes of the match resulting in both teams going into the first break in a stalemate. Sreejesh’s efforts eventually won him the man-of-the-match award.

Delhi Waveriders’ skipper Rupinder Pal Singh finally found a breakthrough when he converted his team’s third attempt at a PC in the 22nd minute. The ball, struck low and hard, beating Sreejesh to give them a 1-0 lead. Uttar Pradesh Wizards, though, were quick to earn a PC almost immediately but a miss trap seemed like they lost the opportunity. A quick-thinking Raghunath however asked for a foot-foul through a video referral which went in their favour and earned his team their second PC. Uttar Pradesh Wizards eventually equalized through a penalty stroke in the 22nd minute which was successfully converted by Gonzalo Peillat.

Though the Uttar Pradesh Wizards found an opportunity to take a 2-1 lead in the 26th minute through a PC, Peillat’s flick was far and wide from the post. The first half was dominated by the Delhi Waveriders with better ball possession but the Uttar Pradesh Wizards were clinical in their approach as they recorded more circle entries.

The Uttar Pradesh Wizards came back stronger in the third quarter, dominating with the ball possession but Delhi Waveriders showed determination with good defence keeping their opponents from scoring. In the 41st minute, Delhi Waveriders won a PC but Sreejesh was in perfect nick when he padded away Rupinder Pal Singh’s strongly struck flick. Delhi Waveriders’ goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch too was kept busy throughout the quarter but he showed class with his alert goalkeeping skills.

A thriller of a finish was in the offing as the score read 1-1 ahead of the final quarter. The Uttar Pradesh Wizards continued to dominate with the ball possession but the pressure caught on as a foul by Uttar Pradesh Wizards’ Chinglensana Singh gave away a PC in the dying minutes of the match. But a poor trap denied Delhi Waveriders a goal and the match  ending in a stalemate.

Gonzalo Peillat of Uttar Pradesh Wizards was awarded with a prize money of Rs 50,000 for scoring the Coal India Goal of the Match from Mr. G.K Vashisht, General Manager, Sales & Marketing, Coal India Ltd.

Arthur van Doren of Uttar Pradesh Wizards won the prize of Rs 25,000 for being the Hero Young Achiever of the Match from Mr. Ajit Pal Singh, Olympian.

The Airtel Most Entertaining Player of the Match was awarded to Akashdeep Singh of Uttar Pradesh Wizards that came with a prize money of Rs 25,000 and presented by Ms. Elena Norman, CEO, Coal India Hockey India League.

PR Sreejesh of Uttar Pradesh Wizards was declared the Man of the Match and was awarded a prize money of Rs 50,000 by Mrs. Priyanka Raina, Co-Owner Uttar Pradesh Wizards.

On 20th February, Uttar Pradesh Wizards will take on Jaypee Punjab Warriors at the Shivaji Stadium in New Delhi at 1900hrs.

Matches will be shown live on Star Sports 2 & HD 2 and Star Sports 3 & HD 3 and live streamed on Hotstar.com

Semi-Finals 1 & 2 on 25th February 2017

-        1st Pool A vs 4th Pool A at 16.50hrs
-        2nd Pool A vs 3rd Pool A at  19.20hrs

3/4th Place Playoff & Finals on 26th February 2017

-        Loser 31 vs Loser 32 at 16.50hrs
-        Winner 31 vs Winner 32 19.20hrs

Official HIL Site

Wizards share honours with Waveriders

The draw helps them keep their semifinal chances alive in the HIL

Uthra Ganesan


A screamer: Delhi Waveriders’s Rupinderpal Singh, right, is elated after converting a penalty corner. 

Uttar Pradesh Wizards was in the unenviable position of playing its home game against Delhi Waveriders at the latter’s home turf here on Sunday. The ongoing elections in UP have forced the team to play two of its five home matches here and the side needed to avoid a loss to keep its semifinal hopes alive. It did so, managing to draw 1-1 to keep the leaderboard.

Delhi was the more attacking of the two, but while its offence came in waves, UPW oscillated between attack and defence in bursts. One of those saw Surender Kumar controlling the ball all the way from Delhi’s half to put Niklas Wellen through, only to see it balloon offP.R. Sreejesh’s pads for a penalty corner. It was duly converted by Rupinderpal Singh in the 22nd minute.

Fifteen seconds after the restart, UPW got a penalty corner of its own. That was converted into a stroke when V.R. Raghunath’s goalbound shot hit Surender’s body on the goalline. Gonzalo Peillat made no mistake with it.

Delhi earned back-to-back penalty corners, but both Rupinderpal’s and Austin Smith’s shots were saved by UPW goalkeeper Sreejesh.

Sreejesh and Delhi custodian Vincent Vanasch were kept busy by the end-to-end game that saw both teams open up space and get the crosses in, only to be thwarted. Both saved at least three clear shots at goal, though Sreejesh had to work harder against the more enterprising Delhi strike duo of Junior World Cup teammates Parvinder and Mandeep.

Akashdeep Singh shouldered the burden of UPW’s attack and, instead of going for goals, set up Ajay Yadav, Ramandeep Singh and Agustin Mazzilli in better positions.

UPW coach Roelant Oltmans admitted that there were a few good scoring chances from either end, and a draw was a fair result. The fact that UPW has an extra game in hand compared to the rest might seem an advantage, but playing home games at an away venue was of no help, he insisted.

The result: Uttar Pradesh Wizards 1 (Gonzalo Peillat 1-PS) drew with Delhi Waveriders 1 (Rupinderpal Singh 1-PC).

The Hindu

UP Wizards play out 1-1 draw with Delhi Waveriders

With a Hockey India League semifinal spot up for grabs, UP Wizards split points with Delhi Waveriders after hard-fought match.


Action during the Hockey India League match between UP Wizards and Delhi Waveriders on Sunday. (HIL)

With a semifinal spot at stake, Uttar Pradesh Wizards and hosts Delhi Waveriders played a 1-1 draw in a crucial Hockey India League match here on Sunday.

The first quarter saw the Delhi Waveriders make a strong start with some excellent counter attacking skills, creating a lot of chances with brave forays into the circle.

They won two early PCs but Uttar Pradesh Wizards’ goalkeeper P.R Sreejesh was rock solid at the post as he made four important saves in the first 15 minutes of the match resulting in both teams going into the first break in a stalemate.

Delhi Waveriders’ skipper Rupinder Pal Singh finally found a breakthrough when he converted his team’s third attempt at a PC in the 22nd minute. The ball, struck low and hard, beating Sreejesh to give them a 1-0 lead. Uttar Pradesh Wizards, though, were quick to earn a PC almost immediately but a miss trap seemed like they lost the opportunity.

A quick-thinking Raghunath however asked for a foot-foul through a video referral which went in their favour and earned his team their second PC. Uttar Pradesh Wizards eventually equalised through a penalty stroke in the 22nd minute which was successfully converted by Gonzalo Peillat.

Though Uttar Pradesh Wizards found an opportunity to take a 2-1 lead in the 26th minute through a PC, Peillat’s flick was far and wide from the post. The first half was dominated by the Delhi Waveriders with better ball possession but the Uttar Pradesh Wizards were clinical in their approach as they recorded more circle entries.

Uttar Pradesh Wizards came back stronger in the third quarter, dominating with the ball possession but Delhi Waveriders showed determination with good defence keeping their opponents from scoring.

In the 41st minute, Delhi Waveriders won a PC but Sreejesh was in perfect nick when he padded away Rupinder Pal Singh’s strongly struck flick. Delhi Waveriders’ goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch too was kept busy throughout the quarter but he showed class with his alert goalkeeping skills.

A thriller of a finish was in the offing as the score read 1-1 ahead of the final quarter. The Uttar Pradesh Wizards continued to dominate with the ball possession but the pressure caught on as a foul by Uttar Pradesh Wizards’ Chinglensana Singh gave away a PC in the dying minutes of the match. But a poor trap denied Delhi Waveriders a goal and the match ending in a stalemate.

Hindustan Times

Delhi, UP Wizards play 1-1 draw, move closer towards semis

NEW DELHI: Delhi Waveriders and Uttar Pradesh Wizards played out a 1-1 draw as they moved towards qualifying for the semi-finals of the Coal India Hockey India League (HIL) at the Shivaji Stadium on Sunday.

With a win required to enter the semi-finals for either team, Rupinder Pal Singh's penalty corner conversion put Delhi in front in the 20th minute. Argentine Gonzalo Peillat scored the equaliser as he converted a penalty stroke in the 22nd minute.

The draw didn't damage either of the team. Following the match, both Delhi and UP remained in the third and fourth spots respectively. Delhi now have 23 points from nine games, while UP Wizards have 22 points from eight matches.

The draw kept alive the chances of former champions Ranchi Rays and defending champions Jaypee Punjab Warriors. While, Ranchi are fifth with 18 points from nine games, Warriors are at the bottom of the table with 17 points from nine matches.

A win for Delhi and UP Wizards would have ended the hopes of Punjab and Ranchi with both of them have never missed out on the last four berths in the HIL.

It was a home match for UP Wizards, with the Lucknow-based outfit's two matches shifted to the national capital due to the ongoing assembly elections.

With Dabang Mumbai and Kalinga Lancers confirmed their positions in the semi-finals, the match had plenty of significance. Delhi were the brighter of the two at the start. They had earned as many as three penalty corners 20 minutes into the game. Two penalty corners in the first quarter was denied by superb goalkeeping from PR Sreejesh.

However, the national captain made a mistake in the 20th minute as a penalty corner flick from Rupinder went between his legs and Delhi were ahead 1-0.

UP Wizards responded strongly to the challenge and earned a penalty corner two minutes later. The ball hit the legs of final defender Surender Kumar at the right post. As Surender was behind goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch, a penalty stroke was awarded and Argentine set-piece powerhouse Peillat was right on the money to pull his side level 1-1.

Peillat later in the second quarter got a chance to make it 2-1 but his flick went wide of the right post, as the match ended 1-1 at the half-time.

After the change of ends, both the teams continued to rely on the counter-attacks and twice Akashdeep Singh tested Vanasch's reflexes and awareness with back-handers. At the other end, Rupinder missed yet another penalty corner in the third quarter.

Both the teams dropped their energy levels and waited for the other to commit mistakes. The opportunities from field play was elusive towards the end as they settled for a draw.

The Times of India

HIL Points Table

Official HIL Site

Strong Dragons return to Belgian league action



Despite the absence of Arthur van Doren and Florent van Aubel, KHC Dragons won their derby with Antwerp 4-1 to extend their lead at the top of the Belgian Audi League to four points.

They led 3-0 after 11 minutes thanks to goals fromAlex Hendrickx, Timothy Luyten and Thomas Briels. Henri Raes completed their scoring before former Dragon Oriol Peremiquel got one back.

Second place Waterloo Ducks were felled by Orée 4-3 with a double from Jérôme Dekeyser and goals from Ignacio Bergner and Facu Callioni out-doing Louis Capelle , Sydney Cabuy and Gauthier Boccard’s efforts.

It allowed Racing Club de Bruxelles the chance to move level in second place with Tom Boon scoring a hat trick to add to goals from Anthony Versluys and Jerome Truyens in a 5-2 win over Royal Daring.

The goals bring Boon’s total to 21 goals this season and he was delighted with his side’s success, telling the Hockey Belgium website: “It was important to do it again [with Racing] after a long winter break indoors and the Red Lions.

“We did not have the opportunity to play much together but we are all in good physical shape. This is what took a little while although, in the end, we achieved a good performance."

Elsewhere, Herakles remained in fourth thanks to their 3-1 win over Wellington. Royal Leopold moved into a share of fifth with Daring courtesy of a 4-3 win over Beerschot while Braxgata drew 3-3 with Leuven.

Euro Hockey League media release

Mantell strikes late to extend Wimbledon’s lead



Wimbledon stretched their unbeaten run to 13 games in the English league but were made to work hard for a 3-2 victory at Brooklands MU.

Brooklands led 2-0 at half time thanks to efforts from Peter Flanagan and Sam Perrin. The visitors proved their worth in the second half though, Phil Roper scoring a brace and Simon Mantell hitting the winner with four minutes to go.

The win puts Wimbledon seven points clear at the top of the table with five rounds of matches remaining this season.
Surbiton claimed four points over the weekend to move into second place in the table. On Saturday, they defeated rivals Holcombe 3-1, Luke Noblett, Jonathan Gall and Alan Forsyth (pictured) all scoring after Gareth Andrew had put Holcombe ahead in the second half.

But they had to settle for a point on Sunday as they were held to a 4-4 draw at Canterbury who are fighting for survival.
Surbiton led four times, Forsyth on target with a hat trick to take his season tally to 19 goals, and Noblett scoring his second of the weekend. However, goals from Tom Bean (two), Joshua Pollard and Craig Boyne earned Canterbury a precious point.

Loughborough Students remain without a point this season as they went down 6-2 at home to East Grinstead. Andy Piper and Nick Catlin both hit a brace, with Sam Driver and Martin Scanlon also on target for East Grinstead, who are four points behind fourth place with a game in hand.

On Saturday Reading won 2-1 at Canterbury, goals from Tom Carson and Ben Boon either side of the break good enough to give them the points.

Hampstead and Westminster reclaimed fourth place from opponents Beeston after a thrilling 4-3 home victory on Sunday.
Beeston moved into the top four last weekend and took the lead this week through Jonny Wilkinson, only for Richard Smith to equalise for the hosts three minutes later.

Richard Lawrence restored Beeston’s lead after the break, a lead they only held for a minute after player/coach Kwan Browne levelled the score.

Two goals in two minutes from Will Calnan and Marc Edwards gave the hosts a 4-2 lead, and despite Elliot Hibell pulling one back 10 minutes from time, Hampstead and Westminster held on.

Euro Hockey League media release

Hampstead win the battle of Beeston


Surbiton's Alan Forsyth, who scored a hat-trick against Canterbury. Credit Tim Reder

Hampstead and Westminster reclaimed fourth place from opponents Beeston after a thrilling 4-3 home victory in the Men’s Hockey League Premier Division on Sunday.

Beeston moved into the top four last weekend and took the lead this week through Jonny Wilkinson, only for Richard Smith to equalise for the hosts three minutes later.

Richard Lawrence restored Beeston’s lead after the break, a lead they only held for a minute after player/coach Kwan Browne levelled the score.

Two goals in two minutes from Will Calnan and Marc Edwards gave the hosts a 4-2 lead, and despite Elliot Hibell pulling one back 10 minutes from time, Hampstead and Westminster held on.

Leaders Wimbledon stretched their unbeaten run to 13 games, but were made to work hard for a 3-2 victory at Brooklands MU.

Brooklands led 2-0 at half time thanks to efforts from Peter Flanagan and Sam Perrin.

The visitors proved their worth in the second half though, Phil Roper scoring a brace and Simon Mantell hitting the winner with four minutes to go.

Surbiton claimed four points over the weekend to move into second place in the table.

On Saturday they defeated rivals Holcombe 3-1, Luke Noblett, Jonathan Gall and Alan Forsyth (pictured) all scoring after Gareth Andrew had put Holcombe ahead in the second half.

But they had to settle for a point on Sunday as they were held to a 4-4 draw at Canterbury who are fighting for survival.

Surbiton led four times, Forsyth on target with a hat trick to take his season tally to 19 goals, and Noblett scoring his second of the weekend.

However, goals from Tom Bean (2), Joshua Pollard and Craig Boyne earned Canterbury a precious point.

Loughborough Students remain without a point this season as they went down 6-2 at home to East Grinstead.

Andy Piper and Nick Catlin both hit a brace, with Sam Driver and Martin Scanlon also on target for East Grinstead, who are four points behind fourth place with a game in hand.

On Saturday Reading won 2-1 at Canterbury, goals from Tom Carson and Ben Boon either side of the break good enough to give them the points.

Men’s Conference East

Teddington moved to the top of the Men’s Conference East after a 4-0 home win over bottom of the table Indian Gymkhana.

Matt Daly took his goal tally for the campaign to 18 with a hat trick, and Richard Gear-Evans also scored to move them top on goal difference.

Mike Barber scored nine minutes from time to help second-placed Sevenoaks to a 2-1 win at Brighton and Hove. The visitors trail leaders Teddington by just a single goal.

Southgate and Cambridge City both remain three points behind the leaders after wins this weekend. Southgate defeated West Herts 3-2, whilst Cambridge won 5-2 at Wapping on Saturday, Scott Perry hitting a brace.

Elsewhere, a Mike Trim penalty stroke gave Oxted all three points in a 3-2 win at Richmond.

Men’s Conference North

The University of Durham continued their march towards the promotion play offs with a 5-0 win over bottom side Leek in the Men’s Conference North.

Tom Graham scored two, with Rory Patterson, Michael Walker and Adam Jones all on target to make it 13 wins from 13 for the runaway leaders.

Olton and West Warwicks moved second, 12 points behind Durham, after a 4-0 home win over mid table Doncaster.

Deeside Ramblers came from three goals down to draw 4-4 against Bowdon, Ali Ghazanfar and Oliver Stoddart scoring two apiece in the match.

Elsewhere, Julian Lopez scored two as Preston won 6-1 at Oxton, whilst Cannock and Sheffield Hallam finished all square.

Men’s Conference West

Cardiff and Met preserved their unbeaten streak in the Men’s Conference West as they defeated Old Georgians 2-1 at home.

Luke Hawker scored twice to move on to 17 goals for the season, the winner coming five minutes from time after Nick Cooper had levelled for the visitors.

Two goals apiece for John Jackson and Liam Sanford helped Team Bath Buccaneers keep chase at the top with a 6-0 win at the University of Bristol.

Fareham earned a valuable point in the fight to stay in the division, holding third-placed University of Exeter to a 1-1 draw.

Elsewhere, there were home wins for Isca over Chichester and for the University of Birmingham against Cheltenham.

Men’s Hockey League (Saturday, 18 February 2017):

Men's Premier Division: Canterbury 1, Reading 2; Surbiton 3, Holcombe 1.

Men’s Conference East: Wapping 2, Cambridge City 5.

Men’s Hockey League (Sunday, 19 February 2017):

Men's Premier Division: Brooklands MU 2, Wimbledon 3; Canterbury 4, Surbiton 4; Hampstead and Westminster 4, Beeston 3; Loughborough Students 2, East Grinstead 6.

Men’s Conference East: Brighton and Hove 1, Sevenoaks 2; Richmond 2, Oxted 3; Southgate 3, West Herts 2; Teddington 4, Indian Gymkhana 0.

Men’s Conference North: Cannock 1, Sheffield Hallam 1; Deeside Ramblers 4, Bowdon 4; Olton & West Warwicks 4, Doncaster 0; Oxton 1, Preston 6; University of Durham 5, Leek 0.

Men’s Conference West: Cardiff & Met 2, Old Georgians 1; Fareham 1, University of Exeter 1; Isca 4, Chichester 1; University of Birmingham 3, Cheltenham 1; University of Bristol 0, Team Bath Buccaneers 6.

England Hockey Board Media release

Irish Men's EY Hockey League Weekend Round Up



Banbridge made a major statement of intent as they thumped long time rivals Monkstown 5-1 at the Merrion Fleet Arena, further demonstrating why they are the fancied side for silverware at this stage of the season.

It eked out a two-point lead at the top of the table ahead of Three Rock Rovers who were 3-1 winners over reigning champions Lisnagarvey.

For Bann, they led at the break thanks to a pair of Eugene Magee strikes as he continues to enjoy his more advanced role in the line-up. Matthew Bell added a penalty stroke to put them all but out of sight. Davy Carson got one back for Town but further efforts from Jonny McKee and Dane Ward sealed an emphatic win.

For Rovers, they were without key players Ross Canning, Ben Walker and Jody Hosking and lost Garry Ringwood to a hamstring injury 10 minutes in against a Garvey side shy Michael Robson and Timmy Cockram.

But the Dubliners made light of those absentees to take a half-time lead via debutant Rob McCollum before Conor Empey doubled the advantage. Daniel Buser halved the deficit but Mark Samuel’s solo effort won the tie.

At the bottom, Railway Union and Instonians both produced important wins in their respective plights. Railway stunned Cork C of I 4-1, netting twice in the opening eight minutes, to rise out of the relegation playoff place. Peter Catchpole and Richard Forrest set the tone before Forrest and Simon McKeever stretched out a four-goal advantage they would not relinquish.

Inst, meanwhile, recorded their first win of the season when they beat UCD 3-1 at Shawsbridge. William Robinson and Jeremy Duncan exchanged goals to see the tie level with four minutes to go but Mark Irwin and Stephen Kelso snatched last ditch goals to earn the win and raise hopes of avoiding the drop.

Pembroke came from 2-0 down in the first quarter to beat Glenanne 5-2 and move into a share of fifth place. Stephen Brownlow and Shane O’Donoghue gave the Glens a flying start but Scott Furlong got Pembroke back in the mix before a second half Alan Sothern hat trick earned the Dublin 4 side a thrilling win.

Men ‘s EY Hockey League: Monkstown 1 (D Carson) Banbridge 5 (E Magee 2, M Bell, J McKee, D Ward); Cork C of I 1 (A Power) Railway Union 4 (R Forrest 2, P Catchpole, S McKeever); Instonians 3 (S Kelso, W Robinson, M Irwin) UCD 1 (J Duncan); Three Rock Rovers 3 (R McCollum, C Empey, M Samuel) Lisnagarvey 1 (D Buser); Pembroke 5 (A Sothern 3, S Furlong, E Goode) Glenanne 2 (S Brownlow, S O’Donoghue)

Day 13 extended match reports

Monkstown 1 (D Carson) Banbridge 5 (E Magee 2, M Bell, J McKee, D Ward)
Banbridge made a major statement of intent as they thumped long time rivals Monkstown 5-1 at the Merrion Fleet Arena, further demonstrating why they are the fancied side for silverware at this stage of the season.

Eugene Magee – who has been deployed in a more advanced role in recent weeks – started the scoring in the 24th minute from a corner before adding a second from play in the last minute of the half for a 2-0 lead. Matthew Bell extended the advantage early in the second half from the penalty spot before Davy Carson got Town back in the mix with a diving finish on the backhand.

But final quarter goals from Jonny McKee and Dane Ward saw Bann pull further clear as they coasted through the last 10 minutes. The win pushes them two points clear of the chasers while Monkstown now have serious work to do to earn a playoff place following a third successive loss in the league.

Three Rock Rovers 3 (R McCollum, C Empey, M Samuel) Lisnagarvey 1 (D Buser)
An injury-hit Three Rock Rovers made it four wins in succession in 2017 as they got the better of reigning champions Lisnagarvey 3-1 at Grange Road on day 13 of the men's EY Hockey League in front of 300 fans.

Rovers were without the services of Ross Canning, Jody Hosking and recently capped Irish international Ben Walker and they lost Garry Ringwood to a hamstring injury 10 minutes in, too.

Nonetheless, in an even first half, they came out on top 1-0 as Rob McCollum scored the only goal in his EYHL debut. He was in the right place to finish off from Ravin Nair's crash ball - via Mitch Darling - in the 26th minute. The lead was doubled after the break when Conor Empey got to the baseline and opportunistically spotted a way past James Milliken who gambled on him pulling the ball back to another forward.

Garvey did win five corners while Sean Murray made a couple of mazy runs as they looked to get back into the tie. And they got on the board when Daniel Buser nicked in front of Jamie Carr to touch home for 2-1. But Rovers replied once again with Mark Samuel tearing clear from halfway with the ball to out-strip all comers and he flicked his finish over the advancing keeper - a third Rovers teenager to get on the score sheet. Carr kept out the final quarter chances to move Rovers into second place.

Cork C of I 1 (A Power) Railway Union 4 (R Forrest 2, P Catchpole, S McKeever)
Two first quarter goals set Railway Union up for a win for the second year in a row at Garryduff in an entertaining encounter with Cork C of I. The result lifts Railway out of the relegation playoff place while C of I’s title hopes took a big dent.

The hosts had made a bright start but, following one attack, Railway broke and were awarded a corner. Mark English’s drag was stopped on the line by a defenders foot. Before a stroke could be given, former C of I player Peter Catchpole was on hand to sweep in to give Railway the lead. Straight from the tip off, Railway stole the ball from a hesitant C of I midfielder and the ball fell to Richard Forrest to give Railway a two goal lead.

With 20 seconds of the quarter remaining, CofI thought they had one back when Julian Dale’s run into the circle resulted in the ball falling to Philip Sweetnam to touch in but following umpire consultation it was ruled out for an infringement, much to the displeasure of the home crowd.

The second quarter was dominated by Cork C of I but they failed to penetrate a Railway defence, well marshalled by Kenny Carroll, retaining the 2-0 lead. And Carroll played a key role in extending the lead within two minutes of the change of ends. He found Catchpole on the edge of the D who passed to Forrest to sweep in for his second and Railway’s third. A minute after that, following a C of I corner, Railway won a corner from the break and a switch left allowed Simon McKeever to drag high into the net for Railway’s fourth.

Cork CofI kept fighting but another former C of I man – Adam O’Callaghan – was on hand twice to sweep up when a Cork goal seemed more likely. Eventually their duck was broken when Shrew Power touched in a ball played into the circle from afar. But the hosts could not make further inroads as Dale saw yellow, summing up their frustrations in a surprise 4-1 defeat.

Instonians 3 (S Kelso, W Robinson, M Irwin) UCD 1 (J Duncan)
Instonians finally broke their winning duck in the men’s EY Hockey League to give them hope they can escape the bottom rung of the table and automatic relegation. For UCD, it was a seventh successive defeat and sees them fall into the relegation playoff place.

Both teams started cautiously but Instonians looked the more confident and a William Robinson penalty corner in the ninth minute gave them the lead. The Belfast side continued to hold more of the play and missed two further opportunities to be more in control before half-time.

UCD came more into the tie in the second half as the game became fractious with both sides enduring sin-binnings and the narrow gap endured into a lively final quarter and an incredible finale. After a period of pressure by the students, they won a penalty corner and, despite Sam Brown’s best efforts, Jeremy Duncan scored the equaliser with the ball going in off the crossbar.  This goal came on 66 minutes.

For Inst, it was a sense of déjà vu having shipped a number of late goals to drop points. This time, knowing they needed points, they went on all out attack and, after a number of good saves by Conor Quinn, Mark Irwin forced the ball over the line. The goal was hotly disputed by UCD but it stood for a 69th minute lead.

UCD took off their goal keeper only for William Robinson to throw a long overhead ball to Stephen Kelso who slotted it into an empty goal for 3-1 and a maiden victory.


Credit: Rowland White/Presseye

Pembroke 5 (A Sothern 3, S Furlong, E Goode) Glenanne 2 (S Brownlow, S O’Donoghue)
Pembroke came from 2-0 down in the first quarter to beat Glenanne 5-2 to rise into a share of fifth place with Monkstown while the Glens remain in seventh.

The Tallaght side were quickly out of the blocks, Stephen Brownlow scoring from their second corner. Soon after, Shane O’Donoghue doubled up as Pembroke struggled to get out of their own half and their issues were added to when Jack Ryan got a yellow card for a rough tackle in the 12th minute.

Glenanne initially had the best of the second quarter, too, winning further corners but no more goals as Mark Ingram, Harry Spain and John Brennan working hard at the back. But they gradually got back into the game and got one back via Scott Furlong’s corner rebound, a 2-1 deficit at half-time. And the hosts built on that momentum in the second half, drawing some fine stops from Leo Micklem before Alan Sothern levelled the game with a deft touch in front of the keeper from a long crash ball.

 The comeback was complete when Elliott Goode got the final touch for a third Pembroke goal while the Glens had a man in the sin-bin in the 49th minute. They rubber-stamped their autority on the game when Ryan produced some excellent play by the baseline to find Sothern to score for 4-2. The Olympian completed his hat trick in the 63rd minute to close out the win.

Irish Hockey Association media release

Women's EY Hockey League Weekend Round Up



Cork Harlequins strengthened their hold on a women’s EY Hockey League Champions Trophy place with back-to-back wins on the road in Ulster this weekend.

They held on for a second win in six days over Pegasus at Queen’s on Saturday when goals from Olivia Roycroft and Karen Bateman saw them win 2-1.

Quins had won a week earlier in a shoot-out in the Irish Senior Cup and this tie was equally closely fought. Pegasus had slightly more of the play but were caught on the counter to fall two behind before Michelle Harvey got a consolation goal with three minutes left.

On Sunday, Cork beat their Belfast Harlequin namesakes 3-1 at Deramore Park to move within two points of leaders UCD, albeit with an extra game played.
The students retained their place at the top of the table with a resounding 8-1 win over basement side Ulster Elks with sisters Abbie and Emma Russell both scoring twice.

Hermes-Monkstown stayed within a point of UCD thanks to their 4-2 win at Loreto. They led from pillar to post with Chloe Watkins getting them up and running from a corner in the first quarter.

Ellen Curran double the lead before Anna O’Flanagan kept Hermes-Monkstown well clear. Ali Meeke and Hannah Matthews closed the gap markedly late on but another O’Flanagan goal saw Hermes-Monkstown over the line.

Belfast Harlequins – in their first game of the weekend on Saturday – were grateful to a Laura Johnston double to earn them a crucial 2-1 win over Pembroke.

The result lifts them five points away from the relegation playoff place with Pembroke stuck in ninth. Johnston scored first before Eanna Horan tied the game up in the first quarter.

Johnston, though, struck again before half-time and the Belfast side held on to that lead for the remainder of the tie for a big three points.

Women’s EY Hockey League Saturday: Loreto 2 (H Matthews, A Meeke) Hermes-Monkstown 4 (A O’Flanagan 2, E Curran, C Watkins); Pembroke 1 (E Horan) Belfast Harlequins 2 (L Johnston 2); Ulster Elks 1 (S McCay) UCD 8 (A Russell 2, E Russell 2, L Tice, M O’Donnell, D Duke, K Mullan); Pegasus 1 (M Harvey) Cork Harlequins 2 (O Roycroft, K Bateman)

Sunday: Belfast Harlequins 1 (L Geddes) Cork Harlequins 3 (K Bateman, N Carroll, O Roycroft)

Day 13 – extended match reports

Loreto 2 (H Matthews, A Meeke) Hermes-Monkstown 4 (A O’Flanagan 2, E Curran, C Watkins)
Hermes-Monkstown led from the start to finish to see off a dangerous Loreto side, taking the lead from a corner in the first quarter which Chloe Watkins netted.

Watkins and Sinead Loughran were the controlling forces in midfield, putting in huge shifts. Another corner ensued in the second corner which was calmly put away in the corner by recently capped international Ellen Curran.

Loreto really had their work cut out for them. Ali Meeke worked very hard alongside Lizzie Colvin to open space for Loreto's forwards but, at times, their endeavours were closed down by Hermes’ defensive enforcer Sarah Greene.

The Beaufort hosts found more space in the second half with youngster Christina Hamill showing great skill and awareness in and around the D, giving the forwards some opportunities. Hermes didn't hang around and broke quickly. Anna O Flanagan latched onto a mistake and scored it in typical fashion.

The hosts did get on the board with a lovely flow of hockey through the middle from Loreto, setting up Meeke for a goal. And they were right back in the mix in the final quarter, winning a couple of corners in succession where Hannah Mathews popped up to score well.

But Hermes-Monkstown were equally pilling on the pressure as Loreto conceded a couple of short corners too. Louisa Healy was again in fine form but O’Flanagan sealed the deal with her second and the visitors’ fourth for a tenth win of the campaign.

Pembroke 1 (E Horan) Belfast Harlequins 2 (L Johnston 2)
Laura Johnston’s pair of goals gave Belfast Harlequins a massive boost in their bid to escape the relegation playoffs, putting five points between them and Pembroke.

The caught the Serpentine Avenue hosts napping in the sixth minute when a long ball into the circle found Johnston who made no mistake. Pembroke levelled from a corner in the 17th minute from Eanna Horan.

But Harlequins battled back in front quickly in the second quarter and, in the 21st minute, counter-attacked to find Johnston at the edge of the circle and she scored for a 2-1 lead they would hold until the end.

Pembroke held the guts of the play in the second half, winning five corners, but the Harlequins defence remained solid and repelled each attack to record a hugely significant result in the relegation shake-up.

Ulster Elks 1 (S McCay) UCD 8 (A Russell 2, E Russell 2, L Tice, M O’Donnell, D Duke, K Mullan)
Sisters Abbie and Emma Russell both scored twice as UCD ran up a comfortable 8-1 win over Ulster Elks, keeping their place at the top of the women’s EY Hockey League.

The Dublin students started fast with an aggressive, high press which saw the Elks struggle to break out of defence. They scored in the 16th minute from a corner which Millie O’Donnell tapped in at the back post.

Deirdre Duke and Abbie Russell added further goals from open play in the second quarter to open up the lead further. That advantage extended out to six by the end of the third quarter as Katie Mullan, Abbie Russell and Lena Tice all added goals to comprehensively kill off the tie.

The fourth quarter finally saw the Elks find some rhythm, winning a number of corners, one of which Shirley McCay scored from. But an Emma Russell brace closed out the victory. The win keeps UCD a point ahead of Hermes-Monkstown, albeit with an extra game played. Ulster Elks are bottom, one point off Pembroke.

Pegasus 1 (M Harvey) Cork Harlequins 2 (O Roycroft, K Bateman)
Cork Harlequins won at Queen’s for the second time in seven days to strengthen their hold on an EY Hockey League Champions Trophy place.

Pegasus pressed hard from the whistle and, five minutes, in had the ball in the net only for the whistle to have been blown for an infringement seconds before. The Ulster side was the stronger team and controlling midfield with Quins initially finding it hard to get out of their 23.

They also edged the corner count with Emma Buckley making some good saves as the game remained scoreless into half-time. The second half saw a sea-change as Quins went in front in the 39th minute, pouncing on a loose ball out of defence.

Naomi Carroll drove into the circle, drew the goalkeeper before slipping to Olivia Roycroft to calmly finish low into the corner. Three minutes into the final quarter, it became 2-0 when Karen Bateman reacted quickest as Pegasus stalled, anticipating a whistle that never came for a perceived swing and a miss.

It gave Pegasus a mountain to climb but they pushed hard for the remainder, seeking a route back into the tie. They got one back with three minutes to go when another attack into the opposition circle by Suzanne Ferris. Her pass found Michelle Harvey unmarked behind the keeper to score but it was too little, too late.


Credit: Rowland White/Presseye

Sunday:

Belfast Harlequins 1 (L Geddes) Cork Harlequins 3 (K Bateman, N Carroll, O Roycroft)
Cork Harlequins made it two wins from two over the weekend in Ulster with a 3-1 win over their namesakes from Belfast, moving within two points of leaders UCD.
 Karen Bateman opened the scoring in the 12th minute before Naomi Carroll extended the advantage after half-time. Belfast got one back in the early stages of the fourth quarter as they threw everything forward in search of a result. But, on the counter, Olivia Roycroft got her second of the weekend for a 3-1 outcome.

Irish Hockey Association media release

Sweet day for KLHC

by S. Ramaguru


Right on target: KLHC’s Anton Friz Ebeling (second from right) celebrates with his team-mates after scoring against Terengganu in the Malaysia Hockey League’s Premier Division match at the KL Hockey Stadium yesterday.

KUALA LUMPUR: Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) finally came good in the fourth time of asking as they edged Terengganu 3-2 to regain the Malaysia Hockey League’s Premier Division title.

German Anton Friz Ebeling was the hero for 2013 champions KLHC, scoring a last-gasp 60th minute winner at the KL Hockey Stadium.

KLHC, who were denied by Terengganu at the last hurdle the past three seasons, received RM100,000 for finishing top in the eight-team league with 36 points while Terengganu, on 33 points, had to settle for RM60,000.

Needing a win to emerge champions, KLHC surged into the lead after only seven minutes when Dedy Ariyadi Junaidi netted a field goal.

But Terengganu restored parity two minutes later, thanks to a penalty corner conversion by South Korean hitman Jang Jung-hyun.

The third quarter saw a fierce onslaught by KLHC. After missing a sitter through Harvinder Singh and two failed penalty corner attempts, KLHC managed to score their second goal. Nabil Fiqri Mohamed Nor netted from close range after connecting a cross in the 43rd minute.

But Terengganu refused to surrender, coming back strongly in the fourth quarter. From their second penalty corner in the 51st minute, Jung-hyun relayed the ball to Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin to slot home.

With seconds ticking away, Ebeling’s penalty corner took a deflection and sailed into goal to the joy of the KLHC team.

“It was a great team effort. We never gave up,” said KLHC team manager Annuar Sham Kamar.

“We beat Terengganu to win the Charity Shield at the start of the season and now we are the Premier Division champions. Hopefully we can keep the momentum going when we compete for the overall title (TNB Cup),” he added.

Earlier, Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) clinched third place with a 1-0 win over Tenaga Nasional. Khairul Nizam Ibrahim netted the all-important goal in the 12th minute.

UniKL finished with 26 points to take home RM40,000. It was UniKL’s first podium finish since they competed in the MHL in 2011.

Tenaga, who had 25 points, had only themselves to blame for the loss. They wasted eight penalty corners.

Coach A. Arulselvaraj said finishing third was a breakthrough for UniKL.

“Credit must go to the players for their determination. I hope the win will boost the confidence of the players for the TNB Cup,” said Arulselvaraj.

The Star of Malaysia

Forgotten hockey hero Sandeep Singh eager to join coaching

NEW DELHI: Every sportsperson has a shelf life and former India hockey captain Sandeep Singh, who by his own admission knows that age is not on his side for a national comeback, is now eager to take up the mentor's role for youngsters wanting to master the art of drag-flicking.

Sandeep, regarded as one of the world's most dangerous drag-flickers in his hey days, has given many a golden moments to Indian hockey but the lanky defender, who has overcome quite a few adversities in life, has been out of the national team since 2014.

A fighter to the core, Sandeep did not give up and continued his hard work on the turf, plying his trade in Australian and European leagues as well as the Hockey India League to prove his mettle but eventually, a back injury last year during HIL dashed all his hopes.

"My dad always tells me 'jo suraj subah ko ugta hai wo sham ko asth hota hai' (the sun which rises in the morning is bound to set in the evening). I too had my time and I tried to be as stable as possible to sustain for a longer period. I have played enough hockey and now I just want to give something back to the game for which I am here today," Sandeep said.

"I have specific plans, I have a lot of ideas, desi ideas which I want to implement in coaching. I want to work with Indian drag-flickers at the grass-root level and train them. Skill wise and going by conversion rate I am still the No.1 drag-flicker in India.

"On and off I am taking coaching lessons in Australia. I have plenty of ideas which I want to implement and share with youngsters. I can assure that if given a chance, I can improve 5 to 20 per cent in every drag-flicker in each session. But I don't how and whom to approach in Hockey India," he said.

From being hit by a stray bullet during a train journey while on his way to join the national team for the 2006 World Cup in Germany to making a successful comeback to the field after two years of recovery and then going on to become one of the most dreaded drag-flickers in the world, Sandeep, who represented India in 2012 Olympics, has seen it all.

"Even though I still desire to play for the country one last time but deep down, I know my international career is over. It is very difficult to get into the national team again. Age is not in my hand," he said.

Sandeep, however, feels just like cricket every hockey player of international repute should be given a fitting farewell from the game.

"I know hockey is not as popular as cricket in India but I hope in future, every renowned hockey player should be given a fitting farewell rather than ignoring them," he said.

Sandeep is not playing in the ongoing HIL for reasons, which he refused to divulge, but is eager to make a mark in the lucrative league next season by honing his skills in Australia and England.

"I won't like to disclose the reasons behind why I am not playing in the current HIL but I will play in Australia for St George Randwick Hockey Club in March and then for Harvard Hockey Club in England in September and hope to make comeback in the league next year," said Sandeep, who played for Ranchi Rays in last HIL.

Sandeep is also excited about a biopic on his life which is scheduled for release next year.

"The biopic is being produced by actress Chitrangada Singh. It will hit the theatres next year. It's in advanced stages now and the casting will be done soon," he said.

The Times of India

Elaborate plan of trials for schoolboys’ hockey championship

By Syed Intikhab Ali

KARACHI: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has drawn an elaborate plan of open trials to select teams of various regions for the first schoolboys under-16 championship, ‘The News’ has learnt.

It has tasked former greats of the game to find talent during these trials. Informed sources said the PHF had sent a memo to all provincial associations, secretaries and directors of sports boards, mayors, commissioners and deputy commissioners to provide support in organising events in their areas.

The championship is part of PHF’s extensive plan of hockey revival in the country.

The open trials will be held from February 22-28 in seven regions of PHF.

PHF’s director development and domestic Naveed Alam will supervise all the activities for this championship.

In Islamabad, the trials will be held on February 23 and in Rawalpindi on February 24. For both places, the selection committee comprises Pervaiz Kiyani, Rizwan Bhutta and Malik Khurram.

Each team shall comprise 13 players (including one goalkeeper). The players should be below 16 years of age on December 30, 2017.

In Okara Cantonment trials will be held on February 24 and the selection committee will comprise Qamar Zia, Aleem Raza, and Muhammad Sarwar.

In Lahore, the trials will be held on February 26 with selection committee consisting of Kh Awais, Ishtiaq Ahmed, Saqlain and Muhammad Tariq.

In Faisalabad trials will be held on February 27 and the selectors will be Muhammad Irfan Senior, Zeeshan Ashraf and Nadeem Khan.

In Sialkot, trials will be held on February 24 with Maqsood Hussain, Dilawar Bhatti, and Ajmal Lodhi being the selectors.

In Bahawalpur the trials will be held on February 26 at Muteeullah Hockey stadium and selection committee will have Atif Bashir, Aleem Raza and Sarwar.

In Sargodha trials will be held on February 27 at Sargodha hockey stadium. Muhammad Rashid, M Shabbir and Kashif Yaqoob will be the selectors.

The trials for Sindh will be held at three regions of PHF, and selection committee will comprise Olympian Mansoor Ahmed, Sameer Hussain and Muhammad Ali. The trials will be held in Hyderabad on February 23-24, Sukkur on 25-26 and Karachi on 27- 28.

The selection committee for KP consists of Musaddiq Hussain, Naeem Akhtar and Ahsanullah. They will hold trials in Banuu at Banuu Hockey Stadium on February 23-24, in Abbottabad on 27, and Peshawar on 28.

In Skardu, Raja Shahid, Kamal and Muhammad Ali Dilshad will hold the trials on February 24.

The trials in Gilgit will be held on February 24 and the selectors will be Raja Shahid, Kamal and Muhammad Ali Dilshad.

The trials for Azad Kashmir region will be held at Abbottabad region on February 25 and Farooq Awan will hold the trials.

The trials for FATA region will be held at Darra Adam Khel on February 25 and Imtiaz Afridi and Imran Khan will be the selectors.

The selection committee members will submit reports to provincial associations and send a copy to PHF.

The provincial associations will compile the reports of all regions and send them to PHF within one week time.

The trials for Baluchistan will be held on March 7-8 in Quetta as examination of schools are going on in February in the province, the sources said.

The News International