News for 06 May 2017
All the news for Saturday 6 May 2017
GB play waiting game with win
Great Britain pulled off a narrow 3-2 win over New Zealand to move into second spot in the standings with Australia on the top with 10 points in the 26th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup today.
The Britons and Kiwis walked on tight rope going into this first match today knowing very well that a win can give much comfort to the winning side and stay on par with Australia for a brief moment.
However, Britain’s fate of a shot in Saturday’s final will be decided after the outcome of the Australia-Japan and India versus Malaysia encounters later in the night.
With defending champions Australia needing just a draw against rank outsiders Japan in the second match of the day to book their 13th appearance in the final since 1983, India face the host nation that is bent on breaking the ice for their first win here following three consecutive defeats.
It is a tricky situation for the Australians, Britons and Indians.
The match got off under clear skies and it was Great Britain that dictated terms with the first goal via a penalty corner in the ninth minute. Drag-flick specialist Sam Ward packed a low and rather slow push to the left of goalkeeper Devon Manchester to give the Britons the advantage.
New Zealand kept prodding on for the equaliser and was rewarded in the 30th minute with a field goal from Dominic Newman back but the Britons were back on track with open play goals from Phil Roper in the 39th minute and Mark Gleghorne to lead 3-1 with 11 minutes to the end.
The Black Sticks reduced the deficit in 58th minute from a Kane Russell penalty corner as the score stood 3-2 and made a daring decision of taking off Manchester and played with a kicking back.
Alan Forsyth sounded the board in the last few seconds, steering in a Jonathan Griffith's cross, but the goal was ruled out following a video referral.
And at the final hooter, it was Great Britain that crossed the line first with this win to go second in the table standings with 10 points behind Australia who have a better goal difference.
However, Great Britain’s hopes of a shot in Saturday’s final now rest on the Australia-Japan and India-Malaysia crucial matches.
A Malaysian win over India will clearly push Great Britain into the final against the Kookaburras.
Unofficial tournament site
Japan shock Australia
Japan shocked defending champions Australia with a brace from Koji Yamasaki to pull off a stunning 3-2 victory
Despite the defeat The Kookaburras are through to their 13th scup final since 1983 as they have a four-goal lead over second-place Great Britain who share 10 equal points with the Australians.
Great Britain had earlier defeated New Zealand 3-2 to go second in the table standings behind Australia who have a better goal average.
The Australians needed a draw against Japan but upped the ante with an attacking performance to go 1-0 ahead in the seventh minute through Trent Mitton’s cross into the D was finished by Aaron Kleinschmidt who placed it past goalkeeper Suguru Shimmoto with ease.
It was Mitton’s turn to push the Kookaburras forward with the second goal in the 31st minute as the Australians confidently rode on with a 2-0 lead.
Japan, however, earned their first penalty corner in the 41st minute with a rare entry into the Australian fort and Shota Yamada’s shot was well deflected by goalkeeper Tyler Lovell.
However, the Japanese were back three minutes later to equalise through Shota.
With the score stood at 2-1, Japan produced the most scintillating performance with two quick goals through Koji Yamasaki (56th and 57th minutes) to shock Australia with this win – their first and most memorable in the tournament.
Unofficial tournament site
Malaysia stun India
Malaysia stunned India with a 1-0 victory and in the process allowed Great Britain and Australia to feature in the final of the 26th edition of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Men’s International Hockey Tournament on Saturday.
With defending champions Australia through to Saturday’s final of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup for the 13th time since 1983, India and Great Britain were reduced to battling for a spot in the final.
Great Britain had earlier defeated New Zealand 3-2 and Japan, 16 in the FIH World Rankings, scored the biggest upset of the tournament following a 3-2 triumph over World champions and World No 2 Australia who have won the title here nine times.
The Australians and Britons shared 10 equal points but the Kookaburras go on top of the table standings with a seven-goal difference – four ahead of the Britons.
With this defeat, India finished third and plays New Zealand for the bronze medal tomorrow whilst Malaysia takes on Japan in the fifth-sixth playoff match.
Needing to win by more than two goals to unseat the Britons to secure a spot in the final, nothing that the Indians did went right.
The Malaysians got off on a fiery pace, winning a penalty corner in the 11th minute but the decision by the umpire was cancelled following a review by the video referral official.
The first quarter ended in a stalemate.
India came back stronger in the second quarter to win their first penalty corner in the 18th minute but goalkeeper S. Kumar was in his element as he denied Rupinder Pal Singh’s drive to the top right post with a diving clearance.
Roelant Oltmans India went to win two more penalty corners but nothing came out of it as the Malaysian defence stood tall.
The host mounted a challenge three minute after the start of the third quarter but Tengku Ahmad Tengku Tajuddin’s deflection off a pass from team captain Sukri Mutalib went off the mark.
Another tale of near misses from the Malaysians as India took control for a brief moment.
The last 10 minutes of the third quarter belonged to the host as the Malaysian Tigers went on to earn two more penalty corners but Shahril Saabah and Faizal Saari could not find the space to beat Indian goalkeeper Akash Chikte.
In a most bizarre decision, the Indians returned in the fourth quarter without Akash and opted to play with a kicking back instead.
However, after Mandeep Singh was shown the green card minutes into the quarter, India was reduced to 10-men on the field and Akash was brought on again.
This situation did not help the Indians at all as they struggled to put the pieces together.
With India’s defence in disarray, Malaysia mounted another strong challenge and it took a classic move from a penalty corner in the 51st minute from Shahril Saabah to pun the Tigers ahead.
The 3,000 fans that stayed away after Malaysia’s defeats in the last three matches, celebrated. It was Malaysia’s first win and that too against Asian Games gold medallist and World No 6 who had bad game today.
Unofficial tournament site
Stats Speak: It is 14th Occasions when India has failed to victory in must win situation
By B.G.Joshi (Sehore-Bhopal,India)
A must-win situation is defined as: “India has to win (or draw) the match to advance in the tournament; if India draws or loses, it is out of the medal race.” In Azlan Shah Cup (2017) India needs victory by 2 goals difference or 3-2 wins against hosts Malaysia to play Gold Medal match. India lost 0-1 and out of Gold Medal match. Thus India has failed on 14 must-win occasions in world-level tournaments, thrice to Malaysia, in CWG (1998), AG (2010) and AZ (2017). details are:
Olympics (4)
Date Venue Stage Opponent Score
Jul 26, 1976 Montreal Playoff Australia AUS 1 (5) – IND 1 (4), TB
Aug 6, 1984 Los Angeles Pool Germany GER 0 – IND 0
Sep 20, 1988 Seoul Pool Britain GBR 3 – IND 0
Sep 26, 2000 Sydney Pool Poland POL 1 – IND 1
1976 – Argentina did India a favour by upsetting Australia. India now had to win a playoff against Australia to qualify for the semi-finals. Ajeet Singh missed a penalty stroke in the tie-breaker, and India lost the playoff. India ended up 7th at Montreal – the first time an Indian hockey team returned without any medal from the Olympics.
1984 – India had to beat Germany to advance to the semi-finals. Zafar Iqbal missed the open net and India drew the game, with Germany advancing. Defending champion India ended up 5th at Los Angeles. From 1984 onwards, India would never again qualify for the semi-finals of any Olympic hockey tournament.
1988 – India needed only a draw against Britain to advance to the semi-finals. In the second half, left-half Ashok’s slide tackle at the 25-yard line led to a penalty corner against India. The attempt was saved by Rawat, but Britain got one more penalty corner. Barber scored, and suddenly the match turned in the favour of Britain. India ended up 6th in the 1988 Olympics.
2000 – India needed either a 2-2 draw or a win against Poland to advance to the Olympic semi-finals against Pakistan. With 90 seconds left in the game, India was leading 1-0 when Tomascz Cichy of Poland tied the game. A melee in front of the Polish goal that was wasted by Baljit Singh Dhillon proved costly. The 1-1 tie sent India out of the semi-finals. India ended up 7th in the Olympics; ironically, Poland, the team that derailed India, ended up last in the tournament.
World Cup (2)
Date Venue Stage Opponent Score
Mar 28, 1978 Buenos Aires Pool England ENG 1 – IND 1
Jan 7, 1982 Mumbai Pool Australia AUS 2 – IND 1
1978 – India needed to beat England to force a playoff with Germany for a semifinal spot. However, India could only draw the match 1-1. India ended 6th in the 1978 World Cup. After 1978, India never won any medal in the World Cup again.
1982 – A drawn match with Australia was sufficient for a place in semi-finals. India lost the match and ended up 5th in the World Cup. Hockey was still popular in India back then, and a World Cup medal at home would have done wonders for the sport.
Champions Trophy (3)
Date Venue Stage Opponent Score
Apr 10, 1986 Karachi League Britain GBR 1 – IND 0
Dec 13, 1996 Chennai League Pakistan PAK 3 – IND 2
Dec 13,2014 Bhubaneswar SF Pakistan PAK 4-IND 3
1986 – Had India won the league match against Britain, India would have been on the podium with a silver medal. Joaquim Carvalho and Abdul Aziz missed a penalty stroke each in this crucial match against Britain and India went on to lose the game. India ended 5th in the Champions Trophy.
1996 - Had India won the league match against Pakistan, India would have been in the Champions Trophy final. From handshaking distance, Dhanraj Pillai missed a goal. India got a total of 13 penalty corners, but converted only 2. Two days later, India was in the bronze medal match against Germany. Germany whipped India 5-0 to take the bronze.
2014 –In SF versus Pakistan, Sardar Singh missed open net after taking too much time. On counter attack Qadir scored for Pakistan. Pakistan won 4-3, after victory Pakistani did un-sportsman like celebration. "
Continental Championships (4)
Date Venue Stage Opponent Score
Sep 9,1998 Kuala Lumpur SF Malaysia MAS 1-IND 0
Nov 23,2010 Guangzhou SF Malaysia MAS 4 gg – IND 3
May 12,2009 Kuantan Pool China CHN 2 – IND 2
Oct 10,2006 Doha Pool Korea KOR 1-IND 1
1998- In commonwealth games hockey has introduced first time. In semifinals India had wasted numerous chances. Mirnawan Nawami has scored in extra time to show exit door to India.
2006- Asian Games at Doha. India had to beat South Korea in its final pool match to advance to the semi-finals in place of China. India tied the game 1-1, missed the semi-finals and ended 5th – the first time in history that India came back from the Asian Games without any medal.
2009- In the 2009 Asia Cup at Kuantan, India had to beat China in its final pool match to advance to the semi-finals. India leads 2-0 at breather, Chinese equalized, in last minute of the match, India got the penalty corner, Captain and Penalty Corner expert Sandeep Singh missed the golden opportunity. India ended 5th – the first time in history that India came back from the Asia Cup without any medal.
2010- In Guangzhou Asian Games India have to beat Malaysia for Gold medal match, leading 3-2, defensive lapses cost dearly, India concedes soft goals and went out from final.
Invitation Tourneys (1)
2017- India needs victory by 2 goals difference or 3-2 wins against hosts Malaysia to play Gold Medal match. India lost 0-1 and out of Gold Medal match.
Fieldhockey.com
Great Britain's men reach Azlan Shah Cup Final
Great Britain celebrate against New Zealand
Great Britain have booked their place in the Azlan Shah Cup Final where they will face nine time champions Australia.
GB's final spot was confirmed when hosts Malaysia pulled off a 1-0 win over India following Great Britain's 3-2 win over New Zealand earlier in the day.
The final against the Kookaburras will take place at 1.35pm UK time.
In their match against the Black Sticks, Sam Ward gave GB a first quarter lead before Dominic Newman levelled for the Black Sticks against the run of play.
Strikes from Phil Roper and Mark Gleghorne put GB into a deserved lead but a late strike from Kane Russell made for a tense finale.
The team's place in the final was confirmed when hosts Malaysia pulled off a 1-0 victory over India which saw GB stay second and set up their Saturday showdown with Australia.
After the game head coach Bobby Crutchley said: "It was a very good performance in stifling heat. I felt we dominated the game.
"If we had a better conversion rate from the chances we created, the scoreline would have been more comfortable."
Great Britain line up ahead of their match with New Zealand
GB flew out of the blocks and stormed into the lead through Sam Ward from their first penalty corner. Ward’s drag flick proving too good for Devon Manchester in the New Zealand goal.
Further chances were created before the end of the first quarter with both Alan Forsyth and Mark Gleghorne going close to extending the lead.
New Zealand responded in the second quarter and enjoyed more possession, however it was still GB who looked the more dangerous. Henry Weir carved out an opening and David Goodfield fired just wide with his reverse stick strike.
It looked as though GB would take their lead into the half-time break but in the final minute New Zealand levelled. Dominic Newman collected in the circle and fired high and hard past Harry Gibson.
From the restart GB were immediately on the front foot winning three penalty corners in the opening three minutes, but goalkeeper Manchester was twice at his best to deny Gleghorne.
They kept up this intensity and were eventually rewarded when Phil Roper was on hand to restore the lead. Alan Forsyth’s initial attempt was saved but Roper reacted quickly to mop up the rebound.
GB’s domination continued into the final quarter and they soon extended their lead in style. A deft flicked pass from Forsyth across goal was met by Gleghorne who cleverly steered past Manchester.
However there was to be a twist in the tail as New Zealand pulled one back through Kane Russell’s penalty corner to make for a nervy finish.
However GB responded and thought they had another goal of their own through Forsyth, but this was overturned and the final whistle sounded soon after.
With England and Scotland both preparing for World Cup qualifiers in London this summer, and Wales with a player in the British squad for the first time in recent years, there is a huge summer of hockey ahead for the home nations.
Harry Gibson (GK), Brendan Creed, Liam Sandford, Jonathan Griffiths, Barry Middleton, James Gall, Phil Roper (C), Daniel Kyriakides, Tom Carson, Alan Forsyth, Mark Gleghorne
Subs (Used): Ollie Willars, Henry Weir, Ian Sloan, Sam Ward, David Goodfield Subs (Not used): Chris Wyver (GK), Christopher Griffiths
England Hockey Board Media release
Black Sticks edged by Great Britain
Photo: Sports Media Group
The Vantage Black Sticks Men have been edged 3-2 by Great Britain in their final round robin match at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia.
It was an evenly poised encounter for much of the match before Great Britain got the better of the Kiwis in the second half.
The result sets New Zealand up for the bronze medal match against either Great Britain or India with results later in the day deciding the match-up.
Head coach Darren Smith said the difference was Great Britain’s finishing in the attacking circle.
“We weren’t as clinical as we needed to be in the midfield and attacking third and that really let us down,” he said.
“We let in a couple of soft goals off counter attacks and struggling to get much going on attack.
“We’re looking forward to going back up against either Great Britain or India as we have scores to settle with both teams.”
Sam Ward opened the scoring for Great Britain in the ninth minute with a well-placed penalty corner drag flick.
The Black Sticks equalised just before halftime when striker Dominic Newman produced a flash of brilliance to find the ball in the circle and smash home on the dive.
Great Britain pulled ahead again in the second half through field goals from Phil Roper in the 39th minute and Mark Gleghorne in the 49th minute.
Kane Russell pulled one goal back with a penalty corner flick two minutes from fulltime but the Kiwis couldn’t find a levelling goal.
The Vantage Black Sticks now await their opponent in the bronze match which will be played at 10pm tomorrow night (NZT) with live coverage on SKY Sport.
VANTAGE BLACK STICKS 2: (Dominic Newman, Kane Russell)
GREAT BRITAIN 3: (Sam Ward, Phil Roper, Mark Gleghorne)
Halftime: 1-1
Hockey New Zealand Media release
Kookaburras through to final of Azlan Shah Cup despite defeat 3 - 2 by Japan
Holly MacNeil
Photo courtesy of: T. Myers sportsmediagroup.com.au
The Kookaburras took on Japan tonight at the Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia with Japan coming back from 2 - nil down to win the match, the final score AUS 2 – 3 JPN. The Kookaburras have however secured a place in the final tomorrow evening and will play either India or Great Britain.
The first goal came in the seventh minute of play with Aaron Kleinschmidt scoring a penalty corner after an infringement from Japan’s Kaito Tanaka. The play continued in the Kookaburras favour, however their next chance at goal didn’t come until a missed penalty corner opportunity minutes into the second quarter.
One minute into the second half and Trent Mitton doubled Australia’s score with a field goal after he somehow managed to get past three of Japan’s defenders, leaving the score at 2 – nil.
Forty-four minutes into the game and Japan were up for their first penalty corner which was saved by Australian goalkeeper Tyler Lovell. The second opportunity seconds later saw Japan’s first goal; a set piece play finished with a powerful flick from Shota Yamada that was just out of reach of the Australian defence.
Australia managed to force two quick penalty corner opportunities early into the fourth quarter however the Japanese defence thwarted both with their quick execution from the net.
Japan scored the equaliser in the 56th minute of play with Koji Yamasaki nailing a field goal following a pass from Seren Tanaka. Just one minute later and Japan took the lead for the first time in the match, a second field goal from Yamasaki giving them the edge with just three minutes of play remaining.
In the final minutes of the game Australia replaced their keeper with Matt Dawson as kicking back in a last attempt to reclaim control over the match. With not enough time to execute another goal Japan took out the win 3 – 2.
Kookaburras head coach Colin Batch said: “For small phases of the game we stuck to the game plan and when we did that we were effective. Too often tonight there was too much individual work happening and that cost us. It meant we made errors at the back, and gave Japan confidence and the opportunity to score goals. They were costly mistakes and we need to learn lessons from that.
“For a large part of the game we were in control, but we didn’t use the opportunity to score a third or a fourth goal, so that was pretty frustrating. We prepared well for the game, and we rated Japan - they have been able to score well at this tournament.
“We need to prepare for our own game ahead of whoever we play tomorrow, whether that be Great Britain or India.”
The Kookaburras remain at the top of the standings and will next play the final of the Azlan Shah Cup tomorrow, Saturday 6 May at 8.35pm AWST / 10.35pm AEST. They will play either Great Britain or India depending on the outcome of India’s match against Malaysia.
KOOKABURRAS 2 (1)
Aaron Kleinschmidt 7 (PC)
Trent Mitton 31 (FG)
JAPAN 3 (0)
Shota Yamada 44 (PC)
Koji Yamasaki 56, 57 (FG, FG)
Kookaburras squad v Japan
Athlete (Hometown/State)
Tom Craig (Lane Cove, NSW) 33/14
Matthew Dawson (Killarney Vale, NSW) 71/10
Jeremy Edwards (Hobart, TAS) 17/1
Jeremy Hayward (Darwin, NT) 78/26
Tyler Lovell (Perth, WA) 84/9
Trent Mitton (Perth, WA) 111/49
Edward Ockenden (Hobart, TAS) 289/66
Andrew Philpott (Melbourne, VIC) 34/1
Matthew Swann (Mackay, QLD) 151/6
Jake Whetton (Brisbane, QLD) 123/48
Dylan Wotherspoon (Murwillumbah, NSW) *plays for QLD 35/7
Used Substitutes
Andrew Charter (Canberra, ACT) 127/0
Ben Craig (Lane Cove, NSW) 17/2
Aaron Kleinschmidt (Melbourne, VIC) 18/6
Joshua Pollard (Melbourne, VIC) 18/0
Tom Wickham (Morgan, SA) *plays for WA 11/3
Matthew Willis (Tamworth, NSW) 25/2
Unused Substitutes
Flynn Ogilvie (Wollongong, NSW) 51/13
Kookaburras Azlan Shah Match Schedule
6 May: The Final 8.35pm AWST / 10.35pm AEST
Hockey Australia media release
Day of upsets
Malaysia deny India spot in final
By Jugjet Singh
MALAYSIA played their hearts out to beat India 1-0 and deny them a place in the final of the Azlan Shah Cup.
India needed to win the match to join Australia in the final Saturday, but Malaysia handed the spot to Britain instead.
The solitary goal came off Malaysia's fourth penalty corner when Shahril Saabah drove home the ball in the 50th minute.
And Japan showed their intentions to claim the Fifth-Sixth playoff against Malaysia when they came back from two goals down to beat Australia 3-2.
In the group stage, Malaysia were held 1-1 by Japan.
Australia, who were already in the final, toyed around and paid the price in the fourth quarter.
Jeremy Edwards (seventh) and Trent Mitton (31st) gave Australia a healthy lead, which is normally enough for them to wrap up the match.
However, a fightback from Shota Yamada in the 44th minute led to Koji Yamasaki scoring two famous goals in the 56th and 57th minutes for a historical victory.
Japan coach Takahiko Yamabori celebrated his country's first ever win over Australia by thanking hosts Malaysia.
"I would like to thank Malaysia for inviting us to this tournament and as the lowest ranked team, we got the opportunity to play against world class sides to improve our game.
"This chance to play against New Zealand (lost 3-2) and Australia is also important because these teams are with us in Group A in the World League Semifinals in Johannesburg.
"We hope to carry forward this momentum and beat Australia and New Zealand when we play then again (in Johannesburg on July 8-23)," said Yamabori.
As for their Fifth-Sixth match against Malaysia, Yamabori said they will challenge the higher ranked team.
"We came here to challenge teams which are higher ranked than us and that's what we will do against Malaysia in the placing match."
Malaysia are 14th, Australia No 2 while Japan are 16th in the world.
RESULTS: Britain 3 New Zealand 2, Australia 2 Japan 3, Malaysia 1 India 1.
SATURDAY: Final: Australia v Britain (8.35pm); Third-Fourth: New Zealand v India (6.05pm); Fifth-Sixth: Malaysia v Japan (3.40pm)
FINAL STANDINGS
P W D L F A Pts
AUSTRALIA 5 3 1 1 14 7 10
BRITAIN 5 3 1 1 12 9 10
INDIA 5 2 1 2 10 9 7
N ZEALAND 5 2 1 2 7 9 7
JAPAN 5 1 1 3 12 15 4
MALAYSIA 5 1 1 3 3 9 4
Jugjet's World of Field Hockey
The party poopers
by S. Ramaguru
Back off: Malaysia’s Haziq Samsul (right) in action against India’s Sardar Singh during their Sultan Azlan Shah Cup match at the Azlan Shah Stadium yesterday. — RONNIE CHIN/The Star
IPOH: Malaysia turned in their best performance in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup to deny India a place in the final.
Malaysia beat India 1-0 in a pulsating match, with Shahril Sabah’s 51st-minute penalty corner goal settling the game.
Malaysia’s win was the second shock result of the day after Japan had earlier beaten defending champions Australia 3-2.
But the result did not matter as Australia still qualified for the final, where they will meet Britain at the Azlan Shah Stadium today.
Australia have won the trophy nine times while Britain have only won it once – in 1994 (playing as England).
Malaysia had S. Kumar back in goal yesterday and he was instrumental in thwarting the Indians.
This was only Malaysia’s 18th win in 113 meetings with India. The teams have also drawn 18 times.
The first quarter did not produce any major attacking moves for either team.
But, in the 16th minute, India earned their first penalty corner. However, Rupinder Pal Singh’s direct attempt was well saved by Kumar.
India pressed on and had two more penalty corners – in the 23rd and 25th minutes. Both times their attempts went wide.
The first half ended goalless.
On resumption, Malaysia had two penalty corner attempts in the 33rd and 34th minutes but to no avail.
Knowing they had to win to pip Britain to a place in the final, India started the fourth quarter with a kicking back instead of goalkeeper Akash Chikte.
Harmanpreet was the player used as a kicking back for five minutes.
Malaysia earned a third penalty corner in the 44th minute but again failed to make it count.
But national coach Stephen van Huizen’s men persevered.
And it paid off big time when they were awarded a penalty corner in the 51st minute.
This time, Shaharil’s direct flick easily beat goalkeeper Akash.
Rattled, India threw everything at Malaysia, who defended resolutely.
“We were playing for pride after losing three games. We didn’t plan to disappoint India,” said Stephen.
“We expected India to come at full force against us as they needed two goals to get into the final.
“We played better against Britain and New Zealand.
“For me this win came against the odds. On any other day, if India had taken their chances, I’m sure they would have won.”
India head coach Roelant Oltmans was left ruing his team’s unforced errors and failure to take their chances.
“I am never disappointed with results. But today I am very disappointed with our performance,” he said.
“There were too many unforced errors ... we did not take our chances.
“I’m also disappointed with the execution rate of our penalty corners.”
The Star of Malaysia
Britain to face Australia in final – thanks also to Malaysia
IPOH: Britain can thank Malaysia for making the final of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey competition.
Britain edged New Zealand 3-2 at the Azlan Shah Stadium here yesterday to move into second spot behind leaders Australia on 10 points. The Aussies had a better goal difference despite losing their last group match 3-2 to Japan.
But Britain had to wait for the third and last match of the day – between India and Malaysia – to know if they would be in the final.
India, who began the day with seven points from four matches, fell to a surprising 1-0 loss to basement side Malaysia and that allowed Britain to set up a title showdown against Australia today.
Britain scored through Sam Ward (ninth minute), Phil Roper (39th) and Mark Gleghorne (49th) while New Zealand replied through Dominic Newman (30th) and Kane Russell (pen 58th).
Britain coach Bobby Crutchley admitted that they were lucky to get all three points.
“We’re very happy with the result ... we did enough to score the goals. We wanted to move the ball around and run the opposition aground.
“That was outstanding performance from my men ... I hope they will raise their game to a higher level tomorrow (today).”
New Zealand coach Darren Smith said that his team only played well towards the end of the game.
In an earlier match, Japan saved their best for last match to stun Australia 3-2.
World No. 16 Japan, the lowest-ranked team in the tournament, came back from two goals down to sink the world No. 2 with two well-taken strikes in the last quarter at the Azlan Shah Stadium yesterday.
Australia took the lead Aaron Kleinschmidt (seventh minute) and Trent Mitton (31st) before Japan reduced the deficit through Shota Yamada (44th).
Then, two quick goals by Koji Yamasaki (56th, 57th) sent the Aussies reeling to their first defeat in the tournament.
The Star of Malaysia
GB Through to Azlan SHah Final
By Mike Haymonds
Sam Ward celebrates scoring for GB against Brazil. Credit FRANK UIJLENBROEK
SAM WARD, Phil Roper and Mark Gleghorne were Great Britain’s scorers in a 3-2 win over New Zealand in their final round-robin game at the Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh.
The win secured GB’s place in today’s (Sat) final against the world’s No 2 Australia, despite their 3-2 defeat by the bottom team hosts Malaysia. GB’s final slot was not confirmed until Malaysia’s 51st-minute winner against the tournament’s second favourites India.
Holcombe’s Ward opened the scoring with a powerful penalty corner drag-flick after nine minutes and it was not until the final minute of the second period that Dominic Newman equalised with a field goal. Strikes by Wimbledon’s Roper in the39th minute and Gleghorne of Beeston in the 49th gave GB a cushion and, although the Kiwis took off their goalkeeper for an extra outfield player, they were restricted to just one corner goal by Kane Russell two minutes from time.
GB head coach Bobby Crutchley said: “It was a very good performance in stifling heat. I felt we dominated the game.
“If we had a better conversion rate from the chances we created the score line would have been more comfortable.”
Australia have dominated this tournament, having lifted the title nine times since winning the inaugural edition in 1983 and the four most recent since 2013.
GB last played in 2012 when they finished third (of seven) and won it once (as England) in 1994.
Daily Express
Black Sticks lose to Great Britain, will play India for bronze at Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
A late Kane Russell drag flick couldn't help the Black Sticks get up against Great Britain. (File Photo) CHRIS SYMES/FAIRFAX NZ
The Black Sticks men will play for bronze at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, after losing 3-2 to Great Britain in their final round robin match.
Hosts Malaysia denied India a place in the final with a 1-0 victory, their first of the tournament, leaving India to face the Black Sticks on Saturday (10.05pm NZ Time) for third.
Great Britain opened up a 1-0 lead in the ninth minute, when Sam Ward flicked home from a penalty corner, but Dominic Newman hit back for the Black Sticks just before halftime to level the scores.
A Phil Roper field goal then restored Great Britain's one-goal advantage early in the third quarter, and Mark Gleghorne scored in similar fashion five minutes into the final spell to make it 3-1.
Kane Russell then brought it back to 3-2 with a few minutes remaining, thanks to a drag flick, but the Black Sticks couldn't complete the comeback in the little time that remained.
Australia, who lost to Japan 3-2 in their final group match, finished atop the standings on 10 points, ahead of Great Britain on goal difference. India and New Zealand both finished with seven points, while Japan and Malaysia ended with four points. As other results played out, a win over Great Britain would have put the Black Sticks into the final.
New Zealand lost to India 3-0 in their round robin match on Sunday.
KOOKABURRAS STILL QUALIFY
The Australian men's hockey team have qualified for the final of the Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia despite Japan coming back from a two-goal deficit to snatch the victory.
The first goal came in the seventh minute of play with Aaron Kleinschmidt scoring a penalty corner after an infringement from Japan's Kaito Tanaka.
One minute into the second half, Trent Mitton doubled Australia's score with a field goal after he somehow managed to get past three of Japan's defenders, to push the advantage to 2-0.
Australian goalkeeper Tyler Lovell saved a penalty corner but the Japanese were rewarded seconds later when a set piece play was finished with a powerful flick from Shota Yamada.
Japan scored the equaliser in the 56th minute of play with Koji Yamasaki nailing a field goal following a pass from Seren Tanaka.
Just one minute later, Japan took the lead for the first time in the match, a second field goal from Yamasaki giving them the edge with just three minutes of play remaining.
Stuff
India goes down tamely to Malaysia
s2h team
In a day of upsets, India could do nothing right, defence or aggression, against Malaysia in the crucial last pool match where the final entry was stake. India needed a two-goal margin victory over Malaysia to pip Great Britain to engage Australia in the final. It was not to be. Perhaps wilting under pressure of playing full stands and an improved Malaysia, the Indians, except last ten minutes of play or so were on defensive.
Australia will take on Great Britain in tomorrow's final, while India-New Zealand will fight it out for bronze.
Winless Malaysia did everything right ab initio, played an aggressive game to first keep the Indians under check and then when managed a penalty corner went up. That Sharil Saabah's 50th minute stunner stood the test of rest ten minutes.
Indian coach Roelant Oltmans pulled out the goalie and played Harmanpreet Singh as additional player shortly after conceding to Saabah.
India made numerous attacks in the spell, but its forwards were lethargic, off mark, letting sitters go waste. Talwinder Singh and Akashdeep Singh were conspicuous for missing out.
India got five penalty corners, two more than they conceded, but could not beat Malaysian goalie.
India got off to good start getting three penalty corners in the first half. However, all the three attempts of PC veteran Rupinder Pal Singh met with equal resistance.Once the first charger cleared while the rest were cleared by 37-year old sensational goalie Kumar Subramaniam.
Halftime score stood as 0-0
Stick2Hockey.com
Awful India Deserved to Lose to Malaysia
Jaspreet Sahni 
(Getty Images)
Ipoh: There's only defeat in waiting when you play the way India did on Friday. It was hustling hockey under the pressure of scoring. No design. No structure. Just a hustle to grab possession, roll the ball and ram into a Malaysian. Eventually the game saw a goal. But not from India. Malaysia scored the only strike of the 60-minute game, that can be put up as a tutorial on how not to play hockey.
Unfortunately India chose the worst day to go off-colour. Their chance to have a shot at the trophy hinged on a win against Malaysia, but in a certain manner. A victory by a two-goal margin was what India required to outrun Great Britain in the race to the final of Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, here. But it didn't happen. What transpired was a 1-0 win for Malaysia and India were left to play New Zealand for bronze.
The Indian team has nobody but themselves to blame. Malaysia were not just last in the table but the worst team on show over the past week. They should have been at the mercy of Indians, but Roelant Oltmans' boys let it slip, and how.
Five wasted penalty corners, just one shot at goal in first 20 minutes and a whole lot of unforced errors. India were at their shoddiest best with nothing going their way.
India's performance hit rock bottom in the last 10 minutes on Friday. The wheels came off after Malaysia scored from a penalty corner in the 51st minute. It was a race against the clock as India needed a minimum of 2-1 victory to push it to a stage where the second finalist would have been decided in a shootout with Great Britain. Forget about scoring, India, playing with a kicking-back and no goalkeeper, came up with schoolboy stuff.
The defence held firm in the first 30 minutes, allowing not even a single shot at goal to the Malaysians. But the central midfield — majorly manned by Manpreet Singh, Sardar Singh and Harjeet Singh — wasn't executing.
Their passes were being regularly and easily intercepted, while the cutting through balls remained absent. Sardar had otherwise had a good tournament, but it was not his day.
In that list is also veteran SV Sunil, who has been off the boil for a while. The right winger did not have a particularly good Hockey India League and here too he's been scrambling for possession rather than controlling it. He has been easily dispossessed and never been in control of the ball speed and run he's known for.
The dragflicks off Rupinder Pal Singh's stick aren't as menacing anymore. Still he was given the lion's share of the five PCs, ahead of Harmanpreet Singh who is in better touch and has already scored three goals in the tournament. But Rupinder's form has hit a new low in this tournament.
And when the pressure mounts, the whole structure cames crumbling down together.
"I am disappointed by our execution of skills today, our decision-making and penalty-corner execution," Oltmans said. But surprisingly, he didn't take the defeat on his chin, like he normally does. Instead, he looked like finding an excuse.
"This is not the world cup or Olympic Games; this is Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, which is a good test. We want to test ourselves in certain areas. If that drops down a bit at this moment, okay," he said at the press conference.
It's good when a coach puts his weight behind his players. But it appears unjustified when it's a player whose performance has dipped considerably and affecting team's objectives.
"We take certain decision on penalty corners. Of course, we can do different things as well, but we did not do it. For sure, Rupinder in the next tournament will score goals like he did in the Asian Champions Trophy. He will score again, don't worry about that," Oltmans said.
But the fact of the matter is that India didn't deliver when it mattered, and it's not happened for the first time. In fact, it's what ails Indian hockey.
So is it that we still crack up and not get cracking under pressure? Is that what still separates India from the top teams? Certainly.
A new season may have just started, but some harsh calls will have to be taken before India head to London for the FIH Hockey World League semifinals.
News18
India suffers 1-0 reverse
To play New Zealand for bronze
A thorn in India’s flesh: Despite having a poor tournament, Malaysia managed to beat India again.
A listless India slumped to a heart-breaking 1-0 defeat to host Malaysia in its last league match as it failed to reach the final of Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament for the second consecutive year.
Needing to win by a two-goal margin to make the final after Great Britain had edged past New Zealand 3-2 earlier in the day, India failed to produce a cohesive game and suffered its second loss of the tournament.
Finishing with seven points from five matches, India will play New Zealand On Saturday in the play-off for the bronze medal, while the title encounter will be between defending champion Australia and Great Britain.
An Indian victory by two goals would have pushed Great Britain to the bronze medal game, but Malaysia turned the tables on India which gave a disjointed exhibition of hockey.
Stunning upset
In the day of the underdogs, World No. 16 Japan pulled off a most stunning upset with a 3-2 victory over reigning world champion Australia, which still remained on course to defend its title by topping the standings roster due to its superior goal difference.
Despite knowing what was expected from them, India failed to make an impression on the Malaysian defence.
After a listless first quarter, India managed to earn three penalty corners in the next 15 minutes, but Malaysian goalkeeper Subramaniam Kumar effected two diving deflections.
India showed more purpose in the second half, but its attack was not cohesive and the strikers turned out to be error-prone.
India’s desperation was evident at the start of the last quarter when it took off the goalkeeper and made Harmanpreet Singh the kicker-back.
The goalkeeper was back within a minute when Manpreet Singh was sent off with a green card. But as Manpreet came back in the 47th minute, so did the kicker-back come in.
Having an extra player added just a little bit of thrust to the Indian effort, but it was Malaysia that opened the scoring in the 50th minute with a penalty corner conversion through Shahril Saabah’s measured drag-flick .
The Hindu
Unforced errors forced us to take extra risks: Oltmans
IPOH (Malaysia): Coach Roelant Oltmans was disappointed at the large number of unforced errors that crept into India's game in their heart-breaking 0-1 defeat against Malaysia, which sent them out of the title round contest in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament on Friday.
Needing to win by two goals to secure a place in the final, India crashed to a 0-1 defeat as Malaysian penalty corner shooter Shahril Saabah scored the all-important goal through a fine drag-flick in the 50th minute.
Faltering in the last league encounter, India slipped behind Great Britain, who secured a summit clash against defending champions Australia. India will take on New Zealand for the bronze medal tomorrow.
"I am never disappointed with result. But today I am very disappointed with the performance. There were too many unforced errors," said Oltmans.
"We did not take out chances in the first three quarters. Then we had to take calculated risks in the last quarter, but we were not able to force goals," he said.
"We had to take the risks because of the pressure building from the unforced errors."
It was during the period India were going all out to score that Malaysia were able to earn the penalty corner that got them the match-winner.
"We had a few chances to score even in the last stages, but it was disappointing that the Indian team was not able to execute the skills on the field today," said the Dutchman.
Malaysian coach Stephen van Huizen said his boys deserved credit for their outstanding show after suffering narrow losses in the previous two games against New Zealand and Great Britain.
"It was a game of playing for our pride at home after losing three games. We did not plan to disappoint India," said van Huizen.
"If Great Britain deserves to go into the final, there's nothing we can do about it," he said.
Van Huizen said he had expected India to come out attacking as they needed two goals to move into the final.
"We expected India to come at full force. For me this win came against the odds. On any other given day, India could have won had they taken their chances," said van Huizen.
"We went through videos of India's matches and we knew they have very good forwards. So, we came up out with a plan to stop India's momentum.
"Malaysia got several chances and we made good use of one to score the goal," van Huizen added.
The Times of India
Whites Whitewashed Development Squad 7-3 in Triangular Hockey
In the last match of the first round of Pakistan Hockey Federation's triangular home series, Pakistan Whites trounced Development Squad 7-3 at the Johar Town Hockey Stadium, Lahore.
In the one sided game, the Whites led 4-1 at the half time.
After the completion of the first round, Pakistan Seniors have two wins, Whites' one win and one loss while the Development Squad have lost both their ties.
On Saturday, Pakistan Seniors meet Pakistan Whites
PHF Media release
Pukke defeat Wits in nail-biting South African Varsity Hockey opener
By Reginald Hufkie
NMMU and WITS fight for the ball during the opening game of the 2017 Varsity Hockey, presented by Steinhoff and FNB, Monday 05 May 2017, at the Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch, Western Cape. WITS vs NMMU Photo by: Halden Krog/SASPA
Varsity Hockey semi-finalists of 2015, Pukke, edged Wits 5-4 in a tight encounter at Maties Astro in Stellenbosch for the 2017 Varsity Hockey opening match.
Cloudy weather conditions welcomed the two teams from the north in the opening game of the 2017 Varsity Hockey competition. In what seemed to be an equal first chukka, the ladies from Pukke took advantage of the first penalty corner by scoring the opening goal of the game in the 10th minute courtesy of Charne Maddocks off the rebound.
Nicky Veto from Wits showcased individual brilliance with a back-stick goal in the 18th minute from open play, putting the Witsies 2-1 ahead, scoring the first goal from open play, which counts two according to 2017 Varsity Hockey rules. The remainder of the second chukka saw great teamwork from both sides, but after exceptional strategic play from Pukke, Carli Rheeder bagged another two points for Pukke, heading into the second half with a 3-2 advantage.
With a slight drizzle coming down in the start of the second half (third chukka), both teams tried taking charge of the game, thus allowing the ladies to stay warm with a lot of running being done. Pouring rain prevented Pukke from scoring on three occasions despite putting Pietie Coetzee’s side under immense pressure throughout the third chukka.
The goalless chukka, though, saw both teams coming back guns blazing in search of an early goal in the fourth and final chukka. And Pukke gave into the pressure first when they allowed Nicole Smith to make it 4-3 for the ladies in yellow and blue in the 51st minute.
Pukke’s Meeghan Klomp, on the other hand, had other plans when she skilfully worked her way past Wits’ Petro Stofberg to make it 5-4 with seven minutes remaining. Despite many attempts at goal, both sides had to once again run up and down in search of possession, with the game ending in favour of the ladies from Potchefstroom.
Pukke captain Jessica De Bruyn was awarded the FNB Player of Match award for her team’s 5-4 effort while the Mugg and Bean Star Saver award went to Namibian international Petro Stofberg from Wits in what was a thrilling start to the tournament.
Mugg and Bean Star Saver: Petro Stofberg (Wits)
FNB Player of the Match: Jessica de Bruyn (Pukke)
Scores
Wits: 4
Goals: Nicky Veto, Nicole Smith
Pukke: 5
Goals: Charne Maddocks, Carli Rheeder, Meeghan Klomp
Teams
Wits: Gillian Robertson, Londeka Dlamini, Nompilo Thenjwayo, Nicole Smith, Amber Dry, Kelly Wrensch, Lezaan Janse van Vuuren, Vicky Jonker, Tamsin Copeland, Ash Redhead, Robyn Fyrie
Subs: Petro Stofberg, Jureya Dildar, Nolwazi Ngubane, Lelethu Ndakisa, Sissy Pieterse, Nicky Veto, Mandisa Sigudla
Pukke: Marine Kock, Jocelle Deysel, Jessica de Bruyn, Lindi Anker, Carli Pretorius, Lerato Mahlangu, Lori Hyde, Dunelle van Taak, Elmien Marais, Charne Maddocks, Anneke Beukman
Subs: Hope Nkosi, Miecke Flemming, Carli Rheeder, Courtney du Preez, Jamie Flowers, Kerrin Klaaste, Meeghan Klomp
Varsity Sports media release
Tuks dismantle Kovises 6-0
By Reginald Hufkie
Tukkies celebrate goal against Kovsies during the 2017 Varsity Hockey, presented by Steinhoff and FNB, Monday 05 May 2017, at the Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch, Western Cape. TUKKIES vs KOVSIES Photo by: Halden Krog/SASPA
After a great defensive first-half display by Kovsies, Tuks broke loose to obliterate the Bloem side 6-0 in the second match at Maties Astro on Friday afternoon.
The second game of the day started with a bang when the side from Pretoria, Tuks, secured a penalty corner in the second minute of the first chukka. Kovsies’ defence, however, came in the form of brick wall that needed much more than just Tuks’ strikers to break.
A second penalty corner in the 11th minute was still not enough to break the solid defence of the ladies from Bloemfontein. Despite bagging a third penalty corner in the final minute of the first chukka, Tuks still struggled to break through the rock solid defence set up by Kovsies.
The start of the second chukka welcomed a change in weather conditions, thus allowing the ladies to run faster without worries of slipping. Fast-paced aggressive attacking opportunities from Tuks could still not break through the Kovsies defence with half time on the doorstep of what could be described as nail-biting first half of hockey.
Just before half time, though, Tuks’ Catherine Morris finally made a breakthrough when she scored the first goal of the game – 2-0 in favour of Tuks at half time.
Taking advantage of their first half momentum, Tuks came back from the break and scored two goals in the first five minutes of the second half. Anel Luus’ skilful play from the penalty corner paid off when she earned her stripes by scoring the second goal for Tuks. A few seconds later, however, Mabongi Nyalungu scored a cracker of a goal, making it 5-0 for Tuks. Despite many attacking attempts in the fourth chukka, Tuks captain Natalie Esteves only managed to make it 6-0 on the 52nd minute after an umpteenth penalty corner.
Tuks’ Catherine Morris’ skilful play and tactical awareness saw her bagging the FNB Player of Match award while Candice Calder from Kovsies was awarded the Mugg and Bean Star Saver award for her efforts at the back.
Mugg and Bean Star Saver: Candice Calder (Kovsies)
FNB Player of the Match: Catherine Morris (Tuks)
Scores
Tuks: 6
Goals: Catherine Morris, Anel Luus, Mabongi Nyalungu, Natalie Esteves
Kovsies: 0
Teams
Tuks: Marlise van Tonder, Marissa Poolman, Chane Hill, Anel Luus, Catherine Morris, Izelle Verster, Natalie Esteves, Claire Gibbings, Amy Etherington, Thandokazi Chithi, Mabongi Nyalungu.
Subs: Melicia van Tonder, Jenica De Encarnacao, Meeghan Scheffer, Luvolwethu Nkole, Amone Mouton, Ayanga Balni, Kelsey Langley
Kovsies: Alri Vorster, Chane Hartel, Antonet Louw, Shindre-Lee Simmons, Nadia Van Zyl, Pricilla Esterhuyze, Candice Calder, Heraldine Olin, Casey-Jean Botha, Este Van Schalkwyk, Janke Kotze
Subs: Lisa Alberts, Jessica Charles, Nadia van Staden, Refilwe Ralikontsane, Shanay Solomon, S’Thabile Motsa, Nicole Kruger
Varsity Sports media release
Madibaz snatch it in final chukka to down newcomers UKZN
By Andre Huisamen
NMMU break the UKZN defence during the 2017 Varsity Hockey, presented by Steinhoff and FNB, Monday 05 May 2017, at the Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch, Western Cape. NMMU vs UKZN Photo by: Halden Krog/SASPA
The Madibaz were made to work hard in their opening match of the Varsity Hockey competition in Stellenbosch when they defeated newcomers UKZN 4-2.
Madibaz started the brightest of the two teams as the eased some early pressure on the ladies from Natal. Kiona van Niekerk opened the scoring for the Madibaz just before the end of the first chukka when she tapped in after a scramble from a penalty. UKZN, however, came out all guns blazing at the start of the second chukka and they were rewarded when Hqobile Shange scored a brilliant field goal from a counter attack to give her side the lead. UKZN’s defence proved solid as they kept Madibaz out for the remainder of the second chukka and took a 2-1 lead into half time.
The second half and third chukka got off to a slow start for both sides. The Madibaz came close on a couple of occasions but failed to convert pressure into points as it was still deadlocked at the start of the final chukka.
The Madibaz eventually broke through the UKZN defence with six minutes left on the clock. Substitute Aimee Pohlman grabbed a field goal to give her side the lead before Simone Dolley tapped in from a penalty corner moments later to all but secure the result for the Madibaz.
Mugg & Bean Star Saver: Robyn Ashton (UKZN)
FNB Player of the Match: Chardinay Penniston (UKZN)
Scores
Madibaz: 4
Goals: Kiona van Niekerk, Aimee Pohlman (Field Goal), Simone Dolley
UKZN: 2
Goals: Hqobile Shange (Field Goal)
Teams
Madibaz: 1 Kerryn Frost (GK), 3 Hannah Knott-Craig, 4 Lauren Nina ©, 7 Caitlin Gouws, 8 Kanyisa Gwata, 13 Jamie-Leigh Banks, 14 Simone Dolley, 15 Kiona van Niekerk, 17 Carly Redcliffe, 21 Luzaan Potgieter, 24 Cassandra Lister
Subs: 6 Kirsty Tonks, 10 Jenna-Lee Meyer, 12 Aimee Pohlmann, 16 Malikah Potgieter, 18 Meri Janse van Rensburg (GK), 20 Robyn Thomson, 22 Lindre van den Berg
UKZN: 4 Jamie Leigh Chisholm , 5 Sinethemba Zungu, 6 Chardinay Penniston, 7 Chiree Coetzee, 8 Nolwazi Mkize, 9 Nxolo Manele (GK), 10 Tiffany Jones, 11 Hqobile Shange, 12 Nomzamo Zulu, 13 Vanessa Atkinson, 22 Mnguni Thandazile
Subs: 1 Robin Ashton (GK), 2 Bengu Nonqaba, 3 Janine Ndlovu, 14 Anessa Patel, 16 Tanner Rea van den Bergh, 17 Megan Hargreaves, 21 Nonthando Mlambo
Varsity Sports media release
Maties off to winning start on home soil
By Andre Huisamen
Tarryn Glasby attempts a goal against UJ during the 2017 Varsity Hockey, presented by Steinhoff and FNB, Monday 05 May 2017, at the Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch, Western Cape. Maties vs UJ Photo by: Halden Krog/SASPA
Maties got their Varsity Hockey campaign off to the best possible start on their home turf when they saw off UJ 4-2 in the final match of the first day of the tournament, played in Stellenbosch.
In an action-packed match, watched by a lot of spectators at the Maties Astro, the home side scored two field goals, one in each half to win the battle in spectacular fashion.
The game was always going to be tough, but Maties looked the stronger of the two sides in the opening exchanges. Tarryn Glasby scored a field goal four minutes before half time to give Maties a much-deserved lead at the break. Ill-discipline let UJ down in the first half but they were right back in the game when Kirsten Paton scored a field goal for their Joburg outfit within five minutes of the restart to make it anyone’s game.
Some tight defence by both sides meant the game was going down to the wire, but it was the home side who got the final say when Georgia Grobler scored a second field goal for Maties, seven minutes from time to secure the much-needed winning start.
Mugg & Bean Saver: Robyn Ormond (UJ)
FNB Player of the Match: Tarryn Glasby (Maties)
Scores
Maties: 4
Goals: Taryn Glasby (Field Goal), Georgia Grobler (Field Goal)
UJ: 2
Goals: Kirsten Paton (Field Goal)
Teams
Maties: 1 Nicole Le Fleur (GK), 2 Lenta Cullinan, 5 Simone Strydom, 6 Heather McEwan ©, 8 Paige Phillips, 9 Sandiswe Tabata, 10 Tarryn Glasby, 12 Natasha Rootenberg, 16 Aimee Pote, 17 Page Alcock, 20 Minke van Heerden
Subs: 4 Stephanie Botha, 7 Lida Kotze, 11 Danielle Cairns, 14 Georgia Grobler, 18 Alegra Dijkstra, 21 Polly Mashau, 24 Kirsten Block (GK)
UJ: 1 Robyn Ormond © (GK), 3 Isabella Da Rocha, 6 Lanne Rossouw, 7 Asheleigh Datnow, 8 Kirsten Paton, 9 Lisa Hawker, 11 Alex Kavanagh, 15 Kerry Trebble, 16 Carmen Smith, 17 Demi Harmse, 18 Chebeal Raubenheimer
Subs: 2 Yonela Dishi (GK), 4 Jenevieve Taljaard, 5 Phia Gerber, 10 Jivanka Kruger, 12 Zeena Martin, 13 Bernice Brink, 24 Nadia Mattana
Varsity Sports media release
Butali Sugar Warriors out to close gap, Amira face UoN
By BRIAN YONGA
Elizabeth Ngombo of Strathmore University (left) drives the ball with Pauline Naise of Amira Sailors in pursuit during their Kenya Hockey Union Women's Premier League match at City park Stadium on May 1, 2017. PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU | NATION MEDIA GROUP
After almost two-and-a-half weeks out of action, Butali Sugar Warriors take on Wazalendo on Sunday in a Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) Men’s Premier League match at the City Park Stadium.
Six matches are on the cards this weekend with debutantes Technical University of Kenya (TUK) battling Kenyatta University Vultures Saturday in another top flight men’s encounter as they seek their first win of the season.
Kenya College of Accountancy University (KCAU) face former champions Nairobi Sikh Union as Chase Sailors play Parkroad Badgers in other matches.
In the women’s Premier League, newcomers University of Nairobi (UoN) will be hoping to chalk up their first league victory of the season against Amira Sailors on Saturday as Kenyatta University Titans clash with Strathmore University Scorpions in Sunday’s varsity derby.
Butali, who lost the title last season to Strathmore University Gladiators, have been victorious in their two league outing. Butali are in eighth place, 15 points behind leaders Kenya Police who have played seven matches and won all.
The irregular fixtures are a concern to Butali team manager Kamal Sembi, who has called for consistency from his charges.
“Our opponents seem to be playing every week but we haven’t played in a while. We are hungry to get on the pitch and prove our worth,” Sembi said.
Butali beat the champions 3-1 in their last outing and will be hoping for a repeat performance against Wazalendo.
Forwards Frank Wanangwe and Barnabas Odhiambo, who marked their first starts of the season in that fixture with a goal each, will be the key men for Butali alongside Zack Aura and Emmanuel Simiyu.
Wazalendo will also be out to extend their unbeaten run. They are currently third with ten points from four outings. Wazalendo player-cum-coach Fidhelis Kimanzi is wary of Butali’s attacking players.
“We need to be on top of our game because Butali have players who can hurt us and the key will be to maintain our defensive shape,” Kimanzi said.
UoN have found the going tough in their maiden season and currently sit second from the bottom without a point having suffered four straight losses.
They will come up against an Amira side that needed a last minute penalty stroke from Pauline Naise to salvage a point against Scorpions last Monday.
A victory for Amira will move them to second place. They stand third on the log with eight points from two wins, two draws and a loss.
Naise has called on her teammates to be more clinical in front of goal.
“We need a good start and that will mean making good use of the chances we create,” Naise said.
FIXTURES (All matches at City Park Stadium)
Saturday
Men's Premier
KCAU v Nairobi Sikh Union (2pm)
Chase Sailors v Parkroad Badgers (4pm)
Women
UON v Amira Sailors (12pm)
Sunday
Men's Premier
TUK v Kenyatta (1pm)
Butali v Wazalendo (3pm)
Women
Kenyatta v Strathmore (11am)
Daily Nation
National hopes swell at Women’s National Program goalkeeper camp
Shaheed Devji 
University of Waterloo Warriors goalkeeper Hilary Neeb was one of a group of goalkeepers who spent a week with Canada’s Women’s National Program getting goalkeeper specific instruction.
By many accounts, Waterloo Warriors goalkeeper Hilary Neeb has had a successful field hockey career.
This year, to cap off her University career, which saw her play five seasons with the University of Waterloo, Neeb was named the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) goalkeeper of the year for the second straight season.
But despite the accolades, Neeb concedes her game has been lacking one important thing.
“I have gone basically my whole goalie career not getting a lot of coaching, just here and there,” she says. “I’ve never been to a camp or anything.”
But that changed this week, as Neeb was part of a group of goalkeepers who were selected to take part in a goalkeeper camp hosted by Canada’s Women’s National Program and held in Vancouver, British Columbia.
It was a long way to travel for the native of Wellesley, a town with a population of approximately 11,000 people which is located North West of Kitchener, Ontario.
But the cross-country trip was well worth it, according to Neeb.
“I was really looking forward to getting more technical coaching, working on things that are more difficult to learn without a goalkeeper coach,” she explains.
“I’ve been trying to learn these things on my own and teaching myself. But it’s hard when you don’t have someone constantly reminding you when you do things right or wrong.
“So it’s been amazing to be able to see the improvement right away and being able to work on that because of the feedback we’ve been getting.”
In addition to multiple on-field, goalkeeper only sessions with Women’s National Team Assistant Coach and Junior Head Coach Steph Andrews, the trio of keepers concluded the Camp by joining on Senior Women’s Training, taking drills with Canada’s netminders Kaitlyn Williams and Rowan Harris.
“I know when I was coming through the program, you look at the little details and all of the little things that the goalies are doing,” says Harris, who recently made a quick rise from the Junior to Senior international ranks.
“I would follow mostly by example, and picking up cues based on what they’re doing and following their intensity, and the drive that they bring to practice.
“When we’re paired up with other goalies, it’s just making sure that everything – kind of as usual – every little thing is tight.”
And the guest goalies took notice.
“I’m a visual learner, so I love watching other people perform,” Neeb adds. “Seeing them play first hand and getting tips from them and encouragement from them, it means so much and you learn so much from watching them.”
“It just really helps us grow as younger goalies who maybe don’t have much National experience.”
And in addition to getting National level coaching and improving their abilities, attending the Camp also gives the keepers exposure to National level hockey.
“I’ve been really been wanting to move forward in the next step, and really the only step from University is National level,” Neeb says. “So at any form it would be so exciting to get any opportunity, and that’s why I was so excited to come here because it’s just one more opportunity.”
Field Hockey Canada media release
MBPJ just one win away from sealing Division One title
by Aftar Singh
KUALA LUMPUR: Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) are just one match away from clinching the Division One title in the Malaysian Junior Hockey League (MJHL).
The PJ team edged Pahang Hockey Academy (AHP)-MSP-Thunderbolt 3-2 for their seven win at the Kuala Lumpur Hockey Stadium yesterday.
MBPJ have 21 points from eight matches and will wrap up their fixtures against defending overall champions Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS)-Thunderbolt at the MBPJ Stadium tomorrow.
Defending league champions Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI)-Thunderbolt, who trounced Olak-Nurinsafi 8-1 at the SSTMI pitch in Johor, are second with 19 points while BJSS-Thunderbolt are third with 18 points.
SSTMI will wrap up their fixtures against SMK Datul Bentara Luar at Batu Pahat tomorrow.
At the KL Hockey Stadium yesterday, MBPJ started off well – taking a seventh-minute lead through a Muhd Syamin Naim Abdul Hamid field goal.
But a Muhd Hazzim Amin Hafidz brace (18th, 28th) gave the Pahang team a 2-1 lead.
Undeterred, MBPJ equalised through Muhd Nur Asyraf Ishak in the 39th minute before Ahmad Hariz Syazani Ezani turned hero for the PJ side when he netted the winner in the 48th minute.
Mohd Akhimullah Anuar Esook was the toast of SSTMI when he netted four goals in the 20th, 21st, 55th and 57th minutes against Olak-Nurinsafi. Muhd Ariff Syafie Ishak (8th), Mohd Amirul Hamizan Azhar (11th), Mohd Syawal Najmi Amiruddin (25th) and Syarman Mat Tee (44th) scored the other goals for SSTMI while Nur Najibrullah Ramle netted Olak-Nurinsafi’s only goal in the 58th minute.
The Star of Malaysia
English U14 Club Championships Finals this weekend!
Surbiton U14 girls celebrate
This weekend the last of the junior outdoor club competitions will be decided with the finals of the Boys’ and Girls’ U14 Club Championships at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre.
In both competitions 8 teams have battled through local, Tier 1, leagues and area, Tier 2, competitions to reach the final stages.
In each competition team play in two groups of four with the teams finishing second in each pool playing off for third place and the two pool winners qualifying for the competition final.
In the girls’ Surbiton will be chasing their 6th consecutive win. Whilst in the boys Cheltenham will be trying for their 2nd win in a row.
The full lists of participating teams are as follows:
Boys Pool A – Canterbury, Winchester, Leicester, Wakefield
Boys Pool B – Cambridge, Surbiton, Cheltenham, Harrogate
Girls Pool A – Surbiton, Marlow, Repton, Isca
Girls Pool B – Beeston, Reading, Guildford, Spencer Hornets
Ticket Prices
One Day Ticket
Adults £6.00 (£8 on the door)
U18s: £3.00 (£5 on the door)
Venue
Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre
Eton Manor, Leadmill Lane, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London, E20 3AD
England Hockey Board Media release
GB & England's Beckie Middleton announces international retirement
Beckie Middleton announces her international retirement
Great Britain and England's Beckie Middleton has decided to retire from international hockey after winning a combined 104 caps.
Beckie made her England debut in 2003 aged just 17, and went on to win Commonwealth Games bronze in 2006, as well as becoming a three-time European medallist.
England Hockey made a special presentation to her at the Hockey Finals Weekend, where she helped Surbiton to a fourth successive Investec Women’s League title.
Women's team Coach Danny Kerry said: “Beckie was one of the quickest internationals to have ever played for her country.
"She used this to effect both in attack and defence, scaring defenders with her rapid acceleration with and without the ball.
"She was always committed in flying into spaces to score goals and always brought a winning attitude, in matches and training.
"These qualities are reflected in the fact that she made over a 100 international caps, an outstanding achievement on any level.”
Beckie added: "Although my last cap was back in 2014, it still feels a bit weird to be ‘officially’ retiring!
"While Commonwealth and three European medals are obvious highlights, it has been a genuine privilege to play and train alongside so many incredible hockey players, some of whom are now great friends.
"Despite missing out on my Olympic dreams and losing my place in the GB squad far earlier than I hoped, I am proud to have represented my country at senior level for over ten years and to have helped shape a pioneering centralised programme that has gone on to achieve such success.
"I have had amazing support from family, friends and some fantastic coaches and team mates along the way and I look forward to continuing to enjoy my club hockey and coaching career."
Career factfile:
England debut 2003 (age 17)
GB debut 2007
104 combined Eng/GB caps, 12 goals
Commonwealth Games bronze 2006
3 x European medalist (2007, 2009, 2011)
World Cup (2006), Champions Trophy (2009, 2011)
England Hockey Board Media release