News for 12 July 2017
All the news for Wednesday 12 July 2017
World champions Australia given scare by France on Day 4 in Johannesburg
France gave a superb showing against reigning World champions Australia before suffering a narrow defeat on Day 4 in Johannesburg. Copyright: FIH / Getty Images
Johannesburg, South Africa: Reigning men’s World Cup and Hockey World League title holders Australia were given a real scare by qualifiers France on Day 4 of the Hockey World League Semi-Finals, currently being played at the University of the Witwatersrand.
The day’s play began and ended in Pool B, with Germany (FIH Hero World Ranking: 3) taking a 5-0 win over Egypt (WR: 19) before Belgium (WR: 9) defeated Ireland (WR: 5) 6-2 to claim their second win of the competition and move clear at the top of the standings.
Germany were slow starters against an Egypt side that showed significant improvement from their 10-0 loss to Belgium on the opening day of the men’s competition. Egypt kept the Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medallists off the score-sheet until the 23rd minute, when Marco Miltkau netted before a Tom Grambusch penalty corner took the score to 2-0 ahead of half time. Dieter Linnekogel, Jonas Gomoll and Timm Herzbruch all contributed as Die Honamas emerged comfortable 5-0 winners.
“The first half was not very good for us, especially in our structure but in the second half we took our chances so 5-0 is a good result for us”, said Germany goal-scorer Timm Herzbruch before answering a question about his blistering strike that flew into the top left corner. “It was a really good hit, on the volley. I hope in the next game I can also score.”
Belgium’s Red Lions were in imperious form against the Green Machine of Ireland in the day’s final match, with Tom Boon producing a penalty corner masterclass. Ireland took the lead in a closely contested first quarter through Stephen Cole, but second quarter strikes from Simon Gougnard, Cedric Charlier and the first of three penalty corner drag-flicks gave Belgium a 3-1 lead at half time. A penalty stroke from Loick Luypaert and another two high quality Boon penalty corners took the score to 6-1 before a fine backhand strike from Ireland’s Alan Southern completed the scoring.
“It has been a while since I scored a hat-trick but the corners were working well today”, said Tom Boon after the match. “Ireland are a very good team but when we play like that we have enough in the locker to beat most teams.”
Two Pool A matches took place in-between the Pool B fixtures that bookended the day’s play, with world champions Australia and New Zealand’s Black Sticks claiming wins against France and Japan respectively.
France were outstanding against the illustrious Australians, storming into a 2-0 lead before succumbing to a 3-2 loss. Both of France’s goals came in the first quarter, with Victor Charlet’s blistering penalty corner being doubled by a superb break-away goal finished off by Pieter van Straaten’s fierce slap-shot from the top of the circle. The Kookaburras were rocked, but retained their composure to reduce the arrears through Jake Whetton, who scored from close range in the second quarter.
France’s defence seemed almost uncrackable at times, but eventually Australia levelled when Josh Pollard smashed home a backhand strike from a tight angle with nine minutes to go. Kookaburras captain Mark Knowles scored the winner from the penalty spot two minutes later, although his team had to survive a last gasp penalty corner in order to claim all three points in their opening match of the competition.
“It was a very tough game, there are no easy games”, said Australia Head Coach Colin Batch. “We thought we prepared well for the game against France. We were a bit slow to start, they took advantage of us having too many players forward and they were very good on the defensive.”
New Zealand - who play Australia on Saturday in the Oceania derby match - proved too strong for Japan, winning 3-1 to move top of Pool B at the end of the second day of the men’s competition. The Black Sticks scored twice in the second quarter against the Samurais, with Jared Panchia and Nic Woods on target. Despite some excellent counter-attacking work from Japan, New Zealand were well worth their lead and added a third thanks to a powerful Stephen Jenness in the third quarter before Japan's Hirotaka Zendana scored a consolation goal.
"It was a good performance and was nice to get on the board with a penalty corner rebound”, said Jared Panchia post-match. “It is a bit disappointing to concede the late goal, but we played well. We play Australia next and those matches are always a bit special, so we’ll try and make the most of the rest days ahead of that match.”
Wednesday will feature the third day of action in the women’s competition, with eight teams continuing their drive to secure a place in the tournament quarter-finals. India and Chile currently occupy the bottom two positions in Pool B and take to the field at 1200 (South Africa Standard Time / UTC 2), each knowing that a win would boost their chances of reaching the last eight. At 1400, Pool A opponents Ireland and Poland will contest for their first wins of the competition before Japan and England go head-to-head at 1600. Home favourites South Africa play Argentina at 1800, with the host nation looking to build on their opening day draw with India by claiming victory against one of the world’s best hockey teams.
We will be providing full coverage of the event via www.fih.ch including reports, news stories, event imagery and much more. There will also be comprehensive coverage of the event via our social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using the #HWL2017 hashtag. For information about the broadcasters covering this event, click here.
Hockey World League Semi-Finals - Johannesburg, South Africa
Results - Men
Pool B: Germany 5, Egypt 0.
Pool A: Australia 3, France 2.
Pool A: New Zealand 3, Japan 1.
Pool B: Belgium 6, Ireland 2.
FIH site
Kookaburras come back to defeat France 3 - 2 at World League
Whetton, Pollard & Knowles score
Holly MacNeil
The Kookaburras kicked off their World League Semi-Finals campaign against France tonight, coming back from being 2 – nil down to win the match 3 – 2.
Australia were up for a penalty corner minutes into the game after being awarded the chance following a cross on Jake Whetton as he headed towards goal. France’s defence were ready for the corner and after the shot was blocked they quickly moved the ball out of the Australian circle.
France had the next two opportunities at penalty corners, and on their second attempt Victor Charlet smashed the ball into the back right of the net. Only a minute later and the French side scored again with a mad dash away from the Aussies resulting in Pieter van Straaten flicking the ball with power from the top of the D straight into the net.
Australia got onto the score board in the 18th minute of play following a tomahawk into the circle from captain Mark Knowles that landed with Jake Whetton directly in front of the net, before Whetton gave it a quick backhand into goal.
With under ten minutes to go in the final quarter of the game Josh Pollard levelled the score for Australia, slamming the ball into the right-hand corner of the net from the far left of the circle.
Australia well and truly took command of the game when Mark Knowles scored from a penalty stroke, giving the Kookaburras the lead for the first time in the game with a score line of 3 – 2.
With only a second to go in the game France had the chance to get the score back to deadlock, but a missed trap on a penalty corner cost them the opportunity and the Kookaburras came away with the win.
Kookaburras head coach Colin Batch said: “It was a very tough game, there are no easy games. We thought we prepared well for the game against France. We were a bit slow to start, they took advantage of us having too many players forward and they were very good on the defensive.
“It’s all a learning curve for us, we’re an emerging side who have had many changes since Rio, and it was good to be able to come back from two nil down.”
The Kookaburras next play Spain on Thursday, 13 July at 10pm AWST / 12am AEST (Friday, 14 July). Tune into the game live on Fox Sports Australia.
Kookaburras Match Schedule
Thursday, 13 July: AUS v ESP 10pm AWST / 12am AEST (Friday 14 July)
Saturday, 15 July: AUS v NZL 8pm AWST / 10pm AEST
Monday, 17 July: AUS v JPN 6pm AWST / 8pm AEST
Wednesday, 19 July: Quarter Finals TBC
KOOKABURRAS 3 (1)
Jake Whetton 18 (FG)
Josh Pollard 51 (FG)
Mark Knowles 53 (PS)
FRANCE 2 (2)
Victor Charlet 7 (PC)
Pieter van Straaten 8 (FG)
Kookaburras squad v France
Athlete (Hometown/State)
Tom Craig (Lane Cove, NSW) 34/13
Matt Dawson (Killarney Vale, NSW) 72/10
Jeremy Hayward (Darwin, NT) 79/26
Mark Knowles (Rockhampton, QLD) 296/26
Tyler Lovell (Perth, WA) 85/0
Trent Mitton (Perth, WA) 112/49
Matt Swann (Mackay, QLD) 152/6
Jake Whetton (Brisbane, QLD) 124/49
Tom Wickham (Morgan, SA) *plays for WA 12/2
Dylan Wotherspoon (Murwillumbah, NSW) *plays for QLD 36/8
Aran Zalewski (Margaret River, WA) 107/15
Used Substitutes
Kiran Arunasalam (Doncaster East, VIC) 5/1
Daniel Beale (Brisbane, QLD) 97/16
Andrew Charter (Canberra, ACT) 128/0
Jeremy Edwards (Hobart, TAS) 18/1
Aaron Kleinschmidt (Melbourne, VIC) 19/6
Josh Pollard (Melbourne, VIC) 19/2
Tristan White (Wollongong, NSW) 86/6
Hockey Australia media release
Vantage Black Sticks fire to overcome Japan
Photo: FIH/Getty Images
The Vantage Black Sticks Men have defeated Japan 3-1 at the Hockey World League Semi Final in Johannesburg.
It was a dominant performance from the Kiwis, who once again created plenty of scoring opportunities throughout the game.
The result puts New Zealand in a good spot on the table with four points from two games so far at the tournament.
Experienced midfielder Arun Panchia said it was pleasing to put together a solid performance and bank three points.
“We needed three points today and it was good to be able to get some connections working well on the field and put some goals into the net,” he said.
“The result puts us in a great position now with a couple of days off before a really tough match against the Aussies.”
The Black Sticks were first to score in the 18th minute when Jared Panchia picked up a deflected penalty corner drag flick from Kane Russell and hit back past the keeper.
Just out from halftime Nic Woods doubled his side’s advantage, ripping a powerful flick into the side of the net from another penalty corner.
The Black Sticks opened a 3-0 buffer midway through the third quarter after Hugo Inglis found Stephen Jenness wide open at the top of the circle for a venomous forehand shot into goal.
Japan scored a consolation goal in the 59th minute when Hirotaka Zendana managed to beat the New Zealand circle defence.
The Vantage Black Sticks have the next few days off before a huge trans-Tasman clash against Australia at midnight this Saturday, with live coverage on SKY Sport.
VANTAGE BLACK STICKS 3: (Jared Panchia, Nic Woods, Stephen Jenness)
JAPAN 1: (Hirotaka Zendana)
Halftime: New Zealand 3-1
Hockey New Zealand Media release
Black Sticks men too strong for Japan at Hockey World League semifinal
Black Sticks goalscorer Stephen Jenness sprints past Japan's Takashi Yoshikawa during New Zealand's 3-1 win in Johannesburg. GETTY IMAGES
The Black Sticks men have scored a convincing 3-1 win over Japan at the Hockey World League semifinal in South Africa.
Wednesday's [NZ time] win in Johannesburg was the first of the Black Sticks' campaign, having been held to a 3-3 draw with France in their opening game.
It was a dominant performance from the Kiwis, who once again created plenty of scoring opportunities throughout the game.
Black Sticks' Hayden Phillips, left, and Japan's Kota Watanabe battle for possession. GETTY IMAGES
The Black Sticks were first to score in the 18th minute when Jared Panchia picked up a deflected penalty corner drag flick from Kane Russell and hit back past the keeper.
Just out from halftime, Nic Woods doubled his side's advantage, ripping a powerful flick into the side of the net from another penalty corner.
The Black Sticks opened a 3-0 buffer midway through the third quarter after Hugo Inglis found Stephen Jenness wide open at the top of the circle for a venomous forehand shot into goal.
Although well beaten, the Japanese earned some late consolation when Hirotaka Zendana converted a penalty corner in the 59th minute to complete the scoring.
Experienced midfielder Arun Panchia said it was pleasing to put together a solid performance and bank three points.
"We needed three points today and it was good to be able to get some connections working well on the field and put some goals into the net," he said.
"The result puts us in a great position now with a couple of days off before a really tough match against the Aussies."
The Black Sticks' win temporarily moved them to the top of their pool on four points, one clear of Australia and Spain who both have a game in hand. Australia had earlier opened their account with a 3-2 win over France.
The Black Sticks are competing in Pool A alongside France, Japan, Australia and Spain. Home team South Africa, Belgium, Germany, Ireland and Egypt complete Pool B.
The Black Sticks play Australia on Sunday.
Stuff
Ireland suffer defeat at hands of Olymmpic Silver Medalists
Stephen Findlater
Ireland came unstuck in their second men’s Hockey World League Semi-Final tie as they were beaten 6-2 by Olympic silver medalists Belgium in Johannesburg.
Craig Fulton’s side had begun the competition with an excellent 2-0 result against South Africa and were looking to build on that but came a cropper against one of the tournament’s fancied sides, inflicting just a second defeat in 18 games for Ireland in 2017.
The green machine started well, winning a corner in the third minute from which Shane O’Donoghue drew a good stop from Vincent Vanasch. Ireland went in front before the first quarter was out when Stu Loughrey burst down the right wing and fed Jeremy Duncan who beat a couple of players before laying off to the overlapping Loughrey.
His touch found Stephen Cole in mid-circle to sweep in his first Irish international goal in his 38th cap.
Belgium, though, were showing a verve and tenacity in their play and were forcing turnovers high up the pitch at key moments. They got level when a long overhead out of defence found Simon Gougnard at the top of the circle and he smashed in a top shot.
Two minutes later, another slick move was turned in by Cedric Charlier. Tom Boon scored the first of his hat trick of drag-flicks before half-time to make it 3-1.
David Harte had made some great saves in the opening period and produced his best with a brave block on Charlier, denying the chance with his face from close range. He also just about recovered to make a follow-up save but looked shaken for the experience.
A penalty stroke followed soon after from Loick Luypaert to make it 4-1 after John Jackson’s body blocked a shot on the line.
Boon then added another couple of drag-flicks either side of the third quarter break for 6-1.
Ireland kept fighting and Alan Sothern pulled a goal back with a beautiful upright reverse-stick shot from Matthew Nelson’s assist but Belgium were already well over the line.
“Belgium are a good team and have got a lot of power in a lot of areas,” Fulton conceded afterwards. “Their corners are a strength so when you give away soft ones, it does hurt you. We had a good few phases but couldn’t sustain it for longer periods.”
Despite the loss, Ireland are next in action against Egypt on Thursday where a win will assure Ireland of a place in the quarter-finals and a big step toward securing a 2018 World Cup ticket.
“It’s about the next game and there are some areas to improve on but I am really looking forward to the next phase,” Fulton added.
On Wednesday, meanwhile, the Irish women face Poland at 1pm (Irish time) with a win ensuring they advance to the quarter-finals after their pair of draws to date.
The game – along with every other Hockey World League Semi-Final tie – will be broadcast live on BT Sport.
Hockey World League Semi-Final
Ireland 2 (S Cole, A Sothern)
Belgium 6 (T Boon 3, S Gougnard, C Charlier, L Luypaert)
Ireland: D Harte, J Jackson, J Bell, C Cargo, A Sothern, E Magee, S O’Donoghue, J McKee, C Harte, S Loughrey, S Cole
Subs: M Bell, M Nelson, N Glassey, S Murray, P Gleghorne, J Duncan, J Carr
Belgium: V Vanasch, A van Doren, S Dockier, A Keusters, A Meurmans, E Stockbroekx, A Hendrickx, T Briels, F Denayer, S Gougnard, L Luypaert
Subs: C Charlier, G Boccard, N de Kerpel,A de Sloover, T Boon, A Gucasoff
Umpires: G Hundley (USA), R Prasad (IND)
Irish Hockey Association media release
Ireland find Belgium too hot to handle as unbeaten streak comes to an end
Sean Murray under pressure from Victor Wegnez and Sebastian Dockier. Pic: FIH/Getty
Ireland’s 15-game unbeaten run came to an abrupt end in Johannesburg as the pumped-up Red Lions of Belgium showed their class, running up a 6-2 scoreline in their second Hockey World League group game.
It left coach Craig Fulton lamenting the concession of “soft corners” as Tom Boon rattled home a trio of drag-flicks as the Olympic silver medalists went on a rampage in the second and third quarters.
“Belgium are a good team and have got a lot of power in a lot of areas,” Fulton conceded afterwards. “Their corners are a strength so when you give away soft ones, it does hurt you. We had a good few phases but couldn’t sustain it for longer periods.”
The green machine started well, winning a corner in the third minute from which Shane O’Donoghue drew a good stop from Vincent Vanasch. Ireland went in front before the first quarter was out when Stu Loughrey burst down the right wing and fed Jeremy Duncan who beat a couple of players before laying off to the overlapping Loughrey.
His touch found Stephen Cole in mid-circle to sweep in his first Irish international goal in his 38th cap.
Belgium, though, were showing a verve and tenacity in their play and were forcing turnovers high up the pitch at key moments. They got level when a long overhead out of defence found Simon Gougnard at the top of the circle and he smashed in a top shot.
Ireland celebrate Stephen Cole’s early goal. Pic: FIH/Getty
Two minutes later, another slick move was turned in by Cedric Charlier. Tom Boon scored the first of his hat trick of drag-flicks before half-time to make it 3-1.
David Harte had made some great saves in the opening period and produced his best with a brave block on Charlier, denying the chance with his face from close range. He also just about recovered to make a follow-up save but looked shaken for the experience.
A penalty stroke followed soon after from Loick Luypaert to make it 4-1 after John Jackson’s body blocked a shot on the line.
Boon then added another couple of drag-flicks either side of the third quarter break for 6-1.
Ireland kept fighting and Alan Sothern pulled a goal back with a beautiful upright reverse-stick shot from Matthew Nelson’s assist but Belgium were already well over the line.
“Belgium are a good team and have got a lot of power in a lot of areas,” Fulton conceded afterwards. “Their corners are a strength so when you give away soft ones, it does hurt you. We had a good few phases but couldn’t sustain it for longer periods.”
Despite the loss, Ireland are next in action against Egypt on Thursday where a win will assure Ireland of a place in the quarter-finals and a big step toward securing a 2018 World Cup ticket.
Tom Boon celebrates one of his three goals. Pic: FIH/Getty
“It’s about the next game and there are some areas to improve on but I am really looking forward to the next phase,” Fulton added.
On Wednesday, meanwhile, the Irish women face Poland at 1pm (Irish time) with a win ensuring they advance to the quarter-finals after their pair of draws to date.
The game – along with every other Hockey World League Semi-Final tie – will be broadcast live on BT Sport.
Hockey World League Semi-Final
Ireland 2 (S Cole, A Sothern)
Belgium 6 (T Boon 3, S Gougnard, C Charlier, L Luypaert)
Ireland: D Harte, J Jackson, J Bell, C Cargo, A Sothern, E Magee, S O’Donoghue, J McKee, C Harte, S Loughrey, S Cole
Subs: M Bell, M Nelson, N Glassey, S Murray, P Gleghorne, J Duncan, J Carr
Belgium: V Vanasch, A van Doren, S Dockier, A Keusters, A Meurmans, E Stockbroekx, A Hendrickx, T Briels, F Denayer, S Gougnard, L Luypaert
Subs: C Charlier, G Boccard, N de Kerpel,A de Sloover, T Boon, A Gucasoff
Umpires: G Hundley (USA), R Prasad (IND)
The Hook
Junaid boasts of qualification for hockey World Cup
Mohammad Yaqoob
LAHORE: Not looking too worried by Pakistan team’s big-margin defeats in the recently-concluded World Hockey League (WHL) Semi-finals, head coach Khawaja Junaid said on Tuesday that the national team has achieved targets as Pakistan have qualified for next year’s World Cup.
Talking to the media here, the head coach said that the main target of the national team was to make it to the 2018 World Cup which the team had achieved.
“We have succeeded in qualifying for the World Cup and soon the FIH will also announce our qualification for the World Cup,” Junaid maintained.
Although the former Olympian brushed off Pakistan’s poor form as well as recent heavy defeats at the hands of India and rookies like Canada, it is a must to mention that Pakistan conceded 28 goals while scoring just nine in the WHL.
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India defeated Pakistan twice by big margins, thrashing greenshirts 7-1 in the first encounter and 6-1 in the second. Canada also overwhelmed Pakistan 6-0 which is even more alarming, considering the former’s rookie status in world hockey.
Pakistan only succeeded to win against lowly-ranked Scotland and China by identical 3-1margins.
In his news conference, Junaid, however, admitted that Pakistan’s performance in certain matches, especially against India and Canada, was not at par with rivals.
Talking about performance thrown up by junior players, the head coach said that the national team played with nine junior players who, he added, failed to convert chances into goals.
However, he held out hope, stating that the greenshirts would do well in the upcoming World Cup. “We have still got 247 days in the World Cup which is enough time to prepare a formidable side for the mega event,” remarked the former Olympian.
The head coach was quick to remind that last time Pakistan failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup, brushing off the fact that this time the FIH has increased the number of teams featuring in the World Cup scheduled to be held in India.
Comparing performance of Pakistan and India, the former Olympian said Pakistan finished seventh with limited resources while India succeeded in attaining sixth spot despite having billions of rupees in their kitty.
“Also, Pakistan team played such a big event after a long time period,” he said, adding having qualified for the World Cup, world’s best teams would now invite Pakistan to play series against them.
The head coach said the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) should start hockey league on priority basis to groom new talent, adding the Pakistan Super League (PSL) had done wonders for the betterment of cricket and a similar league in hockey would help in revival of the national game.
To a question whether he would resign as former Olympians also wanted his removal from coaching post, Junaid said it was up to the PHF to take any decision in this regard.
Talking about his future planning, the former Olympian said that India, South Korea and Japan had already started playing against European teams and “we have to chalk up a future plan in this regard.”
Stating that the upcoming Asia Cup would be important for Pakistan which would be held in October, the head coach said senior players would be in the run for selection.
“Senior players like Rizwan Senior, Rashid Mahmood and Fareed Ahmad who were not considered for the WHL would be called to camp and in the run for the selection, if they prove their fitness,” added the head coach.
Dawn
Hockey coach holds young blood responsible for WHL embarrassment
Mohsin Ali
LAHORE - Pakistan hockey team head coach Khawaja Junaid has put the blame of team’s dismal performance in the World Hockey League (WHL) in England on the nine new players and their lack of experience.
“The team could not click in the event as majority of the players were young and even some of them were playing with little international experience, whereas the other participating teams were strong enough due to presence of experienced players,” he wrote in his tour report, which he submitted to the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) on Tuesday.
In his report, Junaid explained that how the inexperienced players failed to handle the pressure situations in different matches, especially against India twice losing 7-1, 6-1 and their 6-0 drubbing at the hands of Canada.
At the same time, the head coach of the team expressed his satisfaction over team’s qualification for the next year’s World Cup being played in India. He said though Pakistan finished seventh in the competition but it was a matter of satisfaction for him that the team’s qualified for the World Cup. “The target given to me was to inspire the team to qualify for the World Cup, which has been achieved and being a head coach, I am very much contended with it,” he said.
The former captain said that it was his first ever hockey assignment as the head coach and he did his best to motivate the team but the lesser experience on part of the new players restricted the side from producing encouraging results.
He said that Atif Mushtaq, Abu Bakr, Rana Umair, Azfar Yaqoob, Nawaz, Ejaz Ahmad and Amjad (goalkeeper) were the players, who had the experience of playing hockey in the tour of New Zealand and Australia, whereas Mazhar Abbas and Dilber made a comeback in the national tam and these two players were also lacking international matches’ experience.
“The fair analysis of the other participating teams reveals that majority of our players were having 18 to 20 international matches experience compared to two hundred or hundred and fifty international matches experience of other teams players,” said Junaid.
He was of the view that new-look Pakistan team was in the process of the rebuilding and expecting extraordinary results from such a side was not a fair thought. “What happened in most of the matches was the failure of our players in crunch situations and their fumbling of chances,” he said and attributed it to ‘lack of international experience of the players’.
Junaid said it was unfortunate that the team lost to arch-rivals India twice with big margin and also suffered a wide margin defeat to little known Canada. “Our performance in these matches was ‘very poor’ and it was painful to lose to India in that manner. The margin of defeat should have been narrow, not that wide.”
Junaid also admitted the failure of defenders and attributed conceding as many as 28 goals in the tournament to team’s fragile defence. “There is no justification of conceding that high number of goals but again our defence line failed to guard its area in a needed manner due to ‘inexperience of the players’, he said in the report.
In his concluding remarks and suggestions, the head coach called upon the PHF authorities to arrange 70 to 80 international matches to the national senior team prior to its participation in the World Cup. “We have 550 days left for our preparations for the Cup and it is imperative that we should start working on far footings to prepare our team by exposing the players to that number of international matches,” he said.
The Nation
Veterans Katie Baker and Thea Culley return to Women’s National Team for Super Series
Kori Sidaway
Canadian women’s team veterans Thea Culley (left) and Katie Baker (right)
Two Canadian Women’s National Team alumni are coming out of retirement, albeit temporarily, just in time to send the Women’s National Team off to the 2017 Pan American Cup.
Women’s National Team veterans Thea Culley and Katie Baker will be hitting the turf once again wearing the red and white in the Women’s Super Series on July 11, 13, and 19 (7pm at Wright Field).
The Super Series is the last game action the Women’s National Team will have before the squad competes in the 2017 Pan American Cup from August 5-13, and the long-time Women’s National Team veterans Culley and Baker, who previously combined for 271 games played for Canada, will be there to ramp up the competition in the lead-up.
“I’m hoping that with the games next week with I can provide a high level of play that will prepare them for the Pan Am Cup,” Baker says. “It’s always good to play against people you haven’t played against before or not very often instead of the same players all the time.”
And apart from a select few veterans on the team, not many have played with Baker who retired in 2012.
Baker served the Women’s National Team for a total of six years, leading most of that time as a passionate Team Captain. Sitting five years into retirement on the edge of her return, Baker’s homecoming is half déjà-vu, half fired up.
“It’s a little bit of a funny feeling going back into that level again, it’s been a while. But I’m just feeling overall excitement…I’m excited to help out in this capacity and it’s great to get back out on the pitch.”
Unlike Baker, Thea Culley retired from international hockey just under a year ago. Culley lay her jersey to rest in September of 2016, but she was never far from the program. She still sits on the Field Hockey Canada’s Board of Directors – a post she also held as a player – to ensure the next generation of National players reach their fullest.
“A substantial part of my adult life has been dedicated to making Canada a better field hockey nation – and that doesn’t just go away,” Culley says. “I have this desire in me that I want to make the program better for those who come next.”
Culley is now taking that enthusiasm and drive back to the field where she shares the same dreams as the Women’s Team athletes: qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2018 World Cup.
“I was unfortunately not able to qualify for the Olympics or play in a World Cup during my time on the team. I want to make sure the next team is in the best position possible to qualify for Tokyo and the World Cup,” Culley explains. “If they can qualify it’s going to be a huge win for the program and those individual athletes will be able to realize a big part of their dream as athletes.”
You can catch Katie and Thea’s return to the Women’s National Team July 11, 13, 19 on Wright Field at the University of British Columbia at 7:00pm.
Canada’s Women open the 2017 Pan American Cup against the Dominican Republic August 5th at 9am PT/12pm ET. For more Canada’ schedule, results and recaps, click here.
Field Hockey Canada media release
UHC prepare ground for return to top Euro table
©: Frank Uijlenbroek/world Sport Pics
UHC Hamburg have made some strong additions to their line-up as they bid to make a return to the top table of European hockey in the coming seasons.
On the pitch, they have signed up South African international Lloyd Norris-Jones, bringing with him the experience of 141 international matches and 73 goals while he also won the Hockey India League with the Delhi Waveriders alongside Nico Jacobi.
Kais al Saadi said of the new arrival: "Lloyd is an internationally experienced, athletic and extremely strong player for our offensive area. He will not only enrich us in the league but we can also help in training sessions to raise our young team to the next level."
Off the field, the al Saadi will able to call on the expertise of Olympic, world and three-time EHL champion Carlos Nevado who takes on a management role with the team.
Horst Müller-Wieland, Chairman of UHC, likened the addition to that of Oliver Bierhoff with the German national football team.
Contrary to rumours, one of their most prized young players, Max Kapaun, will remain with UHC despite offers of a potential move to the Netherlands.
"We are ambitious training association," said Müller-Wieland. "At the same time, we are always trying to provide a good perspective for our own products as well. Max appreciates this and we are very happy about that."
Euro Hockey League media release
England U18 boys draw series against Belgium
England drew their two-match test series away to Belgium showing signs of improvement from their previous games against Germany.
England did what they couldn’t do in the series against Germany and got a win on the board in the opening game. A more physical approach from the England team put the Belgians under constant pressure and a hard first half finished with the scores level at 1-1, following a goal from Matt Ramshaw.
Many different approaches were taken by England in the second half in order to try and carve out some good chances and the willingness to keep trying led to some good opportunities. They eventually won a penalty stroke which was dispatched by Morgan Males and the victory was rounded off by Ramshaw who added his second of the game to leave the final score at 3-1.
Following defeat in the first match, Belgium were determined to level the series. They came out playing a flowing style of hockey which saw them into a 2-0 lead at halftime.
A combination of tiredness, small errors and poor finishing saw Belgium increase their lead after the break and two England attacks led to Belgium regaining possession and swiftly counter-attacking leading to two more goals. A further two strikes saw Belgium run out 6-0 winners to level the series.
Overall, this was a valuable experience for the U18’s in the lead up to the 6 Nations tournament in Nottingham with many positives gained but many lessons also learnt that can be taken into the tournament.
Match 1 -
England 3 (1) - (1) 1 Belgium
Matt Ramshaw 2, Morgan Males
Match 2 -
England 0 (0) - 6 (2) Belgium
England Hockey Board Media release
Narrow defeat for England under 18 girls
England under 18 girls were narrowly defeated in their two-match series with Belgium played at Canterbury.
In the opening game both sides battled hard in an even contest but neither side were able to get on the score sheet. The hockey was entertaining with plenty of chances created but both goalkeepers were equal to all that was thrown at them.
It was a similar story in the second contest with both teams again creating a number of chances but neither side were clinical enough in front of goal. However with just 7 minutes remaining it was the visitors who pulled ahead and converted a chance to take the lead, win the game and take the series 1-0.
Reflecting on the two games, head coach Christine Crosley said: “Belgium have provided us with two highly competitive games and we are pleased with our performance and the strides we are making as a team.
“The team is growing into itself making huge gains in terms of match play understanding with the players taking real ownership on and off the pitch to perform to their best. “
England Hockey Board Media release
England U16 boys suffer series defeat to Belgium
England U16 boys suffered a 2-0 series defeat to Belgium but showed lots of promise during the two games.
The opening game of the series saw England defeated 5-3 following a flurry of goals in the first half. Belgium ran into a two-goal lead before Alex Pendle pulled one back from a penalty corner.
However, Belgium quickly restored their two-goal cushion and quickly added another in the second quarter. England responded well with Pendle adding his second and Ellis Robson adding the finishing touch to an expert attacking move.
However, England could not carry on their comeback following the half time break with Belgium adding one more second half goal and the final score reading 5-3.
The second game seemed much more promising with England leading at both half time and after the third quarter. Following a controversial opening goal from Belgium, England rallied in the second quarter and scored two well worked goals to go into the break with a 2-1 lead. The lead remained intact for the entirety of the third quarter but the prospect of levelling the series was wiped away in the final quarter with Belgium getting five field goals to win both the game and the series.
Looking back on the final games before the 6 Nations event in Nottingham, and ahead to the event itself, the England U16’s head coach said: “The weekend provided a number of encouraging moments and examples of where we can still improve as a team and individuals.
"The opportunity to play such an event at a home venue is an exciting and motivation factor for the week ahead.”
Match 1 - England 3 (3) - 5 (4) Belgium
Pendle 2, Robson
Match 2 - England 2 (2) - 6 (1) Belgium
Gravestock, White
England Hockey Board Media release
England under 16 girls draw with Belgium
England under 16 girls warmed up for their 6 Nations campaign in Barcelona with a drawn series against Belgium.
The opening game of the series saw England run out 1-0 winners in very high temperatures as both sides battled against each other and the heat.
In the second game of the series England conceded within the first minute and lacked the intensity that they had displayed the day before. The match finished 0-4 and the feeling of frustration that the squad hadn't stepped up and moved on from the previous day.
However in the final game of the series the young England team played with a high intensity however fell behind to Belgium who scored in open play in the 13th minute. A Belgian player broke free and scored a goal high into the net.
England continued to put pressure on the Belgian defence and were rewarded for their effort with a goal scored by Lorna Mckenzie. England continued to apply the pressure and were unlucky not to score at an overtime penalty corner.
Head coach John Bell was pleased with the final match and is looking for the squad to take what they have learnt forward to the 6 Nations next week.
England Hockey Board Media release