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All the news for Wednesday 9 August 2017   

SemiFinals matches confirmed

Trinidad & Tobago will face Argentina and United States will play against Canada

Ali Baggot


2017 Pan American Cup - Trinidad & Tobago vs. Brazil. Photo: Yan Huckendubler

MEN GROUP B: Trinidad y Tobago vs. Brazil (2-1)

Trinidad and Tobago finished second in Group B after beating Brazil 2-1 in the opening match of Day 5 of competition, and will play Pan American Cup semi-final against the winner of Group A, which will be known at the end of the day.

Trinidad & Tobago is looking forward to improve their result (3rd place) obtained at the last Pan American Cup in Toronto in 2013. Brazil, will play the games for the fifth and eighth places.

Trinidad & Tobago goals came from Pascal at 26 'and Teague Marcano at 47', Bruno Souza (40 ') scored for Brazil.

In the first quarter both teams presented a defensive game. TTO had the best chance at 13 'when a setback between Kristien Emmanuel's legs left Che Modeste alone  against Faustino, but the goalkeeper deflected the flick.

Andrey Rocke showed all his experience gained at the "Soca Warriors" by preventing Borges shot. At 26 ', Marcus Pascal took advantage of a defensive mistake and with a cross shot got over Rodrigo Faustino and opened the score 1-0 for TTO.

Those directed by Claudio Rocha advanced all their lines in the 40 Souza capitalized  a penalty corner and gave Brazil a partial draw. The draw at the end of the third quarter gave Brazil the ticket to the semifinals. Trinidad & Tobago experience made them stay calm and put pressure on Brazil ‘s 25 yds of. After a series of rebounds in the area, Teague Marcano achieved the precise touch to put the TTO on the road to the medal..

MEN GROUP A: Argentina vs. Venezuela (12-0)

GROUP A HAS THEIR LEADER: ARGENTINA SMASHES VENEZUELA 12-0

Argentina book their tickets into the semifinals of the 2017 Pan American Cup after beating Venezuela 12-0.  On Thursday they will play against Trinidad & Tobago, second in Group B, for a place in the final game. The Olympic champions finished the qualifying round with perfect score: three games, three victories ,27 goals in favor and only 2 against.

Argentina is looking forward to win their third Pan American Cups championship, after winning 2004 and 2013 editions, both disputed in Canada.

Three goals by Agustín Mazzilli, two by Marc Ganly and Maico Casella, and the rest by Gonzalo Peillat, Joaquin Menini, Matías Paredes, Pedro Ibarra and Santiago Tarazona set the final result.

The result could have been even worse, but the good performance of the Venezuelan goalkeeper Junior Benítez who took several balls out of danger and stopped a penalty executed for Maico Cassella.

They were two quarters well marked. The first with a Venezuela providing good attacks, but that every attempt was always stopped by “Los Leones” giving “The Llaneros” a difficult time. Just after minute 2 'Gonzalo Peillat opened the score with a penalty corner and from there on, every Venezuelan attempt was answered with a goal from those led by Carlos Retegui.

Agustín Mazzilli scored at 13 'and repeated on 17', both goals proof of team work. In the second half, Argentina gave the opportunity to those who had no chance to play the first games against Canada and the United States. That gave Argentina another dynamism and the opportunity to show off, the younger ones.

From this moment onwards Argentina dodn't stopped scoring:

39 ' Joaquin Menini backhand, 44' Matias Paredes and Pedro Ibarra (45 ') with a cross-shot. With a 6-0 up, Venezuela re position their team to a more defensive strategy , but Argentina kept looking for spaces to attack.

In the fourth quarter, the goals of Casella (46 '; 53' penalty corner), Ganly (50 '), Agustín Mazzilli (59') and Santiago Tarazona (60 ') sealed the game.

At the end of the game Ganly said "We did what Retegui told us, we knew Venezuela was going to play a defensive game, we knew it because we played a friendly match before the tournament. Today we did our job and the youngest players earned some minutes on the field looking for a place in the main team”

MEN GROUP B: Canadá vs. México (6-0)

CANADA MAINTAINS ITS LEADERSHIP IN GROUP B. THEIR RIVAL COMES FROM THE US VS CHILE MATCH

Canada beat Mexico 6-0 to qualify for the 2017 Pan American Cup semifinals with goals from Balraj Panesar, Scott Tupper, Gordon Jhonston (PC) and John Smythe. Mexico will play for the 5th to 8th position.

The first quarter showed two patience teams, without taking risks, without showing any weakness to the rival. Although they had some approaches to the area they didn’t show any effectiveness. It was until minute 13  when Iain Smithe enters the area and shoots, but Moises Vargas clears it out without any problems.

Little by little spaces opened for Canada. At 19 'Canada tried again, this time with Taylor Curran who tried to drag, but the ball was deflected. The match picked up pace when Balraj Panesar pulled a push over Vargas and Canada celebrated his first goal of the match. 2 minutes passed until after Guillermo Gonzalez  foot gave them another penalty corner. Scott Tupper scored the 2-0.

The second half of the match had the most penalty corners of the match for both teams. But it was the team led by Paul Bundy who managed to be effective and turn them into goal. Gordon Johnston in the minutes 42 'and 50'. Floris Van Son's with a solitary run had time acomodate himself and score another goal. A few seconds after finishing the third quarter, Vargas was again protagonist, cut a move of the Canadian striker but unfortunately in his action he ends up injured and was replaced by Martín Gutierrez. In the minute 55 Keegan Pereira's goal finished the match with a result of 6-0 for Canada, who with this result ends up leading the group B, waiting for their rival (USA or Chile) for the semifinals.

MEN GROUP A: USA vs. Chile (3-1)

THE UNITED STATES DEFEATED CHILE BY 3-1 AND WAS ENSURED THEIR TICKET TO SEMIFINALS OF THE PAN AMERICAN CUP.

It was an important match that was going to define the last team classified to semifinals of the Pan American Cup in Lancaster. United States was the first to score, Deegan Huisman deconstructed Chile's game plan generating spaces and distractions used by the team led by Ruitger Wiese. Chile woke up when the game was on and despite the effort they were able to score one goal, which leaves them the possibility of playing for 5th to 8th place. The final result was 3-1. USA play agiant a very known rival for the semifinals, Canada.

The match began with a very offensive game of the local team, who got in the second minute of the game a penalty corner. Deegan Huisman was in charge of opening the direct flick marker to the net. USA attacks did not stop, and despite Jorge Dabanch’s efforts to stop the attacks, the Alexander Grassi scored the second goal for USA.

The second quarter was on. United States penalty corner was to be responsible for the locals celebration. At 19 'Aki Kaeppeler had a good opportunity to take the lead as Adrian Henriquez came up the left side, A good move by Martin Rodriguez gave him space to enter the area, but on the other side was Mohan Gandhi stopping Chile's attacks. The end of the first half was already 3-0 for the United States.

In the third quarter Chile woke up and began to improve ball control, although their eagerness to score increased, penalty corners kept coming to the US. The result remained 3-0. At the beginning of the last period of the game, Chile decided to remove their goalkeeper Adrian Henriquez and add another player, Axel Richter, who was clearly the leader of the defense and had a notable participation in penalty corners.

47' a good penalty corner move from Axel Richter gave the possibility to Pablo Purcell who scored Chile’s goal. The second goal for Chile was closer and almost celebrated in the 51st minute, but favorably for the United States, Brandon Karess with the tip of his stick deflected the third goal. The final result 3-1. The United States got their ticket to the semifinals. They will face Chile, looking for a place in the Pan American Cup Finals.

The men's semifinals will be played on August 10 from 5:00 p.m. The continental champion will qualify for the FIH 2018 World Cup. The Pan American hockey tournament will continue tomorrow with the ladies tournament. Chile vs Uruguay (12:00) for Group A, Mexico Vs. Canada (17:00) followed by United States Vs. Brazil (19:00) in Group B

Pan American Hockey Federation media release

USMNT Reach PAC Semifinals With Win Over Chile


Image courtesy of Mark Palczewski

LANCASTER, Pa. – The U.S. Men’s National Team reached the semifinals of the 2017 men’s Pan American Cup following a 3-1 victory over Chile. Both No. 26 USA and No. 27 Chile came in to tonight's match with three points, making the third and final pool play match essential in securing an advancing spot in the tournament.

“It was a tough matchup for us,” said Brandon Karess (Allentown, Pa.), USMNT Goalkeeper. “They are a good team and they battled until the end. We were confident in our system and it paid off.”

“We wanted to force something quickly,” commented Rutger Wiese, USMNT Head Coach. “This was a must-win for us so before the game it was very clear what we had to do. The guys were fired up so when that happens, we as a coaching staff unleash them and that’s what we took advantage of.”

USA did not waste time in setting pressure offensively by earning a penalty corner in the 2nd minute of play. On the attempt William Holt (Camarillo, Ca.) drug the ball to Deegan Huisman (Almere, The Netherlands) who deflected it in to put USA on the scoreboard. The host nation kept up the tempo in the early moments of the game with chances in the circle. Chile then began their counterattack, and in the 8th minute set up the team’s first penalty corner which USA blocked. Back the other way, USA miss trapped on their second penalty corner attempt, but maintained possession. Moments later in the 12th minute, Alex Grassi (Brookeville, Md.) tipped in a long ball that was deflected off a Chile defender to make it USA 2, Chile, 0 at the end of the first quarter.

A push from behind on Chile gave USA another penalty corner chance in the 18th minute which Aki Kaeppeler (Stuttgart, Germany) fired into the back of the net to extend the lead. Both teams took turns swinging the ball trying to produce offensive movement. Chile’s patience resulted in a corner attempt in the 25th minute that was deflected away by USA's defense. With time winding down in the half Chile gave one last push offensively, but a double team tackle denied the chance to bring the half to a close.

USA kept the pressure on in the third quarter with multiple offensive opportunities. Unable to capitalize, Chile began an attack down the far sideline. Although they penetrated the circle more than once in a matter of moments Chile could not earn a result. Momentum shifted back to USA in a series of strikes on net but were denied by a more than ready Chile defense.

Down three goals, Chile pulled goalkeeper Adrian Henriquez for a kicking back to start the fourth quarter. The move sparked a noticeable tilt in energy as the squad began to rally. A save by USA's goalkeeper  Karess set up a penalty corner for Chile in the 49th minute, and the ensuing drag flick by Pablo Purcell beat Karess to make it 3-1. USA was quickly tested again moments later but Karess made the diving stick save against a Chile offense that saw new light. USA was finally able to gain possession and work the ball into the circle, but a save on the line by Chile denied another score. With the kicking back still on the field, Chile was issued a green card in the 56th minute but remained relentless in forcing the ball back on offense. Fighting until the end, a second goal by Chile was waived off for hitting a player’s foot prior to crossing the line. USA held off any more chances as the clock ticked down to celebrate a 3-1 win in front of a home crowd. 

“The guys worked really hard,” added Wiese. “Coming in to the game we wanted to press hard and that’s what we did. We came out of our starting positions like a tornado to be honest. Two quick goals, a lot more opportunities to be honest, we noticed it a lot.”

The USMNT secures second place in Pool A, sitting behind Argentina, with the win and will face No. 11 Canada Thursday night at 7:15 p.m. ET. Chile meanwhile finishes third and will play in the first crossover game on Friday against Mexico. For more information about the 2017 Pan American Cups, including event schedule, results, ticket information and live stream, visit the PAC Event Page on usafieldhockey.com. All Team USA games are broadcast on PCN. #PAC2017 #CaptureTheCup

USFHA media release

Canada’s Men earn top spot in Pool B with 6-0 win over Mexico

Kori Sidaway


Forward Floris van Son celebrates his goal in the Men’s National team’s 6-0 victory over Mexico in final pool play during the 2017 Pan American Cup. (Yan Huckendubler/PAHF)

The Men’s National team are now 3-0 in the 2017 Pan American Cup so far, after they produced a firm 6-0 win over Mexico today.

The victory ensured Canada top spot in Pool B, and the strong position of heading into Semi-Finals to face the second placed team in opposing Pool A.

Forward, Iain Smythe, playing his 150th cap with the Men’s National team today, said that the team’s success is based on being able to stick to the game plan.

“I think we kept a lot of composure and just kind of worked it around and tired them out,” Smythe said. “They were obviously kind of frustrated, but that was part of our game plan, we knew they would compact the middle and make it difficult to penetrate the defence.”

Keeping Canada to the outside, the first quarter was dominated by Canadian possession, but the team saw few chances.

Things started opening up in the 2nd quarter at the 17 minute mark, when the ball started to get rolling for Canada. Their first goal came with a cross net pass from Oliver Scholfield to Balraj Panesar who found the ball on his stick after it deflected off a Mexican defensemen. Panesar pushed in his first international goal with the Men’s National team, and game winner, to make it 1-0 for Canada.

The men headed into halftime with a 2-0 lead after captain Scott Tupper delivered a flick low and left just off the foot of the Mexican goalkeeper.

Following halftime, Mexico came out strong, earning their first penalty corners of the game, but goalkeeper David Carter was there every time with solid, big saves, ensuring his team maintained their shutout lead.

Leading the Canadian counter was Gordon Johnston, who picked up a goal with a low sweep that slipped just under Mexico’s goalkeeper’s stick, and Floris van Son who sniped a backhand across the net to the far-right post to raise the score to 4-0.

Johnston found the back of the net for the second time this game, with a sweep that hit top right shelf off the seventh penalty corner of the game.

In the 51st minute of play, Interim Head Coach Paul Bundy made a goalkeeper switch to see Iqwinder Gill make his debut in goal for the Men’s National team.

Keegan Pereira found the back of the net with a perfect cross ball from rookie Harbir Sidhu and rounded the score up to 6-0 with 5 minutes to go. Mexico countered off a Canadian penalty corner to storm down the field and earn a penalty corner of their own, forcing goalkeeper Gill to make his first save ever with the Men’s National team, off a drag flick from Mexico.

When the clock ran out, the score remained 6-0 in favour of the Men’s National team, ensuring Canada won top of their pool, to face the winner of the following USA/Chile matchup in the Semi-Finals next.

The Men’s National team were standing by to see who their foe would be in Thursday August 10th’s Semi-Final matchup. As for preference? The Men’s National team didn’t have one. “They’re both team’s that are trying to qualify for the World Cup,” Smythe elaborated, “so they’re going to come out fighting.”

The United States ended up taking second place in their pool with a 3-1 win over Chile, leaving the U.S. to be the team to beat in the Semi-Final, Thursday August 10th, at 4:15pm PT/7:15 PM ET.

Photos: Canada vs Mexico – August 8/2017

Select photos from the Men’s National team’s 6-0 win over Mexico on August 8, 2017 at the Pan American Cup in Lancaster, USA. (Yan Huckendubler/PAHF)

Field Hockey Canada media release

Marcano helps Calypso Stickmen book semis spot

Nigel Simon


T&T’s Kwandwane Browne, left, is confronted by Brazil’s Bruno Bitencourt during their Pool B match of the 2017 Pan American Cup Men’s Championship at USA Field Hockey Sports, Spooky Nook, Pennsylvania, USA, yesterday. T&T won 2-1 to finish second in the group and advance to the semi-finals against Argentina on Thursday. Photo by:Yan Huckendubler

Teenager Teague Marcano was the toast of his older T&T “Calypso Stickmen” team-mates after he netted the match winner in a 2-1 defeat of Mexico. It was the teams final preliminary match at the Pan American Cup Men’s Championship at USA Field Hockey Sports, Spooky Nook, Pennsylvania, USA, yesterday.

With the win, the Glen Francis-coached T&T men ended second in the four-team pool B campaign with six points and a 2-1 record, three behind Canada, while Brazil ended with a 1-2 record and three points followed by winless Mexicans.

Going into the match, the Akim Toussaint-led T&T needed to win as they trailed the Brazilians on goal-difference with both teams having 1-1 records.

After a goalless first 15-minutes quarter, the “Calypso Stickmen” ranked 33rd in the world, four below Brazil were first to break the deadlock when Marcus Pascal, one of six 19-year-olds in the squad scored in the 26th minutes in his ninth senior appearance, after which T&T held firm until the half-time interval.

Against the run of play, Brazil drew level when Bruno Sousa deflected a penalty corner set play past T&T goalkeeper Andrey Rocke for a -1-1 score at the end of the third quarter.

But the Brazilians joy was short-lived as the 17-year-old Marcano restored T&T’s lead two minutes into the final period after which Toussaint’s men marshaled by the experienced play of veteran duo, England-based Kwandwane Browne, 39 and Brian Garcia, 36 withstood the South Americans attack to seal the win and a second straight Pan American Cup semi-final appearance.

Commenting on the win, Marcano said it was a really hard fought match against a Brazilian team that is improving always.

“We prepared well for the match though and the entire scenario was just like what we encountered at home versus USA in the FIH World League Round Two qualifiers, only this time we managed to hold on for victory.

With regards to his team’s tactical set-up of trying to keep the ball as much as possible, Marcano said the team stuck to the game plan of the coach and tried as much as possible to encourage each other on the court, and moreso when Brazil managed to draw level.”

In the main draw semi-finals tomorrow (Thursday), the “Calypso Stickmen” will come up against reigning Olympic gold medal winners and two-time tournament defending champions, Argentina, while Canada, the winner of Pool B, will tackle the winner of last night’s second spot decider in Pool A, between Chile and USA.

Four years ago, Brampton, Canada, T&T also faced off with the Argentines at the semi-final stage and went under 8-0 before beating USA 3-1 for the bronze medals.

The Argentines will enter the match against T&T with a perfect 3-0 record and the most potent attack in the competition, having scored 27 goals with two against.

This after the South Americans crushed USA 6-0 in their opener on Friday and followed up with a 9-2 hammering of Chile and yesterday’s 12-0 mauling of Venezuela.

The Trinidad Guardian

Hockey men into Pan Am Cup semis


COUNTER-ATTACK: T&T’s Jordan Viera, top, beats the challenge of Brazil’s Matheus Ferreira and surges forward. Watching, partly hidden behind Viera is his teammate Tariq Marcano. —Photo courtesy: PAHF/Jan Huckendubler

THE NATIONAL men’s hockey squad has fought its way to the the final four of the Pan American Cup in Philadelphia, battling to a 2-1 victory over Brazil yesterday to finish second in Pool B of the eight-team championship.

The T&T stickmen, rated number 33 by the FIH (International Hockey Federation) now face the daunting prospect of taking on world number one Argentina in the first of the semi-finals at 5 p.m. tomorrow.

Regardless of the outcome, however, T&T would remain focused on a top-three finish, so victory in the playoff for third and fourth places on Saturday would alleviate the pain of any adverse result in tomorrow’s semis.

A bronze medal finish would be enough to qualify the Glen Francis-trained squad for next year’s Commonwealth Games on Australia’s Gold Coast and by finishing in the top six, T&T have already qualified for the next Pan American Cup in 2021.

Playing at the Spooky Nook in Lancaster, T&T went ahead through Marcus Pascal in the 26th minute and held that lead until the 41st when Bruno Sousa levelled for the Brazilians from a penalty corner.

Trinidad & Tobago Express

Day 2 – Men’s EuroHockey Championship II

Written by Justin Bowie



Czech Republic 1-1 Russia

Russia and the Czech Republic shared the spoils in a closely contested 1-1 draw.

The Russians controlled the early stages of the game, however were unable to find an opening goal despite coming close with several penalty corners.

The Czechs took advantage of this, with Lukas Plochy finding the net after a scramble in the penalty area to send them into a 1-0 lead.

After half-time, Russia pushed for an equaliser, and began to bombard the Czechs towards the end of the third quarter. Nevertheless, the Czech Republic were resilient in defence, and headed into the final quarter with their lead intact.

The game got feisty and Russia took advantage of two Czech yellow cards, finding an equaliser through Mikhail Proskuriakov.

Neither side was able to find a winner, with the game finishing all level in the end.



Switzerland 0-9 Wales

Wales recorded a sublime 9-0 win over Switzerland in their second EuroHockey Championship II Pool B game.

Wales were the more dominant side from the early stages of the game, however they initially struggled to create any clear chances.

Owain Dolan-Grey found the net just after the second quarter of the first half resumed, and the Welsh headed into half-time with a narrow lead.

As the second half commenced, Wales started to play with more confidence, and added two more goals to their tally, courtesy of James Kyriakides and James Carson.

James Kyriakides then found a second goal to make it 4-0 before the end of the third quarter.

A demoralised Switzerland side then collapsed, with Wales adding a further five goals to their tally. Carson added three to his tally, finishing with an impressive four for the afternoon.

Photos by Mark Pugh and Duncan Gray

Scottish Hockey Union media release

Day 3 – Men’s EuroHockey Championship II



Ukraine 1-5 France

France earned their first points of the tournament with a comfortable 5-1 victory over Ukraine.

The opening quarter saw both sides cancel each other out with most of the action taking place in the middle of the pitch.

France took the lead early in the second quarter from a penalty corner. The initial effort was blocked by the Ukrainian defence but Cristoforo Peters-Deutz was on hand to slot the ball through the legs of the goalkeeper to make it 1-0.

It was 2-0 a few minutes later when the French drove forward in numbers and a very nice reverse stick touch put the ball past the goalkeeper for Etienne Tynevez to knock the ball into the empty net.

Hugo Genestet was next to add his name to the score sheet when after a neat spin at the top of the D he slotted the ball into the corner of the net to make it 3-0.

It was 4-0 to France after half time; the French swept into the D from the left and Gaspard Baumgarten finished well from close range.

Ukraine pulled one back from a sensational penalty corner finish. Viacheslav Paziuk launched the ball into the top right corner to make it 4-1.

Eliot Curty made it 5-1 in the final quarter to finish off the scoring and give the French their first victory of the tournament.



Scotland 6-1 Portugal

Scotland made it two wins from two with a comfortable 6-1 win over Portugal in their second match of Men’s EuroHockey Championship II in Glasgow. The Scots have now almost qualified for the semi-finals and currently top Pool A on six points.

It took Scotland just 28 seconds to open the scoring. The Scots broke into the D from the right and Lee Morton struck from a tight angle to make it 1-0.

It was nearly two nil a short while later with Morton against causing all sorts of problems on the left, but the ball bobbled wide with Nick Parkes bearing down on goal.

Portugal found an equaliser in the second quarter. Luis Taveres finished from close range in the third phase of a penalty corner to level the scores.

Scotland very quickly responded and Kenny Bain scored to restore Scotland’s lead. Bain surged into the D and used Gordon McIntyre as a decoy before sliding the ball under the goalkeeper into the back of the net.

The Scots dictated the play as half time approached. They were rewarded with a goal after they were awarded a penalty stroke. Alan Forsyth stepped up to strike and buried the ball into the bottom left corner to make it 3-1.

After the break Scotland continued to dominate play but the Portugal defence was a tough nut to crack. A fourth goal would eventually come for Scotland and it was Alan Forsyth who struck. A good first touch took Forsyth away from his marker and he finished nicely on the reverse to make it 4-1.

Forsyth had his hat trick in the fourth quarter; a superb cross pitch pass by Gavin Byers for Jamie Wong opened up the pass for Forsyth who scored from close range.

As the game came to a close a well-earned second goal for Morton completed the scoring, giving Scotland a fine 6-1 win.

Photos by Mark Pugh and Duncan Gray

Scottish Hockey Union media release

Six-goal Scotland step closer to Euro semi-final spot with victory over Portugal



Scotland made it two wins from two with a comfortable 6-1 win over Portugal in their second match of Men’s EuroHockey Championship II in Glasgow. The Scots have almost  qualified for the semi-finals and currently top Pool A on six points.

It took Scotland just 28 seconds to open the scoring. The Scots broke into the D from the right and Lee Morton struck from a tight angle to make it 1-0.

It was nearly two nil a short while later with Morton against causing all sorts of problems on the left, but the ball bobbled wide with Nick Parkes bearing down on goal.

Portugal found an equaliser in the second quarter. Luis Taveres finished from close range in the third phase of a penalty corner to level the scores.

Scotland very quickly responded and Kenny Bain scored to restore Scotland’s lead. Bain surged into the D and used Gordon McIntyre as a decoy before sliding the ball under the goalkeeper into the back of the net.



The Scots dictated the play as half time approached. They were rewarded with a goal after they were awarded a penalty stroke. Alan Forsyth stepped up to strike and buried the ball into the bottom left corner to make it 3-1.

After the break Scotland continued to dominate play but the Portugal defence was a tough nut to crack. A fourth goal would eventually come for Scotland and it was Alan Forsyth who struck. A good first touch took Forsyth away from his marker and he finished nicely on the reverse to make it 4-1.

Forsyth had his hat trick in the fourth quarter; a superb cross pitch pass by Gavin Byers for Jamie Wong opened up the pass for Forsyth who scored from close range.

As the game came to a close a well-earned second goal for Morton completed the scoring, giving Scotland a fine 6-1 win.

Photos by Mark Pugh and Duncan Gray

Scottish Hockey Union media release

Fulton Announces European Championship Squad



Coach Craig Fulton has announced his 18-man squad that will compete at the Rabo Eurohockey Championships in Amsterdam this August (18th- 27th).

The Rabo Eurohockey Championships will see the Green Machine return as defending bronze medallists following their triumph in London 2 years ago. The current side looks slightly different to the one of 2015 but plenty of key players remain with the likes of David Harte, Shane O’Donoghue and Paul Gleghorne remaining constant. Fulton’s side were unlucky at World League in South Africa when both Johnny McKee and Eugene Magee picked up injuries. But as a result, slots have opened up for the young Three Rock duo of Daragh Walsh and Ben Walker to make their senior tournament debuts. Michael Robson makes a welcome return from injury while Kirk Shimmins steps back into the side, with both offering serious pace in the midfield and forward lines.  

Ahead of the tournament the side will travel to Belgium to play uncapped training matches against Australian and Dutch underage sides while also facing a talented Belgian side on August 14th in Beerschot.

Speaking about the tournament and squad Fulton said  “The Euros selection leads to 6 changes from WL3 in Johannesburg. The squad is again a blend of youth and experience, and we are very keen to build on the momentum created in qualifying for the World Cup in Johannesburg. The European Championships is a special tournament and we want to do as well as we possibly can against the top teams in Europe.

Our Pool consists of Germany, Poland and England, and all teams will ask different questions of us. We are confident one game at a time we will be ready for the different challenges ahead”.

Squad:
Name, Club
David Harte, Kampong
Mark Ingram, Pembroke
Stuart Loughrey, Hampstead & Westminster
Jonathan Bell, Lisnagarvey
Matthew Bell, Banbridge
Paul Gleghorne, Lisnagarvey
Lee Cole, Monkstown
John Jackson, Bath Buccs
Conor Harte, Racing
Sean Murray, Lisnagarvey
Kirk Shimmins, Pembroke
Shane O’Donoghue, Glenanne
Daragh Walsh, Three Rock Rovers
Michael Robson, Lisnagarvey
Neal Glassey, Lisnagarvey
Ben Walker, Three Rock Rovers
Alan Sothern, Pembroke
Matthew Nelson, Lisnagarvey

Eurohockey Schedule:

August 20th 15:30-  Ireland vs Germany
August 21st 14:45- Ireland vs Poland
August 23rd 14:45- Ireland vs England

Crossover/classification matches to be played on 25th & 27th 

NB. All match times listed are local

Irish Hockey Association media release

Fulton makes six changes for Irish men’s panel for Euros


The Irish men’s side have rotated their panel heavily once again. Pic: Adrian Boehm

Craig Fulton has made six changes to his Irish senior men’s squad for the EuroHockey Nations Championships as a combination of injury and unavailability have precipitated the overhaul.

The continental tournament comes just a month after World Cup qualification was achieved for the first time since 1990 with a fifth place finish at the World League Semi-Final in Johannesburg.

As such, it means the Euros offers Fulton a chance to test his wider panel with a bit less pressure though they will want to defend the bronze medal they won two years ago.

Eugene Magee (ankle) and Jonny McKee (shoulder) both have broken bones sustained in South Africa while Stephen Cole and Chris Cargo are both unavailable due to work reasons.

It means an overhauled midfield with Olympian Kirk Shimmins playing his first tournament since Rio while Michael Robson returns after injury. Three Rock Rovers’ Daragh Walsh is the tournament newcomer in this area having made his debut earlier this summer.

Up front, Ben Walker – who played with the Irish Under-18s last month in Nottingham – will take the place of Jeremy Duncan while Lee Cole returns to bolster the defensive options.

On the goalkeeping front, Mark Ingram takes over the number two jersey from Jamie Carr who will switch to the Irish Under-21 squad who are in European action in Valencia from August 28.

Number one David Harte is set to hit the 200-cap mark during the tournament in Amsterdam where Ireland are drawn in a group with England, Poland and Germany.

It’s been a busy time of late for Harte who was best man at his twin brother Conor’s wedding five days after returning from the Hockey World League.

In between, he also met with the OCI’s Athletes Commission and Minister for State for Tourism and Sport Brendan Griffin, pushing for greater support for the sport.

Peter Caruth remains out injured as is Calum Robson while Ronan Gormley is unavailable while Owen Magee is in Australia of the other players in the wider squad. Ireland’s campaign begins on August 20th against Germany.

The side has been receiving extra quality on the coaching side of things with Kampong and Dutch legend Roderick Weusthof working with the squad as a drag-flick specialist while Dutch men Dave Smolenaars and Kai de Jager in assistant coach roles.

Speaking about the tournament, coach Fulton said: “The Euros selection leads to six changes from WL3 in Johannesburg. The squad is again a blend of youth and experience and we are very keen to build on the momentum created in qualifying for the World Cup in Johannesburg. The European Championships is a special tournament and we want to do as well as we possibly can against the top teams in Europe.”

Ireland men’s squad for EuroHockey Nations Championships (August 20-27, 2017; Amsterdam): David Harte (SV Kampong), Mark Ingram (Pembroke), Stu Loughrey (Hampstead & Westminster), Jonny Bell (Lisnagarvey), Matthew Bell (Banbridge), Paul Gleghorne (Lisnagarvey), Lee Cole (Monkstown), John Jackson (Bath Buccaneers), Conor Harte (Racing Club de Bruxelles), Sean Murray (Lisnagarvey), Kirk Shimmins (Pembroke), Shane O’Donoghue (Glenanne), Daragh Walsh (Three Rock Rovers), Michael Robson (Lisnagarvey), Ben Walker (Three Rock Rovers), Alan Sothern (Pembroke), Matthew Nelson (Lisnagarvey)

The Hook

100 days until Hockey World League Final



Today marks a major milestone on the road to the Hockey World League Final, with just 100 days until the event opens in Auckland.

The world’s top eight qualified women’s teams will descend on the Harbour Hockey Stadium for 10 days of action packed hockey from 17-26 November.

From Tuesday 15th August exclusive pre-sale tickets will be available to purchase through Ticketek for valued members of the Hockey New Zealand community before tickets open to the general public on 22nd August.

Any ticket purchases will also have the chance to win prizes for your local club, simply enter your club name in the codeword field at the point of purchase and go in the draw to win one of five fantastic packages.

General admission tickets as well as corporate hospitality packages will be on sale through the Ticketek website (www.ticketek.co.nz) from 10:00am on 15th August.

Please note your exclusive pre-sale promo code is:

HOCKEY

The Hockey World League Final is the culmination of four competition rounds played over two years, giving nations from all over the world a chance to compete for the overall championship.

As hosts the Vantage Black Sticks Women gain automatic qualification (despite also qualifying outright), while the other seven competitors have been determined by results at this year’s Hockey World League Semi Finals in Brussels and Johannesburg.

The Vantage Black Sticks are joined in Pool A by seven-time World Cup winners Netherlands, USA (world ranking 4th) and Korea (world ranking 9th).

Defending Hockey World League champions Argentina contest Pool B alongside Rio Olympic gold medalists England, Germany (Rio bronze medalists) and China (world ranking 8th).

Further event details and information on the Hockey World League Final is available on the International Hockey Federation (FIH) website www.fih.ch

HOCKEY WORLD LEAGUE FINAL (Women)

Harbour Hockey Stadium – 17-26 November

 Hockey New Zealand Media release

Hockey to clock full year without action

By Naledi Lemogang


Hockey natioanl teams will end 2017 without playing a game

Botswana Hockey Association (BHA) president, Unaswi Matebu faces a testing time as the hockey national teams will end 2017 without playing a game. BHA cites lack of finance and Matebu said they are forced to dig into their pockets to finance the sport’s activities.

Matebu told Mmegi Sport yesterday that they face major financial challenges, which have forced them to skip international competitions. She said it is difficult to secure funding for hockey as it remains unpopular.

“We are going to finish this year without any international competition because we do not have money nor sponsors to assist us with travel expenses.

The fact that we missed the most important Africa hockey competition in February disadvantaged us,” Matebu said. She said they are also going to miss another international competition coming in October and probably finish the whole year without any international event.

Matebu said failure to attend the international competition hinders the growth of the sport and also it disadvantages them in their search for sponsors as investors are looking for active codes.

“The grant we get from the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) is not enough to assist us take part in international

events. However, we continue to search for funds that will assist national teams to participate internationally,” she said.

Matebu said local clubs host inter-club tournaments to keep themselves active and focused in order to continue playing the sport in the country.

The UB ORYX Hockey Club will participate in the annual Africa Inter-club tournaments to be held in December at a venue to be decided and the competition will give the players international exposure.

The team’s coach, Robert Tonhoro said they intend to take both the men and women’s teams to the competition, which will mean travelling with 30 players.

“My players are always active in local inter club tournaments despite the failure of the national team to participate in international events.  They are considered the best in the country because they always do well in local competitions therefore they will continue training towards the competitions,” he said.

Mmegi Online

Samiullah declines PHF offer of overseeing Talent Hunt Programme

LAHORE: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has offered the post of Talent Hunt Programme’s chairman to former celebrated Olympian Samiullah.

The Olympian has however turned down the offer.

The PHF issued a brief press release here on Tuesday, appointing Samiullah as chairman of the Talent Hunt Programme.

But, when contacted, Samiullah expressed his surprise over the offer and said: “No such offer was ever made to me officially. I haven’t met any PHF official since last six months and we have not had any discussion over phone, so, the offer is a surprise for me.

“Yes, I am a blunt supporter of the Talent Hunt Programme and I have been advising the PHF since last six months to start it but the PHF did nothing in this regard,” he added.

“Pakistan is already trailing at the 14th place in the world rankings and the game is losing its appeal in the country. Yet, the PHF is making mockery of the affairs by offering the post to me through the media and I am not interested to work with this PHF,” said Samiullah aka Flying Horse.

“I received a copy of a letter of the PHF about six days ago in which another ex-Olympian Islahuddin was offered the post of coordinator for the Talent Hunt Programme,” he said.

“I just want the PHF to do its work fairly for betterment of the game and they will always have our support,” he added.

When contacted, PHF president retired Brig Sajjad Khokhar said he had put the ball in Samiullah’s court as the latter had shown great interest in the Talent Hunt Programme while discussing hockey affairs on a TV show.

“So, I offered him the post at my own without holding any meeting with him. He should come and join us if he has any plans,” the PHF president said.

Dawn