News for 02 September 2017
All the news for Saturday 2 September 2017
Raes powers Red Cougars into Euro Under-21 semi-final
©: Frank Uijlenbroek/world Sport Pics
Henri Raes’ double under-pinned Belgium’s 3-1 win as they swept into the semi-final of the Under-21 EuroHockey Junior Championships in Valencia.
“It was our big purpose today to get through to the semi-finals, win the game and go on with a nice feeling and that’s what we did!” Raes said of the win.
They had opened with a 5-1 win over Austria before losing to a last minute goal from UHC Hamburg’s Hannes Muller against Germany 2-1. It meant the winner of their tie with Ireland would put them through to the semis.
The KHC Dragons man smashed in a brilliant reverse-stick shot into the top corner to break the deadlock in the first 10 minutes. Ireland had a couple of good chances with Charles Masset saving from both Matthew Crookshanks and Three Rock Rovers Luke Madeley before Belgium moved further ahead from a penalty stroke, Alexis Lemaire scoring.
Raes then made the game safe in the 44th minute when his intended cross found a defensive stick which turned the ball passed the impressive Jamie Carr.
“A last minute goal [against Germany] is never nice but we did a nice debrief, scanned the Ireland team really well and did a nice job. It’s all good teams in the opposite pool so we will just go for it and play our best game on Saturday.”
Geoff Cole got one back within a minute from a corner deflection and while Ireland had good phases in the last quarter, Belgium were comfortable in front, especially when Madeley and John Mullins were shown yellow cards.
They will meet Spain in the semi-finals after they clung on to a precious draw to eliminate England on goal difference after the top three in Pool A all ended on five points with one win and two draws.
The only separator proved their respective results against Portugal, Spain’s dozen the divider to put them top of the group with the Netherlands second and England ousted in third.
The final group tie was an absolute thriller. Marc Escude opened the scoring in brilliant fashion, picking up a raking pass from left back, out-muscling his man before pumping a shot into the bottom left corner.
Will Calnan equalised with a drag-flick, his seventh goal of the campaign, to get England level by the end of the first quarter. Club Egara’s Xavi Gispert returned the lead to Spain by half-time, though, when a lengthy ball from the back again made it into the forward line where he unleashed a low backhand that made it all the way in.
As time wore on, England became more and more of a force. Tom Sorsby hit the post from a corner deflection before he equalised the game at 2-2 with a smart finish at the near post.
From there, they piled on the pressure but could not break through the Spanish rearguard action. Assistant coach Arseni Sane praised his side for digging deep to grit out the win in the end.
“The level is very equal and it was a really tough game,” he said. “We played really well for the first three quarters but the last one, we sat too far back and suffered a lot of pressure but we are happy to get the draw and a place into the semi-finals.
“England pushed a lot and were really aggressive in our circle so we had to defend corners, second balls and a lot of shots but it’s a positive thing that we defended so well and got the reward.”
The Netherlands advanced thanks to a 10-0 win over Portugal with Amsterdam’s Boris Burkhardt netting seven times. The Dutch will play Germany in the semi-finals with Spain facing Belgium on Saturday morning.
** All semi-final games in Valencia will be broadcast live on www.eurohockeytv.org
Euro Hockey League media release
England U21 men narrowly miss out on semi-finals
England U21 v Spain
England U21 men narrowly missed out on the EuroHockey Junior Championships despite remaining unbeaten in their pool.
A 2-2 draw with Spain in their final match meant they finished in third place behind the Netherlands and Spain despite all having 5 points each, England's goal difference was two worse.
Marc Escude put Spain ahead after 8 minutes before Will Calnan equalised with his 7th goal of the tournament, but Xavier Gispert restored Spain's lead before the break.
However Tom Sorsby drew England level again but neither side was able to grab a winner and England were eliminated in harsh circumstances.
There were many positives to take for the squad though as they defeated Portugal 8-0 in their opener and put in fine performances in 2-2 draws with both the Netherlands and hosts Spain.
England Hockey Board Media release
Big guns set for ABN AMRO Cup finals showdown
Big guns AH&BC Amsterdam, SV Kampong, HC Rotterdam and Oranje-Rood will contest for the ABN AMRO Cup this weekend as they won through their respective groups in midweek.
Rotterdam will play host to the finals weekend on September 2 and 3 with the competition now celebrating its 10th season as the peak of the Hoofdklasse preseason.
The league phase of the competition took place on Thursday evening at LOHC (Leiden), Huizer HC (Houses), HOCO (Oisterwijk) and HBR (Berkel and Rodenrijs).
In Leiden, Amsterdam won twice in shoot-outs, winning against Pinoké (6-5) and Bloemendaal (1-0) in their first two games. On Saturday, Amsterdam will take on reigning Hoofdklasse champions Kampong who won against SCHC and Almere on Thursday.
The second semi-final will be between Rotterdam and Oranje-Rood. The Rotterdammers are the title defender of the ABN AMRO Cup and they made it through a 2-1 win over HGC and a shoot-out success against HDM. In their own stadium, they are going for their fifth victory in ten years. Oranje-Rood were another side to win via the shoot-out option, beating Tilburg and Den Bosch via that method.
Rotterdam will also host the fifth to eighth place playoffs on pitch two and the ninth to 12th place playoffs on pitch three with games in each playoff set at 1pm and 3pm.
Euro Hockey League media release
Sonu propels Chandigarh Hockey Academy to title win
Continuing their fine form in the tournament, the Chandigarh Hockey Academy girls maintained their supremacy in the final.
A hockey match in progress at Sector 42 Stadium. (Source: Sahil Walia)
A solitary goal by Sonu propelled Chandigarh Hockey Academy to a 1-0 win over Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 18 and win the title in the girls’ category in the Chandigarh Junior State Hockey Championship played at Sector 42 Sports Complex earlier this week.
Continuing their fine form in the tournament, the Chandigarh Hockey Academy girls maintained their supremacy in the final. Their forwards started the match on an attacking note and made some threatening sallies into the opposition half. Their efforts soon paid dividends when Sonu scored a field goal in the 16th minute of the match. The rest of the match saw Chandigarh Hockey Academy girls maintaining the pressure and defending the 1-0 lead to win the title.
Indian Express
10 NCAA field hockey games to watch this weekend
By Pat Ralph
During the opening week of the 2017 college field hockey season, there were a ton of top 25 matchups that certainly did not disappoint. Opening weekend action got the new season off to a great start, so it will be tough to follow that up over Labor Day weekend. Fortunately, these 10 matchups should get field hockey fans pumped over the holiday weekend.
Friday, September 1st
No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 8 Princeton: The No. 1 team in the country did not start its 2017 season off on good footing last week, as the Tar Heels lost a close 3-2 game to No. 11 Michigan in Iowa City. North Carolina bounced back the next day with a 3-0 shutout against No. 17 Iowa, but the Tar Heels will face their third-straight ranked opponent this Friday when they take on the Princeton Tigers. Ranked No. 8 in the country, Princeton will be playing its season opener when it takes on UNC. The Tigers, who became the first Ivy League school to win a national title in 2012, will be looking to make their 10th straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The Tigers lost in the Final Four last year, their seventh semifinal appearance in school history.
No. 2 Duke vs. No. 6 Maryland: Two former ACC rivals both ranked in the top 10 will get together this weekend when the Blue Devils and Terps square off in Lancaster, Pa. as part of the Big Ten-ACC Cup. Duke started their season off with a 5-0 win over William & Mary last weekend, while Maryland captured a 2-1 win over St. Joseph’s. This will be one of two games for both Duke and Maryland in the Big Ten-ACC Cup this weekend. On Sunday, Duke will face No. 14 Northwestern while Maryland will take on No. 12 Boston College.
No. 12 Boston College vs. No. 14 Northwestern: The other two teams participating in the Big Ten-ACC Cup will be the Eagles and the Wildcats this weekend. Northwestern started off the season with a 1-0 win over No. 13 Stanford, but followed that up with a 7-0 loss to No. 4 UConn last weekend. For the Eagles, Boston College rolled past Quinnipiac 6-1 before defeating No. 18 Albany 2-1 in overtime last weekend. The two teams will get a crack at either the Blue Devils or Terps on Sunday.
No. 11 Michigan vs. No. 25 Liberty: As was mentioned previously, last weekend went well for the Wolverines after their upset of No. 1 UNC and victory over No. 15 Wake Forest by a score of 5-4. The Wolverines’ home opener comes on Friday against the Liberty Flames, who started their season off with a 3-1 loss to No. 19 James Madison last weekend. It will be a good tuneup for Michigan before No. 4 UConn arrives to Ann Arbor on Sunday.
No. 13 Stanford vs. No. 17 Iowa: Two teams that are off to a slow start in 2017 are both Stanford and Iowa, who will clash this Friday in a battle of 0-2 teams. The Cardinal have yet to score this year, having lost 2-0 and 1-0 to No. 4 UConn and No. 14 Northwestern. Stanford will be looking to get its first goal and win during its three-game homestand this weekend, which starts with the Hawkeyes. Iowa was dropped by a pair of ACC schools from North Carolina last weekend; first by No. 1 UNC, then by No. 15 Wake Forest. Friday’s game is the first of a three-game California road trip for Iowa, which will also take on Cal and UC-Davis this week.
Sunday, September 3rd
No. 7 Penn State vs. No. 15 Wake Forest: The Nittany Lions grabbed a pair of road wins against top 25 teams last weekend to kick off their season. First, Penn State defeated No. 23 Old Dominion 3-2, followed by a 4-2 win over No. 10 Virginia. Before the Demon Deacons come to town, Penn State’s home opener will take place on Friday against Temple. Wake Forest opened the season last weekend against two Big Ten foes in No. 17 Iowa and No. 11 Michigan. The Demon Deacons defeated Iowa 3-2 before losing 5-4 to the Wolverines. Before playing Penn State, Wake Forest will face Indiana on Friday.
No. 3 Delaware vs. No. 8 Princeton: Princeton’s second top 10 matchup this weekend comes against another team that participated in last year’s Final Four. In fact, it’s the team that took home the national title: Delaware. The Blue Hens opened up with a 7-0 win over Indiana before losing to No. 9 Louisville on the road 3-1. Delaware’s home opener will take place on Friday when it welcomes in another Ivy League team: Dartmouth.
No. 22 UMass vs. No. 13 Stanford: The second game of Stanford’s homestand comes against No. 22 UMass, which won its first two games of the season last weekend. UMass first took down Holy Cross by a score of 8-3 in its home opener, and it followed that win up with a 2-1 triumph over Vermont. Before facing the Cardinal, UMass will travel to Berkeley and face Cal.
No. 4 UConn vs. No. 11 Michigan: After hosting Liberty, Michigan will have its first real home test of the season when No. 4 UConn travels to Ann Arbor. Standing at 2-0 after one weekend of play, the Huskies have yet to give up a goal this season. UConn first shutout No. 13 Stanford 2-0 and followed that up with a 7-0 dropkick against No. 14 Northwestern. Michigan will be looking to score the first goal and victory against UConn this season, rather than be the second Big Ten team to fall to the Huskies so far this year.
Monday, September 4th
No. 13 Stanford vs. No. 20 Harvard: The third and final game on Stanford’s homestand will feature the Crimson of Harvard, who will be facing No. 25 Pacific and UC-Davis before playing against the Cardinal. Harvard’s west coast swing will be its first three games of the season. Last year, the Crimson made its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2004. Having made it to the NCAA Tournament five times in school history, Harvard is still looking for its first Final Four trip.
Excelle Sports
Columbia Field Hockey Downed at No. 10 Virginia
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Tara Vittese tallied three goals and three assists to lead No. 10 Virginia past the Columbia field hockey team, 9-0, in the Lions’ season opener Friday.
Strong, quick work in transition helped Virginia’s attack in the first half and when they moved into the scoring area, they were able to force corners and deep fouls to apply pressure.
However, it was the Lions who had the first scoring opportunity of the game six minutes in. Katherine Cavanaugh received a stretch pass and was left wide open streaking down the left side. She dribbled all the way to the goal mouth where she was met by a defender, who positioned herself well to prevent Cavanaugh from getting a strong shot off.
The Cavaliers opened the scoring in the 14th minute when a penalty stroke was awarded, which Vittese knocked home.
Goalkeeper Katie Demspey, who earned her first career start, made two big saves off a corner in the 17th minute but Columbia could not regain possession. On a quick restart after a foul, Vittese fed Mikayla Gallen, who went five-hole to extend the margin to 2-0. In the 25th minute, Greta Ell picked up a loose ball and snuck one across the back line to extend the margin to three.
Vittese continued her dominant first half with some nifty stick work to weave into position, allowing her to shovel a feed to Izzy McDonough, who chipped one into the back of the net in the 31st minute.
Maeve Doherty (defensive save) and Dempsey turned away the first three Cavalier shots of the second frame, but Virginia kept on pushing and Vittese notched her second tally of the game in the 47th minute. Nikki Freeman scored in the 52nd minute, Vittese picked up her hat trick in the 55th and Erin Shanahan scored twice (54th and 63rd minutes) to complete the scoring.
Dempsey made seven saves on the day. Lauren Crane had a team-high two shots.
The Lions will wrap up their Virginia swing Sunday, September 3 when they take on William & Mary at 11 a.m.
Columbia Athletics
Richardson-Walsh added to EHF Hall of Fame
Kate Richardson-Walsh
England and Great Britain Hockey would like to congratulate Kate Richardson-Walsh for her induction into the EuroHockey Hall of Fame.
Richardson-Walsh was inducted at a special ceremony during the final of the EuroHockey Championships in Amsterdam, and received a wonderful reception from a fervent Dutch crowd, who showed great respect for her achievements in the game, both on and off the pitch.
With 375 caps for England and Great Britain, Richardson-Walsh is the most-capped female hockey player in the nation's history, and led GB's women to an historic gold medal in the Rio Olympic games. With 19 medals in her career, 49 goals and 13 years as captain, her status in the game speaks for itself. Following gold in Rio, she was selected to carry the flag for Team GB in the Games' closing ceremony.
In the last 12 months, Kate also became the first hockey player ever to be nominated for BBC Sports Personality of the Year, as well as being named an England Hockey Member of Honour, the highest honour bestowed by the national governing body.
Now an OBE for services to hockey, she has also used her gold medal and her profile for the continued growth of the sport, attending countless events to help grow participation in, and visibility of her beloved sport. She played club hockey in Holland for Bloemendaal, taking up coaching duties in their academy, and along with her wife Helen, was part of the inaugural Rainbow Laces summit with Stonewall. Both are also doing punditry work for television.
Kate's nomination is further recognition of her and her teammates' achievements in recent years, and thanks to her and the entire squad, the future of hockey remains very bright indeed.
England Hockey Board Media release
Anwar Ahmed Khan — Pakistan hockey’s finest and greatest centre-half
Anwar Ahmed Khan (September 24, 1933 — May 2, 2014)
When it comes to the Olympics, hockey players are the athletes behind our Olympic glory. Anwar Ahmed Khan is widely regarded as Pakistan hockey’s finest and greatest centre-half. He was an outstanding all-round player who didn’t let the opposition dominate at any time. The midfield marshal, who played for Pakistan from 1956-66, made vital contributions to the country’s early major successes. Tall and rangy, Anwar was a complete centre-half. He was an imperious pivot, never seemed to be in a hurry, utilised his immense reach to anticipate well and was a good stopper as well. Anwar was very much a part of the team that won the gold at the Rome Olympics 1960 as well the silver-winning team at the 1956 Melbourne and 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He was also a proud member of the Pakistan squad which clinched two Asian Games golds - 1958 and 1962 - during his glittering career.
After retiring from international game, the hockey wizard repaid the debt and served the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) in different capacities including manager senior and junior teams and member selection committee. Adding to the list of his Olympic accolades, Anwar was also responsible for the team that won silver at 1975 World Cup, gold in 1974 Tehran Asian Games, and silver at the 1986 Seoul Asian Games. He served as assistant manager and member selection committee for the Pakistan Hockey Federation to the junior team who won bronze medal at the 1982 Junior World Cup at Kuala Lumpur. He had a long innings in Pakistan Customs and retired as Assistant Collector in 1993 after serving it for 38 years.
Anwar’s distribution to forwards was excellent. He often employed deceptive passes. He had the unique ability to draw the opposing defence to one side and slip the ball in the other direction. He used to move with his forwards during attacks and he himself scored goals in international games. Blessed with indefatigable stamina, Anwar was always quick to fall back to assist the defence where his excellent checking helped foil many an opponent’s attacks. At times, he seemed to appear from nowhere to salvage the situation when others had been beaten. According to Munir Dar, himself one of the greats of his era, Anwar’s anticipation was splendid and his stick work was brilliant. “His stoppage was accurate and his distribution could not be intercepted. He used to move all the time with his forwards and whenever the inners were blocked he used to open the game through the wingers.”
The legendary player arrived in this world on September 24, 1933. He was born in Bhopal, now the capital of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Hockey was the most popular sport in Bhopal with boys playing the sport not only in grounds but also on roads. The elite also took great interest in the game. Princess Abida Sultan, the ruler of the princely state, herself played the sport and patronised a club Noorus Saba for small children. She developed a wonderful hockey ground near her palace, and young Anwar played there for her club. The ideal hockey environment brought his natural talent to the fore very soon. He excelled at the school. In 1949, at the young age of 16, Anwar was selected by Bhopal Wanderers, easily the best outfit of the city, who used to compete in All India tournaments. They played against strong provincial as well as departmental teams. In 1950, like so many young Indian Muslims of the time, Anwar migrated to Pakistan. Luckily, the cream of the Bhopal hockey had already been playing for the Ali Autos team in Karachi. He fitted well in the star-studded team; and there was no looking back.
In 1952, Anwar appeared in his maiden national championships for Sindh. Railways, one of Pakistan’s premier departmental sides of the time, got impressed by the youngster’s talent and offered Anwar to join their hockey team. In his first nationals for Railways in 1954, Anwar caught the attention of the selectors and was called for the national camp for a home series against West Germany straight away. But an injury delayed his international debut, which was to arrive in Pakistan’s first-ever hockey glory. Meanwhile, Anwar switched to Customs; he would play for them the rest of his domestic career. He wore the national colours for the first time at the 1956 Olympics.
He never lost his temper whenever any of his colleagues committed any mistake. He was rated as a great team man and penetrated packed defences with the help of his supporting half-backs. He was a treat to watch all along. He has often been described as the pillar on which the Pakistan hockey rested when they were in the process of transforming into a world beating unit. Many experts have rated him as the most valuable player that Pakistan had in 1950s and 1960s. Anwar also had the honour to captain the national side on quite a few occasions, including the Hamburg International Festival in 1966, his last international outing.
He was married to a doctor. All his offspring are also in the medical profession. The government of Pakistan honoured the national hero with Tamgha-e-Imtiaz in 1966. A hockey ground in Karachi is also named after the great player. Anwar’s name will remain enshrined in Pakistan’s sporting folklore for his tremendous role in Pakistan’s initial glories at the Olympics. Upon quitting the game, Anwar made history of sorts by bringing out his autobiography ‘Anwar’ in 1990. It was the first autobiography by a Pakistan hockey player. He later produced another book titled ‘Hikayat-e-Hockey’ which was published in 2002. Anwar breathed his last on May 2, 2014 in Karachi.
The Daily Times
SA Hockey pays tribute to the late Connie Oh Fond
There are few names in South African Hockey as unanimously respected as the name of Connie Oh Fond. The marks of her presence will be a consistent reminder for all in SA hockey and in particular the Eastern Province Hockey community.
Aunty Connie as she was fondly and affectionately known was the founding member of one of the oldest women’s hockey club in South Africa. A few years ago St Peters Hockey Club celebrated her 70th Anniversary!
Aunty Connie’s hockey involvement started as a player and progressed to include various official positions ranging from EP team manageress, official senior delegate to SAWHB meetings and EPWHU President, a role she fulfilled for nearly 30 years. She also served as President of the SA Women's hockey board for a short period.
Nelson Mandela said that “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers.” There was no finer credit to this quote than Aunty Connie who was an inspiration to EP and SA hockey during the struggle years!
She was the worst critic and the most ardent supporter of hockey and all those involved with the code at provincial as well as SA level in her pursuance for the best - whether player, administrator or supporter of the code.
Wendell Domingo, member of the SA Hockey Executive committee
“You have heard that Aunty Connie had a strong character and had a low tolerance for the wrongs in life and more especially hockey. She was a no-nonsense woman and would fight for what she believed was right and at times using a few superlatives. Her hearty laugh will echo and be remembered at the hockey field for many years to come. Our prayers and sincere condolences are conveyed to the family and the St Peters Club. May her contribution not be in vain and may her dearly departed soul Rest in Peace.”
On behalf of SA Hockey we would like to say thank you for the service to our sport Aunty Connie, may you rest in peace. Your work here is done, your legacy will continue!
SA Hockey Association media release