News for 16 October 2017
All the news for Monday 16 October 2017
Australia men and women win Oceania Cup 2017
Photo courtesy of Planet Hockey Magazine
Australia men and women retained the Oceania Cup at the Sydney Olympic Park Hockey Centre, beating off the challenge of New Zealand.
Vanuatu men and Fiji women won the inaugural Hockey5s intercontinental championships after both teams played Samoa in the finals.
The Hockeyroos sealed their third consecutive title with a 2-0 win over the Black Sticks. The goals came from Jane Claxton and Kristina Bates in the first half of the match and, despite an improved second half performance from New Zealand, the visiting side were unable to claw their way back into the match.
Although Australia have already qualified for the Hockey Women’s World Cup London 2018, the result means vital ranking points and, importantly, reverses their recent form against New Zealand, which saw them finish behind their Oceania rivals at both the Olympic Games and the Hockey World League Semi-Finals in Brussels.
Speaking to Hockey Australia, goal scorer Bates said: ‘It’s an amazing feeling. The Kiwis have had it over us the last couple of tournaments so it’s really good to get the win today.
‘It puts us in a good spot heading into the Commonwealth Games next year. It’s a good result for us.’
The Kookaburras put in a dominant performance to crush the Black Stick’s aspirations to win their first Oceania Cup title. A 6-0 win signified Australia’s resurgence and desire to make it back to the top of the world rankings. They are currently ranked second in the world behind Argentina.
As both teams have already qualified for the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018, this was more about ranking points and preparations for next year’s two major events – the Commonwealth Games and the World Cup.
The Kookaburras took a 2-0 lead in the opening five minutes, with goals from Tom Wickham and Dylan Wotherspoon. These were followed by goals from Jake Whetton, Aran Zalewski (2) and a further goal for Wickham. The result means Australia have now won all 10 editions of the Oceania Cup.
In the Oceania InterContinental Hockey5s, Vanuatu beat Samoa 11-1 in the men’s final, while Fiji won the women’s title after they beat Samoa 5-2.
In the men’s Oceania Hockey5’s bronze medal match, Solomon Islands defeated Tonga 6-1, while In the women’s bronze medal match, Solomon Islands also claimed third spot with a 7-2 win over Tonga.
For more information about this event, head on over to Hockey Australia's website.
#OC2017
FIH site
Kiwis finish second at Oceania Cup
Photo: Planet Hockey
The Vantage Black Sticks Men and Women have both finished second at the Oceania Cup in Sydney after going down to hosts Australia on finals day.
The Women were forced to settle for runners up after the Hockeyroos powered home for a 2-0 win in the gold medal match.
New Zealand had more circle entries and shots goal but weren’t able to capitalise on their chances while Australia knocked in two first half goals through Jane Claxton and Kristina Bates.
Vantage Black Sticks goalkeeper Sally Rutherford brought up her 150th test cap during the match.
Assistant coach Sean Dancer said it was a frustrating end to the tournament, knowing they could have done better.
“We started well and had some really good chances, unfortunately our defence made a few errors and Australia made the most of those,” he said.
“The trans-Tasman battle is something we always pride ourselves on so we know we need to be better heading into our biggest challenge of the year, the Sentinel Homes Hockey World League Final on our home turf next month.”
In the Men’s gold medal game, the Kookaburras outplayed the Vantage Black Sticks in a 6-0 victory to take the Oceania title.
Australia controlled the first half and were up by two goals inside the opening five minutes after strikes from Tom Wickham and Dylan Wotherspoon.
The world number two ranked hosts added two more in the second quarter to take a commanding 4-0 buffer into the halftime break.
The Kiwis fought hard in the second half but were unable to slow the charging Kookaburras, who chalked up another two goals to take the spoils.
Both Vantage Black Sticks team now head home with the Men next competing at the International Festival of Hockey in Melbourne, while the Women prepare for the Sentinel Homes Hockey World League Final at Harbour Hockey Stadium from 17-26 November.
CLICK HERE for more on the 2017 Oceania Cup
VANTAGE BLACK STICKS WOMEN: 0
HOCKEYROOS: 2 (Jane Claxton, Kristina Bates)
Halftime: Australia 2-0
VANTAGE BLACK STICKS MEN: 0
KOOKABURRAS: 6 (Aran Zalewski 2, Tom Wickham 2, Dylan Wotherspoon, Jake Whetton)
Halftime: Australia 4-0
Hockey New Zealand Media release
Tanaka's double goal helps Japan beat Bangladesh 3-1
Japan ends their Pool A campaign with a fine victory against hosts
Dhaka (Bangladesh) Japan held their nerves till the final hooter to snatch a 3-1 victory against hosts Bangladesh who put up a strong fight in today’s Pool A match at the Hero Asia Cup 2017 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was Hero of the match Kenta Tanaka’s back-to-back goals in the dying minutes of the match that helped Japan earn the winning points.
With both Japan and hosts Bangladesh vying for that elusive three points in Pool A, the clash on Sunday witnessed the two teams give it their best and entertain the home crowd. While Japan had to win by a big goal difference to keep their Super 4s hope alive, Bangladesh had to win to salvage their pride in their home ground.
Japan being a better side in counter attack, they constantly put pressure on Bangladesh defence in the circle. They were quick in their circle penetrations in both first and second quarter but could not quite make the chances count as they narrowly missed shots on goal. In the 10th minute of the match, they won three back-to-back PCs but a poorly executed variation dented their hopes of an early lead. However, a breakthrough came in the 22nd minute when Kenji Kitazato made a brilliant run into the circle to score a field goal and fetch Japan a 1-0 lead.
Though Bangladesh registered fewer circle entries compared to Japan and the chances they created were well defended by the Japanese goal keeper Suguru Shimmoto, it was the unrelenting skipper of Bangladesh Rashel Mahmud who helped win a PC for his team in the 28th minute. The chance was brilliantly utilized by Mamunur-Rahman Chayan who was excellent with his dragflick to equalize.
Though Japan found a golden opportunity to regain the lead in the 40th minute when they were awarded a penalty stroke, Bangladesh goalkeeper Asim Gope was outstanding in his effort to pad away the flick. Japan won as many as three PCs the following minutes but were shoddy in their execution, often with bad injection and trapping that saw them miss out on goal scoring opportunities.
It’s noteworthy to mention Bangladesh’s efforts in putting up a strong defence but they lost steam in the final few minutes of the game which was capitalized by Japan. It was two back-to-back goals in the 59th and 60th minute by Kenta Tanaka that saw Japan convincingly win the match by 3-1. Tanaka was impressive with his dribbling on both occasions that saw him beat the Bangladeshi defender to put it past Gope and win the match.
Post match comments:
Undoubtedly the disappointment of three losses in a row was evident when Bangladesh Coach Harun Mahbub spoke to the media at the post match press conference. "We lack the experience of playing at this level. Though I am happy with how we played the first two quarters, I think mentally we were not strong enough to keep up the momentum till the end. We missed close chances in the third and the fourth quarter," he said.
Meanwhile Japan Coach Aikman Siegfried acknowledged Bangladesh's good defence that made Japan's task difficult. "I have to compliment their defence. We missed good chances to score, though I am happy with the win, I must add that our players are young and require better experience and this was a pressure match for them and like all humans, they were very nervous. If Bangladesh had gone one up against us in the third or the fourth quarter, they would have had an upper hand," Siegfried said.
Goal of the Game Award was awarded to Mamunur-Rahman Chayan of Bangladesh and it was presented by Mr Syed Waseque Md. Ali (Managing Director of First Security Islami Bank Ltd)
HERO of the Match Award was presented to Kenta Tanaka of Japan by Mr Kowsar Ali (Member BHF, and Chairman Coaching and Development Committee)
Asian Hockey Federation media release
India's victory over Pakistan came despite them playing far from their best hockey
Sundeep Misra
India players celebrate a goal against Pakistan. Image courtesy: Twitter/@Hockey India
Domination of territory and possession do look good for sports analytics but when it comes to stamping your class on an opponent whose tactical acumen kept margins low and leveraged opportunities, the 3-1 win for India is a deep disappointment for a team that started as if sitting on a jet propeller and finished like an auto ride through jam-packed Dhaka.
Process, system, structure are words that are routinely used to describe modern hockey and India did begin with all the bricks in the right place. Pakistan, on the other hand, didn’t want a repeat of what happened at the Hockey World League in London — two consecutive losses of 7-1 and 6-1 rupturing national pride and leading to entire management teams getting sacked. So they waited with a lone forward upfront, patiently looking for a gap, a slip or a miss-pass. Those did come at regular intervals in the 1st quarter but Pakistan’s hand quivered more at the thought of scoring against India.
India broke through a slow Pakistan midfield, stretching the field wide. At times, it almost seemed that India had more players on the turf, the speed on the counters making them looking like locusts in flight but eating away at the Pakistan goal wasn’t happening. Akashdeep Singh, Lalit Upadhyay, Ramandeep Singh, SV Sunil, powered their way through but the last touch, the killer strike, the tap, the strongly-struck final shot was missing.
Pakistan goalkeeper Mazhar Abbas must have wondered about the speed of the Indian forwards, but would have heaved a sigh of relief as they imploded despite territory and space at their command. Meanwhile, Farhat Khan, the Pakistan manager, would have surely jumped in glee if their first penalty corner in the 1st quarter had come off. Tactically, it was a good one. But we pay obeisance only if they work out.
Frustrated a bit by not able to score, India rotated the ball all over the pitch. Struck from flank to flank, Pakistan did all the running while India searched for the gaps. Eventually, it came from the right flank where Akashdeep was like a figure skater, skimming and shimmying past the Pakistan defenders.
In the 17th minute, he had the ball and sweetly dodged a defender to throw the ball into the Pakistan striking circle where Chinlensana Singh was powering in from the middle. It was a one-to-one situation with Pakistan goalkeeper Abbas and Chinglensana made no mistake as he hammered the ball in.
Leading 1-0, Pak defences opened up for the first time, it seemed India had found the measure. And somewhere, the thought also lurked that Pakistan may crumble. But they tightened their defence and didn’t let the younger minds melt away. They struck to their structure and patiently waited. In keeping the flock together, Pakistan captain Muhammad Irfan had already won a mini-war.
Gurjant Singh, who made a name for himself in the 2016 Junior World Cup winning team, was all fire but his reverse shot couldn’t beat Abbas. India were guilty of firing in thinking that the ball had a mind of its own and would find itself in the back of the Pakistan goal. None of them thought that a first touch instead of hanging onto the ball is what would have paid dividends.
The Indian defence was leaving gaps and even Harmanpreet Singh made errors. Pakistan wasted a 2nd penalty corner and then Mohammed Attiq’s shot from hand-shaking distance was saved by Suraj Karkera. If India looked good while attacking, they seemed shaky at the back.
At the break, India were ahead by a goal but that was never going to be enough against a team that came determined to play till the last minute. In goal, India brought in Akash Chikte and he celebrated his entry in the match with a lovely save. India also earned a penalty corner, their first and Varun Kumar promptly sent it out with a low flick.
India were steadily losing their control while Pakistan were regaining lost ground. A Gurjant-Akashdeep move that had goal written all over it couldn’t find a finishing touch. Gurjant’s final tap was a soft roll that the goalkeeper had enough time to save even after being beaten at his near post.
Pakistan, meanwhile, wasted their 3rd penalty corner. And then Harmanpreet with a brilliant through-ball that was 50 yards off found Ramandeep Singh virtually inside the Pakistan goal mouth and all he had to do was tap it in for India’s 2nd goal.
Leading 2-0, some calm was restored inside the Indian team. And in the next very minute, off their 2nd penalty corner, Harmanpreet powered his flick in. At 3-0, it seemed that the door had been shut on Pakistan.
But India brought them back into the match. They lost patience and tried to force the issue. Suddenly, the team had become the individual. One-touch balls were hung onto. Passes were delayed as Pakistan rushed to close gaps. And India went through the middle instead of around the defence.
It was a clear case of a lack of discipline. Sumit, Lalit, Sunil all did try and weave their magic. In the 33rd minute of the match, two Pakistan players were shown the yellow card but India didn’t take the initiative when the opposition was down to nine men. Then suddenly in the 49th minute, India threw it away, though momentarily.
Sardar Singh, till then an ocean of calm, hung on to the ball in the Indian defence and when he flicked a pass he ended up giving it to a Pakistani forward who immediately dispatched it to Shan Ali, standing in a perfect scoring position. Chikte was beaten with the score cut to 1-3.
Another goal at this stage and India would have had it hard. Pakistan had a 4th penalty corner which Chikte saved. Then India had three consecutive penalty corners which were wasted. Penalty corners are now a matter of concern even though the team management is soft-pedalling on the issue.
In the end, play was held up for around two minutes as Pakistan went to the video umpire on a few decisions. It’s also time the FIH looked at speeding up video referrals. By stopping play for more than a minute, the pace is killed and the team looking for goals seems to be getting a raw deal.
The Indian captain Manpreet Singh was very clear that the team was hugely disappointed with the result. “We are happy we won but the team as a whole is disappointed with the way we played today. It’s not about the scoreline but that we didn’t play as a unit and neither did we utilise the chances and worked as a team.”
The Indian coach Sjoerd Marijne said there were long faces after the match. “I am happy that the team is not happy with what happened today,” he explained. “It’s good to see that they are not just happy winning. They want to play well too.”
The Dutchman also explained that India want to play their best hockey. “But today wasn’t good,” he said. “We needed more time to control the ball and then we started running with the ball which is not done.”
Marijne also said that the speed of the ball was too low. “The boys kept the ball too long. In fact, it starts with the defence and only then the space upfront is opened up.”
Marijne said that they would meet up soon and speak about it. “I am happy we won,” he said. “But I need to know what’s happening and why did it happen? This is the moment for the leadership to come up in the team and explain. I need to know what’s in their mind as only then can I help them.”
With nine points, India enter the Super 4 with Pakistan from Pool A. South Korea and Malaysia are the other teams in Pool B to make it to the Super 4.
In other words, the tournament begins now and teams with a high press, India and Malaysia, will also have to keep a water-tight defence if it comes down to the opposition counter-attacking. India have shown they are vulnerable at the back; but only if they try and hang onto the ball.
At the end of the match, India had 16 shots at goal to Pakistan’s nine while India had 24 circle entries to Pakistan’s 13. But the truth is that the ball was not relayed swiftly and neither was the high press destroying the opponent. The talent and the structure is there but it will be a while before Marijne’s ideas are given full form.
Firstpost
India overcomes Pak, tops the table
s2h team
Improved Pakistan put up its best performance so far in the Dhaka Asia Cup, but it was not adequate against the perfect Team India. Picking up its London form, India continued its winning spree against their famed rival, with a 3-1 victory today in the last pool match for the both. Both teams have entered the Super 4s.
Its only second win for India against Pak in the annals of Asia Cup where they have met 8 times till date.
An electrifying goal from midfield maestro Chinglensana Singh set the tenor for India (1-0, 17th min)and then at the fag end of third quarter Ramandeep Singh dived to connect a deep push by Harmanpreet (2-0) before the supplier himself turned in a beauty off a penalty corner (3-0), leading to a situation that India will overrun Pak in the fourth quarter.
It did not happen. Pakistan regrouped well to deny India space, and in fact it dominated most part of the last quarter except last 3,4 minutes. In this spell, Ali Shan (3-1) struck much to the delight of the goody crowd.
Its Akash Chikte of India who denied Pak further goals with excellent anticipation and nice, acrobatic tackling.
India took lead in the second quarter with gem of a goal from hardworking Chinglensana Singh, this survived till half time. Pak has got two penalty corners in the first half against nil by India, but could not convert due to compact Indian defence and good work under the bar by goalie Akash Chikte.
SK Uthappa, SV Sunil and Gurjant Singh has got at least one easy chance to score in the first half, but Pak goalie denied the space. Gurjant Singh, after outpacing many a defender shot the ball at side netting even as Sunil failed to connect the ball twice by breadth of a hair.
Both teams played a flawless and fast game. Young forward Atiq almost scored when he hit a low aerial ball to the right corner of the net, where Indian goalie Chikte played best part of first half taking the ball on his pads.Its a close shave for India.
India led Pak 1-0 at half time. India converted only one of its five penalty corners while Pak wasted all their four.
Early in the third quarter, two Pakistan players simultaneously got yellow card suspension, leaving two persons less on the field but India could not make use of the godsend opportunity.
Pakistan defence was excellent and stood to the task. An expected Indian surge, surge after surge, did not results in goals.
Stick2Hockey.com
India gets the better of Pakistan
An all-win record help the Men in Blue top Pool A
Job well done! Indian players congratulate each other after besting Pakistan in their Pool A match on Sunday.
Favourite India continued its winning momentum, defeating Pakistan 3-1, in a Pool A match at the 10th men’s Asia Cup hockey tournament here on Sunday.
Chinglesnsana Singh (17th minute), Ramandeep Singh (44th) and Harmanpreet Singh (45th) scored for India, while Pakistan’s lone strike came from the stick of Ali Shan in the 49th minute.
By virtue of this win, India finished on top of the pool with nine points from three games, while Pakistan secured the second spot with four points.
Both teams have made round-robin Super 4 stage of the tournament. Even though Japan defeated host Bangladesh 3-1 earlier in the day, the victory was not enough for it to enter the next stage as it lost out to Pakistan on goal difference.
Contrary to the result, Pakistan had the first real scoring chance when it earned a penalty corner but wasted it. The Indians came out hard in the second quarter and took the lead in the 17th minute through Chinglesnsana, who slammed home after receiving a fine pass from Akashdeep Singh operating in the wide right.
Three minutes later, Gurjant Singh’s reverse hit from the right flank was just off target. After wasting another penalty corner, Pakistan was denied by young India goalkeeper Suraj Karkera, who saved Mohammed Attiq’s shot from close range, as India went into the breather leading by a goal.
India replaced Karkera with Akash Chikte at the halfway mark and the young custodian came up with a superb save in the 40th minute to deny Pakistan. India then secured its first penalty corner but Varun Kumar’s grounded flick was wide off the target.
Soon Gurjant had a great chance to consolidate India’s lead but his push, after a fine one-two with Akashdeep, was saved by the Pakistani goalkeeper.
Ramandeep doubled India’s lead in the 44th minute with a neat deflection off Harmanpreet Singh’s fantastic cross from the middle of the pitch. India extended the lead in the very next minute from its second penalty corner through Harmanpreet.
Pakistan, which looked more purposeful in the final quarter, reduced the margin in the 49th minute through Shan’s field strike.
India kept pressing hard and earned as many as three penalty corners in succession but wasted them all.
The results: India 3 (Chinglesnsana Singh 17, Ramandeep Singh 44, Harmanpreet Singh 45) bt Pakistan 1 (Ali Shan 49); Japan 3 bt Bangaldesh 1.
The Hindu
Pakistan lose 1-3 to India but qualify for Super 4
As Japan had managed only a 3-1 win over Bangladesh in their last pool match earlier today, pressure was somewhat off Pakistan.
The only way they could deprive themselves of the Super Four spot was to lose against India by more than nine goals.
The last match of the pool A in the 10th Hockey Asia Cup at Dhaka's Maulana Bhashani Stadium saw the two great rivals begin cautiously.
There was no attempt on the goal in the first 12 minutes..
The pace increased and it it turned into a good up and down stuff.
In the 14th minute, India tested Pakistani short stopper Mazhar with a good attempt but Mazhar was up to it.
Then Ali Shan engineered a penalty corner for Pakistan. The injection wasnt stopped.
Very next minute, an excellent Akashdeep cross from left found a rampaging Chinglesana Singh controlling the ball, entering the circle and send the ball crashing into the net- all in the blink of an eye.
Immediately, Pakistan gained their second PC. This time a good rush worked for India.
Both the sides had a couple of good chances in the last five minutes of the first half. Young Attique Arshad went past a defender and his attempt from the top of circle wasn't much off the target. Attique also had a diving try saved by the advancing goal keeper.
A defensive blunder let Gurjant make a full blooded reverse hander from left side which went out.
Half Time: Pakistan:0 India: 1
33rd and 34th minutes saw yellow cards for Rizwan Sr and Abubakr Mahmood. However, Pakistan didnt let India take advantage during those five minutes. In fact, they had an excellent chance when Ali Shan at a good position on the left side had his push stopped by the net minder.
Soon, India got their first PC. Varun Kumar's flat push went out.
An excellent 1-2 between Akashdeep and Gurjant culminated with the latter having the goal at his mercy but the attempt was poor and Mazhar padded it.
Then Umar Bhutta's individual endeavour earned Pakistan their 3rd PC. Abubakr, who scored a PC hat trick against Bangladesh, blasted over the bar.
The last two minutes of the third quarter sealed the match for India.
A wonderful diagonal pass sent by Harmanpreet from the right side in his own half was tipped in by a diving Ramandeep Singh with a fully extended stick from close quarters.
Within seconds, the third goal arrived. Harmanpreet's missile of the flick off India's second PC crushed inside the right netting.
When it seemed to be all over for Pakistan, Ali Shan brought a glimmer of hope. Arslan Qadir' diving ball in the circle reached Ali Shan in an ideal spot in the left side. Ali Shan's reverse hander hit the board.
With 10 minutes. still to go, Pakistan could have made it 2-3 as another PC came their way. The two touch variation was well executed but the goal keeper positioned himself well.
Attique's yet another fine attempt was saved by the diving keeper. Then the brilliant Akashdeep was off the radar.
India had three back to back PCs in the dying minutes but the scoreline remained 3-1.
SCORERS:
India: Chinglesana Singh (17'), Ramandeep Singh (44') & Harmanpreet SIngh (45')
Pakistan: Ali Shan (49')
PHF Media release
India survive Pakistan scare, top pool A with 3-1 victory
Pakistan lost 3-1 to arch-rivals India in their last pool match at the Asia Cup hockey tournament at Dhaka’s Maulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium on Sunday.
The blockbuster match brought the best hockey out of the two teams leaving the local crowd wanting for more, Asian Hockey Federation reported.
India and Pakistan will face each other again in Asia Cup 2017 as they have both qualified for the Super 4s stage of the tournament which gets underway on October 18.
It was goals by Chinglensana Singh (17′), Ramandeep Singh (44′) and Harmanpreet Singh (45′) that ensured India a top spot in Pool A.
The first quarter started evenly as both sides looked threatening on the attack looking to clinch the opener.
On the other hand, Pakistan defended well and looked to hurt India on the counter which saw them earn a penalty corner in the last minute of the first quarter.
The second quarter started well for the Indians as they produced some slick passing to take the lead in the 17th minute.
A good performance in the third quarter was essential for both the teams to get a grip on the match. India had the chance to tighten the noose on the match as two Pakistan players were awarded yellow cards, but the Pakistan’s defence held their nerves.
The Indians extended their lead to three goals as they scored two goals in two minutes towards the end of the third quarter.
Pakistan have been the Asia Cup champions thrice — winning the first three editions in 1982, 1985 and 1989. While India have lifted the cup twice, in 2003 and 2007.
Dawn
India down Pakistan to top Asia Cup pool
DHAKA: India continued their winning momentum, defeating arch-rivals Pakistan 3-1 in a Pool ‘A’ encounter of the Asia Cup hockey tournament on Sunday.
After the two easy wins against Japan (5-1) and hosts Bangladesh (7-0), as expected India had a relatively tough outing against Pakistan but managed to maintain their all-win record.
India controlled the proceedings for the better part of the match, barring the final quarter when Pakistan, trailing 0-3, came hard on the Indian defence in search of goals.
But at the end of the day, the Indians came out superior and continued their recent domination over Pakistan, that includes back-to-back victories in the Hockey World League Semi-Final in London earlier this year.
Chinglesnsana Singh (17th minute), Ramandeep Singh (44th) and Harmanpreet Singh (45th) scored the goals for India, while Pakistan lone strike came from the stick of Ali Shan in the 49th minute.
By virtue of this win, India finished on top of Pool ‘A’ with nine points from three games while Pakistan secured the second spot with four points.
Both India and Pakistan have managed to secure their place in the round-robin Super 4 stage of the tournament.
Even though Japan defeated hosts Bangladesh 3-1 earlier in the day, the victory was not enough for them to enter the Super 4 stage as they lost out to Pakistan on goal difference.
Contrary to the win, Pakistan had the first real scoring chance when they earned their first penalty corner but they wasted it.
The Indians came out hard in the second quarter and took the lead in the 17th minute through Chinglesnsana, who slammed home after receiving a fine pass from Akashdeep Singh, who was operating in the wide right.
Three minutes later, Gurjant Singh’s reverse hit from the right flank was just off target.
After wasting another penalty corner, Pakistan were denied by young India goalkeeper Suraj Karkera, who saved Mohammed Atiq’s shot from close range as India went into the breather leading by a goal.
India replaced Karkera with Akash Chikte in the goal at the halfway mark and the young custodian came up with a superb save in the 40th minute to deny Pakistan.
India secured their first penalty corner soon but Varun Kumar’s grounded flick was wide off the target. Soon Gurjant had a great chance to consolidate India’s lead but his push, after a fine one-two with Akashdeep was saved by the Pakistani goalkeeper.
After Pakistan wasted their third penalty corner, Ramandeep doubled India’s lead in the 44th minute with a neat deflection off Harmanpreet Singh’s fantastic cross from the middle of the pitch.
India extended their lead in the very next minute from their second penalty corner through Harmanpreet.
Pakistan, who looked more purposeful in the fourth and final quarter, reduced the margin in the 49th minute through Ali’s field strike.
Chikte once again came to India’s rescue soon, when he denied Pakistan with a fine save from their fourth penalty corner.
Thereafter, India pressed hard and earned as many as three penalty corners in succession but wasted them all.
Dawn
Pakistan lose against India but qualify for semifinals
KARACHI: India won 3-1 against archrivals Pakistan in their last pool match of the 2017 Men’s Asia Cup Hockey Tournament at Dhaka’s Maulana Bhashani Hockey Stadium on Sunday. This was India’s fifth consecutive win against Pakistan in all tournaments. Earlier, Pakistan defeated hots Bangladesh 7-0 and scored a 2-2 draw against Japan in their first two group matches. India have topped Group A with nine points, with three wins from as many matches. Both Pakistan and Japan finished with four points but Pakistan qualified for the next round of Super Four, semifinals, because of the better goal difference than that of Japan.
Pakistan came on the score-sheet after Ali Shan scored in the 48th minute to give his side a chance. Much to Pakistan’s disappointment Harmanpreet Singh had scored for Indian in the 45th minute giving India the lead of 3-0.
Indian gained the advantage after Pakistan were down to nine men as Rizwan Sr and Abu Baker Mahmood were shown yellow cards and given five minute suspension. Rizwan was made to go out for because of a rough block, while Mahmood was penalised for taking the free hit before the whistle. Chinglensana Singh drew the first blood as he scored in the 17th minute, giving India the lead, while Ramandeep Singh scored the second goal. Pakistan are three-time Asia Cup champions while India have lifted the title twice. It is interesting to note that Pakistan won all the first three editions of the Asia Cup in 1982, 1985 and 19889 while India’s victories were achieved in more recent times, in 2003 and 2007. In all of Pakistan’s three Asia Cup wins, India were the runners up.
The Daily Times
'India always beat Pakistan in Dhaka': Vijender Singh's trolling game spot-on after Asia Cup hockey match
Vijender Singh (PTI - File Photo)
The Indian men's hockey team continued their good form in their Asia Cup 2017 campaign with a third successive win beating arch-rivals Pakistan 3-1 in a high intensity Pool A match here at the Maulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium on Sunday.
Goals from Chinglensana Singh (17'), Ramandeep Singh (44') and Harmanpreet Singh (45') ensured the top spot in Pool A for India.
Taking a savage dig at India's bitter rivals, star boxer Vijender Singh wrote this on Twitter: "Congratulations @TheHockeyIndia for a wonderful victory against Pakistan. Beating Pakistan in Dhaka has been part of our legacy."
Vijender, of course, is referring to the time Indian forces helped the Bengali rebels (Mukti Bahini) in erstwhile East Pakistan in their struggle to get a separate country. It ended in an armed conflict between India and Pakistan with Lieutenant-General A. A. K. Niazi, the commander of Pakistan Eastern Command, signing the instrument of surrender in Dhaka on December 16, 1971. And, after that, Bangladesh was formed.
Here's Vijender's tweet
Congratulations @TheHockeyIndia for a wonderful victory against Pakistan. Beating Pakistan in Dhaka has been part of our legacy. #IndVsPak
The match between the two arch rivals started evenly balanced as both sides looked threatening on the attack looking to clinch the opener. India saw plenty of possession inside Pakistan's box in the early stages of the first quarter but could not convert it into a goal.
On the other hand, Pakistan defended well and looked to hurt India on the counter which saw them earn a penalty corner in the last minute of first quarter which they failed to convert as the teams ended the first quarter goal-less.
The second quarter started well for the Indians as they produced some slick passing to take the lead in the 17th minute. Akashdeep Singh showed some speed on the left flank to inject pace into the attack and then found Chinglensana Singh in the D-area, who finished the move with a sublime hit to give India the lead.
Pakistan had a glorious chance of equalising in the 23rd minute as they earned a penalty corner, but India's Goalkeeper Suraj Karkera made a great save to deny the neighbours. Two minutes later, the Indian goalkeeper made another great save from a fierce shot from open play as he was kept busy by Pakistan's attack towards the latter stages of the second quarter.
However, India's defence was up to the task at hand, and showed good cohesion to deny their opponents as they took the lead into half-time. A good performance in the third quarter was essential for both the teams to get a grip on the match.
India had the chance to tighten the noose on the match as two Pakistan players were awarded yellow cards, but the Pakistan's defence held their nerves. India were then awarded a penalty corner in the 40th minute but they could not make the most of it as the flick went wide by Varun Kumar.
Pakistan also could not make the most of their opportunities as India continued to dominate possession. The Indians extended their lead to three goals as they scored two goals in two minutes towards the end of the third quarter.
First, it was Ramandeep Singh who scored in the 44th minute as he got at the end of a long pass by Harmanpreet Singh from the right flank and then it was the latter who was in action once again as he converted a penalty corner in the 45th minute to make it 3-0 for India at the end of the third quarter.
Pakistan started the fourth quarter on the attack which saw them pull one goal back when Sardar Singh's pass was intercepted inside India's circle by Pakistan's Muhammad Arslan Qadir whose shot fell to fellow teammate Ali Shan, who put it past Goalkeeper Akash Chikte in the 49th minute to make it 3-1. India kept their shape in the last 10 minutes of the match to finish the match 3-1 in their favour.
India and Pakistan will face each other again in the tournament as they have both qualified for the Super 4s stage of the tournament.
DNA
A toss between Korea and China
By Jugjet Singh
INDIA, Pakistan and Malaysia have qualified for the round robbin of the Asia Cup in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The fourth slot will be decided Monday when South Korea and China square off in Group B. South Korea only needs a draw while China must win to play in the medal round.
On Sunday, India beat Pakistan 3-1 to top Group A. Pakistan and Japan ended the group stage on four points, but Pakistan advanced on a better goal average.
It was India's third consecutive win against the Green Shirts this year, as in the London World League Semifinals India won 7-1 in the group stage and 6-1 in the 5th-6th classification.
RESULTS: Group A: India 3 Pakistan 1, Japan 3 Bangladesh 1.
STANDINGS
GROUP A
P W D L F A Pts
INDIA 3 3 0 0 15 2 9
PAKISTAN 3 1 1 1 10 5 4
JAPAN 3 1 1 1 6 8 4
BANGLADESH 3 0 0 3 1 17 0
GROUP B
P W D L F A Pts
MALAYSIA 2 2 0 0 9 2 6
S KOREA 2 1 0 1 8 4 3
CHINA 2 1 0 1 3 8 3
OMAN 2 0 0 2 3 9 0
Jugjet's World of Field Hockey
Tanaka’s double helps Japan down Bangladesh 3-1
KARACHI: Japan held their nerves till the final hooter to snatch a 3-1 victory against hosts Bangladesh who put up a strong fight in Sunday’s Pool A match of the Asia Cup 2017 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was Kenta Tanaka’s back-to-back goals in the dying minutes of the match that helped Japan earn the winning points. With both Japan and hosts Bangladesh vying for that elusive three points in Pool A, the clash on Sunday witnessed the two teams give it their best and entertain the home crowd. While Japan had to win by a big goal difference to keep their Super 4s hope alive, Bangladesh had to win to salvage their pride in their home ground.
Japan being a better side in counter attack, they constantly put pressure on Bangladesh defence in the circle. They were quick in their circle penetrations in both first and second quarter but could not quite make the chances count as they narrowly missed shots on goal. In the 10th minute of the match, they won three back-to-back PCs but a poorly executed variation dented their hopes of an early lead. However, a breakthrough came in the 22nd minute when Kenji Kitazato made a brilliant run into the circle to score a field goal and fetch Japan a 1-0 lead.
Though Bangladesh registered fewer circle entries compared to Japan and the chances they created were well defended by the Japanese goal keeper Suguru Shimmoto, it was the unrelenting skipper of Bangladesh Rashel Mahmud who helped win a PC for his team in the 28th minute. The chance was brilliantly utilized by Mamunur-Rahman Chayan who was excellent with his dragflick to equalize.
Though Japan found a golden opportunity to regain the lead in the 40th minute when they were awarded a penalty stroke, Bangladesh goalkeeper Asim Gope was outstanding in his effort to pad away the flick. Japan won as many as three PCs the following minutes but were shoddy in their execution, often with bad injection and trapping that saw them miss out on goal scoring opportunities.
It’s noteworthy to mention Bangladesh’s efforts in putting up a strong defence but they lost steam in the final few minutes of the game which was capitalized by Japan. It was two back-to-back goals in the 59th and 60th minute by Tanaka that saw Japan convincingly win the match by 3-1. Tanaka was impressive with his dribbling on both occasions that saw him beat the Bangladeshi defender to put it past Gope and win the match.
The Daily Times
Oman warm-up for Super 4 crunch
By Jugjet Singh
MALAYSIA will use the last Group B match against Oman Monday as warm-up for the Round Robbin of the Asia Cup.
Coach Stephen van Huizen's men passed the group stage with flying colours when they hammered China 7-1 and then edged Asia Cup defending champions South Korea 2-1.
Oman need a miracle to deny Malaysia full points to top the group, while for Malaysia, its how many goals they want to score.
"No disrespect to the Oman players, as I aim to use this game as a warm-up before the 'real tournament' starts," said van Huizen.
The top two teams in each group advance to the Round Robin where they play three more matches. The top two teams will then advance to the final.
Oman has only played twice in the Asia Cup, with the last one being in Ipoh in 2013 where they ended sixth.
"Our penalty corners are still not sharp, and we have one more match to get it right. The three matches in the Round Robbin is our true test, and we aim to pass the second stage with flying colours as well," said van Huizen.
No 1 flicker Razie Rahim has been given many chances against China and Korea, but he has failed to deliver. Instead, No 2 flicker Faizal Shaari is more deadly in Dhaka.
The other flickers which have yet to be used are Shahril Saabah and Najmi Jazlan.
And it looks like van Huizen is keeping Shahril and Najmi for the second round.
Jugjet's World of Field Hockey
Ponacha knows the score
By Jugjet Singh
OMAN coach A.K. Ponacha, from India, knows that his men are in for a torrid 60 minutes in their last Group B match of the Asia Cup in Dhaka, Bangladesh, today.
Statistics are too damning for Oman to even dream of pulling off an upset.
Malaysia beat China 7-1, while Oman lost to China 2-1.
Malaysia beat South Korea 2-1, while Oman were hammered 7-2 by South Korea.
"We know its going to be the toughest Group B match for us, but on the other hand, we have nothing to lose but much to gain by playing against higher ranked opponents," said Ponacha.
The part-time Oman players are ranked 30th in the world, while a professional and full-time Malaysian squad is 12th.
"Most of our players are working either with the Army or Police and we get together during weekends to train. And before the Asia Cup, they were preparing for the Indoor Asia Cup (in Qatar, April) so we trained whenever we could after the indoor," said Ponacha.
Interestingly, in the Indoor Asia Cup, Malaysia beat Oman 7-5 in the fifth-sixth classification match even though we have only recently taken up the indoor game to prepare for the Sea Games.
Oman will be beaten today, only the score is yet to be determined.
Jugjet's World of Field Hockey
Keep Calm and Play Hockey
By Jugjet Singh
THE Asia Cup has never been Malaysa's favourite hunting ground, as in nine previous editions, only one bronze medal was won in 2007 in Chennai, India.
Malaysia made the semi-finals six times, but failed to advance to the final. The not so proud record has five fourth placings.
The tournament brings together the best in Asia, and is a World Cup qualifier. South Korea is the most successful team with four gold medals, with the most recent in 2013 in Ipoh.
The Koreans have used the Cup wisely to qualify for the World Cup
four times, but are one of the Asian giants fighting with an aged team to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Bhubaneswar, India.
India, Pakistan and Malaysia qualified via the World League, while China also has a good chance to play in the World Cup, but South Korea must win the gold medal in Dhaka to claim their spot.
And Malaysia dealt them a big blow with a hard-fought 2-1 win, and now Korea must beat China on Monday to play in the Round Robbin.
This Malaysian side has shown team and fighting spirit which has been missing for the last decade.
The Koreans pushed hard, even played robust and some say dirty hockey to find the equaliser in the third quarter, but Malaysia stood their ground.
Even in London in the World League Semifinals, Malaysia scored early and then defended with their lives to beat South Korea 1-0.
There is something magical in the way this Malaysian team attacks and defends in numbers.
After two matches, the team has made few mistakes, but still, the Koreans showed that Malaysia is not ready in one aspect.
When pushed to the limit, the Malaysian players seem to fall back into their old mentality -- making school-boy mistakes in their own 25-yard even though they have the lead.
This is dangerous, as India and Pakistan as well as South Korea are masters in making players from the other team lose their cool by playing robust and sometimes 'dirty' hockey.
Dirty here means agitating players with little nudges, and nippy hits while dribbling past, which does not cause injury but anger to the opposite side.
Malaysia were put to this test in the last minute by South Korea and even experienced Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin, normally a very cool player, lost his mind and retaliated.
With 26 seconds left on the clock and South Korea winning a free hit just outside the scoring circle, Tengku Ahmad was sent out with a yellow card for retaliating a shoulder bump.
This is what Malaysia can expect in the Round Robin. Robust, sometimes 'dirty' play from the Asian masters.
And it looks like Malaysia must beat India, Pakistan and South Korea in the Round Robin -- by keeping their cool when pushed and irritated to the limit.
Jugjet's World of Field Hockey
It’s test and tweak against Oman
By S. Ramaguru
KUALA LUMPR: Malaysia are using the match against Oman to fine-tune their game ahead of the Asia Cup Super Four round.
Malaysia have already qualified for the next round after the 7-1 and 2-1 Group B wins over China and South Korea.
National coach Stephen van Huizen said the match against Oman will not affect their place in the Super Four.
He said the match will be used to expose the fringe players and to work on their weaknesses.
“It is good that we have a match to work on our weak areas ahead of the Super Four, which is a tournament by itself.
“The matches will be tougher and we need to be ready. I’m pleased that our initial target of making the Super Four has been achieved,” he said in a telephone interview from Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Stephen added that there are no major injuries although skipper Mohamed Shukri Mutalib limped out against the Koreans.
“It’s a minor leg injury and he may be rested against Oman. There are other players with slight knocks but that’s normal. We’ll field the full team for the next round,” he added.
The team are expected to work on the penalty corner set-pieces against Oman.
In their last two matches, Malaysia earned six penalty corners in each match but only scored three goals.
Two were from direct attempts and one off a rebound.
“We are not overly concerned but it could have been better. We are certainly having a better scoring rate from field attempts.
“We have four good flickers and I’m sure we can rotate them,” he said.
Mohamed Razie Rahim and Faizal Saari are the main goal-getters while Mohamed Shahril Saabah and Mohamed Najmi Hazlan are also adept in drag flick situations.
In yesterday’s Group A match, Japan defeated hosts Bangladesh 3-1 while India also won 3-1 against Pakistan.
The Star of Malaysia
Rani Rampal to lead India in women's Asia Cup
NEW DELHI: Striker Rani Rampal will captain an 18-member Indian team at the ninth women's Asia Cup hockey tournament, which starts from October 28 at Kakamigahara City, Japan.
Senior goalkeeper Savita has been named as the vice- captain of the side.
The team selected by Hockey India for the upcoming Asia Cup has five changes from their Europe Tour of Netherlands and Belgium.
Experienced defender Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam makes a comeback into the team while forwards Navneet Kaur, Navjot Kaur and Sonika have also been included.
Apart from the inclusions, the goal will be kept by Savita and Rajani Etimarpu while Deep Grace Ekka, Sunita Lakra, Suman Devi Thoudam and Gurjit Kaur will man the defence.
The midfield will feature Namita Toppo, Nikki Pradhan, Monika, Lilima Minz and Neha Goyal while Rani, Vandana Katariya and Lalremsiami will feature in the forward line.
This will be the first for new head coach Harendra Singh with the Indian eves and he would be looking towards a strong performance in Japan with qualification for next year's Hockey women's World Cup London 2018 being his top priority.
"We have a very good blend of youth and experience within our team which will help us in negating the tasks ahead of us at the women's Asia Cup. The team has played against higher ranked teams in the build-up to the tournament which has helped us in improving our game.
"We have made several minors adjustments and improvements in our game so that we don't repeat unforced errors in our play. We will be aiming to win the women's Asia Cup 2017 in order to qualify for next year's World Cup," said Harendra.
Captain Rani too is confident that the team can perform up to its potential at the women's Asia Cup.
"We have made improvements in our game wherever it was necessary. I feel the team is playing well as a unit and there is a good sense of cohesion in our squad. We are looking forward to performing well in Japan so that we can qualify for the World Cup," she said.
India have been placed in Pool A alongside China, Malaysia and Singapore and will start their campaign against Singapore on October 28.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Savita (vice-captain), Rajani Etimarpu
Defenders: Deep Grace Ekka, Sunita Lakra, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Suman Devi Thokam, Gurjit Kaur
Midfielders: Nikki Pradhan, Namita Toppo, Monika, Lilima Minz, Neha Goyal
Forwards: Rani Rampal (Captain), Vandana Katariya, Lalremsiami, Sonika, Navneet Kaur, Navjot Kaur.
The Times of India
Oman will host Men's Asian Games Qualifier next March
s2h team
Muscat, Oman will be the host city of next year's Men's Asian Games Qualifier 2018. The Qualifying round for the Jakarta Asian Games will be held between from March 2 to 10 at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat.
"We wish to ensure 12 nations at the forthcoming Asian Games in Jakarta. So far we have had only ten teams at the Asian games, and this time, we want to ensure the full quota of 12 teams. With Oman's great history in hockey, we are confident the Oman Hockey Association will ensure the best conditions for the event," expressed Tayyab Ikram, Chief Executive (AHF) on signing the MoU with Oman.
Oman has nearly 92 years of hockey history and with the people of Oman taking keen interest in the sport, hosting the Qualifier Round will mean that the competition will boost Oman's performance in international hockey significantly.
"We thank Asian Hockey Federation for giving us the responsibility of hosting the Men's Asian Games Qualifier 2018 and their continued support in developing hockey in Oman and the rest of Asia. We are happy to host the participants aspiring to make the Asian Games qualification and look forward to hosting a successful event," stated Dr Khamis Salim Al-Rahbi, Secretary General, Oman Hockey Association.
Shakir Munir further added that the event will contribute significantly in the promotion of the sport in Oman. "Hosting this event will not only boost the performance of Oman national team but it will also inspire young people in our country to follow and take up our sport and equip Oman to host further international hockey events," Munir said.
Stick2Hockey.com
Indoor USWNT All Set for Women’s Indoor Pan American Cup Beginning Tomorrow
GEORGETOWN, Guyana – The U.S. Women’s National Indoor Team arrived in South America as they prepare to partake in the seventh edition of the women’s Indoor Pan American Cup (IPAC). As an event that holds great potential, the Indoor USWNT will look to advance and qualify for the 2018 FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup in Berlin Germany. Taking place at The Cliff Anderson Sports Hall in Georgetown, Guyana, this 6-day event will bring together seven teams consisting of Argentina, Barbados, Canada, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and the USA. With a current FIH Hero Indoor World Ranking of No. 28, the U.S. Women’s National Indoor Team opens tournament play against Trinidad and Tobago, tomorrow, Monday, October 16 at 12:30 p.m. ET.
In the mid-September, Indoor USWNT Head Coach Jun Kentwell established the 12-athlete traveling roster which is a blend of experience and youth with some athletes who will earn their first international caps for Team USA.
In previous editions of IPAC, the Indoor USWNT has accumulated five medals including two silver and three bronze, with the most recent coming in 2014 in Montevideo, Uruguay when they went on to defeat the host nation for third place.
Watch all of the U.S. Women’s National Indoor Teams’ matches at the women’s IPAC live on EventsHub and the Guyana Hockey Board Facebook Page starting Monday October 16. A link to watch the games will be provided prior to the start on the IPAC Event Page by clicking here.
Women’s Indoor Pan American Cup Matches:
Monday, October 16 USA vs. TTO 12:30 p.m. ET
Tuesday, October 17 USA vs. URU 6:00 p.m. ET
Wednesday, October 18 USA vs. ARG 4:30 p.m. ET
Thursday, October 19 USA vs. BAR 12:45 p.m. ET
USA vs. GUY 7:00 p.m. ET
Friday, October 20 USA vs. CAN 2:30 p.m. ET
U.S. Women’s National Indoor Team Indoor Pan American Cup Team:
Mary Beth Barham (Fairfax, Va.), Ali Campbell (Boyertown, Pa.), Samantha Carlino (Kennett Square, Pa.), Sierra Espeland (Fredericksburg, Va.), Allyson Fuller (Ellicott City, Md.), Katherine Gerzabek (Springfield, Pa.), Jessica McCarthy (Havertown, Pa.), Anarose McDonough (Kennett Square, Pa.), Madison Orobono (Macungie, Pa.), Samantha Popper (Blue Bell, Pa.), Hannah Prince (Gorham, Maine), Paityn Wirth (Thompsontown, Pa.)
In preparation for IPAC, the U.S. Women’s National Indoor Team recently hosted Australia’s National Indoor Development Squad for a six-game test series. Held at The Training Center in Spring City, Pa., USA and Australia finished in a few close matches but it was the Indoor USWNT that came out on top in each contest.
Follow the U.S. Women's National Indoor Team while at the women’s Indoor Pan American Cup by checking Team USA’s Twitter account @USAFieldHockey for event updates as well as going to the Indoor Pan American Cup Event Page. #IPAC2017
USFHA media release
Surbiton overcome Wimbledon challenge
Surbiton's Alan Forsyth. Credit Tim Rede
Defending champions Surbiton made it four wins out of four in the Men’s Hockey League Premier Division after a 2-1 victory at Wimbledon on Sunday.
Surbiton beat Wimbledon to the title in dramatic fashion last season, but the two sides were evenly matched with the scores level at the break.
It was Alan Forsyth who opened the scoring midway through the second half for the visitors with his fourth of the campaign, before Arjan Drayton-Chana doubled the advantage five minutes later.
Johnny Kinder gave the hosts hope when he pulled one back eight minutes from time but Surbiton held on to stay top, whilst last season’s league leaders are yet to win this term.
Robbie Gleeson scored twice as Beeston won 3-0 at Brooklands MU to stay second in the table.
Gleeson gave the visitors the lead after 21 minutes, before Sam Ward converted a penalty corner putting Beeston two up on the stroke of half time.
The points were secured nine minutes after the break, Gleeson grabbing his second of the afternoon as Beeston remain two points behind the leaders.
Michael Watt struck four as Hampstead and Westminster claimed a comfortable 7-0 win over Canterbury.
Star man Watt opened the scoring after just two minutes, before efforts from Matt Guise-Brown and Harry Martin put the hosts in control.
Watt had his hat-trick before the break with two in three minutes and he added a fourth on 40 minutes, before Jonny Gooch scored with a minute to play to seal an impressive three points.
East Grinstead made it back-to-back wins after a 3-1 defeat of Sevenoaks on Saturday.
Chris Griffiths gave East Grinstead the lead but Mike Barker equalised seven minutes later to send the sides the interval all square.
However, two goals in the last ten minutes for Liam Ansell and David Condon wrapped up the points for East Grinstead.
Second half goals from Daniel Webster and Nicholas Bandurak helped Holcombe to a 2-1 win at Reading, despite Ben Boon levelling the game for the hosts with his third of the season.
Men’s Conference North
The University of Nottingham recorded their fourth straight win in the Men’s Conference North with a 3-2 home defeat of Bowdon.
James Hodgkinson, Tom Sorsby and Edward Iffla gave the hosts the points, with Ben White’s brace for Bowdon proving to be a consolation.
Loughborough Students moved second on goal difference after a 3-1 win at Doncaster, Edward Firth and Tendo Kimuli amongst the scorers.
The University of Durham remain unbeaten but were held to a 3-3 at home to Cannock, Callum Stacey’s second of the afternoon four minutes from time giving the visitors a point.
Sam Apoola scored twice to help Leeds claim a 4-2 victory at bottom club Preston, whilst Deeside Ramblers picked up their first points of the campaign with a 4-0 win over Sheffield Hallam.
Men’s Conference East
Oxted preserved their perfect start to the season in the Men’s Conference North after a 5-0 win at Teddington.
Brad Logan opened the scoring after two minutes before second half goals from Sam Driver (2), Timothy Guise-Brown and Robbert Schenk saw the visitors pull clear.
Second half efforts from Euan Gilmour and Darren Cheeseman saw Cambridge City come from behind to maintain their unbeaten start with a 2-1 win over Chichester.
Brighton & Hove edged out Old Georgians 4-3, Joe Naughalty scoring after just 26 seconds and completing another hat trick to make it 10 goals in just four games.
Elsewhere Tyler Sundeen, Simeon Bird and John Sterlini all scored two as Southgate beat West Herts 7-1, whilst Richmond defeated Old Loughtonians 2-1 to register their first win of the season.
Men’s Conference West
The University of Exeter are the new leaders of the Men’s Conference West on goal difference after a 7-2 derby day win at Isca.
Sam Hooper hit a hat trick and James Ferguson a brace, with a goal apiece from Ed Matts and Tom Watson rounding off victory.
Olton & West Warwicks are second after a 2-1 win at Cheltenham, Daniel Sulway scoring the winner seven minutes from time.
Cardiff & Met defeated Fareham 4-2, Rhys Bradshaw and Jack Pritchard securing the points after Fareham had earlier fought back from two down.
A brace from Maciej Janiszewski took his season tally to five as Havant defeated Clifton Robinsons 5-2, whilst University of Birmingham held off a second half rally from Team Bath Buccaneers to win 4-3.
* Full results, tables and fixtures from the Men’s Hockey League are available here.
England Hockey Board Media release
Irish Mens EYHL Weekend Round Up
Glenanne produced a superb comeback to suggest they could be a dark horse for title contention as they came from 2-0 down to beat EY Champions Trophy holders Three Rock Rovers 3-2 at Grange Road.
Peter Blakeney and Ben Walker had given Rovers a two-goal headstart but Eddie O’Malley struck either side of half-time to level the match before Richard Couse proved the match-winner with a lofted finish to Gary Shaw’s assist.
It made it three wins from three for the Glens who head the table at this early stage with three sides three points back on six points.
Lisnagarvey won another thriller at Serpentine Avenue, beating Pembroke 6-3 courtesy of five second-half goals. Irish internationals Alan Sothern and Sean Murray exchanged goals to make it 1-1 at half-time.
Pembroke led again at 2-1 from Sothern’s sixth of the season but a three-goal spree – one each from Murray, Matthew Nelson and Andy Williamson – in eight minutes put Garvey 4-2 up. Nick Burns pulled one back but Williamson added two more in the last few minutes to close out the win.
Cork C of I got their first win when they held off Cookstown 2-1; John Jermyn whipped home a corner for a lead in the second half before Stuart Miller put them two clear. Their previous two league matches, though, had seen Cork drop points late on and they were made to sweat when Andy Barbour netted but Cookstown found the equaliser elusive from some late chances.
Banbridge proved too strong for Annadale, eventually making their corners count in a 4-0 win. They had a set-piece tally running into double-figures with Philip Brown scoring one in the first half before adding two more in the closing quarter before Dane Ward completed the rout.
Monkstown scored one in each half to see off Railway Union 2-0 at Park Avenue. Town led from the second minute via Karl Smith but had to wait until the fourth quarter to make the game safe through Davy Carson.
Men’ EY Hockey League: Banbridge 4 (Philip Brown 3, D Ward) Annadale 0; Cork C of I 2 (J Jermyn, S Miller) Cookstown 1 (A Barbour); Pembroke Wanderers 3 (A Sothern 2, N Burns) Lisnagarvey 6 (M Nelson 3, S Murray 2, A Williamson); Railway Union 0 Monkstown 2 (K Smith, D Carson); Three Rock Rovers 2 (P Blakeney, B Walker) Glenanne 3 (E O’Malley 2, S O’Donoghue, R Couse)
Day three round-up
Pembroke Wanderers 3 (A Sothern 2, N Burns) Lisnagarvey 6 (A Williamson 3, S Murray 2, M Nelson)
Three goals in eight second-half minutes – along with two in the last two – saw Lisnagarvey eventually race out of range of Pembroke at Serpentine Avenue in a nine-goal battle. The win keeps Garvey’s unbeaten run going while Pembroke lost for the first time.
Alan Sothern started the scoring in the third minute from play – his fifth of the season – before Sean Murray equalised two minutes later. Sothern restored the Pembroke lead early in the second half from a corner, making it two goals from him in each game this season.
Andy Williamson’s diving deflection tied the game at 2-2 in the 50th minute and Murray had Garvey in front soon after. Moments later, Matthew Nelson completed the run of three goals in quick succession following a mazy run and a reverse into the corner.
Nick Burns snapped up a corner rebound for 4-3 with six minutes to go but when Pembroke removed their goalkeeper in search of a leveller, Williamson prospered with two goals in the closing few minutes for a 6-3 win.
Three Rock Rovers 2 (P Blakeney, B Walker) Glenanne 3 (E O’Malley 2, R Couse)
Glenanne came from 2-0 down to beat Three Rock Rovers 3-2 at Grange Road, confirming they could well be contenders this season in the men’s EY Hockey League. Shane O’Donoghue fired the first shot in earnest, one which Harry MacMahon saved excellent off the line. Harry Morris, meanwhile, was set through one-on-one and chipped over Iain Walker only for David Keogh to clear off the line.
Peter Blakeney slapped home on his own openside for 1-0 in the 20th minute and Rovers went two up with a beautiful touch on the baseline five minutes later.
Glenanne, though, did have plenty of first-half chances, drawing some top stops from Conor Quinn and they were on the board before half-time via Eddie O’Malley, the shot going in off Quinn’s helmet.
The sides traded corners in the third quarter with O’Malley levelling the game in the 46th minute from a corner move, getting a touch to Shane O’Donoghue’s drag for 2-2. And Richard Couse won the game three minutes later with a stunning lofted strike from Gary Shaw’s assist.
Rovers threw everything forward for the closing quarter with Richard Pautz and Jody Hosking going close before the Glens had a chance to make the tie safe from a couple of corners but it was not required as they landed their third single-goal win in succession.
Banbridge 4 (Philip Brown 3, D Ward) Annadale 0
Philip Brown’s hat-trick of corners eventually put the game to bed as Banbridge recorded their second 4-0 win of the men’s EY Hockey League season, turning a 1-0 third quarter time lead into a comfortable-looking result.
Peter Caruth skimmed the crossbar with the pick of the first quarter attacks while Bann saw Eugene Magee – in his first appearance of the season – almost make an instant impact. The Havelock Park hosts were running up the corners already and they netted from their sixth corner with Brown flicking high into the net.
Magee had a second chalked off in favour of a corner whistled for while he was in the act of scoring while Johnny Moore also made some great saves to keep the gap at the minimum at half-time.
As time wore on, Bann’s corner count rose to double figures with Brown eventually putting two in the difference in the closing quarter. He completed his hat trick into an empty net as Dale withdrew their goalkeeper before Dane Ward tapped home in the final minute for the fourth as the keeper-gamble backfired.
Cork C of I 2 (J Jermyn, S Miller) Cookstown 1 (A Barbour)
Cork C of I recorded their first win of the campaign, condemning Cookstown to a third successive narrow defeat in the men’s EY Hockey League since their promotion. After a trio of corner shots from Julian Dale were repelled, John Jermyn stepped up in the 51st minute when he whipped home. Stuart Miller extended the lead with 15 minutes to go and C of I went close to a clinching third goal via Alex Burns but he was twice denied by Josh McCabe.
The Cork side have twice been caught in the closing minutes already this season and worries arose this may happen again when Andy Barbour pulled one back with five minutes to go and a couple of corners came for the Co Tyrone side but C of I held on for the win.
Railway Union 0 Monkstown 2 (K Smith, D Carson)
Goals from Karl Smith and Davy Carson saw Monkstown beat Railway Union 2-0, getting their first win of the season while Railway await the first points and goals of their campaign.
Smith opened the scoring just a couple of minutes in following an overload down the left wing, deflecting in from a ball across the circle. It remained that way until half-time with both sides having half chances.
Town upped the tempo in the second half, winning a number of corners but they had a greater degree of comfort when Carson latched onto a loose ball, created when a clearance from Stephen O’Keeffe hit a defender and fell to the striker
Irish Hockey Association media release
Irish Womens EYHL Weekend Round Up
UCD moved to the top of the women’s EY Hockey League as they continued to bounce back from their opening day defeat with a confident 3-1 win over student rivals Trinity.
Emma Russell’s sixth-minute goal meant they led from the front with Deirdre Duke doubling up. Former UCD player Sally Campbell made for a nervy ending but Irish skipper Katie Mullan put the game out of sight.
It meant Miles Warren’s side moved up four places in the tables as Ards, Cork Harlequins, Pegasus and Railway union all drew. Indeed, the table is extremely close-knit with no 100% records and first and ninth place covered by just three points with five teams still unbeaten.
For Ards and Cork Harlequins, the goals in their 1-1 tie both came in the final quarter. Amy Benson nipped in to break the deadlock in the 55th minute but Rebecca Barry – back after injury – snatched a corner rebound with a fine reverse-stick shot for the draw.
Pegasus and Railway Union drew 0-0 with Grace O’Flanagan denying her former teammate Alex Speers from the key moments.
Pembroke ran up a 4-0 win over Hermes-Monkstown to get their season up and running, putting their first points on the board. Former Hermes player Aisling Naughton scored the first six minutes in before Leinster underage player Katie-Jane Marshall made it two before half-time. Orla Macken and Laura Noble added two more in the closing quarter.
The league now goes on a two-week break. Next weekend, the schoolgirls interpros take place in Ulster before the Irish senior women in action in a three-match series against Scotland, starting next Sunday.
The weekend after is the intervarsities tournament in Grange Road before the league returns on the weekend of November 4th and 5th.
Women’s EY Hockey League: Ards 1 (A Benson) Cork Harlequins 1 (R Barry); Hermes-Monkstown 0 Pembroke Wanderers 4 (A Naughton; K Marshall. O Macken. L Noble); Pegasus 0 Railway Union 0; Trinity (S Campbell) 1 UCD 3 (E Russell, K Mullan, D Duke).
Day three – extended reports
Ards 1 (A Benson) Cork Harlequins 1 (R Barry)
Both Ards and Cork Harlequins continued their unbeaten starts to the women’s EY Hockey League season, moving onto five points each after three rounds of matches.
Both the goals came in the closin quarter after a very even first three quarters. Naomi McKnight made a key save for the home side while Faye Kidd’s diving effort and Chloe Brown’s shot from a tight angle were the pick of the chances in the first half.
Brown also had a drag taken off the line at the post before Amy Benson opened the scoring a minute into the final quarter, nipping in front of Emma Buckley to get to a crash ball and touch home.
The equaliser, though, came 11 minutes later when Rebecca Barry reacted quickest to fire in a great reverse-stick shot after an initial drag-flick was charged down. Ards did have a late chance to win it from a corner but Brown saw another follow-up shot taken off the line.
Trinity (S Campbell) 1 UCD 3 (E Russell, K Mullan, D Duke)
UCD moved top of the women’s EYHL with a confident win over student rivals Trinity, continuing their bounce-back from their opening day defeat to Cork Harlequins. Emma Russell gave them the perfect start, netting from a baseline attack in the sixth minute.
Katie Mullan had a couple of near misses as the Belfield side made most of the play against the newly promoted outfit but Carolyn Crampton made some strong saves while Louise McCollum charged down a corner. Ailish Long and Niamh Sweeney, meanwhile, gave Trinity a threat from their attacks.
Deirdre Duke was credited with the second goal amid a goal-mouth melee after a few half-hit shots and saves at close-quarters, moving UCD 2-0 up. Sally Campbell got one back for Trinity in the closing seven minutes as she ran along the baseline and slotted in the corner from a tight angle.
But Mullan made the game safe when Duke won a corner, dragging into the bottom corner for 3-1.
Hermes-Monkstown 0 Pembroke Wanderers 4 (A Naughton; K Marshall. O Macken. L Noble)
Pembroke shook off the shackles to land their first win of the season, leaving Hermes-Monkstown still to get off the mark after three games. Former Hermes player Aisling Naughton broke the deadlock after six minute before Katie Jane Marshall doubled the lead at half-time.
Orla Macken and Laura Noble added final quarter goals to stretched out the lead to four to lift the Dublin 4 side up a couple of places in the table.
Pegasus 0 Railway Union 0
Pegasus and Railway Union were another pair of sides to extend their unbeaten run to three games – making it five clubs in total yet to be defeated – as they shared a goal-less draw at Queen’s.
Pegs’ captain Alex Speers – against her former club – had the best chance of the first half denied by Grace O’Flanagan while the same match-up served up the key chance in the 58th minute, the former’s deflection drawing a brilliant reaction save. Taite Doherty’s final shot was also kept out by O’Flanagan to ensure the scoreless draw.
Irish Hockey Association media release
Murray’s smashes late winner for Garvey over Bann
Lisnagarvey’s Daniel Buser scored twice against Banbridge. Pic: Sinead Hingston
Sean Murray smashed home a last-minute winner for Lisnagarvey to grab a memorable opening round 3-2 result over local rivals, eliminating the reigning Irish Senior Cup champions Banbridge.
It capped a cracking tie between the two Ulster rivals with precious little to choose between the teams (click here for the BBC highlight package).
Philip Brown opened up with his fourth goal of the weekend to give Bann the perfect start to the weekend but Daniel Buser’s pair of goals turned things around.
Alex Tinney’s equaliser left the tie in the mix for a long while before Garvey summoned the late winner which puts them into the second round pot.
Elsewhere, there were no major cup upsets of note with Railway Union, Monkstown, Pembroke and Annadale all knocking out regional league sides to advance with something to spare.
For Railway, they got their first goals and first win of the campaign, moving into a 3-0 lead before half-time with Rob Devlin, Eoin MacArthur and Simon McKeever on the mark.
Kevin Murray pulled one back for the Bulls but there were no further goals in the second half.
Annadale were another EYHL side to shake off the shackles and claim a first win of the campaign as they won 3-0 in Santry against Dublin University with Oliver Flack, Craig Getty and Peter Caruth scoring.
Guy Sarratt scored four times in a surprisingly one-side win over Leinster Division 1 leaders Corinthian, running up a 9-0 win.
Cookstown face Instonians on Wednesday evening in the last remaining first round tie.
It means nine EYHL sides are currently in the hat for the second round, last 16 draw. The one regional league side to win the tie were Kilkeel as they won a shoot-out 3-2 against Avoca on Saturday afternoon after Jonathan Elmes and David Finlay scored twice each in normal time.
Irish Senior Cup, first round
Saturday: Avoca 2 (J Elmes 2) Kilkeel 2 (D Finlay 2), Kilkeel won shoot-out 3-2
Sunday: Clontarf 1 (K Murray) Railway Union 3 (R Devlin, E MacArthur, S McKeever); Rathgar 0 Pembroke 4 (N Burns, A Sothern, H Spain, K Shimmins); Dublin University 0 Annadale 3 (O Flack, P Caruth, C Getty); Banbridge 2 (P Brown, A Tinney) Lisnagarvey 3 (D Buser 2, S Murray); Monkstown 9 (G Sarratt 2, A Ward, S Cole, D Cole, R Quirke) Corinthian 0
The Hook
UCD shake off UCC in student Irish Senior Cup battle
Deirdre Duke created two of UCD’s goals. Pic: Adrian Boehm
In a precursor to next week’s intervarsities, UCD belatedly shook off Munster Division One leaders UCC to run up a 4-1 victory and advance to the second round of the women’s Irish Senior Cup.
Two goals in the closing four minutes stretched out the advantage but there was the odd fraught moment thrown in, particularly after Clodagh Moloney reduced the gap to 2-1 with UCC winning a corner soon after.
But, were it not for the brilliance of Kate Murphy between the posts, the tie could have been dead and buried long before the second half drama.
The goalkeeper made a wealth of good stops, the first coming from Orla Patton just a few minutes in from point-blank range. The Cork side did have their moments in attack with Kate Harvey and Jenny Clein the outlets.
UCD, though, moved the ball at a quicker tempo. Murphy produced another brilliant sliding stop to deny Emma Russell’s first time slap following a slick three-on-two move, keeping it scoreless into half-time.
Deirdre Duke had gone close a couple of times in the first half and, in a creative role, her excellent baseline work on the left gave Katherine Egan the chance to finish for 1-0 five minutes into the second half.
Lena Tice’s corner slap with 19 minutes to go looked to have taken the sting out of the tie but UCC were back in the hunt within a couple of minutes from their second corner.
Moloney’s shot was not the cleanest but the top-spin generated had enough on it to bamboozle the defence to sneak in at the right post. They were unable to repeat the feat soon after from another corner and, with that, their last chance had gone.
Tice put the game to bed from a stroke with four minutes to go and then Sorcha Clarke got a feint touch to Duke’s run and shot in front of Murphy for 4-1.
Lurgan continued their hoodoo over Trinity as first half goals from Sarah McClure and Lauren Wright gave the Ulster Premier side a 2-0 win. Lurgan had beaten Trinity in the EY playoffs last season and they repeated the feat on home turf.
They advance to the last 16 along with Cork Harlequins who raced to a 7-1 win at Dungannon, Naomi Carroll’s double part of five first half strikes. Lucy McKee scored a hat trick in Pegasus’s 12-0 dismissal of Corinthian.
Old Alex continued their excellent start to the season with a 5-0 win at Banbridge, Rachel Gray registering twice.
In the Irish Hockey Trophy, a series of Munster sides prevailed on lengthy road-trips. Catholic Institute won 6-2 at Raphoe; Bandon won 3-0 at Armagh; Cork C of I won 2-1 at Lisnagarvey; Belvedere won 2-1 at Rathgar while Waterford beat NUIG in a shoot-out, the latter on home turf. Elsewhere, there were wins for Galway, Avoca and Omagh.
Women’s Irish Senior Cup, first round: Banbridge 0 Old Alex 5 (R Gray 2, F Bradish, L Jacob, E Duncan); Dungannon 1 (K Elliott) Cork Harlequins 7 (N Carroll 2, E O’Leary 2, R Barry, J O’Halloran, E Barber); Lurgan 2 (S McClure, L Wright) Trinity 0; Pegasus 12 (L McKee 3 A Speers 2, R McMillan 2 S McCay M Harvey, R Maguire, K McKee H Grieve) Corinthian 0; UCD 4 (L Tice 2, K Egan, S Clarke) UCC 1 (C Moloney)
Irish Hockey Trophy, first round
Friday: Cookstown 0 Mossley 5 (N McMillan 3, S McDowell, A Jones)
Saturday: Armagh 0 Bandon 3 (R Desmond, M Barrett, J Buttimer); Galway 2 (S Carey, K Gorman) Clontarf 1; Lisnagarvey 1 (Rachel Houston) Cork Church of Ireland 2 (J Coyne, A O’Mahony); North Down 1 (O Brown) Avoca 2 (T May, J Ringrose); Omagh 2 (A Buchanan, D Darragh) Ashton 0; Raphoe 2 (V Wrey, S Paterson) Catholic Institute 6 (C Moloney 2, R Pratt, K Dunleavy, K Daly, C O’Shea); Rathgar 1 (S Fox) Belvedere 2 (J O’Donnell, E O’Connell); Waterford 1 (B Johnson) NUIG 1, Waterford win 4-3 on shoot-out.
The Hook
Wild weekend sees Penn field hockey split matches
Quakers lose against Columbia, prevail in comeback win over Temple
By Moses Nsereko
Senior Alexa Hoover finished with one goal and two assists in Penn field hockey's 4-2 win over Temple. Photo: Ananya Chandra
This weekends' two matches were two sides of the same coin for Penn field hockey. That is, during the course of one weekend, the Quakers experienced two completely different results.
The Red and Blue split their matches this weekend, suffering a 2-0 loss in an Ivy conference match to Columbia, and recovering for a 4-2 win over in their final City Six match in the schedule against local rival Temple.
The double-header started on Friday evening as Penn field hockey (6-6, 2-2 Ivy) traveled out to New York to face off against Columbia (7-5, 3-1) in a critical Ancient Eight contest to determine which of the two teams would stay behind undefeated rivals Harvard and Princeton.
The two teams traded blows early in the matchup, holding each other scoreless throughout most of the first half. Initially, it seemed that the Quakers would end the first period and regroup for the next 35 minutes, but the Lions had other plans.
In the 28th minute of the opening period, Columbia freshman attack Meghan Fahey connected off a cross from junior teammate to Danielle Buttinger to record the first goal of the contest. It wouldn’t take long for the Lions to follow up with a second goal, as sophomore midfielder Jennifer Trieschman scored off a rebound just five minutes later.
Five minutes.
That’s how long it took for the Quakers to go from feeling confident about their performance to trailing by two goals.
Penn did pick up its play in the second half, but it was not enough. Sophomore keeper Ava Rosati registered two key saves to keep Columbia from scoring in the second half. Sophomore Alexa Schneck was a force in the attacking third for Penn as the Quakers had six shots on goal in the second half. But, The Lion’s defensive efforts were just as strong, as all six of those shots were saved, and the Quakers went down 2-0 in the end.
As tough as it is to recover from a loss, coach Colleen Fink’s squad didn’t have much time at all to dwell. And it seemed to have served them well, as Penn took down Philly rival Temple (4-10, 0-5 AAC) just two days later.
It didn’t seem as if Penn would be able to pull out the win against the Owls either, as after 50 minutes of play, the Quakers found themselves down 2-1 thanks to finishes from Temple sophomore attacks Maddie Merton and Cristen Barnett.
As the second period progressed and the end of the game neared, Penn found themselves unable to draw level. 20 minutes left turned into 15 minutes left, and as the game approached the 60th minute of play, Penn was still down 2-1. That would all change in the next ten minutes.
Ten minutes.
That’s how long it took for the Quakers to rip open a game they once trailed.
Scheck opened the stretch with a clean finish off an assist from senior Alexa Hoover. Freshman Erin Kelly secured the go-ahead point with her first collegiate goal a mere two minutes later. Hoover added insult to injury as she closed the stretch with an empty-net goal with just under two-minutes to play to build an insurmountable two goal lead for Penn.
The Quakers' results this weekend showed just how quickly things can change in sports. Five minutes was all that separated them from their Ivy counterparts, and ten minutes was all that separated them from their city counterparts.
Penn's schedule does not get easier, as Penn will hope to turn time on its side next weekend against Ivy-rival Yale and #9 ranked Syracuse.
The Daily Pennsylvanian