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News for 04 January 2018

All the news for Thursday 4 January 2018


An instant hero

By Aftar Singh


In form: Tenaga Nasional’s goalkeeper Mohammad Hairi Abdul Rahman trying to block Maybank’s Mohd Riduan Mohamad Nasir ( in yellow ) during the Tan Sri P. Alagendra Cup opening match at the National Hockey Stadium in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. — DARRAN TAN / The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: Kudos to goalkeeper Mohd Hairi Abdul Rahman.

Playing his first match for Tenaga Nasional, Hairi turned hero by helping his team qualify for the quarter-finals of the Tan Sri P. Alagendra Cup.

Tenaga edged last year’s runners-up Maybank 2-1 in a penalty shootout after both teams failed to break the 1-1 deadlock in regulation time at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

Shahril Saabah gave Tenaga Nasional the lead off a penalty corner in the 19th minute but Maybank equalised in the 42nd through Mohamad Zulhamizan Awang Abas.

Hairi, who replaced experienced goalkeeper S. Kumar – who is serving a provisional two-year suspension for doping – did exceptionally well to save four of the five penalties in the shootout.

Allan Oscar William was the only Maybank player who managed to score in the shootout while Tenaga’s penalties were converted by Mu­ham­­mad Amirol Aideed Mohd Arshad and Firhan Ashaari.

The 27-year-old Hairi was delighted with his performance.

“It was my first match for Tenaga in the MHL and I did excetionally well to make a number of good saves. I played to my true form in place of Kumar and I am happy to help Tenaga qualify for the quarter-finals.

“The first win will motivate me to play much better in the quarter-finals,” said Hairi.

Tenaga face Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club in the quarter-finals today at the same venue.

KLHC were supposed to play Kedah in the first round yesterday but their opponents pulled out from the Tan Sri P. Alagendra Cup at the last minute.

Tenaga coach Nor Saiful Zaini praised Hairi for his excellent form against Maybank.

“Hairi has proven his ability and I hope he can maintain his form in the match against KLHC, who are much tougher opponents,” said the former international.

Nor Saiful said they had a score to settle with KLHC as Tenaga lost their Tan Sri P. Alagendra Cup first-round tie 3-2 last year.

“KLHC are powered by six foreign players and seven national players but I’m optimistic that my players will rise to the occasion.

“We missed a number of chances against Maybank and we can’t afford to do that against favourites KLHC,” said Nor Saiful.

The Star of Malaysia



KL Hockey Club go into Tan Sri Alagendra Cup quarter-final

PETALING JAYA: KL Hockey Club goes into the quarter-final of the Tan Sri Alagendra Cup wary of the fact that they have historically never done well in this tournament.

Having received a walkover from Kedah in the first round match scheduled for , KLHC will now take on Tenaga Nasional Berhad  for a place in Saturday’s semi final.

TNB defeated Maybank in the first round match 2-1 via shoot out after the regulation time ended at 1-1.

KLHC have several national players in their line up with penalty corner axe Razie Rahim, midfielders Shukri Mutalib, Nabil Fiqri Mohd Nor as well as the experienced Roslan Jamaluddin in goal.

Additionally, KLHC have roped in six foreign players; South Korea’s Jang Jung Hyun, Lee Nam Yong . Australians Joshua Pollard, Matthew Willis Nick Budgeon as well as Tom Carson from England.

With the exception of Nick and Josh who arrive on the 6th, the other four will be fielded against TNB.

"It will be our first match together as a team and we need to settle down early and work on the cohesion of the team as a whole" said KLHC coach Lim Chiow Chuan.

Lim added that matches against TNB are never easy as they have several players that are not only fast but skilful.

"We need to take care of our basics and not make silly errors or lose possession easily. Putting away chances we create are another important element in a knockout competition," said Lim.

Lim was unperturbed with the fact that they did not get a match against Kedah before the TNB match.

“ It works both ways. While it is a lost opportunity, it provides a small window for the foreign players to rest as well as adapt” added the former international and national assistant coach.

The Star of Malaysia



Grovers gives five-star opening show for UniKL

KUALA LUMPUR: Australian Kieran Ian Grovers only arrived here on Tuesday night.

But the 29-year-old made an explosive start in the Tan Sri P. Alagendra Cup by netting five goals to help Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) thrash hapless Selangor 10-0 in the first-round match at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

Grovers was on target in the fifth, 17th, 30th, 41st and 51st minutes.



Mohd Marhan Mohd Jalil (10th), Izwan Firdaus Ahmad Tajuddin (20th), S. Selvaraju (23rd), Faridzul Afiq Mohamed (39th) and Muhd Najmi Farizal Jazlan (52nd) contributed the other goals for UniKL.

Grovers said despite only arriving one day before the match, he managed to combine well with the UniKL players.

“We have to continue this momentum and this win has been a solid platform.

“Coach A. Arulselvaraj told us we have many tough matches along the way and we have to be prepared for the challenges ahead,” said Grovers.

UniKL have not won a title in the Malaysian Hockey League since their debut in 2011 following investments on quality players.

Last year, in the Tan Sri P. Alagendra Cup, they lost 2-1 to Maybank in the quarter-finals.

Arulselvaraj said he is happy with the combination of Grovers and Marhan Jalil upfront and Sanders de Wijn of Holland is also doing a great job in defence.

“Every match is important in this knockout tournament and we must move forward in the quarter-finals,” said Arul.

The Star of Malaysia



PR Sreejesh makes comeback as Hockey India names 33-member squad for 2018

PR Sreejesh will be is vying to find top form after nearly eight months of break due to a knee injury. He had suffered a medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury during the Azlan Shah tournament earlier last year.


PR Sreejesh was out of Indian hockey team for eight months due to knee injury.(Getty Images)

Fit-again PR Sreejesh made a return after recovering from a long-injury lay-off as Hockey India (HI) today announced a 33-member squad for the first national camp beginning in Bengaluru on Wednesday.

Sreejesh will be is vying to find top form after nearly eight months of break due to a knee injury. He had suffered a medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury during the Azlan Shah tournament earlier last year.

After ending the year with a bronze medal at the Odisha Hockey World League Final, Indian men’s hockey team will report for the 10-day camp at the Sports Authority of India here to prepare for the busy hockey calendar this season.

Goalkeeper Krishan B Pathak, part of the winning team of 2016 Junior World Cup, finds himself in the group along with Akash Anil Chikte and Suraj Karkera who had promising outing at the Asia Cup and contributed to India’s success at the Hockey World League Final.

Nilam Sanjeep Xess, the young defender from Sundargarh, Odisha who led the Indian team to U-18 Asia Cup win in 2016, has been elevated to the Senior Core Group.

He will train alongside stalwart Sardar Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Dipsan Tirkey, Varun Kumar, Rupinder Pal Singh, Birendra Lakra, Surender Kumar, Gurinder Singh in the back line.

The line-up of midfielders remains unchanged with Manpreet Singh, Chinglensana Singh, SK Uthappa, Sumit, Kothajit Singh, Satbir Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Simranjeet Singh, Harjeet Singh in the group.

Young forward Sumit Kumar, who featured in the Indian Junior Men’s Team in 2016, has been included for the camp with seniors’ SV Sunil, Akashdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh, Lalit Upadhyay, Gurjant Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Armaan Qureshi, Affan Yousuf, Talwinder Singh.

The 2018 schedule includes Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in April followed by the Champions Trophy at Netherlands in July, the Jakarta Asian Games in August, Asian Champions Trophy in October and the much-awaited Hockey World Cup in Bhubaneswar starting in November.

India, however, will begin the season with the Four Nations Invitational Tournament in Tauranga and Hamilton, New Zealand which will see Belgium, Japan and the hosts in fray.

“The camp will be short and we need to deal with the players who just played domestic matches which means we need to be careful in training considering we play eight matches in New Zealand,” said Chief Coach Sjoerd Marijne.

“Like always, the evaluation of the previous tournament needs to come from the players so that’s the first thing we do when we meet for this camp. I would like to understand what their experience was of the tournament and what they think needs to improve.

“For me, Hockey World League Final gave an insight into what is necessary to improve when we play higher ranked teams and I certainly believe we can do better in our 1 vs 1 defending. In the next tour this will be one of the key areas we would like to improve,” added the 43-year-old Dutchman.

Core Group: Goalkeepers: Akash Anil Chikte, Suraj Karkera, PR Sreejesh, Krishan B Pathak. Defenders: Harmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Dipsan Tirkey, Varun Kumar, Rupinderpal Singh, Birendra Lakra, Surender Kumar, Gurinder Singh, Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Sardar Singh. Midfielders: Manpreet Singh, Chinglensana Singh, SK Uthappa, Sumit, Kothajit Singh, Satbir Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Simranjeet Singh, Harjeet Singh. Forwards: SV Sunil, Akashdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh, Lalit Upadhyay, Gurjant Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Armaan Qureshi, Affan Yousuf, Talwinder Singh, Sumit Kumar.

Hindustan Times



India hockey review: Promising results but sterner tests await

Feroz Khan

There's certain charm about Indian hockey that continues to make it a widely debated and followed sport in the country despite years of underachievement. Time and again, hopes of a return to its glorious past are raised but they eventually crash with a surprising thud. The recent India men's hockey teams might not enjoy the position of an unchallenged authority of its predecessors but nevertheless, every time it takes the field, the expectations invariably are sky high. The 2017 was no different and was another example of the mixed fortunes Indian hockey has become accustomed to endure season after season.

It was a season that could be divided into two halves of unequal proportion. In the first half, comprising the first nine months, the men's team underperformed and the women's gave mixed results. The men's season began in late April in Malaysia where they were one of the favourites to win the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. But for the second year in a row, they failed to make it to the final and had to contend with a third-place finish. Captain PR Sreejesh ended up hurting his knee during the event and he had to sit out for the rest of the year. In his absence, young Manpreet Singh was handed the captain's armband.

A month later, India travelled to London for the Hockey World League Semi Final. The tournament proved to be a disaster. They lost to a lowly Canada in their final match, finishing a poor sixth. In the space of a month, they had failed twice on the global stage.

The poor results prompted the management to fast track several juniors into the senior team for a 10-day Europe Tour where they faced Olympic silver medallist Belgium and powerhouse Netherlands. They lost both their games against Belgium but managed to upset Netherlands 4-3 and 2-1. They ended the European sojourn with a 4-3 win against Austria. The performances were not outstanding but certainly served as a balm to lessen the pain of their recent struggles.

However, the European tour also triggered the exit of coach Roelant Oltmans as he was sacked in September by Hockey India (HI) during a three-day meet where the team's performance over the past season was reviewed. 'Lack of results beyond a certain level' was cited as the mean reason behind the decision. Thus, the tradition of HI getting rid of high-profile coaches without warning continued.

In a stark contrast, their women counterpart started the year on a blazing note. They blanked a lowly Belarus 5-0 in a five-Test series and then finished at the top in the Women's Hockey World League Round 2 in Canada. But the results were reversed in the next two tournaments. They suffered 0-5 whitewash at the hands of New Zealand in a Test series in May and then finished 8th at the Hockey World League Semi Final Johannesburg 2017. It also served as a qualifier for the 2018 World Cup and India failed to seal their berth. Mirroring their male counterparts, the women team also toured Europe where they produced mixed results - losing twice to a local Dutch women team but drawing and winning a game each against Belgium junior men's team.

The hockey management was observing all this quietly from a distance. And after showing Oltmans the door, they surprisingly asked the women team coach Sjoerd Marijne to take over the men's team in September. And Harendra Singh, who was the frontrunner for the job after guiding the junior team to world title, was given the charge of the women's team.

The kind of shakeup isn't a novelty to India hockey setup. Every such decision brings with it a host of controversies which eventually peter out into renewed hopes. And Marijne did no harm to those expectations.

Within just two months in charge, he instilled a change in style of play. Consistency became the keyword for the men's team. In his first assignment, he led his charges to a gold medal at the Asia Cup in Dhaka. The team returned undefeated, laying hands on the title after 10 years. Harendra also began his tenure on a winning note. They also returned undefeated winning the title after 12 years. More importantly, by finishing at the top, they qualified for the world cup on merit.

The men's team had one last assignment left and they defended their bronze medal at the Hockey World League Final in Odisha. It was a tournament that saw the worst and best of Indian hockey, leaving everyone puzzled why the team fails to maintain the consistency against top opponents.

Manpreet zealously defended the poor shows but even he knows the team is yet to match the level of the teams of the likes of Australia and Germany - a team that pushed them to their limits in the bronze medal match despite playing with just 11 fit players, no substitution and regular goalkeeper serving as a makeshift forward. While the year might have ended on a good note and Marjine has 'results' to show for in his first two attempts, the test of team's progress will be for everyone to see in a packed 2018.

2017 must have served as the drawing board where the both the teams - men and women - would have identified their weaknesses and strengths. The fact that they played the top teams in high-intensity tournaments must have given them the requisite information ahead of the year when they have Commonwealth Games, Asiad, Champions Trophy and the all-important world cups in the space of 12 months.

While the Asia Cup triumph cannot alone be the yardstick to judge how far the women team has come from the low of Johannesburg, it certainly is a step in the right direction. The players have started exhibiting the confidence and aggression they so sorely missed during the disastrous Rio Olympics.

They pounded 28 goals in six games at the Asia Cup including a 10-0 thrashing of Singapore which is a proof enough of their new-found aggression. If Harendra is to be believed, the performance was a foundation for the upcoming challenges and he is confident the team to win at least two medals in 2018.

As team captain Rani Rampal recently told TOI during an interaction, the team's 'mindset' has changed and they are 'determined to prove that are good". And that translated into a much improved and authoritative results. They will need more of that changed mindset and determination in 2018.

The Times of India



Warwick Role Model: Olympic Star Inspires Young Athletes


Image Courtesy of Lititz Record Express

Abigail Hollowell was first in line to meet a real honest-to-goodness Olympic athlete Friday night at the Warwick High School basketball game.

That Olympic star, and former Warwick stand-out, was Alyssa Manley, who played on the U.S. Olympic Women’s Field Hockey Team at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

She also happens to be Lititz’s very first Olympian.

Hollowell, at just 9 years old, had some pretty important questions for her hero. She, like Manley, started playing field hockey in Coach Bob Derr’s youth program. Hollowell was 7 and Manley was 6.

“I want to ask her what help she can give me on drills,” said Hollowell, just before she met her role model. “I want to get better and better.”

As it turned out, that’s exactly the advice that 23-year-old Manley gave her young fan.

“I told her to never give up, to keep working on her stick skills. You never know where it can take you,” she said.

Perseverance, and a lot of natural talent, is what took Manley to Rio.

“Getting selected was so surreal,” she recalled. “Knowing I was going to be able to compete with my teammates in the Olympics was one of the best things that I had ever earned.”

After the initial excitement, and relief, Manley took a deep breath and did what she was trained to do. She grounded herself and approached the Olympic Games like any other tournament.

Of course there were a lot of differences compared to a normal tour for the U.S.Women's National Team, like flying to Brazil and staying in the Olympic Village with athletes from all over the world. Marching in the opening Olympic Ceremonies as the stars and stripes led the way for her and her American teammates was the thrill of a lifetime for the defensive center who graduated from Warwick just four years earlier. Her teammates were all players that she had idolized and watched during the lead-up to the London Olympic Games in 2012.

“I joined the team the summer before Rio, and they were very welcoming,” she said. “They very quickly showed me what it takes to be on the team. Being a part of the U.S. national team is like having a second family.”

That family fought to the end in Brazil, even though they didn’t get the medal they had hoped for.

Surprisingly, or maybe not, Manley always dreamed of playing in the Olympic Games, even as a young girl playing for Coach Derr.

The daughter of Don and Nancy Manley, she was born and raised in Lititz, Pa. with her two brothers Chris and Nick. She loved sports, and played soccer and lacrosse as well as field hockey. It was field hockey that won her heart, from the time she joined Derr’s camp as a first-grader. By the time she was in high school, the dream seemed possible.

“It was definitely something I had thought of, and hoped one day my hard work would pay off enough for me to be able to go and compete. It was a long-term goal that my short-term goals helped me reach,” she said.

She credits Derr with giving her the tools and encouragement.

“Coach Derr was very influential. He taught me how to play field hockey from an early age and was the first coach to see my potential,” she said. “From his coaching, he showed me how great the game of field hockey is. I always enjoyed playing for him, and it made me want to work hard. He has so much passion for the game and really cares about the players he develops, and that shows.”

In high school, Manley was a member of the 2011 Lancaster-Lebanon League championship team and PIAA State runner-up. She was a First-Team All-American and First-Team All-State selection, in addition to being named the Lancaster Sportswriters and Coaches’ Field Hockey Player of the Year.

After graduating from Warwick in 2012, she played for Syracuse University, where she was an All-American, ACC Defensive Player of the Year and member of an NCAA Division I Championship Team.

In addition to competing in the Rio 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Manley won a gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games.

At Syracuse, she earned a degree in child and family studies. For now, however, her career centers on field hockey while she is still young enough to compete on the team, which is based in Lancaster County. She plays and trains almost every day.

After she decides to retire from the game, she hopes to have a career that allows her to work with children.

She seemed to be a natural with all the children who lined up to meet her and get her autograph on Friday.

“I tell them to just work hard. That is the best thing you can do. I have failed many times during my field hockey career, but I never stopped working hard and learning from my mistakes,” she said. “It was great to be back at my old high school and to represent this great small town.”

Content Courtesy of Laura Knowles, Lititz Record Express

USFHA media release



How much is a signed Hockey stick from the 1960 Rome Olympics worth?

Hi. I am in Australia and have a signed hockey stick from the 1960 Rome Olympics, which from the research I have done believe it was signed by the Indian Olympic Hockey team.

I have had it for about 15 years and I am looking at selling it. I do not know its worth, and was looking for someone who might know.

Ideally I would like someone to purchase it that it may have meaning for.

Any assistance or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards

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