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All the news for Wednesday 10 January 2018

Vantage Black Sticks named for Four Nations


Photo: www.photosport.nz

The Vantage Black Sticks Men are set to open the year with a bang at the University of Waikato Four Nations in Tauranga and Hamilton.

Head coach Darren Smith has named a travelling group of 23 players for the series, which he plans to use as an opportunity to spread game time across a wider group.

Midfielders Shea McAleese and Arun Panchia provide the bulk of experience having played a combined 476 internationals, while there are also 11 athletes who have played less than 50 tests.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to see some top class international hockey in Tauranga and Hamilton,” Smith said about the series.

“Belgium after winning silver in Rio have gone from strength to strength and are in my view the best in the world. India are coming off winning the Asian games and finishing third in the recent World League Final. They are quick, skilful and aggressive.

“Japan are coming onto the international scene strong with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in mind. In 2017 they knocked over Australia at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup with their direct and hard-working style.

“For our team it will be the first time that we have been fully together since July 2017 with European club hockey and injury meaning that we operated deep into our extended squad through the October-November period.

“This will allow us to give more opportunities and also get our team in order ahead of the Commonwealth Games in April.”

The University of Waikato Four Nations sees New Zealand host Olympic silver medallists Belgium (world ranking 3rd), India (6th) and Japan (16th) from 17-28 January.

Split across two separate five-day series, Blake Park in Tauranga hosts the action from 17-21 January before teams head to Gallagher Hockey Centre in Hamilton from 24-28 January.

New Zealand last played Belgium and Japan at the Hockey World League Semi Finals in Johannesburg where they recorded a 2-0 defeat and 3-1 victory respectively.

The Black Sticks will also be hunting revenge against India who came away with a 4-0 win in their last clash at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup earlier this year.

Tickets for all games in Tauranga and Hamilton are available now and start from just $5 through www.dashtickets.co.nz

For those who can’t be there in person, all games will be streamed live on the Vantage Black Sticks Facebook page (facebook.com/nzblacksticks) with replays available on demand at the conclusion of the live broadcast.

The University of Waikato Four Nations is proudly supported by Tauranga Energy Consumer Trust (TECT), Tauranga City Council and Hamilton City Council.

CLICK HERE for more on the University of Waikato Four Nations

VANTAGE BLACK STICKS MEN - UNIVERSITY OF WAIKATO FOUR NATIONS

Hockey New Zealand Media release

Black Sticks closing in on Commonwealth Games


Black Stick Sam Lane has missed the cut this time round for the new Black sticks squad. PHOTOSPORT

The Black Sticks are hunting revenge against India when the Four Nations hockey tournament gets underway at the end of the month.

Coach Darren Smith has named a squad of 23 for the tournament, which will be cut back further heading into the Commonwealth Games at the Gold Coast in April. The only notable omission was in-form Cantabrian Sam Lane, who was included for the most part of 2017.

India beat the Black Sticks 4-0 at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup last year and the side will be determined to get one back.

Midfielders Shea McAleese and Arun Panchia provide the bulk of experience having played a combined 476 internationals, while there are also 11 who have played fewer than 50 tests.

The tournament is in Tauranga and Hamilton from January 17-28, with New Zealand hosting Olympic silver medallists Belgium (world ranking 3rd), India (6th) and Japan (16th).

"Belgium after winning silver in Rio have gone from strength to strength and are in my view the best in the world. India are coming off winning the Asian Games and finishing third in the recent World League Final. They are quick, skilful and aggressive," Smith said.

"Japan are coming onto the international scene strong with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in mind."

Last year Japan beat Australia at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, shocking the world champions.

It will be the first time the Black Sticks are fully assembled since July 2017 with European club hockey and injury meaning players had been missing.

"This will allow us to give more opportunities and also get our team in order ahead of the Commonwealth Games in April."

Split across two separate five-day series, Blake Park in Tauranga hosts the action from January 17-21 before teams head to Hamilton from January 24-28.

New Zealand last played Belgium and Japan at the Hockey World League Semi Finals in Johannesburg where they recorded a 2-0 defeat and 3-1 victory respectively.

AT A GLANCE

Black Sticks squad: David Brydon, Marcus Child, George Enerson, Daniel Harris, Hugo Inglis, Stephen Jenness, Richard Joyce, Dane Lett, Devon Manchester, Shea McAleese, Harry Miskimmin, Leo Mitai-Wells, George Muir, Dominic Newman, Arun Panchia, Jared Panchia, Hayden Phillips, Brad Read, Nick Ross, Kane Russell, Aidan Sarikaya, Blair Tarrant, Nic Woods.

Stuff

Scotland women’s Euro indoor championship squad selected

A strong squad has been selected to represent Scotland at the women’s 2018 EuroHockey Indoor Championship II in Brussels.

It’s a healthy mixture of youth and experience forming Chris Anderson’s squad as the Scots look to secure promotion to the top European division of women’s indoor championship hockey.

Vikki Bunce will wear a Scotland shirt once more as the indoor hockey expert lines up alongside the exciting Emily Dark in attack. Another exciting young prospect Katie Stott also features, as does Emma McDiarmid, while Alison Eadie and Louise Campbell add experience at this level to the team.

The tournament will be held on 19-21 January 2018 and will see the Scots compete against Wales, Belgium and Croatia in Pool B before crossover matches determine the qualification and relegation positions.

Pool A has Austria, Sweden, Lithuania and England competing for positions. The top two from each Pool will play for promotion places while the bottom two from each Pool will battle relegation.

Scotland women’s indoor squad Head Coach, Chris Anderson, said, “We have selected an exciting group of talented young players blended with quality senior players with a lot of indoor experience.

“We know the tournament will be difficult, and that every game will be difficult, but the squad is very much looking forward to the challenge.”
Scotland squad

Carmin Dow (Dundee Wanderers)
Susan Al-Haddad (Hillhead)
Emily Newlands (Watsonians)
Katie Stott (Grove Menzieshill)
Catriona Booth (Western Wildcats)
Alison Eadie (Clydesdale Western)
Louise Campbell (Edinburgh University)
Susan Hamilton (Grove Menzieshill)
Emily Dark (Dundee Wanderers)
Frances Lonergan (Clydesdale Western)
Emma McDiarmid (Western Wildcats)
Vikki Bunce (Beeston)
 
Fixtures

19 Jan 2018

11:20 – Scotland v Wales
18:30 – Scotland v Belgium

20 Jan 2018

10:20 – Croatia v Scotland
TBC – TBC

21 Jan 2018

TBC – TBC

Scottish Hockey Union media release

Women’s Indoor National Team kicks off World Cup cycle with Toronto training camp


Alison Lee competes at the 2017 Pan American Indoor Cup. Photo: Yan Huckendubler

The road to the Indoor World Cup started last weekend in Toronto.

Shankar Premakanthan, assistant coach of the women’s national indoor team, said the turnout at last weekend’s camp was an excellent indicator that this team is already off to a great start. The multi-phase plan developed by program-head Louis Mendonca and Premakanthan is designed to increase the profile and participation in indoor hockey in Canada and set the team up for World Cup qualification.

According to Premakanthan, the camp was well-attended and went really well from his perspective.

“We had 35 players attend. Right now, it’s all about acquiring the skills and tactics in the indoor game,” he said. “We have a wide range of ages and skills and we’re trying to establish a baseline standard for all players before we move into the next phase of the plan.”

Alison Lee, captain of the 2017 iteration that failed to qualify for the 2018 Indoor World Cup, said the early start in this cycle sets the team up for success long-term.

“Definitely starting early is a huge advantage. It’s already looking very promising for the program and the early start and emphasis on more competition can only result in more success moving forward,” Lee said.

Lee added that the young team’s participation at the Pan American qualifier in the fall adds more international experience to the roster moving forward.

Both Lee and Premakanthan said the outdoor game and the indoor game have many transitional skills that make the two games complementary to one another.

“I think the biggest assets that players can transfer from the indoor game to outdoor is working in tight spaces and making pressured decisions,” Premakanthan said. “Things happen so much faster in indoor, you have to make quick decisions and you have to have the skills to execute.”

Lee added that although the tactics can be quite different from indoor to outdoor, the refined skills open up a player’s arsenal substantially.

“In indoor, you can’t lift the ball, so you have to be good at trapping and very good at the fundamentals of dribbling,” Lee said. “That translates very well to the outdoor game.”

Lee is an example of a player who focused attention on indoor hockey earlier in her career and was eventually selected to the outdoor national team. With that in mind, according to Premakanthan, the goals of the indoor program are two-pronged.

“Of course, the program is working towards success at Pan Americans and towards World Cup qualification,” he said. “But we are also take pride in developing players so they can get selected to the outdoor national team; the Olympic hopeful team.”

With program director, Louis Mendonca, at the helm and support staff such as Premakanthan working hard to push the program forward, the women’s indoor team is off to a fast start looking forward to the coming qualification and hopefully a World Cup spot in the coming years.

Field Hockey Canada media release

Strathmore, Butali out of continental club tourney

By BRIAN YONGA


Festus Onyango of Strathmore University Gladiators (left) tries to evade a challenge from Brian Musasia of Butali during their Kenya Hockey Union men's Premier league match at City Park Stadium on December 2, 2017. PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU | NATION MEDIA GROUP

Kenya Hockey Union men’s Premier League champions Strathmore University Gladiators and Butali Sugar Warriors hockey clubs will not take part in the 2017 Africa Cup for Club Champions tourney.

The two clubs have cited financial challenges as the reason that will see the miss the continental club showpiece which will be held in Accra, Ghana from January 20-28 this year at the Theodosia Okoh Hockey Stadium.

Kenya will now only be represented by women’s teams – Telkom, who are also the continental champions and Strathmore University Scorpions, who finished second in the women’s Premier League behind Telkom last season.

Butali team manager Kamal Sambi admitted that it would be tough to sponsor the lakeside team to the annual competition.

“We would have loved to play in the competition but I don’t think we are in our position to honour it and we can only wish the clubs that will take part in the tourney the very best,” Sembi told Nation Sport.

Butali, who won bronze during the 2016 edition held in Nairobi last year, finished second in the 2017 league behind champions the Gladiators. A source at Strathmore University told Nation Sport said that it would be impossible for the Madaraka-based institution to take two teams to Ghana.
Related Content

“We looked at different factors before arriving at the decision to take the women’s team and hopefully in the future we will send the men’s team,” the source said. Six men teams have so far confirmed participation to the 28th edition of the tourney.

Defending champions Eastern Company and record 23 time winners Sharkia from Egypt will once again be favourites to dominate the tourney. Eastern Company beat Kenya Police 3-2 on penalties in the 2016 final at the City Park Stadium.

The hosts will be represented by the duo of Ghana Revenue Authority and Ghana Trustees with Nigeria’s Niger Flickers and Police Machine rounding up the numbers. This will be the fourth time that the West Africa nation will be staging the tourney.

The women’s competition has also attracted six teams, two each from Kenya, Nigeria and the hosts Ghana. Telkom will be going for a record ninth title and their sixth in a row, while Scorpions are eyeing their maiden title.

Ghana will be bank on GRA and Police to ensure the title remains on home turf while Nigeria will be represented by Kada Queens and returnees Yobe Desert Queens.

The Africa Hockey Federation has already appointed Mark Taljard (South Africa) and Hulda Ambe from Nigeria as Tournament Directors, with Professor Ediga Agbo of Nigeria being selected as the Umpires Manager.

Ghanaians Richard Bayitse and Joyce Datsa will meanwhile be the Technical Officials.

Daily Nation

High court to hear case seeking to stop hockey polls

By BRIAN YONGA


Kenya Hockey Union chairman Nashon Randiek. PHOTO | FILE |  NATION MEDIA GROUP

The High Court will Wednesday hear the case that seeks to stop Saturday’s Kenya Hockey Union elections from taking place.

On Monday evening, George Jalang’o of the Hockey Federation of Kenya (HFK) obtained a temporary injunction from the High Court to stop Saturday’s annual general meeting and elections from taking place.

Jalang’o has contested the validity and mandate of the Kenya Hockey Union as the representative body for the sport in the country.

Jalango argues that his HFK was registered as the official national hockey governing organization, thus rendering the capacity of the KHU and its scheduled elections null and void.

Under the Kenya Sports Act 2013 [hereafter referred to as The Act], section 46 (3) (5), any Body operating as a sports organization must submit an application to the Registrar. The contention, therefore, is that the constitution of the current body fails to meet these minimum criteria for registration.

Attorney General Githu Muigai and Sports Cabinet Secretary Dr Hassan Wario have been listed as the first respondents, while the Ministry of Sports and Sports Registrar Rosemary Wasike are the second and third respondents.

KHU are listed as interested parties in the matter which was certified as urgent by Lady Justice Njuguna.

The elections have twice been postponed due to various reasons with the four-year term of the current office having expired last month.

The election were due to be held on October 28 but were postponed due to the Africa Cup of Nations which were held In Ismailia, Egypt from October 22-29. They were then pushed to December 16 only to be postponed to allow affiliates time to hold their elections.

Ten positions will be up for grabs among them chairman, two vice chairperson, secretary general, vice secretary and match and fixtures secretary. Others are match and fixtures vice secretary, treasurer, assistant treasurer and public relations officer.

KHU chairman Nashon Randiek, who was elected unopposed during the last election in 2013, will this time have an opponent in Nairobi Hockey Association’s Inderjit Singh Matharu, a former Kenya international and Olympian.

Daily Nation

A look back in time: The 2016 FIH Coach of the Year Awards



Last year’s Coach of the Year awards were a clean sweep for Great Britain and England as Danny Kerry and Karen Brown were honoured as Male and Female Coaches of the Year.

While this was an obvious reward for masterminding Great Britain’s success at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, it was also a reward for many other aspects of the two Brit’s coaching careers. Danny Kerry has long been recognised as a coach who is willing to listen, learn and change when necessary.

"Since 2016, the medal haul for England and Great Britain under Kerry has been impressive, with medals at just about every major international event..."

He started his England and Great Britain coaching career with the England ‘A’ squad in 2003, and was then appointed as full time Head Coach to England in 2005. He became Head Coach to Great Britain in 2007 and led the team to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, where they finished a credible sixth. Kerry himself says he learnt a lot from the Beijing Games, including the fact that there were things about his coaching that needed to change.

Since then, the medal haul for England and Great Britain under Kerry has been impressive, with medals at just about every major international event, including bronze at the 2012 Olympic Games and gold at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Since Rio 2016, Kerry has survived a serious heart problem, led his team to EuroHockey Championship 2017 bronze, Hockey World League Semi-Final 2017 bronze and is eagerly facing the dual challenge of a Commonwealth Games and a home World Cup next year. His ambition for Tokyo 2020 is for Great Britain to "win as winners".

Karen Brown is one of only a handful of female coaches to have transferred from a successful playing career to an equally successful coaching career. She is England and Great Britain’s second highest capped female player with 355 caps to her name and, during a glittering playing career, she won Olympic bronze (Barcelona 1992), European gold and Commonwealth silver medals.

As a coach, she has been at Kerry’s side as the team won Olympic gold and bronze, EuroHockey Championship gold, Commonwealth silver and World Cup bronze.

Brown was also named FIH Female Coach of the Year in 2015, following England’s triumph at the 2015 Unibet EuroHockey Championships. Both Brown and Kerry have been involved in coach mentoring since 2016.

Although Brown no longer coaches England and Great Britain hockey teams, she is heavily involved in mentoring elite coaches in a number of sports in the UK. Kerry has found himself sharing his experience and knowledge with coaches from a wide spectrum of sports, including the England Rugby Union side and the Football Association. He also shares his his principles and practices around team building with corporate companies who are seeking to improve their own team’s performances.

#HockeyStarsAwards

FIH site

Belfast Telegraph Sports Awards



Hockey will be well represented at the Belfast Telegraph Sports Awards on January 29th.

Banbridge Hockey Club picked up a trio of nominations following a succesful season last year that saw them crowned Irish Senior Cup winners. Eugene Magee has been nominated for the Malcolm Brodie Player of the Year (amateur sportsperson), Banbridge Men's 1st XI have been nominated for Team of the Year (amateur team category) and Mark Tumilty has been nominated for Manager/Coach of the Year (amateur coach/manager).

Banbridge Academy Girls 1st XI Hockey Team have picked up a nomination for Young Team of the Year in recognition of their All Ireland Schools Girls triumph.

Rounding out the hockey nominations is Ireland's most capped female athlete Shirley McCay who has been nominated in a new category this year, the Game Changer Award. The Game Changer Award aims to recognise an individual woman who has made an impact on the Northern Ireland sporting landscape in the past year, making it better and stronger for females.

For more information, click here.


Irish Hockey Association media release