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All the news for Thursday 8 March 2018

27th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup (M) - Day 4
Ipoh (MAS)

IND - MAS 5 - 1
ARG - ENG 1 - 1
AUS - IRL 4 - 1

Pool Standings

Thursday 8 March is a rest day

FIH Match Centre

Final hopes in the balance after India loss

By Jugjet Singh

MALAYSIA played hot and cold to allow India to beat them 5-1 in the Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh Wednesday.

And now, they must beat England on Friday and hope Australia beat Argentina to play in the final of the 27th Edition.

Yesterday, India took a lead off Shilanand Lakra in the 10th minute, when he picked a cross from Gurjant Singh in front of Hafizuddin Othman and cooly lifts the ball over the goalkeeper and into goal.

Faizal Shaari scores the equaliser in the 33rd minute, but goals from Gurjant Singh (42nd, 57th) and Ramandeep Singh (48th, 55th) destroys Malaysia.

In an earlier match, World champions Australia booked a place in Saturday’s final when they beat Ireland 4-1 for 12 points from four matches, with a match against Argentina in hand Friday.

Jake Whetton (11th), Daniel Beale (14th), Govers (21st) and Jake Harvie (50th) scored for Australia while Shane O’Donoghue scored for Ireland in the 57th minute.

Australian coach Colin Batch said: "The weather was a little hot in the first half (direct 4pm sun) but we play again on Friday against Argentina at the same time.

"If we can play like these six matches in eight days, its an amazing preparation for us towards the Commonwealth Games, Champions Trophy and World Cup."

England and Argentina played out a 1-1 draw, making it more difficult for the Olympic champions to play in the final.

Argentina have to beat Australia on Friday for a shot at the gold medal.

Juan Gilardi scored for Argentina in the 40th minute, while David Condon equalised for England in the 56th minute.

RESULTS: Australia 4 Ireland 1, Argentina 1 England 1, Malaysia 1 India 5.

THURSDAY: REST DAY.

FRIDAY: Argentina v Australia (4pm), Ireland v India (6pm), Malaysia v England (8.30pm).

STANDINGS
                  P  W  D  L  F  A  Pts
AUSTRALIA         4  4  0  0  15 5  12
ARGENTINA         4  2  1  1  10 8  7
MALAYSIA          4  2  0  2  8  10 6
ENGLAND           4  1  2  1  7  7  5
INDIA             4  1  1  2  10 9  4
IRELAND           4  0  0  4  6  17 0

Jugjet's World of Field Hockey

Malaysia suffer heavy defeat to India

By Aftar Singh


Eyes on the ball: Malaysia’s Norshafiq Sumantri (left) vying for the ball with two Indian players during the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup match yesterday. — RONNIE CH IN/The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: It was a pathetic performance by the Malaysian team against a mixed team of juniors and senior Indian team in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh.

The fans came in droves to support the national team after they stunned Olympic champions Argentina 2-1 on Tuesday.

But Malaysian defence led by skipper Muhd Razie Abdul Rahim was a total washout as they collapsed in the last 18 minutes and got hammered 5-1.

With the defeat, Malaysia have six points from four matches and they will wrap the round robin match against England tomorrow.

As for India it was their first win in four matches.

Malaysia had played India 26 times in the tournament and won only six times, lost 16 times and drew three times since it’s inception in 1983.

India, which rested 10 of the senior players, started off well by taking the lead in the 10th minute.

Gurjant Singh reverse stick attempt from the left hit bounced of the pads of goalkeeper Muhd Hafizuddin Othman before Shilanand Lakra easily flick the ball into goal off a acute angle.

Malaysia equalised in the 33rd minute off a penalty corner. Forward Faizal Saari drag flick sailed past keeper Suraj Karkera.

The Star of Malaysia

Improved midfield, forward line fashion Sardar Singh-led India's 5-1 rout of hosts Malaysia

Sundeep Misra


File image of Indian hockey players in action at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. Image Courtesy: Official Facebook page of Hockey India

Bounced around in three matches with two losses, a lone draw and a few dominant quarters as consolation, India faced a grim reality — beat hosts Malaysia or be considered not good enough. Even for a team that is a mixed bag of youth and experience, a win was badly needed and it not only came but was delivered in style as the Indians paced the match well and ravaged Malaysia 5-1. The win, besides earning India their first full points in the event, would have left the players happy and satisfied with the quality of play they dished out.

For India, the scorers were Shilanand Lakra (10th), Gurjant Singh (42nd, 57th), Sumit Kumar (28th) and Ramandeep Singh (51st). Malaysia came into the match briefly in the 33rd minute when Faizal Saari fired in a high flick. But India controlled the game in the third and fourth quarters, held possession, stretched the play and most importantly, shot in the chances they got. Gurjant Singh was the muscular version of a forward, constantly looking for space and opportunities; his second and India’s fifth goal was hockey's version of a slam-dunk as he picked up a PC rebound and shot it in.

India desperately wanted to keep the errors low. They still came in the first quarter. Too many passes went haywire, most of them landing on Malaysian sticks and counters started probing the Indian defence. It was a good game for Surender Kumar, Dipsan Tirkey and Varun. They played tough but still couldn't stay from a green card. In the 16th minute, Dispan was shown the green card and it looked as if the parade was to begin. But lessons were learnt quickly enough. India stayed away from trouble, in fact, gave that extra space to Malaysia but didn’t worry the umpires about bringing out any more warnings. On the contrary, Malaysia had two green cards.

Without Uthappa, out with a hamstring pull, it would have worried the coach about the penetration in the midfield. He didn’t need to. After a slow start by Sardar and Simranjeet Singh, they pulled out their wares and in the last two quarters, it was the style of Sardar and the youthful exuberance of Simranjeet as he rushed into the Malaysian half, shielding the ball and also flicked in a few lovely through balls.

It was also Ramandeep Singh's best performance in the tournament. Of late and for quite some time now, he has been the forward with the skills, albeit with an over-reliance on individual play. It's still the old Ramandeep but on Wednesday, he moved the ball like a puck on ice and also created the moves for the young Shilanand Lakra and Sumit Kumar. Like a terrier let loose, Ramandeep hovered around the striking circle, the ball glued to his stick, the release inch-perfect but the damage to the Malaysian defence was total. They were surprised and also caught unawares by Ramandeep’s slick passes.

If India held out for long periods of time, it was Suraj Karkera who played four quarters, not substituted by the coach after the second quarter. Karkera was quick, agile and read the penalty corners well. Even the reverse hits from the corners and the straight hard hits were saved by him. He was perfect in coming out and understanding the situation. Sjoerd Marijne simply said when asked why he didn't bring on the second goalkeeper as has been the norm,"Karkera was too good and his confidence was sky high so I let him continue."

Sumit was fast, pacy and unlike in the previous matches, didn’t overplay. His runs down the flank and also the sprint through the middle unsettled the Malaysians. With Sumit Kumar and Lakra, he had a few good one-to-one sessions and the fourth goal was all but created by the Sonepat player; a hard hit into the striking circle had the Malaysians sleeping while Ramandeep just deflected it high into the net.

India's first goal did come against the run of play. In the few minutes before that, Malaysia had a few sharp chances. But when Gurjant Singh found space on the left flank, he moved in and with a sharp turn gave the ball to Shilanand Lakra who tapped in. The lead was a power boost to the Indians. The hosts still came after the equaliser. Gurjant, once again, had the space to create another move but he overplayed. Individual skills look good but they give an equal opportunity to the opposition to close down the gaps. India were playing well but that edge of controlling the pace wasn’t there. Instead of holding the ball, India were giving it away.

The equaliser finally came through Malaysia’s first penalty corner. Faizal Saari was quick to see the gap but it was his powerful rising flick that did the trick. For Karkera, it was a difficult save as the ball tore into the right corner. At 1-1, it was match on. A goal on either side could have tilted the scales. The rains were still coming down. In such weather, the sticks become slippery. No wonder that Sumit wore a single glove to hold his stick firmly.

The lead came India's way in the 42nd minute off their second PC. Varun’s flick was good as Rahman Hairi padded it away. Sumit took the rebound and his reverse hit was again saved by Hairi. This time the rebound fell Ramandeep’s way and he flicked high towards goal. Gurjant was there to tap it in for his first goal. With the lead intact, some control came into India’s play.

In the fourth quarter, Malaysia attacked, sensing another equaliser could make the match tense and enable them to draw mistakes from the Indians. They had a second PC but a brilliant run by Sumit saved the flick. Sardar, by now, was coming into his own. The Indian captain, so used to controlling the pace of the game over the years, went past three Malaysians in the 48th minute, and while falling, gave the ball to Ramandeep whose cross was tapped in by Sumit Kumar. India led 3-1. With no option left but to come out, India suddenly had the space to move. They used the flanks. Errors were kept to the minimum. Malaysia had less of the ball as India didn't give free turn-overs. After wasting a third PC, India managed to hold the ball off a Malaysian error and Sumit shot it straight into the striking circle. Malaysia had dozed off but an alert Ramandeep beautifully deflected the speeding ball high into the net. At 4-1, India had killed the game.

The fourth PC sealed the match. Amit Rohidas, who also had a good match, playing with extraordinary control, flicked hard and low but Hairi was out early to take it on the pads. The rebound fell for Gurjant who slammed the ball back into the goal. With India leading 5-1, the story for Malaysia would have been to get a few goals back. But India tightened up and even though they conceded three PCs in the last two minutes, they held forth with Karkera to run out 5-1 victors.

With four points and a match against Ireland, India would fancy their chances to go to seven points. And if England beat Malaysia and Australia take care of Argentina, the tables will again resemble a chaotic mess. But India can still squeeze through for a 3rd/4th playoff. But that is for another day after a rest on Thursday.

Marijne was extremely excited with the win. "I have been saying every day that we are progressing but all that would come to nothing if there is no win," he said. “I am happy that we didn’t get many cards and we played well in the later part of the match to snatch a good win against Malaysia.”

The Indian coach was happy with the defensive work and also excited that Karkera had a good match. Asked if continuing with Karkera was a pointer to settling the players down, Marijne didn’t fall for the bait and said, “The team for the Commonwealth Games is still way off.”

Going all out against a fast-breaking opponent is always a high-risk strategy but there are no templates for wins in international hockey. In the last ten matches against Malaysia, India has won eight. Marijne, especially, since he became coach has won all — 6-2, 2-1 and now 5-1. Given the attacking propensity of India, maybe, Marijne and his boys can still salvage something good out of this tournament.

Firstpost

India outplays Malaysia for its first Azlan win

s2h team



Young Indian team in Ipoh retrieved a great deal of prestige with a heartwarming 5-1 victory over Malaysia to post its first win in style in the Azlan Shah Cup. As it was coming after the hosts upset the applecart of Argentina yesterday, and played against full house, the victory might lay strong way forward for hitherto struggling India

Two goals from Junior World Cup goldie Gurjant Singh, one a piece from Shilanand, Ramandeep Singh and Sumit Kumar filled the scoreboard for India.

India's new find Shilanand Lakra gently scooped above the head of Malasian goalie Rahman Hairi to give India the lead in the 10th minute. Hardworking Gurjant Singh ran fast down the right wing and slapped a reverse into the circle for Shilanand to do the rest. The momentum and the fashion with which India struck goals today will hearten any connoisseur of hockey.

The goal survived till the half time.

Malaysia waged grim battle to score, but it was the combination of goalie Suraj Karkera and Surender Kumar who came out with best to deny any dent in their citadel.

Twice Faizal Saari hit wide, once Tenkgu Tajuddin could not get past Suraj Karkera in one to one situation.

Malaysia made use of its first penalty corner to level India early in the third quarter. Rahie Razim Razie's drag into the other corner of the net met its destination above the head Indian charger (1-1). India got a lucky penalty corner, only second, midway through third quarter, as a Malaysian defender lunched forward to tackle but with non-playing side of the stick. Varun Kumar took the flick, but goalie anticipated well and cleared. But the ball was still in the circle, was negotiated by an Indian forward. Goalie stopped again but only give rebound of which Ramandeep Singh took a high hit, leaving Gurjant Singh to intercept its flight and sent the ball home.

Ramandeep Singh did a Gurjant of 10th minute, and saw his reverse from deep right flank going home as young Sumit Kumar, lurking in front of goalie, would timely deflect it into the cage (3-1). This is turning point of the match, which stole the match from Malaysian clutches. 13 minutes left for the hooter for Malaysia to do the damage control. Sumit again had a chance to enter his name in the scorer's lit when he got a short rebound off India's third penalty corner, but could hit only the pads of goalie.

A minute later, Sumit sent a strong crash ball into D of which Ramandeep Singh, who missed a sitter in the second quarter, deflected to throw his open (4-1). This took the match away from tired Malaysians who beat Argentina yesterday.

Stick2Hockey.com

India crush Malaysia 5-1

NEW DELHI: India produced a scintillating game, especially in the final quarter, to thrash Malaysia 5-1 in their fourth match of the 27th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey at Ipoh in Malaysia on Wednesday. It was India's first victory of the tournament with a game against Ireland, on Friday, left in the league phase.

With this victory, India have managed to keep their hopes of reaching the final alive, but it will depend on favourable results from the last round robin fixtures scheduled for Friday. India are fifth in the standings with four points in as many games, while it was second defeat for the hosts and they remained at the third spot with six points.

For India to qualify for the summit clash, they will have to beat Ireland by a big margin and hope Australia beat Argentina and the match between Malaysia and England ends in a draw.

A different-looking India, from the listless one who lost 2-4 to Australia, played the hosts on Wednesday as they scored three goals in nine minutes in the final quarter to dent Malaysia's chances to finish in the top two.

India, who have rested many senior players, had lost their opener to Argentina 2-3 before drawing 1-1 with England.

Shilanand Lakra gave India an early lead in the first quarter as he took on a pass from Gurjant Singh before pushing the ball past the Malaysian goalkeeper from a tight angle in the tenth minute.

Malaysia's Faisal Saari came close to score the equaliser in the dying seconds of the Q2, but it went just wide as India headed into the half-time break with a slender 1-0 lead.

Saari did not have to wait for long for the equaliser as he converted the first penalty corner for Malaysia early in the second half to level the score at 1-1 in the 33rd minute.

But three minutes before the end of third quarter, Gurjant Singh scored through an easy tap-in to put India back in the front. Malaysia goalie made three good saves while facing India's second PC in the 42nd minute but unfortunately the ball flew in front of Gurjant, who made no mistake in front of an open goal.

Malaysia's resistance ended when Sumit Kumar extended India's lead to 3-1 in the 48th minute. Captain Sardar Singh passed the ball to Ramandeep Singh in the left flank, who then crossed it into the middle of the circle away from the Malaysia goalkeeper for Sumit to make a simple tap in.

Soon after Sumit missed a big chance to score his second as he shot just wide from point-blanked range in front of the open goal, Ramandeep deflected the ball into the goal to make it 4-1 for India in the 54th minute.

Three minutes later, India got their fourth PC and Gurjant scored his second and India's fifth as they beat the hosts comprehensively.

The Times of India

India beat Malaysia 5-1


Sardar Singh , Twitter @TheHockeyIndia

India finally secured a win in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2018 as they beat hosts Malaysia 5-1 in their fourth match of the tournament on Wednesday.

Shilanand Lakra opened the scoring for India in the 10th minute before Malaysia’s Faizal Saari equalised in the 33rd minute.

Gurjant Singh then scored twice and was supported by Sumit Kumar and Ramandeep Singh.

India will now face Ireland in their final match of the round robin stage. India can still make it to the final if other results go their way. They are even in contention for the bronze medal match.

India are fifth in the standings with four points in as many games, while it was second defeat for the hosts and they remained at the third spot with six points.

For India to qualify for the summit clash, they will have to beat Ireland by a big margin and hope Australia beat Argentina and the match between Malaysia and England ends in a draw.

India, who have rested many senior players, had lost their opener to Argentina 2-3 before drawing 1-1 with England. They then lost 4-0 to Australia.

Daily News & Analysis

India steamrollers Malaysia

Dishing out its best show, India mauled host Malaysia 5-1 to earn an outside chance of qualifying for the final of the Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament, here on Wednesday.

India scored through Shilanand Lakra (10th minute), Gurjant Singh (42nd, 57th), Sumit Kumar (48th) and Ramandeep Singh (51st) to register its first full three points in the tournament and keep itself afloat. Faizal Saari (33rd) was the lone goal scorer for the home team.

World champions Australia defeated Ireland 4-1 to seal its place in the final with four wins from as many matches, but barring Ireland, all four other teams are in with a chance to qualify for the summit clash.

Australia is leading the table with 12 points ahead of second-placed Argentina (7), Malaysia (6), England (5) and India (4).

For India to qualify for the final, it will have to beat Ireland by a big margin on Friday and hope Australia beats Argentina and the final round robin match between Malaysia and England ends in a draw.

The results: India 5 (Shilanand Lakra 10, Gurjant Singh 42 & 57, Sumit Kumar 48, Ramandeep Singh 51) bt Malaysia 1 (Saari 33)

Australia 4 bt Ireland 1; England 1 drew with Argentina 1.

The Hindu

Battling England draw with Argentina in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup


England v India SAS 2018

England kept their hopes of making the final of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup alive with a spirited draw against world number two outfit Argentina.

Argentina had plenty to thank goalkeeper Juan Vivaldi for as he produced a string of fine saves to keep out several England players, including a fantastic double to deny Liam Ansell and Harry Martin.

Indeed it took until the 56th minute for David Condon to eventually beat the 38-year-old and equalise after Juan Gilardi’s penalty stroke fifteen minutes before.

The result means Bobby Crutchley’s team lie fourth in the table on five points with one game left to play.

Buoyed by victory over Ireland the day before, England began the game confidently and fashioned the game’s first chance as James Gall drew a smart save from Vivaldi down low to his left.

Two minutes later Ansell narrowly failed to get a stick on Barry Middleton’s bouncing cross before Vivaldi cut out Mark Gleghorne’s dangerous pass and saved Sam Ward’s shot at the start of the second quarter.

David Goodfield’s 26th minute effort flew over the crossbar via a deflection off Sam Ward’s face after Ollie Willars charged down Martin Paredes’ corner flick, the only real chance of note from the Olympic champions in the first half.

Vivaldi was on hand again to deny England in the 35th minute, just getting to the ball ahead of Sam Ward on the goal-line after great work by Chris Griffiths before the South Americans took the lead through Gilardi’s superb stroke six minues later.

That came in contentious circumstances as a foul on the 23m line by Brendan Creed – for which he was given a green card – was upgraded to a corner on review, with Lucas Vila’s goalbound effort hitting an England foot on the line.

England almost hit back just moments later but yet again Vivaldi denied them, unfurling a brilliant double save to keep out a missile from Ansell and Martin’s subsequent effort on the rebound.

Martin then managed to find a way to beat Vivaldi in the 51st minute with an inch perfect cross but Goodfield could not quite get his stick on the ball as it hit his foot directly in front of the goal.

Condon then saw yet another shot saved in the 55th minute but seconds later he finally provided the equaliser England had been searching for, diverting Ansell’s corner into the goal.

George Pinner and his defenders then showed great resilience once again to keep out two Argentinean penalty corners in the dying moments to ensure their side came away with a well deserved point.

England’s final game is against Malaysia at 1230 GMT on Friday 9 March.

Argentina 1 (0)
Gilardi (PS, 41)

England 1 (0)
Condon (PC, 56)

England Starting XI: Gibson (GK), Martin, Sloan (C), Ward, Gleghorne, Dixon, Middleton, Creed, Condon, Gall, Sanford

Subs: Pinner (GK), Willars, Weir, Griffiths, Roper, Goodfield, Ansell

England Hockey Board Media release

England draw with Argentina to maintain final hopes


England began the tournament with a 4-1 defeat by Australia before beating Ireland by the same scoreline

England shared a 1-1 draw with world number two Argentina at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup to remain in the hunt for a place in the final in Malaysia.

David Condon equalised for England in the 56th minute to cancel out Juan Gilardi's penalty stroke 15 minutes earlier for Argentina.

England sit fourth after earlier losing to Australia, drawing with India and beating Ireland.

Bobby Crutchley's side play Malaysia in their final game on Friday (12:30 GMT).

"It was a great performance and we are really pleased again with lots of improvements made," Crutchley said.

"We were denied the win by a mixture of good goalkeeping, bad luck and poor finishing. We do need to improve our ability to turn circle entries into goal-scoring opportunities. This area we will look to improve in Friday's game against Malaysia."

Australia have already booked their place in the final with a match to spare after winning all four of their games so far. Argentina are second on seven points, with Malaysia a point behind them and England on five points.

BBC Sports

Kookas Clinch Final Spot But ’Tournament Is Wide Open’

Ben Somerford



Kookaburras coach Colin Batch insists the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup is “still very open” despite Australia securing their spot in the final with a game to play.

The Kookaburras defeated Ireland 4-1 in Wednesday’s early game to all but secure a spot in the final, with results later in the day confirming Australia’s qualification for the decider.

Australia have won all four matches they’ve played at the Azlan Shah Cup, scoring 15 goals and conceding only five to be the runaway leaders.

The race is on for the second spot in the final, with Argentina (seven points), Malaysia (six points), England (five points) and India (four points) all still in contention, setting up an exciting final day of round robin fixtures on Friday.

Australia plays Argentina in Friday’s early game from 7pm AEDT, before India face bottom-placed Ireland (9pm AEDT) and hosts Malaysia take on England (11:30pm AEDT).

Rio Olympics gold medallists Argentina were the pre-tournament favourites alongside Australia, but the Kookaburras could knock them out with victory on Friday.

“The tournament is still very open,” Batch said.

“Malaysia had a good win against Argentina, so they’re right in the competition.

“We do think Malaysia are a good side.  It was no surprise they beat Argentina, but of course Argentina are a very good side.

“Malaysia are capable of beating anyone. England are in there in as well.”

“We’ll watch with interest to see who gets through.”

Batch was delighted with Australia’s defence in the 4-1 win over Ireland.

“We didn’t give them too many opportunities so I was pleased with our defence,” he said.

“In attack there’s always things to finetune, our PCs, our goal shots, our finishing.

“You can always do that better so that’s what we’re aiming for in the last two games.”

Australia’s match against Argentina on Friday will be live on Fox Sports.

Hockey Australia media release

Green Machine Fall To World Number 1



It was another hot and humid day in Malaysia as the Green Machine took on the number 1 side in the world Australia.

Ireland nearly got an ideal start to proceedings as they enjoyed early phases of possession and a penalty corner but Tyrell Lovell was alert to Shane O’Donoghue’s efforts. Mark Ingram was in great form throughout the day and made his first of many fine saves from a PC drag shot by Blake Govers. Jake Whetton got the first goal of the day following a quick pass from Trent Mitton to set his team mate up for a strong reverse into the far corner. 3 minutes later and Daniel Beale doubled Australia’s lead via an unlucky deflection off Sam O’Connor, following a quick counter attack led by Mitton. Julian Dale came close at the other end as he swept the ball goalward after breaking along the baseline but Lovell somehow managed to keep the ball out. Ireland held 60% of the possession and the blistering pace of Sean Murray caught the Australians out a number of times as he accelerated down the right wing and into the circle. Govers got his PC goal in the 21st minute as he sent an unstoppable ball high into the right corner.

Australia seemed happy to sit back and then counter at speed for much of the first half and the trend continued as the second half started with Ingram again called into action to make a low stick save. Lee Cole was sharpest to pick up Chris Cargo’s pass into the circle but his close-range reverse shot drew a good save from Lovell. The Kookaburra’s accumulated 6 PC’s and over 20 circle entries according to the stats but the Green Machine kept them at bay for much of the second half. Jake Harvie’s goal summed up the Australian’s counter attacking pace and ability as he got the final tap from a sharp move involving 3 of his team mates. O’Donoghue forced another save from Lovell from a PC variation, and his goal came in the 57th minute with a powerful drag low into the corner to make the final score 4-1. 


Congratulations to Stuart Loughrey earning his 100th cap and Stephen Cole earning his 50th cap today

The Green Machine next face India on Friday at 10:05am.

Live stream on FIH Youtube channel, click here.

Azlan Shah Cup

Ireland 1 (O’Donoghue)
Australia 4 (Whetton, Beale, Govers, Harvie)

Starting: J Bell (Captain), A Sothern, E Magee, K Shimmins, S O’Donoghue, M Robson, P Gleghorne, L Cole, S Loughrey, M Ingram, S Cole

Subs: J Carr, M Bell, S O’Connor, C Cargo, S Murray, K McKee, J Dale,

Ireland Schedule (all times listed are local - GMT+5):

March 3rd at 20:30 Ireland 1 vs 4 Malaysia
March 4th at 18:00 Ireland 3 vs 5 Argentina
March 6th 16:00 Ireland1 vs 4 England
March 7th 16:05 Ireland 1 vs 4 Australia
March 9th 18:05 Ireland vs India
March 10th Final Placing Matches

Irish Hockey Association media release

2018 Test Matches: KOR v IND (W) - 3rd Test
Seoul (KOR)

KOR - IND 2 - 1

India lead the series 2-1

FIH Match Centre

Dutchman Oltmans takes charge of Pakistan hockey



LAHORE: Former India hockey coach Roelant Oltmans will take charge of their arch-rivals Pakistan on a two-and-a-half year deal, the 63-year-old Dutchman announced on Wednesday.

Oltmans’ return to Pakistan as chief coach of the men’s team will be his second spell in the country, having coached them in 2003-04 up to the Athens Olympics where they finished fifth.

The experienced Oltmans was at the helm of Indian hockey for four years from 2013, initially as a high performance director before he took over as chief coach from compatriot Paul van Ass in 2015.

Oltmans was sacked from his role last September.

“Today I can confirm an Agreement with PHF for a role as Chief Coach for the next 2 1/2 Years,” Oltmans tweeted.

Oltmans’ major assignments with Pakistan this year will be the Commonwealth Games in April, Asian Games in August and the World Cup in December.

Pakistan, three-times Olympic champions and four-times World Cup gold medallists, failed to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. They are currently ranked 13th in the world.

The Daily Times

Former India coach Roelant Oltmans confirms taking charge of Pakistan men's hockey team


File image of Roelant Oltman. Getty

New Delhi: Former India coach Roelant Oltmans was on Wednesday appointed as the new chief coach of the Pakistan men's hockey team for a two-and-a-half-year tenure, the Dutchman announced himself.

Oltmans, who was in charge of Indian hockey for four years, first as High Performance Director and later as chief coach since 2015 before his unceremonious sacking last September, took to his official twitter handle to confirm the appointment.

The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), however, is yet to officially speak on it.

"Today I can confirm an Agreement with PHF for a role as Chief Coach for the next 2 1/2 Years," Oltmans wrote on his twitter page.

It would be Oltmans' second stint with Pakistan hockey after he coached the team in 2003-2004 till the Athens Olympics, in which Pakistan finished fifth.

Oltmans was initially appointed High Performance Director by Hockey India in 2013 but took over as head coach after the ouster of another Dutchman, Paul Van Ass, in controversial circumstances in 2015.

Oltmans' tenure as India head coach ended last September.

The appointment is considered as a crucial step in reviving Pakistan hockey after the erstwhile giants of the game failed to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Once confirmed, Oltmans will have to get down to business straightaway as Pakistan are scheduled to feature in the Commonwealth Games, Champions Trophy, Asian Games besides the World Cup later this year.

Firstpost

Junior U.S. Men's National Teams Set to Depart for Chile Test Series



COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Following a pair of training camps in Moorpark Calif., the U.S. U-16 and U-19 Men’s National Team are set to depart later this week for Santiago, Chile to compete against the country’s junior teams from Sunday, March 11 to Friday, March 16. The test series consists of five matches for each junior squad.

The test series is the first for these Junior U.S. Men's National Team athletes since the U-19 squad faced off against Canada in a four-game test series in Moorpark this past November, where USA posted two wins, one tie and a loss. One month prior was the Sultan of Johor Cup in Johor Bahru, Malaysia in October, where the U-21 USMNT battled against some of the most competitive young international talent in the world.

This series is also the first of two in 2018 between the two nations. This August, Chile will travel to the United States to compete in a test series in Greenwich, Conn.

U.S. U-16 & U-19 Men's National Teams vs. Chile Match Schedule:

Sunday, March 11        U-16     2:00 p.m. ET            U-19     4:00 p.m. ET

Monday, March 12        U-16     5:30 p.m. ET            U-19    7:00 p.m. ET

Wednesday, March 14    U-16    8:30 a.m. ET            U-19    10:00 a.m. ET

Thursday, March 15    U-16     8:00 a.m. ET            U-19    9:30 a.m. ET

Friday, March 16        U-16    4:00 p.m. ET            U-19    5:30 p.m. ET

*Schedule subject to change
Follow along at usafieldhockey.com and on Twitter at @USAFieldHockey for updates on each game.

U.S. U-16 Men’s National Team Chile Test Series Roster:
Gerald Cutone (Reading, Mass.), Corey Dykema (Newport News, Va.), Brett Eisner (Lafayette, Calif.), Mehtab Grewal(Somis, Calif.), Jack Hawley (Ventura, Calif.), Gurcharan Johal (Phoenix, Ariz.), Wyatt Katz (Santa Rose Valley, Calif.), Tyler Kim (Fredericksburg, Va.), Namit Mangat (Glendale, Ariz.), Rafael Martell (Miami, Fla.), Jasper Pouw (Santa Rose Valley, Calif.), Russell Smith (Camarillo, Calif.), Cameron Spach (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), Matthew Wong (Alamo, Calif.), Sam Zuzick (Moorpark, Calif.)

U.S. U-19 Men’s National Team Chile Test Series Roster:
Payton Breslow (Moorpark, Calif.), Alex Curtis (London, United Kingdom), Christian DeAngelis (Doylestown, Pa.), Jack Gallucci (Trubell, Conn.), Phile Govaert (Rye, N.Y.), Liam Hawley (Ventura, Calif.), Vincent Heller (Stuttgart, Germany), Colin Hennessy (Marlborough, Mass.), Wander Hommes (Westlake Village, Calif.), Graeme Jackson (Moorpark, Calif.), David Kristof (Darien, Conn.), Finlay Quaile (Taunton, United Kingdom), Alberto Montilla (Allen, Texas), Jatin Sharma (San Fransisco, Calif.), Dean Schiller (Alexandra, Va.), Amrinderpal Singh (Corona, Calif.), Ryan Torigian (Simi Valley, Calif.),MaxwellWalshaw (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), Spencer Walshaw (Thousand Oaks, Calif.)

USFHA media release

BJSS Thunderbolts hammer Old La Sallians Association of Klang (Olak) 10-0

By Jugjet Singh

BUKIT Jalil Sports School (BJSS) Thunderbolts hammered Old La Sallians Association of Klang (Olak) 10-0 in Division One of the Junior Hockey League (JHL) Wednesday.

And defending Overall champions Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI) Thunderbolts beat Datuk Bentara-UniKL 4-0 to assert their superiority, while SSTMI juniiors held last years League champions Petaling Jaya City Council to a 1-1 draw.

BJSS scored seven field and three penalty corner goals past goalkeeper Amir Muhaimin Ahmad.

Adam Daniel led the goalspree with four (14th, 17th, 26th, 30th), while the others were scored by Ameer Aiman (7th), Halif Fadzly (18th, 44th), Zul Rasyad Izzat (41st), Idris Samad (42nd) and Kemerol Harith  (58th).

BJSS coach Lokman Yahaya was elated with the result, and hopes it is just the tonic his boys need to impress this season.

"We scored early goals and that might have rattled Olak. We went in looking for a win, but did not expect the opponent to cave in so easily.

"I am really pleased as we scored seven field and three penalty corner goals and hope that this momentum is carried forward in our remaining matches," said Lokman.

BJSS will take a well deserved break as some of their players will be involved with the National Under 16 tournament on March 17-25. They will play their second match on March 28 against Sabah Sports School Resilient.

RESULTS: PJCC Tigers 1 SSTMI 1, Datuk Bentara-UniKL 0 SSTMI Thunderbolts 4, BJSS Thunderbolts 10 Olak 0.

FRIDAY: Pahang SS Thunderbolts v PJCC Tigers (Kuantan, 5pm), SSTMI v SSTMI Thunderbolts (SSTMI, 5pm).

Jugjet's World of Field Hockey

Akhimullah’s brace steers SSTMI to victory

KUALA LUMPUR: Forward Mohd Akhimullah Anuar Esook scored a brace to steer Tunku Ismail Mahkota Sports School (SSTMI) to a convincing 4-0 win over SMK Datuk Bentara Luar-UniKL-PHJ in the opening Division One match of the Malaysian Junior Hockey League (MJHL).

The 18-year-old Akhimullah gave the defending overall champions the lead in the 17th minute off a penalty corner at the Batu Pahat Hockey Stadium yesterday.

Muhd Arif Syafie Ishak doubled the score in the 28th minute and three minutes later Akhimullah was on target again by scoring a field goal.

Izzuan Ismail completed the rout with a field attempt in the 54th minute.

Akhimullah was delighted with his efforts to score two goals in the opening match.

“They gave us a good fight from the start but we did well to make good use of our chances to collect full points in an away match.

“The win was a good morale boost for us in the league,” said Akhimullah.

Defending league champions Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) went on a goal spree as they hammered former champions Old La Sallians Association of Klang (Olak) 10-0 at the Kuala Lumpur Hockey Stadium.

The Star of Malaysia

Progressing from athlete to coach: Joy Jouret



Throughout this week, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) is celebrating International Women's Day (8 March) by highlighting the progress being made across all levels of the sport thanks to inspiring females. Today we speak to former Belgium Red Panthers captain Joy Jouret about her experiences moving into coaching.

Coaching is so much more than tactics and training plans, it is also about human emotions and interactions. It is a truism that has been recognised by many great coaches over the years but, thanks to initiatives such as the FIH Hockey Academy High Performance Coaching Course – which took place during the Fifth Indoor Hockey World Cup in Berlin, Germany – the depth and breadth of coaching is now being truly explored and discussed.

“Looking at the psychological aspects of coaching is very important. Some people think it is a gender thing but I believe it is more about the quality of the human being. Society teaches you to behave in a certain way, it is not because you are a man or a woman.”
Joy Jouret

Former Belgian Red Panthers captain Joy Jouret was one of the coaches on the course and she has very strong views about the essential human element of coaching. Some of her opinions are borne of practical experience gained by coaching men and women at all levels from youth teams to adults; some of her viewpoints are the result of amount of time she spends looking deep into her own coaching and ways of improving it.
 
“Looking at the psychological aspects of coaching is very important. Some people think it is a gender thing but I believe it is more about the quality of the human being,” says Joy. “Society teaches you to behave in a certain way, it is not because you are a man or a woman.”
 
Joy has been working with Sophie Geerts, one of a number of innovative and forward thinking coaches working within the Belgium Hockey Federation. She is full of praise for Sophie’s coaching methods.
 
“Sophie Geerts is a magician who thinks outside the box. She is one of the best coaches in the country and she is coaching in a very innovative way. People like Sophie change the game.”
 
Joy cites the example of how a team copes with losing a player to a yellow card. “On a recent coaching course, the problem laid before the coaches was how to help your team cope with the pressure of being a player down. All the coaches had to present on the same topic – only Sophie looked at the psychological element.”
 
It is an element that Joy always seeks to include in her own coaching. She tells how her first few attempts to introduce psychology into her coaching with a men’s team was met with a heap of healthy scepticism.
 
“I really stressed the importance of one-to-one and at first they were very dismissive but I said we have to stick to the plan. The resistance was because they are not used to it. After a few sessions they felt at ease and gradually opened up. It was as if you had to break through the barrier of protection, they had things they couldn’t say in front of the other guys.
 
“Once they are comfortable and secure, it is all about human emotions. That was interesting. Two guys in particular were feeling very sensitive and rejected by the group. They could never have talked about that without the one-to-one sessions. I felt I could build a real trust between them. For me, seeing them as human beings, rather than simply players to coach, that was important.”
 
Asked if Joy felt this was a fundamental difference between male and female players and coaches, she dismissed a gender difference, insisting it comes down to the individual and the way they treat others. “It is an extrinsic thing,” she said. “I believe it is a learned behaviour and it is not particular to men or women. I know some women who are very strict and abrasive, those are traditionally ‘male’ attributes. I would challenge that assumption.”
 
One area that Joy does agree there are gender differences is in the willingness to speak out. It was a personal discovery that surprised her over the course of the High Performance Coaching Course. “On the course, it was funny because when we split into little groups, I found as a woman you tend to sit back and listen to the guys with a lot of experience.
 
“After the first day, the mentor said “be yourself” and I thought ‘if I don’t step up and make my voice heard then I don’t learn, I don’t push myself. It was only when I found my voice and spoke up that they realised I had something worthwhile to say and then I felt accepted as a fellow coach.
 
“I think it has been this way for so long, that you are scared to speak in case you say something stupid. Women tend to sit back and listen before they jump in.”
 
The beauty of the FIH Hockey Academy courses, whichever level they aim at is the open and non-judgemental platform offered to all attendees. It is this platform from which innovative, thoughtful coaching stars such as Joy Jouret can shine brightly and change hockey for the better.

Joy was one of a number of female participants on the FIH Hockey Academy High Performance Coaching Course. The push towards enhancing hockey's 'Gender Amazing' philosophy is at the heart of the FIH's 10-year Hockey Revolution strategy. To find out more about upcoming FIH courses, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

With this year's International Women's Day movement calling on action to press forward and progress gender parity, FIH is encouraging everyone involved in our sport to motivate and unite friends, colleagues and whole communities to think, act and be gender inclusive. Join the movement: #PressForProgress

FIH site