News for 03 April 2018
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Knowles Named Australian Flag Bearer For 2018 Commonwealth Games
Ben Somerford.jpg)
Retiring Kookaburras captain and three-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist Mark Knowles has been named as the Australian Flag Bearer for the Opening Ceremony of the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
The 34-year-old Queenslander, who hails from Rockhampton but resides in Brisbane, received the prestigious honour at Monday night’s Team Reception at The Star Gold Coast.
Australian Team Chef de Mission for Gold Coast 2018 Steve Moneghetti made the announcement, honouring Knowles who has enjoyed a decorated career which will conclude after the Commonwealth Games.
Knowles will compete in his fourth Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast having won gold in Melbourne (2006), Delhi (2010) and Glasgow (2014). He was the Australian Flag Bearer at the Closing Ceremony in 2014.
The veteran defender has represented Australia 318 times scoring 30 goals, while he’s collected numerous team and individual awards, including winning gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics as well as bronze medals in 2008 and 2012.
He is also a two-time World Cup winner (2010 and 2014), four-time Champions Trophy winner (2005, 2008, 2009 and 2012), former FIH World Player of the Year (2014) and former FIH Young Player of the Year (2007).
Hockey Australia CEO Matt Favier congratulated Knowles on behalf of the organisation and the entire hockey community.
"This is a fitting tribute to one of Queensland's and Australia's most prolific and highly decorated athletes," Favier said.
"Mark is a humble but highly driven sportsman who has always been incredibly proud when representing his country.
"To have this honour at this games is well deserved and all of the hockey community stand together in our applause."
Hockey Australia media release
Country Kid Knowles: I Wasn’t Expecting This
Ben Somerford
Kookaburras captain Mark Knowles says he had no idea he’d be named Australia’s 2018 Commonwealth Games Flag Bearer and was shaking on stage.
The 34-year-old, who hails from Rockhampton but resides in Brisbane, received the prestigious honour at Monday night’s Team Reception at The Star Gold Coast.
The veteran defender’s teammates along with most in the room let out a big roar upon the announcement of Knowles as Flag Bearer.
“That was it. I hadn’t heard anything,” Knowles said.
“I probably would’ve liked some more notice. I probably missed a few people (during my speech).
“That’s why you probably heard the team’s roar.
“I had my jacket undone, every person on the whole way up wanted to shake my hand and I could not get my jacket done up because I was shaking so much.”
Knowles said he hadn’t thought much about the honour in the lead-up to the games, although some practical jokes from teammates got him thinking.
“As it got closer today, we started to hear whispers and my teammates started to play jokes with me in the hallway waving the flag around my head I started to think about it a bit more, but not really,” he said.
Knowles will retire after this Commonwealth Games, having previously claimed gold medals in Melbourne, Delhi and Glasgow with the Kookaburras.
He said the honour was a win for team sports.
“I think part of me says there’s a lot team sports in the building,” he said.
“This could be a reward for the team athletes here. The thing that I didn’t say, and I found it hard to know exactly what to say, it’s about growing and moving as a group.
“Steve (Moneghetti) made that clear to me in Glasgow. I loved the way he conducted us as a team, that every athlete tries to come together.
“For me, that’s part of my goal. I’m someone that says ‘hello’ to everyone in the village.
“It’s growing up in the country, you always want to know everyone and say ‘gday’ to everyone.
“The second part for us is we have to be able to inspire the next generation and I’m a massive advocate for that.”
Knowles also added some words of wisdom for his fellow athletes ahead of his fourth games.
“When I speak to the athletes around the village I’ll say ‘this is my fourth time at all different stages of my career, you have to enjoy it’,” he said.
“There’s so much pressure on being elite. I’ve been through it as the world’s number one, I’ve been through it as an Olympic champion, as the favourites for an Olympic gold, I’ve been through as World Player of the Year, as soon as we lose the enjoyment of being young males or females in this sporting landscape a lot can go wrong.
“For this team you have to smile, look people in the eyes and say good morning, you say ‘gday’ and shake people’s hands.
“That’s what they’ll see out of me, rather than just waving the flag.”
The Kookaburras, who are in Pool A alongside New Zealand (ninth), Canada (11th), South Africa (15th) and Scotland (23rd), are up against Canada first on Saturday 7 April from 4.30pm AEST.
Hockey Australia media release
Australia hockey captain Mark Knowles announced as flag bearer
By Rod Gilmour on the Gold Coast
Kookaburras captain Mark Knowles will carry the Australian flag at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony after an emotional announcement on Monday night.
The 34-year-old, who will retire after the Gold Coast extravaganza, was awarded the honour at a reception in front of all but one of Australia’s 13 previous flag bearers.
He said: “This is amazing. I grew up playing a sport I absolutely love on the grass fields of Rockhampton and I stand here now in front of this group of absolute stars.
“It means everything to me.”
The men’s skipper – who is regarded as one of the most popular players, as well as honourable – had previously carried the flag at the closing ceremony of the 2014 Glasgow Games, but this certainly trumped that moment.
Four years ago, he led out Australia after yet another Commonwealth gold for the Kookaburras.They will be favourites for a sixth straight title here and Knowles suggested that he would try and cherish the moment.
“My journey’s coming to an end but these 13 days are even more special now,” he added.
Knowles pipped Sally Pearson, the Australian hurdler, to the honour after the track athlete was seen as a pre-announcement favourite.
Following the hockey competition, Knowles will take up a role as a personal development officer at the Queensland Academy of Sport on the Monday following the weekend finals.
The Hockey Paper
Wales defender Xenna Hughes out to cause Gold Coast mayhem
By Rod Gilmour on the Gold Coast
She may be daughter of football great Mark Hughes, but 25-year-old Xenna insists on doing it her way.
Don’t tell Xenna Hughes she is run down as she gears up for a second Commonwealth Games; the teak tough defender is more than ready for action to start on the Gold Coast.
The nature of the national set-up for the Welsh team means that dual careers are a necessity. In the case of Hughes, the established international has been working nine-hour shifts, five days per week in her fitness instructor role at the KX Gym, a private members’ club in South Kensington, London.
“My bosses at work say ‘we’re just trying to manage your fatigue at the moment!’ It’s about managing me. You kind of accept it will be hard work and get on with it. I’m coping though.”
The dual career aspect has its benefits. “I’m lucky that I work in the same industry and can train at the same time,” adds the 25-year-old, who plays for East Grinstead. “After 18 months here, I am getting the balance. I don’t know any different and so I just crack on with it to be honest.”
Since coming in as national coach, Kevin Johnson has pushed Wales in a “different direction”, according to Hughes.
“We don’t have a lot of funding or contact hours together. Fundraising is tough, but everyone is trying to juggle full-time work with playing. When you consider where we were before Glasgow, we are taking the right step in the right direction.”
Indeed, Wales have made significant strides in the last four years (Johnson joined in 2016) and when they open the hockey matches on the Gold Coast on Thursday against India, before a crunch battle against fully-funded England, they will be fielding a part-time side full of Premier Divison players.
One of Johnson’s early mantras was to make sure his charges were “pushing eaching other to the limits”. And by that he meant to be vying for Premier Division places.
“Playing against England we would have faced a lot of them anyway,” says Hughes. “I know they struggle to play club hockey, but for me there are six or seven who went to Birmingham.”
Hughes revelled under inspirational coach Phil Gooderham during her time playing for University of Birmingham. “He is one of the loveliest coaches and being around the type of young, fit players he brings in just improved me immensely. He makes sure that you don’t slack and that you bring your international hockey into university hockey.”
During her sports science studies, she started out in the team as a forward in her first season before moving to defence on the advice of Amanda Partington, the former Wales coach, during the Glasgow Games.
“I did an aerial in a game, forward to forward, and she decided to put me in defence for the rest of the tournament. It was a flukey position change!”
Now, for anyone reading this who doesn’t know that Hughes is the daughter of Southampton manager Mark Hughes, then your eyebrows have probably been raised by now. Yet Hughes likes nothing more than to keep her family sporting connections away from her own achievements.
Xenna Hughes, pictured with dad Mark (Twitter)
Hughes says: “Dad always said to enjoy what you do first, no matter what sport. Or even if I didn’t like it, to enjoy it and I would succeed. Along with my two brothers, we’ve wanted to do things on our own merit.
“I remember as a hockey junior, people would come up to me and ask if that was my dad and I would say ‘no’ as I didn’t want the attention. I wanted to be good enough in my own right.”
And that she is, if you speak to coaches and team-mates, while her rearguard stance also brings out Hughes’s physical sides, just as it did when Hughes senior was stirring havoc at the other end of the pitch.
“I like to think I’m one of the tough players,” admits Xenna. “I hope to bring a range of passes but, for me, when the moment comes for a defender to get physical that’s what I plan on doing.
“You always have an idea in your head of what a defender should be, but in that moment all I think about is one on one and winning the ball. Or if I can’t do that, it’s about delaying them and to cause mayhem!”
And in the calm, it’s obvious that Hughes also needs little encouragement to stoke up the passion in pulling on the red shirt. “It does take you to another level,” she says. “When you put on the shirt you always have pride, but it never goes down with each game.
“With the Commonwealth Games, no matter what sport you are, you’ve all gone through the same struggles and hard work. I enjoy this type of tournament. I like walking through the village and guessing what type of sport people are in. It interests me how everyone has fallen into their chosen sports.”
With Hughes knowing how a host of England players fell into hockey, Wales will be fully aware of what awaits on Friday morning (10.30 UK) against the Glasgow silver medallists in their second group game. Yet, the Wrexham star believes that the underdogs will pose a severe test.
“We like to cause upsets. We know their style of play and have done our research. As long as we can cause as much hassle as possible then things will be going to plan.”
And Hughes’s own future plans? Well, she has only been focused on the Gold Coast adventure. “Work colleagues seem to have life plans,” she muses, “but I haven’t looked beyond April. It’s been my goal since the closing ceremony of Glasgow.”
HOW HUGHES WAS GIVEN SPARK
Southampton manager Mark Hughes never played a major Championship for Wales during his playing days, but Xenna broke the deadlock on the first day of the Glasgow Games in 2014, before overtaking her father in terms of international caps last year.
Hughes has always taken an interest in her daughter’s career and was set to travel out to the Gold Coast to watch with his wife before the Southampton job came calling. But Xenna has banked his wise words from Glasgow.
“He helped to keep my nerves at bay. He reminded me of the time he first played for Manchester United where you can never prepare for the big crowds. But once you’re on the pitch, you’re out there to play and it should be like you’ve always done it.”
The Hockey Paper
Our women dish out inconsistent displays in friendlies
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian women’s hockey team played inconsistently in two friendly matches against New South Wales Institute of Sports (NSWIS) at the Gold Coast Hockey Centre.
In the first match played on Saturday, K. Dharmaraj’s charges did well to win 4-2 but in the second match played on Sunday, they were beaten 3-0.
Hanis Nadia Onn, Fatin Shafika Shukri, Nur Amirah Shakirah Zulkifli and Nuraini Abdul Rashid scored the goals in the first match.
In the second match, not only did the forwards fail to get a single goal, Malaysia also wasted eight penalty corners.
Dharmaraj, who has been in charge of the women’s team since January 2016, said scoring goals is his team’s main problem.
“In the two friendlies, we did well to create many scoring opportunities. And I hope that my players will be ready to give their best in the Games,” said Dharmaraj.
Malaysia, ranked 22nd in the world, open their Group A campaign against world No. 10 India on Friday.
Their other matches are against world No. 14 South Africa (April 7), world No. 2 England (April 9) and world No. 26 Wales (April 11).
Group B comprises Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Scotland and Ghana.
In the last Games in Glasgow in 2014, Malaysia only managed to score just two goals in five matches.
In the group matches, they failed to net a single goal. They lost three matches to Australia (4-0), Scotland (2-0), England (5-0) and drew 0-0 with Wales.
They finished fourth in the group and in the playoff for seventh placing, Malaysia beat Canada 3-0 in the penalty shootout after both teams were tied 2-2 in regulation time.
The Star of Malaysia
Rotterdam storm into the FINAL4 with huge win over Uhlenhorst
©: Frank Uijlenbroek/world Sport Pics
HC Rotterdam stormed through to the FINAL4 of the EHL with a dominant first half performance to see off Uhlenhorst Mulheim 13-1, setting up a date with HC Bloemendaal.
They did fall behind five minutes into the game when Lukas Windfeder whipped in a penalty corner drag-flick. Rotterdam replied quickly with two set piece goals of their own with Jeroen Hertzberger scoring the equaliser.
It was his 36th goal of the EHL, pushing him back to the top of the goalscoring list, one ahead of Marco Miltkau who had moved level with him on Sunday with a strike against Dinamo Kazan.
Tjep Hoedemakers put Rotterdam in front with an equally powerful drag or 2-1 in the 10th minute before the game was well and truly won in the second quarter.
Seve van Ass was the inspiration in making it 4-1 with a surging run that ended with a goalkeeping block but Hoedemakers returned the ball back across where van Ass was waiting to tip in.
Albert Beltran and Diede van Puffelen created the next with another series of fast runs out of defence. Again, the first wave was repelled but the next one fell to Beltran who crossed to Hoedemakers who applied a brilliant one-time finish.
Van Ass got another to make it 8-1 at half-time when he exchanged passes with Thijs van Dam. Van Ass then further augmented the score with a 48th minute corner and Nick Catlin slammed in a field goal with six minutes to go to put the score into double figures and Thijs van Dam chipped in another to complete the rout.
Speaking afterwards, Rotterdam’s Seve van Ass felt the tactical setups from each side played into his side’s hands.
“A lot of energy on our side,” he said. “They tried to mix it up between zonal and man-on-man defence. For us, that was perfect because we have a lot of pace and when we have a lot of space, we are a really good team.”
As for what changed from the close-run win on Saturday against Mannheim, he added: “Our dynamics. Our leads gave us better possession.
“Against Mannheim, we didn’t play our game through the midfield and didn’t get those connections with the strikers. We tried to improve that and it worked like we wanted it to.”
For Jeroen Hertzberger, he said it was the perfect end to the perfect weekend for his club.
“This was four days of an amazing atmosphere. It was such a pleasure to play; we don’t get this in league games. It was an amazing experience and I really want to thank the club for organising. The volunteers, it is unreal what they have done. This is one of the best club experiences I have had in my career so far and I think it’s the same for everyone in the team.”
“Wherever you do it in Holland, it will be good. People just love their hockey here. The way it was here in Rotterdam, I have never seen it before and its really something special.”
Euro Hockey League media release
Bloemendaal sweep by Saint Germain to earn FINAL4 hosting rights
©: Frank Uijlenbroek/world Sport Pics
HC Bloemendaal are back in the FINAL4 as they got over a sticky start against Saint Germain to eventually run out big winners.
It was a double bonus for the club as they will also host the FINAL4 event at their Noord Holland base where they will hope to win their third EHL title.
Early on, the French side were much the livelier, drawing a trip of good saves from Jaap Stockmann, peppering his goalmouth with Joris Harou forcing him to scramble.
Arthur Thieffry then came into his own with a double save, using his helmet to keep out Thierry Brinkman and then Florian Fuchs and Sander ’t Hart.
Fuchs though got the breakthrough in the 19th minute when he got some space and smashed a shot through Thieffry’s defences. And the pressure began to tell when Roel Bovendeert scored his fourth field goal of the weekend soon after from Jord Beekmans cross.
Jamie Dwyer added his name to the scoresheet from a penalty stroke in the third quarter after Tim Jenniskens was felled. Bovendeert then made extra sure with a glorious first time finish following a perfect ball into his path from Tim Swaen.
Looking back on the weekend's work and two 8-0 wins for Bloemendaal, Florian Fuchs said: “I wouldn’t say the win over Dragons was easier than expected but I think we felt really good in the game. In the first quarter, we were the weaker side but as soon as we got the first goal, you saw the team had so much determination and was so willing to put everything into the game.
"This was our moment and we wanted to reach the FINAL4 so much. You felt on the pitch every player was putting in 100%. That’s how we eventually got the win against a very strong opponent.
“Today was maybe mentally tougher against a strong Paris team, especially in the first quarter. We did a good job after that and put a lot more pressure on them."
Euro Hockey League media release
Dragons and Mannheimer HC win EHL ranking matches
©: Frank Uijlenbroek/world Sport Pics
KHC Dragons and Mannheimer HC won their respective ranking matches on Monday morning, earning their respective nations a boost in the EHL ranking list.
Dragons won a crazy 20-10 ranking match with Three Rock Rovers to finish in ninth place with the Irish club ending in 13th overall.
Jeffrey Thys guided home the only goal of the first quarter to set the ball rolling before Arthur van Doren, Timothy Luyten and Henri Raes added field goals in the second quarter with Alex Hendrickx scoring a penalty corner for 9-0 at the big break.
Florent van Aubel, Felix Denayer, Robbert Rubens and Gregory Stockbroekx made it 16-0. Rovers rallied with John Mullins and Harry Morris both scoring in the 48th minute with field goals.
Van Aubel and Denayer added two more quick goals for Dragons before the Dublin club scored three field efforts in the closing minutes via Daragh Walsh, Jody Hosking and Kevin Mullins, hitting double figures.
Mannheimer HC eased to a 7-0 win over Racing Club de France to take a ninth place finish to aid their country’s ranking coefficient while Racing ended 13th in the ratings system.
Danny Nguyen’s early field goal, coupled with a Tim Haase corner flick put them 3-0 ahead with just nine minutes gone and they were rarely in trouble after that.
Indeed, RCF keeper Corentin Saunier produced a wealth of saves to keep the score down though Mannheim did get further field goals in the third quarter through Tino Nguyen and Patrick Harris.
Euro Hockey League media release
20-10! ‘Crazy’ Euro Hockey League match draws scoring system criticism
By The Hockey Paper
Dragons’ Florent van Aubel, right, scored twice (PIC: Worldsportpics/Frank Uijlenbroek)
The Euro Hockey League’s scoring system drew critcism on social media on Monday after KHC Dragons beat Three Rock Rovers 20-10 in a ranking match as the final four were confirmed in Rotterdam.
However, the clash could be seen as a one-off given that there were no fewer than 17 goals (12-5 in KHC Dragons’ favour) in a match described as “crazy” by the EHL, made more remarkable with only one goal scored in the first quarter.
The EHL scoring system follows the Hockey India League rules which sees field goals and a penalty stroke goal that did not result from a penalty corner earning two goals. Every penalty corner and every goal from a penalty stroke that comes about from a penalty corner earns one goal.
Philip Kooke, the Dutch hockey commentator, said: “For the sake of this great sport, I sincerely hope we will never see this again”.
Meanwhile South African Olympian Justin Reid-Ross was equally scathing on Twitter when he wrote: “Would have backed the Irish in the @EHLHockeyTV rugby event… Can we put this failed experiment behind us now please? #keepitsimple”.
Despite the eye-opening scorelines, the KO16 and KO8 matches saw some sublime hockey.
Dutch top clubs HC Rotterdam and HC Bloemendaal stormed through to the semi-finals to meet each other on May 26.
They join fellow Dutch side SV Kampong and the Belgium’s Herakles, who meet each other in the other clash next month.
Rotterdam saw off Uhlenhorst Mulheim 13-1 in another scoreline which many observers believe is damaging the game.
Hockey fan Kin Smith said: “I truly don’t believe this affected play in any way. Therefore it did not work. Scoring is not the issue with the game. The EHL should not innovate for innovations sake.”
For the record, here are the scorers from that “crazy” ranking game.
‘9 Jeffrey Thys 2-0
’17 Arthur Van Doren 4-0
’24 Alex Hendrickx 5-0 (sc)
’25 Timothy Luyten 7-0
’26 Henri Raes 9-0
’32 Florent Van Aubel 10-0 (sc)
’33 Felix Denayer 12-0
’38 Robbert Rubens 14-0
’45 Gregory Stockbroekx 16-0
’47 Alex Hendrickx 17-0 (sc)
’48 John Mullins 17-2
’48 Harry Morris 17-4
’53 Florent Van Aubel 19-4
’54 Felix Denayer 20-4 (sc)
’57 Kevin Mullins 20-6
’57 Daragh Walsh 20-8
’59 Jody Hosking 20-10
The Hockey Paper
HC Bloemendaal confirmed as host for FINAL4 party
Euro Hockey League – FINAL4; HC Bloemendaal, May 26 and 27, 2018
HC Bloemendaal will host the FINAL4 of this season’s Euro Hockey League on Saturday 26 May and Sunday 27 May at their famous ’t Kopje venue.
The announcement comes in the wake of an enthralling weekend at HC Rotterdam with packed stands enjoying world hockey’s best club competition.
And the FINAL4 looks set to be another great spectacle with the host club due to face HC Rotterdam in their semi-final while 2016 champions SV Kampong face the fairytale story from Belgium, Herakles.
It will be the fourth time Bloemendaal has hosted the EHL, welcoming the event in 2011, 2013 and 2015, winning the title on home turf in 2013.
Bloemendaal chairman Els van Mierlo is looking forward to the weekend already: “The EHL at Bloemendaal is always a party: a lot of top sport in a great atmosphere.
“There are always so many volunteers who want to help and of course we will have the Bloemigans there in large numbers. At the end of May, we are going to make it a great party!”
Hans-Erik Tuijt, chairman of the EHL, is happy with host Bloemendaal: "We are really delighted to be back in Bloemendaal. We have so many good memories of attractive EHL tournaments on ’t Kopje and this will be another superb showcase of club hockey for everyone to enjoy.”
Florian Fuchs lit up the KO16 weekend in Rotterdam and is sure to be one of the star attractions when he lines out for Bloemendaal at the FINAL4.
He has previously won the competition with UHC Hamburg and is looking to join a rare group of players who have won the crown with two clubs.
“It’s something we have worked hard for and have been looking forward to. Having it at our home club is unbelievable. There is nothing better than EHL at your home club and I am counting the days already.
“In Hamburg, I played KO16 at hosts so I know how it is. It was so busy and an unbelievable atmosphere. From the years before, I know with UHC playing at Hamburg, Bloemendaal does an incredible job every single time. It maybe even bigger this time with the club putting a huge amount of effort into it and we will make a fantastic event. With all the fans behind us, it will be amazing.”
Tickets will go on sale on Wednesday, 4 April on the EHL website. Daily tickets bought through the website are priced at €25 for adults and €15 for children.
When bought at the box office at the venue, adult tickets will be €30 with children €17.50.
Euro Hockey League media release
Girls’ Hockey challenge heats up
Taking the last penalty shot, Mvelo Mthombeni from Amanzimtoti High School takes on Kingsway’s keeper Teneze Tsouros during the rolling penalty in the semi-final of the SPAR KZN School Girls’ Hockey Challenge, which took place at 3 Schools Trust on Sunday.PHOTO: supplied
AFTER an absolute humdinger of a final, Amanzimtoti High School sealed their fourth win in a duplicated 2017 performance in the Durban South Regional of the SPAR KZN School Girls’ Hockey Challenge in South Africa at the 3 Schools Trust Astro last week.
Chris Clarke, coach for Amanzimtoti said “The first match of this tournament against Kuswag was our first game of the year. It was a very enjoyable event although it was hot all the teams stepped up their games, especially New Forest.
“This year the hockey was much harder.
“We started out well, and even though the girls got tired during the day, they managed to hold it together. It was an incredibly tough final against Kuswag, who dominated once we had scored our goal — but the girls managed to maintain their composure to make it to the final whistle.”
Amanzimtoti High School is the fifth team to secure a spot at the SPAR KZN School Girls’ Hockey Challenge Grand Finals that will be held in July at St Mary’s DSG.
They join Durban Girls’ College (Durban Central Regional), St Anne’s Diocesan (Pietermaritzburg Northern Regional), Epworth School (Pietermaritzburg Central Regional), and Ferrum Hoërskool (Northern KZN Regional).
News24