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All the news for Thursday 17 May 2018

Women's Donghae Asian Champions Trophy 2018 - Day 4
Donghae City (KOR)

Results 17 May 2018

MAS v IND (RR)     2 - 3
KOR v CHN (RR)     3 - 1

Pool standings

FIH Match Centre

Our girls upset Japan in Champions Trophy

By Kng Zheng Guan

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia pulled off a stunning upset over Japan in the women’s Asian Hockey Champions Trophy in Donghae City, South Korea.

The Tigress, who lost their first two matches against South Korea and China despite hard-fought attempts, made no mistake this time as they claimed an impressive 3-2 win over world No. 12 Japan at the Sunrise Stadium yesterday.

The world No. 22 Malaysians got off to a flying start right in the first minute as Nur Zafirah Aziz collected a lucky rebound off Wan Norfaiezah Saiuti to smash it past Japanese custodian Akio Tanaka.

Malaysia however failed to clear their lines in the ninth minute and Yui Ishibashi was on hand to level the scores.

That did not deter Malaysia and they went ahead in the second quarter as Fatin Shafika Mohd Shukri converted in the 19th minute through a penalty corner.

They then went 3-1 up at the stroke of half-time with a brilliant conversion by Nuraslinda Said.

Japan came back strong in the second half and pulled one back through Minami Shimizu in the 34th minute.

But Malaysia held their own and defended stoutly to pick up their first win in the five-nation round-robin competition.

“It always feels good to win against a team ranked higher than us.

“The players deserve the credit as they played well with unbelievable fighting spirit,” said national coach K. Dharmaraj.

“We went into the match handicapped as we were without an injured Raja (Norsharina Raja Shabuddin) but the other players stepped up and rose to the occasion.

“It is a really good win in hindsight.

“We would have finished last if we lost today and it was clear that we’re improving day-by-day.”

The win is certainly a boost for Malaysia before their final round-robin match against India today.

Malaysia, who are currently fourth in the standings, need a positive result and hope Japan lose to China tomorrow in order to qualify for the third place playoff match.

Meanwhile, world No. 10 India picked up their second win by beating world No. 8 China 3-1 yesterday.

The Star of Malaysia

India notches up second win at Donghae

s2h team

Indian girls notched up second successive victory today, beating China comprehensively, in the Women's Asian Champions Trophy under way Donghae in South Korea.

The defending champions India started the game on a faster note and thus putting the Chinese on the backfoot from the word go.

Its veteran Vandana Kataris who struck a brace before Dan Van narrowed the lead to 2-1 at the close of first quarter.

Gurjit Kaur, who missed a couple of attempts earlier, made amends with India's last penalty corner in the fourth quarter (3-1) to give an assailable lead.

however, the Chinese girls pressed hard in the last five minutes giving harrowing time to Indian defence.

The Chinese have got three consecutive penalty corners, but the Indian rushers saw it to it no damage is done.

Vandana Kataria dived full to deflect a through ball to give India the lead (1-0) in the fourth minute. Seven minutes later, she latched on to a guile back pass from Navneet to add another goal to her kitty.

Top contenders India, Korea and China have played two matches each, with India topping the pool with two wins whereas the other had solitary win.

Earlier in the first match, India defeated Japan 4-1 with Navneet Kaur striking hattrick with goals in the 7th, 25th and 55thm minutes. The other goal was struck by Anupa Barla two minutes before Navneet's momentous hat-trick.

India will take on Malaysia tomorrow, before winding up the round robin stage with a match against Korea on 19th.

Stick2Hockey.com

Vandana cuts through China

Striker’s brace guides India to 3-1 win over world No. 8


Vandana put India on top with goals in 4th and 11th minutes. file

Vandana Katariya struck a  brace as defending champions India stunned higher-ranked China 3-1 to continue their winning march at the fifth Asian Champions Trophy women’s hockey tournament here on Wednesday.

Experienced forward Vandana scored in the 4th and 11th minutes to hand her side a formidable lead early on before Gurjit Kaur converted a penalty corner in the 51st minute to seal the victory. China’s lone goal came from the stick of Wen Dan in the 15th minute. 

With the win, India climbed to the top of the table with two victories from as many games. India had earlier defeated Japan 4-1 in their tournament opener.

India will play Malaysia in their next round-robin match on Thursday. Malaysia got the better of Japan 3-2 in another encounter on Wednesday.

The tournament also marks the comeback of Dutchman Sjoerd Marijne as the chief coach of the women’s side after being at the helm of the men’s team for a little over seven months.

Vandana’s strikes, Savita’s saves

World No. 10 India were on the attack from the start. A great move between Lilima Minz, Navjot Kaur and Vandana gave India the early lead. India’s second goal came after Vandana was cleverly assisted by Udita.

World No. 8 China pulled one back in the dying stages of the first quarter through Dan’s well-struck field goal.

Indian custodian Savita Punia kept India’s 2-1 lead intact, denying the Chinese from four back-to-back penalty corners. In the second and third quarters, India showed excellent defensive skills to keep China at bay. Savita once again came to India’s rescue.

India came out with an attacking intent in the fourth quarter and it paid off when Gurjit scored from a penalty corner with a low drag-flick.

China went all out to get the goals but the Indian defence stood tall.

“It was important to hold our defence against the dangerous China who have the ability to come back into the game at any point,” said Vandana, who was named the Player of the Match. “Our aim today was to start well and get an early lead to put pressure on them. It worked and we played to a plan. We had good variations to score and I am happy with the way we played. It was a complete team effort,” she added.

The Tribune

Aussie team settling in for hockey contest

By Tom Kitchin


Australian national women's hockey team members Ashlee Wells and Karri McMahon get ready for the Tri Nations tournament in Cromwell. Photo: Tom Kitchin

Even though it might be a few degrees colder than their base in Perth, members of the Australian women's hockey team, the Hockeyroos, are making themselves right at home for the Cromwell Tri Nations hockey tournament.

Yesterday, the team had its first training session in Cromwell, the first for the three teams competing in the tournament.

The New Zealand Black Sticks and Japan's national hockey team will arrive in the Central Otago town by tomorrow night to begin the tournament on Saturday.

Australian goalkeeper Ashlee Wells (28) and defender Karri McMahon (26) said although it was a change from the recent 30degC Perth weather, they were making the most of it.

''It's definitely a bit chilly,'' Wells said.

The Australian team was awarded a silver medal at this year's Commonwealth Games at the Gold Coast, losing to New Zealand.

''Obviously, that was a bit disappointing for us not to come away with a gold but we've made some changes here to have a look at new players and new combinations within the group,'' McMahon said.

She said the games in Cromwell would prepare the teams for the 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup in London in July-August.

''It's about refining our team now and honing in on some specific stuff and making some improvements since the [Commonwealth] Games.''

A trip to New Zealand may be the easiest for the team, they said.

''[New Zealand] is a good place to go that's foreign. Half the shops are the same,'' Wells said.

''Coffee is also normal,'' McMahon quipped.

Wells said, other than the ''freezing cold'', New Zealand was a great place to compete.

''For us to have New Zealand at quite a good standard, it's nice to have that short distance. We don't have to sit on a plane for an entire day just to get good competition.''

The tournament starts on Saturday with a New Zealand-Japan game, and the Hockeyroos will play their first game on Sunday against New Zealand.

Central Otago Sports Turf Trust chairman Michael Paardekooper said tickets were still available for some games and people were welcome to come along and watch the teams train.

Otago Daily Times

Milestones On The Horizon For Hockeyroos

Alexie Beovich


Emily Smith will get her 200th cap

Several Hockeyroos stalwarts will bring up major milestones during the upcoming Tri Nations series against New Zealand and Japan in Cromwell.

Australia will participate in the three-nation tournament which runs from 19-27 May as crucial preparation for the 2018 World Cup in London in July and August.

Skipper Emily Smith along with veteran defender Jodie Kenny will likely bring up their 200th caps respectively for Australia during the Tri Nations.

Smith, who was appointed Hockeyroos captain last September, debuted against New Zealand at the 2011 Oceania Cup in Hobart.

Kenny, who started a family last year with the birth of Harrison, debuted in 2011 as well, against Germany at the Four Nations in Argentina.

But they’re not alone, with Edwina Bone (149 games), Ashlee Wells (96 games) and Renee Taylor (48 games) on the cusp of milestones too.

Hockeyroos coach Paul Gaudoin elected to draft in five players from the 18-member team which had competed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in April, losing to the Black Sticks in the gold medal match.

Among the changes are Wells, along with Kristina Bates, Lily Brazel, Kalindi Commerford and Kathryn Slattery.

Madison Fitzpatrick had originally been included but injured forced her out late, with Ash Fey returning.

Gaudoin said the Tri Nations represented a good opportunity to see what those players had to offer.

“We’re starting to build players who are a bit more flexible, who are owning their decisions on the field and we need to continue that if we’re going to be a team that’s reckoning for a medal in Tokyo,” Gaudoin said.

He added: “We want to make sure we’re learning, building and improving every time we get an opportunity to represent Australia.

“I think the girls are starting to understand how I want them to play. Our style of play still has a lot of work to do.”

Gaudoin said the Hockeyroos would enter into an intense training block after the Tri Nations, before heading to Europe in July where they’d play some warm-up matches ahead of the World Cup.

He was coy on giving away too much against New Zealand and Japan, who they’ll meet in London, but said facing the world number four Black Sticks would be another good opportunity to learn.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to challenge ourselves against one of the top teams in the world,” he said.

“We are reasonably familiar with them but at the same time they’ve got some excellent players, an excellent style of play that’s aggressive and we want to be able to challenge ourselves to continue to be able to perform against them, recognising that we’ll see them at the World Cup.”

Follow @Hockeyroos on Twitter for match updates throughout the Tri Nations series.

The semi final/final will be streamed via the Black Sticks Facebook page (no geo-blocking).

Hockeyroos team for Tri Nations:

Athlete (City, State)

Kristina Bates (Mont Albert, VIC)
Jocelyn Bartram (Albury, NSW)
Edwina Bone (Orange, NSW) *Plays for ACT
Lily Brazel (Sydney, NSW) *Plays for VIC
Kalindi Commerford (Mollymook, NSW) *Plays for ACT
Ashlea Fey (Sunshine Coast, QLD)
Savannah Fitzpatrick (Cabarita Beach, NSW) *Plays for QLD
Emily Hurtz (Sydney, NSW) *Plays for VIC
Jodie Kenny (Wamuran, QLD)
Stephanie Kershaw (Townsville, QLD)
Karri McMahon (Berri, SA)
Kaitlin Nobbs (Newington, NSW)
Brooke Peris (Darwin, NT)
Kathryn Slattery (South Stirling, WA)
Emily Smith (c) (Crookwell, NSW)
Grace Stewart (Gerringong, NSW)
Renee Taylor (Everton Park, QLD)
Ashlee Wells (Morwell, VIC)

Tri Nations Women’s International Hockey Match Schedule (all times AEST):

Sunday 20 May 12:30pm - New Zealand vs Australia
Monday 21 May 4:30pm - Australia vs Japan
Wednesday 23 May 4:30pm - New Zealand vs Australia
Thursday 24 May 4:30pm - Australia vs Japan
Saturday 26 May 2:30pm - Playoff for final (2nd vs 3rd)
Sunday 27 May 12:30pm - Final

Hockey Australia media release

Malone Elevated To National Senior Women’s Squad

Ben Somerford



Hockey Australia today confirms Queensland forward Ambrosia Malone has been added to the National Senior Women’s Squad.

Malone, 20, joins the 27-member squad following the departure of Gabrielle Nance who has taken an indefinite break from the game.

The Gold Coast product, who hails from Burleigh Hockey Club, debuted for the Hockeyroos in January, playing three matches during January’s Test Series against Spain in Perth.

Malone has been elevated from the National Development Squad and has previously represented the Queensland Scorchers at several Australian Hockey League tournaments, scoring two goals as they won the 2016 title.

Hockeyroos head coach Paul Gaudoin said: “We’re thrilled to be able to offer Rosie this opportunity which we believe she deserves.

“She’s a young talent with potential, who brings great energy and desire to succeed at international level.

“She’s been involved within our set-up before for the Spain Test Series and during Visiting Athlete Agreement opportunities where she impressed and gelled well within the squad.

“We’re excited to welcome her into our squad and we’re looking forward to her continuing her development as a promising young athlete within our daily training environment.”

The 18-member Hockeyroos team for the Tri Nations series flew out of Perth on Monday, with the tournament against New Zealand and Japan running from 19-27 May in Cromwell.

Hockey Australia media release

Irish U21 Men Squad For 3 Nations In New York

The U21 men depart for New York this week ahead of their 3 Nations series against Japan and hosts USA.

Many of the team played in the recent series against England which highlighted the potential of this young side to compete with some of the best underage programmes in world hockey.

Head Coach Jonny Caren hails his team’s progress and is looking forward to the tournament, which marks the start of a busy summer for all international squads

“This year is the perfect opportunity to focus on the dual purpose of the U21 programme; to develop our athletes along the player pathway towards a senior international career and develop our younger athletes towards next years’ Junior European Championships. This 3 Nations tournament is an exciting opportunity to look at current and future athletes in a competitive environment. It will be excellent experience for our talented group playing against the different styles of Japan and America”. 

All matches to be held at Yale University (times listed are local):

Ireland vs Japan 20/5/18 at 8pm
Ireland vs USA 22/5/18 at 8pm
Ireland vs Japan 23/5/18 at 8pm
Ireland vs USA 25/5/18 at 8pm
Ireland vs Japan 26/5/18 at 2pm

Name, Club
Luke Rolleston, Banbridge
James Milliken, Lisnagarvey
Keith O’Hare, Pembroke Wanderers
Luke Witherow, Banbridge
Ben Wallace, Annadale
Sam Grace, UCC
Callum Robson, Annadale
Ryan Getty, Lisnagarvey
David Rae, Kilkeel
Scott McCabe, Lisnagarvey
Conor Empey, Three Rock Rovers
Geoff Cole, Monkstown
Sam Hyland, YMCA
Mark McNellis, Lisnagarvey
Cian Murphy, Pembroke Wanderers
Julian Dale, Cork C of I
Matt Crookshanks, Beeston
Adam McAllister, Annadale

Irish Hockey Association media release

Livestream Information Confirmed for Junior Nations Invitational Tournament

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The stage is set for the Junior Nations Invitational Tournament at Yale University’s Johnson Field in New Haven, Conn.

The U.S. U-19 Men’s National Team will compete in five games during the three-team tournament, which runs from May 20-27. USA Field Hockey is also pleased to confirm livestream will be available for all USA matches at usafieldhockey.com.

Junior Nations Invitational Tournament Schedule:

Monday, May 21, USA vs. Japan, 8:00 p.m. ET
Tuesday, May 22, USA vs. Ireland, 8:00 p.m. ET
Thursday, May 24, USA vs. Japan, 8:00 p.m. ET
Friday, May 25, USA vs. Ireland, 8:00 p.m. ET
Sunday, May 27, USA vs Japan, 8:00 a.m. ET

*Click here for the full schedule

The U-19 USMNT will compete in three more international test series in the remainder of the year. In July, the squad will travel to Toronto, Canada before hosting Chile in Greenwich, Connecticut in August. Lastly, Canada will reciprocate and make their way to Moorpark, Calif. for the final training camp and test series.

For all information regarding the Junior Nations Invitational Tournament in New Haven, Conn., including the full schedule, check out the event page by clicking here.

USFHA media release

Bloemendaal close to selling out – fans encouraged to buy last few tickets in advance


©: World Sport Pics

Fans intending on enjoying the EHL FINAL4 up close and personal at HC Bloemendaal are being encouraged to purchase their tickets online as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

The event sees the host club take on HC Rotterdam on Saturday, May 26 with SV Kampong and Belgian club Herakles battling it out in the semi-final for a place in GRAND FINAL on Sunday, May 27.

With 10 days to go, less than 200 tickets – of the 4,868 total – remain available for the GRAND FINAL on May 27 while there is just over 1,100 tickets available for May 26.

As such, the EHL envisage the event will sell out and so would encourage any fans who want to go to HC Bloemendaal should buy their tickets now!

To secure your place at the EHL FINAL4, click here: http://ehlhockey.tv/tickets/

Euro Hockey League media release

Surbiton & Holcombe ready for European action!



All eyes are on Sugden Road this week as the Euro Hockey Women’s Club Cup heads to Surbiton Hockey Club.

The tournament which starts tomorrow sees eight of Europe's elite battle it out on English soil for the first time in its new format since the launch in 2010.

Surbiton will host HC Den Bosch and AHBC from the Netherlands, UHC Hamburg and Mannheimer HC from Germany, Club Campo Villa de Madrid from Spain, UCD Ladies HC from Ireland and HC Victorya Smolevichi from Belarus.

Hosts Surbiton head into the tournament in fine form after securing a domestic league and cup double lifting the Investec Women’s Premier Division title and beating Clifton Robinsons in the Investec Women’s Championships Final.

Their squad boasts a whole host of international talent including England stars Hollie Pearne-Webb, Giselle Ansley, Hannah Martin, Emily Defroand, Sarah Haycroft and Jo Hunter.

For more information on the event including the full schedule and ticket information click here.

Meanwhile Holcombe head over to Ireland to contest in the Euro Hockey Club Trophy. They take on MSC Sumchanka from Ukraine, GHC Ritm Grodno from Belarus and SK Slavia Prague from the Czech Republic in their pool.

All matches from both of these tournaments will be streamed live on the EuroHockey website here.

England Hockey Board Media release

Hockey eyewitness: Surbiton’s super fan, aged 10, assesses the European Cup

by The Hockey Paper



Oliver Fitch attends Downsend School in Surrey and plays for Surbiton BU12 ‘B’ Team. He is an everpresent when it comes to watching the club’s first teams and the 10-year-old will be an avid onlooker this weekend when Surbiton Ladies participate in the European Cup.

Why I love hockey…

My family has a strong history playing hockey and goes back five generations as my great grandfather’s father was the first to play hockey in my family; he played for The Retreat in York. My great grandfather also played, mostly for the RAF. My grandpa played for various RAF teams including RAF Germany, but in England he played for Alford. My mother and father both currently play hockey for Surbiton, and my mum used to be in the Ladies 1st Xl before she had me. That has inspired me to play hockey ever since.

I go to every match because… I love watching hockey as well as playing it and enjoy analysing the game from my mum’s team to the men and ladies’ 1st XI matches. I like to try and guess what move or pass will come next and get very elated when Surbiton score and very emotional if we lose or draw, which fortunately is not too often.

I try to watch every single game and I never miss any of my mum’s matches including ones at the Olympic park. The first XI always put on a great performance and I learn from them every week.

What does Surbiton mean to you?

Surbiton means the world to me and has been part of my life since I was just one week old when I made an appearance on the main pitch for the clubs’ play day! We go to every final at Lee Valley so we can get behind both the men’s and women’s teams and I know most of the players as a result. I have also regularly been a mascot, walking on to the pitch with the players and have been fortunate enough to be part of their warm up, team talk and on the bench during a match against Leicester. I love being part of the ball patrol team at matches. I have followed Surbiton women in Europe in Holland at SCHC and Den Bosch for the last three years.



What’s great about Surbiton Ladies?

It’s not just because they have won the Investec Womens Hockey League FIVE years in a row, went 53 games unbeaten in the league before they lost to Leicester 3-2 last year and have won the double for the last two years! They have a lot of strength and depth with a Colts section feeding into the squad. For the Cup fixtures, a number of players are often rested so they can give the youth and second Xl players a chance to shine.

I love the Surbiton club atmosphere because…

it is amazing. We have one of the best colts section in the world and everyone believes in the players and coaches led by club president Suresh Desai, who has really transformed our club into a much more successful one. Everyone is very kind and caring and the tea hut and bar staff are also on hand offering a good choice of refreshments.

When I first heard the EuroHockey was coming to Sugden Road…

I was so excited on the night last October when my dad told me that the EuroHockey Club Cup was coming to Surbiton. I knew that it would be a great experience with many Olympians and ex-Olympian hockey players on show. This will be a big challenge for the club but so far we have succeeded massively and have had great sponsorship enabling us to update and invest in new dugouts and facilities.

What are you most looking forward to at the Euros?

I am looking forward to the clubs challenge because there are so many amazing clubs on show with many great players. For the first time the ParaHockey and Hockey For Heroes will be playing at the clubs to encourage more disabled people to take up hockey.

What are you most fearing?

There are a few things that I am worried about, mainly the English weather with it expecting to be chillier than recent days on the Thursday and Friday. I am also concerned in case the K3 bus service can not cope with the spectators! Hopefully everything will run smoothly.



Which players should we be watching?

There are many amazing hockey players in this prestigious tournament. For example, Den Bosch have 10 members of the Dutch squad and Marlies Vereruggen retires after the tournament. Giselle Ansley and Hollie Webb are possibly the greatest defensive combination in the tournament. Olympic Gold medalist Georgie Twigg is a brilliant all rounder and her work rate on the pitch is unequalled and Charlotte Stapenhorst, from UHC Hamburg, is a phenomenal goalscorer and definitely one to watch out for. I can’t wait.

Be part of the action at the EuroHockey Club Cup this weekend

The Hockey Paper

UCD face toughest possible draw in Euro Cup


UCD’s Ellen Curran. Pic: Adrian Boehm

UCD start their EuroHockey Club Cup challenge on Thursday afternoon with one of the toughest possible draws, taking on Dutch giants AH&BC Amsterdam in Surbiton in the quarter-final stage.

Upset the odds and they will go through to a semi-final on Saturday; lose and they will face a fifth to eighth place playoff on Friday, both times the next opponent being one of the German sides, Mannheimer HC and UHC Hamburg.

As such, it is a big ask for Miles Warren’s side but he says UCD are in a good place to hit their own internal targets this weekend in London following success in both the EY Hockey League and the Irish Senior Cup.

“Looking at the season as a whole, it was a huge success; we were obviously disappointed not to win the Champions Trophy at the end but fair play to Loreto for beating us on the day.

“Winning the league by a new record total of points was a big source of pride for us, conceding less than 10 goals in an 18-match league is also an achievement that will be very hard to better and to win the ISC final by four goals was very satisfying.

“When you look at those points and the fact that we only lost two matches all season in Irish competitions, we are extremely proud of what we have done.”

The tie against Amsterdam will be another level, though. 1999 was the last year anyone outside the Netherlands has won the top European competition with Amsterdam having won the title 13 times.

They finished runners-up last week in their national competition to Den Bosch – who are also in London – and bring an array of superstars like Eva de Goede, Anne Veenendaal, Kitty van Male, Kelly Jonker, Lauren Stam and German hard-hitter Julia Muller while Marijn Veen is a definite one to watch for the future.

“Amsterdam are probably one of the top two club teams in the world so we are aware of the massive challenge we face,” Warren says of the tie.

“They have no real weaknesses which you would expect from a team loaded with Dutch senior and Under-21 internationals, they will look to put us under a massive amount of pressure from the start but we will stick to our plan and hopefully create a few chances of our own.

“We have prepared well by playing matches against male opposition which forced us to defend for extended periods of time and to prepare for the very direct running and attacking game that Amsterdam and the German teams will pose for us.

“We are realistic about what we can achieve and have set our goals accordingly while still looking to surpass expectations.”

They travel at full strength with support from the college with whom the sports department and academic faculties have worked together in moving exams around to free players up.

“It is any players dream to represent your club in Europe and to be fortunate enough to be doing it in the A division against the best clubs in the world is a massive privilege. We will; be going out their as best prepared as possible and hopefully make ourselves and UCD proud.”

Like all Irish clubs who play in European competition, serious fundraising has been undertaken/

“The players have put in a massive amount of effort on and off the pitch to get to this point and we would not have been able to do it without all the support we have received. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our sponsors: Bank of Ireland – Montrose branch, Arena Kitchens and UCD Sport.”

Women’s EuroHockey Club Cup, quarter-final (Thursday): UCD vs AH&BC Amsterdam, 2.30pm – live stream on www.eurohockeytv.org

The Hook

Brown snapped up by East Grinstead to aid indoor and outdoor ambition


Chloe Brown in Ards indoor action. Pic: Adrian Boehm

Surprisingly not included in Ireland’s 29-strong World Cup training panel, Chloe Brown is clearly well-regarded by leading English Premiership side East Grinstead, writes John Flack.

The Ards striker is to join the Sussex club in the new season after impressing them at last year’s European Indoor Championship.

The 24-year-old’s international career, which has yielded 53 caps to date, has been punctuated by disappointment with her exclusion from an extended World Cup squad underlining the argument.

How ironic then that East Grinstead should have head hunted the 24-year-old striker, who will now be playing at a higher level than she has in recent years in the EYHL.

Brown says she is excited about the prospect and she is particularly looking forward to playing indoor hockey at a high level in England, having helped Ards become unbeatable over the past seven national championships.

Indoor hockey has been a much more important part of the calendar across the water than in Ireland for decades now with winter outdoor hockey breaks the norm elsewhere.

The English national championship finals weekend, known as the Super Sixes, is played in front of thousands of spectators and a live television audience.

However, there have been signs that indoor hockey is on the rise again in this part of the world with new initiatives at youth level and Hockey Ireland’s recent announcement that the national teams are to be reintroduced onto the European stage after a gap of more than a quarter of a century.

All that is great news for Brown who has revealed how she was approached by East Grinstead after impressing for Ards at last year’s Europeans.

She explained: “We played them in Lithuania and narrowly lost 2-1 and they went on to win the bronze medals. While being out there and socialising with the other teams the East Grinstead coach and I got talking.

“She liked how I played, got my contact details and last month she was in touch and asked me to come over to England so I jumped at the opportunity. I am very excited about playing in the English Premier League and even more so about taking part in the Super Sixes.”

Brown has established herself as the best indoor player in Ireland, despite being rejected-perhaps temporarily-from the outdoor international scene. She has played in six European Championships for Ards, scoring more than 50 goals in the process, latterly from a more withdrawn centre-court role.

She added: “I think it is brilliant that Hockey Ireland are entering men’s and women’s teams into the 2020 Europeans.”

“I am, of course, disappointed to be leaving Ards where I have had eight great years and, ironically, while they are off to France for the Europeans next year, I won’t be playing on the continent this time around.

“It was Bowden-Hightown who won the Super Sixes earlier this year so they will be representing England in the indoor Europeans.

“Outdoors, East Grinstead finished third in the Investec Premier League last season and qualified for the final four in which they narrowly lost to Holcombe 2-1, so I can’t wait to get started.”

East Grinstead have pulled put all the stops to make sure Brown will settle in to her new club, feel at home and ease the transition so they deserve immense credit.

While she won’t be playing professionally, East Grinstead have helped her find a job which was pivotal in her decision to leave her home club, after turning down a chance to play in Germany last season.


Brown in Ireland action against Scotland at Stormont in 2017. Pic: Adrian Boehm

“With the club’s help, I have got a full time teaching job and I will be working in the PE department at a private school called Ardently College,” she explained.
Brown will be in illustrious company at her new club as East Grinstead include several other internationals, among them Laura Unsworth, who won a gold medal with Great Britain at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

However, her loss will be a huge blow for Ards as she has been their leading scorer for most of her eight years at the club in both versions of the sport.

She was instrumental in helping them to successive Ulster Shield triumphs and an Ulster Premier League title followed by promotion into the EYHL Hockey League three seasons ago.

Ards coach Gareth Grundie said: “Naturally, we will miss Chloe very much but we are delighted that she has been able to join a top level club and she will, I am sure, be a terrific asset to East Grinstead, in both the indoor and outdoor codes.”

Brown has resigned herself to missing the outdoor World Cup trip to London but she could yet come back into the reckoning for next year’s European Championship and the 2020 Tokyo Olympic qualifying process, if, as seems likely, she makes an impression in her new adventure.

The Hook

1,000 Games And Still Going Strong

Alexie Beovich



Tasmanian hockey legend Peter Holmes notched up his 1000th senior game for the Diamondbacks last weekend but he was close to missing his own celebrations.

Holmes began his hockey journey, aged 10, in 1967 at St. Virgil’s Primary School where he was invited to join the school’s hockey team. Holmes was already playing in the school’s Australian Rules football team but had to choose between the two sports during an inter-school carnival.

It’s clear that this decision helped to define the 50 year hockey veteran’s path in life.

“There was a disagreement between the two coaches and they said ‘you’d better make a choice here.’ Well I thought we had a better chance of winning in the hockey and there’s a bit more of a challenge in the sport so I stuck with it and here we are, fifty years later and still playing” said Holmes.

Holmes went on to join the Diamondbacks Hockey Club under 16’s team in 1972, a club he would continue to be a part of 45 years later and counting.

The Diamondbacks is where Holmes has perfected his craft, going on to play in the seniors, the Masters and for a myriad of representative teams.

Nowadays at age 60, Holmes still plays at a high level and doesn’t look like slowing down.

“I play for the challenge. These days I’m playing against people in their early twenties. Last year in our grand final there was a guy who dropped back from Premier League to Division 3 just to play us and that was another challenge.”

But it’s not just the challenge of competition that keeps Holmes engaged in hockey, it’s something that runs much deeper than that.

“It’s the friendships that you make over the years, both with your teammates and the guys you play against. It’s is a community, everyone wants to be a part of something and if they can attach themselves to hockey, it’s great.”

The Diamondbacks Hockey Club only record one senior game per weekend for their players to ensure that everyone is playing for the entire game rather than just sitting on the bench across two or three games per weekend.

This means that in all of his time at the Diamondbacks, Holmes has barely missed a game, but in an interesting turn of events he almost missed his biggest milestone yet.

“We had people from the club calling up and asking if they could play in my 1,000th game, that was pretty special, but four weeks beforehand it looked like I might not even be playing.”

“A few weeks before the game my entire back had locked up but some acupuncture and a trip to physio meant that I wasn’t stuffing up the club’s celebrations! I was a bit worried there for a while but I ended up going out there and scoring the first goal before setting the second one up.”

Of his 1,000 games for the club, Holmes’ 1,000th was certainly a memorable one.

“It would have to be one of the major highlights of my career, mainly because of all the people who came out even though it was Mother’s Day. To see the smiles on everyone’s faces afterwards made it totally special.”

A highlight of the day for Holmes was being able to share his milestone with a teammate by the name of Bob Harris. Harris and Holmes have been brothers in arms for many years at the Diamondbacks. The iconic duo both played their 800th games together and have now combined for 1930 games for the club.

What’s next for Holmes’ hockey career?

“I had a guy ask me ‘you’ve played to first 1,000 games right handed, can you play the next 1,000 with your left?’ It’ll depend on my family but I’ll look to keep going.”

Whatever number of games Holmes reaches will be a testament to his love of the game and the support of an amazing Tasmanian hockey community.

Hockey Australia media release