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News for 14 June 2018

All the news for Thursday 14 June 2018


Indian women's hockey team salvage 1-1 draw against Spain in second match of five-match bilateral series


India captain Rani Rampal in action against Spain. Hockey India

Madrid: Anupa Barla produced a late goal as the Indian women's team salvaged a 1-1 draw against hosts Spain in the second game of the five-match series at the Consejo Superior de Deportes Hockey Stadium on Thursday.

Outclassed 0-3 in the opening game, India recovered well to produce a gritty show as they made a comeback in the last two quarters after Spain dominated the match in the first two quarters.

It was Spain's Berta Bonastre (14th) who opened the scoring but Anupa cancelled out her goal in the 54th minute which meant that the match ended in a well-fought draw.

The opening quarter saw both the teams vie for possession in midfield and creating a few chances. It was the hosts who managed to take the lead in the 14th minute as their 26-year-old forward Bonastre found herself in space and scored in her second consecutive match to put the pressure on the visitors.

World No. 10 India started the second quarter well and had a couple of chances, but could not manage to beat the Spanish goalkeeper Maria Ruiz. The Indian midfield made sure that they won back possession quickly to put pressure on the hosts, but the hosts kept up a resolute defensive structure to take their 1-0 lead into half-time.

India started to get into the rhythm in the third quarter with the defence keeping out Spain's efforts and converting the defence into attack quickly. A strong third quarter performance from the Indian team saw them knocking on the hosts' door, with skipper Rani coming close to finding the equaliser in the latter minutes of the quarter.

India's chief coach Sjoerd Marijne replaced goalkeeper Savita with Swati at the start of the fourth quarter.

The visitors continued playing some attacking hockey in the last quarter as well and put constant pressure on the hosts, which saw the visitors earn an equaliser in the 54th minute when Anupa Barla's deflected shot went past Spanish goalkeeper Maria Ruiz into the back of the net.

The Indian team could have scored a late winner as they were high on confidence in the closing stages of the match. However, Maria Ruiz came to the World No 11 team's rescue to keep the scores levelled at 1-1.

The two teams will play the third of their five matches on Friday.

Firstpost



2018 Test Matches: ARG v USA (W) - Tests 1&2
Tucuman (ARG)

11 Jun ARG v USA     0 - 0
12 Jun ARG v USA     3 - 1

FIH Match Centre



Coaches Corner: USA's Janneke Schopman


Dutch legend Janneke Shopman is looking to guide USA to gold this summer Photo: FIH/WSP

In our continuing series, Coaches Corner, we meet Team USA's Janneke Schopman, a World Cup gold medallist with the Netherlands in 2006. She took over as Head Coach of the USA in 2017 after four years as Assistant. Now at the helm, she is aiming to replicate her playing days glory.

For Team USA and Janneke Schopman, the 2014 Hockey World Cup in The Hague is a dim and distant memory. There is a sense that even the composed Dutch woman gets a little irritated by its mention.

As spectators however, it is hard to forget the way in which the USA team burst onto the scene and swept all higher ranked opposition to one side as they made their way to the semi-finals.

A fourth place finish, knocked out of the semi-finals in shoot-out, was a brilliant result for the team ranked 11th at the time. And the hockey world was introduced to the USA style of play. Work harder, run faster and never, ever give up.

“It is country first, every time. That culture of team before individual is very, very strong and it cements all the work we do as a squad.”
Janneke Schopman, USA Head Coach

“The team contesting the 2018 World Cup is completely different from the team that played in 2014, so it is impossible to compare them,” says Schopman, who was Assistant in 2014.

The players might be different but the culture has been passed on. Wherever they travel and wherever they compete, USA athletes are renowned for their adherence to the team and its values. This, says Schopman, is a very typical American thing.

“It is country first, every time,” she says, “that culture of team before individual is very, very strong and it cements all the work we do as a squad.”

It is also a culture that is driven by the players. Schopman says that the behaviours displayed by the team, both on and off the field, have been discussed and agreed by all the squad. When it comes to playing, Schopman admits that she doesn’t always give her players the ‘answers’, and this can sometimes cause some anxiety.

“I like them to arrive at solutions themselves. In the early days, they would look to me for answers, but I want them to learn how to deal with situations, it makes them more intelligent players.”

It is an approach that is likely to be advantageous to Team USA as they continue to grow as a team. In the past, they have been renowned for their speed, skill and tenacity. If they can add a little more guile to their play, they will be genuine medal contenders.

Like most coaches, Schopman is reluctant to discuss her team’s chances of success at the forthcoming Vitality Hockey Women’s World Cup in London. Sounding uncannily like her charges, she speaks of needing to look at the event “one game at a time” and making sure the players are mentally in the right place when they step out onto the pitch in London.

She does speak of a need to stay composed: rushing play can be a default status for the team when they are under pressure. Equally, they need to make the most of any scoring opportunity – against the best teams in the world, chances to score are far and few between. But, as she points out, this is an experienced team. USA do not play as many international matches as some of the other nations participating in London, but they are full-time athletes and what they lack in cap numbers, they certainly make up for in hours in training.

USA (World Ranking:7) open their Vitality Hockey Women’s World Cup campaign with a match against Ireland (WR:16) on 21 July. India (WR:10) and host nation England (WR:2) are the other two teams they will face in Pool B.

#HWC2018

FIH site



Beat Pakistan or back home early

By Jugjet Singh

KUALA LUMPUR: World No 12 Malaysia are drawn in Group D, literally group of DEATH, in the men's World Cup in Bhubaneswar, India, on Nov 28-Dec 16.

World No 4 Netherlands, World No 5 Germany and Pakistan are our opponents, and if Malaysia fail to finish top-three in the group, its an early trip home on Dec 10, as there are no classification matches at 13th-16th.

The fourth placed teams in the four-group format will pack and go home.

Group A has Argentina, New Zealand, Spain, France; Group B: Australia, England, Ireland, China; and Group C: Belgium, India, Canada, South Africa.

The top four teams qualify for the quarter-finals automatically, while the third and fourth placed teams play cross over matches to determine the other four teams.

So, Malaysia must finish top three of there will not be any classification matches for them to improve on their world rankings, ahead for the World Series, which Malaysia hope to host and qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The early indications are that Malaysia need to beat Pakistan at all cost to stay alive.

"Going by our world ranking, we knew roughly before the groupings were released that we will be placed in a tough group. But it's the World Cup, there are no easy teams and we have been preparing for any eventuality," said Malaysian coach Stephen van Huizen.

Going by form, if Malaysia finish third in Group D, they will face either Belgium or India, who are expected to finish 1-2 in Group C.

"We need to move up the world rankings to have a better chance of qualifying for the Olympics (if we do not win the Asian Games gold), and so, Pakistan or one of the other two teams must be beaten. No two ways about it," said van Huizen.

This is only the second time 16 teams will play in the World Cup, the first was in 2002 Kuala Lumpur where Malaysia finished eighth.

Van Huizen's men open accounts against Netherlands on Dec 1, Pakistan on Dec 5 and Germany on Dec 9 -- with plenty of rest time in between to recover.

For the record, Malaysia rarely get a chance to play Germany and Netherlands, while Pakistan will be challenged in the Jakarta Asian Games.

The Star of Malaysia



Three family members chosen to play at the Masters Hockey World Cup

The trio will have to fork out R50 000 to cover expenses for the world cup.

By Lungile Dube


Garth, Wayne and Trevor Sinclair look forward to competing at the Masters Hockey World Cup next month.

Three family members who all live in Midrand have been chosen to play for South Africa at the Masters Hockey World Cup in Spain.

Trevor Sinclair has been selected along with his two sons Wayne and Garth to participate in the tournament from 27 July to 6 August.

Wayne said they were very excited to be part of the South African team. “We are proud and from a personal perspective, it is extraordinary for three members of a family to be selected at the same time to play at the World Cup,” he said.

“I am excited and nervous at the same time. We have an intense training schedule and I will probably have to be the fittest I have ever been my whole life.”

Wayne and his brother Garth will be part of the 40 plus age group team while Trevor will play for the Grand Masters 50 plus age group team. “My father used to play for Zimbabwe,” said Wayne.”He introduced my brother and me to the sport when I was seven years old. It’s a sport that we enjoy on any sunny day outdoors with the family.”

The trio will have to cover all costs to the World Cup from their own pockets and each of them will have to fork out R50 000.

“Unfortunately, the South African government does not support the sport in terms of international play,” added Wayne.

“We have been holding fundraisers to raise funds for all members to attend. Part of the proceedings from fundraisers go to charity.”

The Midrand Reporter



Rot-Weiss add rising star Knobling to their line-up



Rot-Weiss Koln have signed up German talent Eric Knobling from Crefelder HC, making him their second addition for next season following the confirmation of Florian Pelzner.

Knobling, aged 19, is one of the emerging attacking stars in the country and is part of the underage international setup, scoring 19 goals in 44 junior matches, winning the European Championship in 2016. He will study in Koln, too.

André Henning, head coach of the club, said of the new arrival: "Eric is an extremely smart but also athletic player. He has an insanely high sense of perception, lots of speed, and for his young age, a great presence.

“He will increase our youth in the side alongside Max Werner, Lukas Trompertz and Kai Aichinger as well as Max Siegburg and Emil Schaefer. We are therefore very happy about Eric's decision to play for us because we are getting better in the short term but we also are strengthening long-term and sustainably."

Knobling added: “Having planned to move to Koln, I wanted to take the opportunity to look for a new challenge. I also wanted to make the next step in the development of my career and see the best conditions for it in Rot-Weiss.

“I'm very excited about the strong team and the team mates. At this point, I would like to thank you for the great years at CHTC."

Euro Hockey League media release



Shimmins set to breathe fire with Dragons next season


Kirk Shimmins is off to Dragons for next season. Pic: Adrian Boehm

Irish international midfielders Kirk Shimmins, Shane O’Donoghue and Stephen Cole have all taken up contracts in Belgium for the upcoming season.

Shimmins and O’Donoghue both join Dragons in Antwerp, a club which has a long history of bringing in the best Irish talent. Indeed, O’Donoghue won two Belgian titles there before returning to captain Glenanne to the EY Hockey League season title last term.

Cole joins his younger brother Lee at Oree in Brussels, raising the current total of Irish players to seven in the league, joining Conor Harte, Jeremy Duncan and long-time resident Brian Doherty.

For Shimmins, the move aligns perfectly with his studies, making for the ideal timing with the club being his preferred choice of a number of options, linking up with the Belgian champions.

“The opportunity to play abroad presented itself at a nice time,” the Rio Olympian told The Hook. “I always intended to finish my undergraduate studies before considering playing away.

“With the World Cup around the corner, it is a good chance to play in one of the best leagues every week for a top team like the Dragons.”

While there, he will do a masters at Antwerp Management School with whom the club also has a good connection. As such, he follows the path laid out by the likes of Stephen Butler – who is now involved in the club’s recruitment side – Graham Shaw, Joe Brennan, Eugene Magee, Kyle Good and O’Donoghue.

“Of course, when a club like the Dragons approached me, it was hard not to jump straight at the opportunity. After speaking to a few past players who thoroughly enjoyed their experience and then visiting the club earlier this year, I was immediately attracted.

“The environment and the people are extremely welcoming and it seems like a place where past players have developed friends for life.”

Shimmins – and O’Donoghue – will join Dragons at a time of change. World player of the year Arthur van Doren has moved to Bloemendaal while nine players in total have moved on from their first team panel.

A large tranche have arrived, too, including German international keeper Tobias Walter, joining superstars like Felix Denayer and Florent van Aubel, making them an interesting proposition to see how they adapt.

“It was apparent to me that the mindset has not shifted despite all of the changes,” Shimmins says of their project for the season.

“A club like the Dragons sets the bar extremely high, for obvious reasons. I do not think the objectives or goals set out will be any different than they have in previous seasons. This level of expectation was definitely an attraction.”

How this will impact on Ireland’s November’s World Cup preparations remains to be ironed out, especially in the wake of Craig Fulton’s resignation for a role with Belgium.

Shimmins says that the move to play “with and against some of the best in the world will undoubtedly help improve my game moving forward towards the World Cup” and that Dragons have agreed to be “supportive of any national commitments”.

“At the moment, we are not entirely sure what these commitments may be but it is comforting knowing that the club will support these whatever they may be.”

As for Fulton, Shimmins adds to the tributes paid to the coach from his former charges but is positive Ireland can continue to push on.

“Craig has been immense for both the national team and also me personally. How he thinks and his ability to push you to learn and develop is incredible.

“Fortunately he will leave behind what he developed – a resilient and talented squad. Of course, his departure will be a big loss but the team still stands for its values so in that sense nothing changes.”

Elsewhere, the European Hockey Federation have thrown a slight spanner into the works for Ireland’s intended return to international indoor hockey.

Hockey Ireland had confirmed its intention to start fielding in this form of the game. The women have been placed in the third and lowest division in Slovakia in January 2020.

However, the men have only been placed on the reserve list for Seville the same month and must hope someone withdraws to give them a chance of taking part.

The Hook



Field Hockey Canada appoints Shiaz Virjee Head Coach of the Junior Women’s National Team

Virjee to lead summer of training, competition and program building



Field Hockey Canada is excited to announce the appointment of Shiaz Virjee as the Head Coach of the Junior Women’s National Team for their summer schedule. The National Junior Team is fresh off a training camp in Victoria, BC and will embark on a busy summer season of training and competition led by Virjee.

Originally from Nairobi, Kenya, Virjee is a decorated Canadian field hockey player and coach. His 35+ year involvement in the game is highlighted by playing and coaching at the club, provincial, national and international level. He has coached at the World Cup and Olympic Games and was the head coach of the UBC Thunderbirds men’s team for 13 years.

After training camp at the end of May, Virjee said the junior women’s team is physically in great shape to compete, but they still have a lot to improve on. He is looking forward to the challenge of working with the dedicated athletes and is excited to see the improvement and results on the field.

“I hope to motivate, inspire and teach skills and game play that will take our Junior Women’s National Team to achieve success,” Virjee said. “While the learning curve was steep at training camp, all the athletes worked hard to learn the new structure of play and set plays.”

The team is currently training in Shawnigan Lake on Vancouver Island in preparation for their upcoming homes series against Chile’s U21 National Team. The added training and competition exposure is part of the longer-term goal to prepare these athletes for junior and senior international play. Senior Women’s National Team Head Coach, Giles Bonnet, said Virjee’s experience will be invaluable for the young athletes and he expects him to be a great fit with the junior women’s squad this summer.

“It’s a privilege that we are able to have someone of Shiaz’s experience and knowledge to be leading the Junior National Team,” Bonnet said. “In Shiaz we have a coach who is very well positioned to continue the excellent work that was done before by Steph Andrews and build on this to take the team to another level in their development.”

After their home series against Chile, the team will take off to Antwerp, Belgium for a six-nation tournament featuring Netherlands, India, Great Britain, Ireland and Belgium. Virjee said that these opportunities are really valuable for the development of young athletes as they start their career.

“Both the Chile Series and 6 Nations Tournament are very exciting opportunities for our Junior team,” Virjee said. “Our athletes need the high level of competition to assess our strengths and improve our learnings.”

Field Hockey Canada media release



Hockey Partners With Fox Sports To Give Fans More & Better Content

Alexie Beovich



Hockey Australia today announced a five-year deal with Fox Sports Australia, giving fans access to live and exclusive HD coverage of the Hockey Pro League, Hockey World Cups, Champions Trophies and Olympic Qualification Events until 2022.

In addition to this, Fox Sports will broadcast the new Australian hockey league from 2019.

The deal is part of the International Hockey Federation’s global strategy and has been struck in partnership with Hockey Australia.

Hockey Australia CEO Matt Favier says the deal is hugely important in delivering on the sport’s ambition to grow and engage.

“This partnership will provide extensive, high quality coverage of our game both within Australia and through FIH’s global broadcast partners and channels throughout the year. As a result, fans will now have many more opportunities to engage with the sport on a more regular basis,”, Favier said.

“We know that great content is key to our success. The partnership with Fox Sports is one important element in our strategy of giving fans – and potential fans – the opportunity to experience our sport. Our content strategy considers a range of platforms with broadcast of course being very important.”

Fox Sports COO, Peter Campbell, said: “Fox Sports is delighted to extend its partnership with the International Hockey Federation, a deal which will provide unprecedented coverage for the sport.

“Fox Sports will deliver more local and international action than ever before, broadcasting the exciting new Hockey Pro League from 2019, and with the 2020 Olympics just around the corner, we will be the place for fans to follow the Aussies with coverage of major events including the World Cup and Olympic Qualifiers.  

“Our Australian hockey teams have achieved enormous success on the global stage but have had little visibility outside the Olympics. This new partnership will change that, providing significantly more coverage, both internationally and domestically, which will help grow the sport and showcase these incredible athletes.”

July's 2018 Champion's Trophy will be the first tournament broadcast in the new deal.

Hockey Australia media release

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