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All the news for Friday 29 June 2018

Rabobank Hockey Champions Trophy Breda 2018 - Day 5
Breda (NED)

Results

ARG v PAK (RR)     1 - 4
IND v BEL (RR)     1 - 1
NED v AUS (RR)     1 - 3

Upcoming 28 June

15:00     BEL v PAK (RR)

Pool Standings

FIH Match Centre

Mighty Kookaburras reach final at Men’s Rabobank Hockey Champions Trophy 2018


Blake Govers (right) scored twice as Australia defeated the Netherlands to reach the event final in Breda. Copyright: FIH / World Sport Pics

Fourteen-time champions Australia have become the first team to secure a place in the competition final at the Men’s Rabobank Hockey Champions Trophy 2018 event, which is currently taking place in Breda, the Netherlands.

The mighty Kookaburras achieved the feat with a match to spare thanks to a 3-1 victory over the host nation, with Blake Govers scoring twice for the title holders and reigning world champions.

The Netherlands can still reach Sunday’s showpiece final but will need to defeat in-form India, a team that currently sit second in the standings thanks in part to their 1-1 draw against Belgium today.

The day’s play began with a cracking contest between Argentina (FIH Hero World Ranking: 2) and Pakistan (WR:13), with the Asian giants claiming a win that both upset the world rankings and also effectively ended Argentina’s hopes of reaching the title match.

The opening two quarters were evenly contested, with Pakistan taking the lead in the first period when Muhammad Irfan Jr escaped the attentions of his marker to fire home before Los Leones drew level thanks to a wonderful break forward finished off by evergreen 36-year-old Matias Paredes.

The match remained finely balanced until the final quarter when Pakistan scored three times to take their fist win of the competition. Ali Mubashar slammed a low penalty corner drag-flick against the backboard in the 47th minute before Ajaz Ahmad made the score 3-1 just two minutes later. A superb 4-1 triumph was confirmed from the penalty spot, with Aleem Bilal making no mistake with a low effort to give the Greenshirts their first win of the competition. 

“In the last three games we haven’t played very well, but today we beat the Olympic champions”, said Pakistan’s Ammad Butt on the occasion of his 100th international match. “I hope we can play even better in the upcoming games here.”

India (WR:6) came within two minutes of victory against higher-ranked Belgium (WR:3), with the Red Lions stealing a point with a late penalty corner as the match finished with the score locked at 1-1. Harmanpreet Singh's third goal of the competition put the Asian champions ahead with a penalty corner drag-flick in the 10th minute, a lead that was very much deserved.

The Indians went close to adding to their lead on numerous occasions but were wasteful in front of goal, something that the Belgians - who had 12 penalty corners in the match - were also guilty of. The equaliser arrived inside the final 90 seconds thanks to a terrific penalty corner flick from Loick Luypaert, who also had a chance to win it late on but was denied by Indian shot-stopper PR Sreejesh, who had a magnificent game.

“We played a wonderful game until maybe the 57th or 58th minute, but this is something we should learn from because even the very last seconds can count”, said Sreejesh, reflecting on the contest.

The stadium was awash with orange in the concluding match of the day, as the fans turned up in their thousands to watch home favourites the Netherlands (WR:4) face top-ranked Australia (WR:1). While the home supporters may not have got the desired result, they were certainly treated to a superb game of attacking hockey.

The Dutch went ahead midway through the second quarter thanks to a clever touch from Mirco Pruijser, but a fine strike from Blake Harvie ensured that the Australians went into half time on level terms. Blake Govers proved to be the match winner, scoring from open play in the third quarter before firing home from the penalty spot in the fourth period to put the Kookaburras right on track for a 15th Champions Trophy title. 

When asked his thoughts about which team the Australians might face in the final, Blake Govers said: “To be honest we haven’t done any research. We heard over the speaker that we had made the final, but we don’t really worry about numbers at this stage. We just win what we can win, you know. The Dutch at home would be another nice game, or India. To be honest it is such a good tournament it doesn’t matter (who we face).”

The Men’s Rabobank Hockey Champions Trophy 2018 continues on Friday 29th June when Belgium’s Red Lions face the Greenshirts of Pakistan at 15:00 Central European Standard Time (UTC +1).

#HCT2018

FIH site

Australia Defeat Hometown Hosts In Zalewski’s 150th

Alexie Beovich



Australia has defeated opposition home-side, Netherlands, 3-1 in Friday morning’s Champions Trophy clash thanks to a spectacular second half performance from Kookaburra forward Blake Govers.

The early part of Friday morning’s match was hotly contested and saw the Netherlands take an early lead thanks to a spectacular goal from Mirco Pruijser in front of a full house in Breda, Netherlands. Jake Harvie was able to tie things up for the Kookaburras with a field goal after consecutive penalty corner opportunities on the eve of the second half.

The tension from the first half seemed to dissipate slightly as the second half began to unfold, making for a more free-flowing and attacking game. Blake Govers clearly felt at home in this style of play, scoring two goals in the 35th and 55th minutes respectively.

Tyler Lovell once again had a fantastic outing for the Kookaburras, allowing just one goal in 13 shots on target.

Neither side was able to breakthrough in the first term. Some strong defence from both sides treated fans to an extremely tight battle through the midfield and some exhilarating runs from defence.

The Netherlands scored their first and only goal in the 23rd minute of the match by way of Mirco Pruijser who was able to capitalise on some nice transition play by the locals.

Australia had to wait until the 30th minute of the match to answer when Jake Harvie was able to find the back of the net, setting the tone for the second half.

It took just five minutes for the Kookaburras to hit the scoreboard again, Blake Govers scored from a miraculous reverse shot which had the Netherlands defence in all sorts. Quickly after, Sharp was able to draw a penalty stroke but Jeremy Haywards’s shot hit the post and deflected out.

In the 55th minute of the match, the Kookaburras were able to generate a second penalty stroke for the game which saw Blake Govers put through his second goal for the match, securing the win for Australia.

The Kookaburras next match is against Argentina at 9:45pm AEST on Saturday night.

Australia 3 (Harvie 30’, Govers 35’, 55’)
Netherlands 1 (Pruijser 23’)

Hockey Australia media release

Pakistan Rout Olympic Champions Argentina 4-1

By Ijaz Chaudhry


Roelant Oltmans reacts

In one of their most impressive displays in recent years, Pakistan shocked Argentina, the reigning Olympic Champions, 4-1.

The three points gained today were green shirts' first in this last edition of Champions Trophy Hockey Tournament in the Dutch city of Breda.

Pakistan started the match well as in the early games. They were seen losing concentration after sometime but not today. The defence remained organised throughout and there were some breath taking moves up front especially in the last quarter

First three quarters was more or less evenly played.

Both the sides had chances and penalty corners.

A classic right side build up saw Umar Bhutta sending a back pass from the goal line inside the circle to M.Irfan Jr, who standing in an ideal spot confidently put it in to put Pakistan into the lead in the 10th minute.

Up and down game continued. Argentina equalised in the penultimate minute of the first half.

A good ball into circle was sent to the goal by Matias Paredes from  close range.

Half Time: 1-1

It was the same story in the third quarter with the two sides looking for the goal but not getting one.

The last 15 minutes saw Pakistan go berserk. They repeatedly tore apart the Argentine defence.

Despite wasting some easy chances, they found the target thrice. Off their fourth penalty corner, Mubashar's powerful flat push went through the legs of goal keeper Santiago.

A couple of minutes later, the most delightful goal of the match was seen. Skipper M.Rizwan Sr took a ball from own half, ran for about 20 metres before passing to Rashid Mahmood. Rashid ran into the circle and his deceptive pass reached unmarked Ajaz in front of the goal who deflected it into the net.

Tempers flared and two Argentine and one Pakistani players were shown yellow cards in the last quarter.


Ammad Shakeel Butt played his 100th match for Pakistan

Pakistan's fourth goal came in the 58th minute. Ammad Shakeel Butt, playing his 100th international today, brilliantly entered the circle from the right side. He was felled down by Ibarra and the umpire had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty stroke spot.

Up stepped Aleem Bilal who sent the goal keeper the wrong way.


Gonzalo Peillat was called into duty as kicking back and surprised many by playiing just like a goalie

Pakistan's overall ascendancy  is also manifested by 17 shots on the goal as compared to 13 by the World No 2 Argentina.

They were also ahead in the penalty corner count by six to three.

It was a memorable victory for Pakistan hockey and must do a lot in raising the morale not only of the players but also of the followers of the game back home.

SCORERS:
Pakistan: M.Irfan Jr (10'), Mubashar  Ali (47' off penalty corner), Ajaz Ahmed (49') and
Aleem Bilal (58' off penalty stroke)
Argentina: Matias Paredes (34th minute)

PHF Media release

Pakistan break their duck at Champions Trophy

By Shahid Khan



Pakistan outclassed second-ranked in world hockey Argentina by 4-1 in the Men’s Rabobank Champions Trophy in Breda.

This was the first victory of Green shirts in the tournament coming after heavy defeats in previous games at the elite tournament against India (4-0) and Netherlands (4-0). They had also been defeated narrowly by World’s top ranked team Australia (2-1).

In their latest match the opening two quarters were evenly contested, with Pakistan taking the lead after 10 minutes when Mohmmad Irfan Jr. slammed home however the teams went into the half time break 1-1 as 36 year old Paredas equalised for the current Olympic Champions.

The match came to life in the final quarter when 13th world ranked Pakistan scored three times. Ali Mubasher first sounded the back boards with a low penalty corner drag flick in the 47th minute which was followed two minutes later by Ajaz Ahmad increasing the lead to 3-1. 

A comprehensive victory was sealed from the penalty spot Aleem Bilal making no mistake with a low effort to make the final score 4-1.

Greenshirts captain Mohamed Irfan sr, commenting on the excellent display by his team ‘was hopeful that they can build on this victory as they face Belgium in the final pool match on Saturday’.

Meanwhile fourteen times champions Australia were the first team to secure a place in the competition in the final which concludes on Sunday.

Fieldhockey.com - Exclusive

Pakistan outplay Olympic champions Argentina 4-1 to score their first victory

ISLAMABAD: Team Pakistan outclassed second-ranked in world hockey and Olympic champions Argentina by 4-1 in the Champions Trophy in Breda, Netherlands on Thursday. This is the first victory of Green shirts in the tournament. In the previous games, Pakistan team faced back-to-back defeats against India, Australia and the Netherlands. In one of the most impressive displays in recent years, Pakistan gained three points in the Dutch city. Pakistan started the match well as in the early games. They were seen losing concentration after sometime but not yesterday. The defence remained organised throughout and there were some breath taking moves up front especially in the last quarter. First three quarters was more or less evenly played. Both the sides had chances and penalty corners. A classic right side build up saw Umar Bhutta sending a back pass from the goal line inside the circle to Mohammad Irfan Jr, who standing in an ideal spot confidently put it in to put Pakistan into the lead in the 10th minute.

Up and down game continued. Argentina equalised in the penultimate minute of the first half. A good ball into circle was sent to the goal by Matias Paredes from close range.

It was the same story in the third quarter with the two sides looking for a goal but not getting one. The last 15 minutes saw Pakistan go berserk. They repeatedly tore apart the Argentine defence. Despite wasting some easy chances, they found the target thrice. Off their fourth penalty corner, Mubashar Ali’s powerful flat push went through the legs of the goalkeeper. A couple of minutes later, the most delightful goal of the match was seen. Skipper Mohammad Rizwan Sr took a ball from own half, ran for about 20 metres before passing to Rashid Mahmood. Rashid ran into the circle and his deceptive pass reached unmarked Ajaz Ahmed in front of the goal who deflected it into the net. Tempers flared and two Argentine and one Pakistan players were shown yellow cards in the last quarter.

Pakistan’s fourth goal came in the 58th minute. Ammad Shakeel Butt, playing his 100th international today, brilliantly entered the circle from the right side. He was thrown down by Pedro Ibarra and the umpire had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty stroke spot. Up stepped Aleem Bilal sent the goalkeeper the wrong way. Pakistan’s overall ascendancy was also manifested by 17 shots on the goal as compared to 13 by Argentina. They were also ahead in the penalty corner count by six to three.

Pakistan won the inaugural edition of the Champions Trophy held in Lahore in 1978 by beating Australia in the final. Four years later, Pakistan picked up their second title beating West Germany in Karachi. The last time Pakistan picked up the Champions Trophy title was in 1994 in Lahore, when they beat Germany (7-6) on penalty strokes. Not only does Pakistan have three titles under its belt, the green shirts have finished as runner-up seven times in the tournament in 1983, 1984, 1988, 1991, 1996, 1998, and 2014. Six teams are taking part in this year’s tournament, which is the last edition of the Champions Trophy. The tournament will be replaced by the Hockey Pro League (HPL) in 2019.

The Daily Times

Pakistan register first Champions Trophy victory

Breda - After three back-to-back heavy defeats, at last Pakistan players shocked the world by registering huge 4-1 victory over Olympic Champions Argentina in the Hockey Champions Trophy match played at Breda, Nederland on Thursday.

Pakistan lost their opening game against arch-rivals r India 4-0 before losing to top-ranked team Australia 2-1 in a close contest and in their third match, the green shorts were beaten by hosts Netherlands 4-0.  Muhammad Irfan Junior gave Pakistan an early lead in the 10th minute of the first quarter through a beautiful field goal. Argentina counterattacked many times but failed to equal the score as the first half ended with Pakistan having 1-0 lead. In the dying moments of the second quarter, Matias Paredes got equalizer for Argentina through a field goal in 29th minute.

Pakistan’s Mubashar Ali, who came into fame with some stunning comeback goals on penalty corners in Commonwealth Games to keep Pakistan unbeaten throughout the event, registered his first ever Champions Trophy goal when he successfully converted a penalty corner in the 47th minute to give Pakistan a 2-1 lead. Just two minutes after, Ajaz Ahmad doubled the lead for Pakistan through a field goal in a counter attack moment as Argentina were desperately trying to reduce the lead.

The Olympic Champions Argentina tried their level best to score a goal and attacked Pakistan’s post many times but green shirts defenders and goalkeepers kept them a bay. Pakistan forwards also went for counter attacks on regular intervals and it paid dividend when a foul in the D area gave Pakistan a penalty stroke. Muhammad Aleem Bilal cooly converted the opportunity from the spot into another goal to make it 4-1 for Pakistan in 58th minute of the game and totally killed any comeback chances for Argentina.

Pakistan will play their last match of the round robin stage against Belgium today (Friday) at 6:00 pm. Six teams are taking part in this year's tournament, which is the last edition of the Champions Trophy. The tournament will be replaced by the Hockey Pro League (HPL) in 2019.

The Nation

Pakistan face Belgium after beating Argentina

NETHERLANDS: Pakistan face off against Belgium in Hockey Champions Trophy 2018 today, after securing their first win of the tournament over Argentina a day ago.

Pakistan outclassed second-ranked Argentina by 4-1 on Thursday, bouncing back after consecutive defeats against India, Australia and Netherlands.

Six teams are taking part in this year's tournament, which is the last edition of the Champions Trophy. The tournament will be replaced by the Hockey Pro League (HPL) in 2019.

Apart from hosts the Netherlands, Australia, Argentina, Belgium, India and Pakistan are taking part in the tournament from June 23 to July 1.

Pakistan have three Hockey Champions Trophy titles under their belt, along with finishing as runner-up seven times in the tournament’s history.

The Pakistan vs Belgium match will start at 6pm (Pakistan standard time).

Pakistan squad:

M Rizwan Sr (captain), Imran Butt, Amjad Ali, M Irfan Sr, Mubashir Ali, Aleem Bilal, Ammad Shakeel Butt, Touseeq Arshad, Rashid Mahmood, Tasawar Abbas, Abu Bakar, M Irfan Jr, Arslan Qadir, Umar Bhutta, Shafqat Rasool, Ali Shan, Azfar Yaqoob and Aijaz Ahmed.

Geo TV

Lack of structure, poor defence cost India against Olympic silver medallists Belgium

Sundeep Misra


File image of Indian hockey team. Twitter @TheHockeyIndia

Look past the 1-1 score-line and it would seem that in the fourth quarter, the Indian defence had taken a leave of absence, handing over the reins to captain-goalkeeper PR Sreejesh. Belgium pressed as if their lives depended on it. Till the 58th minute, it was 1-0 to India. They survived, perched on the edge of a cliff.

Time and again, Belgium showed their wares and wove intricate skills inside the Indian circle. India's defenders, lurching like drunk men, kept giving the ball away to Belgian sticks. Panic was the order. The composure that helped against Argentina was nowhere to be seen. If a defender gave space, Belgium took a shot; Sreejesh saved. If there was no space, they created a penalty corner — five in the last quarter alone. Off the 10th they struck. Yet again a defender was missing on the line. Sreejesh stretched but the ball squeezed itself into the corner as Belgium finally had the equaliser.

India were still teetering on the edge when Belgium got their 11th PC. By now, all they could do was pray that somehow the ball eludes the goal. Sreejesh was there and he saved. In the final quarter, it wouldn’t have surprised anyone if the scoreboard had flashed Sreejesh vs Belgium,

At the hooter, Belgium could only wonder why they didn't get past Sreejesh in the fourth quarter. India will walk away with the regret of not having closed the match when the chances and opportunities came their way in the first two quarters. Structure, an intrinsic part of good teams when in the attack and defence mode, had gone up in smoke in the last quarter. In the end, the scoreline could be looked at two ways: India are moving up, slowly and steadily, or they still need a lot of work if the Asian Games and the World Cup are realistic targets.

From the coach’s point of view, the fourth quarter, usually the pressing point for a team that is chasing, was fantastic for Shane McLeod and a disaster for Harendra Singh. Belgium had 78.2 percent possession in those 15 minutes. It’s understandable that a team can panic; big teams do it too. But with ball players who have aerial skills, it was a wonder why India didn’t play on the lines with two forwards upfront.

If nine defenders can’t defend, an extra two wouldn’t be of much of help. “Yes, I admit that we played extremely poor hockey in the fourth quarter,” Harendra said. “The boys panicked and when they should have been holding the ball, they gave away turnovers and shot straight to Belgian sticks in the midfield.”

You could say India were lucky to get away with a 1-1 draw. But the showing in the first two quarters was top draw, and India should have scored a couple of more goals. Dilpreet, Mandeep and SV Sunil had opportunities that should have been put away. There were five PCs in the first two quarters as against three for Belgium. Harmanpreet fired in the second PC, the ball deflecting off Vincent Vanasch’s stick.

Belgium gave away the ball quite a bit in the second quarter and India used that to their advantage. In the middle of it, Sardar did a turnaround and slipped in a beauty for Sunil who sprinted, trapped and then was in two minds. The soft tap was cleared away by the Belgian defenders. Vivek, who also had his moments in the first half, created quite a few moves and once, off his splendid run from the right, saw the ball come to Mandeep but the delay ensured that Belgium cleared.

Harendra agrees that India should have closed the match early. “We had our chances,” he says. “But we need to close. In modern hockey, creating is itself a big deal and somehow, we have to find the answers to that quickly.” But more than that, the Indian coach was disappointed with the defending overall.

Mandeep had a chance off a cross from the right. And even the Argentine umpire had pointed towards a goal and then when challenged by a Belgian defender blew for a stick-check. Mandeep had wheeled away celebrating what he thought was a legitimate goal. The team too rejoiced. Belgium taking advantage of the moment countered and Sreejesh saved at the other end. No Indian player had the presence of mind to ask for a referral.

Even after the counter, the referral would have counted. A team usually gets ten seconds to refer. At that stage, it could have turned into a goal. Or at least the game would have stopped giving the Indians a little time to regroup. “I agree that the education in terms of technical points needs to happen,” says Harendra. “They should have gone for a referral.” On the replays, it didn’t look like a stick-check, rather a nudge before Mandeep scored goal. But even the bench with Chris and Harendra could have alerted the referral.

Sreejesh brought off at least seven saves, straight from the blade of the Belgians. But in that second and third quarters, Surender Kumar saved once on the line and once deflected a ball headed straight for his body and a possible stroke in the offing. Manpreet Singh put huge amounts of energy into the match, colliding, getting hit, almost like a boxer in the ring. He also stopped three PCs.

Belgium were unlucky to see John-John Dohmen’s flick hit the post and go out. Similarly, Mandeep’s flick in the second quarter after India had taken the lead headed straight for goal but Vincent threw himself, more out of hope, and the ball shaved his shoulder, kissed the post and went out.

There were moments of brilliance in India’s play. Dilpreet’s switching and Jarmanpreet’s errors combined with his attacking play. Chinglensana attacked in his customary style, sweeping in through the midfield giving some wonderful balls into the circle. Twice, he had the space for a shot at the goal but Vanasch saved.

In the end, it was the fourth quarter that stood out. A more structured Indian team could have held off the Belgians. But more importantly, an ultra-defensive attitude gave heart to the Belgians to attack knowing India will not counter. That was the mistake and the loss of two points might even snatched away a place in the final.

If the stats were shared in the first three quarters, it was only in the fourth that the overall shots on target stood at 15 for India and 26 for Belgium. Varun Kumar felt that the pressure was a lesson. “We know the mistakes we committed today,” he said. “And we are sure we won’t do that again.”

Harendra Singh would look at the last 20 matches that India have played against Belgium and shake his head at the facts that stare back — 15 losses with five wins and no draws. On Thursday, in the 21st match, he has a draw. There is, however, always a silver lining; India played against the Olympic silver-medallists, and for three quarters, held their own. In the final quarter, it was a tactical issue, probably of communication between the bench and players. Harendra will probably ensure that it never happens again. But it’s sport. Fans would also be perplexed with Pakistan’s 4-1 win over Olympic champions Argentina.

With a day’s rest, India play hosts Netherlands who are on six points with India on 7. Australia top the table with ten points after beating the Dutch 3-1. Harendra says the team will go all out for a win. Sometimes, despondency can even infiltrate after a tough draw. Harendra would ensure that the podium is kept in sight.

Firstpost

Belgium's Loick Luypaert scores late equaliser to hold India


India vs Belgium match ended in a draw. Twitter @TheHockeyIndia

Breda: Wilting under relentless pressure in the final quarter, India conceded a late goal to settle for a 1-1 draw with Belgium in the Champions Trophy hockey tournament.

India scored an early goal through a penalty corner conversion by Harmanpreet Singh (10th minute) and managed to hold to the lead till the 59th minute before Loick Luypaert dashed their hopes by converting their first of the 11 penalty corners.

With seven points from four games, India are still in with a chance of progressing to Sunday's final. They take on hosts Netherlands in their last round-robin match on Saturday.

Top two teams from the round robin stage will progress to the summit clash.

The Indians had earlier defeated arch-rivals Pakistan 4-0 and stunned Olympic champions Argentina 2-1 before slumping to a 2-3 defeat at the hands of defending and world champions Australia.

Just like Belgium, the Indians too were awful with penalty corner conversions as they made use of just one of the six that came their way.

India goalkeeper PR Sreejesh was outstanding under the post and made numerous brilliant saves to keep Belgium at bay, including a third-minute attempt of Luypaert from their first penalty corner.

India slowly and steadily got off the blocks and Mandeep Singh came close to breaking the deadlock but his shot hit the post in the eighth minute.

India earned two back-to-back penalty corners in the 10th minute, the second of which was converted by Harmanpreet.

In the 25th minute, SV Sunil messed up a great chance after receiving an inch-perfect through pass from Sardar Singh.

Towards the end of second quarter, India secured two more penalty corners but failed to execute them.

After the change of ends, Sreejesh made a brilliant diving save to deny Tom Boon from a set piece.

In the 43rd minute, Mandeep Singh scored for India but the goal was disallowed for obstruction inside the 'D'.

The Belgians came out with all guns blazing in the final quarter and exerted tremendous pressure on the Indian citadel but Sreejesh stood like a rock to deny them.

But Sreejesh was finally beaten by Luypaert in the 59th minute from a penalty corner much to the delight of Belgium.

The Red Lions had a golden chance to seal a win when they secured their 11th penalty corner just 32 seconds from the hooter but failed to execute the opportunity.

Firstpost

Belgium snatch last gasp draw

s2h team

India was cruising along for a famous victory but the unforgiving Red Lions roared in the dying moments of the match to snatch a 1-1 draw in the Breda Champions Trophy. India was dominant in the first half, but was rendered ineffective by the fighting Belgians after lemon time. However, their scoreboard did not move till the last minute thanks to some astonishing saves by reliable Indian goalie PR Sreeesh.

After an attacking first half, India plunged into defensive mode which did not help matters improve.

India conceded nine penalty corners in the second half of which their pivot Loick Luypaert struck, placing the ball to the right of inform goalie Sreejesh. It was only time the ultimate Man of the Match was beaten despite Belgium attack coming in troves. His saves were amazing, and was seen motivating the team in the entire duration with his high pitch voice.

All the parameters were pointing to Indian win in the first half, but everything changed after the lemon time. Number of PCs, circle entries, shot at goals tripled for the Red Lions in the dominating spell.

Harmanpreet Singh's lightening of a drag flick got bounced into the cage after blocked by Belgium goalie in the 12th minute. That was the lone reward for hardworking and better looking India till half time.

Fed by Sardar Singh from deep, Sunil sprinted his best to etner the circle, but his last push was weak for the goalkeeper to ward off it nonchalantly.

Moments before Sunil's exploit, Mandeep Singh got a gem of a pass inside circle, dribbled along back line, and outwitted two markers only to see his flick into the empty net got richotted off the far post. It was a saddening moment for the entire Indian team. India had won only four matches against Belgium in the last 21 encounters. Today's draw was the third since 2011.

Stick2Hockey.com

India suffer last-gasp draw

Concede a goal in the dying minutes against Belgium, remain on second spot


India goalkeeper PR Sreejesh stood like a rock in the final quarter but Belgian Luypaert scored in the 59th minute. HI

India conceded a late goal to settle for a 1-1 draw with Belgium in the Champions Trophy hockey tournament here today. India scored an early goal through a penalty-corner conversion by Harmanpreet Singh (10th minute) and managed to hold on to the lead till the 59th minute when Loick Luypaert dashed their hopes by converting the 10th of their 11th penalty corners.

With seven points from four games, India are still in with a chance to progress to Sunday’s final. They take on hosts Netherlands in their last round-robin match on Saturday. The top two teams from the round-robin stage will progress to the summit clash.

The Indians had earlier defeated arch-rivals Pakistan 4-0 and stunned Olympics champions Argentina 2-1 before slumping to a 2-3 defeat against world champions Australia.

Wasted PCs

Just like Belgium, the Indians were awful with penalty corner conversions as they made use of just one of the six that came their way. India goalkeeper PR Sreejesh was outstanding under the post and made numerous brilliant saves to keep Belgium at bay, including a third-minute attempt by Luypaert from their first penalty corner. India earned two back-to-back penalty corners in the 10th minute, the second of which was converted by Harmanpreet. In the 25th minute, SV Sunil messed up a great chance after receiving an inch-perfect through pass from Sardar Singh. In the 43rd minute, Mandeep Singh scored for India but the goal was disallowed for obstruction inside the ‘D’.

Brilliant Sreejesh

The Belgians came out with all guns blazing in the final quarter and exerted tremendous pressure on the Indian citadel but Sreejesh stood like a rock to deny them. But he was finally beaten by Luypaert in the 59th minute. The Red Lions had a golden chance to seal a win when they secured their 11th penalty corner just 32 seconds from the hooter, but failed to execute the opportunity.

The Tribune

India play 1-1 draw with Belgium


Indian Hockey Team , Twitter @TheHockeyIndia

India conceded a late goal to settle for a 1-1 draw with Belgium in their penultimate round robin match of the Champions Trophy hockey tournament in Breda on Thursday.

India scored an early goal through a penalty corner conversion by Harmanpreet Singh (10th minute) but wilted under tremendous pressure from the Red Lions to concede a late goal that came from the stick of Loick Luypaert (59th minute).

India are still in with a chance of progressing to Sunday's final and will take on hosts Netherlands in their last round robin match on Saturday.

The Indians had earlier defeated arch-rivals Pakistan 4-0 and stunned Olympic champions Argentina 2-1 before slumping to a 2-3 defeat against defending and world champions Australia.

Daily News & Analysis

Stats Speak-India needs just a draw against hosts to play final in Breda

B.G.Joshi (Sehore-Bhopal, India)

Equation for India in Breda CT is to draw with Netherlands in last league match on Saturday (7:30pm IST). If India wins or draws will enter consecutive finals, having played previously in London (2016) edition of elite tourney. However to beat hosts Netherlands is an uphill task for India as stats favours the Dutch. Statistical highlights of India-Netherlands are:

 8 Sensational matches of India-Netherlands:

2015 Raipur Hockey World League: IND 5(3)-NED 5(2)

In Bronze medal match down by 0-2 in 25th minutes, India came back strongly and leveled the score 5-5 in regulation time.7 goals were scored in last quarter, 4 by Indians. In shoot out PR Sreejesh stole the match by 3-2. India won the Bronze in elite World level tourney after 33 years. It was centurion match (100th) of India-Netherlands in the history of Hockey.

2003 Amsterdam Champions Trophy: NED 4 – IND 3

62 minutes into the game, India was leading 3-0. However, in a dramatic turnaround, the Dutch scored 4 goals in the last 8 minutes. Ronald Brouwer scored the match winner just 3 seconds before the final whistle. Ultimately, the Dutch would win its 7th Champions Trophy title

2002 Cologne Champions Trophy: NED 3-IND 3

Matthijs Brouwer scored the equalizer .Dutch reached the final and won Title.

1982 Melbourne Esanda Cup: IND 2-NED 1

Full back Vineet kumar penalty corner goal placed the team in semi final.

1973 Amsterdam World Cup: NED 2 (4) – IND 2 (2)

Just 31 seconds from the end of the 2nd period of extra-time, India was awarded a penalty stroke. Back home, the whole nation was glued to their radio sets. The commentator announced that India was unable to decide on who would take the penalty stroke, before the choice fell on Govinda.

With the World Cup on the line, centre-forward B. P. Govinda missed the most important penalty stroke of his life. The Dutch goalkeeper Sikking made an easy save and the match went into a tie-breaker.

In the penalty stroke competition, Govinda once again failed. Harcharan’s powerful flick went wide and high. Paul Litjens, Ties Kruize, Zweerts and Taminian converted for Holland, who became the champions of the world.

1972 Munich Olympics: IND 2-NED 1
Mukhbain Singh won the bronze medal for India in 31 seconds remains on clock.

1952 Helsinki Olympics: IND 6-NED 1
Great Balbir Singh Senior netted 5 goals in final. India won the Gold Medal.

1928 Amsterdam Olympics: IND 3-NED 0
Great Dhyan Chand has scored a brace in 3-0 Gold medal triumph.

FIeldhockey.com

Hockey Series Open - Zagreb 2018 (Men) - Day 4
Zagreb (CRO)

SUI v WAL (RR)     1 - 7

Pool standings

FIH Match Centre

Wales boosted by 7-1 win over Switzerland


Owain Dolan-Gray's goal took Wales into a 5-1 lead

Wales boosted their chances of reaching the next round of the Hockey Series Open as they hammered Switzerland in Croatia.

Gareth Furlong and Ben Francis each scored hat-tricks as Wales dominated.

Owain Dolan-Gray also got on the scoresheet as Switzerland struggled against Zak Jones' side.

Wales face hosts Croatia in Zagreb on Saturday in their final first-round game hoping to secure a place in the second round in 2019.

The top two sides in the five-team, round-robin tournament progress to the next round of the Open Series in 2019.

Success in 2019 would give Wales the chance to challenge for World Cup qualification.

Wales started the tournament with a 6-1 win over Slovakia before suffering a 3-0 defeat by Austria.

BBC Sport

..now for the hosts

By Jugjet Singh

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian women's hockey team will play Singapore Friday as a warm-up before going for gold in the World Series Open at the Seng Kang Stadium.

Coach K. Dharmaraj's charges have already made the final with the Singapore match in hand, while Kazakhstan and Thailand will play for the other slot.

And it does not matter which team follows Malaysia into the final, as Malaysia are the best bets to win gold in the Open.

"We have already qualified for the final and will wait for the outcome of the Kazakhstan-Thailand match (Friday) to know who our opponents are.

"It doesn't matter who we play in the final, as the target is still to win gold," said Dharmaraj.

The finalists qualify to play in the next round, yet to be decided where and when, and have a chance to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

"Mission one is completed. We qualified for the next round witha match in hand. The second mission will be to realise our top ranking here, by winning gold," said Dharmaran.

At 22 in the World, Malaysia are higer ranked than Thailand (28th) and Kazakstan (34th).

And Malaysia did thrash Kazakstan 8-1 and Thailand 4-0 in earlier encounters in this tournament.

As for Singapore, Malaysia beat them 8-0 in the Asia Cup last year.

From all teams competing in this round, a minimum of 15 teams will qualify for one of three separate Hockey Series Finals.

Each of the Hockey Series Finals will have eight teams playing in them, and will take place throughout the world, with berths into the Olympic qualification events up for grabs.

STANDINGS

         P       W D L GD Pts
Malaysia 4 4 0 0 39 12
Thailand 4 3 0 1 17 9
Kazakhstan 4 3 0 1 7 9
Singapore 4 1 1 2 3 4
Hong Kong  4 0 1 3 -17 1
Indonesia 4 0 0 4 -49 0

Jugjet's World of Field Hockey

Grand Master Hockey World Cup 2018
Real Club de Polo de Barcelona

Results
Grand Master Hockey World Cup 2018 Mens 60+
Grand Master Hockey World Cup 2018 Mens 65+
Grand Master Hockey World Cup 2018 Mens 70+
Grand Master Hockey World Cup 2018 Mens 75+
Grand Master Hockey World Cup 2018 Womens

Grand Master Hockey World Cup 2018 Mens TT 60+
Grand Master Hockey World Cup 2018 Mens TT 65+
Grand Master Hockey World Cup 2018 Mens TT 70+

FIH Match Centre - Masters

Jermyn Scores In Final Match As Ireland Draw 1-1 With France



It was the perfect start to the fixture for John Jermyn, retiring from the Green Machine following tonight’s match, as he added to his record haul with his 93rdinternational goal. A penalty corner won by Peter Caruth in the 4thminute saw Jermyn slot one of his trade mark drag flicks into the corner to give his side the lead. A couple of chances quickly followed for Ireland as Jonny Bell sent a crash ball into the circle and Chris Cargo evaded his marker to send a reverse shot wide. Charles Masson had the first chance for France as he sent a ball towards the top corner but it flew wide. David Harte got an important touch as Jean-Laurent Kieffer passed the ball across goal but Harte’s touch knocked it away from the two awaiting strikers on the back post. France won 3 penalty corners of their own but a couple of mistraps and a superb save off the line by Stuart Loughrey meant Ireland went into half time 1-0 up. 

Alan Sothern very nearly had his side in front in the opening minutes of the second half as he tried to get the deflection on Cargo’s reverse across the circle. But the momentum swung again and Victor Charlet saw his drag flick ricochet off the post. Conor Harte and Loughrey had to make some important tackles as the French built up a bit of pressure. Etienne Tynevez got the equalizer in the 42ndminute when he showed great reactions to bat the ball into the goal following a series of deflections from Nicolas Dumont’s route one ball into the circle. Harte made a strong save moments later as Hugo Genestet took a shot from the top of circle and sent a rocket goalward. There were a few chances for either side as the game wound down with Matthew Nelson making a good break along with Peter Caruth, while France won their 6thpenalty corner but again couldn’t convert.

Paying tribute to John Jermyn, head coach Craig Fulton said “Getting that goal is a beautiful ending, and I think everyone is really happy for him, it’s a great way to go out. He is an all-round great guy and to have a player of his caliber as part of the group has been a great asset to the team. For him to finish off here in Garryduff in front of his family and friends is priceless”

Ireland 1 (Jermyn)
France 1 (Tynevez)

Men’s International Fixtures in Cork:

Ireland 1vs1 France in Garryduff 28/6/18 7pm
Ireland vs France in UCC 30/6/18 2pm
Ireland vs France in UCC 1/7/18 2pm

Starting: D Harte (Captain), J Jackson, J Bell, C Cargo, M Nelson, A Sothern, J Jermyn, P Caruth, S O’Donoghue, M Robson, C Harte

Subs: N Glassey, J Dale, D Walsh, P Gleghorne, J Duncan, S Loughrey, M Ingram

Irish Hockey Association media release

John Jermyn: Ireland's top scorer ends career with 93rd international goal


John Jermyn celebrates his goal against Argentina at the Rio Olympics

John Jermyn ended his international career with his 93rd goal as Ireland drew 1-1 win France in the opening game of their three-match series in Cork.

Playing in front of his home fans in Garryduff, Ireland's record scorer gave his side the lead in the fourth minute with a drag flick into the corner.

Etienne Tynevez got the equaliser for France in the 42nd minute.

Ireland men's coach Craig Fulton will also step down at the end of the series to take up a job with Belgian hockey.

Jermyn made the perfect start to his farewell match as he quickly put Ireland ahead from a penalty corner won by Peter Caruth.

The host side could have doubled their advantage during a strong start to the game as Newtownards forward Chris Cargo fired narrowly wide but Ireland led 1-0 at half time.

Alan Sothern nearly increased Ireland's advantage in the opening minutes of the second half but he was unable to get a touch on Cargo's reverse across the circle.

France deservedly equalised when Tynevez showed impressive reactions to bat the ball into the goal from a rebound and Ireland goalkeeper David Harte had to make a good save from Hugo Genestet's shot just moments later.

After the game, Fulton paid tribute to the retiring Jermyn: "Getting that goal is a beautiful ending, and I think everyone is really happy for him, it's a great way to go out," said Fulton.

"He is an all-round great guy and to have a player of his calibre as part of the group has been a great asset to the team.

"For him to finish off here in Garryduff in front of his family and friends is priceless."

The remaining two games of the series will take place at University College Cork campus on 30 June and 1 July.

Ireland: D Harte (Captain), J Jackson, J Bell, C Cargo, M Nelson, A Sothern, J Jermyn, P Caruth, S O'Donoghue, M Robson, C Harte

Replacements: N Glassey, J Dale, D Walsh, P Gleghorne, J Duncan, S Loughrey, M Ingram

Ireland v France three-match series
Ireland    1-1    France    Garryduff, 28 June
Ireland    v    France    UCC, 14:00 BST, 30 June
Ireland    v    France    UCC, 14:00 BST, 1 July

BBC Sport

Barbados Senior Women's International Invitational Tournament - Day 1
Bridgetown (BAR)

GUY v BAR (RR)     1 - 1
TTO v GUY (RR)     0 - 1

Pool standings

FIH Match Centre

Rani Rampal to lead India in women’s hockey World Cup


India have been placed in Pool B alongside hosts and world No. 2 England. AFP file

Forward Rani Rampal was Friday named as the captain of India’s 18-member squad for the women’s hockey World Cup to be played in London next month.

Hockey India today announced the 18-member Indian women’s team for the prestigious tournament which is slated to begin on July 21.

India have been placed in Pool B alongside hosts and world No. 2 England, world No. 7 USA and world No. 16 Ireland.

While experienced Rani will lead the team, goalkeeper Savita has been named as her deputy.

The tournament will also witness the return of goalkeeper Rajani Etimarpu after having rested for the Spain Tour.

India’s defence will consist of Sunita Lakra, Deep Grace Ekka, Deepika, drag-flicker Gurjit Kaur and youngster Reena Khokhar who makes a comeback into the team.

In the midfield, Namita Toppo, Lilima Minz, Monika, Neha Goyal, Navjot Kaur and Nikki Pradhan will hold fort.

Skipper Rani returned to the team during their Spain Tour and will again be leading her team’s forward-line. The ace-striker will be linking up with the experienced Vandana Katariya while Navneet Kaur, Lalremsiami and Udita will also provide them support in attack.

“It was not an easy decision to select the 18-member team as all the core probables have worked really hard in the national camp. However, we feel that this 18-member team will be the best mixture to be successful at the Vitality Hockey Women’s World Cup London 2018,” said chief coach Sjoerd Marijne.

On the team’s balance, the Dutchman said, “We have a good blend of experience and youth in the team. The recent Spain Tour has given the team great confidence to do well at the World Cup. Our focus is on the first match against England.

“In order to reach our first goal of qualifying for the quarterfinals, we can only think about the first match against the hosts and the team is excited and confident of starting well against them,” he added.

Indian women’s team:

Goalkeepers: Savita (vice-captain), Rajani Etimarpu         

Defenders: Sunita Lakra, Deep Grace Ekka, Deepika, Gurjit Kaur, Reena Khokhar              

Midfielders: Namita Toppo, Lilima Minz, Monika, Neha Goyal, Navjot Kaur, Nikki Pradhan

Forwards: Rani (Captain), Vandana Katariya, Navneet Kaur, Lalremsiami, Udita.

The Tribune

Perth Announced As Australia’s Fourth FIH Pro League Venue

Alexie Beovich

Hockey Australia (HA) confirm today that Perth will be the fourth venue to host the inaugural FIH Pro League to commence in January 2019.

While Melbourne, Hobart and Sydney have already been announced, Perth is now confirmed as the fourth and final venue to host matches in year one of the FIH Pro League which pits the world’s nine best men’s and women’s teams against each other on a home-and-away basis.

HA Chief Executive Matt Favier said: “I am pleased to be able to confirm Perth as the final venue for the Australian matches.

Australia will play Great Britain in both genders at the Perth Hockey Stadium on Saturday 16 February, where HA’s High Performance programme is based. The Hockeyroos and Kookaburras both have played series in Perth this year.

Hockey WA CEO Stu Gilsenan said: “Perth has been the spiritual home of hockey in Australia for so many years and it is therefore only fitting that we will be hosting one of the most exciting fixtures of the 2019 FIH Pro-League series. Our rivalry with Great Britain is well-documented and I’m sure the Kookaburra and Hockeyroo matches will live up to the hype and provide us with a fantastic spectacle for all WA sports fans to enjoy.”

FOX SPORTS, exclusively on Foxtel, will broadcast all 16 matches hosted by Australia’s Kookaburras (men) and Hockeyroos (women) as part of the game-changing FIH Pro League.

Before then Australian fans will be able to tune in to FOX SPORTS’ LIVE coverage of the Kookaburra’s title defense of both the Rabobank Hockey Champions Trophy in Breda between 23 June and 1 July 2018 and the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018, taking place from 28 November until 16 December.

All Hockeyroos matches from the Vitality Hockey Women’s World Cup London 2018 between 21 July and 5 August as well as November’s Champions Trophy in Changzhou between 17-25 November will also be shown by the Australian broadcaster.

2019 FIH Hockey Pro League – Australia Home Fixtures:

Saturday 2 February – Kookaburras v Netherlands; Hockeyroos v Netherlands – State Netball and Hockey Centre, Melbourne

Sunday 3 February – Kookaburras v Belgium; Hockeyroos v Belgium – State Netball and Hockey Centre, Melbourne

Saturday 9 February – Kookaburras v Pakistan; Hockeyroos v China – Tasmanian Hockey Centre, Hobart

Sunday 10 February – Kookaburras v Germany; Hockeyroos v Germany – Tasmanian Hockey Centre, Hobart

Saturday 16 February – Kookaburras v Great Britain; Hockeyroos v Great Britain – Perth Hockey Stadium, Perth

Saturday 2 March – Kookaburras v Spain; Hockeyroos v USA – Sydney Olympic Park Hockey Centre, Sydney

Saturday 16 March – Kookaburras v Argentina; Hockeyroos v Argentina – Sydney Olympic Park Hockey Centre, Sydney

Sunday 17 March – Kookaburras v New Zealand; Hockeyroos v New Zealand – Sydney Olympic Park Hockey Centre, Sydney

Hockey Australia media release

Replace Sledging With Pledging

Penny Sidhu



Hockey Australia will take Hockey New South Wales’ ‘Respect for Officials’ campaign nationwide at the Under 21s Australian Championships in Sydney, NSW from 4 – 12 July, 2018.

This ground-breaking initiative was launched by Hockey New South Wales in April, 2018 and has successfully encouraged hockey fans, athletes, coaches and supporters to pledge their intention to show respect for officials.

Hockey NSW recently announced that they have collected more than 2,000 signatures as part of the pledge.

Hockey Australia will be supporting this initiative via their digital platforms and through on-ground initiatives at the U21 championships. HA will make pledging mandatory for all athletes, coaches and team managers in a bid to support officials within Australian hockey.

Hockey Australia CEO, Matt Favier said: “We are enthusiastic in our support of initiatives such as the Respect for Officials campaign launched by Hockey NSW. Hockey Australia will continue to grow hockey participation at a grassroots level and campaigns such as this one ensure that our sport is developing across all areas of game development.

This initiative is especially of interest because athletes at all levels look up to and res­­pect their coaches. At the grassroots, club-level coaches are usually the hockey parents. Officials are peers and respect is not necessarily encouraged – in fact it’s not given adequate thought.

Through this campaign, we encourage our hockey clubs, associations and participants to think about how important officials are to every hockey game and that it is of utmost importance to show respect for officials and fellow athletes.”

To support this campaign, Hockey Australia will be encouraging participants of the U21s to pledge before games as well as change their pre-match entry on to the field to highlight the handshake with the umpires as a mark of respect. For awareness, championship officials will be wearing uniforms carrying the logo for the initiative.

Historically, the ‘Play the Whistle’ prize has been awarded to the officials’ choice of best team that have displayed best on-field behaviour in alignment with the spirit of the game. This year, the prize money has been increased to five times the usual value to encourage teams to show respect for officials. This will be announced at the end of the tournament at the awards ceremony.

Hockey Australia media release

Gormanston feels the full force of the Spirit of Indoor


The PSI team of the tournament who have been invited to play at a PSI event in Cape Town. Pic: Deryck Vincent

The debut weekend of the Pro Series Indoor Showdown lit up Gormanston Park last weekend as Ireland felt the full force of the Spirit of Indoor for the first time.

Seventeen teams scored hundreds of goals and created hundreds of memories as the venue was transformed to showcase the spirit of indoor in the best possible light.

Three pitches were set up side by side with a fourth court turned into a fun zone with an obstacle bouncing castle, target shooting inflatables, ten-pin bowling, giant Jenga, 3 v 3 bubble soccer and an amazing chill zone of 15 massive beanbags provided by beanbags.ie.

Following the opening ceremony, the helter-skleter series of group games got underway on Saturday morning and carried on throughout the day, leading into Sunday’s playoff matches.

The matches were extremely competitive even when some of the scorelines didn’t reflect it. Parents and supporters very quickly became very attached to their franchise and were very vocal and loud in support, cheering for goals and saves at every occasion.

The improvement was visible over the weekend with all coaches noting how players were adapting to the competition and the format of the game.

The All-Star game hit the boards with World Cup winners Bjorn Kellerman and Sjoerd de Wert the big attractions alongside some of the best players from the Irish scene like Ronan Gormley and Ross Canning, both of whom played before in the All-Star series in South Africa.

In the game, Kellerman and Gormley quickly put the Fireballs team into a 2-0 lead with the former turning on the style with some outrageous spins.

This seems to awaken the Thunderbolts who equalised and then took the lead with great goals by Rowland Rixon-Fuller and Stu Smyth, they kept building there score until they lead 5-2.

Kellerman and his teammates started the comeback in the second half and managed to get to 5-6 down by removing their GK in short bursts to give themselves the extra outfielder, one of these goals was a spectacular upright reverse flick.

Both Goalkeepers were called into action at regular intervals with Ross Murray saving a penalty stroke from Jason Lynch and Stephen O’Keeffe making another save with his helmet.

5-6, however, was as close as the Fireballs got, with the Thunderbolts finishing the strongest as Smyth scored two more late goals, to take his personal tally to four and an 8-5 Thunderbolts victory.

The best part about the All-Star game was to see the players attempting the skills they had just seen.

Lucie McNaught from the Belfast Bears scored her own upright reverse flick in the afternoon and on Sunday; Tharine Anthony did a reverse spin which led to a goal for the South Dublin Vikings.

To see these young players learning so fast from the best players in the world is a testament to the value of hosting the All-Star game. All the PSi players also had an opportunity to take selfies and get autographs after the game.

In terms of the results, at Under-15 level the Kilkenny Cats won the final 4-2 against the Belfast Bears while the South Dublin Vikings took bronze 6-3 against the North Dublin Knights.

In the first year section, the Vikings got the top spot with a 5-3 final win over the Bears. In the fifth and sixth class section, the Wicklow Wasps succeeded 4-2 against the Knights with the Kilkenny Cats third courtesy of a 4-2 win against the Wasps Blue team.

*** Parental feedback from the PSI weekend.
– Thank you so much for all your hard work and coaching over this amazing PSi journey. You have given my daughter wonderful memories that will last a lifetime.

– It was a great experience for the kids and adults….can’t wait for next year

– My daughter is still on a high looking at her videos and photos. What a wonderful weekend, I saw my daughter in a completely different experience”

The Hook

D/Force extends men’s hockey lead

Nigel Simon

Defence Force recorded back-to-back wins within the span of four days to extend its lead in the T&T Hockey Board Men’s Championship Division League competition when play continued at the National Hockey Centre, Tacarigua.

First up on Friday, national defender, Marcus James scored two early goals as Defence Force held off Queen’s Park Cricket Club, in a clash of the unbeaten teams, 4-3.

The Army/Coast-Guard combination unit stormed into a 2-0 lead when James scored in the third and seventh minutes.

However, former Guyana international, Jerazeno Bell pulled a goal back for the Parkites in the quarter before he helped himself with a hat-trick of goals in the 20th and 22nd minutes for an unexpected 3-2 lead.

Former national forward, Neil Lashley then drew Defence Force level in the 42nd minute before national forward Dylan Francis fired in what turned out to be the decisive item for Defence Force in the 56th minute.

Then on Tuesday last, the quartet of Marcus James (29th & 46th), Justin Beharry (39th & 42nd), Anthony Morales (41st & 50th) and Kirth Davis (45th & 55th) all scored twice while Dulu Francis (45th) added the other in a Defence Force 9-0 triumph over Notre Dame.

With the two wins, Defence Force improved its record to four wins and one drawn result so for this season to record 13 points, four ahead of two-time defending champions Petrotrin which has a match in hand while the Parkites are next with seven, the same as Malvern.

In other matches, national forward, Jordan Vieira scored in the 49th minute to earn Fatima a 1-0 win over Notre Dame, its first of the season while Malvern battled past Petrotrin 2-1.

For Malvern, national team duo, Teague Marcano (21st) and Daniel Byer (44th) scored before former national standout Wayne Legerton’s 47th-minute item for the Oilmen.

The Trinidad Guardian