News for 01 December 2018
All the news for Saturday 1 December 2018
Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 - Day 3
Bhubaneswar (IND)
Results for 30 November
AUS v IRL (Pool B) 2 - 1
ENG v CHN (Pool B) 2 - 2
Fixtures 1 December (GMT +5:30)
17:00 NED v MAS (Pool D
19:00 GER v PAK (Pool D)
Upcoming Pool matches
2 Dec 2018 17:00 CAN v RSA (Pool C
2 Dec 2018 19:00 IND v BEL (Pool C
3 Dec 2018 17:00 ESP v FRA (Pool A)
3 Dec 2018 19:00 NZL v ARG (Pool A)
4 Dec 2018 17:00 ENG v AUS (Pool B
4 Dec 2018 19:00 IRL v CHN (Pool B)
Pool Standings
Pool A
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Pool B
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Pool C
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Pool D
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Kookaburras Claim Hard-Fought First-Up World Cup Win
Ben Somerford
The Kookaburras have commenced their World Cup defence with a hard-fought 2-1 win over world number 10 Ireland in Bhubaneswar, India, on Friday night.
Tim Brand scored the decisive goal in the 34th minute after a inch-perfect pass from Corey Weyer on a fast break to get the world number one Australians off to a winning start as they chase a third straight world title.
Blake Govers opened the scoring with an 11th minute drag flick but Ireland replied two minutes later through Shane O’Donoghue.
Australia were good value for the win with 16-3 shots, 28-5 circle penetrations and 6-1 penalty corners.
Match-winner Brand, who celebrated his 20th birthday on Thursday, said: “We played very well but so did Ireland. Great crowd and I couldn’t have asked for anything better to celebrate my birthday.”
The Kookaburras are next in action from 10:30pm AEDT on Tuesday night against world number seven England.
Brand added: “England is our next game and they’re always a tough opposition. They’re a great team. They’re all quality. We’ll do our homework and hopefully get the win.”
Ireland had the first chance of the game with Kookaburras goalkeeper Andrew Charter called upon to make a double save from Sean Murray and Matthew Nelson in the third minute.
Australia won the first penalty corner of the game in the 10th minute, after a referral denied the Kookaburras a penalty stroke.
However, the top-ranked Aussies made the short corner count at the second attempt, with Govers powering his shot past Ireland keeper David Harte.
In the 13th minute, Murray threaded a well-weighted pass into the D for O’Donoghue to poke past Charter to equalise.
Dylan Wotherspoon tested Harte with an 18th minute shot, while Charter blocked O’Donoghue’s 20th minute shot from a PC.
Australia came close to taking the lead in the 26th minute from a penalty corner when Daniel Beale’s miscued injection led to a goalmouth scramble but Ireland somehow survived.
After the break, the Kookaburras restored their advantage on a fast break which Brand started in defence, with Weyer’s perfect pass allowing the young forward to shoot past Harte at the second attempt.
Trent Mitton, Jeremy Hayward and Tom Craig all had further chances on goal in the third period as Australia chased a third goal to reiterate their lead.
Ireland were unable to create any clear-cut chances to threaten Australia’s goal as the Kookaburras wasted time in the final minutes to secure three points to start the World Cup.
Australia 2 (Govers 11', Brand 34')
Ireland 1 (O'Donoghue 13')
Hockey Australia media release
Green Machine Lose Narrowly To World Number 1
Ireland’s opening World Cup fixture against the world number 1 side Australia proved an entertaining affair throughout. Inside the opening minute Australia broke into the circle but the towering Conor Harte was on hand to intercept the effort in front of goal.
Jonny Bell created Ireland’s first real chance as he charged out of defence and fired a reverse pass into the circle where both Sean Murray and Matthew Nelson saw their shots draw superb close range saves from Andrew Charter.
In the 10th minute Australia were awarded a stroke as David Harte’s save hit Paul Gleghorne on the line but a smart video referral saw the decision overturned as the ball was going wide of the goal and Australia were awarded a penalty corner instead.
Blake Govers put his side in the lead with a trademark drag flick in the 11th minute. But it didn’t take long for the Green Machine to reply, Murray glided through the middle of the pitch to slip the ball to Shane O’Donogue who batted home from chest height to draw the game level in superb fashion.
Harte was in fine form throughout as he made a great low glove save from Dylan Wotherspoon’s close range shot. Likewise, Ireland were keeping Charter busy at the other end as O’Donoghue forced a high glove save from his penalty corner drag flick.
Australia upped the ante as the clock ticked towards half time but Harte and his defence were alert to the danger and went into half time with 44% of the possession against the world number 1.
Australia came out of the blocks firing in the second half and Tim Brand put them in front in the 33rdminute. Corey Weyer sent a pin point pass to the waiting Brand on the edge of the circle, Harte saved the first shot but Brand remained composed to fire the rebound into the net.
O’Donoghue was again testing the Australian defence as he broke through to set Alan Sothern up in front of goal but the ball just slipped under his stick for the chance to go amiss.
There remained very little between the two sides and Paul Gleghorne was on hand as ever to make several important tackles if the Australian forward line broke through.
With 2 minutes to go, Harte was pulled from his goal and Gleghorne donned the kicking back jersey as the Green Machine threw everything at the Aussies but just couldn’t snatch the equaliser.
Speaking after the fixture, head coach Alexander Cox said “Our players put their bodies on the line for the result today, we always knew this was going to be a physical game against the world number 1 team. It wasn’t the result we wanted but I’m very proud of the whole team, we gave it our all and were in the game until the final whistle.”
Ireland’s next match of the Odisha World Cup is on Tuesday (December 4th) at 7pm IST/1:30PM GMT.
Odisha World Cup, Bhubaneswar
Ireland 1(O’Donoghue)
Australia 2 (Govers, Brand)
Starting: D Harte (captain), J Bell, C Cargo, M Nelson, E Magee, S O’Donoghue, S Murray, M Darling, P Gleghorne, C Harte, S Loughrey
Subs: M Bell, A Sothern, K Shimmins, M Robson, D Fitzgerald, D Walsh, L Cole
Fixtures (all times listed are local)
Ireland’s Odisha World Cup Fixtures:
30/11/18 17:00 Ireland 1vs2 Australia
4/12/18 19:00 Ireland vs China
7/12/18 19:00 Ireland vs England
10/12/18 Crossover Match
12/12/18 Quarter Final
15/12/18 Semi Final
16/12/18 Bronze Medal Match
16/12/18 Final
Irish Hockey Association media release
O’Donoghue equals record but Australia edge home
The Green Machine sing Ireland’s Call. Pic: Frank Uijlenbroek / World Sport Pics
Shane O’Donoghue’s record equaling 93rd international goal was not quite enough as Ireland made life incredibly awkward for the world number one side but ultimately fell to a 2-1 defeat.
It was Ireland’s first goal at a World Cup since Billy McConnell in February 1990 and made it 1-1 in the 13th minute, cancelling out Blake Govers’ penalty corner drag two minutes earlier.
But Tim Brand’s follow-up finish to rebound his own initial shot won the day at a noisy Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar in the 34th minute.
“It was a pity it was not more important as we are disappointed not to get something there,” was O’Donoghue assessment of his goal, something of a collector’s item in its own right such was its beauty.
“Bitterly disappointing,” he continued. “We had a very strong first half but didn’t match the intensity in the second. They brought it on to us in the second and we didn’t do the things we did in the first to give us that solid platform.
“These games are about execution at the right times. Unfortunately, our basics let us down once or twice.”
It was a fair take on a bruising game in which Ireland worked very closely to the game plan laid out by coach Alexander Cox, saying beforehand he was not afraid for Ireland to get down into the trenches to slow the famously speedy Kookaburra attack.
Ireland started well with Jonny Bell’s surprising dummy down the left creating a huge chance in the early minutes with Sean Murray and Matthew Nelson denied by Andrew Charter in the aftermath.
Australia took the lead from their only chance of the first quarter, though. Umpire Paco Vazquez initially awarded a penalty stroke when a David Harte save hit Paul Gleghorne but while the video review downgraded it to a penalty corner, Blake Govers – who averages over 1.2 goals a game – whizzed in a high drag-flick.
O’Donoghue replied quickly, Sean Murray weaving the chance with a drifting run and slipping under his left shoulder a delicious pass. It invited the midfielder to race through where he chipped the ball up to chest height and then popped over Charter’s elbow.
Gleghorne did have to dig another one off the line after a duffed penalty corner routine but the half-time mood was positive with Australia only belatedly finding pockets of space in the deep press.
Ireland celebrate Shane O’Donoghue’s goal. Pic: Frank Uijlenbroek / World Sport Pics
Ultimately, Australia began to squeeze the life out of Ireland’s forward momentum in the third quarter and they got in front from a pitch length move.
Brand robbed the ball 75 metres from goal and tore forward, offloading to Corey Weyer who then picked him out with a pin-point reverse pass. David Harte – who was exceptional – saved his first chance but the ball fell invitingly for a rebound finish and 2-1.
Further goals were prevented via a series of brave tackles from Nelson – who became the youngest Irish player to reach 50 caps – Paul Gleghorne and Jonny Bell who used his cricket skills to good effect to deflect one over the bar.
At the far end, things did not quite stick. O’Donoghue’s surging run ended with his pass slipping through Alan Sothern’s clutches. A Nelson cross clipped Jeremy Hayward’s leg but a possible corner was ruled out by video for use of the backstick in the build-up and so the final golden chance did not come.
“It was a day when we could have got a result against the world number one.,” Cox said afterwards. “I am really proud of the performance and we were in the game until the final whistle
“Until the last phase, we kept doing what we needed to do, slowing the game down, waiting for our opportunity to accelerate.
“The second half was difficult to put more pressure on their defence and on the ball but what we needed to do, was excellent. In the first half, I think we were the better team and so on that part, I am happy.
“The guys put their body on the line for the result and for the team. It’s difficult against the Aussies because they are physically powerful, play a high pace game. It calls for a lot of physical power.”
Australia on the attack. Pic: Frank Uijlenbroek / World Sport Pics
Cox did pay tribute to the influence of O’Donoghue in being able to bring that something extra to the table: “He is like our quarter-back. He controls the field. From midfield, he can speed up the attack when we need to but also slow it down.
“It was an amazing goal and we need things like that. We will not create a crazy amount of chances [against the likes of Australia] so we need something special to come off.”
Later in the day, England spurned a series of chances as they drew 2-2 with China – Ireland’s next opponents. With the nature of the day’s games, Ireland will not be likely to fear either upcoming group opponent unduly should they put in a strong performance.
Men’s Hockey World Cup
Pool B: Ireland 1 (S O’Donoghue)
Australia 2 (B Govers, T Brand)
Ireland: D Harte, J Bell, C Cargo, M Nelson, E Magee, S O’Donoghue, S Murray, M Darling, P Gleghorne, C Harte, S Loughrey
Subs: M Bell, A Sothern, K Shimmins, M Robson, D Walsh, L Cole, D Fitzgerald
Australia: A Charter, C Weyer, E Ockenden, J Whetton, B Govers, T Howard, M Swann, D Beale, T Mitton, T Brand, J Hayward
Subs: T Craig, J Harvie, M Dawson, F Ogilvie, D Wotherspoon, T Lovell
Umpires: P Vazquez (ESP), J van ’t Hek (NED)
The Hook
Australia begin title defence with 2-1 win against Ireland
Ireland were narrowly beaten 2-1 by defending champions Australia in their opening Hockey World Cup pool match.
Tim Brand's third-period goal helped world number one side Australia to avoid a shock defeat in Pool B.
Ireland captain David Harte produced a string of saves to frustrate the holders after Shane O'Donoghue had cancelled out Blake Govers' opener.
Alexander Cox's Irish side will next face China at the Kalinga Stadium on Tuesday in their penultimate pool game.
Australia are aiming to become the first country to win three consecutive World Cup titles and the Kookaburras made a strong start when Govers converted a penalty corner drag flick to take the lead with just 11 minutes on the clock.
Ireland showed no signs of inexperience in their first World Cup appearance in 28 years. They forced an early double-save by Andrew Charter before drawing level when Sean Murray surged through the heart of the Australia defence, passing to O'Donoghue who batted the ball home to leave the sides tied on a goal apiece after the first quarter.
Ireland keeper David Harte was called on to deny Dylan Wotherspoon at the start of the second quarter, and he also held his nerve during a goal-mouth scramble as Australia started to increase the pressure.
The holders dominated the second half and deservedly regained the lead after a superb cross-field pass found Brand in space - the forward's initial shot was saved but he reacted impressively to sweep the loose ball into the net.
Ireland continued to threaten on the counter-attack and pressed for an equaliser during the final quarter, but O'Donoghue failed to connect with a reverse pass and the Kookaburras were able to cling on to the lead, even after Harte was withdrawn in favour of kicking back Paul Gleghorne for the closing stages.
2018 Hockey World Cup: Australia 2-1 Ireland
Australia: Govers (11), Brand (33)
Ireland: O'Donoghue (13)
BBC Sport
Australia manages full points
Surmounts a challenge from a fighting Ireland
Y.B. Sarangi
Forcing his way: Australia’s Dylan Wotherspoon tries to beat Irish skipper and goalkeeper David Harte.
World No. 10 Ireland gave the top-ranked Australia a run for its money before the defending champion managed a 2-1 victory in a gripping Pool B match here on Friday.
Australia was relieved to garner full points from its opening engagement after overcoming a stiff resistance from the underdog, which fought with purpose and grit.
Excellent coordination and tireless execution of its plans were hallmarks of the Irish team, which tried to have possession and find holes in the Australian defence.
Ireland nearly took an early lead when Sean Murray and Matthew Nelson’s back-to-back attempts were blocked by an alert Andrew Charter under the bar.
However, it was Australia which drew first blood in the 11th minute. A penalty stroke was converted to penalty corner following a video referral and Blake Govers’ blazing drag-flick disturbed the net.
A confident Ireland soon returned the favour. Murray accurately supplied the ball up and Shane O’Donoghue came from nowhere to slot it in.
Ireland’s man-to-man marking, fine interceptions and promptness to win back the ball forced Australia to work hard.
Corey Weyer’s workmanlike effort to create opportunities helped the Kookaburras in the third quarter and his magnificent through-ball was shot home by Tim Brand, on a second attempt, with a reverse stick.
Though Australia explored more chances, it could not inflict more damage. Ireland took its captain, goalkeeper David Harte, off in closing moments but could not find the equaliser.
“Things will settle down with time, but it’s going to be a difficult tournament,” said Brand. Harte picked the positives. “We will take confidence from our performance,” he said.
The results: Pool B: Australia 2 (Govers 11, Brand 34) bt Ireland 1 (O’Donoghue 13); China 2 (Xiaoping Guo 5, Takale Du 59) drew with England 2 (Mark Gleghorne 14, Liam Ansell 48).
The Hindu
Ireland make a mark
Stretch Australia before losing 2-1
INDERVIR GREWAL IN BHUBANESWAR
Ireland’s players celebrate after scoring a goal against Australia in Bhubaneswar on Friday.
‘Coming up against the beast in world hockey” in your first World Cup match since 1990 is not an ideal scenario. But world No. 10 Ireland did not get overwhelmed by the gravity of facing world No. 1 Australia in their opener. They surprised the crowd and the two-time defending champions by equalising within two minutes after falling behind. Ireland, known for their grit, stretched Australia before losing 2-1, a significant result considering the difference in the teams’ preparations.
“Preparation was pretty hectic because so many of us are playing professionally in different clubs,” said Ireland goalkeeper David Harte. “We are training and playing in different countries. We fly home after a game on Sunday, train Monday to Wednesday, and fly back to play for the clubs again. It is very important to make the most of whatever time we have together,” he added.
If that is hectic, imagine having to do a fulltime job or studying PhD along with it. “Most of us are working or studying, only a few are playing professionally,” Harte added. “Some are accountants, some are lawyers and some are students. I am doing my master’s, my brother (Conor) is studying for his PhD. So, it’s all busy in the background because you can’t afford to do nothing but hockey. You can’t earn enough,” the two-time FIH Goalkeeper of Year award winner said.
Harte added that most players “who get the opportunity, go abroad to play”. “Out of the core group of 20, there are 15 guys playing outside Ireland. A lot of guys are trying to get experience in Belgium, Holland, Germany and England,” he said.
Harte said that in one way more players going abroad helped the Ireland team grow. “You get exposed to different styles of hockey,” he said.
New league
Ireland hockey is going through a “purple patch”, Harte said. “The women’s team won silver (in the World Cup earlier this year). The men’s team won its first bronze medal in the European Championships (in 2015) and qualified for the Olympics (Rio 2016) for the first time in over 108 years,” he said.
Harte added that a new national league and more funding played a big part in Ireland’s recent rise. “We have quite a lot of clubs. In terms of total hockey players, men and women, we have around 35000 players, which is quite a lot for such a small nation,” he said. “About three years ago, they introduced an all-Ireland league, where the best teams in the country play each other constantly. Earlier, it used to be provincial tournaments and the winners would compete for a cup at the end of the season. The top league has 10 teams and we have matches every week,” he added.
With their performance against Australia, Ireland are expected to reach the knockouts. Can they emulate the women’s team? “We look at them and we feel that we have an opportunity to prove to ourselves that regardless of whom you are playing, you have a chance,” he said. “Unlike the last World Cup, where two teams were clear favourites, this edition has five to six teams that could win the title.”
Improved funding
Is Ireland hopeful of writing their own fairytale like Argentina? Or will it be the start of Ireland’s transformation into a top hockey nation like Belgium? “Hopefully. When I made my debut, we were 18th or 19th and Belgium were 15th or 16th. It gives you an idea of their progression. But that has also come from a lot of funding and the group of quality players they have,” Harte said. What about the funding in Ireland. “We have had an improvement in funding from the government and the sponsors. But it still doesn’t compare with the likes of those international players who are fulltime funded. They have a monthly salary, more or less. We, unfortunately, don’t. But things have improved, we don’t have to pay to play anymore, which is nice,” he said.
The Tribune
Big names take a tumble; China makes dream WC debut
s2h Team
Australia was expected to easily walk over Ireland. England was billed to decimate China. These predictions were based on history. But sports has its own way of writing and rewriting history. This was well evident today as third day had unfolded amidst full stands at the Kalinga hockey stadium in Odisha's capital.
Predictions and history went for a tumble at the World Cup arena. The Aussies were made to sweat by the neo-powers Ireland in the entire duration of the game. With an extraordinary display, Ireland almost stretched the world number one team to limits, though after sixty minutes it went down 1-2.
Later in the second match of the day, inexperienced China stunned England in early in the match with an artistic goal. England bounced back and struck twice. However, a minute before the hooter, valiant China made use of a godsend penalty corner to level the score 2-2. Talake Du took the penalty corner, whacked to the right of goalie for the equalizer. It must be a shocker of result for the Phil Roper's team that has four-time World Cupper Barry Middleton on its rank.
China were making their debut at World Cup, and what way it turned out to be.
England, one of the four nations that have figured in all the World Cups, had themselves to blame for letting their rivals dictate the terms. England was a bit rusty, and were seen rattled by the precision of their rivals.
To be fair to England, it was not their day. Balls will not go inside net, but will travel all along the peripherals of the cage.
a number of their shots at goal just either missed on both sides by a whisker or got deflected against the cage bar. undefined
The Chinese, trained by the old fox Korean Kim Sang Rhyul, did not show any anxiety or nervousness as they took to World Cup for the first time, and also taxingly pitted against 1986 Cup winners, England.
They did not bother about other's history because they are here to make their own one. Which they did in style.
In the fifth minute, Xiaoping Guo bemused a host of defenders, who were surrounding him on the right backline but he managed to beat the covering goalie George Pinner (1-0). It took nine more minutes for the English to equalize through a penalty corner by Mark Gleghorne.
After the quick-silver first quarter, both sides vied for the better show, without anything to show on the scoreboard. Liam Ansell settled the issue of dominance in his side's favour with a beautiful goal three minutes in to the last quarter.
Chinese were fighting and the last minute goal by Du Talake doused the fires of England, denied them full points.
The Australian story too went in sync with the trend here- close finishes, no respect for ranking.
Stick2Hockey.com
Ireland and England endure tough outings at the World Cup
©: Frank Uijlenbroek / World Sport Pics
European sides had a tough day on day three of the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup in Bhubaneswar as Ireland lost 2-1 to world number ones Australia while England conceded in the last two minutes to draw with China.
Australia took a 1-0 lead in the contest when Blake Govers launched a powerful penalty corner drag-flick beyond Ireland keeper David Harte 11 minutes into the game, but it was not an advantage they held for long.
Ireland stunned the Kookaburras in the second period when a high-quality attack was finished beautifully by Dragons’ Shane O’Donoghue, who produced terrific 3D skills to find a way past Aussie shot-stopper Andrew Charter.
Australia marked the start of the third quarter in style, with Corey Weyer’s sensational, defence-splitting pass from midfield being finished at the second attempt by Tim Brand, who had shown incredible athleticism to join the attack from defence.
It proved to be the decisive blow, with Australia showing all of their class to control the latter stages of the match and get their World Cup title defence off to a winning start.
For O’Donoghue, it saw him equal the national goals record for Ireland with 93, level with John Jermyn.
“It was a pity it was not more important as we are disappointed not to get something there,” was O’Donoghue assessment of his goal.
“Bitterly disappointing,” he continued. “We had a very strong first half but didn’t match the intensity in the second. They brought it on to us in the second and we didn’t do the things we did in the first to give us that solid platform.”
For England, they went behind early on with Guo Xiaoping showing superb skills along the backline before flicking above right arm the onrushing George Pinner and into the goal just five minutes into the contest.
England responded well, with Mark Gleghorne’s 14th minute penalty corner drag-flick levelling the scores after a strong passage of play from the Europeans.
Two goal-less quarters followed, leaving China 15 minutes away from claiming the most surprising result of the competition so far. That appeared to change in the 48th minute when Liam Ansell stole possession from a China defender before unleashing a superb backhand strike into bottom corner to give England a 2-1 lead.
However, there was to be one final twist in the tale. With less than two minutes remaining, China scored a dramatic equaliser thanks to a powerful penalty corner drag-flick from Du Talake, whose effort found its way into the England goal to give the competition’s second lowest ranked team a terrific point in their first ever World Cup match.
Day four on Saturday sees the Netherlands face Malaysia while Germany take on Pakistan.
Speaking ahead of the Malaysia match, Netherlands coach Max Caldas said: “At every tournament playing your first match is always difficult. We haven’t played Malaysia for several years, so it’s difficult to say what to expect.
“But we have done our homework and studied the team well. We respect the team of Malaysia. We are confident for our match tomorrow, but we also know we have to play a good match to beat them. We’re enjoying being in India. The pitches are good, the stadium is impressive, and the people are very friendly and helpful. Now we want to enjoy the tournament.”
Germany captain Martin Häner expressed his excitement about his team’s opening fixture against Pakistan. “It’s great to play against a team with such a great history again.
“I haven’t played against Pakistan for quite a while and it is always a challenge to play against such skillful players. We cannot wait to play in the Kalinga Stadium again in front of a hockey loving crowd. It’s always special to start the first match of a big tournament. We’ve had a good preparation and we’re confident that we are ready for a great opener against Pakistan.”
Euro Hockey League media release
Australia begin title defence with hard-fought win over Ireland; debutants China hold England
Australia were made to work hard for their win over Ireland in the 2018 Hockey World Cup. Image Courtesy: Twitter/@TheHockeyIndia
Bhubaneswar: Australia's quest for a record hat-trick of titles started with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Ireland in the opening Pool D match of the men's hockey World Cup in Bhubaneswar on Friday.
Having won the back-to-back World Cups in 2010 and 2014, world no.1 Australia came into the ongoing tournament as a firm favourite but they were far from impressive and were made to toil hard by Ireland in their opener.
World No 10 Ireland gave Australia a run for their money with impressive display in both attack and defence. The Kookaburras were dismal with penalty corners, converting just one out of five.
Blake Govers (11th minute) and Tim Brand scored for the winners, while Ireland's lone goal came from the sticks of Shane O'Donoghue.
Ten places might separate the two teams, but the Irish fought valiantly and matched the title holders stick-for-stick in the first two quarters.
In fact, it was Ireland who had the first shot at the goal and Australia goalie Andrew Charter had to come up with a double save to deny Sean Murray and then Matthew Nelson from the rebound in the fourth minute.
Australia grew in confidence as time passed by and earned a penalty stroke in the 11th minute but the umpire's decision was changed to penalty corner after Ireland asked for video referral.
From the resultant penalty corner, Australia secured another and this time Govers' flick found the back of the Irish net.
But Australia's lead lasted just two minutes as Ireland drew level when O'Donoghue scored after he was set up by Murray, who dribbled past two defenders to pass the ball on to the goal scorer.
The second quarter too produced exciting hockey as both the teams went on the offensive and it was Australia who came close to scoring, but Ireland captain David Harte made a fine save in front of the post to deny Dylan Wotherspoon.
Five minutes into the quarter, Ireland secured their first penalty corner and Charter came to Australia's rescue and kept out O'Donoghue's attempt.
Towards the end of the second quarter, Australia secured back-to-back penalty corners but wasted both as the two teams went into the halfway break locked at 1-1.
Australia restored their lead four minutes after the breather through Brand. Corey Weyer's workmanship in the midfield finally helped Australia when his inch-perfect through ball found Brand unmarked inside the box and the striker scored from his second attempt.
Debutants China hold England
Eighteen brave men from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region produced a gritty performance to help debutants China register a fighting 2-2 draw against higher-ranked England in a Pool B match.
Unusual it may sound, but very few people know that China's entire 18-member men's hockey team making its debut in the World Cup belongs to just one province — Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. China is made up of 34 provinces.
These 18 brave hearts fought hard and stunningly held world No 7 England with a last-minute goal to eke out a point from the encounter.
China's men's hockey team's best result in the sport till date is a silver medal finish at the 2006 Doha Asian Games but they sprung a surprise in its maiden World Cup match.
England started the match as overwhelming favourites, but the Chinese stunned their opponents early in the game when Xiaoping Gao (5th minute) scored a brilliant field goal from a tight angle after dribbling past three defenders.
Taken aback by the goal, the Englishmen went on the offensive and finally managed to equalise a minute from the first quarter when Mark Gleghorne (14th) converted a penalty corner.
Thereafter, it was a struggle for the English to break the resolute Chinese defence despite enjoying lion's share of possession and creating numerous chances.
A silly defensive mistake by Yang Ao inside the box allowed England to take the lead through Liam Ansell in the 48th minute.
But the Chinese didn't give up and continued to show sparks in patches. While defending stoutly, they also started to threaten the English citadel with swift counter-attacks.
China's persistence finally bore fruit and the brave men broke England's heart just a minute from the final hooter.
From one such counter-attack China secured a penalty corner in the 59th minute, which was inarguably their last try, and Talake Du was precise with his dragflick to sent his dug out into a frenzy.
China's South Korean coach Sang Ryul Kim praised the lion-hearted efforts of his men, saying the result came as a "surprise" to him.
"We came here with no high expectation as we are making our debut. What we wanted was to show fight and we did that today. It was a gritty performance from the boys and it was a good surprise to see us score 2 goals today," Kim said after the match.
China will next play Ireland on 4 December while England will be up against reigning two-time world champions Australia on the same day.
Firstpost
Late Chinese Strike Denies England Opening World Cup Win
England v China HWC2018
A late goal from Du Talake denied England a win in their opening game of the 2018 Men’s Hockey World Cup.
Liam Ansell thought he had sewn up victory with a late strike as the forward showed great tenacity to rob the ball off a defender in the circle before producing an inch perfect finish.
That came after Mark Gleghorne equalised at the end of the first quarter, following a fine solo goal from Guo Xiaoping that gave the world number 17 side the early advantage.
But despite England having plenty of other attempts it was Du who had the final say, seeing a corner sneak into the net with just over a minute remaining, much to the frustration of Barry Middleton.
"It was tough. I think we controlled it how we wanted to but we've got a few things to work on around the circle," he said.
"They took the chances they had and that's what it comes down to in the end.
"We wanted to win, it just came to down detail around the circle. We had chances, we had the ball up there a lot but they made it count when they got around our circle."
China took a surprise lead in the fifth minute as Guo showed fantastic hand speed with a mazy run down the left before lifting the ball over George Pinner.
That came shortly after Zach Wallace had forced Wang Caiyu into a save as the midfielder caused the Chinese defence plenty of problems on his World Cup debut, seeing another shot deflected over before Ian Sloan flashed an effort wide.
England pressed further in the second quarter, with Ansell seeing a fierce strike blocked while a diving Middleton couldn’t quite turn in Luke Taylor’s corner.
Their defence was also kept alert as they were required to keep out three successive corners, Liam Sanford charging down two while Gibson saved the other.
The chances kept coming in the third quarter but England still couldn’t find their second as Middleton mis-hit a shot on the turn wide, Harry Martin fired over the bar and Dave Condon was denied by Wang’s face after a great run down the right.
It finally came though in the 48th minute as Ansell struck, while Phil Roper was unlucky not to score himself seconds later as his effort on the reverse smashed the crossbar.
The final word was to go to China though as Du somehow managed to find a gap between Harry Gibson and Middleton to equalise
Next up for England it’s Australia on Tuesday 4 December at 11:30am live on BT Sport.
England 2 (1)
Gleghorne (PC, 14); Ansell (FG, 48)
China 2 (1)
Guo (FG, 5); Du (PC, 59)
Starting XI: Pinner (GK), Ames, Sloan, Gleghorne, Roper (C), Dixon, Middleton, Ansell, Gall, Sanford, Wallace
Subs: Gibson (GK), Taylor, Martin, Hoare, Condon, Waller, Calnan
England Hockey Board Media release
China make sensational World Cup debut
By Jugjet Singh
China’s team celebrates after scoring during the men's Field Hockey World Cup match between England and China at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, India 30 November 2018. EPA
BHUBANESWAR: World Cup newcomers China surprised England by forcing a 2-2 draw in Group B today.
China, ranked 17th in the world, were not given much of a chance against World No 7 England.
But coach Kim Sang Ryul's men shocked the packed stadium, as well as the world of hockey.
China took the lead through Guo Xiaoping in the fifth minute, but England fought back with goals from Mark Gleghorne (14th) and Liam Ansell (48th).
And with two minutes remaining in the match, China removed their goalkeeper and during “power play”, won a penalty corner.
Du Talake delivered in the 59th minute and China made an immediate impact in their World Cup debut.
In another Group B match, World No 1 Australia were given a scare before they managed to overcome a fighting Ireland 2-1.
Blake Govers gave the world champions an 11th minute lead, but Shane O'Donoghue equalised in the 13th minute.
Tim Brand gave Australia the lead again in the 34th minute and they held on to win three points.
Australia coach Colin Batch looked relieved, but almost choked on insects while talking to the press at the Free Zone.
After a coughing bout: "Sorry, the insects are a bother here,” he said.
Millions of insects swarmed the four stadium floodlights, and players, as well as fans, had to tolerate them.
New Straits Times
Stats Speak: Minnows China avoid defeat in debut match in World Cup
By B.G.Joshi (in Kalinga Stadium Bhubaneswar)
Man of the match Chinese Talake Du, who netted equaliser goal(2-2) against mighty England. Photo (courtesy Hockey India)
China is the 25th nation to have entered in the men’s World Cup. World-ranked 17th, China also made a record not to lose the debut match. Pakistan, Netherlands, Germany, India and Spain are the five teams who made their debut with wins in the inaugural edition of World Cup (1971), all these teams have won medals too in different editions. Silver medalist (1986) England made their debut in 1973 with a win. Noteworthy debuts were of Poland who held Pakistan to a draw in 1975 and South Africa who drew with Germany in 1994. Here are the details:
|
9 Teams who have made their debut with a win/draw |
||||
|
Debut Team |
Year |
Opponent |
Score |
Result |
|
China |
2018 |
England |
2-2 |
Drawn |
|
South Africa |
1994 |
Germany |
1-1 |
Drawn |
|
Poland |
1975 |
Pakistan |
2-2 |
Drawn |
|
England |
1973 |
Belgium |
5-2 |
Won |
|
Spain |
1971 |
Japan |
2-0 |
Won |
|
Netherlands |
1971 |
Spain |
0-0 |
Drawn |
|
Germany* |
1971 |
Argentina |
5-1 |
Won |
|
Pakistan |
1971 |
Australia |
5-2 |
Won |
|
India |
1971 |
France |
1-0 |
Won |
*West Germany (1971-1990) records merged in Germany.
Fieldhockey.com
England draw 2-2 with China in their opening game
A last-gasp equaliser denied England victory in their opening World Cup game in India, as China salvaged a 2-2 draw.
China, ranked 17th in the world, took a surprise fifth-minute lead after a fine solo goal from Guo Xiaoping.
Mark Gleghorne equalised at the end of the first quarter and Liam Ansell finished well in the 48th minute before Du Talake struck with a minute left.
The other match in Pool B on Friday saw holders Australia beat Ireland 2-1 in a superb encounter.
England's next match is on Tuesday against the Australians, winners of the past two tournaments.
The top teams in each of the four four-team groups qualify for the quarter-finals, with the second and third-placed teams competing in crossover matches for the right to face them.
Seventh-ranked England, who have only reached the final once, in 1986, have finished fourth in the past two men's World Cups. They face Ireland on 7 December.
Australia went ahead against the Irish when Blake Govers sent a powerful penalty corner drag-flick beyond Ikeeper David Harte 11 minutes into the game.
In the second period Ireland were rewarded for some impressive play when a sweeping attack was superbly finished by Shane O'Donoghue.
But Australia regained the lead at the start of the third quarter when Corey Weyer's defence-splitting pass from midfield was converted at the second attempt by Tim Brand.
BBC Sport
The Enduring Saga of Kim Sang Rhyul
K. Arumugam
Coaches never die. Their role in shaping teams too never fade away from memory. Here in Kalinga stdium, we have just witnessed the scene repeating, truth reinforced. Yes, we are talking about South Korea's hockey brain Kim Sang Rhyul. His innovation and assertion for fitness put India and Pakistan hockey in its place in the 80s through 200s.
As China today held the highly rated England 2-2 on Day 3 in the Odisha World Cup, his illustrious image gets further glitz, and turns the limelight on the ageing, but shining star.
Kim interestingly studied in National Institute of Patiala, where under double-Olympian Balkrishen Singh as Chief hockey coach taught his the essence of Indian and European hockey in the early 80s.
When he was made coach of the South Korean team that was preparing for the 1986 Asian Games, his team of little dynamos extinguished India and Pakistan in the Seoul number. For the first time, India did not enter the final of the Asian Games.
Dejected giants went on to flop in the same fortnight at Wisdon World Cup, fighting for wooden spoon.
In the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games, his South Korean team blossomed to great extent.
He devised a way to outwit India in the final. It was here he introduced stopping the injector balls during PC drills far ahead of circle and then the stopped the ball is brought back to the circle to finish with lightening goala. Till then, the injector ball used to be stopped on the edge of the circle.
This innovation stunned the Indians. They had conceded essential goals this way in the crucial final to lose again.
The then Hockey Rules Board (HRB), had to burn their midnight oil to contain him, and its how the dotted lines bordering all allong the semicircle was introduced.
The new modification had to be made by the HRB to contain his method of converting penalty corers. Mere fact that a new rule has to be made by the global body speaks volume about this man's vision.
When India failed to put it across Poland in the last pool match of the Sydney Olympics, South Korea, which tallied India with points, goal difference, and goal aggregate, got a chance to enter the final, as it had beaten India in the group match.
Its here his boys devised another plan: to charge boldly to prevent PC shots being taken. Those were the times the five defenders in the PC drill will wait for the hit or scoop to be taken to block them, but his boys ran 'suicidally' to prevent such shots. Each of the charger got injured, but the team saw Pakistan off in the semis. He spent almost six years with Korean girls and then famously said that he would never coach women's team again in his life.
When China got alloted Olympics, he was taken as imported coach for Chinese boys. His Chinese boys, never known to be a force to reckon with, defeated India in the Doha Asian Games.
Undaunted, they went on to defeat Pakistan in the semis too.
With his motherland team Korea or professional assignment with neighbouring China, he made his teams memorable.
Stick2Hockey.com
Not in the mood for history as Dutch meet Malaysia
By Jugjet Singh
“For me, it is not important. This group is the same as any other in the World Cup,” said Caldas.
BHUBANESWAR: Dutch coach Max Caldas doesn’t care much about history, as statistics are not enough to help a team win titles.
He is so curt with his replies, that one would immediately get an impression that Caldas is a no-nonsense man, who is only focused on his own team.
As the Netherlands play Malaysia tomorrow, Caldes said he respects the Malaysian players as well as coach Roelant Oltmans.
“I don't believe in history, my concern is the present. Everybody keep saying Group D is the group of death as it has three former World Cup champions.
“For me, it is not important. This group is the same as any other in the World Cup,” said Caldas.
Germany and Pakistan are the other teams in Group D.
Caldas’ assessment of Malaysia? “It is a very good side and I expect an interesting match. I respect the Malaysian team as well as their coach (Oltmans).”
When pressed further about Malaysia's penalty corner battery of Faizal Shaari and Razi Rahim, Caldas gave another short reply.
“That’s not my concern, my concern is how my team play tomorrow (today).
“There is no opening game pressure, we will treat it as just another match.”
Looking back, one understands the many world-level challenges that Caldas has been in, and he has passed them with flying colours.
He won gold with the Netherlands women’s team at both the 2012 London Olympics and 2014 World Cup, and in the same year he was voted FIH Coach of the Year.
Now Caldas has his sights on winning a gold medal with the Netherlands men’s team.
Ranked fourth in the world, the Dutch, who won the EuroHockey Championships last year, have shown flashes of brilliance in recent tournaments.
On the four-day break between each match in Bhubaneswar, Caldas said: “It will only be a ‘long’ tournament if you do well. If you don’t, it is really short and to be honest, once you are in a good place, times take a different form altogether.”
Asked about his team's strengths, Caldas said: “I think we have a very attack-minded team that create chances from open play and penalty corners.
“They are a bunch of very skilful players, fast and with a strong understanding of each other’s qualities.”
New Straits Times
Malaysian Tigers shouldn't feel scared
By Jugjet Singh
BHUBANESWAR: It’s a moment to cherish, not to be scared.
That’s the reply from Malaysian skipper Shukri Mutalib when asked about the team's feelings ahead of the battle against the Netherlands tomorrow.
Malaysia, 12th in the world, will open their World Cup campaign against the fourth ranked Dutch team at the Kalinga Stadium.
While a win for Malaysia will be super sweet, a draw fantastic, Shukri feels that if they lose to the Dutch,
it must not be a big margin.
“We need to cherish this match because it's not always that we get to play the Netherlands.
“I have only played them once even though I have 311 caps and have travelled the world playing hockey.
“The coach (Roelant Oltmans) has meticulously prepared us for this match and we know what to do. We know some of their weaknesses, and if we can catch them off guard, I believe it would be a super opening match for us.
“But then, even if we lose this match, we can't afford to let in too many goals as it will come into the picture when we play Pakistan as well as Germany in our next matches.”
Shukri, who has played 153 matches for the nation since 2013, has a record of 72 wins and 18 draws. The defender-cum-midfielder has scored one goal during that period.
Oltmans said he can't wait for the match to start. “We have done everything we could to prepare this team and now we can't wait for the matches to start.
“Our opening match against the Netherlands is not going to be easy, but we have our plans and if executed well, there could be a surprise," said Oltmans.
The Dutchman is hightly respected at the tournament venue, as Indian as well as Pakistani coaches and officials, have high regard of his capabilities.
And if there is anybody who can spring a surprise against the mighty Dutch at the Kalinga Stadium, it has to be Oltmans.
He has coached the Dutch women to become world champions in 1990, the Dutch men to become Olympic champions in 1996 and world champions in 1998.
New Straits Times
Razie, Faizal eye higher conversion rate to help Malaysia slay 2014 ghost
NATIONAL hockey players Muhd Razie Abdul Rahim and Faizal Saari are fired up to erase Malaysia’s World Cup misery four years ago where the country finished as the wooden spoonist among 12 teams.
Both players vow to do their part by perfecting their penalty corner executions.
In 2014, Razie converted only three penalty corners in his first World Cup in The Hague, Holland, while Faizal failed to score a single goal in six matches.
Now Razie and Faizal, who are among the world’s top 10 penalty corner drag flickers, mean business when Malaysia open their campaign in Group D against three-time world champions Holland at the Kalinga Stadium today.
The other teams in their group are former world champions Pakistan and Germany.
The 31-year-old Razie eyes a memorable second World Cup and is out to end his goalless run against Holland.
Huge task: Muhd Razie Abdul Rahim (left) and Faizal Saari vow to do their best in perfecting their penalty corner executions.
“The challenge is for me to get it right against the Dutch team, who are the favourites to win the World Cup,” said Razie.
“Holland play a disciplined game and their strikers are skilful and deadly in the semi-circle. They’re physically bigger than us – but we should not be intimidated.
“Instead, we should use our speed and skills to get past their defence to create chances.
“We also have to create as many chances as possible to give them a run for their money,” said the police inspector.
Razie suffered a hamstring injury during September’s Asian Games in Jakarta and did not feature in the Asian Champions Trophy in Oman in October.
“I need to score from penalty corners against Holland to regain my confidence after the short break because of the hamstring injury.
“I’ll bring my A game and hopefully all the forwards will play their parts too to earn as many penalty corners as possible,” added Razie, who scored once during Test matches against New Zealand last week.
Nippy forward Faizal wants to give Malaysia a brilliant start.
“A good start will help us to finish in the top three to qualify for the second round,” said Faizal, who won the top scorer award in the Asian Champions Trophy in Oman with eight goals last month.
“I didn’t score at the last World Cup but I’ll go all out to break Holland’s defence to get it right this time.”
The Star of Malaysia
Pakistan's Opening Match against Germany
By Ijaz Chaudhry
Pakistan open their campaign at the 2018 Hockey World Cup in Bhubaneswar with the match against Germany on Saturday.
Pakistan, four time winners, are currently 13th ranked while the Germans, the two time winners, are placed 6th in the FIH rankings.
The two sides have met eight times at the World Cup. In 1982 they came across twice, pool game and final. Pakistan have won five (including the penalty shootout win at 1994 semifinal). Germany have been victorious the other three times.
|
1973 (3rd place playoff) Germany beat Pakistan 1-0 |
|
1975 (semifinal) Pakistan beat Germany 5-1 |
|
1978 (semifinal) Pakistan beat Germany 1-0 |
|
1982 (pool) Pakistan beat Germany 5-3 |
|
1982 (Final) Pakistan beat Germany 3-1 |
|
1990 (pool) Germany beat Pakistan 1-0 |
|
1994 (semifinal) Pakistan beat Germany on penalty shootout after 1-1 |
|
2002 (pool) Germany beat Pakistan 3-2 |
After winning four of the first eight World Cups, Pakistan’s fortunes have nosedived- failed to reach semifinal since 1994.
On the contrary, Germany have been a consistent performer. After finishing 5th in the inaugural World Cup, they made at least to the semis in each of the next 11 editions, before missing out during the last World Cup in 2014, when they ended sixth.
Germans also didn’t do well at the last EuroHockey Nations Championships in 2017 where they were fourth. It was their first out of podium finish in the biennial event since 2007. In fact, Germany had won two and ended runners up the other two times in the intervening four EuroHockey Nations Championships.
The German hockey team might not be doing well in recent times by its own standards but, they start as the favourites against Pakistan, ranked seven places below.
Pakistan can surprise Germans if they reproduce the form displayed at this year’s Champions Trophy where they had defeated Olympic Champions Argentina, drew against World Number three Belgium and lost only 1-2 to the World Champions and No 1 ranked Australia.
Ijaz Chaudhry writes on hockey & other sports. For more about him and his work, visit: www.sportscorrespondent.info
Fieldhockey.com
Pakistan faces Germany in their first match today
BHUBANESWAR: Pakistan will facing Germany in their first match in the Hockey World Cup 2018 today (Saturday) in Bhubaneswar, India.
The Pakistani side, currently ranked 13th, hoping to kick-off the tournament with a win. However, Germany are favourites as they are ranked seventh in the world hockey.
Both teams have met eight times in the World Cup with Pakistan winning five of their matches and Germany coming out victorious in only three. However, the last time these two met was during the 2002 World Cup where Germany defeated Pakistan 3-2.
The match between Pakistan and Germany will start at 6:30pm Pakistan Standard Time (PST).
The Hockey World Cup 2018 this is being held in Bhubaneswar, India.
A total of 14 teams are participating in the tournament including the hosts India, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, England, Germany, Ireland, Malaysia, Netherlands, Spain, New Zealand and Pakistan.
The Daily Times
Pakistan open campaign against Germany
LAHORE - Pakistan hockey team will open the Hockey World Cup 2018 campaign in Bhubaneswar, India today (Saturday), when they will take on Germany in the opener.
Four time World Cup winners Pakistan are currently 13th ranked while the Germans, the two time winners, are placed sixth in the FIH rankings. The two sides have met eight times at the World Cup. In 1982, they came across twice, in pool game and the final. Pakistan have won five (including the penalty shootout win at 1994 semifinal). Germany have been victorious the other three times.
In 1973 third place playoff, Germany beat Pakistan 1-0, in 1975 semifinal, Pakistan beat Germany 5-1, in 1978 semifinal, Pakistan beat Germany 1-0, in 1982 pool match, Pakistan beat Germany 5-3, in 1980 final, Pakistan beat Germany 3-1, in 1990 pool match, Germany beat Pakistan 1-0, in 1994 semifinal, Pakistan beat Germany on penalty shootout after 1-1 draw while in 2002 pool match, Germany beat Pakistan 3-2. After winning four of the first eight World Cups, Pakistan’s fortunes have failed to reach semifinal since 1994. On the contrary, Germany have been a consistent performer. After finishing fifth in the inaugural World Cup, they made at least to the semis in each of the next 11 editions, before missing out during the last World Cup in 2014 when they ended sixth. Germans also didn’t do well at the last Euro Hockey Nations Championships in 2017 where they were fourth. It was their first out of podium finish in the biennial event since 2007. In fact, Germany had won two and ended runners-up the other two times in the intervening four Euro Hockey Nations Championships.
The German hockey team might not be doing well in recent times by its own standards but they start as the favourites against Pakistan, ranked seven places below. Pakistan can surprise Germans if they reproduce the form displayed at this year’s Champions Trophy where they defeated Olympic Champions Argentina, drew against World number three Belgium and lost only 1-2 to the World Champions and No 1 ranked Australia.
The much hyped pool D, also called group of death, consisting of three former champions – Pakistan (4) Netherlands (3) Germany (2) – who share 9 of the 13 titles of the Hockey World Cup between themselves, will come into play in the 14th edition of the tournament at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar on Saturday.
A close look at the tournament format shows that Pool D is no group of death the way it is understood in Football World Cup parlance. Here pool topper gets direct entry into the quarter finals and the fourth team gets eliminated. While second and third placed teams remain alive to play the crossovers with teams from another group. Thus, there is a possibility that teams finishing second and third in same pool making it to the finals.
Pakistan, ranked 13, have a daunting task ahead. The four times champion had finished with the wooden spoon in their last WC appearance at Delhi in 2010, one worse than their 11th place at Willesden in 1986. Penalty corner striker of yore Tauqeer Dar, head coach of Pakistan team, said: “We are under no pressure, we are not overawed by Germany. In fact, we fancy our chances against them. A win today (Saturday) will keep us alive in the tournament,” he added. Germany, who are also 4 time Olympic and eight -time European champions, may not look formidable but no team can afford to underestimated them.“My team is mix of youth and experience. We are in the process of rebuilding,” said German coach Stefan Karmas. “We hope to start the campaign with full points.”
The Nation
Pakistan Hockey continues to elude definition
Uthra Ganesan
Imran Butt of Pakistan. Photo Credit: AFP
It has been a long-running wry joke in Indian sporting circles that Pakistan, regardless of the sport, cannot be defined, judged or predicted within the narrow confines of normal values. Rankings, statistics, form or fitness matter zilch to the team that, on its day, can be the best or the worst in the world, depending on which team turns up on the field.
Pakistan hockey fits the definition. In its training sessions here, the team has appeared a shadow of what it was three months back during the Asian Games. Fitness suddenly appears an alien concept for the side and the team has looked like a bunch of amateurs amidst a sea of hardened professionals -- specially when a side like Ireland, that is actually made up of players who double up with day duties to earn a living, sweats it out in another half of the turf.
And yet, no one is willing to write them off. And coach Tauqeer Ahmed Dar, who stepped in after Roelant Oltmans quit abruptly, admits everything was secondary to the mind and heart, the areas that make the team unpredictable.
“It is all mental. Yes fitness is important but in the end, how strong you are mentally and how big a heart you have is what makes the difference. It is temperament that counts,” Mr. Dar said here on Friday. His comments might be a throwback to simpler times when science was not a part of teams’ trainings but when it comes to Pakistan, he might just have nailed the puzzle.
It is part of the reason why he doesn’t call himself a coach or planner at all. “Three of the boys in the side – Imran Butt, Aleem Bilal and Faisal Qadir -- are from my academy in Lahore. I have had many interactions with them before taking over as coach. I think the change I can bring in is to motivate them and tell them they are Pakistan’s assets. It is because of them that we still talk about a glorious past and they are also our dreams for the future. They have all the skills in the world, what they lacked was motivation and confidence and that’s what we have been trying to give them as much as needed. The boys are now in high spirits and if they perform to their capacity, they could be a big surprise here,” he declared.
Big words for a team ranked 13th in the world without funds to hire professional support staff or a domestic structure to keep churning out players. But then, Pakistan hockey has for a long time now been about breaking the norms than following them. And Mr. Dar is unabashed in his praise of Hassan Sardar, who has been managing the side for a while now, for keeping the team together despite all the troubles.
“I have never come across this kind of management, the way this team has been treated by Sardar. Everyone respects everyone else now, they are not students and we are not headmasters, this is a team and a family now. I am here because of this man’s request. I don’t think there is any other hockey legend of his stature in Pakistan today or a single person in Pakistan hockey as good as him,” he said.
And yet, amidst al this talk, there is a realisation of realism as well. While the rest of the teams have been not too happy about the huge gaps between matches or the long tournament, Mr. Dar welcomed them. “Maybe for the higher ranked teams it is difficult. But for someone like us, ranked 13, with fitness issues, it is a good thing. Rest for three days is very positive so that we can recover and regain focus after a game. Our preparations have also been good with international assignments before the World Cup and our team is a good mix of youth and experience. I know Germany are the better team but we are hopeful of our chances,” he signed off.
For the sake of the beauty and thrill of international Hockey, one wishes his hopes come true.
The Hindu
Once world-beaters, Pakistan desperately seek revival of national sport
Anish Anand
Lack of a proper domestic structure and a system of rewards seems to be a biggest worry for Pakistan hockey.
Pakistan's glorious relationship with the men's Hockey World Cup can only be matched by India and their tryst with the Summer Olympics. No country has won more Olympic gold medals — eight — in hockey than India. No nation has won more World Cups — four — than Pakistan. There's also an aspect of similarity with regard to their decline in the sport. India last won an Olympic medal in 1980 while Pakistan's last World Cup triumph came in 1994. India's suffering was encapsulated by its failure to make the cut for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and its last-place finish at London 2012. Across the border, Pakistan, too, did not qualify for the 2014 World Cup and missed the bus for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
India, though, are on the mend, improving significantly post the 2008 and 2012 debacles, — they are currently ranked No 5 going into the World Cup in Bhubaneswar. For Pakistan, it seems the wait will be longer.
"India and Pakistan had been facing the same set of problems. But since the last 10 years or so, India have improved their domestic structure like introducing the professional Hockey India League. Also, both countries lacked consistency, whether it's about appointment of coaches or setting up of domestic competitions. But India are better organised now and that's why they are improving. Pakistan are still working on this and hopefully, we'll be back on track in coming few years," former Pakistan player and part of the 1994 World Cup-winning side, Tahir Zaman, told Firstpost in an exclusive chat.
Lack of a proper domestic structure and a system of rewards seems to be a biggest worry for Pakistan hockey. Former player and current assistant coach of the team, Rehan Butt, thinks earlier, apart from playing hockey, players used to see the sport as means of securing a decent job with various government organisations. If they could not make it to the top, at least players had the security of a job. That aspect has been missing in the Pakistan hockey in recent times.
"I started playing hockey thinking I'll get a decent job and my family members will be happy. Right now, the government departments in Pakistan have stopped giving jobs for hockey players. So youngsters don't see their future in hockey, considering there are no rewards," Butt said.
He went on to add, "Even in the last meeting with the federation, we have discussed this issue and concluded that unless government jobs are not provided for hockey players, things will not change much. See, the young generation in Pakistan are not attracted to hockey anymore. Currently, most of our talent comes from villages because they are not aware of this situation. Youngsters from big cities like Karachi and Lahore have stopped playing hockey because they are not sure whether hockey can give them a future."
Butt also talks about the importance of a quality domestic competitions. Like Zaman, he too spoke highly of the HIL and how it spurred an improvement in the quality of the Indian hockey team. "Look at what happened in India when foreign players participated in the league and helped it to develop. Something similar should happen in Pakistan," Butt said.
Hasan Sardar, considered as one of the best centre-forwards that Pakistan has ever produced, is also of the opinion that majority of the youngsters from big cities have stopped playing the game because their priorities have changed. "Youngsters from cities like Karachi do not prioritise hockey anymore. Even schools have stopped encouraging students. That's very unfortunate because schools should have good training centres." Sardar, who is also the manager of the current Pakistan team, went on add that the talent in Pakistan mostly comes from Punjab because of the good grassroots facilities.
Zaman also laid emphasis on the technical aspects of the game where both India and Pakistan lacked and those certainly played a part in their struggles. Hockey became one of the fastest sports in the world thanks to certain changes in the game, like the self-pass and the no offside rules. Physical fitness of players became a vital tool for succeeding in the game, and that's where both countries initially faced problems.
"When the dimensions of the game were changing 20 years back, we couldn't figure it out in which direction the game was going. Like the self pass rule. With that one rule, the game changed rapidly. The reaction of times of both attacking and defensive players became vital. Also, with the no offside rule, players, on an average, run more than 10 kilometres, so the physical fitness element became critical in the game," Zaman said.
Zaman suggests that the ultimate goal should be more holistic development of the sport in Pakistan, starting with restructuring at the grassroots levels and also improving the coaching standards. "We should regularly conduct coaching education programmes for our local coaches so that they can improve things at the grassroots level. This should be a long-lasting project and not something on an ad hoc basis. Unless there are quality coaches at the lowest level, things will not improve much at the national level," Zaman said.
Sardar sounded more optimistic about the revival of hockey in Pakistan, especially now because of country's new Prime Minister. "Imran Khan is a great sportsman, and he has ordered all the various boards to revive the game of hockey, focussing on development from the grassroots. So I'm hopeful."
Pakistan's issues with hockey are not limited to the grassroots stage. Weeks before start of the World Cup, Pakistan's national team faced uncertainty over their participation in the global event. Pakistan Hockey Federation struggled to arrange the required funds for the national team to travel to Bhubaneswar. The federation asked for help from the government, and the cricket board, but the request was denied. Finally, Javed Afridi, the owner of the Pakistan Super League franchise Peshawar Zalmi, bailed them out with a new sponsorship deal.
Pakistan have an humongous task at their hands — to revive the national sport of the country might take a few more years. But for now, for the next two weeks, Pakistan will look to defy odds and make it as far possible in the tournament. This might not signal a resurrection of the sport in the country, but at least, there will be a feeling of hope among Pakistan's hockey fans.
Firstpost
4-time champs Pakistan aim positive start against Germany
Four-time champions Pakistan would look to shrug off years of disappointment and a chaotic build up when they take on higher-ranked Germany in their opening match of the men's hockey World Cup on Saturday.
The most successful team in the history of the World Cup with four titles, the last of which came in the early 90's, Pakistan hockey has witnessed a steady decline in the last two-and-a-half decades.
Once a formidable force in world hockey, Pakistan have now slumped to 13th position in world rankings, mainly due to lack of exposure and mismanagement and years of apathy by the national federation (PHF).
Such is the condition of Pakistan hockey that their participation in the ongoing World Cup was in serious doubts due to lack of funds and it took a last minute intervention from Haier Pakistan to ensure the team's appearance in the tournament.
The home appliance company came in as a last-minute sponsor and released nine million Pakistani rupees to cover the team's expenses in the tournament.
Pakistan's build up has been far from rosy as Tauqeer Dar, a member of 1984 World Cup winning side, took over the reigns of the team only earlier this month after Roelant Oltmans quit from the position just four months into the job before the Asian Champions Trophy in Oman.
Despite boasting of a rich World Cup history, few people are counting Pakistan in the tournament as their last world title came way back in 1994.
But in the last eight years, Pakistan hockey has slumped to the lowest ebb, having returned with the wooden spoon (12th) from New Delhi in 2010 and then failed to qualify for the last edition at the Hague, Netherlands in 2014.
Pakistan have been going through a bleak period in recent times. They stuttered in qualifying, but somehow managed to finish seventh in the Hockey World League Semifinals in London to secure their place in the World Cup The composition of the pool also doesn't favour Pakistan as they are placed in a tough Pool along side three-time champions Netherlands and two-time winners Germany.
The other side Malaysia - have made steady progress over the years and is placed above Pakistan at 12th in the rankings.
Pakistan coach Dar said their aim would be to win one match and ensure a spot in the cross-overs.
"Germany is a tough team and we haven't played them for a long time. But the Germans too haven't played any big tournament in last 2 years. We had a few hiccups before the tournament but we never lost focus," he said.
"Despite the uncertainty we kept on preparing to the best of our abilities. We just need to win one match to survive in the pool, Dar added.
The 2014 Champions Trophy controversy, where some Pakistani players made obscene gestures towards the crowd after beating India in the semi-final, would also be playing on their minds when they turn out before the same fans at the Kalinga Stadium here.
The Germans, on the other hand, have been lacklustre in the last one-and-half-year and that precisely is the reason behind their dip in rankings to sixth.
Netherlands will play Malaysia in the other match of the pool on Saturday.
Daily News & Analysis
Perspective of Chris Ciriello on Indian preparation
s2h Team
Australian Chris Ciriello did wonders with the ball in penalty corner situations four years ago in The Hague World Cup. The Anglo-Indian is nowadays part and parcel of Indian team being its manager here in Bhubneswar, and assisting chief coach Harendera Singh in every aspect of the game since almost six months from now. Look below for his views on India's South Africa match that India won handsomely- the only game that went one-sided so far in three days of action packed Odisha Hockey World Cup.
On Penalty Corners: We have got a lot of good variations. We can hit the ball hard as well. We got three good flickers. They can score goals. It’s a matter of who fits well against what team. We are working with the strikers; trying to get field goals as well as penalty corners. It’s important for us to focus on the push and the trap. Everyone talks about drag-flick. If you don’t have a quick pusher, it won’t help the drag-flickers.
There’s a lot of discussion and concern about India finishing the PCs. That shortfall is found across every team. Some teams are defensive side and they are getting better. The chargers now are running with ice-hockey gloves, wear knee pads and shin guards are thicker. The quicker you are though, you get closer to the top of the circle, then you don’t get hit.
PC variations while defending: You got ‘short-box’, which means you only run half way. There’s a lot of analyses that goes into what players do. India, as well as anywhere else, people always want us to score all PCs, 100%. The problem is if all teams are to score 100% corners, then we need to let 100% corners in. It doesn’t work. Everything has got to be realistic. There could be two rushers, one or no rushers at all, depending on who we have. There are over ten different defensive variations.
First game against SA: First game was okay, bit scrappy. But we scored five goals. There’s not many other teams that have done that at the moment. It’s been a very tight World Cup so far across all pools. We were a bit lazy in the back. But then, like I said: five goals. If you talk to any team in the last three days, they’d take five goals.
Does it bother you that India managed to convert only two of the five PCs against SA, that too off rebound?: No. For me, all I want to see is scoreboard. Whether we have 20 penalty corners and score zero and we win 1-0, I am still happy. It’s not about one guy taking the PC -- as everyone in India thinks. It’s about the guy who earns the PC. It’s about the guy who earned it. The guy who ran back and made the tackle, passed to the other guy, he passes it to the next and then we make the PC. It’s a team game all around. Therefore, to focus on one player is not good. It’s like in soccer and you can take a free-kick, you’re a specialist. It helps you gets selected. But someone’s has got to make that play for you to execute that skill. I’ve told our players, you put the way you need to put it, hard with good quality. And, if the goal-keeper makes the save or the runner saves it, you’ve done what you gotta do. Same with defence: if they make a perfect flick and it goes right into the top corner -- you just have to appreciate the opponent.
Against SA only Harmanpreet was used in the PCs: No, well, Harman’s definitely is No.1 at the moment. He’s also played at the Olympics. He is used to the kind of pressure that exist in Odisha. He ahs played Junior World Cup. Both Amit Rohidas and Varun are sometimes in sometimes out of the team. Both have picked up a lot and are offering a lot to the team.
Will you continue to use just Harmanpreet: No, we will be mixing it up. We take decision based on one specific thing. We got three good guys. We got more than ten variations. It’s just a matter of getting enough PCs to be able to execute.
Akashdeep’s new role: Yeah, he’s got pretty good skills and good vision when he doesn’t muck around with the ball -- meaning, over-dribble. He understands. He’s been around for a lot of games. It’s a good point for him to grow and bring other younger guys into the game. He’s got the skill and vision, he’s just gotta be in the game more.
Chances against Belgium: Belgium are very good. They are an experienced team. I think over a 150 caps average per player. But we got guys who got a lot of leg-speed as well.
Stick2Hockey.com
Deciphering the mind of Shane Mcleod against India.
By Shane Sadanand
Shane Mcleod is one of the few coaches who are blessed with a set of skilled and power packed players like AUSTRALIA. Most of the players are playing together for more than 150 matches.
Hockey is a battle on artificial turf. So war laws must be applicable to determine the outcome of a hockey match.
Each coach will have at least four 'reserved' plans for this world cup. One to top the group, one for quarter final, one for semi final and final. The next match will be a psychological war between Shane Mcleod and Harendra Singh.
It will be a cardinal sin for a coach if he has to pull out a specific or reserved plan for an insignificant match. For Shane Mcleod, the match against India is very important, and if he wins as he can save a match before quarter finals.
The strategy for December 2nd game will have utmost importance for both coaches.
First two matches in the tournament exposed five tactical weaknesses of Belgium and four of India. It means Harendra can beat Belgium in five different ways and Shane Mcleod can beat India in four different tactical ways.
If Shane Mcleod is planning to take advantage of India 's obvious and long standing weaknesses, it may become counter productive for him.
Individually Belgium team is better than India in several aspects. But as a team they don't have that decisive edge as the last match against Canada told us.
Look at Victor Vagnez. He hasn't made any quantum jump in his performance for the past two years. When you measure the effectiveness of a coach, you have to see the fine changes one coach imparted to him in that period.
Let us see what could be Shane Mcleod's approach to India on tomorrow.
As goal keeping is concerned, they will target Sreejesh's three main vulnerabilities. With Birendra around Sreejesh is slightly different goal keeper than what we saw in Asian Games. Sometimes he may lift the game to Champions Trophy level. Instead of a Plan A design, Plan B could be effective for Sreejesh.
Belgium would be hoping to have a decisive lead in first quarter itself. They were struggling a bit in the second half of the first match against Canada. So first quarter will disclose Shane Mcleod's mind set.
Shane Mcleod is trying to create an impression that he uses football strategy of " false 9" with a slight modification. In the first match, their two main strikers, Tom Boon and Thomas Briels were moving together and support came from just behind. Against Canada they were parking six to seven players inside Canada's 23 and D. But that kind of freedom may not be possible against India.
Belgium will surely try to dominate the midfield play. They have brilliant midfield players with more experience than India but Indians may get a tremendous advantage if Harendra uses one of the core strength of Indian players to his advantage.
Surely Belgium forwards will try to exploit the positions of Kothajit and Amit Rohidas in defence. In this match if they decide to move in central channel, then Indian free man will have to use double efforts to counter it.
Just like the Belgium attackers, first set of Indian forwards will create headaches to Shane Mcleod. Both coaches will try to take advantage with second set of attackers. Tactics after the first substitution, will hold the key of this match.
Almost all players have been exposed to Indian goalie Sreejesh but that cannot be said in case of Vanasch. If Harendra or Shane Mcleod uses a different variation or player in Penalty Corner sequences, he will win the match for his country.
Fieldhockey.com
Sardar Singh says it has been dream start for India
Sardar Singh , PTI file photo
Former skipper Sardar Singh is impressed with India's "dream" start to their campaign at the hockey World Cup and Friday hoped the hosts will continue the superb run to reclaim the coveted title after 43 years.
India registered a comprehensive 5-0 win against South Africa to make a sizzling start to the World Cup -- a tournament the hosts won only once -- in the 1975 edition at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
"It has been a dream start for India at the hockey world cup. We played simple hockey and it is always important to win the first match," Sardar said on the sidelines of HCL Foundation Annual National Sports Meet - 'Sports for Change'.
"However, the tournament has just begun and a lot of matches are yet to be played. I hope India continues the momentum," added the 32-year-old, who had retired from international hockey last September.
Over 500 students across 120 schools and 72 Gurukuls were part of the 'Sports for Change' initiative and more than 350 under privileged children were shortlisted for the national qualifier round across different sports.
Sardar, who was the chief guest in the event, interacted with the participants and encouraged them for active participation in sports.
"It gives me immense pleasure to see these children excel in sports with passion and enthusiasm. I congratulate HCL for recognizing its importance. Inculcating the spirit of sportsmanship in these young children will lead to better and brighter future for these budding sporting talents," he said.
As part of the initiative, 30 children will be presented with scholarships supported by HCL Technologies' 'Power of One' initiative.
Daily News & Analysis
Sreejesh — keeper of India’s fortunes
Harendra admits switching gears between games is not easy
Uthra Ganesan
Pivotal player: Given his expertise, India’s coaches have preferred P.R. Sreejesh to guard the citadel in almost all its matches.
In its World Cup opener against South Africa, India goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh got a grand total of four shots at him. For a long time, the team has depended on him under the bar to stay alive in competitions.
Given India’s obsession with results in any tournament, no coach has tried to risk playing the second goalkeeper at length.
That has left not just Sreejesh overworked and riddled with injuries but also the second line — Krishan Pathak and Suraj Karkera at the moment — devoid of crucial match practice under pressure.
“Now it is not like that. At the Asian Champions Trophy we played both Pathak and Sreejesh in each half. At the Asian Games also, he got enough chances to play. We are not really worried about the second line but when the main goalkeeper is available, no team will risk not playing him. At the same time, if the need arises, someone has to step up and be counted. That’s the only way,” India coach Harendra Singh insisted.
Specialist job
Goalkeeping has remained a specialist job in most teams. Pakistan depends on Imran Butt. Holland’s go-to man remains Pirmin Blaak. Belgium would not think of replacing Vincent Vanasche. And David Harte is Ireland’s talisman.
At the moment, Australia seem to be the only team with two custodians at the same level — Andrew Charter and Tyler Lovell.
Malaysia got a chance to test Hairi during the ACT due to Kumar Subramaniam’s injury.
“It was a good outing for Hairi and I won’t be reluctant to put him in any match here at any moment.
“He is ready for the job,” coach Roelant Oltmans insisted.
Sreejesh himself admitted it gets difficult sometimes. “Normally we try to stay focussed by communicating with the defenders.
Be alert
“But in a place like Bhubaneswar, where the crowd makes so much noise, that isn’t easy. So we try other ways, get alert the moment the ball crosses our 25-yard line. With a bigger team like Belgium, the intensity is more, there we get alert the moment the ball crosses the half line,” Sreejesh said.
Harendra admitted switching gears between games is not easy. “A goalkeeper needs to face balls and get the chance to move around to stay match-active.
“When it doesn’t happen in competition, we try to make up during training. But it is difficult and that’s where the mental strength and focus of the player comes into play,” he said.
So how does he rate India’s back-up?
“For us, the difference between Sreejesh and the other two at the moment is 40-60. And those are odds I don’t mind for the second line,” Harendra said.
The Hindu
Forward Mandeep Singh ready to renew battle with Belgium with 'basic, error-free game'
Shantanu Srivastava
India's Mandeep Singh in action. Hockey India / File
Bhubaneswar: On 31 May, 2014, India, playing their first match of that World Cup in Hague, fielded the then 19-year-old Mandeep Singh to unsettle the famed Belgian defence. Mandeep, on his Cup debut, opened the scoring for his team and India looked certain to eke out a draw until John-John Dominique Dohmen scored in the last minute to snatch a win.
On 28 June, 2018, at the Champions Trophy in Breda, India led 1-0 till the 59th minute, thanks to an early goal from Harmanpreet Singh. India held the lead till the 59th minute, until Loick Luypaert converted a penalty in the 60th minute to leave India high and dry.
Mandeep was there too, this time in the middle of an ordinary game. His eighth-minute strike had hit the post. His 41st-minute tap-in had gone just wide, and his goal two minutes later was disallowed due to obstruction. Had one of those three chances materialised, the result against the Rio Olympic silver-medallists could have been different.
As he stood pitch-side on Friday, dodging moths and fielding questions with equanimity, he dwelled on those lapses and insisted on the need to remain "switched on" for full 60 minutes.
"Hockey is a sport that always gives you a chance to learn and come back," he said of the heartbreaking loss of 2014 . "That was one such lesson. However, as a team, we have not committed any major errors of late. Whenever we enter the D, we have three targets in mind — to score a goal, to get a shot on goal, or to earn a penalty corner. The idea is not to return empty-handed from the opposition D.
"Our Champions Trophy game against Belgium was our best game of the competition. Even in our matches against them at the Four Nations' Tournament in New Zealand, we played very good hockey," the 23-year-old said.
Ranked three in the world, Belgium are an experienced team that has retained their core for a while. Their current squad has 11 players from the 2014 team, and they are clearly better equipped to handle pressure of the stage.
Mandeep, though, is confident that if the hosts stick to basics, it will be good enough on Sunday.
"We are focussed on basics. If our basics are right, the match will obviously go well for us. Belgium are a tough team and our intent will be to give our best. We will have the support of the home crowd too.
"The only problem is, sometimes we forget to maintain our structure despite being conditioned to remain switched on for the full 60 minutes. The nature of modern hockey is such that one of the two teams will always be on the offensive. However, as a team, if we are certain which way we are going to block an attack and tackle them, we will be fine."
Losing structure is not the only problem that India have. The first quarter against South Africa presented some opportunities in the D, but the Indians — Mandeep included — fumbled with their interceptions and trappings. The forward chose not to read too much into that, but agreed that against teams like Belgium, such mistakes can prove costly.
"Against stronger teams, we have to take our chances. We can't afford such slip-ups. The idea is to trap everything in the D, but sometimes, slip-ups happen. If we miss some chances, we create scoring opportunities too. If such mistakes happen, we work on them and try to focus on the rest of the match," he said.
Against South Africa, Mandeep and Akashdeep Singh got a lot of free zone, and both players consistently kept the opposition under pressure from their runs in the flanks. Belgium are unlikely to offer that ease to India, and Mandeep suggests a wait-and-watch approach before launching attacks.
"We will always get space. The difference will be that we have to think through our moves. In the first quarter, we will have to judge where are we getting the gaps from, and of course, during the break, the coach will also tell us the areas to exploit. We will mount our charge in the next quarter accordingly."
The Jalandhar-based player also backed Akashdeep in his new role as an aggressive linkman — or a withdrawn forward, if you will — and said their mutual understanding on the turf will allow more balls in the attacking area.
"As per the new role, Akashdeep is playing as an attacking midfielder and I am an attacking forward. I think we are still a good combination and we can understand each others' eye contact really well. He can see where the gaps are and feed me the ball accordingly. He does that give-and-go thing really well," Mandeep added.
Speed and agility have been India's strengths in recent years, and the same will be put to test should Belgium crank up pace like the Argentina-Spain game on Thursday. The teams shared five goals in the breathless first quarter, and the match ended 4-3 in Argentina's favour. Mandeep said India are fit enough to meet such challenges.
"I am sure we will be able to sustain that kind of pace because our fitness is really strong. If we maintain our structure, we will be in a position to play our best hockey. Belgium have a very strong defence and attack, but we believe that all 16 teams are good, that's why they are in the World Cup. We are concentrating on playing to our potential. If we do that, we will win."
Firstpost
Harmanpreet Singh wants to make amends against Belgium
Harmanpreet Singh is now among the three short corner specialists for India in the World Cup. The Punjab player is the leader of the pack which includes Amit Rohidas and Varun Kumar.
Sandip Sikdar
Harmanpreet Singh (R) of India passes the ball during the FIH Men's Hockey World Cup Pool C match between India and South Africa at Kalinga Stadium.(Getty Images)
It has been an eventful journey for Harmanpreet Singh. From being a back up for penalty corner specialists Rupinder Pal Singh and VR Raghunath, the 22-year-old is now India’s primary drag-flicker in just two years time.
Harmanpreet is now among the three short corner specialists for India in the World Cup. The Punjab player is the leader of the pack which includes Amit Rohidas and Varun Kumar.
Harmanpreet missed a couple of penalty corner opportunities in the first game against South Africa. But remains positive about his chances against Belgium on Sunday and feels India have an advantage after practicing on the new pitch for most of November.
“We are trying to learn from our mistakes and rectify them. If you look at the last few tournaments, we’ve been doing well. Our preparations have been good. We got a lot of time to get used to this new ground ahead of the World Cup. We are used to the surface now,” said Harmanpreet, who made his debut in 2016 at Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia.
But Harmanpreet said he is equally focused on his primary role of a defender.
“Earlier, I used to do a lot of man-to-man marking but now I play as a free player. I try to learn from every tournament, I am gaining experience slowly,” said Harmanpreet, who was part of India’s 2016 junior World Cup winning squad in Lucknow.
The three drag flickers have been learning different variations from
analytical coach Chris Ciriello, who is considered among the best penalty corner specialists during his days who helped Australia to the 2014 World Cup title in The Hague.
“At every step he ((Ciriello) tells us what to do or how to read the game among many other small things which has improved our game. The experienced players also guide us.”
The Australian puts his wards through a rigorous training regimen and Harmanpreet said they share a good rapport with Ciriello on and off the field.
“We get a lot of help from him. He talks about the pace, about attack and defence. He too played as a defender during his time. We have learnt a lot from him, about vision, about passing,” said the Punjab player.
“He comes and talks to us in our rooms. If we have a problem we go and discuss with him. The communication is great between us. Off the field too, the rapport is very good, he is very friendly. We joke all the time. He has played with many of us in the Hockey India League too.”
Hindustan Times
Argentina avoid yellow peril after classic
By Todd Williams
Argentina held on for win against Spain PIC: Hockey India
Just four games in and Argentina and Spain have already produced the game of the tournament with the Olympic champions holding out to win 4-3 in a game that went right to the wire.
With the last swing of the match, Enrique Gonzalez just failed to connect with a loose ball that could have given Fred Soyez’s impressive Spaniards a deserved point.
Along with three points though, the Argentinians may also have avoided a smaller but nonetheless awkward little problem.
In the play leading up to Gonzalez’s miss, Juan Lopez deliberately stood over the free hit that he had just conceded by fouling Xavi Lleonart, deliberately preventing the Spaniard from making a last-ditch pass into the attacking circle.
Knowing full well what he was up to, Lleonart’s first attempt at a pass caught Lopez high on the leg. Umpire Marcin Grochal, also recognising what Lopez was up to, then allowed Lleonart to play on and make the pass which led to the missed shot.
Of course the fact that Gonzalez had the chance to equalise meant that Lopez’s efforts hadn’t deprived Spain to any great extent, but shouldn’t Lopez still have been given a yellow card?
He certainly would have done at any other point in the match and the fact that there was only seconds remaining made it even more cynical. At the very least, surely Lopez should be carrying the same pressure of a match suspension into the next game that a second yellow card carries at the football World Cup?
But, while it seems that Lopez may have avoided a deserved yellow, he’s a long way from having got out of jail.
Not for the first time, it seems, hockey is way ahead of football. It was news to me and probably to some others that we don’t actually operate on an automatic suspension for two yellows, irrespective of what they were for.
Suspensions are in fact down to the discretion of the all-powerful technical delegate, which means that Lopez could potentially be suspended for his bit of cynical play, without having been given one, let alone two yellows, if the TD thought it was a bad enough offence.
Argentina & New Zealand take control of Pool A at Odisha #HWC2018 Bhubaneswar!
Recap ?https://t.co/kMCdWUGlvT
@ArgFieldHockey 4 @AbsolutaMasc 3
Odisha Player of the Match: Agustin Mazzilli (ARG)
@BlackSticks 2 @FF_Hockey 1
Odisha Player of the Match: Stephen Jenness (NZL) pic.twitter.com/LNhhQyppc1
— International Hockey Federation (@FIH_Hockey) November 29, 2018
At the very least, I’m told, Lopez will almost certainly have had a quiet word in his ear from the TD, just letting him know that while doing his best to stop the free hit didn’t end up affecting the game, it had still been noted and had better not happen again.
After all, we want more finishes like Germany’s incredible comeback from 2-1 down against NZ with 40-odd seconds to go in Rio rather than a final minute littered with time-wasting and professional fouls.
The Hockey Paper
A Kiwi act for cancer awareness
The players will shave off their bristles only on December 1, since they raise awareness about men’s health issues for the whole of November every year. And, they’ve coined a term for it, “Movember”, which literally is a portmanteau of the words ‘moustache’ and ‘November’,
Sandip Sikdar
New Zealand (black) player Kane Russell celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal in a match against France (white) for Men's Hockey World Cup 2018, in Bhubaneswar. (PTI)
A close look at the faces of New Zealand hockey players and you will notice something unique --- each of them has kept a moustache.
For them, it’s symbolic of something very close to their hearts --- a movement to raise awareness about men’s health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer and suicide, among others.
The players will shave off their bristles only on December 1, since they raise awareness about men’s health issues for the whole of November every year. And, they’ve coined a term for it, “Movember”, which literally is a portmanteau of the words ‘moustache’ and ‘November’,
The movement has gathered pace in the last few years. Their tall skipper, Blair Tarrant, is seen flaunting a blonde whisker. “Is it looking nice?” he asks.
Jared Panchia, an Indian-origin Black Sticks midfielder said, they unanimously decided to support the cause by growing moustaches but will shave them off on the first day December.
“Yeah, we decided to grow our moustaches to support the Movember movement. Each one of us has kept a moustache for the month of November,” said Panchia, whose brother Arun is the vice-captain of the team.
“It’s for a noble cause, so we did not think twice. It’s quite popular in New Zealand and people keep moustaches of weird shapes and sizes but we are keeping just normal ones,” he added.
Several competitions such as ‘Moscars’ and ‘International Man of Movember’ have also been organised around the world in the last decade to support the movement. The Movember Foundation is a multinational charity which supports the cause and organises these competitions.
Former Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds and India’s Shikhar Dhawan and Ravindra Jadeja have also supported the movement.
Hindustan Times
1975 hero Aslam Sher Khan remembers the goal that changed Indian hockey
Shantanu Srivastava
Photo: Hockey India
Aslam Sher Khan is best remembered for the penalty corner he converted in the dying minutes of the World Cup semi-final against Malaysia in 1975. He also represented India in the 1972 Munich Olympics. Aslam spoke to Shantanu Srivastava.
In my time, players mostly came from humble background. I was lucky because my father (Ahmed Sher Khan) was an Olympic champion. He played the 1936 Berlin Olympics with Major Dhyan Chand. So, almost everyone in the family used to talk about hockey, and it impacted me in a big way when I heard that my father has won an Olympic gold medal.
I was very young when I donned Indian colours. There was this big responsibility of being an Indian hockey player.
The 1975 World Cup was truly memorable for me. I got my first game in the semi-final against Malaysia. There are always factions in the team. I was made to sit out for most of tournament though my ‘74 performance was good.
Before the semi-final against Malaysia, I was walking with manager Balbir Singh Senior and told him, "I can make the team win." He was a good man, but he alone couldn’t do much as the decision rested with the entire team management. Team was playing good but we were not able to score. India were getting hell a lot of penalty corners, but we failed to take full advantage.
The Malaysian goalkeeper was like a rock. With 10 minutes left, the manager thought the game was over. Then, the coach and manager started arguing. Manager told the coach to bring me in for Surjit Singh (who was missing penalty corners). But coach said if we make the change, Surjit’s confidence will be dented.
Then, only seven minutes were left, and Balbir Singh Senior got worked up. Somehow, the coach agreed. Before I went in, Balbir Singh Senior said, “Son, only you can make India win.” That was emotional. I was confident, very confident. As soon as I touched the ball, my confidence soared even more.
Soon, India got a penalty corner. And, that’s the moment that changed the entire thing. BP Govinda pushed the ball. Captain Ajitpal Singh stopped the ball on the circle. My mother had given me a tawiz (locket) and there was a mini Quran inside. But she never told me what was inside. She had said, “Whenever you see any crisis, as a last resort, kiss the tawiz and, Inshallah, whatever you want to be do, will be done.” So, I kissed the locket and was ready for my shot.
The ball came exactly at the spot where I wanted it to come. I was a little confused as to which corner I should beat the goalkeeper. I thought the right corner was very difficult. It had to be precise. In the left, I felt, there was a little more chance. In the middle, the goalkeeper was there.
Then, something sparked my mind and told me to hit right. It occurred at the last minute. And, I hit right… and the goalkeeper went left. It was a clean shot. There wasn’t much power, but it held it’s line. So, the goal happened. India got a fresh lease of life at 2-2, five minutes before the final whistle. There was enormous pressure on the Malaysians as hosts with 50,000 people watching. Harcharan Singh scored in the extra time, and India reached the final.
The match against Pakistan was always huge, huge one for various purposes. Their style was similar to ours. When we played against the others, there was a difference, but Pakistan played same hockey. Pakistan, then, were always winning against us. But with God on our side, we played better that day. That was a huge thing, because we first beat hosts Malaysia in a thrilling semi-final, and then got better of Pakistan in the next match. That’s why the 1975 World Cup win is considered the hallmark of Indian hockey. That was the best thing that happened to us.
The win generated great euphoria across the country. We got love and affection from every corner of the country, from Kerala to Punjab. In those days, you could hear only commentary on the radio. We had a match with the film stars in Bombay. The girls and boys of that era never forget that World Cup, and what I did. That nostalgia is still alive.
Firstpost
India need to revive Hockey India League, says Ric Charlesworth
The Australian says India has made good progress
Y.B. Sarangi
Ric Charlesworth. File Photo Credit: Biswaranjan Rout
Ric Charlesworth, who has a rare distinction of winning the World Cup gold medal as a player and a coach, is of the opinion that Indian hockey has made good progress in the last decade.
The Aussie legend spoke with The Hindu about different aspects of hockey, including his reservations about Hockey5s.
Where do you find India since the time you left the country (as technical director) a decade ago?
In the last decade you have gone from 10th to fifth. That’s good progress. Now you get can to semifinals, even in semifinals you can win.
What should India do to be consistent?
In this tournament, you don’t have Sardar, Sunil and Rupinder and it still is a good team. That says something about the depth. You have to keep building that…There has to be some way for the players to to find a niche in the National team.
How do look at the changing dynamics in hockey?
I am sometimes perplexed. I am not concerned about how the Pro League will go. I like the Champions Trophy, but we are going to lose that. Hockey must create a product that is marketable. The game and skill are very good. I hope in this country the Hockey India League is up again — certainly making a difference for players around the world, but one of the critical factors in improving the standard here.
How can the game sustain its appeal?
I would keep the field the same size but would probably play with nine players. More artistry, more difficult to defend resulting in higher scoring. But I would not do much else…The skills the players show is fantastic.
Is there any future for Hockey5s?
I don’t like it. Indoor hockey is fine. Hockey5s I think is a mistake. You change your game so much that it loses its essence.
Should FIH take some lessons from football?
Football has not changed, football could change some things more but football does no need to try. They get massive coverage…This (hockey) is a sport about skill and speed and guile. There are many things about this sport which are attractive. We would hope that those things remain and there is something to sell…For a country like India this is a sport where you can be World champion.
Any new trend you like in hockey?
No. I worry about that it sometimes looks like European handball — one end defend, the other end defend. I think Hockey 9s might be better because you can see more artistry.
More one-on-one contests, encourages people to take more risks, teams won’t take the chance of losing the ball.
The Hindu
Head Coach Annan's winning formula: Keep it simple
The Netherlands women finished 2018 on a high as they won the Wanglibao Hockey Champions Trophy by defeating Australia 3-1. The victory means Alyson Annan’s team extends their unbeaten run to 43 matches; extends their time at the top of the World Rankings to seven years and two months; and sets the team up nicely for the start of the inaugural FIH Pro League.
The aim for this seemingly unstoppable tour de hockey force is to add the inaugural FIH Pro League title to a long list of achievements, which included being the first and last name on the Champions Trophy.
The World Cup winners begin their FIH Pro League campaign in the southern hemisphere against New Zealand. The team plays on the 27 January at the North Harbour Hockey Stadium in Auckland, the Black Stick’s very own ‘home of hockey’. They then play Australia, Argentina, USA and China before returning to Europe for their home matches in April.
While the team in orange are relishing the prospect of a global league, they also are aware of the challenges of staying at peak performance levels while travelling the world.
As two of the stalwarts of the team explain, they are adopting special measures in order to be at their best.
“This is so new to everyone so we have to see how we manage the travelling,” says ace drag-flick specialist Caia van Maasakker. “There will be a lot of rest time because it is the best way to prepare for the matches. Aside from that, we will make sure we train and get the travel out of our system. And there will be some Netflix, I am sure.”
Eva de Goede, who was voted Best Player at the recent Champions Trophy, reveals that the Dutch are turning to technology to aid preparations: “We have some special glasses we have been trialling [in Changzhou, China, at the Hockey Champions Trophy]. They change colour depending on what you need, so if you need to go to sleep, you switch the lens to red and lighter blue to relax.”
While the players are getting ready to adjust to food, climate and variable sleep patterns, for Head Coach Alyson Annan, the challenge is to keep her team of world-beating athletes at the very top of their game. It is, as the former Australian international and double Olympian explains, a case of keeping things simple.
“The game is difficult enough without making it more complicated. We just try to keep things simple, and do the basics very well. Nothing more, nothing less. Strangely, keeping it simple is one of the hardest things to do.
“For example, we know the ball is faster than the person, so we have concentrated on getting our passing right and moving the ball quickly. And that helps create space."
Then there is the management of the players. People might view the role as head coach to the best team in the world as a dream job but, as Annan knows, creating the perfect blend from a cohort of supremely talented individuals is no easy task.
“We have different styles of player within our team and we try to balance that out. We don’t need too many of any particular type of player, so we switch things around and it is a question of getting that right. We have players who are going to create and we have players who are going to do the job. We try to get the right mix of both.”
While the chasing pack might look to the Netherlands as a model for excellence, Annan is clear where her players’ inspiration comes from: “For our players it is about being the best you can be and getting the best out of yourself. We don’t look at others, we look within ourselves and our goal is to be better players but also to continue to grow to become better people. Our focus is on that and only that.”
FIH site
Wapda, Punjab in Pakistan women hockey semis
LAHORE - Wapda and Punjab Colours made it to the semifinals from pool A after the penultimate day of the pool games in the 30th National Women Hockey Championship, here on Friday at the National Hockey Stadium.
Both the semi-finalist teams have won all their three matches so far. The two teams will play each other on Saturday to decide the pool winner.
In the other pool, it is a three horse race between Army, HEC and Railways. The two semi-final places will only be determined after the conclusion of the pool matches on Saturday.
Three matches were played on Friday. Railways swept aside Islamabad by 15 goals without reply. Rimsha Ilyas with nine goals (six field and three PC) emerged as the top scorer in a single match of this tournament.
In another match, the HEC too had a massive win, slamming 13 goals past KPK who failed to open their account. Sana Akhtar had four goals for the HEC.
The last fixture of the day saw Punjab Whites, the second string of the province, defeating Sindh Colours, the first string of that province, by three goals to nil. Areej Gul, Ziyat and Erij scored for the Punjab team.
The Nation
Punjab Police, Signals enter semifinals
Punjab Police beat Rock Rovers, Chandigarh, 5-0, while Signals, Jalandhar edged past Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), Patiala, 10-9, to enter the semifinals on the third day of Dashmesh Hawks All India Hockey Festival.
Punjab Police took a 1-0 lead through a field goal by Jaskarn Singh in the 25th minute. Balwinder Singh got the second goal for the team in 36th minute. In the 46th minute, Pawandeep Singh scored through a field goal. Amanpreet Singh scored two goals through penalty corners, in the 51st and 59th minutes, steering the team into semifinals with a 5-0 scoreline.
In the second match, Signals, Jalandhar, took an early lead through a field goal by Ibnongo Singh in the ninth minute. PSPCL scored an equaliser in the 36th minute through a field goal by Kawalpreet Singh. PSPCL consolidated their lead through a field goal by Ravinder Singh in the 49th minute. However, Signals scored an equaliser in the 55th minute through a field goal by MP Singh. The score at the end of regulation time was locked at 2-2. In the penalty shootout, Signals won 10-9.
Punjab and Sind Bank Academy stunned Border Security Force (BSF) 4-1. Punjab and Sind Bank Academy got into the lead through a field goal in the ninth minute by Ramandeep Singh. He scored the second goal in the 23rd minute to consolidate the lead. Jagjot Singh added another field goal in the 27th minute.
In the second half, BSF opened their account with a field goal by Kanwarpal Singh in the 47th minute. Punjab and Sind Bank Academy increased the margin when Aman Gulati (57th min) scored a field goal, handing his team a 4-1 victory.
The Tribune
Railway look to stay on track with third win in five days
Richard Forrest scored three goals in midweek for Railway. Pic: Adrian Boehm
The final weekend of men’s national club outdoor competition sees a key battle at the bottom of the EYHL while the scramble for EYHL Division 2 playoff places reaches the halfway point.
Cork C of I will hope they can end 2018 with their first EY Hockey League win of the calendar year as they play their back match against Annadale on Saturday.
The smart money, though, would be on a draw with the Garryduff side having drawn eight of their 13 games played to date since last January.
The tie was originally due to be played in October but bad weather saw the game postponed, leading to this December date. For Dale, it has been a slightly mixed campaign with wins over Pembroke and Cookstown combined with a number of narrow defeats.
Should C of I win it, though, they will move up a couple of places and above Dale on goal difference, making this is a key game in the battle to avoid relegation.
Otherwise, the focus is on EYHL Division 2. Railway Union face Bandon at the end of a busy week with two wins in Leinster Division One. They started with a handy 6-1 win over Rathgar on Tuesday and followed up with a 2-0 on Thursday at Dublin North with Richard Forrest netting three times in the process.
For Bandon, they need to get a result to stay in touch in the group following two losing bonus point ties. In EYHL2, wins are worth four points, draws two and there is one point for close-run losses.
UCD host Bangor in the other tie with the winner set for a top two spot over the Christmas break.
In Pool B, Corinthian will likely strengthen their position as they face bottom side UCC. The reds have bossed their games against Instonians and Kilkeel – who meet in the other tie – who have in turn both beaten the Cork students easily.
Sunday, meanwhile, sees a trio of Mills Cup quarter-finals on the agenda. Three Rock host Clontarf, Pembroke go to Kilkenny and Corinthian go to Portrane.
Men’s fixtures
Leinster Division One
Tuesday: Railway Union 6 (R Forrest 2, A Colton, A O’Callaghan, R Devlin, S McKeever) Rathgar 1 (A Malcolm)
Thursday: Dublin North 0 Railway Union 2 (R Forrest, S McKeever)
Saturday 1st December 2018
EY Hockey League: Cork C of I v Annadale, 2pm, Garryduff
EYHL Division 2
Pool 1: Railway Union v Bandon, 3pm, Park Avenue; UCD v Bangor, 2.50pm, Belfield
Pool 2: Kilkeel v Instonians, 2.30pm, Macauley Park; UCC v Corinthian, 3pm, Mardyke
Munster Division 1: Ashton v Cork Harlequins, 1pm, Ashton School; Catholic Institute v Waterford, 12.30pm, Rosbrien
Sunday 2nd December 2018
Mills Cup, quarter-finals: Kilkenny v Pembroke, 1.30pm, Kilkenny College; Portrane v Corinthian, 2pm, Whitechurch Park; Three Rock Rovers v Clontarf, 3.15pm, Grange Road
The Hook
Ballymoney and Elks can potentially draw on World Cup stars
Katie Mullan in her Ballymoney days in 2011’s Irish Senior Cup semi-final. Pic: Adrian Boehm
A change in the Irish Senior Cup rules means both Ballymoney and Ulster Elks can potentially add extra star quality to their line-ups for their second round dates.
This season, the Irish Senior Cup no longer provides a spot for the EY Champions Trophy and so is no longer classified as a direct qualifier for European competition.
German-based Katie Mullan and Megan Frazer are eligible to play for clubs not involved in competitions leading to European competition in the same season, making them available for Ballymoney and Ulster Elks, respectively, as they have done in the Ulster Premier League in recent weeks.
For Ballymoney, they host Loreto while Ulster Elks go to Railway Union and so if they can use these World Cup stars, it will be a massive boost.
Old Alex meet Muckross for the second time this season looking to reprise their 5-1 win in the league a month back. Pembroke take on Monkstown with a potential showdown between former team mates at Hermes, UCD and St Andrew’s – Chloe Watkins and Gillia Pinder.
Elsewhere, Pegasus are among the fancied to lift the famous trophy and will be expected to beat Trinity. One Ulster side is guaranteed a quarter final place with Ards hosting Belfast Harlequins hoping to overturn a recent 3-1 defeat to the same opposition.
Cork Harlequins will hope to keep their strong run of form going against Ulster Premier mid-table side Banbridge while UCD face Lurgan.
It’s also last 16 time in the Irish Hockey Trophy with several Leinster sides in action. It leaves just one game on the Leinster Division One agenda on Sunday with top two Trinity facing Corinthian for the second time in two weeks.
Glenanne bounced back from their recent run with Kate O’Connor scoring twice in a 5-0 win over Genesis in midweek.
Meanwhile, Ireland’s women had mixed fortunes in Valencia in their first uncapped games since the World Cup, losing 3-2 in their opening game and 1-0 in the third after drawing the second 2-2 against their Spanish hosts.
Gillian Pinder and Nikki Evans were on target in the first game while Ruth Maguire scored her first senior international goal in the drawn game with Lena Tice also on the mark.
Women’s fixtures
Leinster Division One: Genesis 0 Glenanne 5 (K O’Connor 2, H Delaney, P Fitzpatrick, N Lyons)
Saturday 1st December 2018
Irish Senior Cup round 2: Ards v Belfast Harlequins, 2.30pm, Londonderry Park; Ballymoney v Loreto, 2.30pm, Joey Dunlop Centre; Cork Harlequins v Banbridge, 1.05pm, Farmers’ Cross; Old Alexandra v Muckross, 2pm, Milltown; Pegasus v Trinity, 2.30pm, Malone Playing Fields; Pembroke v Monkstown, 2.30pm, Serpentine Avenue; Railway Union v Ulster Elks, 1pm, Park Avenue; UCD v Lurgan, 4.20pm, Belfield
Irish Hockey round 2: Bandon v Three Rock Rovers, 2.30pm, Bandon GS; Bray v Greenfields, 12.30pm, Loreto Bray; Cork C of I v Mossley, 12pm, Garryduff; Lisnagarvey v NUIG, 2pm, Comber Road; Omagh v Rathgar, 1pm, Campsie; Our Lady’s v Clontarf, 12.30pm, Terenure; Portadown v North Kildare, 2.30pm, Edenvilla; Raphoe v Weston, 1pm, Royal & Prior
Munster Division One: UCC v Ashton, 12pm, Mardyke
Sunday 2nd December 2018
Leinster Division One: Trinity v Corinthian, 1pm, Santry Avenue
Munster Division One: UCC v Limerick, 12pm, Mardyke
The Hook
First half of Scottish National League 1 comes to a close
Grange could put some extra distance between themselves and the chasing pack of Western Wildcats and Grove Menzieshill with three points from Saturday`s catch-up fixture against Kelburne at Glasgow Green. This fixture brings down the curtain on the first part of the outdoor league with all teams having played eleven games – now on to the indoor.
After dropped points by both Wildcats and Grove Menzieshill last weekend, the champions still have a single point lead at the top, victory against Kelburne would increase that to four.
Over the last decade the outcome of the Grange – Kelburne encounters had a significant say in the destiny of the first division title, but this season the Paisley side are currently to be found second from bottom of the table.
But since these days Kelburne have embarked on a rebuilding process under coach Gordon Shepherd with the introduction of several promising youngsters – but almost inevitably the results have fallen away.
In contrast Grange have been the most consistent outfit, unbeaten so far this season with the only dropped points coming in draws against Clydesdale and Uddingston.
Grange took the first meeting of the clubs 3-1 earlier this month with Cammie Fraser, Dan Coultas and Robbie Shepherdson on target. It is difficult to see the outcome being any different on Saturday, but then again Kelburne on the back foot could be a dangerous animal.
Scottish Hockey Union media release
Big win for Edinburgh Lightning in Beatson Cancer Charity Super Series opening match
Super Series: Glasgow Thunder v Edinburgh Lightning – photo by Duncan Gray
Edinburgh Lightning secured a triumphant 11-2 win over Glasgow Thunder, ensuring Lightning prevailed over Thunder in the opening night of the Super Series.
Glasgow started strongly, taking the lead after just four minutes courtesy of Kate Holmes.
A new rule for Super Series gives teams the opportunity to score a running penalty conversion after a field goal. They failed to double their lead immediately afterwards, however, Heather Howie unable to convert her running penalty.
From there it was all downhill for Thunder. Minutes later Edinburgh equalised, but like Glasgow they were unable to convert the running penalty which followed.
The game remained a fairly even contest for the majority of the first quarter, but an inspired Edinburgh side emerged after the momentary interval, scoring five goals in a period of six minutes.
Lucy Lanigan sent them into the lead after three minutes of the second quarter had been played, and Becky Mill then converted the ensuing running penalty to double their lead.
Almost immediately afterwards Edinburgh scored again to make it 4-1, before Mill once again stepped up without hesitation to give her jubilant side a four-goal lead.
The Lightning side continued to push for more, and were rewarded just minutes after their fifth as Laura Swanson found the net, taking advantage of a penalty corner.
Despite their five-goal deficit, Glasgow Thunder remained spirited, and gave some indication that a comeback was perhaps still possible as Holmes scored her second of the evening.
Nevertheless Howie was unable to convert the running penalty which followed afterwards, ensuring their opponents still had plenty of breathing space as the game reached half-time.
A dominant Lightning side refused to let up, and demonstrated how clinical they could be in front of goal at the end of the third quarter as Beth Dodds made it 7-2 before her side converted yet another running penalty, this time courtesy of Sarah Jamieson.
A ninth soon followed in the final quarter, with Mill then stepping up again to secure her hat-trick as she scored her third running penalty of the game.
With minutes to go, insult was added to injury as Ellie Hutcheson joined a whole host of players in her team who had managed to find the net, however Glasgow managed to retain some pride by saving the ensuing running penalty.
The game eventually ended 11-2, Edinburgh’s stars starting the tournament with a strong signal of intent.
Super Series: Glasgow Thunder v Edinburgh Lightning – Development teams – photo by Duncan Gray
Meanwhile, Glasgow Thunder Development fared better in the evening’s opening match, securing a dramatic 2-1 win in the final minutes of the game.
A goal from Georgia Crooks followed by a running penalty from Bronwyn Shields in the dying moments of the game ensured it was heartbreak for Edinburgh’s youngsters in what was an evenly contested affair.
Glasgow had started the game strongly, but their opponents were initially more clinical in front of goal, Georgia Jones making it 1-0 five minutes in.
The young Thunder side spent considerable periods in control of the game, but Edinburgh nevertheless appeared assured in their lead, defending well and dangerous whenever they were able to push forward.
While the game appeared to be tilting in the favour of the leaders, Glasgow remained resilient and continued to push for an equaliser. Eventually they were rewarded, with Shields remaining remarkably composed as she scored the winning goal.
Scottish Hockey Union media release
Butali seek Gladiators scalp to keep pace with Police
By AYUMBA AYODI
Butali Sugar Warriors midfielder Brian Musasia (centre) in element against KCA- University during their Kenya Hockey men's Premier League match at the City Park Stadium, Nairobi on August 26, 2018. PHOTO | KANYIRI WAHITO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Defending champions Kenya Police and Butali Sugar Warriors face tricky opponents as the men’s hockey Premier League enters the penultimate stage this weekend.
Police are away to Nakuru Club at Greenstead while Strathmore Gladiators host Butali Sugar at City Park Stadium on Sunday.
Police top the league with 57 points from 19 wins and a loss while Butali, who are placed second, have 54 points from 18 wins and two losses. Police’s only defeat was a 4-3 loss to Greensharks during the first leg.
Butali lost 3-0 to Police in the first leg before also going down 1-0 to Parkroad Badgers in the second leg.
This weekend's matches will then pave way for the last matches of the season next weekend where the highlight will be the Kenya Police and Butali Sugar clash.
That is why Sunday's matches will be crucial for their title ambitions. If they all win this weekend, Police will only require a draw in the season-ender to retain the title while a win doesn’t guarantee Butali the title. They will bank on superior goal difference to win.
Interestingly, Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) declared that the results from the controversial men’s match where champions Kenya Police hammered Wazalendo 16-2 will stand.
KHU chairman Nahashon Randiek indicated that the results are valid until the union’s executive committee convenes to make a final decision upon the conclusion of investigations. He said the verdict will be delivered before the league ends.
Randiek reiterated that they are investigating whether there was possibility of match-fixing during the November 3 tie played at City Park.
The decision by KHU pushed Police to the top of the standings with 57 points, three better than arch-rivals Butali Sugar Warriors.
Wazalendo, in a protest against what they deemed to be biased officiating by one of the umpires, allowed Kenya Police to score goals at will in the last 10 minutes and eventually lost 16-2 in the ill-tempered duel.
The women’s Premier League has already been decided with Telkom having claimed its 19th consecutive victory. Their battle with arch-rivals Strathmore Scorpions next weekend will be a mere formality.
As Police and Butali Sugar keep each other on check, the battle for promotion and relegation in the men’s Premier League continues.
Three teams will be relegated from the Premier League with only one being promoted from the Super League. Nairobi Simba (24), who have completed their matches, Parkroad Badgers (22), Nakuru (20), KCA-U (19) and Western Jaguars (18) are all relegation candidates.
Badgers and KCA-U have one match each to go while Nakuru and Jaguars both have two left to finish the league.
Chase Sailors and Multi-Media University are engaged in a thrilling promotion battle. Sailors, who top the Super League with 42 points have two matches to end the season while Multi-Media, who are one point adrift, have three matches left.
Daily Nation
FIH Disciplinary Commissioner sanctions Chinese player Li Dongxiao with a one-year suspension
Lausanne, Switzerland: On 8 November, the FIH Disciplinary Commissioner decided to suspend Li Dongxiao for a period of one year.
The player tested positive for sibutramine metabolites di-desmethylsibutramine following a doping control conducted after a Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 2018 match on 16 May 2018 in Donghae (Republic of Korea), therefore violating Article 2.1. of the FIH Anti-Doping Rules.
The Disciplinary Commissioner found that the substance was an ingredient in a slimming coffee that had been consumed by the player, but that the packaging of the coffee did not refer to the substance as an ingredient and the player was not aware at the time that she was consuming the substance. Nevertheless, under the strict liability rules of WADA, it was the responsibility of the player not to ingest any banned substance.
On 7 July 2018, the player was provisionally suspended. Li Dongxiao has not appealed the sanction and shall serve a period of ineligibility of 12 months commencing on 16 May 2018 and ending at midnight on 15 May 2019.
While the number of athletes tested positive remains very low in hockey (an average of 0.2% of the doping controls have resulted in a positive test in the last couple of years), FIH has made education and prevention against doping as well as the protection of clean athletes a priority.
A few thousand athletes – and an ever increasing number each year - have taken a mandatory anti-doping online course before participating in FIH events since 2016. Furthermore, following a survey conducted by FIH among athletes where they indicated that they wanted to learn more about anti-doping and were interested to participate in interactive sessions, FIH will now provide even easier access to education tools in this regard. As an example, an anti-doping booth will be set-up at several Hockey Series Finals events next year.
The full decision is available here.
FIH site