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All the news for Sunday 2 December 2018

Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 - Day 4
Bhubaneswar (IND)

Results 1 December

NED v MAS (Pool D)     7 - 0
GER v PAK (Pool D)     1 - 0

Fixtures 2 December (GMT+5:30)

17:00     CAN v RSA (Pool C)
19:00     IND v BEL (Pool C)

Upcoming Pool fixtures (GMT+5:30)
   
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)

5 Dec 2018 17:00     GER v NED (Pool D)
5 Dec 2018 19:00     MAS v PAK (Pool D)

Pool Standings

FIH Match Centre

Painful start for Malaysia in World Cup

By Jugjet Singh

BHUBANESWAR (India): Malaysia had a bad start to their World Cup campaign when they were hammered 7-0 by the Netherlands at the Kalinga Stadium yesterday.

And the only consolation is that the Malaysian Tigers have four days of rest and to lick their wounds before they play Pakistan in their second Group D match for the three crucial points to advance to the next stage.

“We need to play the Dutch more regularly,” said Malaysia coach Roelant Oltmans after his men were outplayed in every department of the game.

“We last played them about 10 years ago, and my players did not know how to handle their style of play. Netherlands showed world class form, and that is why everybody has put them as the favourites to win this tournament.

“Looking at the good side, we have four days of rest before we play the match of our target (Pakistan).

“We have ample time to analyse what went wrong in this game, and make a comeback in the next.

“That's what this game is all about... to come back stronger as we still have objectives to reach in this World Cup," said Oltmans.

Dutch skipper Martin Haner epitomised their hunger: “We could have done better, and so, we will have a re-look at areas which we did not perform in this match today to improve as the tournament progresses.”

Three world class goals from the Dutch, five blunders from Malaysian defenders, and six super saves from goalkeeeper S. Kumar summed up the first half.

Malaysia played well in patches, but rarely troubled the World No 4 Dutch, who not only towered above all our players, but were also superior in basics as well as skills.

It was a moment of reality check for the World No 12, as they struggled to keep pace in every department.

And if not for Kumar, the Dutch thrashing would have been too painful to watch.

In the second half, the Dutch became more comfortable as Malaysia became desperate to defend against an avalanche of goals.

The Dutch players who got their names on the scoreboard were Jeroen Hertzberger (11th, 29th, 60th), Mirco Pruijser (21st), Mink van der Weerden (35th), Robbert Kemperman (42nd) and Thierry Brinkman (57th).

New Straits Times

Malaysia put up a meek show in seven-goal whipping by Holland

THREE-TIME world champions Holland made Malaysia looked like novices when they handed out a 7-0 thrashing in the opening match of Group D at the hockey World Cup at the Kalinga Stadium.

It was the highest winning margin in the tournament so far. Penalty corner specialist Jeroen Hertzberger, who played for Malaysian team Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) in the Malaysian Hockey League was the destroyer scoring the first hattrick of the tournament in the 11th, 29th and 60th minute.

National coach, Dutchman Roelant Oltmans (pic) admitted that Malaysia were no match against his countrymen.

“They are far better in every department and we need to play against them more often to narrow the difference in standard. I never expected us to start so badly. We have four days to rest before we play Pakistan and I hope the players can recover,” said the 64-year-old Oltmans.

Holland coach Max Caldas said that they took Malaysia seriously.

“I praise Malaysian keeper S. Kumar as he was in top form and prevented a few goals,” said Caldas.

“We will continue to play at the same tempo in our next two matches.”

Holland will face Germany on Dec 5 and wrap up the group fixtures on Dec 9.

The Malaysia defence, led by Muhd Razie Abdul Rahim, was porous from the start and by the 11th minute were one goal down when Hertzberger’s hit towards goal went for a video referral which eventually Holland won.Inspired by the goal, Holland went in search of more but thanks to Kumar, who saved at least five penalty corners, Malaysia kept Holland at bay.

Holland kept up their relentless attacks and were rewarded in the 21st minute when Mirco Pruijser sounded the board. Hertzberger then made it 3-0 in the 29th minute.

Caldas’ men piled on the pressure and added four more goals in the last two quarters.

Mink van der Weerdeen scored off a penalty corner drag flick in the 35th minute and seven minutes later Robbert Kemperman, who earned his 200th cap, scored from close range.

Thierry Brinkman made it 6-0 in the 57th minute before Hertzberger completed the rout with his hattrick goal in the 60th minute.

The Star of Malaysia

Netherlands can be kings of Kalinga after 20-year hiatus



Greater tests will come for Max Caldas’ side, but already they look in sync at this World Cup to deal with them.

Their 7-0 routing of Malaysia was the performance of the first round of Pool games. It could have been double figures too if Mink van der Weerden had netted more than his solitary PC strike from their eight set-piece chances.

Chasing their first world title in 20 years – and watched on yesterday by Malaysia coach Roelant Oltmans, the Dutchman who coached the country of his birth to 1998 success – the signs do indeed look good for the Dutch as they aim to add the sport’s showpiece to their European title.

A Dutch attacking line in full, creative flow is a fine thing to watch. Think All Blacks in rhythm, Barcelona or Manchester City or any Pep Guardiola team unlocking less adept defences, as some of the English newspapers suggested when covering the women’s World Cup this summer. Not bad for men hockey’s world No 4 team.

Billy Bakker, the captain, is the standout with his lean build and balding hair and flair moving forwards. Seve van Ass is always impressive. As too is the team’s movement in the D.

Against Malaysia, there were several moments in the first-half when their final third movement saw little time for the pause button. One touch, ball always on its way to an opponent, usually in space.

The best of the Netherlands’ seven was a second from Jeroen Hertzberger, who was there at the far post with angled run and a lovely touch on the reverse.

    Jeroen Hertzberger maakte 10 goals in zijn laatste 7 interlands! 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 2 – 3 ?#HWC2018 pic.twitter.com/985e32uZkX

    — OranjeHockey ?? (@oranjehockey) December 1, 2018

There was a case for Hertzberger’s hat-trick though, a solo run, one-handed, to fend off his defender, and a low reverse at the top of the circle.

“We like to share the workload, we do have skillful players one v one, but the key is not to play alone but with each other,” their coach Max Caldas said.

Their form is undoubted, with Hertzberger back after a period in the international wilderness, their world title credentials have also increased.

One senses they also have a point to prove after the green and gold undid them in front of royalty and country in The Hague four years ago. The Dutch, after this 60-minute showing, have the game to be the kings of Kalinga.

The Hockey Paper is the only British and Irish publication accredited for the 2018 World Cup – so don’t miss out!

The Hockey Paper

Hertzberger scores hat-trick, Netherlands demolish hapless Malaysia 7-0

Besides Hertzberger, Mirco Pruijser, Mink van der Weerden, Robbert Kemperman and Thierry Brinkman were the other goal scorers


BHUBANESWAR, 01/12/2018: Netherland players congratulates their teamate Hertzberger Jeroen (no.2) after scoring a goal against Malaysia in the Men’s Hockey World Cup 2018 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. Photo Credit: Biswaranjan Rout

Jeroen Hertzberger scored a hat-trick to help last edition silver medallist Netherlands spank a hapless Malaysia 7-0 in a lopsided opening Pool D encounter at the men’s hockey World Cup here on Saturday.

Asian Games silver medallist Malaysia, coached by legendary Dutchman Roelant Oltmans, were expected to produce a fight but the world number 4 Netherlands turned out to be a much superior opponent.

Besides Hertzberger (11th, 29th, 60th minutes), Mirco Pruijser (21st), Mink van der Weerden (35th), Robbert Kemperman and Thierry Brinkman (57th) were the other goal scorers for the three-time champions.

The Dutch, who are eyeing a fourth World Cup title, turned out to be too hot for Malaysia to handle as they toyed with the opposition defence and scored goals at will on a miserable night for their Asian rival.

The Netherlands created chances at will and if not for the veteran Malaysian goalkeeper Kumar Subramaniam’s heroics, the margin of defeat could have been bigger for the Asian side.

Subramaniam hardly got any help from his defenders and was forced to make numerous saves.

It was a horrendous display from the Malaysians in all departments of the game. There was hardly any co-ordination between their defenders, midfielders and forwards, which helped the Dutch to snatch the ball whenever they wanted, before going for the kill.

The gap in quality between the two sides can be gauged from the fact that Netherlands had 29 shots at the goal as against Malaysia’s just three.

Placed in the ‘pool of death’ because of the presence of three former champions in Netherlands, Germany and Pakistan, it could be a herculean task for a demolarised Malaysia to make a comeback in the tournament after Saturday’s heavy defeat.

Malaysia will next play Pakistan on December 5, while Netherlands will be up against Germany.

The Hindu

Hertzberger fires Netherlands to big win as Germany also prevail


©: Frank Uijlenbroek / World Sport Pics

The Netherlands hit a magnificent seven past Malaysia while Germany beat Pakistan 1-0 to start their World Cup campaigns on a winning note.

Jeroen Herzberger’s remarkable return from the international wilderness continued, with the 32-year-old forward scoring two wonderful backhand finishes either side of supplying a perfect pass for Mirco Pruijser to score as the Dutch raced into a 3-0 half time lead.

It was an advantage that would certainly have been bigger were it not for veteran Malaysia goalkeeper Kumar Subramiam, who made numerous crucial saves to stop The Netherlands from running riot.

The Dutch continued their dominance after half time, with Mirco Pruijser and Billy Bakker both hitting the frame of the goal before Mink van der Weerden scored a penalty corner drag-flick to make it 4-0.

The score was moved to 5-0 before the end of the third quarter when Robbert Kemperman volleyed home from close range, making the occasion of his 200th senior international appearance even more memorable.

A further two goals were scored by the rampant Dutch side in the final quarter, with Thierry Brinkman firing home a glorious backhand effort before Odisha Player of the Match Jeroen Herzberger completed his hat-trick in the final minute of the game. It was a terrific performance from the European champions, who have given early indication that they very much mean business here in Bhubaneswar.

Speaking after the match, Netherlands Head Coach Max Caldas was satisfied by his team’s performance against a side that he said he respected greatly. “Malaysia in the past few years have got good results. We took them very seriously. Things developed our way today, and I’m happy about that.”

If the first match was one-sided, the day’s second contest was anything but. Germany and Pakistan could not be separated in the first two quarters of game in which the defences of both teams excelled.

The match burst into life in the third quarter with Germany breaking the deadlock thanks to a wonderfully worked goal that was expertly finished by Marco Miltkau, who dived at full stretch to chip the ball over Pakistan goalkeeper Imran Butt and into the unguarded net.

The Green Shirts came close to levelling moments later through a sliding Muhammad Zubair, but the Pakistan forward was unable to trouble Germany goalkeeper Tobias Walter with his attempted deflection.

Germany controlled the latter stages of the game to seal the victory, with Mats Grambusch being named the Odisha Player of the Match for his fine performance in midfield. However, Pakistan’s excellent performance suggests that they have the potential to upset the FIH Hero World Rankings at the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018.

“Pakistan are a strong team and they played really well today”, said Germany captain Martin Häner after the match. “I’m always happy when we win, it is not always about scoring seven or eight goals. As a defender I’m happy we didn’t concede.”

Sunday sees the second series of Pool C games with Canada taking on South Africa and India up against Belgium in the big one.

Euro Hockey League media release

Pakistan defence is like the Berlin Wall

By Jugjet Singh

BHUBANESWAR: The Pakistan defence stood like the Berlin Wall in their opening match against Germany, thanks to their former coach Roelant Oltmans.

Team manager Hassan Sardar had credited their defence to Oltmans in an earlier interview, saying: "For the eight months Oltmans was with Pakistan he built a strong defensive structure. He is a good defensive coach and we benefitted from his time with us."

Oltmans did not have enough time with the Malaysian players, as he was only hired after the Jakarta Asian Games, and while Pakistan lost only 1-0 to Germany, they received a 7-0 drubbing from the Netherlands.

Statistics speak for themselves.

The Germans were only given one penalty corner, and eight shots at goal from only 12 circle penetrations the entire game.

Malaysia were much more generous, as they gave the Dutch eight penalty corners, 25 shots at goal and 36 circle penetrations.

The Dutch only allowed two shots at goal off three circle penetrations, one of which was off the only penalty corner won.

It was no wonder that Pakistan goalkeeper Imran Butt walked off the pitch smiling and said: "We came here to win every match and came close against the Germans.

“I believe it would be a much better match against Malaysia, whom we have set our sights to beat and advance to the next round."

And off the five previous matches played by both teams in the World Cup, Pakistan won all.

Oltmans only has three more days to repair Malaysia's defensive wall, and plan to tear down Pakistan's border fence.

New Straits Times

Germans slog to break down Pakistan

By Jugjet Singh

BHUBANESAR: Heavyweights Germany struggled for long periods, before edging Pakistan 1-0 in Group D of the World Cup yesterday.

The Netherlands, who hammerd Malaysia 7-0 in the other Group D match, top the standings followed by the Germans.

Germany’s winner was scored by Marco Miltkau in the 36th minute off a field attempt.

Pakistan team manager Hassan Sardar was disappointed not to have held the Germans, but praised his men for a solid defence.

"We gave away only one penalty corner and that is quite rare in modern hockey. This shows our defenders did their job and this augurs well for our next matches."

Pakistan next play Malaysia on Dec 5 followed by the Netherlands on Dec 9.

New Straits Times

Fighting Pakistan lost 0-1 to Germany

BHUBANESWAR - Four-time champions Pakistan produced a lion-hearted performance before going down 0-1 to Olympic bronze medallist Germany in their opening Pool D match of the men’s hockey World Cup here on Sunday.

It is a creditable result for Pakistan considering the fact that the nation did not have a great build up to the tournament. There were doubts over Pakistan’s participation due to lack of funds and only a last minute sponsorship deal with Haier made it possible for them to make the trip.

One of the most celebrated teams of yesteryears, Pakistan hockey has been on a decline over the last few decades and they also suffer from lack of exposure. Currently ranked world no. 13, Pakistan gave a tough fight to the world no. 6 Germans by holding them till the 36th minute.

The only goal of the match was scored by Germany’s Marco Miltkau in the 36th minute. With Pakistan in action, it was a highly-anticipated encounter for the hockey fans of the city, especially after the neighbour’s indecent behaviour during the 2014 Champions Trophy.

But the crowd behaved in a mature way, supporting the good moves of both the teams. It was all about defending for Pakistan in the first two quarters and they did that stoutly, denying the little chances Germany created in the opening 30 minutes.

Germans used both the flanks to create opportunities but Pakistan meant business and fought valiantly to keep a clean slate. Pakistan goalkeeper Imran Butt came to his side’s rescue on two occasions, the notable between them was the first chance created by the Germans in the third minute when he kept out Benedikt Furk’s neat deflection from Christopher Ruhr’s pass.

Pakistan fought valiantly to keep a clean slate at the halfway mark. But after the change of ends, the match opened up with both the teams going on the offensive. It was Germany who finally broke the shackles six minutes after the break when Miltkau pushed in Niklas Wellen’s deflection past an onrushing Imran Butt.

If the first half was a damper in terms of attacks, the Pakistanis created bright chances in the last two quarters. Pakistan’s first real chance came in the 38th minute when Muhammad Zubair deflected wide a pass from Ammad Butt.

The match produced just one penalty corner which went to Germany in the 41st minute but it did not make any difference. Minutes later the Germans came close once again when Wellen’s shot from inside the circle went just wide. Six minutes from the final hooter, Miltkau found the net again but Pakistan protested the goal and asked for video referral which suggested that the ball got in after getting a deflection from the German striker’s legs. The goal was disallowed. Thereafter, Pakistan pressed hard in search of the equaliser but failed to create any purposeful move.

Earlier, Jeroen Hertzberger scored a hat-trick to help last edition silver medallist Netherlands spank a hapless Malaysia 7-0 in a lopsided opening Pool D encounter. Asian Games silver medallist Malaysia, coached by legendary Dutchman Roelant Oltmans, were expected to produce a fight but the world number 4 Netherlands turned out to be a much superior opponent.

Besides Hertzberger (11th, 29th, 60th minutes), Mirco Pruijser (21st), Mink van der Weerden (35th), Robbert Kemperman and Thierry Brinkman (57th) were the other goal scorers for the three-time champions.

The Dutch, who are eyeing a fourth World Cup title, turned out to be too hot for Malaysia to handle as they toyed with the opposition defence and scored goals at will on a miserable night for their Asian rival. The Netherlands created chances at will and if not for the veteran Malaysian goalkeeper Kumar Subramaniam’s heroics, the margin of defeat could have been bigger for the Asian side.

Subramaniam hardly got any help from his defenders and was forced to make numerous saves. It was a horrendous display from the Malaysians in all departments of the game. There was hardly any coordination between their defenders, midfielders and forwards, which helped the Dutch to snatch the ball whenever they wanted, before going for the kill.

Pakistan next have a big game against Malaysia on December 5 while Germany will be up against Netherlands.

The Nation

Spirited Pakistan go down fighting against Germany



BHUBANESWAR: Four-time champions Pakistan produced a lion-hearted performance before going down 0-1 to Olympic bronze medallists Germany in their opening Pool D match of the men’s hockey World Cup here on Saturday. It is a creditable result for Pakistan considering the fact that the nation did not have a great build up to the tournament. There were doubts over Pakistan’s participation due to lack of funds and only a last minute sponsorship deal with Haier made it possible for them to make the trip. One of the most celebrated teams of yesteryears, Pakistan hockey has been on a decline over the last few decades and they also suffer from lack of exposure. Currently ranked world no. 13, Pakistan gave a tough fight to the world no. 6 Germans by holding them till the 36th minute.

The only goal of the match was scored by Germany’s Marco Miltkau in the 36th minute. With Pakistan in action, it was a highly-anticipated encounter for the hockey fans of the city, especially after the neighbour’s indecent behaviour during the 2014 Champions Trophy.But the crowd behaved in a mature way, supporting the good moves of both the teams. It was all about defending for Pakistan in the first two quarters and they did that stoutly, denying the little chances Germany created in the opening 30 minutes.

Germans used both the flanks to create opportunities but Pakistan meant business and fought valiantly to keep a clean slate. Pakistan goalkeeper Imran Butt came to his side’s rescue on two occasions, the notable between them was the first chance created by the Germans in the third minute when he kept out Benedikt Furk’s neat deflection from Christopher Ruhr’s pass.
Pakistan fought valiantly to keep a clean slate at the halfway mark. But after the change of ends, the match opened up with both the teams going on the offensive. It was Germany who finally broke the shackles six minutes after the break when Miltkau pushed in Niklas Wellen’s deflection past an onrushing Imran Butt. If the first half was a damper in terms of attacks, the Pakistanis created bright chances in the last two quarters.

Pakistan’s first real chance came in the 38th minute when Muhammad Zubair deflected wide a pass from Ammad Butt. The match produced just one penalty corner which went to Germany in the 41st minute but it did not make any difference. Minutes later the Germans came close once again when Wellen’s shot from inside the circle went just wide. Six minutes from the final hooter, Miltkau found the net again but Pakistan protested the goal and asked for video referral which suggested that the ball got in after getting a deflection from the German striker’s legs. The goal was disallowed. Thereafter, Pakistan pressed hard in search of the equaliser but failed to create any purposeful move.

The Daily Times

Germany stretched by a tenacious Pakistan

Asian side surprises everyone with admirable resistance

Y.B. Sarangi


The clincher: Miltkau Marco, despite being challenged by Pakistan goalkeeper Salman Butt, managed to score for Germany. 

Germany laboured to a narrow 1-0 win over a fighting Pakistan in its opening Pool D match of the Hockey World Cup at the Kalinga Stadium here on Saturday.

Marco Miltkau’s 36th minute goal helped the world No. 6 collect three points against the 13th-ranked Pakistan, which surprised all with its admirable resistance.

Cutting down on its flashy game, Pakistan fought valiantly to keep the German strikers quiet for the first 30 minutes.

Germany nearly took the lead when Christopher Ruhr’s stunning shot into the circle was deflected by Benedikt Furk but was unlucky to miss.

Rashid Mehmood and Tasawar Abbas’ effort symbolised Pakistan’s tenacity as the green shirts guarded their fort with composure.

Without being able to manoeuvre into the Pakistan penalty area, Germany improved its possession and attempted long hits. But Florian Fuchs and Niklas Wellen’s efforts on goal did not bear fruit.

Improvisation

Germany improvised its tactics and managed to break through the solid Pakistan wall after the change of ends.

Tobias Hauke sent in a beautiful pass, Wellen deflected it to the goalmouth in a flash and Miltkau dived hard to touch it in despite being challenged by goalkeeper Salman Butt and another defender.

Pakistan almost drew parity two minutes later when Muhammad Zubair slid spectacularly in the German circle. The opening goal made the action more free flowing as Pakistan looked for the equaliser and Germany, which earned a solitary penalty corner, tried to double its lead.

Germany’s second goal was disallowed in the 54th minute as Wellen’s reverse hit went into the post off Miltkau’s leg. The video umpire reversed the decision.

The results: Pool D: Germany 1 (Miltkau 36) bt Pakistan 0; the Netherlands 7 (Jeroen Hertzberger 11, 29 and 60, Mirco Pruijser 21, Mink van der Weerden 35, Robbert Kemperman 42, Thierry Brinkman 57) bt Malaysia 0.

The Hindu

Germany beat determined four-time champions Pakistan by solitary Marco Miltkau goal


Germany players celebrate after their win. Twitter@sports_odisha

Bhubaneswar: Four-time champions Pakistan produced a lion-hearted performance before going down 0-1 to Olympic bronze medallist Germany in their opening Pool D match of the men's hockey World Cup on Saturday.

It is a creditable result for Pakistan considering the fact that the nation did not have a great build up to the tournament. There were doubts over Pakistan's participation due to lack of funds and only a last-minute sponsorship deal with Haier made it possible for them to make the trip.

One of the most celebrated teams of yesteryears, Pakistan hockey has been on a decline over the last few decades and they also suffer from a lack of exposure. Currently ranked world no. 13, Pakistan gave a tough fight to the world no. 6 Germans by holding them till the 36th minute.

The only goal of the match was scored by Germany's Marco Miltkau in the 36th minute. With Pakistan in action, it was a highly-anticipated encounter for the hockey fans of the city, especially after the neighbour's indecent behaviour during the 2014 Champions Trophy.

But the crowd behaved in a mature way, supporting the good moves of both the teams. It was all about defending for Pakistan in the first two quarters and they did that stoutly, denying the little chances Germany created in the opening 30 minutes.

Germans used both the flanks to create opportunities but Pakistan meant business and fought valiantly to keep a clean slate.

Pakistan goalkeeper Imran Butt came to his side's rescue on two occasions, the notable between them was the first chance created by the Germans in the third minute when he kept out Benedikt Furk's neat deflection from Christopher Ruhr's pass.

Pakistan fought valiantly to keep a clean slate at the halfway mark. But after the change of ends, the match opened up with both the teams going on the offensive. It was Germany who finally broke the shackles six minutes after the break when Miltkau pushed in Niklas Wellen's deflection past an onrushing Imran Butt.

If the first half was a damper in terms of attacks, the Pakistanis created bright chances in the last two quarters. Pakistan's first real chance came in the 38th minute when Muhammad Zubair deflected wide a pass from Ammad Butt.

The match produced just one penalty corner which went to Germany in the 41st minute but it did not make any difference. Minutes later the Germans came close once again when Wellen's shot from inside the circle went just wide.

Six minutes from the final hooter, Miltkau found the net again but Pakistan protested the goal and asked for video referral which suggested that the ball got in after getting a deflection from the German striker's legs. The goal was disallowed.

Thereafter, Pakistan pressed hard in search of the equaliser but failed to create any purposeful move.

Pakistan next have a big game against Malaysia on 5 December while Germany will be up against Netherlands.

Firstpost

Flying start for pilot Eric in World Cup

By Jugjet Singh

BHUBANESWAR (India): AirAsia pilot Eric Koh enjoyed a flying start at the World Cup when he umpired China's historic 2-2 draw against England on Friday.

AirAsia is the only international flight that lands at the Biju Patnaik Airport, and the Malaysian broke into laughter when asked if he flew the plane to Bhubaneswar.

“No! No! I was a passenger,” he replied.

The 32-year-old has now achieved his dream of umpiring in a World Cup, and he is looking forward to an Olympic experience next.

“It’s a wonderful feeling to be umpiring in my first World Cup, the crowd at Kalinga Stadium is simply awesome and it makes my job so much more enjoyable.

“I really enjoyed the fast match between England and China. I now look forward to the next stage, the Olympics,” said Eric.

Among his international umpiring appointments are South Asian Games, Dhaka 2010, World League Round One, Singapore 2012, EuroHockey Club Champions Trophy, Lille 2012, World League Round Three, Johor Baru 2013, the Junior World Cup in Delhi in 2013, and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 and in the Gold Coast, 2018.

Malaysia has produced many international grade umpires with the most successful being Amarjit Singh who has umpired more than 150 international matches, including four World Cups and three Olympic Games. He was the first umpire from Malaysia to receive the FIH Golden Whistle for 100 senior international matches.

And it looks like Eric is going to fly as high as Amarjit in the world of umpiring.

New Straits Times

Eric happy with opportunity to officiate World Cup match



AIRASIA pilot Eric Koh (pic) kept Malaysia’s flag flying high in his first hockey World Cup in Bhubaneswar.

The 32-year-old officiated the match between England and China in the Group B match at the Kalinga Stadium on Friday. He is the only Malaysian umpire to blow in the 14th edition of the prestigious tournament.

The charming and debonair Eric said it was a dream come true.

“It was a proud moment for me to work alongside the more experienced umpire Gregory (Uyttenhoven) of Belgium in the match,” said Eric, who started his umpiring career in the four-nation tournament in Canberra, Australia, in 2009.

“It was a good experience and I look forward to getting more opportunities.”

Eric’s involvement in hockey started 15 years ago when he played for Old La Sallians Association of Klang (Olak) in the Malaysian Junior Hockey League (MJHL) but his love for umpiring started because of Amarjit Singh.

Inspired by the renowned international umpire Amarjit, Eric, who also had previously worked with Malaysian Airlines for six years, said: “Amarjit has acted as an umpire in more than 150 international matches, including four World Cups and three Olympic Games.

“He was the first umpire from Malaysia to receive the FIH Golden Whistle award for umpiring 100 senior international matches.”

“Currently, I’m enjoying the best of both worlds – umpiring and flying a plane,” added Eric.

The Star of Malaysia

Aggressive India hope to continue winning run as Belgian challenge awaits

Shantanu Srivastava


India beat South Africa in their World Cup opener and will play Belgium on Sunday. File photo

Bhubaneswar: Legendary Ashok Kumar calls it a "neck-to-neck ladai." Former India defender VR Raghunath feels it will be decided by goalkeepers and penalty corners. Ric Charlesworth declares that India won't get any free zones. Coach Harendra Singh says his team will approach it as a pre-quarter-final. On Sunday evening, when India and Belgium come face to face for only the fourth time in World Cup history, these opinions will matter for everything and nothing as there will be precious little separating the teams.

Fresh from their scrappy 5-0 win over South Africa and rejuvenated after a three-day break, India will look to get their act together against a far superior opposition.

Talking of scrap, though, and Belgium did their share of grinding to get their campaign off to a winning start when they beat a resolute Canada 2-1 on the opening night of this World Cup. Both teams have areas to work on, and a recent surge in number of matches between the two sides leaves little room for surprises.

On match eve, perspicuity and pragmatism marked Harendra's interaction with the press. "We are not relieved (after the opening win against South Africa). We have to enjoy the pressure. If you have to go (straight) to the quarter-finals, then Sunday's match is a pre-quarter-final," he said.

Belgian captain Thomas Briels reiterated the thought. "I think the team that wins will top the group and get to knock-outs. India will play 100 percent to win this game and so will we. It will be a very tough game."

The similarities in the rival camps do not end there. Both teams struggled with penalty-corner conversions in their first games. Belgium got seven of them, and they faltered each time. India got five against South Africa, and they didn't get a single drag-flick in. The two goals scored on short-corners came on rebound.

"I think we need to work on our penalty corners and I think we have to score more. If we are getting seven corners (vs Canada), we at least have to score one or two. I am happy with certain patches of our play from Canada and the amount of chances we created," Briels said.

Given their linear style of play, Belgium are likely to put the Indian midfield and defence under serious pressure, and while the backline of Surender Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh, Birender Lakra, and PR Sreejesh ensured a clean sheet in their previous fixture, the space and time that South Africa got in the Indian D in the third quarter would have kept Belgium interested.

Briels admitted they will "analyse everything" — expectedly — while Harendra called for an improved performance in midfield. Belgium's forward-pressing style means a higher percentage of circle entries, making ball possession important for the hosts.

"Belgium have been a good team for last four-five years with good circle penetration. But the Indian team has set a trademark of attacking hockey over the last four-five months. We won't compromise on that, but we will have to take care of the midfield. Our players will take chances in there. When a mistake happens, our team has to defend that. We will keep playing at a high speed. Whoever can sustain that pace will win," the coach said while emphasising on the need to reduce unforced errors.

"Forced errors can lead to mistakes, but in modern hockey, you have to cut down unforced errors. Also, we have to make them run after the ball. They can’t score if we have the ball with us," the coach said.

'Past results don't mean anything'

India and Belgium have been involved in quite a few close encounters of late, but the Indian fans will remember the Hockey World League Quarter-finals last year, when India, after being locked 3-3 in regulation time, prevailed 3-2 in shootout.



Stats Courtesy: BG Joshi

Earlier this year, India lost three of the four games against Belgium at the Four Nations' Invitational Tournament in New Zealand, the last of which came in the tournament final when the Europeans prevailed 3-0 in shootout after the scoreline read 4-4 in regulation time. Then, in the Champions Trophy, India drew Belgium 1-1, the equaliser coming in the dying minutes.

Harendra insisted past is of little value to him — even the wins. "I don't think about what has happened. I just remember important moments from the games, not the results," he said.

While much has been said about India's lack of big-match experience — even though the team has seven players from the 2016 Junior World Cup — it's worth noting that Belgium come with truckloads of matches under their belt.

Ever since they won the Champions Challenge Cup in Johannesburg in 2011 after beating, well, India, in the final (4-3), they have retained their core, and a cursory look at their squads for the 2012 London Olympics, 2014 World Cup, 2016 Rio Olympics, and 2018 Champions Trophy attests to it.

Then, there are some from the 2016 Junior World Cup, besides a certain Arthur Van Doren — two-time FIH Rising Star of the Year (2016, 2017), and the current FIH Player of the Year (2017) — that India will have to deal with.

Belgium coach Shane McLeod, the reigning 'Men's Coach of the Year', said the experience of his team will be a factor, but acknowledged the advantages India have with a young side.

"I think we do have an advantage (experience-wise). We have a balanced team, but India have the exuberance of youth. They have players who want to impress and play exciting hockey. And, hopefully, the experience of our players will help stop that. You’ll see a bit of a mix. Often with youth, comes speed. We’re mindful of the pace with which the game could be played," McLeod said.

The New Zealander also listed the vocal Bhubaneswar crowd as an advantage to the hosts, before pointing out penalty-corner conversion and goalkeeping as potentially deciding areas. Belgium's typically European style of forward press and India's vow to attack at all costs may translate into higher short corners and an increased focus on custodians.

While Belgium have a rock under the bar by the name of Vincent Vanasch (winner of the latest FIH's 'Goalkeeper of the Year' trophy), their reserve 'keeper, Loic Van Doren, was adjudged the best goalkeeper at the Junior World Cup two years earlier.

"Yeah, if one of the ‘keepers has a better day than the other, that’s going to be the deciding factor of the game. I think Sreejesh has made some really good saves in the last few years and has turned into a world-class goalkeeper," he said.

With both teams vying for a straight qualification to knock-outs, the 15,000-strong home crowd is expected to be treated to some quality hockey on Sunday. Scrappy days could well be behind us.

Firstpost

India vs Belgium: A virtual pre-quarter in the offing

Win would make it easy for India to top the group while Belgium would be raring to prove credentials

Uthra Ganesan


On the job: The Indian team will hope that a three-day break would have refreshed the players ahead of the key clash against Belgium. 

The past for coach Harendra Singh holds little value in terms of its impact on the present, unless it gives lessons that the team could build on. Ahead of the clash against Belgium in what he terms as the pre-quarterfinals for all practical purposes for India here at the World Cup, he continues to hold his view regardless of results.

With a three-day break, the sides have had enough time to recover, reassess their performances and prepare for the game that might well decide the Pool C topper.

A win would make it a lot easier for the host, specially with the superior goal difference it enjoys at the moment. But Belgium, disappointed with the outing against Canada, would be raring to prove its credentials.

“It does not help if we keep thinking of negative things. Even in games we lost, there are always things that the team did well and those are the moments I look at and try to build on. It remains true even for matches we have won,” Harendra insisted.

For Belgium coach Shane McLeod, the biggest advantage for his team is continuity. The core of the side has been together for almost a decade now and grown together.

“They can kind of smell where each other is and they have that sense of doing things quicker than other teams which is an advantage,” he said, an area where India cannot compete given the number of personnel changes.

Harendra has other concerns as well. Against South Africa, India’s attacking style saw gaps in the defence that the Africans were unable to exploit but Belgium would pounce on. The missed chances would not be as plentiful either.

“Belgium has good circle penetration. They are good with vertical passes, they don’t go back or play parallel and we have to be cautious of that.

“But we won’t compromise with our trademark attacking hockey though we have to take care of the midfield,” he explained.

McLeod’s concerns

McLeod has his concerns as well. “The guys have played a lot of matches but not together. What we are doing is getting them ready to play as one team and that takes some time. The game against India will demand us to take that extra couple of steps or we won’t be competitive,” he admitted.

The Europeans have a 5-3 win record since Rio Olympics (two draws) but those numbers do not take into account the fact that India has won both its games at this venue.

India would be looking to keep it that way on Sunday.

The Hindu

India look to tame Red Lions, get entry into quarters

Indervir Grewal in Bhubaneswar


Joreon Hertzberger (jumping) of the Netherlands takes evasive action during their match against Malaysia. PTI

“I DON’T look at past results,” Harendra Singh announced. Not even the victories? “No, I don’t look at wins,” the India coach insisted. With that statement, out went the one favourable statistic India could look towards for motivation before facing Belgium in their second match on Sunday.

India have lost 12 times to the world No. 2 side in the last six years. They have won only five times, and just three of those have come in FIH tournaments. But Bhubaneswar has been India’s top hunting ground, when it comes to taking down the Red Lions. Two of India’s wins over Belgium in FIH tournaments have come is the Temple City.

But the coach would not look at those wins for inspiration. To be fair, the coach meant that he didn’t look at past results, good or bad. “I look at the good and bad moments of the previous matches,” said Harendra. “The good things we have to carry forward to the next match and the mistakes, especially the unforced errors, we have to cut down. Past results don’t matter much,” he added. With such a big number of defeats against Belgium, it would be difficult for the coach to find too many good points. The unforced errors, though, are likely to come up in big numbers when the team sits for a meeting before the match.

‘Ready for counters’

India will have to keep their unforced errors to the minimum, especially in the midfield, if they don’t want to be hit on the counter. Belgium’s famously synchronised zonal defence draws the oppositions’ defenders to play balls into the “deceptively empty” midfield. It’s then that Belgium’s collective press, with three-four players boxing in the ball-carrier, comes into effect. An error there and Belgium will hit India with their lightning-fast counterattacks.

The coach said they would have to be ready for it, because some midfielder is likely to be caught off-guard. “After Belgium make that interception or tackle, they go forward fast,” Harendra said. “My players will take chances in the midfield, and it won’t be a 100 percent that they will be successful, they will lose the ball as well. How well-prepared the defence is to tackle that ball, we will have to be careful with it.”

Revenge on their mind

While India refuse to see back at the wins, Belgium look at their defeats in Bhubaneswar in a positive way. “We really want to play them again, we feel we can beat them,” Belgian defender Arthur van Doren said. How bad would they want to beat India here, in front of the partisan crowd? “It’s not just the crowd, we want to win for ourselves. We want to win this game and top the group. We will be ready for tomorrow,” he said. On both the previous occasions, the crowd had lifted India past Belgium. Last year, it was van Doren’s miss in the shootout sudden-death that had sent India through to the semifinals of the World League Finals.

Four years ago, India had beaten Belgium at the same stage, the 4-2 win taking the hosts to the semifinals of the Champions Trophy. Both those games, in the 2014 and last year, were do-or-die matches.

The Tribune

Match against Belgium is virtual pre-quarters for us, says India's head coach Harendra Singh


Akashdeep Singh and Harendra Singh attend a media briefing , AFP

A litmus test awaits India in their second pool match of the Men's Hockey World Cup Sunday and chief coach Harendra Singh said he considers the game against World No.3 Belgium as a virtual "pre-quarterfinal" for the home team.

India are placed in Pool C alongside reigning Olympic silver medallist Belgium, South Africa and Canada and the table toppers will directly qualify for the last-eight round.

With India notching up a 5-0 win over South Africa in their opener and Belgium beating Canada 2-1, the hosts just need a victory over the Red Lions to secure their place in the quarters and avoid the cross-overs.

As per the format of the tournament, the table-toppers from the four pools will directly qualify for the quarterfinals while the second and third placed teams will play in the cross-overs for a place in the last-eight round.

"I don't feel any pressure. If you enjoy that pressure you will succeed. What I feel is that for me tomorrow is our pre-quarterfinal match and if we want to directly go into the quarterfinals we will have to win tomorrow," Harendra said in the pre-match press conference on Saturday.

"We have discussed that in our team meeting and we will take one match at a time." Since 2013, India do not have a good record against Belgium, having won just five and suffered defeats on 13 occasions with one game ending in a draw.

Asked about Belgium's threat, Harendra said India need to play to its strength to come out victorious on Sunday.

"If we look at their graph in the last 4-5 years, Belgium is a good team. We have to play according to the situation," he said.

"In the last 5-6 months the Indian team has set a trademark of playing attacking hockey which is our weapon and we won't compromise on that." Speaking about the areas that India need to guard against Belgium on Sunday, the India coach said: "We need to take care about the vertical hockey Belgium plays. They don't play parallel hockey of playing the ball back. So, we need to concentrate on that."

Harendra said the World Cup is a new tournament for his team and past results will hardly have any impact.

"I don't think about past. I never focussed on mistakes of past but what we do is point out the good things we have done in the past matches. Past is history. Every tournament you have to look at it in a new way as a new chapter," he said.

"Our fault is we discuss a lot about the past but are not willing to live in the present moment. We tend to destroy our future by discussing past.

"Tomorrow is a new day, a new tournament, a new team, a new World Cup which is being watched and blessed by 15,000 spectators at home." Harendra said the Indians don't look at the crowd support as pressure, instead, he considers them as "12th man".

"The crowd is our 12th man. Many teams (opponents) can feel the pressure. We should take advantage of that," he said.

Striker Akashdeep Singh, who has been entrusted with the new role of a linkman in the side, said he is enjoying his new position.

"I am enjoying my new role. When the coach joined us he suggested me to drop a little down and play as an attacking midfielder because I have a good vision and I share a good understanding with other strikers," he said.

Daily News & Analysis

After South Africa demolition, India get ready for Belgium test


Hockey World Cup 2018 India vs South Africa, AFP

India will be optimistic of clearing a stern test awaiting them Sunday in the form of world number three Belgium to guarantee a direct entry into the quarterfinals.

Seeking to rewrite history after 43 years, the Indian men's hockey team made a strong start in the elite 16-nation tournament on Wednesday. The started their World Cup campaign brightly with a 5-0 thrashing of South Africa.

Rio Olympic silver medallist Belgium were far from impressive in their fighting 2-1 win over lowly Canada.

Eight-time Olympic champions India's only World Cup crown came way back in 1975.

The hosts produced a fine display of attacking hockey to outclass South Africa and would look to continue in the same vein, although consistency is something India has always lacked.

Come Sunday, the Indians will have to be at their best in all departments to get the better of the ever-improving Red Lions, who will be out to prove a point after a not-so-impressive opener.

The Indian forward line comprising Mandeep Singh, Simranjeet Singh, Akashdeep Singh and Lalit Upadhyay impressed against South Africa. While Simranjeet scored a brace, all three other strikers struck a goal each.

The Manpreet Singh-led midfield and the backline too did a decent job the other day but defenders Harmanpreet Singh, Birendra Lakra, Surender Kumar and goalkeeper P R Sreejesh will have to be on their toes against the attacking Belgians.

Belgium better in head-to-head record

World number five India would also look to better their head-to-head record against Belgium. Since 2013, both teams have played against each other on 19 occasions with India registering five wins as against Belgium's 13. One ended in a draw.

The last time the two teams played each other was in the final edition of the Champions Trophy earlier this year in Breda, Netherlands where India conceded a late goal to settle for a 1-1 draw.

The magnitude of a World Cup match is different and both teams are aware that a single mistake can ruin their hopes and aspirations.

Going into the match, penalty corner conversion remains a concern for both the teams as India made use of only one out of five against South Africa, while Belgium wasted the two set pieces that came their way against Canada.

India scored from an indirect try by Mandeep from the penalty corner as Harmanpreet's direct flick failed to crash into the opposition net.

But India's chief coach Harendra Singh is not that worried about the lack of direct goals from penalty corners, saying he is happy as long as goals are coming.

"We scored a mixture of beautiful field goals and penalty corners. Yes, we didn't score direct from penalty corners but how we score doesn't matter," Harendra had said.

The coach said against Belgium the Indian strikers will need to capitalise on the chances the way they did against South Africa.

"If you think only about goals then you run for the goals and forget your basics and structure. You need to avail the opportunity that comes your way," he added.

Belgium has made giant strides in world hockey in the last decade and has been among the top teams but a big title has eluded them.

Having scored less in their opener, Belgium coach Shane McLoed said the game against India is a "must-win" for them if they are to top Pool C and avoid cross-overs.

"We have got the three points. We may not have the goal difference we wanted so the game against India becomes a must-win game for us," he said.

"The game against India would demand us to take a step or a couple of steps up otherwise we can't be competitive."

In another Pool C match, Canada will play South Africa.

Daily News & Analysis

1975 hero Ashok Kumar unimpressed with Akashdeep Singh's midfield switch

Shantanu Srivastava


India's Akashdeep Singh celebrates after scoring against South Africa. Image Courtesy: Twitter @TheHockeyIndia

Bhubaneswar: On 28 November, not for the first time this year, coach Harendra Singh deployed Akashdeep Singh as an attacking midfielder. The 23-year-old performed his role of a linkman to perfection, scoring a goal and sending some crucial passes in the opposition D from the flanks. He even provided an assist to striker Lalit Upadhyay, who scored one of India's goal that night.

The role of Akashdeep, who earned his stripes as a creative centre-forward, is now redefined as a facilitator. Coach Harendra Singh believes Akashdeep's peripheral vision and lethal game sense could be put to a better use in his slightly withdrawn position, and with three defenders floating ahead, scoring opportunities can be optimised.

The move, though, has not impressed Ashok Kumar, one of country's hockey legends and a member of the 1975 World Cup-winning team.

In an exclusive interaction with Firstpost, Kumar singled out midfield attack and penalty-corner conversion as India's key problem areas, and said Akashdeep's new position will invariably hit India's scoring chances.

"The midfield attack needs to be worked on. I know India have withdrawn Akashdeep, but he is a fine scorer too. Pulling him back reduces our striking options. If we ask him to feed the strikers, his original game of creating space and scoring will suffer. This leaves us with only Lalit Upadhyay and Mandeep Singh to get goals.

"At times, I wonder if Sardar Singh was in the team, he would have played in Akashdeep's current position and we wouldn't have felt the need to drop him back. Of course, replacements have to happen, but it is more important to find a player of the same calibre," Kumar said.

Meanwhile, Akashdeep himself on Saturday claimed that he is enjoying his new role, and is capable of scoring from the wings.

"I am enjoying it (the linkman position) a lot. He (coach) stressed that I can play as a linkman because I have a good (peripheral) vision and understanding with the forwards," he said. Harendra backed his decision with characteristic confidence and a little nugget: "Since 2010, midfielders have actually scored more goals in international hockey than the traditional strikers."

India play Olympic silver-medallists Belgium on Sunday after a 5-0 thrashing of South Africa, but it was a result marred by perceptible lapses on the turf. Kumar reckoned India will have to take their chances in the crucial match, and play without fear.

"Against Belgium, it will be a neck-to-neck ladai. Even the game against Canada will not be easy. We will have to make full use of the penalty corners. We have three drag-flickers, and everyone should step up. Every player must have been assigned a duty. If your duty is to stop the ball and you end up deflecting it, you are not a player. If your duty is to pass the ball and you do it wrong in the World Cup, well... At this stage, we can't afford little errors. Your game should be 100 percent. By that I mean, there must be clockwork precision. India must play without fear."

Kumar, who scored the winner in the 1975 World Cup final against traditional rivals Pakistan, also impressed upon the need to make ball possession count.

"Though we dominated ball possession in the first game, we couldn't mount right attacks at the right time. The first quarter of the game, for instance. We had the ball, which means there should have been a goal, but it never happened. The mistake could be in trapping, and also in passing the ball, because sneaking balls through such narrow angles is not always easy.

"Passing requires a lot of skill. At times, by the time you realise that you might miss a ball, it's already too late. If it is a direct game — which means watching you and passing to you — the scenario is different. However, if you have to pass to the left or right, you have to cover the angle and speed. You also have to presume your partner's presence on the run. I don't see India doing these things a lot, perhaps because they think there's the risk of losing balls," he said.

Explaining the art of ball-passing in context of India's fluffed trappings in the first quarter, Kumar said, "While passing, it is also important to judge the position of the man marking your partner. Also, the person trapping the ball must be clear which way he has to move after getting the ball. This decision must be made before you receive the ball. The person trapping the ball must know how far his opponent is and what angles he is blocking. So, in cases of missed trappings, I will blame the person who is passing the ball, not the receiver."

Kumar also warned that unlike their first match at this World Cup, India won't get any free spaces in the flanks, and Manpreet Singh's team ought to be prepared for a high-intensity match.

"I can't imagine them getting any free space. You saw the game between Argentina and Spain...kya game tha, yaar...That's how they (European teams) will play. They won't give you any time to lift your head from the ball. Hence, you have to take your scoring opportunities," he concluded.

Firstpost

Spain skipper out with injury

Spain was hit hard just one game into the World Cup with its captain and key midfielder Miguel Delas ruled out for the rest of the World Cup with injury.

The 34-year-old hurt his shoulder in his team’s 4-3 Pool A defeat to Olympic champion Argentina on Thursday and underwent tests to gauge the extent of the injury that ruled him unable to continue in the competition.

Spain has included 24-year-old Ricardo Sanchez as Delas' replacement with FIH approval, but the youngster, with 51 caps, will have big shoes to fill. Sanchez will join the squad soon.

The Hindu

France aims to go places

Launches ‘Ambition 2024’ project

Y.B. Sarangi


Victor Charlet. 

With France shouldering the responsibility of hosting the 2024 Olympics, the French Hockey Federation (FFH) has taken some solid steps to reflect on the country's proud history in the sport and build its National side as a power to reckon with.

Inspired by the Belgian team’s success, FFH launched a robust project — ‘Ambition 2024’ — involving sponsors, players and other stakeholders “to give hockey the place it deserves in the French sports heritage”.

Comprehensive plan

Under the comprehensive project, FFH, which will celebrate 100 years of French hockey in 2020, will stage international competitions and high quality leagues.

FFH, which has assigned the supervision of the project to a steering committee headed by former goalkeeper Henri Lohmme, aims to see the men's team achieve a top-five finish and the women's side a top-10 slot in the Paris Olympics.

“FFH wants us to be among the top of world hockey teams because we have the Olympic Games in 2024,” France captain Victor Charlet told The Hindu.

Charlet expressed satisfaction over France's preparation for the World Cup. “We had tough preparation for one year. We played several friendly matches before coming here. We are more professional now.”

Under pressure

Charlet admitted that France, which is playing the World Cup after 28 years, was under pressure and lost its first Pool A match against New Zealand 2-1. “The pressure of the World Cup is different. If you lose, the impact is much more in a World Cup. If you lose a friendly game, it does not matter much because it is a friendly match.”

Charlet said having World and Olympic champion Jerone Delmee as coach was a blessing. “Delmee is a legend and he knows all about professional hockey. We are fortunate to have a man like him. When he speaks, you listen and improve on the pitch,” he said.

The Hindu

Rise of the Great Wall in Bhubaneswar

Jugjet Singh

BHUBANESWAR: When China withdrew at the 11th hour from the Jakarta Asian Games in August, many quarters were shocked, angry as well as bemused by their decision.

The critics felt that China had chickened out for fear of being whipped at the Asiad, but there was more to it.

South Korean master coach Kim Sang Ryul took a bold, as well as calculated step, when he put his team into training instead of competition.

And it paid off handsomely when the World No 17 team held World No 7 England to a 2-2 draw at the Kalinga Stadium on Friday.

Consider this - China were playing in their first ever World Cup match while England have been regulars since the tournament was incepted in 1971.

And out of China’s 1.38 biilion population, Guo Xiaoping will now be known as the first Chinese player to score in the World Cup. He dribbled past half the England defenders before scoring from an acute angle.

The 18 Chinse players showed super understanding, as all of them came from one province, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. China has 34 provinces.

Ever a modest coach, Sang Ryul said: “We came here with no high expectations as we are making our debut but my players even surprised me by scoring two goals.”

Playing in Group B, China next play Ireland, and it looks like they have a good chance of advancing to the next stage.

Watch out for the Rise of the Great Wall in hockey.

New Straits Times

Harte blames himself and not the pests for loss to Australia



TINY insects have invaded the hockey pitch at the World Cup.

But Ireland goalkeeper David Harte (pic) is not blaming the annoying pests but himself after his team lost 1-2 to reigning world champions Australia in the opening Group B match at the Kalinga Stadium on Friday.

The players had to fend off many insects in the stadium, but Harte said it was the same problem for everyone.

“The insects are everywhere but this is not the excuse for us to lose as all the other players have also been facing the same problem in the tournament,” said Harte, who played a pivotal role in helping Ireland to qualify for their first Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

Harte has won the best goalkeeper awards for his brilliant saves in numerous tournaments in the past but on Friday, the lanky Ireland captain was a letdown and took the blame after he failed to stop a penalty corner from Blake Govers in the 11th minute to hand Australia a grand start.

Ireland levelled the score two minutes later through Shane O’Donoghue from close range but Tim Brand hit the winning goal for the world No. 1 Australians in the 34th minute.

Harte, who was voted the best goalkeeper in the Champions Challenge in Kuala Lumpur in 2014, was disappointed.

“I could have done better to stop it. I’m frustrated with the result as we threw many opportunities away in the match,” said the 30-year-old

“We have experienced players in the team and showed we could play good hockey. We did give Australia a good fight and will take some positives from this defeat.”

Ireland, who are featuring in the World Cup after a 28-year hiatus, next face China on Tuesday before taking on England on Friday.

The Star of Malaysia

Inner Mongolia training pays off as China surprise England

By Aftar Singh


Going through: Su Wenlin of China dribbles past two England players during a Group B match in the hockey World Cup at the Kalinga Stadium in India on Friday. The match ended 2-2.

CHINA kept their preparation for the hockey World Cup under wraps by training secretly in Inner Mongolia for few months and skipping all the tournaments in Asia this year.

And on Friday, the debutants unleashed their true potential by creating one of the biggest surprises in the tournament when they held world No. 7 England to a 2-2 draw in the opening Group B match at Kalinga Stadium.

Trained by the famous South Korean coach Kim Sang-ryul, the world No. 17 team played a fast attacking game to give the English players a scare before ending it with a draw.

They matched the skills, speed and power of the England team, who are playing in their 13th World Cup in a row.

Comprising players from Inner Mongolia, China shocked their opponents by taking the lead in the fifth minute through Guo Xiaoping, who showed breathtaking skills to beat three defenders before slotting the ball past England goalkeeper George Pinner.

England, who finished fourth in the 2014 World Cup in The Hague, Holland, came charging back to score two goals through Mark Gleghorne’s penalty corner drag flick in the 14th minute and Liam Ansell who put them in the lead in 48th minute.

China stepped on the gas to equalise in the last minute (59th) off a penalty corner converted by Du Talake, who was later named the man of the match.

It was an unexpected performance considering that China did not even play in the Asian Games in Jakarta in August and the Asian Champions Trophy in Oman in October.

Lack of exposure did not prevent them from showing true determination, commitment and never-say-die attitude throughout the match and even the local fans rose to their feet to give the hockey minnows a standing ovation.

The 63-year-old Sang-ryul praised his players for their tremendous fighting spirit.

“It feels good to score our first two goals in our first World Cup against a strong team like England,” said Sang-ryul.

“We lacked match exposures as the China Hockey Association are unable to send players for tournaments because of lack of fund.

“But we trained every day to improve in every aspect of the game. My players are physically fit and mentally strong to challenge any team in the World Cup.

“This is a new beginning for China, and we hope the performance of our players will inspire others to take up hockey,” added Sang-ryul, who is hoping for a top-three finish in the group.

China’s next two matches are against Ireland (on Tuesday) and reigning world champions Australia (Friday).

The Star of Malaysia

The miracle of Dawson’s return after horrific eye injury

Indervir Grewal


Matt Dawson

Five minutes into Australia’s World Cup opener against Ireland, Matt Dawson entered the field for the first time in the match. It was a special moment for the 24-year-old defender — he was making his World Cup debut. In fact, Dawson’s debut was not an exception — 10 players in the Australian team made World Cup debuts on Friday. And having been a regular in the team for the last two years, the Rio Olympian’s selection in the World Cup team was not a surprise either.

But the red-haired, freckled youngster’s journey to the World Cup has been nothing short of miraculous and inspirational. “It’s obviously been a pretty tough year for me,” Dawson said after the win over Ireland. “To come here and play the World Cup is obviously nice,” he added. 

A tough year is an understatement. In February, just a few days before the Azlan Shah Cup, Dawson suffered a horrific training injury, almost losing one eye. During a training session in Perth, Dawson was chasing a teammate when the player took a shot but missed the ball and caught Dawson in the left eye with his follow-through.

Dawson was left bloodied on the pitch and was quickly taken to the hospital. His eye socket had broken and he was “lucky” his eyeball didn’t burst. But there was an urgent need for a surgery to stop the bleeding behind his eye, which could cause permanent nerve damage. Dawson underwent a surgery in which the doctors used a bone graft from his skull to fix his eye. He had around 30 staples on the back of his skull, and 30 internal stitches under his eye, Dawson wrote in article for Playersvoice.

Dawson said his first thoughts after the injury were whether he could fly to Malaysia for the Azlan Shah Cup. He could not, he was told. The next thought was about the Commonwealth Games in April. The injury made Dawson realise how all your plans could turn upside down. From being certain of playing the CWG and the World Cup, Dawson didn’t even know if he would get back to hockey. Even after he had recovered, he had doubts whether he would find a place back in the national team.

But Dawson wrote that encouraged words from veteran Mark Knowles, his mentor in the team, that the team needed Dawson back helped him. Amazingly, Dawson recovered and went on to win the gold medal in Gold Coast. After Australia’s win on Friday, Dawson said he was grateful for the “confidence of the coaching group shown in me to help me get to my full fitness” and come to the World Cup. Australia have brought a young group to defend their two back-to-back titles won by the country’s golden generation.

The Tribune

Pakistan to host one of the first rounds of Hockey Series Open

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will be hosting one of the first rounds of Hockey Series Open at National Hockey Stadium, Lahore from December 17 to 22. A minimum of 15 teams will qualify for one of three separate Hockey Series finals, said a press release issued here.

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

The teams include Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan and Nepal along with a team from Pakistan.

Pakistan national team won''t be participating in the event as the greenshirts has been selected among the nine countries for FIH Pro League, starting from January 2019. Therefore Pakistan guest team will take part in the round of the series.

The points earned by Pakistan won’t be counted towards deciding the positions in the competition.

But the other four teams will contest to qualify for the final round of the Hockey Series Open.

PHF has called the 115 players for the training camp for the Series to be held at Abdul Sattar Edhi Hockey Stadium, Karachi from December 3. The players include goalkeepers: Hafiz Umair, Usman, Abdul Rehman, Taimoor Sheikh, Ali Raza, Usman Malik.

Defenders: Usman Bashir, Sami Ullah, Jahangir Khan, Hassan Anwar, Kamran Riaz, Rizwan, Usman Tariq, Mehmood Hassan, Waqas Ahmed, Essa Khan, Salman Shaukat, Abid Bhatti, Mohibullah, Zahid Ullah, Farhan Younas, Qazi Isfand Yar, Sultan Amir.

Halfback: Ali Raza, Hasnain Babar, Junaid Rasool, Omar Bilal, Yasir, Muhammad Umer, Faizan, Shameen Munir, Mubashir Jibran, Ali Raza, Asif Hanif, Ghazanfar Ali, Shoaib Shabbir, Sikandar Mustafa, Asim Jonty, Rehan Ashraf, Sunil Mehmood, Ihtisham, Mazhar, Mehran Rasheed, Rizwan, Osama Bashir, Yasir Ali, Sohail, Hasnain Solangi, Sohail Manzoor.

Forwards: Shajeeh Ahmed Saeed, Muhammad Amir, Bilal Qadir, Khizar Akhtar, Ali Hussain, Umar Hamdi, Muhammad Dilber, Shah Fahad, Zulqarnain, Umer, Qazi Muazzam, Naveed Alam, Abdullah Bukhari, Zakirullah, Hammad Anjum, Abdullah Babar, Ahmed Ali, Roman Khan, Mohsin Khan, Abdullah, Muhammad Anees, Rashid Sardar, Nabeel Hussain, Arshad Liaqat, Muhammad Abid, Zeeshan Alvi, Nohaiz Malik, Amir Ali, Shahbaz, Abdul Moiz, Amjad Rehman, Awais ur Rehman, Haseeb Aslam, Usman Nazim, Mohsin Sabir, Zeeshan Bukhari, Qamar Bukhari, Fahad Ullah, Muhammad Asif, Zain Ejaz, Abbas, Akbar Ali, Waseem Akram, Hasan Saleem, Faraz Dar, Asad Mehmood, Sohail Anjum, Bilal Mehmood, Shehryar, Waseem Tariq, Naveed Iqbal, Abdul Rehman, Ammar Ali, Zubair, Rizwan Ali, Hamza, Abdul Manan, Babar Bashir, Sajawal, Noman Khan, Fazeel Khan, Arsalan Haider, Faheem Khan, Hammad Khan and Faisal Rashid.

The officials comprise Qamar Ibrahim (manager), Kamran Ashraf (coach), Adnan (Physiotherapist), Asim Abbasi (video analyst) and Sameer (assistant video analyst).

The News International

A global learning experience for PAHF trio

Sarah Juggins


Lurah Hess and Suzi Sutton (USA). (Photo: Laura Hess)

Traveling to a hockey tournament on the other side of the world may seem like a glamorous way to spend a fortnight. Whether it is the World Cup in India, the Hockey League Finals in New Zealand or, as three PAHF officials have recently experienced, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) Hockey Champions Trophy in China, it sounds like a cool gig.

And of course it is! As an official you are one of the vital members of a group of people who make these things happen. The local organising committee will be anxious to look after you, the teams will certainly want to keep on your good side, and you may get to experience a culture and a country that is new to you.

But it is also tough. Being an official at a major event is a pressured position. Quite apart from the fact you have to take time away from your regular job, you are then in a situation where you are dealing with high performance athletes and coaching teams whose position can often be at the mercy of results.

Quite often your decisions can make a difference to a match: sometimes an actual final outcome rests on your shoulders. That is a stressful situation in itself. Then there is the pressure that comes from within. The desire to do a good job; the desire to improve on each performance; the desire to make a positive impact on the game. And that includes bringing what you learn at an event back to your own hockey community.

For Edmundo Saladino (Argentina), Lurah Hess and Suzi Sutton (USA), the Hockey Champions Trophy in Changzhou, China has been an event in their hockey careers that has provided an opportunity for both learning and reflection. "I have had an epiphany," says Suzi Sutton as the three PAHF officials take time out to share a roundtable discussion about their Champions Trophy experience.

Sutton's epiphany concerns the responsibility the three officials feel towards taking their international experience and sharing it with the PAHF hockey community. It is a responsibility that also resonates with both Hess and Saladino: "I am here to represent the PAHF," says Saladino. "The Pan Am support us here, so I want to give back all my experience to the PAHF umpires and help them get to the top level. At this moment, we have a few top umpires, but we need to get more PAHF umpires into the top tier of international hockey. I always use my experience to help guide the PAHF umpires committee. I am always ready to help."

Both Sutton and Hess talk about the need to share information across all the nations of the PAHF region. It is already happening in pockets on the continent but it is also something that can develop and grow. There is an active Facebook page dedicated to the FIH officials in Changzhou, which began life many months before the hockey tournament actually began. As the three officials talked, one very practical outcome was conceived – a communication strategy, similar to that adopted by the FIH, to share information with hockey officials at all levels on the continent. "It is something we must implement when we get back," says Sutton. For her part, Hess was already scribbling down a memo.

The officials also discussed the similarities and differences in hockey provision and delivery that is evident at an international tournament. Hess made the very pertinent point that many continental federations look to the European Hockey Federation as a model of how to run events. In fact, when you are in a country where resources are limited, then the European model might well be highly unworkable. The better option may be not to duplicate the European way but develop another, more appropriate model.

"My roommate here in Changzhou is African," says Hess, as she warms to the theme. "So we are able to exchange information. People tend to look to Europe but they have so many resources, so may opportunities and so many officials. Actually, where PAHF is right now, we have a lot more in common with Africa."

Saladino agrees: "In the Pan Am Cup, for example, you see Argentina and Canada men competing with Guatemala or Brazil. It is not easy to manage that kind of match. You may actually whistle only one half, so as an umpire, you have to work on your concentration levels.

"To be able to talk to countries from Africa or Oceania, where there are similar issues, Vanuatu versus Australia is a good example, that helps you to address these issues."

A recurring theme around the table was about seeing the 'bigger picture'. "We come from this place where we understand how things work in our city or our region," says Sutton. "But you come here [to China] and you have to have a broader understanding of the way everything that you do is interpreted within a different culture."

Hess agrees with her compatriot. "I do a lot of technical development through the USA domestic hockey league and we have an annual technical officiating seminar. Sometimes, at the domestic level, we can get caught up in the detail. Here, I have stepped back and taken a look at the bigger issue. As I reflect, I'm realising, we have a tendency to look at just the minutiae where we should look at the bigger picture."

She pauses, "and that is something else I have realised during my time here: I have learnt to reflect upon things a little more. Taking a moment to consider all angles rather than just diving in. You have to realise some things are out of your control and you can fight that, or you can just go with it."

At Changzhou, one of the things that so impressed the officials was the level of care they received from the hosts. "The hospitality has been above and beyond," says Sutton. "The umpire from the local hockey organisation, Chen Hong, has been amazing because she has been at pains to make sure we enjoy her country, and that is alongside carrying out her own umpiring duties. I think this is one of the nicest tournaments in terms of the things they have provided to make sure the officials can do their job on the pitch."

The other thing that has so impressed at this competition is the involvement of the top-level members of the China Hockey Association. "If I take a step back and take a look at the CHA," says Sutton, "The amount of effort that has gone into organising this tournament is so impressive. There are a large number of people with high level international experience and they are all involved here. I will take that back to PAHF and say 'look, top officials that are just retiring from the game are giving all their experience back to their association.'

"They are making sure that everything they do is in line with FIH rules, there are no exceptions, regardless of the resources available. They really use all their experience from tournaments elsewhere across the world and then use that to achieve perfection here."

The consensus around the table was that to raise standards in your own region, then you needed to be a constant presence at events such as the Champions Trophy and FIH Pro League. "If you want high standards across global hockey, you have to be at the table of international competition," says Sutton. "You can't have the umpire from Asia calling one decision and the umpire from PAHF calling a different – these events help us to standardise."

That said, the three officials agreed that there was more in common across continents than differences. "In the US," says Hess. "We have a perception that things are very different in Asia, but I think the more times you go to hockey tournaments, the more you realise that things are not so different. It is the same routine at the pitch, we are all part of the same hockey family."


Edmundo Saladino (ARG), with Carol Metchette (IRL) and Margaret Hunnaball (ENG). (Photo: Carol Metchette)

Pan American Hockey Federation media release

Burgess nicks dramatic late win in Cork; UCD and Corinthian lead EYHL2 charge


Cork C of I’s David Lynch. Pic: Munster Hockey

Men’s EY Hockey League
Cork C of I 2 (D Lynch, J Jermyn) Annadale 3 (R Burgess 3)
Ryan Burgess scored twice in the last six minutes to propel Annadale to a third win of the season, cruelly denying Cork C of I the points from a tie they led twice but ended up with nothing to show for their efforts.

In a fast start, Alex Deane hit the post in the first quarter and they stepped up the pace further in the second when they won a couple of corners, the latter of which was rebounded by David Lynch for 1-0. Phil Brownlow went close to a second from John Bruton’s pass but Annadale got level on the half-time whistle from a corner, Burgess netting the first of his trio of goals.

Into the second half, C of I won another series of corners in the third quarter and went back in front when John Jermyn beat Jonny Moore low down the glove side.

The hosts played most of the next phases in the Dale half until late in the game when Dale won a corner with six minutes to go. Burgess fired home powerfully to tie the game up and then, with the last play, he got another chance from a corner which he also slammed home for a big win.

EYHL Division 2 round-up

UCD soared to the top of Pool A of EY Hockey League Division 2 with a magic eight-goal win over Bangor at Belfield. Mark Samuel set them on their way to an 8-3 win with a corner deflection in the eighth minute and they went on to score four before the end of the first quarter.

Ewan Ramsay finished nicely on the reverse before Davd Nolan got the first of his hat trick of goals. A second for him came for a 4-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

David McClune pulled one back but it was 5-1 at half-time thanks to Andrew Tutty’s goal. Another McClune goal early in the second half did not threaten to kickstart a comeback for Bangor as Nolan, Peter Lynch and Iain Styles extended the lead to 8-2 with a quarter to go. McClune’s third was a mere consolation.

Railway are second in the group after they played out a lively 2-2 draw with Bandon at Park Avenue. Simon McKeever forced home the first goal from Railway’s third corner in the seventh minute and they held that lead into half-time, denied a second when Richard Forrest was adjudged to have touched in a move with his body.

They did, however, extend their lead in the second half via and Andy Colton drag-flick but Bandon replied immediately with a nice run ending with a diving David Smith touch.

Three minutes later, it was level when Bandon’s press yielded a turnover and then a corner which Colin Kingston equalised from. In a lively final quarter, both sides had their chances to win it but had to settle for the draw. The outcome leaves UCD on 10 points, Railway on 8 and Bandon and Bangor on 4 points at the halfway stage.

In Pool B, Corinthian lead the way following a 4-1 win at UCC, making it three wins from three so far. Ian Stewart continued his spectacular scoring run this season with a double while Dan Treacy also got two, out-doing Brian Stockil’s goal which had tied the game at 1-1.

The game also saw a special moment when father and son Neil and Craig Mackay lined out in the same team, the first pairing to do so in the EYHL. Neil was wearing the goalkeeping kit of his other son, Euan, as he stepped in between the posts in the final quarter.


Corinthian father and son Neil and Craig Mackay at the Mardyke

Instonians are up to second after a 4-2 win over Kilkeel. They led from the front with Gavin Lecky’s strike going in off a defender’s foot and William Robinson made it 2-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Gareth Russell mopped up from a save off Ashton Graham’s ball in to get Kilkeel back in the game at half-time but another Robinson corner made it 3-1. From the restart, Jonny Aiken scored a diving deflection but the game was settled when a Robinson flick was finished off by Stephen Kelso.

Corinthian go into Christmas on 12 points with Inst on 8, Kilkeel on 5 and UCC yet to register. The competition returns to action on February 16, 2019.

Men’s EY Hockey League: Cork C of I 2 (D Lynch, J Jermyn) Annadale 3 (R Burgess 3)

EYHL Division 2
Pool A: Railway Union 2 (S McKeever, A Colton) Bandon 2 (D Smith, C Kingston); UCD 8 (D Nolan 3, M Samuel, E Ramsay, A Tutty, P Lynch, I Styles) Bangor 3 (D McClune 3)
Pool B: Kilkeel 2 (G Russell, J Aiken) Instonians 4 (W Robinson 2, G Lecky, S Kelso); UCC 1 (B Stockil) Corinthian 4 (I Stewart 2, D Treacy 2)

The Hook

Muckross finally score big win as young stars come of age


Niamh Gowing scored a crucial goal for Muckross. Pic: Adrian Boehm

Muckross finally turned a strong performance into a result as they beat Old Alex 3-0 in the second round of the Irish Senior Cup, a big turnaround from their 5-1 league loss to the same opponent.

Laura Hanlon put them ahead in the 13th minute from a corner before Niamh Gowing gave Muckross extra breathing space at half-time on the rebound for 2-0.

Yasmin Pratt showed her prodigious pace to race clear down the right and then bury a one-on-one chance to complete the 3-0 win in the last few minutes.

Reflecting on the tie, Muckross coach Sarah Scott was thrilled with the outcome: “I am absolutely delighted with how the girls played. We started really well, pressed extremely well and won a lot of ball in midfield.

“I am really happy we won a corner from it and scored and that set us up, giving us huge confidence.”

She had felt her young side, the majority in their first season at the top table, were getting closer and closer to a result and feels this victory can carry huge significance for the second half of the season.

“Over the last three or four games, we have struggled in that area but going one up helped the side realise their potential. In the second half, we started the same way and kept our structure.

“We were able to move the ball into space and got on the end of two really good passes. It was a deserved win to finish the first half of the season. This team has really grown up in the last few months and so I am really looking forward to the second half of the season.”

In similar fashion, Ards got their first win of the national-grade season when they beat Belfast Harlequins 3-2 to reach the last eight. Quins had taken an early lead via Lucy Geddes but the advantage was swapped by half-time when Frankie Brown slipped home from Erin Camlin’s ball in and Becky Weir pounced on a corner rebound.

Ards added to their lead via Brown’s second, latching onto Amy Benson’s cross to tip under a diving goalkeeper.

As in the league tie, the Belfast side pulled off their keeper to good effect for the last 10 minutes as they got back in the game with Abi Edwards pulling one back. But Naomi McKnight shone between the posts to give Ards a confidence-boosting win and a place in the last eight.

Loreto survived a tricky trip to Ballymoney, Sarah Evans and Christina Hamill scoring in the second half to outdo an Olivia Mullan goal. The first half had ended scoreless.

Railway Union also found Ulster Elks a tough nut to crack but eventually won through 3-1 at Park Avenue. Zara Delany and Megan Frazer made it 1-1 at half-time as Gemma Ferguson kept Elks on terms for long periods but a low sweep from Orla Fox made it 2-1.

Niamh Sweeney and Lily Lloyd then combined to assist Kate McKenna in making it 3-1 and sealing the deal.

Pegasus were 5-2 winners against Trinity, doing most of the damage in the first half as they tore into a 4-0 lead. Michelle Harvey started that run with a flick into the bottom corner from a baseline pull-back. Lucy McKee’s deflection from Pamela Glass’s corner shot made it two and she was on the mark again for the third.

Taite Doherty laid on the fourth for Hannah Craig. Sally Campbell pulled two back in the second half for Trinity to make things lively but Alex Speers completed the Pegs’ win from a corner move, a left slip to Steph Thompson that was fired into the former Irish captain’s path.

Cork Harlequins were too strong for Banbridge, winning 5-0, while UCD went one better with Sarah Young scoring two in their 6-0 win over Lurgan, racing clear in the second half.

Laura Noble continued her excellent scoring form, making it five in three club games with a double in a 4-0 win for Pembroke over Monkstown.

In the Trophy, Three Rock Rovers and Our Lady’s hold up the Leinster representation in the last eight after their wins over Bandon and Clontarf.

For Three Rock, Aoife McCarthy got the only goal in a 1-0 win in west Cork, making it five games unbeaten in all competitions. Our Lady’s got their first win of the season with a 2-1 success against Tarf.

Bray bowed out in a shoot-out to Greenfields, North Kildare lost at Portadown while Weston fell 6-0 to Raphoe and Rathgar lost 5-1 in Omagh.

Irish Senior Cup round 2: Ards 3 (F Brown 2, B Weir) Belfast Harlequins 2 (L Geddes, A Edwards); Ballymoney 1 (O Mullan) Loreto 2 (S Evans, C Hamill); Cork Harlequins 5 (A O’Grady, O Roycroft, E O’Leary, C Sargent, R Barry) Banbridge, 0; Old Alexandra 0 Muckross 3 (L Hanlon, N Gowing, Y Pratt); Pegasus 5 (L McKee 2, M Harvey, H Craig, A Speers) Trinity 2 (S Campbell 2); Pembroke 4 (L Noble 2, C Foley, A Ward) Monkstown 0; Railway Union 3 (Z Delany, O Fox, K McKenna) Ulster Elks 1 (M Frazer); UCD 6 (S Young 2, M Carey, L Tice, N Carey, L McGuire) Lurgan 0

Irish Hockey round 2: Bandon 0 Three Rock Rovers 1 (A McCarthy); Bray 1 (R McDonagh) Greenfields 1 (K Dunleavy), Greenfields win shoot-out 4-3; Cork C of I 2 (K Coombes, R Kingston) Mossley 1 (N McMillan); Lisnagarvey 1 NUIG 2; Omagh 5 (E Shortt 2, A Buchanan, E Fulton, A McCollum) Rathgar 1; Our Lady’s 2 Clontarf 1; Portadown 2 North Kildare 1 (E Ryan-Doyle); Raphoe 6 (W E Patterson, L Smyth, V Wray, S McErlean, S Barnett, Z Tinney) Weston 0

The Hook

Lightning strikes twice as Edinburgh win Beatson Super Series with maximum points

By Justin Bowie



Edinburgh Lightning were crowned Beatson Cancer Charity Super Series champions after coming from behind to secure a 2-1 win over the Dundee Devils.

Emily Dark sent the Devils into a 1-0 lead with an impressive flicked effort from a penalty corner shortly after the second quarter started, but Lightning soon responded courtesy of Becky Mill and Fiona Burnet.

The game was initially an even contest, both sides creating chances. Off the back of their 11-2 win against Glasgow last night, Edinburgh created the more dangerous opportunities but struggled to take control of the game.

There were possible signs of fatigue from them though as the second quarter began and the Devils took the lead.

Dundee pushed for a second against a compact Lightning defence, but Edinburgh reminded their opponents that the game was far from over as they came close to scoring twice as half-time approached.

The game turned on its head shortly before the end of the third quarter, Becky Mill scoring for the side from the capital to level the game at 1-1.

They were given a golden chance to take the lead in the dying moments of the third quarter when they were awarded a penalty, however a superb save from Dundee’s goalkeeper denied Fiona Semple.

Undeterred though, Lightning pushed on as the final quarter commenced, and were soon rewarded as Fiona Burnet sent them into the lead.

With Burnet’s goal being the first of the afternoon from open play, Edinburgh were given the opportunity to double their lead from a penalty corner, but Becky Mill was denied as the Dundee keeper once again kept her side into the game.

For the rest of the game the game the Devils pushed for an equaliser, but none came as Edinburgh secured their second straight win and the tournament.

The afternoon’s earlier game told a similar story, Edinburgh Lightning’s Development team also securing a 2-1 win over their Dundee opponents.

Like in the senior contest the Devils took the lead, Sophia Free opening the scoring after five minutes had been played.

While the Devils played well, Lightning remained in the contest, and were rewarded when they equalised courtesy of Cailin Hart’s goal from a penalty corner.

Lightning were buoyed by their goal, and took the lead shortly after the interval, Rhona Gowans scoring from another penalty corner.

Dundee piled on pressure towards the end, but Edinburgh held on, ensuring that there remains plenty to play for in the Development contest tomorrow between Glasgow and Dundee.

The result means it’s all to play for in tomorrow’s final match when the Devils take on Glasgow Thunder.

Scottish Hockey Union media release