News for 08 December 2018
All the news for Saturday 8 December 2018
Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 - Day 10
Bhubaneswar (IND)
Results 7 December
AUS v CHN (Pool B) 11 - 0
IRL v ENG (Pool B) 2 - 4
Fixtures 8 December (GMT +5:30)
17:00 BEL v RSA (Pool C)
19:00 CAN v IND (Pool C)
Remaining Pool games
9 Dec 2018 17:00 MAS v GER (Pool D
9 Dec 2018 19:00 NED v PAK (Pool D)
Cross-overs
10 Dec 2018 16:45 ENG v NZL (Cross-over)
10 Dec 2018 19:00 FRA v CHN (Cross-over)
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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Out of the Competition
Spain
Ireland
Govers Nets Hat-Trick As Kookaburras Smash China
Ben Somerford
World Cup reigning champions Australia have completed a perfect pool stage with a ruthless 11-0 thrashing of China PR in their final World Cup group game in Bhubaneswar on Friday night.
The world number one Kookaburras came within one goal of their own World Cup record win of 12-0 over South Africa from 2010, having led 9-0 at the final break.
Wollongong’s Blake Govers, who is now the World Cup top scorer with five goals, starred with a hat-trick and an assist in the emphatic victory.
Govers grabbed three goals but the others were shared around with Tim Brand next best with a double.
Aran Zalewski, Tom Craig, Jeremy Hayward, Jake Whetton, Dylan Wotherspoon and Flynn Ogilvie all also netted in the crushing victory.
The Kookaburras had already sealed their quarter-final spot and will take momentum into their knockout match where they’ll play France or China at 10:30pm AEDT on Wednesday night.
Australia were dominant throughout against China, with 42-6 circle penetrations, 17-1 shots and 6-1 penalty corners.
Player of the Match Govers said: “We had a great game today and really gelled together so it was positive.”
When asked about the World Cup record, he added: “We had no clue. We just stuck to our game plan. We were playing China and had a game plan. That’s it really.”
Whetton swept over the bar inside the first five minutes from an Eddie Ockenden pass, while the Chinese defence held out for almost 10 minutes before the opener.
Govers broke the deadlock, after Australia won a penalty corner from a Tom Craig referral, which Wollongong product Govers rifled past China keeper Wang Caiyu high into the net.
Australia doubled their lead late in the first period when Zalewski, who missed the first pool game due to illness, easily converted Wotherspoon’s cutback after Hayward’s flick was saved.
Craig made it 3-0 in the 16th minute with a shot under Wang after receiving a baseline pass from Trent Mitton, who will play his 150th game for Australia in the upcoming quarter-final.
Jake Harvie won Australia a 19th minute penalty corner, which Govers powered into the back of the net with the aid of a slight deflection off a Chinese runner.
Darwin defender Hayward joined the party as Australia converted their fourth first-half short corner with a low flick to Wang’s right in the 22nd minute.
Whetton scored arguably the goal of the night in the 29th minute when he acrobatically dived to convert Govers’ cutback. Govers had brilliantly trapped Ockenden’s powerful drive into the D to set up the chance.
Australia showed no signs of letting up after taking a 6-0 lead into the long interval, with Brand scoring from Ogilvie’s 33rd minute pass.
Govers completed his hat-trick a minute later with a rocket of a finish after Hayward nipped in to steal the ball.
Daniel Beale cut back an expert reverse stick cross for Wotherspoon to deflect home Australia’s ninth in the 38th minute.
Australia had to wait until the 49th minute to reach double figures when Ogilvie lashed home a loose ball after Brand’s centred pass caused chaos inside the circle.
Kookaburras keeper Tyler Lovell was called into action for the first time from a 52nd minute Chinese penalty corner but made a routine save.
Brand added the 11th with the simplest of finishes from close range after Harvie’s cutback was deflected across the goalmouth.
Australia 11 (Govers 10’, 19’, 34’, Zalewski 15’, Craig 16’, Hayward 22’, Whetton 29’, Brand 33’, 55’, Wotherspoon 38, Ogilvie 49’)
China PR 0
Hockey Australia media release
Australia punish hapless China for third straight win
Pushing the limits: China’s Jun Su (centre) struggling to score as Australia goalkeeper Andrew Charter defends during the Group B match yesterday.
DEFENDING champions Australia went on a remarkable goal-scoring spree by thrashing hapless China 11-0 to secure their third consecutive win in a Group B match in the World Cup.
Australia were far too strong for debutants China as Blake Govers emerged as the top scorer when he hit the goals in the 10th, 19th and 34th minutes.
Tim Brand scored a brace in the 33rd and 55th minutes while six others – Aran Zalewski (15th), Tom Craig (16th), Jeremy Hayward (22nd), Jake Whetton (29th) and Dylan Wotherspoon (38th) and Flynn Ogilvie (49th) contributed the other goals for Australia.
It was the biggest margin win for the mighty Australia at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar yesterday.
Australia topped the group and gained an automatic berth into the quarter-finals while China have two points in three matches and they have to wait for the outcome of the Ireland versus England match to determine their fate.
The Star of Malaysia
Stats Speak: Australia break Pakistan’s record with 16th consecutive wins in World Cups
By B.G.Joshi (in Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar)
Jake Whetton scoring a goal for Australia (Courtesy - Hockey India)
Australia defeated China 11-0 in a pool match of the World Cup in Bhubaneswar, thus registering their 16th consecutive win in World Cups, which is a new record. The Kookaburras broke the record that was held by Pakistan who had won 15 back-to-back matches in the 1978 and 1982 editions.
The win over China was Australia’s second biggest in World Cups. Their biggest win came against South Africa in New Delhi (2010) when they won 12-0. It is also the biggest ever in the history of World Cup. Here are the stats:
11+goals scored in 5 matches in World Cup:
|
Total Goal scored In a match |
Year |
Venue |
Winner |
Runners-up |
Match Score |
|
15 |
1982 |
Mumbai |
Pakistan |
New Zealand |
12-3 |
|
13 |
1978 |
Buenos Aires |
Germany |
Poland |
9-4 |
|
12 |
2010 |
New Delhi |
Australia |
South Africa |
12-0 |
|
11 |
2010 |
New Delhi |
South Korea |
Canada |
9-2 |
|
11 |
2018 |
Bhubaneswar |
Australia |
China |
11-0 |
Most consecutive wins: 16 by Australia - 6 in New Delhi (2010), 7 in Hague (2014) and 3 in Bhubaneswar (2018). Earlier, Pakistan had a record of 15 consecutive wins - 8 in Buenos Aires (1978) and 7 in Mumbai (1982).
Fieldhockey.com
China in Ireland out, its how it turned out in WC
s2h Team
Photo: Avtar Bhurji
The site has predicted how China is on the verge of outwitting either England or Ireland to sneak into the cross over phase irrespective its last pool match pending. The formality was today completed in a dramatic fashion in which China had no hand, except benefitting.
After Australia has white-washed China 11-0 in the first match of Day 10, traditional foes Ireland and England played their last pool match. There was much at stake for both teams. The situation was that the loser will be knocked out of the competition while draw will put both in the cross over phase, leaving sensational China in lurch.
As it turned out, Ireland lost steam when counted in the third quarter to handover the match to England. It went down 2-4. The last goal was struck by England with Irish playing kick-packer, meaning without goalkeeper. In this risky phase, Mark Gleghorne slotted a goal off a penalty corner when England got it just four seconds left in the clock. This goal meant nothing, except accentuating the English dominance, as the outcome had already been decided.
The turning point of the otherwise evenly played match was when England could shock the Irish with two freehit deflections in a space of two minutes. Both goals were scored in a same fashion: a strong free hit from right flank quickness of which stunned the FIH Goalkeeper award winning goalie David Harte.
Standing in front of David, first Liam Ansell deflected and the next one was accomplished by James Hall. The latter's goal turned out to be crucial simply because the Irish nullified Ansell's goal in the same minute with an immaculate penalty corner conversion by Shane O'Donoghue.
England took lead in the fag end of first quarter through David Condon. The lead survived another twenty minutes till Chris Cargo banged a goal in the 35th minute. The lively third quarter settled the issue of winner.
With two draws, China had a point more than Ireland. Despite a heavy loss today, its China's day today.
One can easily pity for the Irish team that lost its campaign when failed to garner full points against China. A team that lost 0-11 is sitting in the cross over bench. This aspect will keep the worthiness of the format in fire for days to come.
Stick2Hockey.com
China qualify for playoffs
By Jugjet Singh
BHUBANESWAR: Despite the 11-0 hammering by Australia, China still made it to the next round as they finished third in Group B of the World Cup here in India on Friday.
World No 1 Australia topped the group, while England finished second when they beat Ireland 4-2 in another match.
China, with two draws, ended third while Ireland were bundled out of the World Cup.
In the playoffs for quarter-final spots, China will play Group A runners-up France while England will take on third-place New Zealand.
England and Ireland needed a draw to both qualify for the next round but the European teams were in no mood for a compromise.
Australia got their 11 goals through Blake Govers (10th, 19th, 34th), Aran Zalewski (15th), Tom Craig (16th), Jeremy Hayward (22nd), Jake Whetton (29th), Tim Brand (33rd, 55th), Dylan Wotherspoon (38th) and Flynn Ogilvie (49th).
England's goals were scored by David Condon (fifth), Liam Ansell (37th), James Gall (38th) and Mark Gleghorne (60th).
Chris Cargo (35th) and Shane O'Donoghue (37th) scored for Ireland.
RESULTS
GROUP B
AUSTRALIA 11-0 CHINA
IRELAND 2-4 ENGLAND
New Straits Times
China enter crossovers despite heavy loss to Australia; England dash Ireland hopes
Action from the Hockey World Cup match between Ireland and England. Image courtesy: Twitter @sports_odisha
Ireland crashed out of the men's hockey World Cup after losing 2-3 to England, handing China a 'lucky' berth in the knockout stages despite being crushed 0-11 by two-time holders Australia here on Friday.
Australia topped the pool with an all-win record after thrashing lowly China in a lop-sided affair and remained on course for a hat-trick of titles.
Australia accumulated nine points from three games and secured a direct entry into the quarterfinals while England finished second on four points and China (two points) scrapped through by securing the third spot with two draws.
Despite the heavy loss, China made it to the crossovers, courtesy England's win over Ireland.
If the England-Ireland match had ended in a draw, China would have been thrown out of the competition.
In the crossovers, China will take on France on 10 December, while England will face New Zealand the same day. World No 7 England scored three field goals through David Condon (15th minute), Liam Ansell (37th) and James Gall (38th) to come out victorious.
For World No 11 Ireland, Chris Cargo (35th) and Shane O'Donoghue sounded the board.
In the match between David and Goliath, Australia toyed with the hapless Chinese defence and scored goals at will to go into the halfway break with a commanding 6-0 lead.
Coming into the match with two impressive draws against higher-ranked England (2-2) and Ireland (1-1), it turned out to be a completely different ball game for the Chinese, as they found it difficult to breach the huge gulf.
From start to finish, the match was mostly played at the Chinese half with the Kookaburras launching one attack after another.
After managing to hold Australia initially, the floodgates opened in the 10th minute and there was no stopping the Kookaburras thereafter.
Blake Govers (10th, 19th, 34th minutes) scored a hat-trick, while young Tim Brand (33rd, 55th) accounted for two goals. Aran Zalewski (15th), Tom Craig (16th), Jeremy Hayward (22nd), Jake Whetton (29th), Dylan Wotherspoon (38th) and Flynn Ogilive (49th) were the other goal getters for Australia.
The Kookaburras could not break their own record of biggest win margin in international hockey.
Australia hold the record of biggest win margin, which they achieved by defeating South Africa 12-0 in the 2010 World Cup in New Delhi. The scoreline against China is the second biggest win in the history of the game.
Firstpost
England and China advance ahead of Ireland from Pool B
©: Frank Uijlenbroek / World Sport Pics
England and China took the crossover places from the Hockey World Cup Pool B in dramatic style as they edged out Ireland in Bhubaneswar.
For China, they were made to live on their nerves as they were crushed 11-0 by Australia. It meant a draw of any description would see them eliminated and, at a number of times, it looked possible that England and Ireland could serve up that result. Whoever lost, meanwhile, would be eliminated.
David Condon opened the scoring in the last minute of the first quarter with a strong finish from a pull-back from Will Calnan following a quick counter-attack.
The start of the second half was full of excitement. Ireland had to put pressure on to try and find an equaliser to ensure a place in the next round. They managed to do so in the 35th minute through Chris Cargo.
However, two minutes later, Liam Ansell gave the lead again to England thanks to a fantastic hit into the roof of the net.
This was not enough to discourage the Green Machine who, just a few seconds later, equalized again with a drag-flick from Shane O’Donoghue from a penalty-corner.
But England went immediately on the attack again and scored a third goal only one minute later with a superb deflection from James Gall. Ireland nearly equalized again seconds before the end of the third quarter but Cargo volleyed wide.
In the last minute of the game, England converted a penalty-corner for their fourth goal by Mark Gleghorne. That meant that England qualified for the cross-overs while Ireland were eliminated.
England’s Luke Taylor said: “Today we took our chances. That really helped us and that will give us confidence going forward. We’re not going to worry about anyone else. We’re going to go out there and play our game and do the best we can, really.”
On Saturday, Pool C comes to a close with Belgium facing South Africa and India taking on Canada.
Euro Hockey League media release
Awesome Ansell helps England qualify for World Cup knockouts
England v Ireland HWC2018
Liam Ansell’s stunning strike was the pick of a six goal thriller as England progressed to the 2018 Hockey Men’s World Cup knockout stages with victory over Ireland.
The forward smashed the ball beyond David Harte in the midst of a goalscoring frenzy early in the second half, with four goals scored in three minutes.
David Condon, James Gall and Mark Gleghorne also found the net for England while Ireland’s goals came courtesy of Chris Cargo and Shane O’Donoghue, but it wasn’t enough for them to qualify.
The result means England finish second in Pool B behind Australia and they will now face New Zealand in the next round, with Ansell believing today’s hard-fought win will set them up perfectly for that game
“It’s always a tight game against Ireland and today they caused us quite a lot of problems,” he said.
“But we said in our previous games we need to take our chances, we did today and it was great to get the win on the board.
“I don’t think any team here is an easy game, they’re all tough. You’ve got to prepare for all of them and be ready on the day. We’ll go away and prepare, see where we can improve, work out New Zealand’s threats and be ready for that game.”
England started firmly on the front foot, Ansell and Gleghorne narrowly missing the target before Condon converted their dominance with a fine goal in the 15th minute after Will Calnan's intelligent run.
Ian Sloan almost doubled the advantage in the 24th minute but mis-hit his shot – following a fantastic run – into the turf and it looped over the crossbar.
Cargo then started the scoring chaos at the start of the second half, bringing Ireland level before Ansell’s moments of magic soon restored England’s lead.
Seconds later Ireland found themselves on equal terms once again as O’Donoghue’s deflected corner beat George Pinner before Gall beautifully deflected Liam Sanford’s raking pass beyond Harte.
The Irish ‘keeper was called into action twice in quick succession midway through the final quarter to thwart Harry Martin and Phil Roper before Cargo put a corner rebound over the bar at the other end.
A kicking back was employed by the Irish for the final four minutes but they couldn’t break through, with Gleghorne having the final say by rifling the ball into the goal for England’s fourth.
You can watch England take on New Zealand in their crossover game live on BT Sport at 11:15 on Monday 10 December.
Ireland 2 (0)
Cargo (FG, 35); O’Donoghue (PC, 37)
England 4 (1)
Condon (FG, 15); Ansell (FG, 37); Gall (FG, 38); Gleghorne (PC, 60)
Starting XI: Pinner (GK, C), Ames, Martin, Gleghorne, Dixon, Middleton, Ansell, Condon, Waller, Gall, Sanford
Subs: Gibson (GK), Taylor, Sloan, Hoare, Roper, Calnan, Wallace
England Hockey Board Media release
Green Machine World Cup Comes To An End
Ireland’s World Cup journey came to an end tonight in a 6 goal clash with England.
It was a relatively uneventful opening half with England slightly edging the chances. The world number 7 side seemed content to pass the ball around their backline and wait for gaps to appear, any real ones were few and far between. Liam Sandford won the only penalty corner of the first half and Mark Gleghorne sent his drag flick high and wide of its target. England were tipping the possession scales slightly and they got the opening goal in the 15th minute as Will Canlan pulled the ball back from the baseline for David Condon to score from close range. A replay showed the English breakaway goal came courtesy of an unspotted foot but they took advantage as the Green Machine tried to track back to deal with the overlap. Ian Sloan had a chance to double his sides lead as he stumbled through a tackle but his shot went sailing over the crossbar as David Harte charged out of his goal. Shane O’Donoghue was a bright spark for Ireland, appearing all over the pitch, and trying to instigate an Irish attack through midfield but the English defence remained resolute in the opening half.
The game came to life in rip-roaring fashion in the third quarter with 4 goals in 3 minutes. Chris Cargo pulled Ireland level in the 35thminute following great link up play by Michael Robson and Sean Murray to get the ball into the circle. But less than a minute later Liam Ansell put England ahead again as he picked up a pass from David Ames on the edge of the circle and sent a rocket on his reverse into the net. But the Green Machine responded once again, this time O’Donoghue sent one of his penalty corner drag flicks past George Pinner to level the game again. But Liam Sandford sent a pacey sweep into the circle and James Gall got low to deflect the ball past Harte to give England a 3-2 lead. Ireland continued to increase the pressure and Cargo nearly drew the game level again as he pounced on a rebound from Alan Sothern’s drag flick but the ball went over the bar. Paul Gleghorne took his place as kicking back for the final few minutes as Ireland chased the required equaliser but in the end it was a final-second penalty corner from his brother Mark that ended the game and Ireland’s time at the Odisha World Cup.
Speaking after the fixture, head coach Alexander Cox said “This is painful, you never get used to losing. I wasn’t happy with the first quarter, we were on the back-foot but in the second half we turned it around and gave it our all. I think in every game this tournament we had an opportunity to get a result but in the end, we weren’t clinical enough. We tried; I’m proud of the players and how they conducted themselves, we gave it our all throughout the tournament. We just have to make sure the next time we are on the other end of the result”.
Odisha World Cup, Bhubaneswar
Ireland 2 (Cargo, O’Donoghue)
England 4 (Condon, Ansell, Gall, Gleghorne)
Starting: D Harte (captain), J Bell, C Cargo, A Sothern, E Magee, S O’Donoghue, M Darling, M Robson, P Gleghorne, C Harte, S Loughrey
Subs: M Bell, M Nelson, K Shimmins, S Murray, 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 1vs1 China
7/12/18 19:00 Ireland 2vs4 England
Irish Hockey Association media release
Irish knock-out hopes brought to crushing end by England
Mitch Darling sees a shot impeded to win a penalty corner. Pic: Frank Uijlenbroek/World Sport Pics
Ireland’s World Cup crossover hopes came to a crushing end at the hands of England, leaving them bottom of Pool B in Bhubaneswar.
Ultimately, the missed chances against China on Tuesday will be memories that stick in the craw in the list of what might have beens. Any sort of victory there would have seen Alexander Cox’s side through to the knock-out rounds.
As it was, there was tension-laden throughout the performance with the Green Machine requiring a draw or better to advance against higher ranked England.
Earlier in the day, Australia showed how it is done when they smashed China 11-0. The result did not change Ireland’s equation but did mean England could afford to draw to go through.
Could two of the fiercest of rivals conjure up the most mutually beneficial result with both sides going through with a tie?
A tepid opening might have suggested so but England soon started to force the issue.
The warning signs came from Liam Ansell and Mark Gleghorne – playing against his younger brother Paul – before David Condon shot home for 1-0 in the 15th minute from Will Calnan’s pull-back.
Ireland had rightful gripes as the turnover to create the English overlap came off Phil Roper’s foot. Ireland never got their formation back in order and Condon was left with a clear chance to shoot home. Ireland stepped up their game markedly in the second half when all hell broke loose.
From their first fluid attack, they were level, a gorgeous move via Michael Robson, Sean Murray and Chris Cargo whose push for the corner went in as Mitch Darling’s floating stick serving as a key distraction.
It kick-started a run of four goals in three minutes as the Green Machine got level twice but were not able to make parity stick.
Ansell cracked home a superb reverse for 2-1 to England only for Shane O’Donoghue – at the second attempt – to whip in a drag-flick.
Again, Ireland were unable to shut up shop. Liam Sanford was gifted too much time to line up a crash ball and he picked the perfect line for James Gall to deflect into the top corner – 3-2 with 21 minutes remaining.
It was the crucial blow. There were chances a plenty to level once again but they were snatched at rather than controlled.
Conor Harte miscued a drag after some confusion at the head of the D while Cargo flashed over a volley after Alan Sothern stung George Pinner’s palm.
That was with six minutes to go and a ragged endgame worked in England’s favour. To rubber-stamp things, Paul Gleghorne went to the sin-bin in a desperate attempt to get the ball back with 20 seconds to go.
His older brother Mark, in opposition colours, showed no mercy on the final hooter against an unpadded defensive unit to pour salt in the wounds.It left Ireland fourth in the group, behind China and second place, missing out on a date with New Zealand.
Men’s Hockey World Cup Pool B:
Ireland 2 (C Cargo, S O’Donoghue)
England 4 (D Condon, L Ansell, J Gall, M Gleghorne)
Ireland: D Harte, J Bell, C Cargo, A Sothern, E Magee, S O’Donoghue, M Darling, M Robson, P Gleghorne, C Harte, S Loughrey
Subs: M Bell, M Nelson, S Murray, D Walsh, L Cole, K Shimmins, D Fitzgerald
England: G Pinner, D Ames, H Martin, M Gleghorne, A Dixon, B Middleton, L Ansell, D Condon, J Waller, J Gall, L Sanford
Subs: L Taylor, I Sloan, M Hoare, P Roper, W Calnan, Z Wallace, H Gibson
The Hook
Barry Middleton hails England in ‘crazy’ win over Ireland
By Rod Gilmour, Bhubaneswar
Midfielder Barry Middleton hailed the cool heads of his England team-mates after they won through 4-2 in a breathless and wild encounter on Friday night to keep their sub-continental hopes alive and send Ireland packing from their first World Cup since 1990.
Liam Ansell’s brilliant second-half strike set the tone for England’s first victory of their campaign during a frenetic third quarter which saw four goals in as many minutes.It was pinball stuff.
England then held on in a nervy final five minutes to set up a crossover match against New Zealand on Monday before the quarter-finals, the winner facing Olympic champions Argentina.
“We had intensity and we were calm in our heads. It came down to a crazy five minutes,” said Middleton, playing in his fourth World Cup.
Middleton had laid down a marker when he hustled Conor Harte off the ball in the opening exchanges. There were lively runs from Ansell and Liam Sanford, while Ireland looked tense and unable to move forward with any real substance.
In a pre-billed grudge match, the only sign of any tempers flaring came when Harte and David Condon locked shoulders unintentionally, with both spoken to by the umpire. It was left for hockey to do the talking as England’s purpose proved their catalyst.
Middleton added: “What we did well, the whole game was the pressure game. There were some big moments. They tried to come back at us and we killed their momentum.
“In this format when it starts to get down to results, people start to get nervous. We were controlled and a bit more committed.”
England led through Condon’s instinctive 15th minute strike during a first half where Ireland failed to make any circle entries.
But the game came alive in the 35th minute when Chris Cargo’s weighted pass went straight into England’s goal.
With the next attack, the impressive David Ames’ deft pass found Ansell, who unleashed from a tight angle to beat David Harte at his near post.
Green shirts were now a constant presence in the England circle and Shane O’Donoghue struck with his second penalty corner attempt to break the Irish goals record.
Back came England and, in the 38th minute, James Gall’s stick deflection from Sanford’s fizzing through ball looped into the top corner.
The goal frenzy dried up but with time ticking Ireland took off Harte and sent on a kicking back for their final onslaught, but couldn’t make the extra man pay. The game was killed off when Mark Gleghorne scored from a penalty corner with the last strike of the game.
Sanford, who impressed with some bulldozer-like runs out of defence, said: “I don’t think I’ve been involved in such a competitive game.
“It was such a good game with goals and it flowed in momentum in different ways. It was an incredible atmosphere.”
David Harte, Ireland’s captain, admitted: “I’m heartbroken and so disappointed. I am so proud of how they’ve played but ultimately we’ve come up short.
“It’s the small details at the top level and it’s gut-wrenching.”
The Hockey Paper
England makes the crossovers
China also assured of an entry into the knockouts
Y.B. Sarangi
Firing it in: James Gall, second from left, is ecstatic after slotting in England’s third goal.
A determined England outsmarted Ireland 4-2 in its final Pool B encounter to secure a place in the crossovers of the Hockey World Cup at the Kalinga Stadium here on Friday.
England collected four points to claim the second spot behind pool-topper Australia, which directly reached the quarterfinals. The English victory also ensured China’s entry into the knockout stage at the expense of Ireland.
China had two points, while Ireland had just one. England will meet New Zealand and China will take on France in the crossover matches on Monday.
The Englishmen, who controlled the pace and put constant pressure, went 1-0 up in the 15th minute. Zachary Wallace took it on the right and passed it on from the back-line to David Condon to complete the formalities.
Ireland showed a lot of patience to defend its post sturdily and mark the Englishmen diligently.
Goal glut
The third quarter produced a goal-show, with both sides scoring four goals within three minutes. Ireland’s organised attack, consisting of short passes, brought the equaliser when Chris Cargo found the target.
Liam Ansell’s blazing hit restored England’s lead, while Shane O’Donoghue’s penalty corner conversion made it 2-2.
Liam Sanford’s long hit was deflected in by James Gall in the third quarter and Mark Gleghorne’s 60th minute strike completed the tally.
Earlier, defending champion Australia rode on Blake Govers’ triple strike and Tim Brand’s brace to rout China 11-0 and finish its pool engagements with an all-win record.
The top-ranked team, which posted the biggest win of the event so far, was one goal short of its World Cup record of 12-0 victory over South Africa in Delhi eight years ago.
The results (Pool B): Australia 11 (Blake Govers 10, 19, 34, Aran Zalewski 15, Tom Craig 16, Jeremy Hayward 22, Jake Whetton 29, Tim Brand 33, 55, Dylan Wotherspoon 38, Flynn Ogilvie 49) bt China 0; England 4 (David Condon 15, Liam Ansell 37, James Gall 38, Mark Gleghorne 60) bt Ireland 2 (Chris Cargo 35, Shane O’Donoghue 37).
The Hindu
Ireland bow out of Hockey World Cup at the hands of England
Goals from Chris Cargo and Shane O’Donoghue were not enough in a dramatic tie
Johnny Watterson
David Condon of England celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal during the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup Group B match between Ireland and England at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, India. Photo: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images for FIH
Maybe two fairytales in one year for Irish hockey was one too many. The Irish men, needing a draw to advance through to meet New Zealand for a place in the quarter-finals of the Hockey World Cup in India, fell short as England advanced from Pool B with China and Australia.
Ireland now go home with a lot of ifs and buts hanging in the air after the game with England was decided in a crazy four goal blitz over four minutes in the third quarter.
Ireland were sluggish to start, content to allow England settle on the ball and work their patterns. It seemed almost inevitable then that England would break the Irish defence at some point.
As England continued to hold the ball and the game looked as though the first quarter would close level, it took a first twist. Will Canlan worked his way along the right back line and pulled back to David Condon.
Condon stepped back out of the crowd and smashed the ball first time for England to take a 1-0 lead with just 20 seconds on the clock.
It remained that way until five minutes into the second half when Michael Robson triggered a scoring blitz when he sent a ball towards the England goal. Chris Cargo or Mitch Darling got the touch in front of goalkeeper George Pinner, Cargo got the credit for 1-1.
Less than two minutes later England hit back as Liam Ansell turned and fired a tomahawk past Irish goalkeeper David Harte for England to go 2-1 in front on 37 minutes.
Seconds later Ireland earned their first penalty corner of the match and on the retake Shane O’Donoghue’s drag took a deflection to beat Pinner again.
The Dubliner’s celebration was justified for levelling the match 2-2 and taking the record for number of goals scored for Ireland to 94.
But the spree hadn’t finished as England swept down to the Ireland end, Liam Sandford sending a powerful ball into the circle and James Gall deflecting past Harte for 3-2.
Four goals in four minutes and Ireland were chasing the match. But Harte in goal was called into making a succession of saves before Ireland’s best chance arrived from the fourth penalty corner.
The initial shot rebounded from goalkeeper Pinner and Cargo following up connected with the high ball but failed to keep it down. It floated over the crossbar and with it Irish hopes of advancing.
England’s fourth goal came in the final second of the game. The player who had switched from Ireland to England, Mark Gleghorne, converted England’s corner on the hooter.
With Harte taken off to give Ireland the extra outfield player it was a formality. Ireland end up fourth and out of the tournament knowing China was their missed opportunity.
IRELAND: D Harte, C Harte, J Bell, C Cargo, S O’Donoghue, M Darling, M Robson, P Gleghorne, A Sothern, E Magee, S Loughrey.
Rolling subs: K Shimmons, L Cole, M Bell, M Nelson, Robson, S Murray, D Walsh.
The Irish Times
England knock out Ireland with 4-2 win
England's Liam Ansell has scored two goals in three games
England hockey player Liam Ansell goes to control the ball as Ireland's Conor Harte tries to tackle him during England's 4-2 win over Ireland at the World Cup
England beat Ireland 4-2 to reach the crossover stage and eliminate their opponents from the World Cup in India.
England finished second in Pool B and will play New Zealand for the chance to face Argentina in the quarter-finals.
A draw would have sent Ireland through, and they twice came from behind to level at 2-2 in the third quarter.
But James Gall restored England's lead and they held on in the final quarter before Mark Gleghorne scored a penalty corner with the last play of the game.
"It's always a tight game against Ireland and they caused us quite a lot of problems," said man-of-the-match Liam Ansell.
"But we knew that if we could take our chances then we would win the game and we did that here.
"We never wanted to draw the game - in these tournaments it's about building momentum from game to game and that's what we're trying to do."
England took the lead in the first quarter when David Condon smashed in Will Calnan's cutback, before a goalless second quarter.
The third quarter included four goals in three minutes as Chris Cargo equalised before Ansell's backhand strike put England back in front.
Moments later, Shane O'Donoghue fired in a deflected drag flick from a penalty corner, only for Gall to divert Liam Sanford's powerful pass beyond Ireland keeper David Harte and make it 3-2.
Ireland pressed for a third equaliser throughout the final quarter, with Cargo blasting over from close range late on after England keeper George Pinner saved a penalty corner.
But, with Ireland having pulled Harte to put another outfield player on the pitch, they conceded a penalty corner with four seconds remaining and Gleghorne, whose brother Paul was playing for Ireland, converted to wrap up victory.
Ireland finished bottom of Pool B, one point behind third-placed China, who drew with England and Ireland in their first two games.
Australia thrashed China 11-0 earlier on Friday to make it three wins from three and advance directly to the quarter-finals as one of the four pool winners.
The runners-up and third-place finishers in each pool will contest the crossover round - effectively the last 12 - where the remaining four quarter-final places are at stake.
China play France, who finished second behind Argentina in Pool A, in the crossover, with the winner meeting Australia in the last eight.
Pool C, which features hosts India, will be decided on Saturday, with the final Pool D games on Sunday.
2018 Hockey World Cup: Ireland 2-4 England
Ireland: Cargo (35), O'Donoghue (37)
England: Condon (15), Ansell (37), Gall (38), Gleghorne (60)
BBC Sport
Ireland left 'empty' by World Cup exit
Ireland's Conor Harte is tackled during the 4-2 pool defeat by England
Ireland's first Hockey World Cup appearance in 28 years has ended in bitter disappointment for a team used to achieving their goals.
Having travelled to India with quarter-final ambitions, failure to advance past the pool stages will be a bitter pill to swallow for a generation of players who won a European bronze medal in 2015 and secured Olympic qualification for the first time a year later.
"I feel empty because you never get used to losing. It's painful," said Ireland coach Alexander Cox.
"You feel sorry for the boys that we're out of the tournament and it's not a nice feeling."
Having started the competition with an encouraging performance against the world number one-ranked Australia, a 4-2 defeat by England saw Cox's team slip out of contention to reach the knock-out stages and may also affect their prospects of Olympic qualification for Tokyo 2020.
"It's a heart-breaking feeling right now. I'm so incredibly proud of what we tried to do here these last three games but unfortunately have just come up short again," said team captain David Harte.
"This just gives you an idea of how close we are to the top teams in the world. Against England and Australia, both higher ranked sides than us, and it was just small details here or there between us.
"Hopefully this will be a springboard for us towards 2019 and our Olympic qualifiers."
Shane O’Donoghue's strike against England saw him overtake John Jermyn as Ireland's record goal scorer
Great expectations
Hockey is enjoying a renaissance in Ireland following the exploits of the women's team in making it all the way to the World Cup final in summer.
The men's team had hoped for similar success this month but now face a battle to hold onto their top-10 world ranking for next year.
Cox, who replaced Craig Fulton as head coach in August, wants his team to develop a more aggressive approach in front of goal: "I think in every game in this tournament we had an opportunity to get a result but in the end, we weren't clinical enough in all three games.
"There are certain areas in the way we play that need to improve for the future, to be more clinical and to get results because in this tournament we didn't.
"We tried and I'm proud of the players and how they conducted themselves throughout the tournament.
"In every game we were really close so we have to make the next time we are on the other end of the result. If you look at the bigger picture we can also be proud of the way we played here and we gave it our all."
BBC Sport
Good French Lesson for Malaysia
By Jugjet Singh
BHUBANESWAR: If the Malaysian team are looking for inspiration ahead of tomorrow’s match against giants Germany, they should keep watching the video of the epic France-Argentina battle in Group A.
World No 20 France, the lowest ranked team in the World Cup, upset every form book to stun Olympic champions Argentina 5-3.
Argentina did not know what hit them, and their coach as well as skipper were in a daze after the match, trying to justify their defeat.
France’s Gaspard Baumgarten summed it all up: “We had more desire, we were committed to win this match. We wanted to create history and we did it as a team.”
France coach Jeroen Delmee said: “We had a really good preparation leading to the World Cup. Never before, by French standards, has so much of effort been placed on a hockey team. We went on tours as well as played many international friendlies, including in Canada and South Africa before coming to India.
“In the end, we have created our own history by beating the Olympic champions to advance to the next level from such a difficult group.”
Delmee said: “I told them once they stop playing hockey and start their working lives, memories will always come back to the sweet moments one experiences in the game.
“And what better way than to have memories which say you beat Olympic champions Argentina in a World Cup match?” said Delmee.
Argentina coach German Orozco said: “Before the match, New Zealand and Spain had played to a 2-2 draw and we had confirmed our top spot in the group and qualified for the quarter-finals.
“That news, to a certain extent, had made my players complacent and lose their focus.”
New Straits Times
Inspector Nabil must shoot in goals
By Jugjet Singh
BHUBANESWAR: From the sidelines, Police inspector Nabil Fiqri looks jaded, and not his normal self in both of Malaysia’s World Cup matches against the Netherlands and Pakistan.
He made too many basic mistakes, couldn’t stop some simple passes and mis-trapped slow moving balls.
This put more pressure on the midfield, as well as made the Malaysian attack look blunt
Nabil is not noted to be a deadly scorer but he is known to make deft passes for others to nail the goals.
This year alone, he has played in the Azlan Shah Cup, Commonwealth Games, the Five-Test matches in Buenos Aires, Asian Games, Asian Champions Trophy, the three Tests against New Zealand and now the World Cup.
And he scored only one goal each in the Asian Games and NZ Tests.
When Nabil was asked yesterday if all these tournaments had made him lethargic: “Others may have a different opinion of my game but I believe I have been giving my best in all the tournaments that I competed inthis year.
"But I believe we can perform much better, as a team, in the final match against Germany.
“Our backs are against the wall right now and the only escape route is to either beat or hold the Germans to a draw.
“And so, the coach (Roelant Oltmans) has been motivating us during the long break, and we are ready for the last assault,” said Fiqri who has 230 caps.
And what about food, is it a bother in Bhubaneswar?
“The hotel food is decent and we have no complaints. To spice up things, we have also brought along our own sambal and other stuff.”
Hopefully, the police inspector shoots a goal or two against the Germans to spice up Malaysia's campaign, which has so far been bland, in the World Cup.
New Straits Times
Oltmans in two minds preparing Malaysia for do or die battle against Germans
By Jugjet Singh
BHUBANESWAR: Malaysia coach Roelant Oltmans is still in two minds on how to tackle mighty Germany tomorrow (Sunday), as his men need at least a draw to stay afloat in the ongoing Men’s Hockey World Cup.
After a 7-0 drubbing by the Netherlands and a 1-1 draw against Pakistan, Malaysia have to beat or hold the Germans to a draw to qualify for the play-off stage.
And if Malaysia manage a draw against Germany, Oltmans and his men must also pray that the Netherlands beat Pakistan in the next match.
“If we attack, we open up our defense. And if we defend, the chances of Germany scoring late goals is there.
“So, it (tactics) will be decided during the run of play on when to attack and when to defend.
“As far as we are concerned, our target has not shifted, and we still aim to qualify for the next round. And if that means we have to beat or hold Germany to a draw, we will have do it,” said Oltmans after a training session at the Kalinga Stadium yesterday.
The players yesterday were doing drills specifically to counter the Germans.
“Our session turned out quite well, and hopefully the players remember to execute them during game day,” said Oltmans.
Germany had posted a stunning 4-1 victory over the Netherlands, and this spells trouble for the Malaysian team.
“As I said before, this (Group D) is not an easy group, in fact it's the toughest in this World Cup and so, there are bound to be ups and downs. But there is always an element of surprise, and we have to work harder to get it off the Germans,” said Oltmans.
Germany’s scintillating performance moved them onto six points, three points clear of second placed Netherlands, and are now favourites to top the pool and claim a direct ticket to the quarter-finals.
A draw or a win for Germany against Malaysia in their final match would seal them first place, ahead of the Dutch.
“It is crazy to win 4-1 against the Dutch, we didn’t expect that,” said Germany’s Mats Grambusch.
“We have another crucial match against Malaysia, and we can't take things lightly as our future in the World Cup depends on this match.”
New Straits Times
Oltmans keeps Malaysia believing as do-or-die clash looms
By Aftar Singh and S.S.Kanesan
Sandwiched: Malaysia’s Fitri Saari (centre) fighting for the ball with two Pakistan players during the Group D match at the Kalinga Stadium on Wednesday.
MALAYSIA came to the World Cup in Bhubaneswar, India, with high hopes but they could well be returning home on Monday.
Their remaining Group D tie against impressive Germany is a crucial one and they must secure a win to qualify for the second round.
Roelant Oltmans’ men played below par in the first two matches against Holland and Pakistan and only have one point.
The Malaysian players were a letdown, except for goalkeeper S. Kumar, who shone in the first two matches.
Malaysia were thrashed 7-0 by Holland and needed a win over Pakistan in the second match and they were very lucky to salvage a 1-1 draw on Wednesday.
Malaysia and Pakistan have one point each but Malaysia are bottom of the group after conceding eight goals and scoring just one while Pakistan are third as they conceded only two goals and scored one.
Malaysia wrap up their group fixtures against a well-oiled German team who have registered two impressive wins.
Germany edged Pakistan 1-0 and came back from a goal down to blast world No. 4 Holland 4-1.
Oltmans admitted that Malaysia have made their task very difficult after only managing a draw against Pakistan.
“We created many chances and earned seven penalty corners against Pakistan but only managed to score one through Faizal Saari.
“We did not play to our true form. However, it’s still not over for us as we have one more match,” said Oltmans.
He admitted that Germany are a solid team and they are the favourites after beating Holland 4-1.
“The Germans have proven that they can beat any top team and they’re very disciplined.
“We have four days rest and we need to plan against Germany.
We know that we have to play our hearts out against them to get the desired results.
“It will be tough but nothing is impossible in the World Cup,” said the Dutchman.
Malaysia need at least a draw against Germany and hope that Holland beat Pakistan in order to scrape through.
Malaysia have never beaten Germany in the World Cup.
The Star of Malaysia
Baumgarten: We proved everyone wrong by beating the favourites
THE French players can stand tall like their Eiffel Tower.
Although world No. 20 France are the lowest ranked team, they created the biggest upset in the World Cup in Bhubaneswar, by stunning world No. 2 and reigning Olympic champions Argentina 5-3 to finish runners-up in Group A to qualify for the second round on Thursday night.
France’s joy is world No. 9 Spain’s misery as the latter’s participation in the World Cup is over after they finished last in Group A with two points.
France are the youngest team in the World Cup with an average age of 24 and they also have four players who are teenagers.
Most of the players are students, non-professionals but they played their best match against Argentina in the tournament.
Timothee Clement is only 18 while Arthur Thieffry, Adrien Coffigniez amd Etienne Tynevez are 19.
France are featuring in the World Cup after a 28-year hiatus but they put their heart and soul into the game to pull off the unexpected win.
Midfielder Gaspard Baumgarten, who has a degree in mechanical engineering, was happy to show that they were not the whipping boys in the tournament.
“We proved everyone wrong by beating the favourites.
“The win is a big boost for us and we hope to impress our fans further by making an impact in the World Cup,” said Baumgarten.
He said hockey is not a popular sport in France unlike football.
“There are not many hockey players. So, reaching the second round is a good achievement, our aim is to break into top 10 in the world by next year,” he said.
“We have not featured in the Olympics for a very long time and we hope to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
And he has an advice for other lower-ranked teams, including Malaysia.
“Play with true grit,” said Baumgarten.
The Star of Malaysia
Harendra wants nothing short of clean slate
s2h Team
On the eve of India taking on Canada in its last pool match, Indian coach Harendra Singh expects two things from his wards. Firstly, a win and secondly without conceding goal.
"I don't want to depend on the outcome of South Africa and Belgium match tomorrow. I want my team to win, that too without conceding single goal" he outlined how he sees tomorrow's crucial encounter.
India is now sitting at top of the 4-team pool with good goal aggregate and goal difference. India needs to win tomorrow's match with good margin to keep the status.
Belgium too has one win and a draw like India, and will play South Africa tomorrow. If Belgium can score like India did against the African Champions (7-0), the things may turn hot for India.
For the host, who are aiming for direct quarterfinal entry and are arms away from achieving it, Saturday is day to reckon with.
While doing what all he can, Harendra will alos take the help of divinity to see his team do well against Canada, a tricky customer for India historically.
Harendra was candid when he said: "I have been going to place of worship on India match days ever since 1982'.
"I will go tomorrow too."
He was obviously referring to 1982 Asian Games final in which Pakistan thumped India with a 7-1 score, which hurt many a Indian.
Harender conceded to the fact that India is a better ranked team compared to Cananda, and hopes they put up a good fight tomorrow.
"I am still on the second floor. They are in the basement insofar as position in the pool and goal difference are concerned".
" Our goal average is a lot better. We will go all out to maintain the status".
"We will play some different kind of hockey tomorrow and try variations depending on the game and situation". Harendra also patted himself for his prediction of 'so called' weak teams
"I predicted Japan, China and France are teams of the future, and they showed what they are today", he said, focussing his attention to other teams in Bhubneswar.
"The small teams come to major tournaments to prove they are here to prove, and these teams proved so"
Stick2Hockey.com
India will have to be on its guard against Canada
Canada has a fantastic defence and will rely on counters
Uthra Ganesan
Indian hockey players celebrate a goal during a Hockey World Cup 2018 match in Bhubaneswar. Photo Credit: Biswaranjan Rout
Last time India faced off against Canada, it lost 3-2 after leading 2-1, conceding two goals within five minutes in 2017. A year back, it was held to a 2-2 draw at the Rio Olympics. Not surprisingly, coach Paul Bundy isn’t reading too much into rankings or pool positions at the World Cup ahead of the teams’ face-off in their final Pool C World Cup game on Saturday.
Neither is India coach Harendra Singh. “I have been saying for a long time and everybody should now agree with me. I spoke of China, Japan and France (as teams of the future). For me, in modern sports, specially team sports, rankings and numbers are only on paper. Every team that comes to a major tournament wants to play the last match of the tournament on the last day and smaller teams want to prove they deserve to be here,” he said on Friday.
On paper, India is favourite. The stands have been filling to capacity, the rankings put India six places higher and it the team has both dominated an opposition (SA) and bounced back against another (Belgium). The structure, specially in defence, has held up despite immense pressure. The host also has a four-goal advantage over second-placed Belgium despite being tied on points. But it cannot rely on any of this.
Canada has a fantastic defence as well and coach Bundy had no qualms admitting his team was opportunistic. “We have a great work ethic, we are very gritty, opportunistic in getting those chances on counters, have a great PC unit and some good forwards too. If we can put some pressure, keep the game close till the end, we can keep the crowd quiet and start doing a lot of thinking,” Bundy said and his skipper Scott Tupper concurred.
Upfront, India has the better strikers but they have been off-target in the initial moments of the game, missing chances and failing to get the opening goal early. Those misses might prove costly. Attack is the mantra for the team but against Canada, India will have to be on its guard. “They will keep waiting and then take a chance on that one counter they manage. They will not give space. But we cannot go into a defensive mode,” Harendra warned.
Five days is a long time in modern hockey and such a long break is unheard of for a long time now. On Saturday, when the Indian team steps out against Canada, it would be hoping to ensure that the momentum gained last Sunday would continue as the host looks to finish on top of the pool and qualify for the quarterfinals.
The schedule: Belgium vs South Africa (5 p.m.), India vs Canada (7.p.m.).
The Hindu
Eye on smooth sailing into quarters
Win over Canada today will give India top position in Group C, direct entry into quarters
Indervir Grewal in Bhubaneswar
Australia’s Aran Zalewski celebrates with teammates after scoring against China . AFP
INDIA have had a relaxing break from the World Cup. The hosts haven’t played a match in five days. Since their exhausting draw against Belgium, the Indian players have danced and sang at the fan park. They took a trip to Puri, involving fun and games at the beach. In the long break, India have had a fair number of training sessions. They have “used the time to study their next opponents that much better”, captain Manpreet Singh said.
“We had a long gap but we kept working on our fitness. We also had a long time to study our opposition, know their weaknesses, strengths,” he added.
But the break has also tested their patience. “Watching other teams play, we are getting restless. We want to play our match. Every athlete feels that way,” said Manpreet, who looked a little uncomfortable during the press conference.
The break has not gone well for the captain, who seems to be under the weather. He missed training twice, and his availability for the crucial encounter against Canada looks doubtful.
However, putting on a brave face, Manpreet said that the team had prepared well for the Canada match. “Mentally, we are prepared, we want to give our best,” he said.
Manpreet, though, admitted that it would come down to the execution of the plans. After planning and practising for five days, will India be able to make the mental and physical transition to playing a match? That question, as Manpreet said, will be answered on Saturday.
Goal difference
India have already qualified for the knockouts, but tomorrow’s fixtures will decide which team finishes on the top and qualifies directly for the quarterfinals. By the time India take the field on Saturday, they will know exactly what is needed from them to finish on top in the pool. Currently, India and Belgium have four points, but the hosts have a goal difference of five. World No. 3 Belgium are second with a goal difference of one. Belgium play South Africa in the first match, and with a big win will put India under pressure. Coach Harendra Singh refused to get involved in the ‘what if’ discussion. “We are on the second floor, while Belgium are in the basement. Let them climb to our level, then we will think about climbing to the next level,” Harendra said.
But looking at the permutations and combinations might not do the team too well. Analytical coach Chris Ciriello said the team would not look at the other results and do their own thing. “We want to win the game,” the Australian said.
AUSTRALIA HUMBLE CHINA 11-0, ENGLAND BEAT IRELAND 4-2
Australia fell just one goal short of matching their record for the biggest victory in a World Cup, but the 11-0 hammering of China was a perfect way to register another record to their name. On a hazy evening, to which Australia contributed inadvertently, at the Kalinga Stadium, the two-time defending champions broke Pakistan’s record of the longest win streak in World Cups. Eight years after beating India 5-2 in New Delhi, Australia got their 16th consecutive World Cup win to break Pakistan’s record set during their 1978 and 1982 title victories. Australia missed out on a double record, but not for a lack of trying. Leading 11-0 against the Chinese, one of the tournament’s surprise packages, Australia took out their goalkeeper for an extra outfield man. With over a minute to go, they got more help from China, who got one player sent off with a yellow card. With the equation of outfield players reading 11 to 9 in Australia’s favour, the Kookaburras swarmed the Chinese third. However, they just couldn’t get to a dozen, which would have equaled the world record. Their biggest win — 12-0 over South Africa — had come at the 2010 edition in New Delhi.
China still qualify
Despite their biggest loss in a World Cup, debutants China still managed to qualify for the knockouts after England beat Ireland to knock their neighbours out of the tournament. England’s 4-2 win meant the crowd witnessed 17 goals in a day. Four months after the Irish women amazed the world with a runners-up finish in the World Cup, the Ireland men couldn’t create their own fairytale. After a draw and two losses, Ireland finished last in their pool, a point behind China (two points). China will play world No. 20 France in the crossover, while England, who finished second, will take on New Zealand.
Second blow for Belgium
Belgium were dealt a second blow as their most capped player — John-John Dohmen — was ruled out of the rest of the tournament due to illness. Three days back, Belgium had lost another senior player, Emmanuel Stockbroekx, due to an injury.
The Tribune
With eye on quarterfinals, India look for convincing win against Canada
Men's Hockey World Cup 2018 , Twitter
Their campaign off to a smooth start, hosts India would look to seal a direct quarterfinal berth with a win against Canada in their final Pool C match of the Men's Hockey World Cup in Bhubneshwar on Saturday.
World number 5 India are currently leading Pool C with four points from two games ahead of Olympic silver medallist Belgium (4 points) on account of a better goal difference.
The Indians have a goal difference of + 5 as against Belgium's +1.
Both Canada and South Africa have one point each from two matches but the North Americans are placed third with a goal difference of -1 as against South Africa's -5.
India thrashed South Africa 5-0 and drew 2-2 against Belgium in their earlier matches, while Canada lost 1-2 against the Red Lions before eking out a hard-fought 1-1 draw against the Africans.
While India are placed at an advantageous position at present, the pool is still wide open. The hosts would not want to leave anything on chance and they would seek a comprehensive win on Saturday to cement their place atop the pool and directly qualify for the last eight round.
The second and third placed teams from the pool will play cross-over matches against number 2 and 3 teams of other pools to decide the remaining last four quarterfinal places.
Going by records and form, India are hands down favourites to come out victorious against Canada.
But as we have witnessed on Thursday with world number 20 France upsetting Olympic champions Argentina in a Pool A encounter, anything can happen in modern world hockey.
Besides the better rankings, India enjoy a superior head-to-head record against Canada. Since 2013, India and Canada have played five matches against India with the hosts having won three, lost one and drawn one.
So come tomorrow, the Indians will have to come out with a clear frame of mind and with just one goal -- a comprehensive win against Canada and top the pool.
But it would be easier said than done as the Canadians have improved tremendously over the years, especially their defence, which was visible in their first game against Belgium who found it difficult to break their backline and just managed to eke out a narrow 2-1 win.
The onus would be on India's lethal fowardline comprising Mandeep Singh, Simranjeet Singh, Akashdeep Singh and Lalit Upadhyay to take the responsibility on their shoulders.
The Indian midfield, led by skipper Manpreet Singh, has so far produced a decent show, while the defence need to be more agile and cautious, especially considering the fact that the backline is infamous for crumbling under pressure towards the end.
Conceding late goals has been India's perennial problem and it once again came to hurt the hosts when their defence, consisting of Birendra Lakra, Surender Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh, broke down under pressure to concede a goal four minutes from the final hooter and gift Belgium a draw in their last match.
Indian goalkeeper P R Sreejesh too does not look the same under the bar after returning to the side following an injury lay-off.
Canada have given India problems in the past, the most recent being in last year's Hockey World League Semi-Finals in London where they defeated India 3-2 to finish fifth.
If that was not enough, in the 2016 Rio Olympics too, India were held to a 2-2 draw by the Canadians.
But India's chief coach Harendra Singh was not in a mood to dwell in the past and said those experiences will only act as a catalyst to do better on Saturday.
"Past failures are experiences. These experiences we will try to make use the present. The present is the match against Canada. The match will decide the fate of our pool. I am not thinking about what happened in Hockey World League Semi-Final or Rio Olympics," Harendra said.
While insisting that Canada will rely on counter-attacks, the coach said India can't divert from its strength -- that is attacking hockey.
"They will not give space. They wait, wait and wait to get opportunities and that will be their plan. But we have to play to our strength," Harendra said.
"You can't go and defend. You can't be on the backfoot. We have to play attacking hockey. The players have adopted attacking hockey when they were teenagers. It's in our culture. You can make minor adjustments, but not change the mindset," he added.
In the first match of Pool C on Saturday, Belgium will take on South Africa.
Daily News & Analysis
India triumph would be better for hockey - Japan coach Aikman
Jonathan Selvaraj in Bhubaneswar
Siegfried Aikman Jonathan Selvaraj/ESPN Photo
Among the weekend crowd of 15,000 hockey fans who packed into the stands at the Kalinga stadium on Saturday, one had a bit of professional interest in being present. Siegfried Aikman, coach of the Japanese men's hockey team, was in Bhubaneswar too, watching first as the Netherlands demolished Malaysia 7-0 and then as Germany got the better of Pakistan 1-0.
Japan haven't qualified for this World Cup, but Aikman is glad to be here. He had been being trying for a while to get to Bhubaneswar. He made plans half a year back, well before his side produced one of the shocks of the Asian Games, winning their first-ever gold medal in the men's team tournament.
"I had asked Hockey India for an accreditation in April but they didn't give one to me," he says with a smile. The 59-year-old then asked an old friend to help him out. "At the Asian Games I asked my friend Harendra (Singh) if he could do something."
Their rivalry as opposing coaches at the Asian Games aside, Aikman and Harendra, the Indian coach, go a while back. It was a relationship that began when Harendra studied for his FIH licenses under the Suriname-born Dutchman of Indian descent. "I've been his teacher," explains Aikman. "But our bond goes beyond hockey. Harendra is more like family with me and he feels the same way about me. So when I asked him for some help he did what he could," says Aikman.
Aikman's a hockey nut foremost, but he is here on a mission, too. Sixteen of the world's best hockey-playing nations are in Bhubaneswar, and Aikman is analyzing them all. "The Hockey World Cup is the place to be. All teams are perfectly ready for their journey to the Tokyo Olympics and we are going to be there at the Tokyo Olympics," he says.
And while there's almost two years still to go for the 2020 Games, Aikman believes the groundwork for the team's strategies have been put in place. "The teams have already set their targets for how they want to play. That means they are playing at their best here and their strategy for Tokyo 2020 is already in place. They only have two years in place and in those two years they have to build on what they have now," he says.
Ahead of the evening matches, Aikman dropped in to watch the Belgian team's training session on one of the practise pitches.
Watching the teams train and play is crucial in figuring out their plans two years from now, he says. "It gets me a lot of insight into what's important for them. I see the things that they have changed because they want to surprise the other teams in here and not in all the other tournaments before. So here I learn and I can see what they really want to do," he says.
Team spirit played a major part in Japan's stunning Asian Games triumph. MONEY SHARMA/AFP/Getty Images
"I have my own ideas about how I want to progress and so I can check whether it works. Every coach has a different solution so I can check my ideas on 16 coaches and get inputs from 16 different sides. This will help me to prepare my choices and prepare my team in a better way," he says.
Which is why Aikman stood in lengthy queues to buy non-India game tickets, staying in a modest hotel near the stadium (It has a bathroom, what more do I need really," he says), and walking down to the Stadium for each day's matches.
One wonders whether he even needs to do any of that, what with the wealth of match footage that can be recorded anyway. But Aikman insists he needs to be physically present. What he is looking for isn't just team formation and movements. He looks also at the team's warm-up routines to find elements of the team's work ethic. But most of all he wants to get an understanding of the team's psyche.
"Everyone can watch as many videos as they want. The problem with video is that it is two-dimensional. It doesn't show the emotion. Here you can feel, hear and smell and it's not so clinical. Here I can see how the bench reacts to disappointments and to tactical situations. I can see when they panic, when they don't panic. I want to see how the players interact with the bench, not just with each other. How the umpires are interacting with them. It gives me a lot of additional information which helps me decide my strategy and the game plan to target the weak spots in an opponent," he says.
It's these soft skills that make all the difference in contemporary hockey. "There really aren't any big secrets in hockey. Tactically it is the same structure; technically, it is all the same skills. Physically it is all the equal or they cannot play at this level. The only real difference is in mental and social and mostly in social skills," he says.
The social aspect of the game he feels is the next frontier of coaching in the sport. "Hockey is a team sport so the most important is how you deal with social issues. How do you support each other and how do you take care of each other? Are your ready to sacrifice for the other one?" he says.
Aikman has already seen the value of that team spirit. It was demonstrated emphatically during the Asian Games final, when Japan scored four goals in the final seven seconds of the game to eventually win their maiden gold medal. Aikman had spoken then of how he drilled the team on fighting as one and he reiterated that point on Saturday. "How the team interacts socially is the most important part of hockey and it's also the most underestimated part of hockey because no one pays important to the social aspect of hockey. Only Harry (Harendra Singh) does," says Aikman.
Aikman has met with his friend in Bhubaneswar too; the two have gone out for dinner on one of India's rest days. And indeed while the two will once again resume their rivalry should their two sides have to play against each other, Aikman can unabashedly support India at the World Cup.
"Foremost I love hockey. When I stepped out of the plane in Bhubaneswar, I was smiling nonstop because everything in the airport, from the photographs to the marketing, was about hockey. So just for that I want India to win the World Cup because that is what is better for hockey," he says.
ESPN
Fitri faces the stick
By Aftar Singh
Disappointment was written all over Mohd Fitri Saari’s face.
He knew hopes were high on him to marshal the midfield but he failed to carry out his duties well as the centrehalf in the first two Group D matches against Holland and Pakistan.
Malaysia were thrashed 7-0 by Holland before they came back from a goal down to hold Pakistan 1-1 in the second match.
Malaysia and Pakistan have one point from two matches.
Malaysia need to upset world No. 6 Germany in their last group match tomorrow to qualify for the second round while Pakistan, who conceded fewer goals, take on Holland.
Germany, who lead the group with two wins over Pakistan (1-0) and Holland (4-1), have never lost to Malaysia in the World Cup.
The 25-year-old Fitri admitted that he is nowhere near his best form but vowed to make amends against Germany.
“This is my second World Cup and I wanted to play better but I’ve struggled,” said Fitri, who has represented Malaysia 160 times.
“All the players in the midfield also failed to play as a unit as we kept losing the ball easily.”
He said the demoralising defeat against Holland affected them.
“We had a bad start but played better against Pakistan. We created more chances and should have won the match but we missed a number of sitters.
“Instead, we were lucky as we came back from a goal down to hold Pakistan.
“We have put ourselves in a difficult position as we need a win over Germany to finish top three in the group to move to the second round.
“It’s a do-or-die situation for us. To beat Germany is really going to be tough as they are in top form. They play great hockey with excellent passing and are very dangerous once in the semi-circle.
“The Germans proved they are title contenders by beating Holland (4-1),” said Fitri, who leads the midfield with Mohd Marhan Jalil, Nabil Fiqri Mohd Noor, Meor Mohd Azuan Hassan and Joel van Huizen.
Fitri said they were not throwing in the towel and vowed to emulate France and create an upset tomorrow. France stunned Olympic champions Argentina (5-3) on Thursday.
“France showed that no team are unbeatable in the World Cup. If France can do it, so can we.”
The Star of Malaysia
Haner ready to ‘operate’ in impressive German team
Martin Haner (pic) is the captain marvel for the Germany team.
A doctor by profession, he is not only the Germany hockey skipper but can also play outdoor as well indoor hockey.
Haner was a member of the Germany team that won gold in 2012 London Olympics and also featured in the Indoor World Cup in Berlin in February, which Germany won the silver.
Haner said that he finished his studies in April and graduated to become a surgeon specialising in orthopaedics.
The 30-year-old defender said that he is having a great run in the World Cup in Bhubaneswar.
“I am happy to be doctor and also enjoy playing hockey for my country. I can juggle my time for my work as well as for playing hockey,” said Haner.
Germany did not featured in the Champions Trophy in Breda, Holland in June but they played a scintillating performance against world No. 4 Holland to register an impressive 4-1 win.
Germany edged Pakistan 1-0 in the first match to top Group D with six points, three points clear of second placed Holland.
The Germans are clear favourites to top the group and claim a direct ticket to the quarter-finals.
A draw for Germany against Malaysia on Sunday is enough for them to reach the last eight.
Haner said that they are having a good run in the World Cup.
“It is a real boost to beat Holland with a score of 4-1 as they are a strong team.
“What makes it more interesting is that we came back from a goal down to score four against them,” said Haner.
“We are really enjoying the game and hope to continue playing like this in all matches.
“We have four days break before we face Malaysia in the last group match.”
The Star of Malaysia
Hugo Genestet comes good in French forward march
Errol D’Cruz
Hugo Genestet spent a sleepless night on Monday after missing a penalty stroke for France against Spain. The award came towards the end of the match with the scores 1-1 in a crucial pool A match of the World Cup at the Kalinga stadium and the young Frenchman’s attempt was superbly saved by Quico Cortes.
The match ended in a draw with no further change to the scoreline and it set up a daunting challenge for the French.
Their opponents in their concluding pool match would be Olympic champions and world No. 2 Argentina and a victory would be imperative for the lowest ranked team in the tournament (No. 20).
Another sleepless night was likely to follow. This time not out of despair but celebration.
Genestet put the missed stroke behind him and scored the first goal to put France on the road to a stunning 5-3 win over pool toppers Argentina on Thursday and finish second in the pool.
“Now, I think we can beat any team in the competition after this game,” said the sparkling midfielder whose brother Tom is a teammate.
“It’s a great night for French hockey. We will see who our next opponent and take it from there,” he added.
The Genestets are truly a hockey family. There is a third brother, Martin, who was once formed a trio of siblings in the national team. Their parents played for France too.
Their grandparents also played the game. So, hockey, it’s clear, runs through the veins of the Genetset family. Hugo, however, plays his hockey in Belgium where he assists Royal Daring club. In the 2015 Hockey World League semifinal round in Antwerp, the brothers pieced together a spectacular goal in the quarterfinal clash against hosts Belgium.
Now 29 years old, Tom blocked a penalty corner attempt and the ball travelled to Hugo (now 24), who dribbled past the Belgian defence and crossed to Martin (31), who slotted home.
France, however, lost the match 4-5 after trailing 0-2.
The brothers took bereavement in their stride during the 2012 Olympic qualifiers in New Delhi. Christophe, their father, suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away but the trio decided to stay with the team to play a crucial game against Canada which France drew on their way to the final against India.
Stick2Hockey.com
FIH initiates inquiry against Pakistan assistant coach Danish Kaleem, hearing to be held on Saturday
File image of Pakistan hockey team.
Bhubaneswar: The world hockey body (FIH) has initiated an inquiry against Pakistan's assistant coach Danish Kaleem for breaching security protocol, adding to the list of off-field issues plaguing the former champions at the ongoing men's Hockey World Cup.
Danish has been called for a hearing by the FIH technical delegate on Saturday after he was charged for moving around in the stadium without having his accreditation card during the Pool D match against Malaysia on Wednesday.
With the World Cup nearing halfway stage, Pakistan's campaign is getting from bad to worse due to a host of issues, which include injury blow to skipper Muhammad Rizwan Senior and a one-match suspension to his deputy Ammad Butt.
As if that was not enough, Hockey India has now lodged an official complaint with FIH's Technical delegate Christian Deckenbrock of Germany against Danish for breaching security protocol and misbehaving with security persons inside the stadium.
Pakistan's chief coach Tauqeer Ahmad Dar admitted things are far from rosy for his side on and off the field ahead of their crucial Pool D match against Netherlands on Sunday.
"The last few days have been very hard. Most energies are being wasted on things other than sports," said Dar told reporters after a practice session here on Friday.
"One of our main players, our skipper has fractured his toe and is out of the tournament. Our vice-captain has been banned by the Technical Delegate. The reason we have no clue. There was no action taken on the ground. No penalty corner was given and no green card was given.
"One more inquiry about our coach that has been lodged by Hockey India. A new enquiry every day," he added.
Explaining the reasons behind the inquiry, Dar said: "Me and Danish sit on the terrace and watch the match. And we communicate with walkie talky to Hasan Sardar (manager) and Rehan Butt (assistant coach).
"At half time against Malaysia, I had sent him (Danish) with some notes to Hassan bhai. And when he was coming back, he was stopped by the security and they asked for his accreditation card.
"Unfortunately, he forgot his card at the dressing room but the security people misbehaved with him. Yesterday they (Hockey India) lodged a complaint," he added.
Dar termed Ammad Butt's suspension as completely unfair and said one of Pakistani players got stitches on his head after being hit by a Malaysian player but no action was initiated against him.
"Hassan Sardar was emailed in the morning that there is a decision pending against Ammad Butt and that he has done something very wrong," he said.
He went to the enquiry, but there is no evidence but that is the decision of the Technical Delegate. We have appealed against that and I hope sanity prevails.
"He was shown a video for just two or three minutes. It shows a Pakistani rusher trying to save a PC. A Malaysian forward is trying to score. One of our boys Abu Bakr got stitches because of a stick from a Malaysian boy. But that's ok. It's hockey not ping pong," the coach said.
A FIH spokesperson later confirmed that both the hearings that of Ammad Butt's appeal against suspension and inquiry against Danish will be conducted on Saturday.
"Both the hearings will be held tomorrow. I can only tell you anything more after tomorrow's hearing," the FIH official told PTI.
Dar, meanwhile, said the off-field issues are having an adverse effect on the Pakistani players.
"We are in bad shape mentally. We are focusing on things other than the ground. We are discussing who is going to come because of injury. Our top two are out of the ground," he said.
"18 players and 2 are not there. Only 15 left for the match against Holland. It is a major handicap as we are minus 1 tyre of a car against Netherlands, one of the toughest teams in the tournament," the former Olympian said.
Four-time champions Pakistan are currently placed third in Pool D behind Netherlands and table-toppers Germany and they need at least a draw against the Dutch to avoid early ouster from the tournament.
"Pakistan cannot beat Holland on skill right now or on physical fitness. It is only the mental strength of the boys and the passion for hockey. The difference between their grassroots and our grass roots is like 300 per cent," Dar said.
"We have talked to the boys about what is going on off the field. We have said that you should be fully motivated. The place to take revenge is here. If they play according to their capacity and go beyond it, we can give a tough fight to Holland.
Firstpost
Controversy-hit Pakistan feels like 'a car with one tyre missing' at the hockey World Cup
Jonathan Selvaraj in Bhubaneswar
Pakistan's vice-captain Ammad Butt (centre) in action against Malaysia at the 2018 World Cup in Bhubaneswar. Charles McQuillan/Getty Images for FIH
Controversy has a habit of shadowing the Pakistan hockey team in Bhubaneswar. On Thursday night, the side was hit with a one-game suspension of vice-captain Ammad Butt following a collision with a Malaysian forward during the two sides' match on Wednesday. Butt was defending a penalty corner in the 40th minute of the match when he ran into flicker Faizal Saari, clipping him on the side of the head with a raised boot. While the infringement was not punished in the game, it was raised by the Malaysian hockey team after the match, following which Butt was handed the ban by the FIH, which termed his actions a breach of the code of conduct (reckless and careless physical contact between players in the course of play).
Butt isn't the only member of the Pakistan contingent to be penalized following the game. Team manager Hassan Sardar said on Friday that a complaint had also been lodged against Danish Kaleem, an assistant coach with the team. "I received a mail which said that a complaint had been made by Hockey India against Danish Kaleem," says Sardar.
According to sitting manager Tauqeer Dar, Kaleem had been stopped by security for not wearing an accreditation card. "Me and Danish sit up on the terrace and watch the match," says Dar of the incident. "At half-time I sent him with some notes to Hassan Sardar and [coach] Rehan Butt who were sitting on the team bench. And when Danish was coming back, he was stopped by the security and they asked for his accreditation card. But the security people misbehaved with him. "We are facing an inquiry every day."
The suspension of Butt and the looming one of their assistant coach come even as Pakistan lost skipper Mohammad Rizwan Senior after he suffered a fracture in his left foot against Malaysia. Another player, Abu Mahmood, also had to get stitches on his head after being struck with a hockey stick during the match against Malaysia.
Down to 16 players, Pakistan said they are trying to rush a replacement player to India. Even that is uncertain at this point. "Getting an Indian visa is not easy for a Pakistani," says Dar. "We are speaking to the Indian high commissioner and we are hoping for the best. The last day has been very hard for us. We are dealing with a major handicap, It is like we are a car with one tyre missing and now we have to play Holland, which is one of the strongest teams in the tournament. And now most of our energies are being wasted on things other than sports."
ESPN
Hockey Series Open - Zimbabwe 2018 (Men) - Day 1
Bulawayo (ZIM)
Results 7 December
EGY v NAM (RR) 17 - 1
ZIM v ZAM (RR) 2 - 2
Hockey Series Open - Zimbabwe 2018 (Women)
Bulawayo (ZIM)
NAM v ZAM (RR) 3 - 0
FIH Match Centre
The Champions Trophy saga shows International Hockey Federation cares two hoots for history and legacy
The Hockey Insider
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) cares two hoots for history. Nothing underscores the callous disregard for historical events than the decision to junk the elite Champions Trophy.
If the FIH have their way — and the governing body has the veto over all such decisions — the last of the Champions Trophy events was played in Changzhou (China) last month, where The Netherlands swamped Australia 5-1 to win the women’s title. This was the seventh title for the Dutch women, equalling the record of Argentina.
The men’s Champions Trophy, played earlier in the summer in the Dutch city of Breda, was won by Australia, who defeated second-time finalists India in the title encounter. There may not be an encore.
The Champions Trophy has a chequered history, second only to the World Cup, among FIH events. But the glorious chapter of this showpiece event on the FIH calendar comes to an end as the proposed FIH Pro League rolls out.
The whole exercise is to safeguard their new FIH Pro League, which may turn out to be another event before its time, just as the Hockey World League turned out to be after its launch in 2012. A chequered event is being scrapped for an uncertain future.
This year’s events marked the end of the road for the tournament that for more than three decades featured the elite hockey-playing nations of the world. In competitive terms, the Champions Trophy was touted to be even tougher than the World Cup.
Colin Batch, a former Australian international whose showcase would have several Champions Trophy medals, said: “It’s a shame that the Champions Trophy is being discontinued.”
Coach of the twice World Cup defending champions, Batch brought to the fore the angst of the international hockey fraternity watching their second-longest running tournament being given the boot from the next year.
“There are several tournaments these days, we can’t play them all. Hopefully the Champions Trophy makes a comeback,” Batch told reporters during the ongoing World Cup in Bhubaneswar.
Recollecting how the format of the Champions Trophy evolved over the years, Batch said, “The Champions Trophy started with just a round-robin league where the team with the highest points emerged winners. It then added a final among the top two sides and that turned out to be very popular. The same format was brought back this year and we had a memorable tournament.”
The Champions Trophy lost favour among the FIH officials who thought that top hockey nations would not be interested in hosting a six-nation event over a whole week after the focus shifts to the home-and-away FIH Pro League. It is merely incidental that all those key decision-makers on the move to scrap the Champions Trophy from the roster have now left the FIH. They may be watching from the sidelines, amused at hockey shooting itself in the foot.
The FIH Pro League, featuring nine teams, shall corner a major chunk of the first six months of the hockey calendar from 2019. With a large number of home internationals guaranteed to the selected nations, the FIH Pro League has the bearing of being immensely successful. However, its success will hinge on the financial backing from sponsors, something that the FIH had failed to enlist in large numbers for the Hockey World League.
Over four years of its existence, the FIH’s inability to convert the Hockey World League into a huge financial success, led to fiscal problems for several host nations and also some competing teams.
In re-jigging the competition structure, the focus will shift to the FIH Pro League. Amidst all this, the Champions Trophy will be the biggest casualty.
The planned global Pro League will have its teething problems, not the least of which is that teams have been picked on basis of their financial commitments and not due to their world rankings. That is essentially because some countries featuring among the top nine nations may not have the financial backing to ensure success of this home-and-away international league. The financial support for hockey in some countries ensures that they made the selection grade for the handpicked nations. Hereafter, it will all depend upon the national hockey associations in the selected nations being able to sustain the interest of its players, not all of whom are full-time professional players. The FIH Pro League’s problems increased with India’s withdrawal of their initial application for the global Pro League. This led to the exit of the biggest contributor to the FIH kitty.
Even as hockey looks excitingly at this proposed international league, may the connoisseurs of the game be reminded that the Champions Trophy was the showpiece annual event until the birth of the Hockey World League rendered it into a biennial event after 2012. The 2018 Champions Trophy events were the third and final edition on the bi-annual roster.
Most established tournaments across the world have vanished or become irregular. The Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, staged annually in the Malaysian city of Ipoh, is now the highest-rated annual event on the FIH roster.
Hockey, perhaps, needs some visionary to keep the Champions Trophy going. It could be the hockey’s insurance as it embarks on an uncertain journey.
Firstpost
Adaptable Australia ready for FIH Pro League challenge
It has been a busy year for the Hockeyroos of Australia. In April they finished in silver medal position at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games; they then travelled to London for the Vitality Hockey Women's World Cup where they came close to toppling the Netherlands in the semi-final – narrowly losing out in shoot-out. It was over to China for the Wanglibao Hockey Champions Trophy in Changzhou in December, where they finished in the silver medal position, again losing out to Netherlands by a 3-1 scoreline.
Now attention is turning to next year and the whole new challenge of the FIH Pro League. It is an opportunity that long-serving captain Emily Smith is relishing and she says the team will be using the recent Hockey Champions Trophy experience to aid their preparations.
"I think the appetite for people to come along and support us is going to be huge." Emily Smith, Australia
"No one in our team had played in China before," says Smith, who has represented her country more than 210 times. "It was great to have a chance to adapt to the different culture. The food proved a challenge to us but we pride ourselves on being resilient and adapting, which we were. Being adaptable enough to not let any differences in our environment upset our routine will be an advantage when we start travelling the globe for the Pro League. The chance to get used to things in different countries in advance is invaluable.
"And it is equally true for the people travelling across to Australia, it will be different and pose challenges they will have to deal with."
One thing that really excites Australia's captain is the opportunity the FIH Pro League offers to fans in her home country to watch top quality hockey matches.
"We are going to get really high quality games in Australia, now that is really exciting. I have been in the programme for a long time and we rarely get the chance to play high quality teams at home. Now we are going to get the Dutchies (the Netherlands) and Argentina over playing on our home turf. For our Aussie fans to see hockey like that is a big thing.
"Hockey is a family sport in Australia, if one person in the family plays then the whole family will come out and support them. it will be great for them to see the teams they normally only see on television or once in a blue moon, so we are really looking forward to that. I think the appetite for people to come along and support us is going to be huge."
Of course, the teams' preparations for the FIH Pro League will take on a very different complexion to the way they have prepared for international fixtures in the past. For a start, they will be travelling for three months of the year and playing intense and regular home fixtures for a further three months.
Adapting their programme to suit the new playing regime has been the major challenge for the coaching and support staff, who have been working behind the scenes to ensure the Hockeyroos are ready to start the FIH Pro League in the best state of readiness.
Smith explains how the coaching staff have turned to other sports for advice. "In Australia we have AFL (Australian Rules Football) and Rugby League who play around the globe regularly. The sports teams in Australia are a close-knit group so we have been using their resources and have been learning from what they have done for the past 20 years. In that way, we hope to be able to adapt to the new system quickest of all the nations. We have very educated and specialised people on our staff. We are just the athletes so we get on and do what we are told."
#FIHProLeague
FIH site
Scottish Indoor National League 1 gets underway
Grove Menzieshill v Inverleith – Photo by Duncan Gray
The long-standing Tayside monopoly of the indoor National League championships finally came to an end last season when Inverleith and Clydesdale Western won the respective men`s and women`s titles – will that new order continue or is a Dundee revival on the cards?
Inverleith begin the defence of the men`s title with a three-game session on Saturday, they open against capital rivals Grange, then Clydesdale and finally Kelburne.
The Edinburgh side are no novices at holding on to their crown, last year was their fifth indoor title, but coach Stuart Neave believes it generates additional pressure.
“In my experience there is always a greater expectation when you are champions and many teams raise their game against you,” Neave remarked.
In addition, he added: “Three game days are always challenging and each team will provide a different challenge for us, whether through style of play or changes in personnel.”
Whether Grange, Clydesdale or Kelburne have the personnel or drive to upset Inverleith`s aspiration for a sixth title will be answered on Saturday, but will still give Neave food for thought.
“It should certainly give us an indication of where we are at, and what needs to be worked on.”
So where will the main challenge to Inverleith come from? The most likely source should be Grove Menzieshill who have an immense indoor pedigree in Scotland – 20 titles since 1985 is proof of that.
There is little doubt that the Taysiders will mount a serious campaign to return the crown to its home in Dundee. The former champions start their day with Western Wildcats and then newly promoted Dunfermline Carnegie.
Rivals Dundee Wanderers, third last season, could again make an impact on the final outcome, especially with the indoor talents of Fergus Sandison and Bobby Ralph.
Of the rest, both Grange and Wildcats have been successful sides in the outdoor competition, but can this talent be successfully transferred to the indoor game – that is the question?
Last season`s runners-up Kelburne have had a challenging outdoor season and will be hoping for a stronger their indoor performance. It will also be interesting to see how newcomers Dunfermline Carnegie cope with the pace of the top flight.
Dundee Wanderers v Clydesdale Western. Photo by Duncan Gray
There has also been a revolution in the women`s National League 1, Dundee Wanderers` years of dominance ended with a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Clydesdale Western.
And after early fixtures against Hillhead and Edinburgh CALA, the two sides lock horns in the final encounter of Sunday`s programme. While the result may provide an early indicator of relative form, it will hardly contribute to the final destiny of this year`s crown.
Wanderers look strong contenders to retrieve their crown, they have Scotland international Becky Ward back in the ranks, and the likes of youngsters Emily Dark and Charlotte Watson in goal scoring positions, so they could have a strong squad.
Edinburgh University raised a few eyebrows with their results last season – in many respects the students were a breath of fresh air – and in the end they finished a well-deserved fourth.
They start this season with games against Grange and Watsonians. The latter might also make an impact if they can transfer some of their outdoor success to the indoor court.
Grove Menzieshill also have a strong indoor tradition and also start their campaign against Watsonians and Grange.
Scottish Hockey Union media release
Police, Butali clash in title decider
By AYUMBA AYODI
Kenya Police's Willis Okeyo (right) looks to pass the ball under pressure from Wazalendo's Nelson Shikaku during their Kenya Hockey Union men's Premier League match at City Park, Nairobi on November 11, 2018. PHOTO | KANYIRI WAHITO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Defending champions Kenya Police and Butali Sugar will be without some influential players in their top-of-the-table clash at City Park on Sunday.
Police will be without their midfield kingpin Willis Okeyo due to suspension, while Butali Sugar will miss the services of their enterprising striker Zack Aura who is in Morocco on work commitment.
Police and Butali Sugar won their respective matches last Sunday to set up the title decider this weekend.
Police edged out Nakuru 2-0 at Greensted in Nakuru while Butali Sugar crashed Strathmore Gladiators 3-0 at City Park.
The results saw Police, three-time champions, take their tally to 60 points and uphold their three-point lead. Butali remained second with 57 points.
Police only need a draw against the 2016 champions to retain the title while Butali must win to draw level with Police on 60 points.
Victory will see Butali reclaim the title on goal difference since they have +60 against Police’s +50.
Police prevailed over Butali 3-0 in the first leg hence Dennis Owoka’s side will be on a revenge mission.
“Everything is at stake for us and we are going for nothing short of victory,” declared Owoka.
Owoka said that they will have to refine on their penalty corner delivery, saying it has been wanting.
“We had 12 penalty corners against Strathmore but utilized none,” said Owoka.
"We are taking it easy since we have done enough this season. We know the task ahead is tough but we know our strong points," said Police skipper Oliver Echenje.
"It's a big challenge since Butali are on revenge mission after we beat them in the first leg."
The relegation battle will also go down to the wire this weekend with Parkroad Badgers (ninth), Nakuru (10th), Kenya College of Accountancy University (KCA-U) (11th) and Western Jaguars (12th) fighting the big axe.
Three teams will be relegated from the Premier League with only one being promoted from the Super League.
Badgers, who have 22 points, must win against Wazalendo on Saturday to stay in the league but a loss will have them wait for the outcome of other matches to know their fate.
Nakuru, who have 20 points, must beat Western Jaguars in Nakuru on Saturday to also survive relegation.
Jaguars, who have 18 points, will also face KCA-U on Sunday at City Park. They must win their two matches if they hope to remain in the league.
Daily Nation