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News for 15 January 2019

All the news for Tuesday 15 January 2019


Caldas brings in plenty of new faces for Dutch Pro League journey


©: Frank Uijlenbroek / World Sport Pics

HC Oranje-Rood’s Teun Beins (pictured in action against Amsterdam) is among a series of new faces that Max Caldas has added to his Dutch squad of 32 for the Pro League which gets under way for the Oranje on January 27 in New Zealand.

He is one of two uncapped players along with HC Rotterdam’s Justen Blok in for the Blacksticks game and the tie against Australia tie six days later.

It is part of a generally youthful selection as Caldas uses the competition to blood a number of new faces. For the long trip down under, SV Kampong Jip Janssen and Derck de Vilder and Almere’s Terrance Pieters have a handful of caps between them while Rotterdam’s Diede van Puffelen makes a comeback to the fold.

Den Bosch’s Arjen Lodewijks is another new face who will join up with the squad for their game against Spain in March. Former AH&BC Amsterdam man Johannes Mooij – currently with Atletic Terrassa – can win his second cap in the Spanish squad.

Currently, Sander de Wijn, Thijs van Dam, Seve van Ass and Floris Wortelboer are rested due to injury while Valentin Verga and Robbert Kemperman will not take part on the competition as they line out in the Malaysian Hockey League.

Amsterdam’s Billy Bakker will wear the captain’s armband in New Zealand and Australia while Mink van der Weerden leads the side against Spain.

Euro Hockey League media release



Ockenden Wants To See Packed FIH Pro League Crowds

Ben Somerford



Kookaburras legend Eddie Ockenden has implored the Tasmanian public to get out in numbers when Australia plays in Hobart in early February in the new FIH Pro League.

Hobart-born Ockenden spent a fortnight back in his hometown during the Kookaburras break before returning to training on Tuesday ahead of the FIH Pro League which starts for Australia against the Netherlands in Melbourne on Saturday 2 February.

The Kookaburras will also play Belgium in Melbourne before heading to the Apple Isle before matches against 12th ranked Pakistan and sixth ranked Germany at Hobart’s Tasmanian Hockey Centre on Saturday and Sunday 9-10 February.

The Hockeyroos will also play 10th ranked China PR and world number five Germany on the same dates in Hobart.

The matches mark the first time Ockenden and the Kookaburras will have played in Tasmania since 2015.

Australia also played in Hobart in 2011, 2010, 2006 and 1998, with the latter being a fond memory for Ockenden.

"I can remember being a ball boy back when Matthew Wells debuted for Australia against the Netherlands here in 1998,” Ockenden said, who now has 338 caps to his name.

“That definitely spurred me on to play for the Kookaburras.

"So, for the girls of Tasmania, I think it'll be awesome for them to see the Hockeyroos and hopefully they get a little bit of inspiration and aspire to be part of that team in the future."

Ockenden added that the Tasmanian public would be treated to some top quality matches with both the Kookaburras and the Hockeyroos to face strong opposition.

"Germany are one of the best teams of the modern era, certainly of the last 10 to 20 years they have been a hockey superpower and one of the best teams going around," Ockenden said.

"To have a team like that come over here is really special, let alone them coming to Tasmania, and it should be a big sporting event for the whole of Tasmania.

“You could compare it to Tasmania hosting an Ashes Test match, I think it'd be that big in an international sporting context, so it's a really big deal."

"The skills Pakistan have and their unpredictability, I just love watching them and it’s difficult playing against them so there's two really, really big games."

The new FIH Pro League sees nine of the world’s best teams face off in the world’s first global home-and-away sporting league.

The Kookaburras and Hockeyroos will play eight matches each in Melbourne, Hobart, Perth and Sydney in February and March, before eight overseas matches all over the globe in April-June, before the finals in the Netherlands in late June. All matches will be broadcast on FOX SPORTS in Australia.

The FIH Pro League has effectively replaced the Champions Trophy and World League as an entertainment product which will provide – for the first time ever – a regular calendar of must-see events played in packed stadia across the world and throughout the year.

"The concept of the Pro League is really good because we're playing big matches against all the best teams, so the concept is that you play one game and it means a lot,” he said.

"We want to win every game we play and if we win most games in this Pro League, we make finals and then it's like a tournament.

"We'd love to have this place (Tasmanian Hockey Centre) packed for really good quality opposition. Germany and Pakistan are good teams to watch.”

Tickets for the new FIH Pro League are available now via www.ticketbooth.com.au or this link.

Hockey Australia media release



Hockey India CEO’s outburst before Dutch game had a ‘very disturbing effect’, says Harendra Singh

Hockey India's four-member high performance and development committee, which met in Delhi last Monday, cited the incident as one of the reasons for Harendra's removal as the chief coach.

by Mihir Vasavda


Harendra Singh. (Source: file Photo)

Hockey India CEO Elena Norman’s alleged outburst against four players, including captain Manpreet Singh, ahead of India’s World Cup quarterfinal against the Netherlands last month had a ‘very disturbing effect’ on the team, then coach Harendra Singh’s has written in his report to the game’s governing body and Sports Authority of India.

Hockey India’s four-member high performance and development committee, which met in Delhi last Monday, cited the incident as one of the reasons for Harendra’s removal as the chief coach. According to the minutes of the meeting, dated January 7, the committee acknowledged that he is ‘best coach in India’ but at the same time, said he ‘lacked sufficient experience in tactical (sic) and strategy’ to coach a senior team, while questioning his ‘temperament and maturity levels.’

The committee went on to highlight ‘behavioural issues of few of the athletes’ and pulled up the coach for not being able to rein them in. “…ahead of the quarterfinals where few athletes were found to be in areas of the stadium where they are not permitted to enter and such issues need to be managed properly by the chief coach in their meetings since these violations can result in disciplinary sanctions and reprimand…” the committee noted, referring to the incident involving the players and the Hockey India CEO.

Two days before India’s quarterfinal, which they lost 2-1, Manpreet along with fellow players Krishan Pathak, Mandeep Singh and Gurjant Singh entered the VIP lounge of the stadium while watching the crossover match between the Netherlands and Canada. Norman rebuked them for not being in their designated seating area, which was next to the team dugouts opposite the VIP stand.

The following day, Manpreet acknowledged the incident took place. “It was our mistake. Players were not allowed in the lounge. All teams not allowed. We went there (so) it was our mistake,” he said. He went on to add that he wasn’t under pressure ‘to accept his mistake’. “I have no personal issues with Elena… She is my colleague, we have good relations.”

Harendra did not comment on the issue back then. However, in his point-by-point rebuttal to Hockey India’s claims on January 8, he said the committee’s allegations were ‘misdirected’. He defended himself by saying that off-the-field communication with players was the responsibility of the team manager Chris Ciriello.

“I repeatedly informed all players and coaching staff and same was informed to Ms Elena Norman… through text and calls before the incident took place; any off-field incident and communication are the responsibility of team manager,” he wrote. “But since this issue has been raised allow me to point out to a very disturbing effect of the latest incident,” he added in his report, before abruptly jumping to other matters.

When reached out to for reactions, Hockey India and Harendra did not respond.

Indian Express



Khelo India Youth Games 2019: Haryana emerge champions in U-17 men's hockey


Khelo India Youth Games 2019 Haryana players with their Gold medal at Khelo India Youth Games , Khelo India

Haryana defeated Punjab 1-0 in a closely contested final to emerge winners in the Under-17 men's hockey competition of the second Khelo India Youth Games on Monday.

The all-important goal for Haryana came in the 40th minute and they successfully prevented their northern neighbours from seeking parity or overhauling the scoreline.

It was a nervy encounter for both the teams for most part of the first two quarters, but it was Haryana who finally managed to break the deadlock when they scored through a penalty corner which was converted by Sahil Sharma, a Hockey India statement said here.

Punjab threatened to breach the Haryana defence in the closing stages but could not find the equaliser and had to settle as the runners-up.

In the bronze medal match, it was Odisha who came out on top as they defeated Uttar Pradesh 3-2 in the penalty shootout after all the four quarters went goal-less.

Meanwhile, in the Under-17 women's competition, Haryana defeated hosts Maharashtra 5-0 in their Pool B match.

The other Pool B match saw Odisha defeat Mizoram by a fine margin of 4-2 to remain on top with six points from two matches.

In Under-21 women's hockey competition, Haryana defeated Uttar Pradesh 4-2 to win their second consecutive match and top Pool B with six points.

In the other Pool B match, Punjab registered their first win of the competition as they comprehensively beat Chandigarh 7-1, the statement added.

Daily News & Analysis



Liaoning making waves at national women's league

By T. Avineshwaran

PETALING JAYA: Liaoning Infinite Space are beginning to stamp their mark as the favourites for the Malaysian Women's Hockey League.

The club from China beat PKS-Universiti Tenaga Nasional (Uniten) 2-0 at the National Hockey Stadium on Monday (Jan 14) as the debutants have collected maximum points from their first two matches.

Uniten, which has eight national players in the team, could not stop the two penalty goals from Li Feng in the 20th minute and Sun Yuyuan in the 31st minute.

Uniten, triumphant in the first two matches, could not find an answer against the resolute and disciplined Chinese side as they held on to a 2-0 victory.

In Terengganu, National forward Fatin Shafika Mohd Sukri and Jaspreet Kaur were the toast for Terengganu Ladies as they scored four goals each to help their side thump Penang Sports Hockey Association (PSHA)-MSSPP 13-0 at the Batu Buruk Hockey Stadium.

Indian international Jaspreet was notably accurate with her flicks as all her four goals (19th, 34th, 35th and 41st) were from penalty corners.

Fatin scored two from penalty corners (14th and 20th), and the other two were field goals (6th and 19th).

The other five goals were scored by Siti Noor Amarina Ruhani (12th), Nur Syuhada Suhaimi (26th), Tuan Nur Hidayah Tuan Ismail (35th), Siti Nursyafiqah Mohd Zain (43rd) and Man Meet Kaur (60th).

Terengganu have so far scored 18 goals in two games and currently top the standings by goal difference.

In the third match-up of the day, the Blue Warriors continued their resurgent run by thrashing Tg Mahkota Ismail Sports School 7-0.

Tiffany Chan Ying Ching was the toast as the Hong Kong national player scored three penalty corners in the 13th, 14th and 26th minute while national player Norazlin Sumantri scored two goals in the 9th and 54th minute.

The other two goals were scored by Fatin Naimah Zaki (42nd) and Nuramirah Shakirah Zulkifli (55th).

The Star of Malaysia



QPCC I, Ventures continue streak

by NIGEL SIMON


Queen’s Park Hockey Team

Queen's Park Crick­et Club (men) and Ven­tures (women) con­tin­ued their im­pres­sive do­mes­tic in­door hock­ey run by cap­tur­ing the men's and women's Open Di­vi­sion ti­tles when the sec­ond an­nu­al Uni­ver­si­ty of the West In­dies In­door Hock­ey Tour­na­ment con­clud­ed at the UWI Sports and Phys­i­cal Ed­u­ca­tion­al Cen­tre, St Au­gus­tine on Sun­day.

The men's fi­nal failed to live up to its hype as the Parkites got hat-tricks from Aidan De Gannes (third, 16th, 23rd) and Do­minic Young (7th, 15th, 20th) in an 8-2 ham­mer­ing of Po­lice.

Evan Pierre Far­rell and Shawn Lee Quay were al­so on tar­get for the win­ners who copped $3,000 while Wayne Leg­erton and Tris­tan Grant net­ted the con­so­la­tion items for the Law­men who pock­et­ed $1,500.

In the semi­fi­nals, Queen's Park Crick­et Club blanked Paragon 2-0 with a goal each from Robert France and Do­minic Young while Po­lice won 4-2 on penal­ty-stroke shoot-out, over Guyana's Su­per­no­va af­ter a thrilling 3-3 draw.

Su­per­no­va made sure their trip to T&T was not with­out re­ward as they took home the third place $1,000 prize af­ter slip­ping past Paragon 5-4.

The women's de­cider was a much clos­er con­test with Ven­tures com­ing from a goal down to beat UWI with a last gasp win­ner from Yese­nia Luces, who al­so drew her team lev­el in the 17th af­ter Gabrielle Thomp­son had net­ted a12th-minute open­er.

Ven­tures were com­fort­able semi­fi­nal win­ners over Paragon led by a dou­ble from Luces while UWI got the bet­ter of Shandy Carib Mag­no­lias Pink 2-1 on penal­ty-strokes shoot-out af­ter a 3-3 dead­lock.

The vic­to­ries on Sun­day for Queen's Park Crick­et Club I and Ven­tures both com­plet­ed a hat-trick of wins on lo­cal soil as they added to their re­cent tri­umphs in the T&T Hock­ey Board's Na­tion­al In­door Cham­pi­onship last Oc­to­ber as well as the 16th edi­tion of Ven­tures In­vi­ta­tion­al In­door last week­end at the same venue.

The two clubs al­so earned sec­ond place fin­ish­es in the Di­a­mond Min­er­al In­door tour­na­ment in George­town, Guyana, in De­cem­ber.

RE­SULTS

Semi­fi­nals:

Men's Open:

QPCC I 2 (Robert France 24th, Do­minic Young 28th) vs Paragon 0

Po­lice 3 (Wayne Leg­erton 3rd, 15th, 30th) vs Su­per­no­va 3 (Ka­reem Mc Ken­zie 21st, War­ren Williams 26th, Omar Hop­kin­son 30th) - Po­lice won 4-2 on penal­ty-strokes shoot out

Women's Open:

Ven­tures 4 (Yese­nia Luces 17th, 30th, Arielle Williams 19th, Lind­say Williams 19th) vs Paragon 1 (Keima Gar­diner 8th)

Mag­no­lias Pink 3 (Sha­ni­ah De Fre­itas 2nd, Brit­tney Hingh 14th, Saarah Olton 27th) vs UWI 3 (Gabrielle Thomp­son 8th, Nicole White­man 10th, Krizia Layne 30th) - UWI won 2- 1 on penal­ty-strokes shoot out

Third place play­offs:

Women's Open:

Mag­no­lias Pink 3 (Sa­van­nah De Fre­itas 14th, Sha­ni­ah De Fre­itas 24th, Saman­tha Olton 24th) vs Paragon 1 (Fe­li­cia King 22nd)

Men's Open:

Su­per­no­va 5 (Omar Hop­kin­son 9th, 29th, War­ren Williams 10th, 11th, Ka­reem Mc Ken­zie 21st) vs Paragon 4 (Jabari Perez 7th, Kelon Sker­ritt 15th, 26th, Akim Tou­s­saint 20th)

Fi­nals:

Women's Open:

Ven­tures 2 (Yese­nia Luces 21st, 30th) vs UWI 1 (Gabrielle Thomp­son 17th)

Men's Open:

QPCC I 8 (Aidan De Gannes 3rd, 16th, 23rd, Do­minic Young 7th, 15th, 20th, Evan Pierre Far­rell 10th, Shawn Lee Quay 29th) vs Po­lice 2 (Wayne Leg­erton 5th, Tris­tan Grant 12th)

In­di­vid­ual awards:

Most Valu­able Play­er:

Men's Open:Dar­ren Cowie (QPCC I)

Women's Open: Jes­si­ca Lee (UWI)

Most Goals:

Men's Open: Wayne Leg­erton (Po­lice) - 17 goals

Women's Open: Sha­ni­ah De Fre­itas (Shandy Carib Mag­no­lias Pink) - 12 goals

The Trinidad Guardian



Indoor semi’s confirmed in Scottish Women’s Indoor National League 1



The semi-finals of the women`s indoor National League 1 championships are now complete with one game still to play in the group stages, Dundee Wanderers and Watsonians from Pool 1 are joined by Clydesdale Western and Grove Menzieshill from the other group.

The former champions were 3-1 ahead at half-time against Hillhead in their opening match, Ruth Blaikie got the opener, then Vikki Bunce chipped in with a double, Wendy Andrews replied for the Glasgow side. Millie Skidmore`s goal in the second half consolidated Wanderers 4-1 victory and kept them in pole position in their pool

Wanderers continued their unbeaten run with a comfortable 10-0 win over Grange, the catalysts were four goals by Bunce and a Heather Elder hat-trick.

Watsonians retained their second place in the pool with a 10-0 win over Grange, Georgia Jones was top scorer with a hat-trick while there were doubles each for Nikki Stobie and Heather Tait.

Watsonians confirmed their semi-final slot after drawing 1-1 with Hillhead and now have an unassailable five point cushion over the Glasgow side. Watsonians took the lead in the first half through Georgia Jones, and although Louise Andrews levelled after the interval, the Edinburgh side held on to that crucial result.

In the other pool Clydesdale Western continued their perfect record by seeing off rivals Grove Menzieshill 6-2 to advance to the semi-finals. Western were three up at the interval, Kayleigh Justice scored twice while sister Marjery got the other. Kayleigh continued her goal scoring spree with another two in the second half with Millie Steiger getting the final counter. Grove Menzieshill`s goals emanated from Pauline Stott and Corrie Hay.

Western certainly did not have it all their own way in their second outing against Edinburgh University. In fact it was the students who took an early lead through Ellie Hutcheson but by the interval Marjery Justice, Laura Mann and Susie Gilman had put the Titwood-based side into a 3-1 lead. Millie Steiger added a fourth for Western in the second half before Hutcheson got her second of the contest for a 4-2 finish.

Grove Menzieshill booked their place in the penultimate stages after a 3-1 win over Edinburgh CALA. The Taysiders were two up at the interval through Jaime Lyon and Corrie Hay. The result was sealed with a third from Ellie Stott in the second half, Emma Davie replied but it was little more than a consolation.

Earlier in the day in the lower reaches of the pool Edinburgh University saw off CALA 3-2 to draw level on three points each. Ellie Hutcheson, Sophie Maunder and Ella Watt hit the target for the students while Shona McNab and Angie Davie replied for CALA.

Scottish Hockey Union media release



Telkom coach Jos Openda steps down


Telkom coach Jos Openda (left) poses for a photo with striker Jacqueline Mwangi on February 18, 2018 at City Park Stadium. Openda has stepped down as Telkom coach. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLLO |  NATION MEDIA GROUP

Telkom Kenya women’s hockey team coach Jos Openda has resigned.

Openda, who has been with Telkom for 16 years, has won the Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) women’s Premier League title with them 16 times, beside eight Africa Club Championships crowns.

Last year, Telkom reclaimed the continental title for a record 10th Cup success, while the team remained unbeaten for the sixth consecutive year when lifting their 21st Premier League title.

Openda, who will remain as a consultant, has groomed four coaches, who are likely to take over from him. They are former internationals Josephine Ataro, Rose Mbulo, Judy Apiyo and Jackline Otieno.

“I have groomed them for the last four years and I believe this is the right time for them to take over the mantle,” said Openda, who has won Coach of the Year award twice in 2014 and 2016 during the Safaricom Sports Personality of the year Awards(Soya).

“I believe I have achieved what I wanted to with Telkom and I am sure the likes of Mbulo and Ataro should guide the team to greater heights,” said Openda, who finished third in Coach of the Year category during the 2018 Soya Gala on Friday at Fort Jesus. Mombasa.

Telkom Kenya was once again declared women's Team of the Year for the second time during the ceremony at Fort Jesus, having first won the accolade back in 2014.

Openda said that he wanted to take a break last year but shelved the decision after Telkom lost the continental club title to Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) in Accra.

However, Telkom managed to reclaim the title in December last year, beating GRA 2-0 in Abuja, Nigeria.

“I wanted to leave when they are back at the helm hence I can now take a deserved break,” said Openda.

“I will still be with them but on consultancy basis.”

Daily Nation



University Of Pacific Field Hockey Team Has A Month To Raise $13 Million To Save Program

Linda Mumma

STOCKTON (CBS13) — It’s a scary time for Division I field hockey on the west coast. Last month the University of the Pacific dropped the women’s sport which may impact three other universities in Northern California.

The UOP team, which has celebrated multiple years as division champions, will soon have to abandon the sport unless enough funds are raised to save the program.

“I feel really really bad for the players. They all signed up to come here, they all came here to play hockey and get a degree and a lot of them will leave because there’s no longer a field hockey team here,” said coach Andy Smith.

The Division I program was so successful, the team won four conference championships in the last five years and attracted players from around the world.

“It’s affected players from South Africa, it’s affected players from Belgium, from Holland,” Smith said.

Athletic director Janet Lucas said the impacts were impossible to avoid.

“I can’t express enough how difficult the decision was to eliminate a program, but… It would take an endowment of about $13 million total in order to reinstate the program,” Lucas said.

Eight of the 18 athletes on the field hockey team are scheduled to graduate in 2019, but the remainder of the squad is left without a program.

“It’s a big surprise and it’s really upsetting. No one wants to hear that,” said player Lindsie Rogers.

Now the players are faced with a difficult decision whether to stay at UOP or transfer and play elsewhere. Lucas said the school will continue to honor the athlete’s scholarships if they chose to stay to support their graduation.

A group of alumni are spearheading an effort to save the team and have established a fund at the Community Foundation San Joaquin.

The foundation has until the end of the month to raise enough money. In the meantime, three other teams at UC Davis, Stanford, and Berkeley, could also be impacted. The American East Conference announced it is ending its league affiliation with the teams at the end of the 2020 season.

CBS Sacramento

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