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All the news for Thursday 24 February 2019

FIH Pro League: Pakistan out of first edition



Lausanne, Switzerland: Pakistan will not take part in the 2019 FIH Pro League. The Pakistan Hockey Association informed FIH today that they were no longer able to play their first three games planned against Argentina, Australia and New Zealand, citing “inevitable circumstances”. Therefore, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has taken the decision to suspend the Asian team from the 2019 FIH Pro League in order not to jeopardize the regularity and the smooth delivery of the event, which kicked-off successfully last Saturday in Valencia.

FIH CEO Thierry Weil said: “It is regretful that Pakistan has decided only now to withdraw from the first games of the FIH Pro League. Consequently, FIH were left with no other option than suspending Pakistan from the rest of the competition’s season. At this stage, I would like to thank all participating National Associations who had adapted their schedules to support a solution for Pakistan to join the competition this year.”

The FIH Pro League is a brand-new competition and part of FIH’s new event portfolio. It’s a global home and away league involving many of the world’s leading hockey nations, Men and Women, for a six-month period.

The non-participation of Pakistan has no impact on the competition format. The eight Men teams of the FIH Pro League will play each other on a home and away basis from January to June.

The FIH Pro League resumes on Friday with the Men’s game Spain-Great Britain.

On Saturday, the Women’s FIH Pro League will kick-off with the game Argentina-Belgium.

To find out all information about the FIH Pro League, view the official event website here.

#FIHProLeague

FIH site

Pakistan suspended from FIH Pro League

Shahnaz Sheikh urges govt to hold PHF high-ups accountable

Azhar Khan

LAHORE - The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has suspended Pakistan from 2019 FIH Pro League. The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) informed the FIH that they were no longer able to play their first three games planned against Argentina, Australia and New Zealand, citing ‘inevitable circumstances’. Therefore, the FIH has taken the decision to suspend the Asian team from the 2019 FIH Pro League in order not to jeopardize the regularity and the smooth delivery of the event, which kicked-off successfully last Saturday in Valencia.

FIH CEO Thierry Weil said: “It is regretful that Pakistan has decided only now to withdraw from the first games of the FIH Pro League. Consequently, the FIH were left with no other option than suspending Pakistan from the rest of the competition’s season. At this stage, I would like to thank all participating national associations, who had adapted their schedules to support a solution for Pakistan to join the competition this year.”

He added that the FIH Pro League is a brand-new competition and part of FIH’s new event portfolio. It’s a global home and away league involving many of the world’s leading hockey nations, men and women, for a six-month period. The non-participation of Pakistan has no impact on the competition format. The eight men teams of the FIH Pro League will play each other on a home and away basis from January to June. The FIH Pro League resumes on Friday with the men’s game Spain-Great Britain. On Saturday, the Women’s FIH Pro League will kick-off with the game Argentina-Belgium.

Talking to The Nation, former hockey Olympian Shahnaz Sheikh has termed this decision a bad omen for Pakistan hockey and requested the IPC Ministry to launch an inquiry against the PHF high-ups. “The PHF officials must be asked why they took such an important decision of taking part in the highly-expensive FIH Pro League while sitting in a room and without taking government and IPC Ministry into confidence.”

He pointed that Hockey India, which is one of the richest hockey federations of the world, took very wise decision by withdrawing from this event. “India think tanks very wisely chose to withdraw from FIH Pro League as it wouldn’t prove beneficial for them as already top hockey teams of the world are featuring in the event, so taking part in this event would serve no purpose. Instead of wasting around Rs 30 crore on this event, they will surely utilize such huge amount on their domestic hockey and reap the benefit. The Indians have decided to host qualifiers, where they will have chance of not only qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics 2020 but also earn good with this investment.”

Shahnaz said that it was a wrong decision of PHF officials to take part in the mega event as the federation has already been facing acute shortage of funds. “The PHF high-ups must have pondered over all the positives and negatives before finally deciding about featuring in the FIH Pro League. They needed Rs 5 crore fro travelling and playing in the league. Instead of wasting such a huge amount, it must be utilized in improving hockey at domestic level and fresh talent must be found and groomed under qualified coaches to provide Pakistan national team future stars.”

The former Olympian asked the government why it is waiting to sack such incompetent PHF officials who are responsible of Pakistan hockey debacle. “After such pathetic performances of hockey federation and putting former international champions on the bottom of the international rankings, why the government and IPC Ministry aren’t conducting performance-based audit of the PHF high-ups.

“The government and IPC Ministry must launch an inquiry against the responsible ones and take the culprits to task. There is a dire need to save Pakistan hockey from further decline and humiliation and for this, the government should replace current PHF officials with the ones, who are committed to revive the national game and wants Pakistan hockey to regain its lost glory,” Shahnaz concluded.

The Nation

HA Consider Options After Pakistan’s FIH Pro League Withdrawal

Ben Somerford



The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has confirmed that Pakistan have been suspended from the 2019 FIH Pro League, meaning next month’s Kookaburras-Pakistan match to be played at the Tasmanian Hockey Centre in Hobart will not proceed.

The Kookaburras were due to play Pakistan from 3pm AEDT on Saturday 9 February in Hobart, followed by the Hockeyroos-China PR match from 5pm AEDT. Both Australian sides will play Germany on Sunday 10 February in Hobart.

Hockey Australia CEO Matt Favier said: “We are disappointed to learn of Pakistan’s withdrawal from the inaugural FIH Pro League which commences in Australia next month.

“The timing of the announcement presents challenges with Pakistan due to play the Kookaburras in Hobart on Saturday 9 February 3pm.

“We want to stress that Pakistan’s withdrawal will not affect the scheduled 5pm Hockeyroos-China match in Hobart on Saturday 9 February.

“We have immediately begun to consider our options to offer a solution, particularly given fans have pre-purchased tickets and there had been good local interest in the double-header, and will communicate that as soon as possible.”

The Pakistan Hockey Association informed FIH on Wednesday that they were no longer able to play their first three games planned against Argentina, Australia and New Zealand, citing “inevitable circumstances”.

Therefore, the FIH has taken the decision to suspend the Asian team from the 2019 FIH Pro League in order not to jeopardize the regularity and the smooth delivery of the event, which kicked-off successfully last Saturday in Valencia.

FIH CEO Thierry Weil said: “It is regretful that Pakistan has decided only now to withdraw from the first games of the FIH Pro League. Consequently, FIH were left with no other option than suspending Pakistan from the rest of the competition’s season.

“At this stage, I would like to thank all participating National Associations who had adapted their schedules to support a solution for Pakistan to join the competition this year.”

The FIH Pro League is a brand-new competition and part of FIH’s new event portfolio. It’s a global home and away league involving many of the world’s leading hockey nations, Men and Women, for a six-month period.

The non-participation of Pakistan has no impact on the competition format. The eight Men teams of the FIH Pro League will play each other on a home and away basis from January to June.

The FIH Pro League resumes on Friday with the Men’s game Spain-Great Britain.

On Saturday, the Women’s FIH Pro League will kick-off with the game Argentina-Belgium.

FIH Pro League matches are televised on FOXSPORTS and kayosports.com.au.

Hockey Australia media release

Pakistan no longer participating in 2019 FIH Pro League


Pakistan's men's team at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in London

Great Britain Hockey have today been made aware that Pakistan’s men’s team will not participate in the 2019 FIH Pro League. The FIH has decided that they will not be replaced by another team in the 2019 edition. The men’s event now becomes an eight-team home and away competition.

Pakistan’s game against Great Britain in London on Sunday 5 May has now been cancelled and the neutral match between Pakistan and Australia, due to take place at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre on Friday 7 June will not take place.

England Hockey are very sorry for any inconvenience caused, and will be making contact with season ticket holders, ticket holders and other affected groups in the coming days.

Great Britain’s men play their very first match on Friday 25 January, away to Spain at 10am UK time, live on BT Sport. Our women play their first match on Friday 8 February away to New Zealand.

Great Britain Hockey media release

Pakistan hockey team coaches urge government to release grant

LAHORE: Taking a backseat, the president and acting secretary of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) have put forward the national team coaches to urge the government to release funding to make it possible for them to send the national team to Argentina, Australia and New Zealand to play FIH Pro League matches from Feb 2 to 24.

Addressing reporters on Wednesday, head coach Saeed Khan and assistant coaches Danish Kaleem and Rehan Butt urged the government to clarify whether they were issuing the grant or not.

“The participation in the Pro League is important and the government has to take a final decision immediately,” Danish said categorically. “It isn’t the right way to run hockey affairs that despite all kinds of appeals the government is not ready to issue any grant.

“The same situation prevailed when the national team was leaving for the World Cup [in December last year]. Missing the Pro League could result in a ban on Pakistan from the FIH and no chance for the country to qualify for the upcoming Olympics.”

Rehan echoed Danish’s sentiments.

“Other countries are preparing their teams three months before of any event but here we’re waiting till the very end to know whether we will be participating or not,” he said. “The boys are attending the training camp but confusion prevails and it isn’t good both mentally and physically for the players and coaches.”

Saeed added: “At this point there is no confirmation. We have arranged visa fees and visas are ready but still the funds are short to make accommodation arrang­e­ments and to buy air tickets.

“The match tickets for the matches in Australia and New Zealand have been sold out as the Pakistani community there wants to see the team in action. It is a journey for the national team to qualify for the 2020 Olympics and if the government will not issue the funds I don’t think the team will go as per plan.”

The government’s reluctance to release funds is an indication of the lack of trust it has in the current PHF management led by retired Brig Sajjad Khokhar, who became country’s hockey chief in the tenure of the previous government.

Dawn

Vantage Black Sticks Name Sides to Take on The Netherlands



Vantage Black Sticks Men’s Coach Darren Smith has named an experienced side for the opening match of the FIH Pro League against the World Number 3 ranked team from the Netherlands. The team will be led by Captain Blair Tarrant who is going to be looking to get his team playing some attacking hockey as they look to start this ground-breaking league off on a positive foot.

The Netherlands have sent over a relatively unchanged side from the team that recently finished an agonising second place at the Odisha Men’s Hockey World Cup. The Dutch team are relentless on attack and will be looking to maximise their opportunities in the match. Shutting down Jeroen Hertzberger who has scored 57 times for the Netherlands will be essential as they look to nullify the Dutch attack. 

Vantage Black Sticks Men’s Coach Darren Smith States “We are looking forward to challenging them from a tactical perspective and getting stuck into them on our home pitch. They are a quality side who nearly won the World Cup so we know it will be a massive challenge”.

Vantage Black Sticks Men vs Netherlands Men. Sunday 27th Jan at 4:30pm. Coverage is on TVNZ 2

Vantage Black Sticks Men’s Side to take on The Netherlands

Vantage Black Sticks Women’s Coach Sean Dancer has named an experienced side to contest the opening match of the FIH Pro League. The side features 3 players with more than 200 matches experience for their country. This includes Captain Stacey Michelsen who will lead the side in her 262ndmatch for the Vantage Black Sticks Women. Look for the Vantage Black Sticks Women to play some exciting attacking hockey as they look to start the 2019 season off positively. Olivia Merry and Kirsten Pearce will be key to the team taking some great opportunities in front of goal. Teenage striker Olivia Shannon lines up for what will be her debut match against the most feared side in Women’s Hockey, The Netherlands.

The Netherlands are a side that is strong all over the park. They ended the year ranked number one in the world a trend that has been constant over the past 5 years. The Vantage Black Sticks Women are going to have to be at their absolute best in all areas of the game if they are going to beat the early favourites for the FIH Pro League.

Vantage Black Sticks Women’s Coach Sean Dancer commented on the Dutch “They are very good at scoring goals and taking their opportunities. Something that we will need to pay a lot of attention to”.

Vantage Black Sticks Women vs Netherlands Women. Sunday 27th Jan at 2:30pm. Coverage is on TVNZ 2

Vantage Black Sticks Women’s Side to take on The Netherlands

Hockey New Zealand Media release

Canada levels the series


Photo: Tristan Urry

Hongge Sport Center, Panzhihua, China - Canada achieves second win in a row against China currently placing the two games tied in their six game series.

Canada saw their second victory of 1 - 0 during Wednesday nights fourth match against China. Both teams now currently hold two wins each, increasing the pressure for the next two matches before the series is complete. Natalie Sourisseau scored Canadas winning goal after receiving the ball from Hannah Haughn, which she then brought into the D and put away in the near side corner of the goal.

Alison Lee, Canadas number 5 midfielder celebrated her 50th Cap wearing red and white on Wednesday night.

“It was always a dream of mine to play for my country, so every time I put the red and white jersey on it is an honour. Playing my 50th match for Canada just reminds me how lucky I am to be here and compete with such an incredible group of women” said Lee.

“I think we have really improved our performance from the first match, we’ve been assigning roles on the field and sticking to them which has contributed to our success two days in a row. Our structures have been reworked, and that has evidently evened the playing field with China, one of the top ten teams in the world. This second win against China has made an already special day for me just that much more special. This is an inspiring group of women to be a part of and I am very excited to see what we can achieve this year” added Lee.

The two teams have seen healthy competition with each other over this series so far and will play again on Friday the 25th at 4:20pm.

Field Hockey Canada team media release

Chairil asks MHC to get experts

By Naqib Nor Said

KUALA LUMPUR: Former international, Chairil Anwar Abdul Aziz has suggested that the Malaysia Hockey Confederation (MHC) appoint experts to lead the national indoor hockey squad which has been revived for the Manila Sea Games later this year.

"Indoor hockey is quite different when compared to field hockey,” said Chairil, who was part of the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Olympics national hockey squads.

"It is better if MHC appoints the right individuals for the job who are real experts in such a sport because the basics and techniques are quite different, and in fact in terms of changing of players, it has to be done in accordance with the coach’s strategy.

"Based on my experience, there is no guarantee that a really good field hockey player will be able to excel in indoor hockey, so I feel it is better for MHC to appoint an expert coach to develop it over here,” said Chairil.

MHC president, Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal recently urged that indoor hockey be reinstated in their main calendar of events , however the identity of the coaches who will lead both the men’s and women’s squads at the Manila Sea Games has yet to be revealed.

All this while, MHC has not really given emphasis on indoor hockey, despite the fact that the sport offers bright opportunities for success on the world stage.

In fact, after winning one gold and one bronze at the 2017 Kuala Lumpur Sea Games, the national indoor hockey squad was disbanded after MHC decided not to continue with the development of the sport.

Now, more than a year after such a decision was made, which was objected to by a few parties, the national indoor hockey squad has been reinstated with the mission of winning two gold medals at the Manila Sea Games.

Even so, whether or not MHC decides to re-engage the services of Mohd Amin Rahim as the men’s squad coach and Iman Gobinathan (women’s squad) remains to be seen, as it is still an uncertainty because there are a couple of other experienced names that are being mentioned, including former international Kevin Lim and former Malaysian Armed Forces coach Kamaruddin Misman, who should be given due consideration as well.

Kevin is currently based in Germany and is understood to be interested in trying his luck as the national men’s indoor hockey coach, because as a player he has captained the German national men’s indoor hockey squad during the 2010 European Championships.

In terms of his career as a coach, he has more than 10 years experience in coaching with his best achievement being helping to lead Wespen Wehdenlofer’s Under-18 and Under-16 squads in winning the German indoor hockey championship, apart from also playing a pivotal role in the club’s senior squad achieving third place in the German league.

However, what is certain is that former national coach Wallace Tan, who once lead the national squad on an interim basis, will not be among the candidates to be considered as his contract was not extended by MHC.

New Straits Times

Harendra Singh should have been given more time, says former Hockey captain


Sandeep Singh slammed the frequent change of coaches in Indian hockey , PTI

Former captain Sandeep Singh on Wednesday slammed the frequent change of coaches in Indian hockey, asserting that there was none better for the job than the recently-removed Harendra Singh.

Harendra was sacked as India coach earlier this month following a disappointing 2018 and offered another stint with the junior squad. He became the sixth coach to be sacked in as many years.

"You can't be changing coaches this frequently. The crucial Olympic qualifier (FIH Series Finals in June) is ahead of us and we should not be experimenting too much. I don't think I have worked with a better coach than Harendra sir," Sandeep said at the launch of Flickers Brothers hockey academy, his joint venture with brother Bikramjeet.

"There are a few coaches (in India) who can coach at the highest level and Harendra paaji is one of them. He should have been given more time.

"Any new coach takes about six months to adjust to the system and players also need time to understand his methods. The team doesn't have that kind of time (ahead Olympic qualifiers)," he said.

India have had a variety of foreign coaches and Harendra helming the national team was a rarity in recent times. But he could not even last 12 months after taking charge, following the team's medal-less showing at the Commonwealth Games in April.

Hockey India has invited fresh applications for the post and Sandeep, who was best known for his ferocious drag-flicks, feels an Indian coach will be most beneficial for the team.

"There is no language barrier and more importantly, you don't hesitate while interacting with an Indian coach. Indian coaches are strict on the field but off the field, they take very good care of you," he explained.

The phenomenon of dropping players without giving them ample opportunities is another aspect that bogs down Indian coaches, said Sandeep.

"In 2007-08, India and Belgium played a series in Chennai and we beat them easily though I was not a part of that team. If you look at the Belgium side, which won the World Cup last month, it had most of the players that played against India 10 years ago, while India had only one or two.

"So continuity is important. Rupinder Pal Singh should have played the World Cup and Sardar Singh should have been allowed to retire post the World Cup," said the 32-year-old.

The biggest worry for the national team, according to Sandeep, is lack of world-class goalkeepers.

"My biggest worry is when P R Sreejesh retires, who will replace him? I don't see anyone matching up to his standards. We have to prepare goalkeepers. Strikers and drag-flickers keep coming but not goalkeepers. I hope he plays for another five to seven years." He concluded by saying that the head coach should be involved in selection matters as is the case with top foreign teams like the Netherlands and Germany.

Daily News & Analysis

Spain tour will be good indicator ahead of Olympic Qualifiers: Rani

Indian women's hockey team skipper Rani Thursday said their Spanish tour will help "understand where we stand" ahead of the Olympic Qualifiers, slated to be held later this year.

The tour opener will be played in Murcia.

"It will be a challenging tour no doubt but our team has made a lot of improvement in the past two years and we see this as a great opportunity to understand where we stand ahead of the Olympic Qualifying events this year," stated Rani.

The Indian team will play four matches against Spain between January 26 to January 31 followed by two games against Ireland on February 2 and 3.

"We have quite a few youngsters who have been given a chance to show their potential against strong teams. It is important to have a larger pool of players with good international exposure ahead of important tournaments this year," she added.

Rani believes her team will carry confidence from its impressive performances last year, which helped India move up the FIH world rankings.

"Though we surprised many with our performance against teams like England and Australia, we feel we could have done better in the 2018 Asian Games and 2018 World Cup.

"While we carry confidence from last year's events, we work everyday with the belief that we can take our performance to the next level and we certainly have the potential to do so.

"We have been receiving great support from our coaching staff in the past few months of training where we not only had to overcome the heartbreak of losing the 2018 Asian Games final to Japan and a quarterfinal loss to Ireland in the 2018 World Cup but also introspect on the mistakes we were making."              

The Indian team left in the early hours of Thursday morning for the Spain tour from here.

The Tribune

U-16 and U-20 USMNT Returning to Chile for Friendly Test Series

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Junior U.S. Men’s National Teams are heading back to Chile for their first international competition of 2019. Junior USMNT Head Coach Rutger Wiese, has confirmed the rosters for the U-16 and U-20 squads that will compete against Chile from March 8-16 in a friendly four-game test series in Santiago, Chile.

“The coaching staff is really excited about the progress and quality of the players,” commented Wiese. “The tour in Chile provides us with another great opportunity to train and compete together. Congratulations to all selected players.”

On tour, members of both junior squads will get exposure to competitive international play.

U.S. U-16 Men’s National Team Roster:
Leo Baumgardner (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), Gavin Chung (Glen Ridge, N.J.), Angad Dhami (Sunnyvale, Calif.), Corey Dykema (Newport News, Va.), Brett Eisner (Lafayette, Calif.), Lucas Frejenal (Indianpolis, Ind.), Mehtab (Mohan) Grewal (Somis, Calif.), Jack Hawley (Ventura, Calif.), Gurcharan Johal (Phoenix, Ariz.), Wyatt Katz (Santa Rose Valley, Calif.), Tyler Kim (Fredericksburg, Va.), Colin Kirkpatrick (Annville, Pa.), Namit Mangat (Glendale, Ariz.), Rafael Martell (Miami, Fla.), Shiven Patel (Los Altos, Calif.), Jasper Pouw (Santa Rose Valley, Calif.), Agam Sidhu (Fremont, Calif.), Danish Singh (Phoenix, Ariz.), Russell Smith (Camarillo, Calif.), Ronan Swadling (Jamaica Plain, Mass.), Mason Wong (Alamo, Calif.)

U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team Roster:
Julian Croonenberghs (Tervuren, Belgium), Alex Curtis (London, United Kingdom), Gerald Cutone (Reading, Mass.), Christian DeAngelis (Doylestown, Pa.), Liam Hawley (Ventura, Calif.), Colin Hennessy (Marlborough, Mass.), David Kristof (Darin, Conn.), Alberto Montilla (Allen, Texas), Dean Schiller (Alexandria, Va.), Jatin Sharma (South San Francisco, Calif.), Amar Singh (Santa Clara, Calif.), Puneet Singh (San Jose, Calif.), Galvin Stuart (Old Saybrook, Conn.), Cameron Spach (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), Eric Velge (Brussels, Belgium), Matthew Wong (Alamo, Calif.)

The schedule for these friendly test matches will be finalized closer to the competition window. All matches will not be live streamed.

USFHA media release

Browne Hungry For More Indoor Success At Jaffa Super 6s Finals


Hampstead & Westminster Super 6s

Hampstead & Westminster’s veteran star Kwan Browne is showing no signs of letting up.

The 41-year-old, well renowned for his indoor hockey skills, featured in all eight qualification matches for Sunday’s Jaffa Super 6s Finals as his side finished top of the Men’s Premier League table with a 100%-win ratio.

What makes that feat even more impressive is that the side were new to the top tier, having been promoted from Division 1 last at the end of last season.

With Finals day – which will once again be held at the Copper Box Arena - coming ever closer, Browne discussed his love for the indoor competition.

“I think this will be the 11th or 12tth time I’ll be playing in the Jaffa Super 6s Finals. Every time I’ve played in the Premier League we’ve made it to the Finals, so I really enjoy the indoor hockey,” he said.

“Goals go in so quickly that you have to stay level-headed and emotionally balanced. Playing-wise, because of the rules, the ability to read a game and execute skills and find passes is so important, which I love.

“Technically or skill-wise, if you’re not on your game then you can’t get away with it indoors. The skill element and having to be on your game separates the players that really commit to indoor very quickly from those that don’t.”

Having emphatically secured their place at this year’s Finals, Hampstead & Westminster will go into their semi-final match against East Grinstead full of confidence having defeated them 7-6 in the final match of qualification.

Ahead of the big event, Browne also revealed his words of encouragement for his team-mates.

The Trinidad & Tobago international said: “I told all the boys the enjoyment of the evening and walking out is incredible.

“I tried to explain how much of a superstar you feel, it’s a really great feeling - you’re playing in a nice arena with lots of noise and lights, it’s on tv and it’s such a great feeling.

“The effort of training hard and trying to make it to the top four is definitely all worth it. When we were mathematically secure of a place in the top four, which is what we wanted, I explained to the boys how much they will love the Finals and if you aren’t there you’ll miss out on a great evening playing the sport that you love whilst being treated well and feeling something special.

“We’re doing all our planning on making a big event of it and we’re really looking forward to it.”

Don’t miss out on the Jaffa Super 6s Finals and secure your tickets for the showpiece event by clicking HERE.

England Hockey Board Media release

MHL veteran Harvinder out to revive career with national hockey team

By Aftar Singh

KUALA LUMPUR: A decade of playing in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) has not left midfielder Harvinder Singh jaded in any way.

And he’s looking forward to making towering contributions for Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) this season and even play for the country again.

The Kuala Lumpur-born Harvinder made his MHL debut in 2009 with KL Hockey Club (KLHC) and played for them for nine years.

This season, he joined UniKL as KLHC decided to stop competing in the MHL, which started in 1987.

Harvinder, who is working as an internal auditor with Ernst and Young, said that he still had the desire to play for the national team.

“My 10 years of playing in the MHL have been valuable experiences.”

“Now, I can also play as a forward. I hope to impress the national selectors this season,” said Harvinder, who last represented Malaysia in the Australian League in Perth in 2016.

Harvinder, who turns 30 in July, has also played in the German and Australian Leagues before.

He featured for Berlin Zehlendorfer in the German League in 2017 and Greater Dandenong Warriors Hockey Club in the Australian League in the same year.

Harvinder’s elder brother, Kelvinder Singh is a former international who was named best player in the 2005 Junior World Cup in Rotterdam, Holland.

Kelvinder, a police inspector, is now manager of the Police Blue Warriorsin the National Women’s Hockey League.

Harvinder believes UniKL can be a threat to the top guns in the Premier Division once his combination with his teammates improve.

“We want to win one of the two titles at stake in the MHL,” he added.

UniKL, powered by six foreigners, are third in the seven-team league with seven points after two wins and a draw.

Harvinder is eyeing full points against Nur Insafi tomorrow before they face Maybank on Sunday.

“Maybank will be tough as they’re rising steadily in the MHL.”



The Star of Malaysia

Telkom striker wins Sports Personality of the Month award

By BRIAN YONGA


Telkom skipper Tracy Karanja (right) receives a trophy on behalf of Jackline Mwangi from StarTimes Marketing and PR Director Japhet Akhulia at the City Park Stadium on January 23, 2018. Mwangi was voted the StarTimes Sports Personality of the Month for December. PHOTO | COURTESY | 

Telkom women’s hockey forward Jackline Mwangi was on Wednesday named the StarTimes Sports Personality of the Month for December.

The former Kenya international was top scorer at the 2018 Africa Cup for Club Championship held in Abuja, Nigeria from December 15-22.

Her five goals helped Telkom reclaim the continental club title after a 2-0 win over holders Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).

Her partnership upfront with fellow striker Audrey Omaido, who also bagged five goals, saw the team clinch a record 10th title. Both forwards were on target in the final.

It was sweet revenge for Telkom, who were also crowned women’s team of the year at the Soya gala in Mombasa, early this month.

Telkom had relinquished their title to GRA last year after a 1-0 loss in the final in Accra.

The evergreen striker was also crowned the 2018 Kenya Hockey Union women’s Premier League top scorer as the season concluded in December.

Her 16 goals propelled Telkom to a record 21st title in yet another dominant season in which they remained unbeaten. It was the third successive time that the former international was winning the golden stick.

"Mwangi has been a excellent player for the past seven years I have been on the team and she totally deserves this award. Her goals helped us reclaim the continental crown," said Telkom skipper Tracy Karanja, who received the Sh100,000, 43 inch TV and trophy on behalf of Mwangi.

"Jacky has also mentored a host of players in the team and we are glad to have and learn from her," the skipper added.

Mwangi becomes the second Telkom player to win the award after goalkeeper Cynthia Onyango won it January 2018.

Speaking during the award ceremony, StarTimes Marketing and PR Director Japhet Akhulia noted that, “Mwangi becomes our 18th recipient of the monthly StarTimes sports personality award and is a true testament of our progressive effort to recognize outstanding sports men and women. We will continue to support this noble course key in encouraging sporting excellence in the country.”

She beat volleyballers Abiud Chirchir and Mercy Moim, who were voted the Most Valuable Players at the 2018 Kenya Volleyball Federation playoffs, after helping their sides General Service Unit and Kenya Prisons win the men and women’s titles.

Equity Hawks star Seline Okumu was also in the running for the award after helping her side win the Kenya Basketball Federation women’s title at the expense of holders Kenya Ports Authority. Her exploits saw her voted MVP.

Daily Nation

Kisumu's Lakers bolsters squad ahead of hockey season

By VICTOR OTIENO


Lakers Hockey Club team manager John Paul Otieno (left) presents a trophy to Kisumu County Executive Committee (CEC) member for Sports Achie Alai at a past function. PHOTO | VICTOR OTIENO |  NATION MEDIA GROUP

Lakers Hockey Club has confirmed the signing of ten new players ahead of their debut in the Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) Premier League. 

The new acquisitions include defenders Stephanie Nicole, Chery Muhatia, Judith Abayo and Edna Vallery. Others are Sumbwa Ongoche, Millicent Adhiambo and Roseline Oranga (all midfielders), Charlene Sydney, Angela Akelo and Chepkemoi Cheruiyot (strikers).

Lakers team manager John Paul Otieno said that the majority of the new signings are students from some of the top hockey playing schools in the region such as Sinyolo, Nyamira, Tigoi, Kisumu Girls and St Teresa’s.

The ten new signings bring the total number of players at the club to 25 the team will use in the battle for the silverware in the top tier league. They released six players at the close of last season.

Otieno expressed confidence in the new signings saying they have played a great role in their respective school’s top performance. “They are fresh players who are very talented and have been behind their schools' good performance. We expect them to deliver,” said Otieno, reiterating his earlier statement that the team’s target is to beat the indomitable Telkom.

The team manager said they intend to take part in several  local tournaments to gauge the new players and prepare them for the league which is expected to kick off in March.

The Kisumu based club clinched a ticket to this year’s KHU’s league after finishing second in the 2018 women’s Super League. They finished the season with 22 points, three behind division’s winners, Kenyatta University.

Lakers was formed in 2017 and made debut in the second division last year. It becomes the second women's hockey team in the lakeside city after the defunct Chelsea that was disbanded in 2000.

Daily Nation

Pahang Sultan is Malaysia's new King



KUALA LUMPUR: The Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah Ibni Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al Musta'in Billah, has been elected the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong. (The new King has been an FIH Executive Board member since 2012 and is President of the Asian Hockey Federation)

The Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong is the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah.

The appointments were decided at a special meeting of the Malay Rulers chaired by the Sultan of Terengganu, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin.

The Malay Rulers met to elect the new King following the unprecedented resignation of Sultan Muhammad V as the 15th Yang di-Pertuan Agong on Jan 6.

The Star of Malaysia