News for 28 January 2019
All the news for Monday 28 January 2019
Belgium and Netherlands land first wins of Pro League campaign
©: World Sport Pics
World Cup gold medlaists Belgium raided Cordoba to get their first win of the FIH Pro League, beating the reigning Olympic champions 4-2.
The rematch of the Rio 2016 Olympic final saw the top-ranked Red Lions needing just two minutes to open the scoring as Tom Boon smashed home a brilliant first-time strike on the turn to reward some high-quality play from Florent Van Aubel.
Argentina pulled themselves level midway through the second period thanks to Lucas Vila’s touch from Juan Lopez’s pass confirmed via a video review.
The Belgians returned to the lead off the back of an Argentine penalty corner. An error at the top of the circle was brutally punished as the visitors raced down the other end and took a 2-1 lead through Gauthier Boccard.
The Red Lions hit a third less than a minute later thanks to Player of the Match Victor Wegnez, before Boon made it 4-1 early in the fourth quarter with a cool deflection after a moment of brilliance from the exceptional Arthur Van Doren.
A tap-in from Argentina’s Martinez certainly kept things interesting, but despite further efforts on goal from Vila and Matias Paredes, the Belgian goal-line remained untroubled in the latter stages as Shane McLeod’s World Cup winners claimed a fine victory on Argentine soil.
“It was really difficult, it is always tough to play against Argentina because they defend really well”, said Wegnez after the match. “They are very dangerous on the counter-attack but I think we dominated all the game and I think it is logical that we took the three points today.”
Argentina captain Pedro Ibarra said: “We knew from the beginning that this was going to be a really tough game. They are the world champion and are in really good shape, they are first in the world [rankings].
“For us, it is really nice for us to play in Argentina. We are building the team again and have to go step by step in the Pro League.”
In New Zealand, meanwhile, the Netherlands’ men won 4-3 with Thierry Brinkman’s thunderous reverse proving the difference. They had built a 3-0 lead in the first quarter only for the Blacksticks to come back and tie the game at 3-3 at half-time. Brinkman’s goal was the only one of the second half.
“It was a really tough game for us”, said Netherlands captain Billy Bakker after the match. “With the crowd and New Zealand playing on their home ground, it is always difficult. We wanted to win today and we achieved that so we are very happy for the first game.”
Euro Hockey League media release
World champions Belgium off to a flier in overseas leg
By The Hockey Paper
2018 men’s hockey world champions Belgium PIC: FIH.Live
Carla Rebecchi returned to international hockey after a two-year hiatus in front of an adoring home public to help Argentina’s women claim a 2-0 victory over Belgium in the women’s Pro League opener.
However, Belgium gained revenge in the second match of the day as the men’s world champions, the Red Lions, earned a 4-2 triumph against Los Leones, the Olympic title holders, as their overseas leg began.
Rebecchi, the 34-year-old attacker who has been tempted back to the international scene after announcing her retirement at the start of 2017, was awarded player of the match for her efforts
Meanwhile, Tom Boon scored the first and fourth goals in Belgium’s victory, played out in searing heat in Cordoba, which atoned for their opening defeat against Spain last weekend.
“They are very dangerous on the counter-attack but I think we dominated all the game and I think it is logical that we took the three points today,” said Belgium midfielder Victor Wegnez.
The Netherlands men and women both made winning starts to their Pro League campaigns on Sunday, earning victories over hosts New Zealand in Auckland.
Netherlands men survived an brilliant Black Sticks fight-back before emerging 4-3 winners.
A solitary goal from Maartje Krekelaar proved to be just enough as the Dutch women claimed a narrow 1-0 triumph over their resilient hosts.
The Hockey Paper
Wells Positive About Brand New FIH Pro League
Ben Somerford
Hockeyroos goalkeeper Ashlee Wells would love to play in front of family and friends in her home state when the ground-breaking FIH Pro League commences for Australia in Melbourne this weekend.
Wells, who last played in Melbourne in last 2016, is hoping to be part of the Hockeyroos side which will face world champions Netherlands and Belgium on Saturday and Sunday 2-3 February respectively at the State Netball Hockey Centre.
“It’s always exciting when you get to play in your home state,” Morwell junior Wells said.
“I remember playing in 2016 in the International Festival of Hockey, it was exciting.
“All of my family got down there. All the local clubs you’ve come through in the past. It’s really exciting to see some familiar faces.
“You don’t often get that playing international hockey. You always have you family there but it’s good to see familiar faces in the crowd that you’ve grown up playing against.
“It’s good to give a bit back to the community you’ve grown up in.”
Wells said the Hockeyroos group were excited by the challenge of taking on the world number one Dutch in their opening match, fresh from defeat in November’s Champions Trophy final.
“It’s a huge test. Last time we faced Holland they had it over us,” Wells said.
“The group is really positive at the moment. We’re looking forward to going out and challenging ourselves against the world’s best straight up.
“What better competition can you have than going out and giving it your best against the number one team in the world.”
The new FIH Pro League brings together nine of the world’s best international women’s teams in a revolutionary home-and-away format.
The Hockeyroos will play matches in Melbourne, Hobart, Perth and Sydney throughout February and March before switching to the overseas matches from April to June.
“Pro League is a huge opportunity for us,” Wells said.
“It feels more professional than the past. We’ve always had that hype around tournaments but Pro League has a different feel.
“Everyone is excited about what we can do for the fans and promoting the sport. It’s a fresh look and it’s exciting.”
FIH Pro League matches will be televised in Australia on FOXSPORTS and kayosports.com.au.
Tickets are on sale now through www.ticketbooth.com.au.
Hockey Australia media release
India women hold Spain to 1-1 draw
Indian women earned a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Spain in the second international hockey match after having lost the opening encounter by a close margin.
Gurjit Kaur’s 43rd minute strike was nullified by home team’s Maria Tost in the 49th minute during an encounter on Sunday evening.
Having lost 2-3 to Spain in their opening match on Saturday, the Indian team put up a spirited performance in a high-voltage second encounter here.
While the first quarter ended in a stalemate, the second quarter saw India make a breakthrough with their first PC of the match. The PC was re-taken but well-saved by the Spanish goalkeeper.
It was goalless at half-time but Spain created a penalty corner opportunity soon into the third quarter. The Indian goalkeeper made an impressive save to deny the hosts. In the following minutes, India increased their tempo that resulted in yet another short corner, which was brilliantly struck by dragflicker Gurjit Kaur.
The joy of 1-0 lead against the 2018 Women’s World Cup Bronze Medal winners was shortlived as a defensive lapse by India gave way to Spain scoring a beautiful field goal through Tost in the 49th minute which levelled the scores 1-1.
The final quarter remained intense until the hooter with both teams taking their game a notch above and pushing for a winning goal but neither succeeded with the match ending in a draw.
India will play their third match of the tour on Tuesday.
The Tribune
Club an der Alster storm to third German indoor title in their history
©: Frank Uijlenbroek / World Sport Pics
Club an der Alster won the German indoor title for the third time in their history with a 6-4 win over TSV Mannheim in the final at a rocking arena in Mülheim.
They managed to fight back after the concession of a first minute interception goal by Paul Kaufmann, who ran into the right side and hit the inside of left post with a well-placed shot.
Alster fought back with a pair of corner goals from Carl Alt to swap the lead, making it 2-1 in the 12th minute.
Nicolas Proske levelled for TSV in the 19th minute only for Jesper Kamlade to restore the Alster advantage at 3-2 within 60 seconds, both coming from corners.
Then it was the time for Alessio Ress – the player of the tournament – to make his mark, building the first two-goal lead of the tie with a goal from an acute angle.
TSV took only a minute to close the gap from seven-metres, Moritz Rothländer scoring a stroke for 4-3 at half-time.
The second half, though, was where Alster made the big move. Patrick Schmidt scored a peach of a solo goal, intercepting at halfway, leaving three players in his wake and scoring in the 38th minute.
Kamlade got his second a minute later for a 6-3 lead and they remained in full control for most of the last 20 minutes. Philip Schlageter got one back from TSV’s seventh corner but it was too late and Club an der Alster had a deserved title.
Euro Hockey League media release
Shootout victory for East Grinstead over Surbiton in men’s Jaffa Super 6s Final!
The 2018/19 Jaffa Super 6s ended with a gripping encounter where East Grinstead were crowned Champions after a thrilling match that concluded with a shootout at the Copper Box Arena.
Going into the Final, Surbiton were the only side since 2007/08 to deny East Grinstead from winning the Jaffa Super 6s when they were crowned in 2016/17, however, there was to be no repeat this year.
East Grinstead progressed to the Final with an exhilarating 7-5 victory over Hampstead & Westminster. In what was a tight encounter throughout, goals from seven different players were the difference as East Grinstead halted Hampstead & Westminster’s attempt at a comeback.
Surbiton secured their place in the Jaffa Super 6s Final with a commanding 7-4 victory over Sevenoaks. Some superb goals from Surbiton in a game they largely controlled ensured they would face East Grinstead in a repeat of the 2017/18 semi-final.
After seeing a feast of goals in both Semi-Finals, the Final was a much closer affair as both sides struggled to take command of the match.
With only one goal between the two sides in the first-half coming courtesy of Ben Boon with a well worked field goal, Surbiton looked to be repeating history with their narrow lead.
East Grinstead plugged away as the second-half commenced, Wesley Jackson eventually making the breakthrough.
However, it was short lived as Niall Stott, who was facing brother Ross, scored for Surbiton to send them back into the lead.
As the clock ticked down Ben Mackey fired East Grinstead back to parity from a penalty corner after a sustained period of pressure.
But with less than five minutes on the clock, Surbiton Captain Jonny Gall struck with sweet strike to put his side 3-2 to the good.
That wasn’t to be the end of the scoring as Ashley Jackson guided in an excellent shot to level the points and send the game to a shootout for a dramatic finale.
It was a dramatic conclusion to the Final as Ashley Jackson stepped up and buried the decisive penalty to continue East Grinstead’s dominance at the Jaffa Super 6s.
Having Captained his side to victory and scored the first penalty, Simon Faulkner commented after the match:
“It’s a brilliant result, having never led in the game it was always going to be tough, but we fought and fought until it went to shuffles and after scoring the first two we really started to believe.
“We’ve got this winning record out of hard work and commitment. East Grinstead love indoor hockey, we commit so much time and effort into it, there are so many people behind the scenes at the Club who give so much support and it keeps bringing success.
“Knowing that Surbiton had beaten us in the Final before is always in the back of your mind but we were pretty confident after how we played in the semi-final, we’ve put in a lot of hard work in over the last two weeks.
“It was a very tough game, it’s quite a large pitch so there was lots of space for their skilful players to play in and they are a very good team. On balance a draw was probably a fair result, it’s a tough way to lose but fantastic way to win on penalties.
“For the women and men to win is incredible for the Club.
“It was a brilliant atmosphere here today, the crowd was really loud at this fantastic venue and it was great to see even more people here than last year. It’s unbelievable to play in with the noise and all the supporters were fantastic.”
For all the stats from Finals day in the Men’s Jaffa Super 6s Premier League please click here
England Hockey Board Media release
East Grinstead women’s team victorious in Jaffa Super 6s Final!
East Grinstead bagged a first Jaffa Super 6s title since being crowned Champions in 2015/16 as they emphatically defeated Buckingham 10-2 in the Final.
Having booked their place in the final with a solid 2-1 victory over Slough, thanks to goals from Elsie Nix and Lucy Holder, East Grinstead concluded the day in fine form.
Buckingham clinched their place in the Final in dramatic fashion, defeating 2017/18 Champions Bowdon Hightown 1-0 in a shootout after the game had finished 2-2.
After two close semi-final matches, the Final turned out to be a goal-fest full of entertainment for the Copper Box Arena crowd.
Within five minutes of play, East Grinstead had taken the lead through Ellie Rayer on a successful run and finish from the wing.
The lead was quickly enhanced as Sophie Bray quickly recorded a brace of goals alongside a sweet strike from Elsie Nix for a healthy 4-0 lead with just over ten minutes played.
Bray secured the hattrick just before the end of the half with a fantastic finish to beat the defender and goalkeeper for a 5-0 lead at half-time. Bray’s scoring didn’t stop there as she opened the second-half with a neat finish underneath the goalkeeper as East Grinstead firmly established their lead.
It was followed by four goals in just four minutes as Pip Lock and Coca Hall found the net with Ellie Rayer also completing her hattrick for a 10-0 lead.
Buckingham continued to battle and were rewarded for their efforts with Natasha James and Maddy Newlyn scoring for their side.
However, there was to be no stopping the clinical East Grinstead from lifting the title with Elsie Nix commenting after the match:
“It feels amazing to get the win! I think the semi-final was really tough against Slough and Buckingham are a good team, but we just kept playing our game.
“It’s always good to score in a final and it means so much. I really didn’t expect the game to go like that, when we went 5-0 up I thought I must have been dreaming.
“I don’t think I’ve ever played in-front of so many people before, people were shouting and screaming wanting you to win which was just amazing, I love this competition and I’m really proud to have won for the first time.”
For all the stats from Finals day in the Women’s Jaffa Super 6s please click here
England Hockey Board Media release
East Grinstead bag Super 6s indoor hockey double at Copper Box
By Rod Gilmour
East Grinstead continued English indoor domination once again PIC: England Hockey
East Grinstead won a superb Jaffa Super 6s indoor double at the Copper Box Arena on Sunday as Ashley Jackson once again showcased his skills on English soil.
The dominant force in indoor hockey, East Grinstead beat Buckingham 10-2 in the women’s finals before the men’s outfit overcame Surbiton in a shoot-out after finishing 3-3 in normal time as both sides earned European places.
In the shoot-out, Simon Faulkner, the captain, and Tijn van Groesen produced two clinical runs while Arjan Drayton-Chana missed Surbiton’s first.
It meant that Jackson, currently back in England during the Dutch outdoor off season, was left to win it for East Grinstead after Dave Goodfield kept the final alive.
And Jackson calmly slotted a direct shot home to earn the Sussex side their 10th title in 11 seasons.
“This is one of the most satisfying ones as we struggled in the league,” said Jackson, who admitted to not being a fan of the shoot-out finales.
“We got a lot wrong against Surbiton, but the biggest thing is the belief that it would turn at any point.
“It was nice to sneak that one in the end.”
In normal time during a tight, tactical battle of man-to-man marking, Surbiton captain Jonny Gall looked to have won it courtesy of a fine individual effort before Jackson’s incredible punched shot with two minutes left.
Meanwhile East Grinstead cantered to the women’s title courtesy of a 10-2 thumping of Buckingham.
Great Britain pair Sophie Bray and Ellie Rayer scored seven goals between them – Bray scoring a first-half hat-trick – as the West Sussex side never let up in their pursuit of the title.
Buckingham’s final blushes were spared thanks to two late goals.
The Hockey Paper
East Grinstead’s double delight at the Copper Box Arena
East Grinstead did the 2018/19 Jaffa Super 6s double at the Copper Box Arena, crowning them as the indoor kings and queens of England.
Going into the men’s final, Surbiton were the only side since 2007/08 to deny East Grinstead from winning the Jaffa Super 6s when they were winners in 2016/17, however, there was to be no repeat this year.
East Grinstead progressed to the final with an exhilarating 7-5 victory over Hampstead & Westminster. Surbiton secured their place in final with a commanding 7-4 victory over Sevenoaks.
After seeing a feast of goals in both semi-finals, the final was a much closer affair as both sides struggled to take command of the match.
With only one goal between the two sides in the first-half coming courtesy of Ben Boon with a well worked field goal, Surbiton looked to be repeating history with their narrow lead.
East Grinstead plugged away as the second-half commenced, Wesley Jackson eventually making the breakthrough.
However, it was short lived as Niall Stott, who was facing brother Ross, scored for Surbiton to send them back into the lead.
As the clock ticked down Ben Mackey fired East Grinstead back to parity from a penalty corner after a sustained period of pressure.
But with less than five minutes on the clock, Surbiton captain Jonny Gall struck a sweet strike to put his side 3-2 to the good.
That wasn’t to be the end of the scoring as Ashley Jackson guided in an excellent shot to level the points and send the game to a shootout for a dramatic finale.
It was a dramatic conclusion to the Final as Ashley Jackson stepped up and buried the decisive penalty to continue East Grinstead’s dominance at the Jaffa Super 6s.
Having Captained his side to victory and scored the first penalty, Simon Faulkner commented after the match: “It’s a brilliant result, having never led in the game it was always going to be tough, but we fought and fought until it went to shuffles and after scoring the first two we really started to believe.
“We’ve got this winning record out of hard work and commitment. East Grinstead love indoor hockey, we commit so much time and effort into it, there are so many people behind the scenes at the club who give so much support and it keeps bringing success.
“Knowing that Surbiton had beaten us in the final before is always in the back of your mind but we were pretty confident after how we played in the semi-final, we’ve put in a lot of hard work in over the last two weeks.
“It was a very tough game, it’s quite a large pitch so there was lots of space for their skilful players to play in and they are a very good team. On balance a draw was probably a fair result, it’s a tough way to lose but fantastic way to win on penalties.
“For the women and men to win is incredible for the club.
“It was a brilliant atmosphere here today, the crowd was really loud at this fantastic venue and it was great to see even more people here than last year. It’s unbelievable to play in with the noise and all the supporters were fantastic.”
The women’s competition was not as close in the final with EG winning out 10-2 against Buckingham.
There was to be no stopping the clinical East Grinstead from lifting the title with Elsie Nix commenting after the match: “It feels amazing to get the win! I think the semi-final was really tough against Slough and Buckingham are a good team, but we just kept playing our game.
“It’s always good to score in a final and it means so much. I really didn’t expect the game to go like that, when we went 5-0 up I thought I must have been dreaming.
“I don’t think I’ve ever played in-front of so many people before, people were shouting and screaming wanting you to win which was just amazing, I love this competition and I’m really proud to have won for the first time.”
Euro Hockey League media release
Tenaga end first round at the top of standings
By Jugjet Singh
KUALA LUMPUR: Tenaga Nasional made some room for themselves at the top of the Malaysia Hockey League Premier Division standings when they beat Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) 3-2 at the Batu Buruk Stadium in Kuala Terengganu today.
With the win, they ended the first round with only one defeat in six matches.
Firhan Ashaari (seventh minute), Nik Aiman (31st) and Shello Silverius (58th) scored the goals for Tenaga.
THT replied through Jung Manjae (20th) and Jang Jong Hyun (48th).
"It was a fantastic result to end the first round on a bright note. We lead the league by two points.
"However, we cannot afford to be complacent as the other teams would be looking to stop our march in the second round," said Tenaga coach Nor Saiful Zaini.
Tenaga, Maybank and Thunderbolts are the three teams in league who did not hire foreign players.
THT coach I. Vikneswaran said they made three glaring mistakes and were punished.
"We played a good game and had control of the match, but three mistakes cost us the match," said Vikneswaran.
In another match, Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) defeated TNB Thunderbolts 4-1 with goals from Kieran Ian Govers (fifth), Razie Rahim (25th, 39th) and Robert Huib Kemperman (51st).
Thundebolts replied through Nur Asyraf Ishak (46th).
RESULTS -- Men: Terengganu HT 2 Tenaga Nasional 3, TNB Thunderbolts 1 UniKL 4,
TODAY -- Women: PSHA-MSSP v Terengganu Ladies (USM Stadium), Liaoning HC v PKS-UniTen (National Stadium, Pitch I), Blue Warriors v Tengku Mahkota Ismail (Tun Razak Stadium).
* matches at 5pm
New Straits Times
No defence as Terengganu fall to first home defeat in MHL
Back off: TNB Thunderbolt’s Muhammad Hafizal Halmi (left) vying for the ball with UniKL’s Valentin Verga during the Malaysia Hockey League Premier Divison match at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday. — AZLINA ABDULLAH/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Terengganu paid the price for three defensive errors as they suffered their first home defeat in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL), going down 2-3 to Tenaga Nasional at the Batu Buruk Hockey Stadium in Kuala Terengganu.
Tenaga, powered by 10 national players, lead the seven-team Premier Division with 15 points after five wins and one loss.
With the defeat, Terengganu dropped to third in the league and they have 10 points from five matches.
Tenaga, who won the Tan Sri P. Alagendra Cup on Jan 6, took the lead through Muhd Firhan Ashari in the seventh minute off a silly error by Terengganu’s defenders.
Terengganu equalised via South Korean Jung Man-jae in the 20th minute off a penalty corner.
In the 31st minute, the East coast team were punished for another lapse in defence as Nik Muhd Aiman Nir Rozemi regained the lead for Tenaga.
Jang Jong-hyun of South Korea converted a penalty corner in the 48th minute to equalise for Terengganu. Terengganu’s defence messed up again in the 58th minute and Shello Silverius fired up home Tenaga’s third goal.
Tenaga coach Nor Saiful Zaini said he was happy that they ended the first round of matches with a win.
“We also ended Terengganu’s winning streak in their own backyard. Our only defeat was against Universiti Kuala Lumpur (3-1).
“We knew that Terengganu will be banking on Jang to deliver from penalty corners and drag flicks. Although they scored two from penalty corners, we did well to stop them from scoring more,” said Nor Saiful.
Last year’s overall champions Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) outplayed TNB Thunderbolt 4-1 at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
Muhd Razie Abdul Rahim scored a brace for UniKL in the 25th and 39th minutes as Kieran Govers of Australia (5th) and Robert Kemperman of Holland (51st) were also on target.
Nur Asyraf Ishak (46th) replied for Thunderbolt.
The Star of Malaysia
Railway Union and Three Rock Crowned Irish Indoor Champions
As can often be the case in indoor hockey, there were goals galore and tight encounters alike in this years’ National Indoor Finals at the Antrim Forum.
Railway women and Three Rock notched up double digit tallies in their respective semi-finals, while Ards had a slightly closer affair with Galway with a score of 2-0 at half time before the current title holders found another gear. Railway’s men left it late to seal their place in the final as Cookstown scored the opening goal in the second half only for Railway to come back and score three times in the final 10 minutes.
Railway’s women were looking to bring the National Indoor title back to Leinster for the first time since the start of the decade. Isobel Joyce got her side off to the ideal start inside the opening 30 seconds with a tap in in front of goal following a great baseline run and pass from Orla Fox. Fox got her own goal shortly after from the first penalty corner of the match. The experienced Railway side were relentless in their pursuit of goals and a good run by Lily Lloyd drew the initial save but Anna-May Whelan was on hand to fire home the rebound and give her side a 3-0 lead. Ards pulled a goal back as Frankie Brown’s penalty corner shot hit a defender’s foot on the line and Rebecca Weir calmly slotted home the penalty stroke. Ards started the second half well but Railway’s pace and pressure caught them on the break and Whelan got her second goal of the game. Joyce got Railway’s fifth from a seemingly impossible angle down the right-hand side. Ards had little choice but to remove their keeper and opt for a kicking back as they continued to chase the game but the open goal was taken advantage of by a Railway break and Cecilia Joyce solidified Railway’s victory and their place as champions.
The men’s final began with Railway arguably starting the brighter against Three Rock Rovers but it was the latter who took the lead as Luke Madely finished off a great team move. But a minute later and the game was level again as Eoin Macarthur flicked the ball through Carr’s legs at the other end. It was Madeley again who stuck his side out in front with a well worked penalty corner switch. Ben Walker scored somewhat of a solo wonder goal in the 19th minute following a great save from Stephen O’Keefe. Walker picked up the ball on the half way line and evaded 3 Railway defenders before scoring into the goal on his reverse to make it 3-1 at the half time whistle. Three Rock were awarded a penalty stroke as O’Keefe charged from his goal and took Jodie Hoskings out; Ross Canning scored into the corner to extend his team’s lead. Railway Union continued to make circle penetrations but had to opt for a kicking back as the clock wound down. The pace of Rovers was unyielding and characteristic of the side that took their chances today both Walker and Canning doubled their tallies to secure the 6-1 victory. 
Results:
9.30am - Ladies Semi Final 1: Ashton 0 - 11 Railway Union
10.30am - Ladies semi Final 2: Ards 5 - 1 Galway
11.30am- Mens Semi Final 1: Limerick 2 - 17 Three Rock Rovers
12.30pm - Mens Semi Final 2: Cookstown 1 - 3 Railway Union
1.30pm - Ladies 3rd/4th place game: Galway 3 - 3 Ashton. Galway win 2-1 in penalty shootout
2.30pm - Mens 3rd/4th place game: Cookstown 8 - 3 Limerick
3.30pm - Ladies Final: Railway Union 6 - 1 Ards
4.45pm - Mens Final: Railway Union 1 - 6 Three Rock Rovers
Irish Hockey Association media release
Three Rock’s three in a row on National Indoor stage
Three Rock made it three National Indoor titles in a row
A double each from Luke Madeley, Ross Canning and Ben Walker saw Three Rock Rovers retain the National Indoor Trophy for a third successive year, beating Railway Union 6-1 at the Antrim Forum.
The St Columba’s College based team hit the front in the seventh minute from a well-worked move, whipping the ball to Jody Hosking in the left corner where he crossed first time to Luke Madeley arriving at the right moment to touch in.
Eoin MacArthur equalised within a minute with a smartly taken finish from top D but the Rathfarnham side finished strong to build a 3-1 lead.
Madeley got his second from a switch left from one of only a few penalty corners awarded in the final. Hosking hit the crossbar before Ben Walker got the pick of the goals, an interception on halfway before weaving down the middle and flicking high on his reverse past the impressive Stephen O’Keeffe.
His counterpart Jamie Carr, meanwhile, got out quickly to save a Railway corner on the stroke of half-time to keep the gap at two into the break.
The early phases of the second half were close and tense as Three Rock held much of the ball and Railway remained patient in their half-court press.
Rovers did move further ahead via a stroke when Hosking was felled by O’Keeffe on the right baseline. From there, Railway opened up, creating some big chances with Richie Forrest shooting one across the face of goal and Brendan Parsons flicking over.
Michael Fulham hit the bar, too, but Rovers were the more clinical outfit and they killed off the tie when Railway went to a kicking back, scoring twice in the endgame via Canning and Walker.
Earlier, Rovers won their semi-final 17-2 against Limerick while Railway had a close-run battle with Cookstown, scoring three times in the last 11 minutes to win 3-1.
It means Rovers’ fate for their Euro 2020 campaign is in their own hands. They travel to Oslo for the third tier of European competition from February 8-10.
Men’s National Indoor Trophy final
Three Rock Rovers 6 (L Madeley 2, R Canning 2, B Walker 2) Railway Union 1 (E MacArthur)
Three Rock Rovers: C Quinn, J Carr, B Walker, D Walsh, L Madeley, J Hosking, R Canning, H Morris, D Shirley, E Geyer, D Kane, J McAllister
Railway Union: S O’Keeffe, K Carroll, A Colton, A Rooney, M Fulham, R Forrest, J Lynch, E MacArthur, R Abbott, B Parsons, M McKenzie
Umpire: T Browne, C Reid
National Indoor Trophy
Semi-finals: Limerick 2 Three Rock Rovers 17; Cookstown 1 Railway Union 3
Third place playoff: Cookstown 8 Limerick 3
Final: Three Rock Rovers 6 (L Madeley 2, R Canning 2, B Walker 2) Railway Union 1 (E MacArthur)
The Hook
Railway end Ards’ incredible run of National Indoor success
Railway Union with the cup.
Railway Union ended Ards’ incredible run in the Irish National Indoor Trophy as they ran up a 6-1 success over the eight in-a-row chasing Ulster side.
In so doing, they won the crown for the first time since 2010 and assured themselves of a place in Europe in 2020.
Orla Fox was hugely influential throughout and made her presence felt in a dream start. Inside 25 seconds, she burst forward down the right boards, slipping under her arm to Isobel Joyce who finished off.
In the fifth minute, Fox again was on the rampage, breaking in between a couple of tackles and drawing a foul for their first corner. She slotted her shot for a 2-0 lead.
And it got even better for Railway when Lily Lloyd wriggled free and tested Naomi McKnight. The goalkeeper saved but Anna May When was on hand to rebound for 3-0 in the seventh minute.
Fox also saved a couple off the line from corners before Ards got one back before half-time when Francesca Brown’s shot was blocked by a body and Becky Weir slotted the stroke.
Railway, though, restored the three-goal lead in the second half with Whelan again pouncing after Holly Jenkinson’s run saw the ball spin out to the left post.
And the game was out of reach for Ards when Isobel Joyce got to the right endline and found a gap to shoot home a fifth goal for Railway. The Ulster side removed their goalkeeper for the final stages but it backfired when Cecelia Joyce finished into an open goal for 6-1.
It ended one of the most spectacular runs of success in Irish hockey as Ards, champions since 2012, finally relinquished their crown.
They missed the dynamic presence of Chloe Brown who was simultaneously playing for East Grinstead in the English Jaffa Super 6s, landing their national title with a 10-2 success against Buckingham.
For Railway, it means a European indoor campaign to look forward to in 2020; they will find out at what level in three weeks time depending how Ards fare in Douai, France.
Women’s National Indoor Trophy final
Railway Union 6 (A-M Whelan 2, I Joyce 2, C Joyce, O Fox) Ards 1 (B Weir)
Railway Union: C Crampton, I Joyce, C Joyce, H Jenkinson, O Fox, A-M Whelan, H de Burgh Whyte, J Long, K McKenna, L Lloyd
Ards: N McKnight, B Weir, N Grundie, F Brown, C Adams, H Platt, A Benson, K Harvey, J Vaughan
Umpires: T Schafer, L Clifford
National Indoor Trophy
Semi-finals: Ashton 0 Railway Union 11; Ards 5 Galway 1
Third place playoff: Ashton 3 Galway 3, Galway win shoot-out 3-1
Final: Ards 1 (B Weir) Railway Union 6 (I Joyce 2, A-M Whelan 2, C Joyce, O Fox)
The Hook
Grove Menzieshill and Western Wildcats to battle out men’s Gala Day final
This season`s Scottish men`s indoor National League 1 championship final will be an intriguing confrontation between the experienced Grove Menzieshill and first timers Western Wildcats.
In two close encounters which went down to the wire, Grove Menzieshill saw off champions Inverleith 4-3 while Western Wildcats scratched a 5-4 victory over Grange.
The first semi-final was a close encounter that drifted in both directions, first in favour of Grange then Western Wildcats clawed their way back. It stood poised at 4-4 with five minutes remaining, then a Hamish Galt strike settled the issue in Western`s favour. Apart from Galt`s late counter, the catalyst in the Western Wildcats victory was a hat-trick from Adam McKenzie.
McKenzie opened with a penalty corner conversion in three minutes, but only occasioned a Grange surge with Frank Ryan, James Nairn and Dan Coultas from the spot putting the Edinburgh side into a 3-1 lead. But just before the break McKenzie from the spot pulled the deficit back to one.
Western romped into a 4-3 lead in the first five minutes of the second half, McKenzie again for his hat-trick followed by Galt, but Grange were back level with a second strike from Ryan. But with a penalty shoot-out looming, Galt secured the winner for Western and a place in the final.
The other semi-final was equally tight, Grove Menzieshill emerging 4-3 winners over Inverleith to contest yet another indoor final.
Patrick Christie put Inverleith into an early lead but by the interval the Taysiders were 2-1 to the good, Albert Rowling levelled, then Ben Cromar converted a penalty corner on the stroke of half-time.
Two goals in as many minutes from Gavin Tomlinson at another set piece and Rowling again seemed to give Grove Menzieshill a comfortable 4-1 advantage, but the champions were not finished. Christie made it 4-2 and a late minute set piece strike by Stephen Dick brought the gap back to a single goal, but Bruce Cuthill`s charges held on to their winning scoreline.
The knife-edge Pool B became clearer when Western Wildcats saw off rivals Dundee Wanderers 5-3 in their crucial confrontation. The result put Western Wildcats into the semi-finals as group winners, and left the door open for Inverleith to leapfrog Wanderers into second spot if they could overcome Dunfermline Carnegie in their final match.
The first half finished level at 2-2, Adam McKenzie from the spot and Hamish Galt gave Western a two goal lead after eight minutes, but back came the Wanderers through Sean Dowie, also from the spot, and Cammie Bell.
Wanderers took the lead just after half-time with a penalty corner conversion by Fergus Sandison, but then Western Wildcats roared into action with a double by Rob Harwood and Galt again for a 5-3 win. Wanderers had an outside chance for a comeback with a last minute penalty, but Dowie pulled his effort wide of the target and the slim chance evaporated.
Inverleith took full advantage of their lifeline and beat Dunfermline 6-2 to claim that second spot and a semi-final place, a point ahead of Wanderers.
The contest was over by the interval as the champions romped into a four goal lead, penalty corner conversions from Patrick Christie, Stephen Dick and Alex Wilson was followed by an open play strike from Ewen Mackie. Aedan McCrossan and Sean Stewart added two more before Steven Glass and Michael Ross added a couple of consolations for the Fifers.
In contrast, Pool A finished with a whimper as Grove Menzieshill and Grange comfortably qualified for the semi-finals with victories over Clydesdale and Kelburne respectively
In the opening contest Grove Menzieshill were on the back foot in the first half as the Titwood-based side took a 5-4 lead into the interval. But the Taysiders came to life in the second half and fired in five goals for a 9-6 victory. Again the Golden brothers were on target – Jamie with a hat-trick and a brace for Cameron – while the ever-reliable Gavin Tomlinson pitched in twice.
Clydesdale`s defeat meant that Grange would finish in second place whatever the outcome of their match against Kelburne, but the Edinburgh side won 7-1 in any case. The match was a personal triumph for Frank Ryan with five goals, the other two were scored by Clemens Rusnjak.
Dunfermline survived to fight again, their penalty shoot-out win over Kelburne relegated the latter to division two next season while the Fifers will still have to see off the second placed side in the lower division to ensure their ultimate survival in the top flight.
Normal time ended 3-3, Neil McIntyre and a double from Gary Maitles scored for the Paisley side while two goals from Andrew Doyle and a last minute penalty corner from Steven Glass sent the tie into an extra competition. Michael Ross and Glass held their nerve for Carnegie while only Iain Scholefield found the target for Kelburne, and so the penalty shoot-out ended in salvation for the Fifers.
Perhaps a rather poor consolation but Inverleith finally took third place after a 7-2 win over Edinburgh neighbours Grange.
Olympian Stephen Dick was the catalyst with five goals, the others came from Ewan Mackie and Stuart Hatton, and meanwhile Dan Coultas replied with a double for Grange.
Scottish Hockey Union media release
Hockey legend Dhyan Chand passed over for award again
His son Ashok Kumar laments his father’s Bharat Ratna nomination being rejected
New Delhi: Ashok Kumar, the son of Major Dhyan Chand, on Sunday said that the previous UPA government as well as the current NDA regime have both “failed to understand” his father’s contribution after the hockey wizard’s Bharat Ratna nomination got rejected for the third time.
Ever since the rules were amended adding sports as a category for the Bharat Ratna in 2013, Sachin Tendulkar has been the first and only sportsperson to be conferred with country’s highest civilian honour.
This year, the Bharat Ratna will be conferred to former President Pranab Mukherjee while Jan Sangh leader and social activist Nanaji Deshmukh and music doyen Bhupen Hazarika are being awarded posthumously.
“The whole world recognises his contribution to hockey. His statues have been installed now only in India but in UK and the Netherlands also. I think government, whether it is led by BJP or the Congress, they have failed to understand his stature and contribution to the world of sports,” Kumar, himself an Olympic bronze medallist (1972 Munich), said.
“We are naturally disappointed. Not only us but all the sports lovers wanted Bharat Ratna for him. Government should understand the value of Bharat Ratna and it should not be influenced by politics,” Kumar added.
Chand gave Indian hockey its identity guiding the nation to three Olympic gold medals in 1928 (Amsterdam), 1932 (Los Angeles) and 1936 (Berlin).
The troika of former sports ministers Ajay Maken, Jitendra Singh and Vijay Goel recommended his name for the award.
Many former Olympians also led a protest demanding the Bharat Ratna for him in 2016. More than 80 MPs also demanded the same in 2011.
Olympian and Kumar’s one-time teammate Aslam Sher Khan said that ideally he should have been the first to get this award .
“It is an irony that we have stadiums in his name, national sports awards are given on his birth anniversary but government did not confer him with Bharat Ratna.
“In sports Hockey, with the glorious past, and in hockey Dhyan Chand deserved the first Bharat Ratna. I don’t understand why governments have lent a deaf ears to this genuine demand,” Khan said.
Khan also said that it was even more disappointing that Chand was snubbed at a time when an Olympic medallist, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, is the country’s sports minister.
“Our sports minister himself is a silver medallist in an Olympic sport. When we talk about Olympics it reminds [us of] the unprecedented eight gold medals in hockey. Despite having him as a sports minister, we have to demand Bharat Ratna for one of our most beloved Olympic legend,” Khan added.
Another distinguished former national captain Dilip Tirkey has said that the government should respect the sentiments of the sports fraternity.
“It’s sad that till now we are waiting. Not only Dhyan Chand but hockey has produced legends like Balbir Singh Sr [the only triple gold medallist apart from Chand], KD Singh Babu and many more who also deserve this honour. Government should not ignore the sentiments of not only sports fraternity but the whole country,” said the former MP.
Gulf News
Triple Malaysian international Daphne Boudville passes away
KUALA LUMPUR: Daphne Boudville, who was one of those rare athletes gifted with great versatility, passed away today.
Daphne, who would have turned 77 this May, represented Malaysia in three sports: hockey, football and athletics.
She died at the Klang Hospital this morning.
Daphne was a member of the national women’s hockey team that won a bronze medal at the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi.
Daphne and her team’s Asian Games bronze is still Malaysia’s best ever result in women international hockey.
Apart from captaining the national women’s hockey team, Daphne won the 800m bronze medal at the 1965 SEAP Games in Kuala Lumpur, and represented the national women’s football team in 1965.
New Straits Times