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All the news for Wednesday 30 January 2019

2019 Test Matches: CHI v USA (W) - Second test
Santiago (CHI)

Result 29 January

CHI v USA     3 - 3

Chile win the 2 Test series 1 - 0

FIH Match Centre

2019 3 Nations Invitational (M) - Day 1
Benalmadena (ESP)

Result 29 January

WAL v USA (RR)     1 - 3

FIH Match Centre

USMNT Begin 3 Nations Invitational with Victory Over Wales



BENALMÅDENA, Spain - The U.S. Men's National Team began their 2019 campaign today, going up against No. 24 Wales in the first match of the 3 Nations Invitational. After a highly contested first quarter, No. 25 USA used early goals in the second and third quarters to finish strong in a 3-1 victory at the Club Hockey Benalmádena in Spain.

The match tempo was quick in the first quarter with possession being nearly deadlocked. Wales opened the scoring early in the 9th minute when they were awarded a free hit just inside USA's half. They took it quickly and this caught the red, white and blue off guard as Wales took full advantage of their opportunity, taking the ball into the circle and scoring on a field goal from Rhys Bradshaw.

Minutes later, a huge overhead was thrown from USA's 23 meter line. Pat Harris (Moorpark, Calif.) made an incredible reception over his shoulder while on the run. Once the ball was under control, he passed it to Sean Cicci (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) on the right side of the circle and had Wales' defense scrambling. Cicci then ran the base line before slipping the ball toward Christian De Angelis (Doylestown, Pa.) who finished with the goal, tying the game 1-1 in the 13th minute.

Heading into the second quarter, USA found themselves inside Wales' defensive circle, where a shot cleared by Wales' goalkeeper rebounded into Liam Hawley (Ventura, Calif.), earning the team a penalty corner. Cicci executed the penalty corner chance with a low bullet just above the backboard giving the goalkeeper little chance as USA took the 2-1 lead. In the second half the game was again evenly distributed, but USA was quick to open the third quarter with another scoring play in the 33rd minute. On a penalty corner opportunity, Will Holt (Camarillo, Calif.) was able to successfully convert to extend the lead to 3-1.

"I wasn't thrilled with the slow start, but then the team settled in giving us a solid win against a slightly higher ranked opponent," said Rutger Wiese, USMNT Head Coach. "There is still room for improvement, certain tactics were executed well and then others it is clear assignments were not going according to plan."

The USMNT will have the day off tomorrow before heading back to the pitch on Thursday, January 31 against No. 27 Brazil. For more information on the 3 Nations Invitational, visit the official event page by clicking here.

USFHA media release

Indian women swamp Spain

Draws the series level at one-all


Commanding show: India’s Navneet Kaur registered her name on the scoresheet as India outplayed Spain 5-2. 

The Indian women’s hockey team put up a spirited display to stun World Cup bronze medallists Spain 5-2 in its third match of the tour here on Tuesday.

Young striker from Mizoram, Lalremsiami (17th, 58th minutes) starred with a brace, while Neha Goyal (21st), Navneet Kaur (32nd), Rani Rampal (51st) maintained India’s lead after the initial setback in the first quarter.

By virtue of this win, India has managed to level the series at 1-1. After having lost the tour opener 2-3, India held Spain to a 1-1 draw in the second game.

It was Spain, which scored the first goal in the seventh minute through Berta Bonastre.

A determined India, however, made a quick recovery with striker Lalremsiami’s fine goal in the 17th minute and then struck again four minutes later through Neha to take a 2-1 lead.

Navneet struck a splendid third goal for India in the 32nd minute.

Though Bonastre scored her second goal of the match in the 35th minute to narrow down India’s lead to 3-2, the visitors kept ahead with strikes at the right time.

Skipper Rani found the net in the 51st minute and then young striker Lalremsiami scored her second goal of the day just two minutes from full time to hand India a convincing 5-2 victory.

“I am pleased with the performance. We are working to be more steady in our performance and we are improving match-by-match. This is a process and we need to keep repeating such performances to grow further,” said India’s chief coach Sjoerd Marijne.

The results: India 5 (Lalremsiami 17, 58), Neha Goyal (21), Navneet Kaur (32), Rani Rampal (51) bt Spain 2 (Berta Bonastre 7, 35).

The Hindu

Vantage Black Sticks name sides to take on Belgium



Vantage Black Sticks Men’s Coach Darren Smith has rewarded his side for a fantastic effort in their previous match against the Netherlands as he has made only one change to the side that competed in the opening match. Dominic Newman come into the side for George Muir, the Black Sticks will be looking for Dom to create space up front and put the Belgium defence under considerable pressure.

The Vantage Blacks Men came storming back into the match in the second quarter of Sundays match against the Netherlands tying the match at 3-3 after falling behind 3-0. Unfortunately, a defensive lapse in the 3rd quarter cost them a chance at the upset. The Men will regroup and then be looking for more consistency on both ends of the field if they are going to challenge the World Champions.

Midfielder Nick Ross is lining up for his 100th match. In the opening match Nick showed some outstanding determination and was a constant threat on both ends of the field.

The Belgium Men have already played 2 matches in the FIH Pro League where they were shocked in their opening match by Spain where they lost in a penalty shootout. They however bounced back for a big win last weekend against the men from Argentina and look to be back to their formidable best.

The Belgium side which is led by Kiwi Shane McLeod who has taken this Belgium team to incredible heights over the past 3 years that has seen them rise to number one in the world, win the World Cup as well as collecting the Silver Medal at the Olympic Games. The challenge ahead of the Vantage Black Sticks Men is going to be immense. These two sides met last year in the 4 Nations in New Zealand where the Black Sticks won one of the games and lost one, so this team knows what it takes to beat the Belgium Men.

Watch out for Arthur Van Doren, on his day which is looking to be every game recently he is the most feared defender in international hockey. He creates so much of the Belgium attack through his long probing runs as well as his incredible long passing where he will often find a player on the other side of the field and give them a great go forward ball putting pressure on the opposition.

Vantage Black Sticks Men vs Belgium Men. Friday 1st February at 7:10pm. Coverage is on TVNZ 2

Vantage Black Sticks Men’s Side to take on Belgium

Vantage Black Sticks Women’s Coach Sean Dancer has made only one change to the side that took on the Netherlands in the opening match of the FIH Pro League. This is an experienced side that showed some great resolve on both ends of the turf in the 1-0 loss to the Netherlands.

Lulu Tuilotolava comes back into the side for Shiloh Gloyn. Lulu was a member of the 2018 World Cup team and she will bring some great speed to a strike line which put the Netherlands side under a lot of pressure in the opening game.

Sean Dancer commented “Belgium are a growing team and we need to again bring all our intensity and effort to the game. We can’t afford to be casual with any of our preparation, and I am expecting the group to be extremely focused on gaining a successful result for Friday’s game”

The last time that these two sides met was at the 2018 Hockey World Cup where the Vantage Black Sticks came away from the match victorious 4-2 with Olivia Merry bagging a brace of goals. The Vantage Black Sticks will be looking for that same production from Merry as well as the other strikers as they look to put the improving Belgium Women on the back foot from the start of the game.

The Belgium Women are no slouches having risen to 13th in the world but are a team that has shown great improvement much like their male counterparts and are looking poised to make a leap into the top echelon of women’s hockey teams. Look out for vastly experienced striker Jill Boon who has been one of the central players in the Belgium Women’s improvements over the past few seasons. Jill has played 118 times for Belgium and has so far amassed 28 goals and will be looking to improve on that total against the 6th ranked Black Sticks.

Vantage Black Sticks Women vs Belgium Women. Friday 1st February at 5:10pm. Coverage is on TVNZ 2

Vantage Black Sticks Women’s Side to take on Belgium

Hockey New Zealand Media release

Padget Dreaming Of Home Turf Debut After Long Journey

Ben Somerford



Victorian forward Hayley Padget admits she may shed a tear if she’s selected to play her first international game on home soil for the Hockeyroos’ FIH Pro League opener against the Netherlands on Saturday.

Padget debuted as a 26-year-old last year, competing at the Four Nations in Japan and Champions Trophy in China, but she could now represent her country for the first time in Australia.

Melbourne product Padget, who played with Doncaster Hockey Club, had shown resilience to overcome years of injuries and setbacks to make her international debut last year.

“With all the injuries and setbacks, thinking that your time is up, you’ve got nothing to lose,” Padget said.

“Rather than going into it with nerves or hesitation, I’m just excited to play.”

The Hockeyroos and Kookaburras’ teams will be announced for the first weekend of matches against the Netherlands and Belgium on Thursday.

Padget added: “It’s like a little girl’s dream to play at home.

“You’ve grown up there, your whole family is there, everyone who’s had something to do with your hockey career will be there.

“I’m so stoked to go home and look into the crowd and know so many faces.

“If I look into the crowd, I’ll definitely shed a tear but I’m very excited.”

The FIH Pro League is an exciting new competition where the world’s best international teams play off on a weekly home-and-away basis.

“When the team does get announced, to be part of the first team would be amazing let alone any of it this year,” Padget said.

“There’s so many good teams competing, it’s a mind-blowing experience. It’ll be insane to be a part of that.”

It doesn’t get any harder than Australia’s first match against world champions Netherlands, who also beat the Hockeyroos in November’s Champions Trophy final.

“I’ve played them a few times before at the Champions Trophy,” she said.

“It was a step-up. We’ve improved a lot since then.

“I can’t wait to play them first up. We can definitely give them a run for their money.”

All FIH Pro League matches will be televised on FOX SPORTS or kayosports.com.au.

Tickets are selling fast in Melbourne and available through www.ticketbooth.com.au.

Australia’s home fixtures are as follows:

Saturday 2 February 2019 - State Netball & Hockey Centre, Melbourne
Kookaburras v Netherlands - 3pm start Hockeyroos v Netherlands - 5pm start
Sunday 3 February 2019 - State Netball & Hockey Centre, Melbourne
Kookaburras v Belgium - 3pm start, Hockeyroos v Belgium - 5pm start
Saturday 9 February 2019 - Tasmanian Hockey Centre, Hobart
Kookaburras v Pakistan - 3pm start, Hockeyroos v China - 5pm start
Sunday 10 February 2019 - Tasmanian Hockey Centre, Hobart
Kookaburras v Germany - 3pm start, Hockeyroos v Germany - 5pm start
Saturday 16 February 2019 - Perth Hockey Stadium, Perth
Kookaburras v Great Britain - 3:30pm, Hockeyroos v Great Britain - 5:45pm
Saturday 2 March 2019 - Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney
Kookaburras v Spain - 3pm start, Hockeyroos v USA - 5pm start
Saturday 16 March 2019 - Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney
Kookaburras v Argentina - 3pm start, Hockeyroos v Argentina - 5pm start
Sunday 17 March 2019 - Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney
Kookaburras v New Zealand - 3pm start, Hockeyroos v New Zealand - 5pm start

*All times local

Hockey Australia media release

Manzoor Junior demands sacking of PHF management

ISLAMABAD - Olympian Manzoor Junior Tuesday demanded the prime minister to send incumbent PHF management home and appoint those, who could steady the fast sinking ship of Pakistan hockey.

Earlier, Manzoor Junior along with Olympian Khawaja Junaid, Kahlid Basheer and others met with IPC Minister Dr Fahmida Mirza and IPC Secretary Akbar Duranni informed the Minister about the sorry state of hockey. Later while addressing a press conference here at Naseer Bunda Stadium, they said Pakistan won’t be able to represent country in 2020 Tokyo Olympics and it was highly shameful that green shirts were out of Olympics without playing. They held federation responsible for FIH pro-league saga and asked why the federation demanded Rs140 million for participation in pro-league and asked the details of funds received from Sindh government and Zalmi Foundation. They questioned that why millions were spent on junior hockey teams visit to Canada and alleged that instead of spending funds on players, the federation enjoyed joy-rides and also deliberately linger on federation elections.

They requested PM Imran to held federation accountable. “We only pin hopes in IPC minister and PM to safe Pakistan hockey from further downslide. The said basic structure of hockey has been completely destroyed and when the tournaments were not being held in Pakistan, then where the funds were spent.

The Nation

UniKL aim to spoil the party for leaders Tenaga

PETALING JAYA: Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) want to dethrone Tenaga Nasional from the top of the Malaysian Hockey League (MHL) standings.

After five matches, UniKL have won four games and drawn one to sit second in the standings with 13 points behind Tenaga, who have 15 points, having played an extra match.

Coach Arul Selvaraj wants his charges to beat Maybank so that they can leapfrog Tenaga for the top spot.

“We are aiming to topple Maybank and have been preparing hard,” said Arul.

Critics have questioned the team’s performances in the league but Arul stood up for his players.

After all, they have secured three points each in all their last four matches.

“We have players who know how to win. Whether their game is beautiful or ugly, they will get the win. Just look at Premier League side Manchester United, they know how to win games in any manner,” said Arul.

“But there are some errors that we need to rectify.

“When it comes to positioning and attacking in the final third, we have to do some drills in training to make sure that we are much more efficient in that area.

“The players are showing great commitment and there is always a great buzz within the squad.

“I’m happy with that. I’m happy with the energy and enthusiasm shown by the players and I hope this continues until the end of the season.”

The Star of Malaysia

Nor Saiful unhappy with his side despite being table toppers

By T. Avineshwaran

PETALING JAYA: Tenaga Nasional may have scored 32 goals in six matches in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) but it is still not good enough for coach Nor Saiful Zaini.

After six matches, they are the table toppers with 15 points and have scored the most goals compared to other sides in the league.

Nor Saiful was irked that they missed plenty of chances to increase the goals.

“We’ve scored the most goals but we missed many chances too,” said Nor Saiful.

“I understand the young players are nervous in front of goal and it’s time they learn from the experienced players to brush up on their finishing,” he said.

Nor Saiful said the team’s unity had been an asset this season and if his misfiring strikers could get their acts together, the team would be able to perform wonders.

“Most of these players in our squad have played together for a long time,” he said.

“We’ve young players from the development squad and our experienced players are S. Kumar, Firhan Ashaari and Faiz Helmi Jali.

“Unlike other sides who only gather for one or two months, Tenaga have been together for a long time.

“That is an advantage for us.

“The youngsters are also learning from this experience.”

Tenaga face Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) on Feb 3 at the UiTM Hockey Stadium in Shah Alam.

UniKL are behind Tenaga with 13 points while Terengganu are in third with 10.

However, both teams have one game in hand and UniKL have a chance to overtake Tenaga if they beat Maybank on Friday.

The Star of Malaysia

SBP to lay 14 astro-turf to promote hockey in province



LAHORE - Director General Sports Punjab Nadeem Sarwar has said that the board is going to lay 14 new astro-turf in Pakistan's Punjab Province to help the national game hockey in regaining its lost glory.

“Sports are as important as education as they keep the sportsmen healthy, strong and well-disciplined. Sports Board Punjab has been facilitating the athletes in the best possible manner and creating more and better opportunities for the players, so that they exhibit their prowess in a better way and excel at higher level. The laying of 14 new astro-turf across the province is another positive step of the SBP towards sports in general and hockey in particular,” said Nadeem Sarwar during the annual sports festival of Minhaj ul Quran University, where he was present as a chief guest.

Provincial Minister of Higher Education Raja Yasir Humayun, Deputy Chairman Minhaj ul Quran University Hussain Mohayuddin, ICC Elite Umpire Aleem Dar, Test cricketer Muhammad Abbas, international wrestler Inam Butt and Minjah University Director Sports Abdul Hafeez and a great number of university students were also present on the occasion. Earlier, Director General Sports Punjab Nadeem Sarwar was accorded warm welcome by Minjah University Director Sports Abdul Hafeez and university students.

Nadeem Sarwar has said that Pakistan ruled the world of hockey for many decades and had honour of winning a great number of Olympic gold medals, World Cups and other prestigious trophies and tournaments. “Although we lack international-standard facilities while the number of astro-turf are far less than the other countries, but another main reason of Pakistan hockey downfall is lack of passion and dedication of hockey players, who have no such eager to excel which once our stickmen used to have. Even then, we are trying to provide maximum facilities to our youngsters and players, and we are hopeful that they will work and practice very hard and try to help the country regain past hockey glories.

“In the modern era, it is too tough bring the youth in the grounds, as they are more busy in gadgets. But it is parents as well as our duty to involve them in healthy sports activities as it is the only way to put our youth in the right path and make them future stars so that they may win laurels for the country at international level. In Lahore and its surroundings, we are establishing around 23 new grounds, equipped with modern facilities. A few of them have been completed while the work on rest of the projects is in progress. Right now, Punjab has 12 astro-turf while it will have 14 new astro-turf this year,” he added.

He lauded the management of Minhaj University for holding the annual sports festival in such a befitting manner and also applauded the passion of students, who took part in different games and events with great zeal and zest.

In the end, Director General Sports Punjab Nadeem Sarwar distributed prizes among the winners.

The Nation