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All the news for Monday 4 February 2019

Australia endure indifferent weekend, Belgium prosper

By The Hockey Paper


The Hockeyroos enjoyed rare win over Dutch PIC: Grant Treeby/HA

Former world champions Australia men had an opening weekend to forget in the FIH Pro League, as the Kookaurras lost 4-1 to Belgium after seeing a big lead come to nothing against The Netherlands 24 hours earlier.

It was a memorable one for the Belgium teams, who both recorded victories against host nation Australia in Melbourne.

Player of the Match Sebastien Dockier scored twice in the Red Lions’ 4-1 victory.

And there was also joy for Belgium’s women, who recorded a first ever win against Australia as goals from Michelle Struijk and Louise Versavel gave the Red Panthers a 2-1 victory over the Hockeyroos.

Wilting in the heat

The Pro League posed a tough first assignment for Australia men, who appeared to wilt in the 35C heat on both days in Melbourne against the recent World Cup finalists.

From 5-2 up at three-quarter time against the Dutch – where they lost in a shoot-out – the home team conceded seven goals over the rest of the weekend and scored just one more.

That leaves Australia with just one point from two games, while the world champion Belgians have nine points from four away games in Spain, Argentina, New Zealand and Australia

Ending the hoodoo

The Hockeyroos ended almost a decade of Dutch dominance with a ground-breaking 1-0 win over world champions Netherlands in their opener in Melbourne.

The Hockeyroos secured the upset over the world No 1 Dutch, thanks to a number of defensive stops from local gun Rachael Lynch and a fantastic field goal in the 21st minute from Jane Claxton.

The victory was Australia’s first over the Dutch since July 2009 at the Champions Trophy. It was also the Hockeyroos’ first over the Netherlands in 19 attempts.

Las Leonas on song

Meanwhile, Pan American Cup title holders Argentina, 2-0 winners over Belgium last week, held off a strong USA outfit.

It proved to be yet another fascinating encounter, with USA pushing Carlos Retegui’s team every step of the way before suffering defeat in the shoot-out.

The match finished 2-2, before Argentina settled a 3-1 win in the shoot-out to remain unbeaten after two matches in the FIH Pro League.

Percentage game

The Red Panthers currently sit second in the women’s Pro League standings after claiming six points from three matches, with their points percentage of 66.7 leaving them just behind Argentina, who have 83.3 per cent as a result of their five points from two matches.

Great Britain currently top the men’s group, with 100 per cent courtesy of their opening win against Spain.

RESULTS

MEN

Australia 5 Holland 5 – Dutch win 4-1 in shoot-out
Australia 1 Belgium 4

WOMEN

Australia 1 Holland 0
Argentina 2 USA 2 – Argentina win 3-1 in shoot-out
Australia 1 Belgium 2

Played Friday

New Zealand 0 Belgium 1 – women
New Zealand 4 Belgium 4 – men

The Hockey Paper

2019 3 Nations Invitational (M) - Day 6
Benalmadena (ESP)

Result 3 February

USA v BRA (RR)     6 - 3

Final pool standings

FIH Match Centre

USMNT Finishes Strong Against Brazil in 3 Nations Invitational



BENALMÅDENA, Spain – The final match of the 3 Nations Invitational saw the No. 25 U.S. Men's National Team take on No. 27 Brazil in Benalmádena, Spain. Although Brazil scored early, USA tallied six in a row on their way to a 6-3 victory.

In today's match, USA was looking for a strong finish to the Spain training camp and 3 Nations Invitational round-robin tournament, and they got it. Earlier in the week, USA was exposed with two goals in the final minute in their first meeting against Brazil, and the second meeting seemed to be a similar pattern when Brazil scored within the first minute off a penalty corner through Paulo Monsores.

In the 20th minute in the second quarter, Brazil added to their lead off another penalty corner from Matheus Borges. Two minutes following that goal, momentum shifted to USA when Christian De Angelis (Doylestown, Pa.) scored to cut the goal margin in half. The first half ended 1-2 in favor of Brazil.

Out of halftime, USA scored back-to-back penalty corner goals, both through Aki Kaeppeler (Stuttgart, Germany) to give USA a 3-2 lead. Michael Barminski (Ventura, Calif.) added his name to the score sheet in the 37th minute through a field goal to extend the lead.

The renewed energy allowed the USA strikers to continue to be dominant as two more goals were tallied in the fourth quarter. The first came in the 50th minute on a field goal from Alex Grassi (Brookeville, Md.) and the second in the 54th minute from Kei Kaeppeler (Stuttgart, Germany). In the 59th minute Brazil added one more from Lucas Paixao as USA ended the tournament with a strong 6-3 finish.


At the end of the 3 Nations Invitational event, Pat Harris (Moorpark, Calif.) was named Player of the Tournament.

The U.S. Men's National Team will spend the next several months preparing for the FIH Hockey Series Final in Bhubaneswar, India from June 6-16.

USFHA media release

Indian women's team shocks Ireland 3-0 in second friendly match


Indian women's hockey team, Hockey India Twitter handle

Indian women's hockey team dished out a spirited performance to notch up a stunning 3-0 victory against World cup silver medallists Ireland in their second and final friendly to end their tour of Spain on a high in Murcia on Sunday.

India had drawn the first match 1-1 against Ireland on Saturday.

India's attacking prowess stretched the Irish defenders right from the start as the forward line made potential forays into the striking circle.

Navjot Kaur found the first breakthrough for India when she converted a splendid field goal in the 13th minute to help India take a 1-0 lead.

An Indian infringement in the second quarter saw Ireland being awarded a PC but it was well-saved by India's defence.

In the 26th minute, a timely assist by the experienced Deep Grace Ekka helped Reena Khokar double India's lead to 2-0 ahead of the 10-minute half-time break.

India continued to keep up a discipline structure but in the melee gave away a PC to Ireland only minutes into the third quarter. But India's strong defence kept an Irish goal at bay.

The final quarter saw India set up a powerful attack that fetched them a PC which was well-converted by Gurjit Kaur who was the highest goal scorer for India in this Tour.

"I am proud of the team because playing six matches in nine days can be very difficult and the last two matches we have played without our skipper Rani who has a shoulder strain," said an elated Sjoerd Marijne, Chief coach of the Indian women's hockey team.

"Today we were particularly good as we controlled the whole match and had them in our circle only six times. We have played a good structure, with good disciplined hockey.

"One of the things we have improved in this tour is personal leadership and taking responsibility. I am not only seeing the score, it's good to win 3-0 but I am happy with individual performances." Earlier, India had levelled the four-match series against hosts Spain.

Daily News & Analysis

Green Army 0-3 India



2 goals in the opening half and a third in the final minute were the undoing of Ireland as India took their chances in another even contest.

Both teams opted for the direct route in the early phases with Anna O’Flanagan sending the ball towards goal but couldn’t find a team mate to get the vital deflection inside the opening minutes. India, proving clinical throughout, got the scoreboard ticking before the end of the opening quarter from a well worked move down the left. Navjot Kaur did well to control the pass across the circle to her before sending a bobbly ball into the goal on the reverse. Nicci Daly and Sinead Loughran were both showcasing their speed and skill to evade the Indian defence but the eventual shot spun just wide of the goal. Katie Mullan was next to cause the India defence some trouble as she evaded her marker to send a crash ball into the circle but again the final touch was missing. Bethany Barr continued to impress following her recent debut in Chile and won the Green Army’s first penalty corner but a mis-trap at the top saw the chance go a begging. India got their second on the edge of half time as Liz Murphy saved the initial penalty corner shot but Reena Khokhar pounced on the loose ball and dispatched the rebound.

The Green Army continued to create chances early in the second half as Nikki Evans linked up smartly with Lizzie Colvin to win a penalty corner but a questionable foul on Lena Tice gave India the chance to clear their lines. Shirley McCay and Mullan were next to test the India resolve with a crash ball across the circle followed by another penalty corner but a good save and clearance kept India’s two goal cushion intact despite the chances building for Ireland. In a move that perhaps unfortunately epitomised Ireland’s day, Evans picked up a pass following great play from Mullan and Daly but saw her shot hit the inside of the post before ricocheting out. The final minute of the tie saw India put the game firmly to bed as Gurjit Kaur sent a powerful drag flick low into the right corner.

Ireland 0
India 3 (N Kaur, R Khokhar, G Kaur)
 
Starting: E Murphy, S McCay, L Tice, R Upton, Y O’Byrne, B Barr, K Mullan (captain), L Colvin, A O’Flanagan, S Torrans, N Evans

Subs: E Buckley, H Matthews, H McLoughlin, S Barr, E Beatty, N Daly, S Loughran

Schedule (all times listed are local):

1/2/19 4:30pm Ireland 1 - 1 India in Hockey Santomera pitch, Murcia
3/2/19 11am Ireland 0 - 3 India in Hockey Santomera pitch, Murcia
4/2/19 6:30pm Ireland vs Spain in Armilla Hockey, Granada
6/2/19 12:30pm Ireland vs Spain in Armilla Hockey, Granada
7/2/19 11am Ireland vs Spain in Armilla Hockey, Granada

Irish Hockey Association media release

Ireland defeated as India get their revenge

Squad will look to bounce back in meetings with Spain this week

Mary Hannigan


Ireland’s Nicola Evans is fouled by India’s Sunita Lakra during last year’s Hockey World Cup quarter-final. Photograph: Inpho

After drawing their opening game against India in Murcia on Friday Ireland went down to a 3-0 defeat to the same opposition on Sunday, the squad now heading for Granada where they will play Spain in three more games this week.

India, who Ireland beat in the quarter-finals of last summer’s World Cup, were 2-0 up by half-time, Navjot Kaur’s first-quarter reverse strike and Reena Khokhar’s goal just before the break, when she was first to the rebound following Liz Murphy’s save from a penalty corner, putting them in control.
Powerful

Nikki Evans came closest to pulling a goal back for Ireland when her shot hit the inside of the post, before Gurjit Kaur’s powerful drag flick wrapped up the scoring in the closing minutes.

The Irish Times

Stats Speak: Indian eves won the series against The Green Machine

By B.G.Joshi (Sehore-Bhopal, India)


Indian women celebrate the test series win over World Cup Silver medalists Ireland. Photo (courtesy Hockey India)  

Indian attacking prowess stretched the Irish defenders. Navjot, Reena and Gurjit converted the chances in goals for 3-0 triumph in 2nd test match over the Green Machines. In Murcia (Spain) Indian ladies played formidably against World Cup (London-2018) silver (Ireland) and bronze (Spain) medalists. Here are statistical highlights:
Test Series vs. Spain- It is all  squares

Test Series vs.  Ireland- India wins two

Fieldhockey.com

UniKL sail away

By By Jugjet Singh

KUALA LUMPUR: Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) lived dangerously for 40 minutes before overcoming Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) 3-1 to tighten their grip in the Malaysian Hockey League (MHL) Premier Division on Sunday.

Playing in their own backyard (Tengku Abdullah Stadium in Bangi), more than 500 fans watched the match, which was MHL’s biggest turnout of the season.

The match was hot as the weather as yellow and green cards flew out of the umpires pockets, and both sides fought for every inch to protect their turf.

Dutchman Robbert Kemperman gave UniKL the lead in the eighth minute before South Korean Jang Jong Hyun equalised 40 minutes later for THT.

However, UniKL sailed ahead with goals by Hafiz Zainol (49th minute) and Izwan Firdaus Ahmad Tajuddin (54th).

It was Izwan’s second goal of the season.

"We have beaten one of the toughest teams in the MHL, and I believe we will win the title this season," said the former national player.

UniKL coach Arul Selvaraj said: “We have five more matches to go and I am going to concentrate on winning one game at a time.”

RESULTS

UniKL 3 Terengganu HT 1, UiTM 1 Tenaga Nasional 3, NurInsafi 4 Maybank 5.

STANDINGS

P W D L F A Pts

UNIKL 7 6 1 0 22 8 19
TENAGA 7 6 0 1 35 9 18
THT 7 4 1 2 24 15 13
MAYBANK 7 4 0 3 21 22 12
NURINSAFI 7 1 1 5 11 31 4
UiTM 7 1 0 6 8 20 3
THUNDERBOLTS 6 0 1 5 6 22 1

New Straits Times

UniKL teach Terengganu a lesson in tension-filled match

By Aftar Singh

BANGI: Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) and Terengganu got physical under the scorching heat as tension rose in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) at the Tengku Abdullah Hockey Stadium in Bangi.

But it was UniKL who came through the brutal match between the two top teams by powering their way with a hard-fought 3-1 win.

The match was so intense that a total of three yellow and three green cards were flashed.

UniKL’s Valentin Verga of Holland and skipper Muhd Sukri Abdul Mutalib picked up yellow cards in the 19th and 45th minutes for rough play and Terengganu’s Luqman Nul Hakim Ahmad Shukran was also not spared as he was sent to the sin bin for a rough tackle in the 33rd minute.

The green cards for minor offences went to UniKL’s Muhd Hafiz Zainol, Baljit Singh Charun and Terengganu’s Saari brothers Fitri and Faizal.

UniKL coach A. Arulselvaraj said it was a hard-fought win for his players.

“Three of my players were sent to sin bin and this affected our game. I will watch the video to see why my players received the cards,” said Arulselvaraj.

Robert Kemperman gave UniKL the lead in the eighth minute by beating two players before slamming the ball into the goal, but defending league champions Terengganu fought back to equalise off a penalty corner goal by Jang Jong-hyun of South Korea in the 48th minute.

A few seconds later UniKL shocked Terengganu by regaining the lead through Muhd Hafiz Zainol.

Former international Izwan Firdaus Ahmad Tajuddin handed UniKL the full points off a reverse stick attempt in the 54th minute.

UniKL top the standings with 19 points from six wins and a draw while Terengganu have 13 points from seven matches.

Terengganu coach I. Vickneswaran said they gave a good fight to UniKL, but was frustrated with his players for failing to make use of the chances they created in the match.

“Our hopes of retaining the league title look really tough with this defeat, but we’ll continue to play hard to finish in a good position,” said Vickneswaran.

The Star of Malaysia

Show some concern MHC, says umpire’s wife

KUALA LUMPUR: It does not pay to be a technical official with the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) – at least not for Norazmi Safar.

The Armed Forces officer suffered severe injuries in a car accident in Jeli last week on his way back from Kuala Terengganu after officiating a MHL match.

His car was deemed a total loss in the head-on collision with another car while Norazmi, who is based in Taiping, underwent two surgeries on his hip and calf bone.

The Malaysian Hockey Confede­ration (MHC) medical insurance coverage is only RM3,000 for officials.

Norazmi’s wife Murni Samsuddin said the total cost for the two surgeries was RM25,000. She wished the MHC showed more concern.

“The MHC insurance coverage is too little to cover the medical bills. None of the MHC officials came to see my husband,” she said.

“My husband received a text message from Brian (Fernandez, MHC competition committee manager), which says ‘hi bro, get well soon’.

“It’ll take a few months for him to recover. My husband has contributed for hockey, and it’s sad to see the way he is treated by MHC,” said Murni.

The Star of Malaysia

Hockey Punjab continues winning run

Hockey Punjab, the defending champion, defeats Chandigarh, making it three wins in a row.


Devindar Walmiki scored two goals for Petroleum Sports Promotion Board. File Photo: K. Murali Kumar

Hockey Punjab, the defending champion, continued its winning run at the Senior Men’s National Hockey Championship on Sunday.

It defeated Chandigarh 3-1 in a Pool A contest to make it three wins in a row. Its goals were scored by Sukhdev Singh (2’), Ramandeep Singh (25’) and Rupinderpal Singh (41’). For Chandigarh, Arshdeep Singh (11’) scored the only goal.

Also registering wins on the fourth day of the competition were the Railway Sports Promotion Board, the Mumbai Hockey Association Ltd., Hockey Gangpur-Odisha, Petroleum Sports Promotion Board, Air India Sports Promotion Board, Hockey Haryana, and Hockey Karnataka.

In the other Pool A contest, Mumbai defeated Association of Indian Universities 3-1 for its first win. Goals for Mumbai were scored by Arman Qureshi (15’), Vedprakash Bhatt (42’) and Pawan Rajbhar (59’); for Association of Indian Universities, the solitary goal was scored by Lovejeet Singh, in the 26th minute.

Big win for PSPB

In Pool B, PSPB also notched up its third win in a row, beating Comptroller & Auditor General of India 5-0. Goals were scored by Devindar Walmiki (59’, 60’), Affan Yousuf (4’), Harmanpreet Singh (13’) and Lalit Upadhyay (38’).

In the other Pool B match, Hockey Haryana beat Hockey Bhopal 4-1 for its first win. Goals for Hockey Haryana were scored by Captain Bharat (9’, 39’), Manpreet (1’) and Yashdeep Siwach (49’). For Hockey Bhopal, captain Mohd. Khan (43’) scored the only goal.

Hard-fought win for RSPB

In Pool C, RSPB secured a hard-fought 1-0 win against Punjab & Sind Bank for its third win. Punjab & Sind Bank managed to keep the scores level at 0-0 for much of the contest, but RSPB captain Chinglensana Singh managed to break the deadlock for his side in the 52nd minute. It turned out to be the winner.

In another Pool C contest, Hockey Gangpur-Odisha registered its first win, defeating Uttar Pradesh Hockey 4-3 in an entertaining encounter. Goals for Hockey Gangpur-Odisha were scored by Joseph Toppo (15’), Suman Kujur (26’), Sanjay Xalxo (52’) and Stanly Minz (54’), while Sunil Yadav (7’), Ajay Yadav (49’) and captain Diwakar Ram (55’) scored for Uttar Pradesh Hockey.

Goals galore

In Pool D, Air India Sports Promotion Board won its third match of the competition, defeating Hockey Odisha 6-3. Joga Singh (27’, 40’) and Abharan Sudev (37’, 60’) scored a brace each for Air India Sports Promotion Board, while Mohd. Faraz (4’) and Mohammed Raheel Mouseen (38’) also sounded the board.

For Hockey Odisha, Prasan Tirkey (45’, 56th) and Nilam Sanjeep Xess (51’) found the back of the net.


V. R. Raghunath (front) scored for Hockey Karnataka, in its contest against Namdhari XI. File Photo: R. Ragu

In the other Pool D contest, Hockey Karnataka secured a last-gasp winner against Namdhari XI for its second victory. Namdhari XI had led 2-1 after 40 minutes, but Hockey Karnataka made a comeback to equalise in the 45th minute, before finding the winning goal in the 60th minute to win the match 3-2.

Goals for Hockey Karnataka were scored by captain V. R. Raghunath (20’), K. R. Bharath (45’) and S. K. Uthappa (60’). For Namdhari XI, goals were scored by Harpal Singh (24’) and Lovepreet Singh (40’).

Sportstar