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All the news for Monday 29 April 2019

FIH Men's Series Finals Kuala Lumpur 2019
Kuala Lumpur (MAS)

Results 28 April

BRA v ITA (Pool B)       0 - 3
CHN v MAS (Pool B)     4 - 4

Fixtures 29 April (GMT +8)

14:05     CAN v BLR (Pool A) 
16:05     WAL v AUT (Pool A)
18:05     BRA v CHN (Pool B)    
20:05     MAS v ITA (Pool B)

Tuesday 30 April is a rest day

Live streaming and full game replay on https://fih.live (Geo blocked if there is TV coverage)

Pool standings

Pool A

Pool B

FIH Match Centre

Comedy show in Bukit Jalil

By Jugjet Singh


Malaysia celebrate scoring a goal against China in Sunday’s Group B match of the FIH Series Finals in Bukit Jalil. BERNAMA PIC

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia were expected to bury China in Sunday’s FIH Series Finals Group B encounter, which ended 4-4, at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil here.

Instead, it turned out to be a comedy of a match as Malaysia kept giving the World No 14 a lifeline in the game.

After taking a 2-0 lead, the World No 13 allowed China to claw back with four goals from penalty corners.

Malaysia must beat Italy on Monday in order to top the table and qualify for the semi-finals automatically.

The national team started well by taking the lead in the fourth minute, but the posts, as well as missed sitters, kept China in the match until the final buzzer.

A penalty corner attempt by Razie Rahim was deflected in by Fitri Saari in a well-oiled set-piece, but that was the only slick move in the opening 30 minutes.

China survived five blunders by Malaysia to enter the half-time break and plan for a comeback.

Nik Aiman Nik Rozemi injected more misery for China in the 34th minute.

He dribbled three players and made a deft pass to Norsyafiq Sumantri who drifted it over goalkeeper Yan Rongyao for Firhan Ashaari to slam in and give Malaysia some breathing space at 2-0.

But the Jakarta Asian Games final defeat to Japan was a wasted lesson as Malaysia played the perfect host and it looked more like a bilateral ties match between both nations.

Malaysia's two other goals were scored by Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin Tengku Abdul Jalil (53rd and 57th) while Lin Changliang (43rd), Ao Weibo (30th), Du Talake (54th) and Dong Yang (59th) netted for China.

"Our penalty corner defensive structure made too many mistakes and this is the end result. We will have to play with a better structure tomorrow (today) against Italy.

"Somewhere in the tournament you will normally drop points, and hope this is the moment for Malaysia," said national coach Roelant Oltmans.

New Straits Times

You ask four it Malaysia, as China make a point

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian men’s hockey team never seem to learn from their past mistakes.

Again, they made defensive errors to allow China to come back from a two-goal deficit and snatch a 4-4 draw in Group B at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

Last year, Malaysia were also leading against Japan in the Asian Games final in Indonesia before they allowed their opponents to draw level and go on to win in a penalty shootout.

Yesterday, Malaysia’s defence collapsed in the last 17 minutes as they conceded four penalty corner goals.

Malaysia got off to a good start though when Muhd Fitri Saari sounded the board in the fourth minute before Firhan Ashari doubled the score in the 34th minute.

But China came back strongly to score two penalty corner goals through Lin Changliang (43rd) and Ao Weibao (51st) minutes.

Malaysia regained the lead through Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin Tengku Abdul Jalil in the 53rd minute off a penalty corner but a minute later, Du Talake equalised off a penalty corner.

Tengku Ahmad netted his second goal in the 57th minute but China were not done as they levelled the score through Dong Yong in the 59th.

With the draw, Malaysia - ranked 13th in the world - have four points and one more match to play against Italy today.

Malaysia need a win over world No. 32 Italy to finish top of the group to secure a place in the semi-finals. Italy also have six points from two wins and they need only a draw to reach the semis.

China secured their first point in two matches and they need a draw against winless Brazil today to play in a cross-over match to win a place in the semi-finals.

National coach Roelant Oltmans was annoyed with the team’s porous defence.

“We dominated the match from the start and took a 2-0 lead but we allowed the Chinese team to fight back and score four penalty corners in the last quarter,” said Oltmans.

“We need to play much better against Italy to get the full points tomorrow (today),” said Oltmans.

The Star of Malaysia

Italy hope to upset Malaysia

By Jugjet Singh


Italy’s Julian Montone celebrates scoring the first goal against Brazil in Sunday’s FIH Series Finals Group B match at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil. PIC BY MOHAMAD SHAHRIL BADRI SAALI

KUALA LUMPUR: Italy, the lowest ranked team in the FIH Series Finals, buried World No 27 Brazil 3-0 on Sunday, and are now looking forward to scalp 13th-ranked Malaysia in their last Group B match on Monday.

World No 32 Italy, who defeated 14th-ranked China 2-1 earlier, have six points so far.

The Italians are on cloud nine at the moment following their perfect start. They may now have to make changes to the return flight schedule as they have already booked the 8am flight on Sunday. The final and third-place matches are scheduled in the evening on the same day.

"We have qualified for the knockout stages with two wins and will play Malaysia next (to decide the group champions). We have nothing to lose in this match, so we will be very dangerous," said Italian captain Augustin Nunez.

And even if they do not top the table in Group B and qualify for the semi-finals automatically, they will still get a chance to reach the last four. The second and third placed teams in each group will play in a cross-over knockout to decide the other two semifinalists.

Short of saying that Italy did not expect this result, coach Roberto Da Gai said: "Yes we booked an early morning flight back to Italy on Sunday, but we now have a dream. We dare to dream big.”

Yesterday, Italy netted through Julian Montone (ninth and 36th) and Mattia Amorosini (47th).

Brazil were disappointed as they were hoping to avoid the last position in the group.

"We are very disappointed with this result as our target was to beat Italy and avoid finishing last in the group.

"But we still have one more match, and now we must beat China to achieve our target," said Brazil coach Claudio Rocha.

New Straits Times

Italians doing it better than expected at FIH Series Finals

KUALA LUMPUR: Italy are proving to be the surprise package at the FIH Series Finals.

The world No. 32, the lowest ranked team in the tournament, outplayed world No. 27 Brazil 3-0 to secure their second straight win at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

The Italians, who scored a stunning 2-1 win over world No. 14 China on Friday, top Group B with six points.

They now need a win over Malaysia today to secure a place in the semi-finals.

Brazil, who suffered their second defeat, will wrap up their fixtures against China today.

Julian Montone was the star for the Italians as he scored two field goals.

Italy went on the offensive from the start and took the lead as early as the ninth minute.

Montone made a solo run from the 25m line before slamming the ball from the top of the semi-circle, sailing past goalkeeper Rodrigo Faustino.

They came very close to increasing their lead in the 30th minute but Francois Sior’s reverse-stick attempt hit the right side of the post.

They continued to pile on the pressure and doubled the score in the 36th minute.

Mattia Amorosini sent a cross from the right which was deflected into goal by Montone.

Amorosini, who was named man of the match, then sealed the win in the 47th minute. He beat two defenders in the semi-circle before flicking the ball over Faustino.

Italy coach Roberto Da Gai praised his players for putting up another giant-killing act.

“We’re just a win away from the semi-finals. But to achieve that we need to beat Malaysia, a formidable side.

“But my players are in high spirits and hopefully, we can create another upset,” said Da Gai.

The Star of Malaysia
 

Germany women crush China but men beaten by high-flyers Great Britain



There were mixed FIH Pro League results for the national teams of Germany on Sunday (28 April) as the women cruised to victory against China before the men were downed by league high-flyers Great Britain in Mönchengladbach.

Germany’s women were produced a fine performance to comfortably beat China 4-1, with Nike Lorenz scoring twice and being named Player of the Match. Germany were beaten when the two sides met in Changzhou last month, but were worthy winners of the home re-match. Die Danas remain fifth in the standings but have boosted their points percentage to 52.38, increasing their chances of reaching that all-important top-four by closing the gap on fourth place Australia, who have 62.96 percent. China remain second from bottom in the standings with 21.21 percent.

Whilst it was certainly a good day at the office for Germany’s women, the same could not be said for their male compatriots who were beaten on home soil by a Great Britain side that now sits level with Belgium at the top of the standings. Phil Roper’s solitary strike was enough for Great Britain to boost they points percentage to 80, an impressive statistic for a team that has yet to play a fixture at home. Defeat for Die Honamas leaves them sixth in the standings with 38.1 percent. 


Germany’s women (FIH World Ranking: 5) were the dominant force in the opening two quarters against China (WR:10) and took a throughly deserved 2-1 advantage into half time. The hosts found themselves behind after just two minutes when poor marking allowed Peng Yang complete freedom in the Germany circle, with the China striker's backhand strike finding the bottom right corner of Julia Sonntag's goal. Die Danas turned things around thanks to the penalty corner prowess of Nike Lorenz, who found the target either side of the quarter-time break to put Germany in control. Germany had numerous opportunities to extend their advantage, but another defensive lapse gave China a huge chance to equalise as Zhong Mengling and Zhang Xiaoxue burst through on goal but failed to find the net with only goalkeeper Sonntag to beat.

Germany remained the better team in the third and fourth quarters, eventually establishing a 3-1 lead in the final period when Hannah Granitzki’s clever reverse pass was emphatically converted by Lena Micheel before Charlotte Stapenhorst hit the post with an outrageous chip over China goalkeeper Ye Jiao.

Germany wrapped up the points with seven minutes to play thanks to Rebecca Grotto’s low penalty corner drag-flick, helping Die Danas to both avenge last month’s 2-1 defeat against China in Changzhou and build confidence ahead of the meeting with USA in Mönchengladbach on Tuesday (30 April).

“Our first game against China wasn’t very good, so we really wanted to improve our game against them”, said Player of the Match Nike Lorenz. “It was revenge today. We are really happy we got the win and now we need to recover so we can produce the same intensity on Tuesday night.”

Following Great Britain (WR:7) men’s 5-1 recent away victory over Olympic champions Argentina in Rosario last month, Germany (WR:6) knew they faced a team brimming with confidence, meaning that the sixth-placed hosts would need to put Friday’s 4-2 home defeat against Netherlands quickly to the back of their minds.

There was little to choose between the teams in the opening two periods of the match, with Timur Oruz flashing a shot across the face of the Great Britain goal while Phil Roper’s backhand brought a routine save from Germany goalkeeper Victor Aly. Die Honamas came closest to breaking the deadlock four minutes before half time when Niklas Wellen hit the post from a raking Tom Grambusch pass, but the scores remained locked together at the break.

The winning goal arrived midway through the third period thanks to Phil Roper, who cracked home a backhand strike from the edge of the circle that was only confirmed after consultation with video umpire Irene Presenqui, who indicated that the ball was on the line when the strike was taken and was therefore valid. It was Roper’s sixth goal of the FIH Pro League, just one behind the seven netted by current competition top scorer Pau Quemada of Spain.

Germany were unfortunate not to find an equaliser, with Anton Boeckel becoming the second Germany men’s player to hit the post before Great Britain goalkeeper George Pinner produced two excellent saves from a last minute penalty corner to give the visitors victory.


Reflecting both the result and the grittiness of the performance, Great Britain captain and Player of the Match Adam Dixon said: “I think it is a sign of where we are as a team, although it was maybe not one for the purists today as there weren’t lots of goals and free-flowing hockey. But I think that [if we] can win in this manner, when it gets a bit ugly and have got to do a bit of defending, that is a really good sign and we are stepping in the right direction.”


The FIH Pro League continues on Tuesday 30 April when Germany’s women take on the USA in Mönchengladbach.

FIH Pro League

28 April - Mönchengladbach, Germany

Result: Women’s Match 39
Germany 4, China 1
Player of the Match: Nike Lorenz (GER)
Umpires: Kim Jung Hee (KOR), Irene Presenqui (ARG) & Eric Koh (SIN)


Result: Men’s Match 29
Germany 0, Great Britain 1
Player of the Match: Adam Dixon (GBR)
Umpires: German Montes de Oca (ARG), Eric Koh (SIN) & Irene Presenqui (ARG)


#FIHProLeague

Official FIH Pro League Site

Great Britain’s men go top in the FIH Pro League


GB men v Germany

Great Britain’s men took top spot in the FIH Pro League table with a hard-fought victory over Germany to make it four wins from five away matches.

Phil Roper bagged his sixth goal from five games to take him up to second in the FIH Pro League top scorers list as Great Britain took a 1-0 victory in Moenchengladgach.

Harry Martin, who has over 200 international appearances to his name, made his first FIH Pro League appearance and impressed on his return to the side.

Victory and a clean-sheet will serve as the perfect preparation for Great Britain who make their home debut against Spain on Saturday 4 May at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre



Full report:
The best chance of the opening quarter fell to Phil Roper, however his reverse stick shot was well saved by the German ‘keeper.

Sam Ward’s drag-flick was also well saved as Great Britain, who going into the game were averaging the most goals per game in the FIH Pro League, began on the offensive.

Harry Gibson didn’t have a save to make in the first-half, however Germany did come close with Marco Miltkau blazing over from close range before Miklas Wellen struck the post.

Great Britain started the second-period with a string of chances, Sam Ward twice being denied from a penalty corner.

However, GB’s momentum couldn’t be halted as Phil Roper struck from just inside the D with a superb reverse stick shot.

After spending the majority of the third-quarter on the defensive, Germany went in search of an equaliser and, though they came close, could only find the post.



Great Britain looked strong and composed in defence, limiting the hosts from creating too many clear-cut chances.

Ward then did well to efficiently clear a final-quarter penalty corner as Great Britain looked defensively resilient against a strong German side.

With five minutes left on the clock Alan Forsyth sent a rocket of a shot against the post as Great Britain continued to pose a threat.

GB stood firm as the clock ticked down with Germany being awarded two penalty corners inside the last minute, George Pinner making a great save to deny the German’s and hold on for the victory in a dramatic conclusion to the match.

Germany 0

Great Britain 1
Roper (38’, FG)

GBR: Pinner (GK), Gibson (GK), Willars, Ames, Martin, Sloan, Ward, Roper, Dixon, Creed, Ansell, Wallace, Griffiths, Forsyth, Hoare, Waller, Condon, Weir.

Great Britain Hockey media release

Great Britain beat Germany for first time in 19 years

By The Hockey Paper



Phil Roper’s fine goal and George Pinner’s pads helped Great Britain rise to the top of the FIH Pro League standings as Danny Kerry’s side gamely held off Germany 1-0.

Victory over the Germans in Moenchengladbach was also Great Britain men’s first over their old rivals since the 2000 Olympics.

Roper delivered the points after a sweetly-struck goal on the reverse at the top of the D in the 38th minute, which was allowed to stand after the Germans went to review.

Germany hit the post twice, had more shots and circle penetration as Great Britain withstood a late barrage on second-half substitute Pinner’s goal.

GB also ended the match with nine men after two green cards in the last two minutes. In the final seconds, the quick-thinking Pinner closed his legs with the ball directed at goal to deny Germany with their last PC of the match.

GB captain Adam Dixon said: “Maybe it’s not one for the purists today with lots of goals and free-flowing hockey, but I think winning in this manner when it gets a bit ugly and with a bit of defending to do is a good sign and shows we’re stepping in the right direction.”

GB will now head home and prepare for their first home against Spain on Saturday. Despite Germany’s chances, GB deserved the points, while Alan Forsyth’s shot which ht the post in the second-half would have made the final quarter a far less tense affair.

“We’ve got to turn this around for the Spain game next weekend and there’s still plenty to improve on, so that’s a pretty encouraging sign,” added Dixon.

Kerry’s side have nine FIH Pro League games remaining, seven of them at home.

Qualifying outright for the Pro League finals will help their chances of an Olympic play-off berth in the autumn.

With only 12 spots available for Tokyo 2020, there are several permutations at stake.

Winning the Eurohockey Championships is one automatic route, but a world ranking of seven is against GB in their path towards Tokyo.

It means that Germany, the world No 6 side, are also facing a fight to secure a two-match play-off match. They sit outside the Pro League top four.

After nearly two years away, we are back as a regular print product for readers – and we need your help to keep growing.

Our concept was first conceived thanks to several meetings and plenty of laughs with respected journalist Graham Wilson, who sadly passed away before the first issue was published.

And it is now a thrill to return subscription-only as we chart GB’s Olympic defence ahead of Tokyo 2020 next year.

The relaunch is again in Graham’s memory. We hope you can join us on the journey.

The Hockey Paper

Great Britain beat Germany to go top

Great Britain's men have moved to the top of the FIH Pro League standings with a 1-0 victory over Germany.

Phil Roper put the visitors in front in the third quarter in Monchengladbach through a reverse-stick shot on the line of the circle, with the goal upheld after review.

GB keeper George Pinner made a stunning double save to deny Germany from a penalty corner in the final minute.

Danny Kerry's side have now won four of their five matches in the Pro League.

Teams are ranked according according to the percentage of points gained relative to the maximum number of possible points.

Britain and Belgium have both taken 12 points from a possible 15 - putting them on 80% - but GB are top because they have won one more game, with Belgium winning three, drawing one and claiming one shootout bonus point.

Australia are third, having taken 19 points from eight matches, which equates to 79.17%.

Britain's next three matches are all at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in London. They face Spain on Saturday, before taking on Argentina on 18 May and Belgium the following day.

In the inaugural FIH Pro League season, eight men's and nine women's teams are playing home and away fixtures, with the top four in each league progressing to the Grand Final stage.

The top four teams will also earn places in the two-legged Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualifiers.

BBC Sport

YM survive, C of I fight on as Cookstown relegated

YMCA's 2-0 win over Pembroke saw them avoid relegation; Cork C of I drew with TRR to earn a playoff while Cookstown went down after a loss to Banbridge on a lively final day of action in the Irish men's EYHL

Men’s EY Hockey League – day 18 round-up
Cookstown 1 (S McCabe) Banbridge 5 (J McKee 2, J Moffett, Z McClelland, E Magee)
At the start of play, Cookstown harboured hopes of avoiding a return to the Ulster Premier League while there was little on the line for Banbridge who were a nailed on certainty to play Three Rock Rovers in the EY Champions Trophy semi-finals.

Bruce McCandless picked out Zach McClelland for a neatly worked first goal for Bann. Cookstown fought back when Jack Haycock launched a long overhead which Scott McCabe got to between the last defender and goalkeeper and his first time saw him escape to the left to finish on his backhand.

It remained 1-1 at half-time but three third quarter goals from Bann pretty much killed off Cookstown’s hopes of escaping relegation. Jonny McKee got a couple from penalty corners, one a deflection move, the other a rebound after Eugene Magee hit the bar.

There was also time for Magee to score one and Josh Moffett rounded out a great pitch-length move from McKee’s long pass to spin out a 5-1 success.

YMCA 2 (G Glutz, C Hynes) Pembroke Wanderers 0
YMCA went into the final tie of the season with fate in their own hands, knowing a win over fifth placed Pembroke would see them stay clear of relegation from their first season in the EY Hockey League.

In a tense opening quarter, the sides exchanged corners to no avail. YM hit the front in the 27th minute from the penalty spot via yet another Grant Glutz goal, beating Simon Thornton for a precious advantage. Sam Hyland had initially lined up to take the stroke, coming off the bench to do so but was – as acting captain for the day in Ben Campbell’s absence – shown a yellow card for YM having 12 players on the pitch for an issue over the protocol of him stepping onto the pitch.

Despite lengthy protestations, Glutz stepped in to take the stroke and held his nerve to flick it home. It stayed that way all the way through to the final minute, keeping plenty of tension in place around Wesley College. Ben Chadwick had to make an incredible goal line save for the Y before Pembroke fell apart at the end.

Harry Spain saw yellow with three minutes to go before Ross Henderson was felled while one-on-one with Thornton. The goalkeeper was shown yellow to reduce Pembroke to nine and YM took full advantage when Cillian Hynes scored from play for 2-0, sparking joyous celebrations.

Cork C of I 2 (D Lynch, J Bruton) Three Rock Rovers 2 (K Mullins, C Empey)
Cork C of I’s remarkable escape from the bottom rung of the regular season was complete as they made it seven points from their last 12, rising from being six points adrift at the bottom a month ago.

They are not quite out of the woods, though, as they still face a relegation playoff game in a week’s time in their bid to escape the drop and keep a Munster side in the top tier.

Rovers, for their part, were very much protecting their battle-weary squad ahead of the Champions Trophy, resting nine of the squad that played in the Euro Hockey League last week.

David Lynch gave C of I a lead in the first quarter which they held until the 51st minute when Kevin Mullins tied things up. Jonny Bruton scored in the closing quarter when he leapt onto a rebound off Shane O’Brien’s pads to make it 2-1.

John Jermyn went close to a third when he hit the bar and O’Brien parried away Simon Wolfe’s shot before Conor Empey equalised from a corner drag-flick for 2-2.

Glenanne 2 (B Venter 2) Monkstown 2 (G Sarratt, S Hohn)
Glenanne and Monkstown shared the spoils to see the former finish in fourth place and on course for a Champions Trophy semi-final against Glenanne while Monkstown end the campaign in sixth.

Monkstown took the lead via a Guy Sarratt penalty corner but a pair of Brad Venter goals in the second half swapped the lead with 14 minutes to go. Sam Hohn, though, netted with five minutes left in the tie as Sam O’Connor and Richard Couse both sat out yellow cards in the closing stages.

Annadale 1 (P Jack) Lisnagarvey 7 (T Chambers 3, O Kidd, H Morris, D Nelson, M Nelson)
Lisnagarvey completed their EY Hockey League victory march with a 7-1 win over Annadale at Strathearn, making it six wins in a row, giving them a six-point margin of victory in the end.

Indeed, they have not lost since October after a tricky start to the season saw them lose two of their first four games only to develop and grow in brilliant style. Daniel Nelson and Oliver Kidd had them 2-0 up inside 20 minutes before Patrick Jack got Annadale’s sole response.

Troy Chambers got his first of the day just before half-time and Harry Morris made it 4-1 by the end of the third quarter. Two more Chambers goals arrived in the final quarter with Matthew Nelson chipping in for a comprehensive win.

For Annadale, they did their hard work in the first half of the campaign, winning just three points from their last 30 available.

The Hook

Harlequins nick Champs Trophy place as Ards relegated and Muckross pin down playoff shot

Cork Harlequins snagged the fourth EY Champions Trophy ticket while Muckross took the relegation playoff place, condemning Ards to the Ulster Premier League following a dramatic final day in the Irish women’s EY Hockey League.

Women’s EY Hockey League
Cork Harlequins 2 (O Roycroft, Y O’Byrne) Ards 1 (A Benson)
Cork Harlequins will return to the EY Champions Trophy for the second successive season as their win over Ards combined with Pembroke’s 3-3 draw with Old Alex saw them leap into fourth place in the table.

They led from just two minutes in as Michelle Barry’s mazy run saw her beat several players and while her shot was blocked, Olivia Roycroft snapped up the rebound.

Quins dominated that first half and won a number of penalty corners which were repelled but had to stay on their toes as Ards – battling against relegation – caused problems with Becky Maye needed to keep the sheet clean.

One became two when Yvonne O’Byrne embarked on a driving run and her shot deceived the visiting goalkeeper, 2-0 at half-time.

Ards enjoyed a great third quarter, causing plenty of problems and Amy Benson got one back from a corner. They continued to push on, chasing the win they needed to get off the bottom but no further goals came and Ards were relegated while Harlequins had their playoffs spot.

Old Alexandra 3 (A Connery 3) Pembroke Wanderers 3 (C Foley 2, A-K Trevor)
Aine Connery proved the Pembroke nemesis as her hat trick denied them a place in the EY Champions Trophy, dropping below Cork Harlequins on the final day of the season.

Claire Foley put Pembroke 1-0 up in the first quarter with a nice chip shot from midway into the circle. It proved the only goal of a lively first half before Connery started to show her glorious skills.

She slalomed her way along the end line and beat the goalkeeper and driblled the ball in. Foley got her second when her ghosted in unmarked, dragged the ball right and slotted home for 2-1.

Connery replied once again with a corner move, a slip left which she thumped home. The Kilkenny native then showed her camogie skills to get into the circle and her shot rattled the backboard.

Pembroke threw everything into the last quarter with their high press causing problems with Pam Smithwick called on to make big stops. A broken down corner got them level when Gillian Pinder clipped a shot to the back post for Amy-Kate Trevor to tap in.

Pembroke camped in the Alex 23-metre zone but Smithwick saved from Sinead Loughran and the follow-up shot to keep it at 3-3, a result Alex and Cork Harlequins celebrated with gusto.

Muckross 1 (Y Pratt) UCD 1 (S Patton)
Muckross defended brilliantly to pick off another point against UCD to give them an extra buffer over Ards, ultimately ending their first EYHL campaign in ninth place, setting them up for a relegation playoff game next Sunday.

UCD broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute from a well executed penalty corner which was well saved by Sorcha Cunningham but then fell to Sarah Patton who flicked home.

The equaliser was swift in coming as terrific stick-skills from Sophie Barnwell in the D eliminated the goalkeeper and she laid on a shot which Yasmin Pratt got a stick to for 1-1.

UCD had the lion’s share of the game in the second half with Caroline Mathews having a stormer in defence while UCD were frustrated they could not make more of the chances that fell to Michelle Carey and from their corners. Muckross held on and got another point to make it seven points from 12 after a run of 13 successive defeats.

Reacting to the win, Muckross coach Sarah Scott said: “it was an extremely tough league fixture, going 1-0 down early on put us on the back foot but we never gave up and created some really good opportunities.

“This side has a serious amount of character. Seven weeks ago, you would have thought we were buried and gone. To see the faces of the senior girls today, it puts us in a playoff and a chance of stating in a division where I believe we deserve to be.”

Belfast Harlequins 3 (G Frazer, R Johnston, Z Wilson) Pegasus 3 (K Millar, C Harvey, C McKane)
In a tie with little on the line, Belfast Harlequins and Pegasus played out a lively Ulster derby at Deramore Park with the hosts leading 2-0 only to trail 3-2 before eventually salvaging a draw.

The champions were without the services of Shirley McCay (suspended), Pamela Glass and Kate Gourley while Quins also fielded a young side for a lively affair in torrid, rain-soaked conditions.

Gemma Frazer scored from a corner in the sixth after a stroke decision was downgraded to the lighter punishment. Rachel Johnston got a second from a fantastic corner deflection in the second half before Pegs bounced back with three goals in a five minute spell to change the complexion of the game.

Kate Millar got the first before Caitlyn Harvey levelled and Claire McKanne followed up a loose clearance to make it 3-2. Zoe Wilson responded in kind with an excellent reverse-stick strike at the end of a fine team move.

Railway Union 0 Loreto 1 (G Donald)
Grace Donald’s first quarter goal saw Loreto finish their regular season campaign on a high and in decent shape for the EY Champions Trophy as they beat Railway Union 1-0.

In a low-key game of few chances, Loreto saw out the win to end on 40 points, comfortable in second and six points off winners Pegasus.

The Hook

Corinthian finally get over the line to reach the EYHL

Corinthian summoned an incredible late salvo to finally earn promotion to the Irish EY Hockey League after a series of close-run charges to the national division.

Men’s EY Hockey League Division 2 final
Corinthian 2 (J Perdue, D Howard) UCD 2 (D Nolan, J Henry), Corinthian win shoot-out 3-2
Corinthian summoned an incredible late salvo to finally earn promotion to the EY Hockey League after a series of close-run charges to the national division.

They trailed UCD until 90 seconds before the end of their EYHL2 final date but Davy Howard picked off a low drag-flick to nick the draw before Euan Mackay took over in the shoot-out.

A day earlier, the teenage goalkeeper had come off the bench to keep a clean sheet in their shoot-out win over Railway Union to reach the final and he was at it again in the decider.

He is well versed in the art, helping Wesley win the Leinster schools Senior League in a similar fashion and he kept out four attempts from UCD this time around.

The students will rue not making more of their ascendancy in the second half when they had the openings to move further clear but the reds hung in the tie to keep their chances alive.

They had beaten Instonians the day before 2-1 with goals from Andrew Meates and Ziggy Agnew and they carried that momentum into the final.

David Nolan gave them the lead in just the fifth minute when Peter Lynch’s skills saw him weave through and ship a big tackle, leading to a penalty stroke.

Corinthian responded well with their star man Ian Stewart forging the chances and they should have been level when he laid off for Jonny Roberts but his shot hit a foot rather than the backboard. The follow-up corner came to nothing.

They were back on terms 10 seconds into the second quarter almost direct from tip-off as Andrew Sutton whizzed a ball into the circle which Jack Perdue controlled and then slipped by Stephen Dawson – who was impressive throughout – for 1-1.

UCD, though, looked the livelier side for the remainder of the tie, spurning corner chances either side of half-time with Mark Samuel a continuous threat when racing down the right flank.

They got back in front with 20 minutes to go when Jazze Henry clipped a shot at the back post which took a wicked deflection in unfortunately off Ross Howard’s leg for 2-1.

Again, UCD looked the more forward-thinking with Andrew Tutty and Lynch going close with Ross Murray pulling off some great stops.

Corinthian, though, kept their nerve and won a third corner in the last two minutes which Howard drove in off the stick of the right postman for 2-2.

In the shoot-out, they never trailed after Stewart scored in round one but they were pegged back by John Guilfoyle before Josh Greaney and David Nolan traded scores. Round five produced no further goals, leading to sudden death where Mackay saved again while Stewart repeated his trick to score a famous victory.

Corinthian coach Trevor Dagg was delighted his side could finally get over the line after a number of successes in Leinster could not be translated into EYHL promotion playoffs success.

“First of all, hard luck to UCD. They played a great game and some really good hockey but big congratulations to our guys who have put in a lot of really hard work to get to this stage,” Dagg said.

“There’s a number of guys out injured or unavailable today; it’s been a 30-man squad and the club has really got behind us. It has taken a long time to get here but we are absolutely thrilled to be in the EYHL.

“Because of ebb and flow of the one-on-ones, I am still in that flux mode. In the past, we haven’t maybe been quite good enough. We have learned from each defeat and this weekend we showed a higher level of maturity. The age profile is getting into that mid-20s point and we showed that experience in the last quarter to get back to 2-2.

He also paid tribute to Euan Mackay who came off the bench twice over the weekend as a designated closer in the shoot-outs, keeping out several efforts: “We have been practicing them for the last two months. I felt both games could go to shoot-out so we put a lot of time, effort and focus into them. Euan and Josh [Greaney] have probably the most experience of it of anyone. He’s a great presence about him and a great future ahead of him.”

UCD now have to pick themselves up for a tie against Cork C of I for the final spot in next season’s EYHL.

UCD: S Dawson, M Romoli, C Cole, M Samuel, A Fogarty, E Ramsay, P Lynch, Z de Boe Agnew, J Guilfoyle, D Nolan, H Spillane
Subs: A Keane, A Tutty, A Meates, J Henry, I Styles, C Morrow

Corinthian: R Murray, H Burns, N Pelow, A Sutton, G Dagg, J Perdue, J Roberts, D Howard, B Murphy, I Stewart, C Mackay
Subs: J Greaney, D Winn, A Kemp, J Lewis, A Blennerhassett, R Howard, E Mackay

The Hook

Catholic Institute move to hockey’s top table after shoot-out win

Limerick side beat Queen’s to complete impressive season and gain promotion

Mary Hannigan

Limerick will play host to the Hockey League next season for the first time after Catholic Institute completed a near-flawless campaign by beating Queen’s in a shoot-out in Sunday’s IHL 2 play-off final in Dublin to qualify for the top tier of the competition.

Institute had topped their pool by winning seven and drawing one of their eight games before advancing to Saturday’s play-off semi-finals, where they came from a goal down to beat Trinity 3-2. Queen’s, meanwhile, got the better of Monkstown, Jessica McMaster’s early goal proving to be the only score of the game.

But Institute’s promotion prospects looked bleak enough by the half-hour mark, by which time they were 2-0 down to Queen’s, and although they levelled the game through Róisín Upton and Laura Foley, they found themselves trailing again with 10 minutes to go. Upton, though, produced another equaliser from a penalty corner, forcing the game into a shoot-out. And it was Upton (twice) and Foley again who converted their efforts to give Institute a 3-2 sudden-death victory.
Second chance

Queen’s, though, have a second chance to win promotion when they take on Muckross next Sunday in Banbridge, the Dublin side giving themselves a chance of retaining their Hockey League status when they had looked certs for automatic relegation with just four games to go. It is Ards, then, who are relegated, their 2-1 defeat by Cork Harlequins on Saturday sealing their fate, while Muckross picked up another point with a draw against UCD.

Harlequins’ victory, combined with Pembroke Wanderers’ draw against Old Alexandra, saw them leapfrog Pembroke in to fourth and claim a place in next weekend’s Champions Trophy semi-finals for the third successive season. And just like last year, Hockey League champions Pegasus, Loreto – who beat Harlequins in last year’s final – and UCD join them in the last four. The pairings are different this time around, though, Pegasus taking on the Cork side while Loreto meet UCD.

Hockey League: Belfast Harlequins 3 (G Frazer, R Johnston, Z Wilson), Pegasus 3 (K Miller, C Harvey, C McKane); Cork Harlequins 2 (O Roycroft, Y O’Byrne), Ards 1 (A Benson); Muckross 1 (Y Pratt), UCD 1 (S Patton); Old Alexandra 3 (A Connery 3), Pembroke Wanderers 3 (C Foley 2, G Pinder); Railway Union 0, Loreto 1 (G Donald).

Hockey League 2 Play-offs – Semi-finals: Queen’s 1 (J McMaster), Monkstown 0; Catholic Institute 3 (L Foley, K Daly, L Cleary), Trinity 2 (I Delamer, A Burns). Final: Catholic Institute 3 (R Upton 2, L Foley), Queen’s 3 (E Getty, A Jebb, K Ferguson). Institute won 3-2 in a shoot-out.

The Irish Times

Wanderers and Edinburgh Uni reach the Women’s Scottish Cup Final 



This year’s Women’s Scottish Cup Final will be a contest between Edinburgh University and Dundee Wanderers after two close semi-finals at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre.

Dundee Wanderers booked their place in the Women’s Scottish Cup Final in a hard-fought semi-final victory over ESM. 

Wanderers started strong and had some joy attacking down their right in the early stages of the contest. Vikki Bunce was a constant source of threat and was denied by multiple good saves by the goalkeeper. First was a quick turn and shot saved low to the right; and again in the second phase of a penalty corner.

ESM was always a threat on the counter attack and looked dangerous when breaking at pace. Still, neither side could find the opener and it ended 0-0 at half time.

ESM came out on the front foot in the second half and created some good chances without converting. 

It seemed like the game might need something special to separate the teams and that piece of magic came when Jess Ross finished off a delightful solo run to make it 1-0 to Wanderers. 

Almost instantly it went to 2-0. A quick pass into the D was slipped past the goalkeeper by Emile Dark to double Wanderers’ advantage.

Wanderers set into their groove and added a third through Heather Elder before Sophie Spedding pulled one back for ESM, right at the end, with a far-post tap-in after a nice attack down the left.

Edinburgh University secured their final spot when they defeated Watsonians 2-0. The students started well and probed the Watsonians defence for openings. 

The closest they came in the early stages was a Louise Campbell strike that thundered wide of the mark.

The opening goal eventually came, and it was Kathryn Meenan who struck when she lifted the ball into the net to make it 1-0.

Watsonians were unlucky to not equalise right away when they attacked down the right but Lucy Lanigan just missed the ball when she dived in at the far post.

Into the second half and Edinburgh University had all the pressure as they stepped up a gear in search for a second goal.

They hit the post before Amy Brodie had a shot cleared off the line. 

After lots of pressure it was in the 66th minute that Edinburgh University sealed the victory; Sophie Maunder struck a low shot against the backboard to make it 2-0 and take her side to the final.

Results

Women’s Scottish Cup semi-finals

Dundee Wanderers 3-1 ESM
Watsonians 0-2 Edinburgh University

Women’s Scottish Plate semi-finals

Glasgow University 1-0 Grange
Clydesdale Western 2s 0-2 Kelburne

Women’s District Cup semi-finals

Orkney v Shetland
Ellon v Edinburgh University 5s

Women’s District Plate semi-finals

Clydesdale Western 4s 6-4 Watsonians 4s
Dunfermline Carnegie 1-3 Glasgow Academicals

Scottish Hockey Union media release

Hockey New Zealand Hosts Annual Awards Dinner



The Ibis Hotel in Auckland played host to the Annual Hockey Awards Dinner on Friday, April 26. This event  recognised the amazing achievements of our hockey community in the 2018 calendar year.

The evening saw members of the 1984 Olympic hockey men and women’s teams come together to celebrate 35 years since they competed in Los Angeles, USA. That year also was the first time that women competed at the Olympic Games in hockey and was the first time that our men had competed at the Olympic Games since their Gold Medal win in 1976. A highlight of the evening featured a few members of the teams sharing stories from their time at the Olympic Games and that era.

Stacey Michelsen and Hugo Inglis take home the player of the year awards for their respective teams, while several hard working members of the hockey community around New Zealand received community awards (see below for a full list of award winners).

Michael Paardekooper was awarded the Pakistan Trophy which is awarded to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding contributions to the administration of hockey in the previous 12 months. Michael’s wife Gai Paardekooper and daughter Aimee Paardekooper accepted the award on his behalf. In 2018 Michael managed to secure $25,000 in sponsorship packages which helped run a successful Black Sticks Tri Nations Tournament in May of 2018.

Bronze Service Awards

Bryce Collins
Brent Edwards
Dave Kosoof
Graeme Bigham
Barry Prestney
Megan Richards

Silver Service Awards

Paul Collins
Sandy Kindley
Liz Saunders
Ian Bartholomew
Karen Lynch

Gold Service Awards

Colin Chester
Keri Dempster
Mark Dempster
Janis Henry
Robin Kavanagh
Bronwyn Rees
Richard Shorter
Simon Taylor
Sharon Williamson
Pat Dewes
Jose Morete
Sarah Garnett
Gillian Gemming
Karen Wallace
Peter Cawkwell

Bronze Association Membership    Canterbury Hockey Association
Silver Association Membership    Thames Valley Hockey Association
Gold Association Membership    Rangitikei Hockey Association
Pakistan Trophy    Michael Paardekooper
Female Most Promising Umpire    Brooke Johnson
Male Most Promising Umpire    Ryan Potter
Female Umpire of the Year     Kelly Hudson

Hockey New Zealand Media release

Ex-Hockeyroo Clare Prideaux Elected OHF President

Ben Somerford

Former Hockey Australia Board Member and Hockeyroo Clare Prideaux was elected President of the Oceania Hockey Federation (OHF) at the Annual General Meeting held in Fiji earlier this month.

Prideaux, an experienced sports administrator, replaces the long serving Oceania President, Pam Elgar of New Zealand.

Australian David Peebles was also elected to the Board of the OHF and will replace Norman Same on the OHF Board.

Hockey Australia President Melanie Woosnam congratulated both Ms Prideaux and Mr Peebles on their appointments.

Woosnam said: “Hockey Australia congratulates and welcomes the appointment of Clare Prideaux to the role of Oceania Hockey Federation President.

"Clare is a former Hockey Australia Board member who is committed to the development and growth of Hockey across the Oceania region.”

On the appointment of David Peebles, Woosnam said “It is also wonderful to have David Peebles from Australia elected to the OHF Board. To have two capable Australians working to drive the development of Hockey across the region is a great outcome for the OHF.”

Woosnam thanked the outgoing President Pam Elgar and acknowledged her significant contribution to Oceania Hockey over the last nine years.

Woosnam said: “On behalf of the Board of Hockey Australia, I would like to sincerely thank Pam for her tireless work. I also pass on my thanks to outgoing Board Member, Norman Same for his contribution over the last five years.”

Hockey Australia media release

UJ hockey manager upgrades her technical status


University of Johannesburg hockey manager Elize le Roux was recently awarded a level-three technical official certificate from the international body (FIH). Photo: Supplied

University of Johannesburg hockey manager Elize le Roux continued to expand her chosen path in the sport when she was recently awarded a level-three technical official certificate from the international body (FIH).

The former player, who also manages the UJ astro facility, is developing a career on the technical side of the game and this latest achievement will open new doors for the hockey enthusiast.

Le Roux is one of those fortunate individuals whose job is a labour of love and she is looking forward to putting her new status into practice.

“I love what I do and I think it comes from knowing as a youngster that I had a passion for sport and administration,” the 35-year-old said. “And working with your passion and strengths adds satisfaction in job and life.”

She has a strong hockey background, having played throughout her junior days and come under the mentorship of Adrian Carter in high school.

Carter, now the director of sport at Wits, subsequently became the UJ hockey manager and was influential in Le Roux’s career path.

“I think after high school the passion for the sport grew and it was a way for me to get an education at university and play competitively,” she said.

“I studied and played for UJ from 2002 until 2008 and later I became the co-coordinator for UJ youth hockey and a committee member.

“Having chosen B.Com sports management with a view to my future, I was assisted by Adrian, who taught me the practical elements of being a manager at UJ.

“With his own job promotions, I was blessed to have been successful in being invited to take on the UJ hockey manager position, which I have held since 2010.”

As time progressed, Le Roux, who lives in Bergbron in Johannesburg, saw a niche for herself as a technical official, which has taken her to her current status.

“We have a long history in SA hockey for technical staff and umpires, but umpiring wasn’t my calling.

“I did some technical work under mentors like Marie Janse van Rensburg and Sheila Brown, who are FIH tournament directors, and I thought ‘let’s give this a go’.”

The FIH certificate means she is qualified to work within the national structures as a technical official.

“To be more precise, it qualifies us to work as tournament directors and also puts us on the FIH education course panel,” added Le Roux.

“This means we can be nominated to work at international events from a junior to a senior level.

“I really want to strive to go international and this is the process in place for me. This is also my way to contribute to hockey, as well as to learn more about this beautiful game.”

Fullstop Communications media release for University of Johannesburg Hockey