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News for 27 May 2019

All the news for Monday 27 May 2019


Ireland men beat USA 2-0 to clinch warm-up double in Dublin


Shane O'Donoghue scored in both of Ireland's wins against USA

Ireland sealed a second consecutive win over USA as they continued preparations for their Olympic qualifying bid.

Shane O'Donoghue and Luke Madeley both scored in the first half to secure a 2-0 victory in Dublin.

Alexander Cox's side also beat the same opponents on Friday ahead of the start of the FIH Series Finals in France.

Ireland also host France in a two-match series at Lisnagarvey on 4 and 6 June before the first stage of their Olympic qualification process.

Ireland will face Egypt, Scotland and Singapore in the pool stages of the tournament at Le Touquet, France with the top two teams securing a place in the Olympic-qualifying tournament, which will be held later in the year.

Ireland: J Carr, J Jackson, J Bell, M Bell, L Madeley, M Nelson, E Magee, N Glassey, S O'Donoghue, S Murray, M Robson, B Walker, D Walsh, P Gleghorne, C Harte, L Cole, M Ingram, S Cole.

USA: J Klages, M Barminski, T Sundeen, P Harris, A Miller, A Montilla, W Holt, A Dhadwal, T Barratt, K Kaeppler, C De Angelis, S Harris, P Singh, S Cicchi, J Orozco, A Kaeppler, D Huisman, M Gandhi, D Wisselink.

BBC Sport



John Jackson returns for Ireland’s two hockey wins over the USA

The 33-year-old came back after six-month break to help the side to 5-0 and 2-0 successes

Stephen Findlater


Ireland’s John Jackson during a test match against the USA at Pembroke, Dublin. Photograph: Adrian Boehm
 
John Jackson is relishing his chance to return to the Irish senior men’s hockey team after a six-month break which saw him miss December’s World Cup.

The 33-year-old lined out in Ireland’s two wins over the USA at Pembroke over the weekend, helping the side to 5-0 and 2-0 successes.

The games were Ireland’s first formal preparation games for the FIH Hockey Series Finals in June, a vital step on the road to Tokyo 2020.

Jackson had been a mainstay of the side since 2006, but could not play a full part in the World Cup programme. However, he is now back in full flow, combining elite hockey with his job at Pride Park school in Bath as well as being a new father.

“I needed that six months to figure out how it all works in combination with school,” he said.

“It is the nature of being an Irish hockey athlete, but I am delighted Alex [Cox] has given me the chance to come back in. I still feel I have something to offer. I love being part of the group; I love representing my country and want to be the best I can be. It was a necessary six months out, but I am raring to go for this next six months and, hopefully, 18 months.”

His Friday return saw Ireland ease home with Shane O’Donoghue and Matthew Nelson scoring in the first 20 minutes before Conor Harte and Ben Walker stretched the lead to four.

Eugene Magee completed the win in the final quarter but then was rested for the Sunday tie with a tight hamstring. There O’Donoghue and Luke Madeley scored drag-flicks in the first 20 minutes for a 2-0 success.

The Irish Times



SA beat Namibia 3-0 in hockey test series

by Helge Schütz


Magy Mengo of Namibia (left) and Kristen Paton of South Africa in action during the second test on Saturday morning.

SOUTH Africa beat Namibia 3-0 in a women's hockey test series in Johannesburg over the weekend. Namibia had a great start to the series, narrowly losing the first test 1-0 on Friday night and the second test 2-0 the next morning. Their fatigue, however, showed when they lost the third test 8-0 on Saturday evening.

In the first test, Namibia matched South Africa in most aspects before losing to a solitary goal by Erin Hunter, scored from a short corner after only six minutes.

The second test was another close encounter, with Lillian du Plessis putting South Africa ahead with a field goal in the first chukka, while Tarryn Glasby made it 2-0 in the final chukka.

In the third and final test Namibia's fatigue started to show, while the South Africans went into overdrive.

Namibia held out till the 14th minute when Kara Lee Botes put South Africa ahead from a short corner, and two further goals in the second chukka by Nomnikelo Veto and Lisa Marie Deetlefs gave SA a 3-0 half time lead.

Any hopes of a comeback were quickly dispelled when South Africa scored three goals in four minutes in the third chukka.

Two field goals by Quanita Bobbs and Izelle Verster, and a short corner goal by Celia Evans suddenly put South Africa 6-0 ahead by the third chukka.

A short corner goal by Dirkie Chamberlain and a second goal for Bobbs in the final quarter completed a comfortable victory for South Africa.

Namibia coach Erwin Handura said their hectic schedule of three matches within 24 hours led to their downfall in the third test.

“We were very competitive in the first two matches, but to play three matches in 24 hours was crazy and we didn't realise the impact that it would have on the players. We just ran out of legs over the last 30 minutes of the match and our concentration was not as sharp as it was in the first two matches,” he said.

“But the bottom line is that we have closed the gap between us and South Africa and it was a good learning curve because these are the type of matches that we will be playing at the Olympics qualifier in Valencia next month,” he added.

The Namibian



2019 3 Nations Tournament ITA v MAS v ESP
Rome (ITA)

Fixtures (GMT +2)

26 May 2019     ESP v MAS (RR)     5 - 1
27 May 2019 17:30     ESP v ITA (RR)
28 May 2019 17:30     MAS v ITA (RR)
29 May 2019 17:30     MAS v ESP (RR
30 May 2019 17:30     ITA v ESP (RR)
31 May 2019 15:30     ITA v MAS (RR)

FIH Match Centre



2019 Test matches RSA v NAM (Men)
Randburg (RSA)

Fixtures (GMT +2)

27 May 2019 19:00     RSA v NAM
28 May 2019 19:00     RSA v NAM
30 May 2019 19:00     RSA v NAM

Live stream https://www.facebook.com/ShoOTTSA/ (No commentary)

FIH Match Centre



Win is vital for preparations: Marijne

Indian women’s hockey team coach Sjoerd Marijne on Sunday said victory in the just-concluded series in South Korea is vital to its preparations for the forthcoming FIH Women’s Series Finals.

The tournament is scheduled to be held in Hiroshima, Japan, from June 15.

Against Korea, India won two back-to-back matches and lost the third.

“It was not exactly the way we wanted to finish the series, but I think the experience was important at this juncture,” Marijne said.

The Hindu



2019 Big Apple Memorial Six-A-Side Tournament Results

By Jawwad Qamar:

New York: 60 Teams competed in the 2019 Big Apple Memorial Six-a-Side tournament at the Aviator Sports & Recreation complex in Brooklyn on Saturday and Sunday during the Memorial Day weekend. Competition was held in four divisions: Women, U-19 Girls, U-16 Girls and U-14 Girls.

The Big Apple Memorial Six-a-Side tournament is held every year to honor the memory of those field hockey lovers who are no longer with us. They all contributed to hockey in their own way and are missed by all.

The finals results are:

U-14 Girls: Jersey Intensity 2 – 0 FHCC
U-16 Girls: Rapid Fire Orange 2 – 0 Hudson Valley I
U-19 Girls: East End Blue 2 – 1 Hudson Valley
Women: Golden Apples 1 – 0 SNF Puerto Rico

The trophy for the U-16 and U-19 girls divisions is donated by Rosemary and Michael Serrette in the name of their beloved daughter, Michele, who passed away in 1983 at the very young age of nine, after getting hit by a ball while standing on the side lines watching her father play in a tournament in Trinidad. “She always loved to watch her father play,” said her mom, Rosemary. “We want to encourage the kids to play because they are the future of the sport and that is why we have dedicated this trophy in honor of Michele.”

The trophy for men and women competition is dedicated to Harold Cox (New York FHC), William Irving (Greenwich FHC), Michael Grannum (Tri-State Falcons, Longest serving Secretary of NEFHA), Frank Noodt (North Jersey FHC), Roland Mass (New York FHC), George Moody (West Indies International), John Greer (Greenwich FHC), Steven Haley (Greenwich FHC), Kenrick Bernard (New York FHC) George Griffith (New York Islanders FHA), Aldwin Ferguson (New York FHC), Qamar Uddin (Zindabad FHC), Allan Woods (Greenwich FHC),Victoria Geoffroy (Rye FHC, Sprit Eagles Elite Field Hockey Academy), Bobby Issar (North Jersey FHC/Sprit Eagles Elite Field Hockey Academy), Kenwin Nancoo (The Edge FHC), Ravinder Singh Kullar (North Jersey FHC/Tempa Bay FHC). All these individuals were devoted to field hockey and contributed to the growth of the sport not just in the tri-state area but throughout the USA.

Fieldhockey.com Exclusive



Bajwa’s return to PHF raises several questions

Anwar Zuberi

STILL awaiting the nod from the General Council, former Olympian Asif Bajwa, who has succeeded Shahbaz Ahmed Sr as Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) secretary at the behest of PHF chief retired Brig Khalid Sajjad Khokhar, has started deliberations with former stalwarts of the game to get their opinions for rescuing the game.

In the first step, he met strong critic and 1984 Los Angeles Olympic gold medal winning team captain Manzoor Hussain Jr and another ex- Olympian Khawaja Junaid in Lahore the other day. In the next stage he has arrived in Karachi on Thursday evening to carry forward his mission. Bajwa called on former Olympian Hanif Khan at his residence on Friday to seek his support at the national and local level. Secretary KHA Syed Haider Hussain was also present in the meeting. It a move that seems aimed at gaining favour.

The hockey fraternity, which has been raising its voice on Pakistan team’s slump, alleged corruption of funds by the PHF hierarchy and their ouster have not digested the modus operandi adopted in appointment of Bajwa in the same capacity for the second time and giving a safe passage to his predecessor.

Critics have been pointing fingers at Bajwa for his alleged involvement in human smuggling during his first tenure (2008-2013) besides pending cases. It isn’t the change they have been demanding since long. “It’s surprising that the PHF chief couldn’t find someone except Bajwa,” they said.The latest concern is that the FIH has not included Pakistan among the teams for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic qualifiers. It comes after both Khokhar and Bajwa were at the receiving end and grilled during the National Assembly Standing Committee meeting for Inter-provincial Coordination (IPC) on May 17 at Islamabad.

Parliamentarian Iqbal Mohammad Ali Khan has demanded of the government to impose an adhoc on the PHF and appoint a non-controversial person as its head with the task to set the house in order.

“How can Bajwa call him secretary PHF when he has not yet get the consent of the General Council,” he questioned. He termed it unconstitutional act and demanded that the forensic audit report of the PHF accounts should be made public. He called upon the prime minister, who is also patron of the PHF, to come forward and intervene in the larger national interest.

Dawn



Noor Khan National Hockey Championship to be held in June, confirms Brig Khokhar

PM Imran Khan is highly busy in performing national duties, but hockey also needs PM’s attention

Mohsin Ali



ISLAMABAD    -   Pakistan Hockey Federation President Brig (R) Khalid Sajjad Khokhar Sunday confirmed that 65th Noor Khan National Hockey Championship will roll into action from the last week of June.

“I am grateful to Pakistan Air Force, who had very kindly promised to help the federation in hosting the mega championship in grand style while we will also take onboard private sponsors as well. We want to pay grand tribute to legendry Noor Khan and other mega stars Pakistan hockey had produced. So besides departments, we have decided to include two or three development squad teams, who will be named after the past greats of Pakistan hockey.”

He said around Rs5 million will be spent on the National Hockey Championship, which will be held at Abdul Sattar Edhi Hockey Stadium Karachi

This championship will not only provide juniors a chance to earn place for the highly important Olympic Qualifiers place in the national squad, which would be held in September or October this year but also provide golden opportunity to those senior players, who are still in shape and have desire to once again play for the country, he added.

“Our doors are open for all the players, who can perform and this championship will provide them yet another chance to showcase their skills and earn a place in the national team. Our focus in the recent past was enhancing fresh pool of players, in which we managed to successfully muster lot of new talented players, who are the future of Pakistan hockey. Trust me, like I had time and again said, I won’t stay for a second, if I feel I had lost that passion and desire to take Pakistan hockey forward.”

“Let me assure all that Pakistan will play in the mega FIH events, including the pro-hockey league and next month FIH board will listen to our side of story and Pakistan will skip ban and also in case we had to pay some kind of penalty for skipping the pro-hockey league, it will be very nominal. I am very optimistic that the FIH will give verdict in favour of Pakistan. We will present a very detailed and fact-based report to FIH board, our lawyer will represent Pakistan and I will also there to assist him.”

Brig Khokhar said it is quite strange and somewhat disrespectful attitude of IPC Minister Dr Fahmida Mirza, who despite making several promises of inviting federation for a meeting, never fulfilled her promise and she is continuously meeting with those so-called well-wishers of hockey, who were always part of previous federations. “If they had any plans or they had the guts to take Pakistan hockey forward, they would have justified their roles, which I had assigned to them. They are used bullets and just want job in federation. In such tight financial situation, how can we offer them jobs? We want to take Pakistan hockey forward and I am honestly working on that. Appointment of Asif Bajwa as secretary is clear indication that we want to move forward very fast and involve all the past greats, who genuinely want to help hockey and want to contribute towards national cause. I promise that the nation will soon hear very good news in this regard. My doors are always open for all the positive things and I am always more than welcoming to all those, who had the pain and desire to work for Pakistan hockey.”

He said he knew PM Imran Khan is highly busy in performing national duties, but hockey also needs PM’s attention and the federation just just wants PM to spare sometime for a meeting.

“We don’t want funds or financial assistance; we just want to bring into his notice actual ground realities. One thing is crystal clear, federation didn’t received a single penny’s grant form federal government since November 2017. Only Sindh government is helping hockey. Even then we had planned to start Pakistan Hockey League by the end of this year and we won’t take financial assistance from government. We will involve private sector and this year Pakistan’s dream Premier Hockey League project will meet reality. I am highly disappointed with Haier, our title sponsors, who had signed an MoU till Olympics 2020, but so far only had released Rs 9 million, which is not enough to conduct national championships. I had called Javed Afridi, who had promised to splash out cash to help hockey, but he never bothered to fulfil promises. They had taken huge mileage in world cup, but not ready to help the way they had promised. We are working on different areas and I assure all that Pakistan hockey will be back on winning ways sooner rather than later,” Brig Khokhar concluded.

The Nation



Teams agree to new playoff format

By T. Avineshwaran

KUALA LUMPUR: The playoff format for teams vying for the last five spots in the Malaysian Junior Hockey League (MJHL) has been changed.

Instead of playing in a two-legged playoff with the same team, they will now compete against two different sides to make the cut.

Currently, nine teams have qualified for the 14-team Division One. Another 10 teams will fight it out for the five spots in a palyoff scheduled to be held on June 14-16 at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

There will be no Division Two this year.

Competitions committee chairman George Koshy said the decision was made after speaking to the 10 team managers.

“They unanimously agreed to face different teams in the playoff,” said George.

“Teams will get three points for a win, a point for a draw. If the game ends in a stalemate, there will be a shootout and an additional point will be awarded to the winners.”

The league is scheduled to start on June 21.

Last year, 30 teams featured in the MJHL with 10 teams in Division One and 20 in Division Two. SSTMI-Thunderbolt were the Division One champions last year.

The nine teams confirmed for the MJHL this year are SSMS Resilient, MBPJ Tigers, SMKDBL-UNIKL-MSNJ, BJSS Thunderbolts, Anderson Thunderbolts, MSSPP-PSHA, AHP-MSP Thunderbolts, SSTMI-Thunderbolts, SSTMI Juniors.

The Star of Malaysia



“Grow the Game” goes to Thames Valley Hockey



Recognising a need within the hockey community Chester’s Plumbing & Bathroom have donated 60 new Hockey Sticks and equipment to New Zealand's Thames Valley in support of the “Grow the Game” Hockey initiative valued in excess of $5,500.

Receiving the donation at the Ngatea Hockey turf, Graeme Taylor, President Thames Valley Hockey Association thanks Chester’s Plumbing & Bathroom and comments, “We have increased numbers of players by 25% in our region but one of the barriers to sport participation is always cost, with this wonderful donation we can now provide better, bigger and more opportunities across the Valley region.”

Thames Valley Hockey Association serves a vast region of predominantly rural communities, with the hub of Hockey being the location of the artificial turf in Ngatea.  Thames Valley Hockey offers primary, secondary and senior grade hockey with its players attending National and Regional Hockey tournaments.  Two home grown Valley players are current NZ Vantage Black Sticks, Aidan Sarikaya (Ngatea) and Tarryn Davey (Te Aroha).

Colin and Grant Chester, of Chester’s Plumbing & Bathroom have been long standing supporters of hockey with the aim of giving even more kids the opportunity to play Hockey.  The collaboration of Chester’s Plumbing, Kookaburra and Hockey New Zealand will provide long term benefits for the Thames Valley Hockey Community. Thames Valley Hockey recently received The Silver Award at the Hockey New Zealand Annual Awards, for its work in growing the game by 25% It is hoped that this valuable donation will continue to increase engagement at both Secondary and Youth level.

Hockey is a fun, fast paced sport which is inclusive for everybody. It contributes towards happier, healthier people and better-connected communities. Unfortunately, not everybody has the same access to get involved in hockey. This is due to a variety of reasons; travel, time and cost are only a few of the barriers that are stopping people from being able to take part. The support of local associations is a key component to helping us break down some of these barriers, the Grow the Game Initiative aims to make a difference.

Chester’s Plumbing & Bathroom have teamed up with Kookaburra Sport NZ and Hockey NZ to provide a range of FREE hockey equipment to help grow the game of hockey at community level through better access to participant development

Hockey New Zealand Media release

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