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All the news for Wednesday 5 June 2019

2019 FIH Pro League (Men) - 5 June

4 Jun 2019     NED v NZL (RR)     0 - 0 (3 - 2 SO)

Unofficial Pool Standings

* A cancelled match contributes 1 point to each team's results that is not shown in the tables as a cancelled match
The FIH inexplicably and confusingly use a system not used in any other sports League in the World, of making the Percentage more important than Points until the end of the League when they will revert to Points only. Fieldhockey.com prefers to use the conventional Points and so the Unofficial Pool Standings on this site are reflected in this manner.

FIH Match Centre

2019 FIH Pro League (Women) - 5 June

4 Jun 2019     NED v GER (RR)     2 - 1

Unofficial Pool Standings

The FIH inexplicably and confusingly use a system not used in any other sports League in the World, of making the Percentage more important than Points until the end of the League when they will revert to Points only. Fieldhockey.com prefers to use the conventional Points and so the Unofficial Pool Standings on this site are reflected in this manner.

FIH Match Centre

Netherlands women hold on against Germany; Dutch men snatch bonus point against New Zealand



The race to secure an all-important top four finish in the FIH Pro League continued on Tuesday (4 June), with the Netherlands women taking a narrow win over Germany before the Dutch men claimed two points from a possible three by winning a shoot-out against New Zealand at HC Oranje-Rood in Eindhoven.

The Netherlands women took a huge stride towards confirming a top four finish - which comes with tickets to June’s FIH Pro League Grand Final in Amsterdam and the FIH Olympic qualifiers which take place later thi year - with a hard-earned 2-1 victory over Germany. Frederique Matla and Caia van Maasakker were on target for the hosts before Pia Maertens reduced the deficit to set up a tense finish, with the Dutch holding on to secure all three points. The Oranje remain top of the women’s FIH Pro League standings having claimed 90 percent of the points available to them, with Germany currently occupying fifth position with 51.52 percent.

The Netherlands men could not quite match the three points claimed by their female compatriots, but did take a valuable bonus point from their meeting with New Zealand after regular time finished with the score locked at 0-0. Goalkeeper Pirmin Blaak produced a Player of the Match performance in the shoot-out, making three saves to move the Dutch back into the top four in the FIH Pro League standings. The Netherlands now sit fourth, having claimed 51.85 percent of the available points.

The Netherlands (FIH World Ranking: 1) versus Germany (WR:5) women’s match opened proceedings in Eindhoven, with the Oranje looking to complete an FIH Pro League double over Die Danas following their 1-0 triumph, courtesy of Frederique Matla’s third minute strike, in Monchengladbach in April. Matla needed just six minutes to open the scoring in this contest, exchanging passes with Laurien Leurink seconds after Germany had lost possession deep in their own territory before passing into an unguarded goal to give the world champions an early advantage.

The Netherlands controlled the majority of the opening two periods but failed to extend their lead ahead of half time, giving the visiting Germans more than a glimmer of hope against the hosts. Germany looked threatening in the early stages of the period, but the Dutch soon found their groove again would have extended their advantage where it not for an instinctive penalty corner save from goalkeeper Nathalie Kubalski, who touched Matla’s goal-bound deflection onto the post.

The Dutch doubled their lead 31 seconds into the fourth and final quarter thanks to the ever-reliable penalty corner drag-flicking ability of Caia van Maasakker, who arrowed an unstoppable effort into the top left corner of the goal. However, Germany were quick to respond, with Pia Maertens getting ahead of her marker to touch home from close range with 12 minutes of the match remaining. The strike set up a dramatic finish, with the visitors replacing goalkeeper Kubalski with an outfield player to ramp up the pressure on their opponents. However, despite late chances for Germany, it was the Netherlands who claimed their ninth win in ten FIH Pro League matches to move one step closer to a place in the Grand Final competition at the end of this month.

“It was pretty hot today, but I think we started very well in the first quarter but the second quarter was a bit lazy from our side, I guess”, said Dutch ace Xan de Waard, who was named Player of the Match. “It was nice that Caia scored [to make it] 2-0, that gave us a little bit of air. But we got a goal against us out of nowhere and we made it really difficult for ourselves, which was unnecessary. But it’s fine because we won.”




New Zealand men (WR:8) arrived in Eindhoven sitting at the bottom of the FIH Pro League standings and still searching for their first win of the competition. They faced a Netherlands (WR:3) side that defeated them 4-3 in January’s reverse fixture in Auckland, but one that came into the match on the back of a 3-1 home loss against Great Britain and sat fifth in the league table. The Black Sticks sensed an upset and were arguably the better side the in the opening period, with Hugo Inglis looking constantly threatening and Nick Ross forcing Netherlands goalkeeper Sam van der Ven into a fine save with a brilliant run and shot.

The Netherlands improved in both the second and third quarters, with Billy Bakker having arguably their best chance when he was put through on goal by Mirco Pruijser but failed to find the finishing touch before New Zealand’s Jacob Smith missed a huge chance at the other end of the field, firing a pass from Inglis wide of the target with only the goalkeeper to beat.

Black Sticks goalkeeper George Enersen made numerous crucial interventions in the final quarter to keep the dominant Dutch off the score-sheet, most notably denying a vicious close range strike from Pruijser. Enersen’s superb blocks were enough to earn New Zealand a point from the contest as regular time finished score-less, before a shoot-out decided which team would take home the bonus point. Netherlands goalkeeper Pirmin Blaak was the hero of the one-on-ones, making saves from Stephen Jenness, Jacob Smith and Marcus Child to give his team a 3-2 win in the shoot-out and earn the Player of the Match trophy in the process.

“I thought we should have decided the game earlier, the goalkeeper of New Zealand made a lot of good saves in the last quarter”, said Blaak after the match. “It’s always nice to play the shoot-outs, and I’m glad we took the extra point today. The Kiwis played a really good game. We had the best chances, but we have to be really careful with giving a lot of space away. They did well, we conceded no goals, so I guess today defence wins!”

The race for the top four in the FIH Pro League continues on Thursday 6th and Friday 7th June with London’s Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre hosting matches between Great Britain and Germany’s men’s (Thursday) and women’s (Friday) teams.
 
FIH Pro League
4 June - Eindhoven, Netherlands

Result: Women’s Match 55
Netherlands 2, Germany 1 

Player of the Match: Xan de Waard (NED)
Umpires: Alison Keogh (IRL), Liu Xiaoying (CHN) and Bruce Bale (ENG - video)

Result: Men’s Match 38

Netherlands 0, New Zealand 0 (3-2 after shoot-out)

Player of the Match: Pirmin Blaak (NED)
Umpires: Bruce Bale (ENG), Francisco Vazquez (ESP) and Alison Keogh (IRL - video)

#FIHProLeague

Official FIH Pro League Site

Black Sticks Men put on incredible defensive effort to draw with the Netherlands



The Vantage Black Sticks Men took to the turf for the first match of their European Leg of the FIH Pro League, the New Zealand Men were hoping that a change in scenery might bring a change in fortune as they took on one of the strongest sides in world hockey in the Netherlands Men.

The Netherlands Men have been held to a 0-0 draw with the Black Sticks Men in what was a highly entertaining match where both sides had some significant goalscoring opportunities. The Netherlands had the majority of possession with 57% and circle entries with a 32 to 15 advantage. The draw was the third for the Vantage Black Sticks Men in the 2019 FIH Pro League. The Netherlands would get the bonus point in the penalty shootout 3-2.

The Black Sticks Men started the game confidently and had the first penalty corner of the match when Hugo Inglis managed to weave some magic dribbling skills in the circle. Kane Russell stepped up for the drag flick, however the Dutch goalkeeper Sam Van Der Ven pulled off a good foot save to deny Russell. Nick Ross late in the first quarter had a fantastic opportunity when he powered a shot towards goal in the air, Van Der Ven pulled off another good save to keep the match scoreless. At the end of the first quarter neither side was able to get themselves onto the score sheet.

The Netherlands had the first good opportunity of the second quarter when they earned a penalty corner off a stunning baseline dribble. Dane Lett ran down the penalty corner flick to ensure that the Netherlands were kept scoreless. Despite some enterprising end to end play in the first half, both sides couldn’t find space in the circle and we ended a scoreless first half.

The third quarter started the same way that the first two had as both sides were able to get into the opposition third of the field but were struggling to construct any significant scoring chances. The Netherlands ramped up the pressure on the New Zealand Men as the quarter wore constructing some significant chances, the kiwi defence was scrambling well and continually denied them.

The Dutch side continued to apply significant pressure on the New Zealand team as they went close on several opportunities early in the final quarter. With five minutes to go in the match the Netherlands had an outstanding opportunity off a turnover on the New Zealand circle edge. George Enersen pulled off an incredible save to deny the Netherlands side. The match would end in a 0-0 draw and head into a penalty shootout.

Vantage Black Sticks Men 0
Netherlands Men 0
Netherlands won the shootout 3:2

Hockey New Zealand Media release

FIH Men's Series Finals Bhubaneswar Odisha 2019
Bhubaneswar (IND)

FIxtures (GMT +5:30)

6 Jun 2019 08:45     RSA v USA (Pool B)
6 Jun 2019 17:00     POL v UZB (Pool A)
6 Jun 2019 19:00     IND v RUS (Pool A)

7 Jun 2019 08:45     JPN v MEX (Pool B)
7 Jun 2019 17:00     RUS v UZB (Pool A)
7 Jun 2019 19:00     POL v IND (Pool A)

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

FIH Match Centre

India not underestimating any opponent

The eight teams provide an insight into their mindset and preparation for the Olympic qualifying event

Uthra Ganesan


Ready to roll: Mexico’s Miguel Leon, left, with USA captain Ajai Dhadwal at a media interaction. 

The margin of difference between the highest- and lowest-ranked teams in the FIH Hockey Series Finals is a whopping 38 places.

India at fifth and Uzbekistan at 43rd are among the eight teams in contention for the two Olympic qualifying spots available from the competition that starts here on Thursday.

Tuesday, though, saw what is most likely to end up as a preview to the title clash, come June 15, with the host taking on Japan in its second practice match at the renovated Kalinga Stadium.

And if the non-competitive outing was any indication, the Tokyo Olympics host is keen to prove its Asian Games triumph was no fluke, stretching the Indians wide and testing them hard.

The day also saw all the eight teams face the media for the first time, giving an idea about their mindset. With most of the teams relatively unknown, it was a chance to get a glimpse of their preparations and expectations, particularly sides like Mexico, USA and Uzbekistan. Interestingly, only five Mexican players have arrived so far — the rest have been delayed and are expected to reach on Wednesday.

With most of them simply looking to get some much-needed experience and hoping to cause an upset or two, there was little to learn, language barrier not helping the cause.

“We are looking to win because it will give us ranking points,” Japan captain Manabu Yamashita said. “We played at the 2000 Olympics and are keen to make the grade again,” Poland vice-captain Mateusz Poltaszewski declared.

Guarded

But with all eyes on India, which is expected to roll over the opposition, Manpreet Singh sounded cautious. Having learnt its lessons at the Asian Games, India is keen to avoid any talk of either pressure or complacency.

“If we had won the Asian Games we wouldn’t have been playing here.

“That is history. We shouldn’t underestimate any of the teams here... one good day on the field and you never know. Any team can reach the semifinals, and that is a knockout game,” Manpreet admitted.

The Indians seem to have at least made an effort to know about their competitors.

“We heard that Russia played against Belgium recently and conceded just one PC, which means its defence must have been really good. Italy upset Malaysia and Wales beat Canada recently. So rankings don’t matter,” he added.

Final edition

Interestingly, this would be the first and last edition of the HSF — the FIH has decided to do away with the event citing expense concerns, with a second division of the elite Pro League with promotions and demotions in place, likely to replace it from 2020.

The Hindu

The Punjabi 'Munda' in the USA Hockey Team

s2h Team



At 27, Ajai Dhadwal is tall figure not just for his height, but also for the responsibility he is bestowed upon. One of USA's most experienced players, Ajai would be leading his team in the all-important qualifiers in FIH Men's Series finals in Bhubaneswar.

USA qualified in the tournament after a highly successful FIH Series Open in Salamanca, Mexico where the team won three matches and drew one, scoring a total of 54 goals (22-0 v Panama, 19-0 v Costa Rica, 8-0 vPuerto Rico, 5-5 v Mexico). The team wants to keep the confidence as they face higher ranked teams in this tournament.

"We need to be grounded. The team is playing with confidence and the practice has been good. Hopefully, we can keep up that momentum going. We need to do well and get to.the top two qualification, which is get goal," Ajai says.

Interestingly, Ajai has his roots in India. His father was a professional player who played for Delhi state and also Railways, before settling down in USA, with his mother, who is also an Indian.

"My father played in 70s before settling in USA and getting married. So, we are a Punjabi family. I can understand Punjabi well and can also speak a bit. I can also speak a bit of Hindi," the midfielder says.

But Ajai is not the only Punjabi 'munda' in the team. He is joined by Paul Singh, whose roots are also in Punjab and Mohan Gandhi, whose family hails from Gujarat.

"Our families have known each other for long. In fact, the three of us have played hockey as children."

Though Ajai takes over his father as far as playing skills are concerned, he cites that the playing style in different in both countries.

"In India, it is more skillful and fast-paced. US hockey is more about structure."

It won't be an easy journey for USA as it would face stiff resistance from teams like South Africa. Bht the team has its priorities set.

"We have prioritised this series and Pan-America Games to make it to Olympics. So, we will try our best to do it here only," Ajay says.

Compared to its women compatriot, the USA men's team are not a favourite and have plated less matches against higher ranked teams.

"Sometimes it is a struggle to play against quality opposition. But, there has been a huge improvement now. We have played Japan, Ireland, Canada and other teams ranked higher than us so that we can also improve our level of hockey. We have come with the experience, hopefully we will do well here," he concludes.

Stick2Hockey.com

India expect good fight from every team, says captain Manpreet Singh


Indian hockey team's captain Manpreet Singh. Twitter: Manpreet Singh

Bhubaneswar: Indian hockey captain Manpreet Singh Tuesday said his side would expect tough fight from all the participating countries in the FIH Men's Series Finals which begins Thursday.

Manpreet, who is leading the highest-ranked team in the tournament, said the players worked on various aspects of their game ahead of the tournament.

"We are ready for the tournament and expect every team to give a good fight as all of us are eyeing the Olympics," Manpreet said at the captains' press conference at Bhubaneswar.

"After our Australia tour, when we assessed our performance, we collectively felt that our finishing needed improvement. The past three weeks in Bhubaneswar has been very important for us in terms of getting these aspects right. We have also been working on different variations in penalty corners having three good dragflickers on our side."

With their sights set on a top two finish which will enable them to make the next round of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic qualification, all eight participating teams — Mexico, USA, Russia, Uzbekistan, Poland, South Africa, Japan and India — expressed their readiness to face stiff competition at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium.

Manabu Yamashita, captain of Japan who have already qualified for the Tokyo Olympics as 2018 Asian Games winners, said: "Even though we have won the Asian Games and qualified for the Olympics, we want to win this tournament to gain world ranking points. That's very important for us as it decides which pool we will play in at the Tokyo Olympics.

The Polish, who last played at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, would like to return to their glory days.

The team's goalkeeper Mateusz Popiolkowski said, "It was 19 years ago since we last played at the Olympics and definitely we want to play in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. But for now our aim is do well in the group stage and make it to the knockouts. That's our immediate goal and we will try to play our best hockey."

South Africa, who were in Bhubaneswar for the Men's World Cup, said they want to compensate for a poor outing in December last year when they were knocked out in the round-robin stage.

"The World Cup was not a good outing for us because as per our world ranking, we should have finished at least in No 8-No.12 position. But there were a lot of positives from that event and the team is confident of a good show here because we are familiar with this atmosphere, the stadium and the crowd and would like to use it to our advantage," said the team's goalkeeper Rassie Pieterse.

Russia, who take on world No 5 India in their first match on Thursday, said it was an honour to play the home side in their first match.

"India is an excellent team and it is an absolute honour for us to play the hosts in our first match. We have watched the World Cup matches here and the crowds turn out in full support of the team. We are looking forward to experience that feeling and hope to give it our best," said Pavel Golubev.

Firstpost

Madibaz’s Gie heads to India with SA hockey team
 

Madibaz Sport hockey manager Cheslyn Gie has been appointed assistant coach for the South African hockey squad to compete in the FIH Hockey Series Finals in Bhubaneswar, India, from June 6 to 15. 

Madibaz hockey coach Cheslyn Gie will further his development as a mentor at the highest level after being appointed to the national men’s management team for the FIH Hockey Series Finals in India this week.

South Africa will compete with seven other countries in Bhubaneswar from June 6-15 for the right to play in the Olympic qualifying competition. The top two sides will advance to the Olympic qualifiers.

Gie has become accustomed to this role, having already been in the management team for several high-profile events, including last year’s Commonwealth Games.

Despite that, he said it was always an honour to represent your country.

“It is a good feeling to know that your coaching abilities are recognised at international level,” he said.

“Being exposed to international hockey means you get to see some of the best players and coaches in action.

“You also get to spend time with some of the top coaches within SA and the exchanging of ideas is a great opportunity to grow.”

Gie added that his role within the team included a number of specific tactical strategies they wanted the players to implement as well as doing video analysis of their matches.

He said one of the characteristics of a good coach was an ability to create the best environment possible for the players.

“You have to come to terms with the fact that you can only assist the players to be the best they can be. They are the ones who have to go out there and perform.

“International sport is a tough environment and I enjoy it to the utmost as you never know when this wonderful ride will come to an end.”

South Africa have appointed a new coach in Garreth Ewing and Gie said he was looking forward to cementing their relationship.

“I have worked with Garreth before as we were involved in the SA U21 team over several years. We have always connected well together and I am excited about this opportunity.”

He added that the tournament in India would have major ramifications for the national side.

“This is an Olympic qualifier and we have to finish in the top two,” he said. “Then we could also win the Africa Cup tournament to qualify for the Olympics. So this is a two-fold assignment.
 
“We know the heat will be a big challenge and there will be tough opposition as there will be plenty of incentive for the teams to advance.”

South Africa, ranked 16 in the world, are in a pool with the United States, Mexico and Japan (world No 18), while India (world No 5), Poland, Russia and Uzbekistan are in the other pool. SA, Japan and India are the only teams in this tournament ranked in the top 20.

Fullstop Communications media release for Nelson Mandela University

Ireland Draw 1-1 with France in Lisnagarvey



A goal from Shane O’Donoghue in the 42nd minute saw Ireland take the lead in third quarter against France at Lisnagarvey Hockey Club, in the first of this two-match series. However, Frenchman Hugo Genestet equalised with the last play of the game following seven consecutive penalty corners dragging high to Harte’s right post. 

The teams took to the pitch in very wet conditions both trying to play at a high tempo from the very start. The first opportunity of the match went France’s way but their effort flew wide.  Ben Walker had the first opportunity for the Green Machine but a mishit allowed France to clear the danger.  The match remained 0-0 for the first quarter.

The second quarter was dominated by Irish possession and solid defence kept a French threat at bay, while Sean Murray was unfortunate to hit the post after with the  keeper beaten.

A Penalty Corner to France shortly after play resumed got the second half underway. However, this came to nothing as the Irish Men won a free out. Excellent work by Darragh Walsh as he intercepted and drove into the French circle showing great skill to win a PC from which Shane O Donoghue dragged, wrong footing the French keeper, to give Ireland the lead.  Although the rain continued throughout, slowing play somewhat, a Penalty Corner to France was expertly saved by David Harte to finish the third quarter 1-0 to the Irish Men.

Early in the final quarter France had their third PC of the game but again Ireland defence stood strong.  David Harte was having an outstanding game in goal called on several times and was up to the task.  From another PC, in the 57m, France scored but the Umpire has blown for an earlier infringement and awarded a PC instead.  France piled on the pressure and following a series of corners, in the 60th minute, Hugo Genestet equalised.

Speaking afterwards, Head Coach Alexander Cox said, “I saw some very positive things in the game. Our defensive structure looked strong. We are adding a zonal system which gave as good control.

On the ball we didn’t play our best game. Too many unforced errors which we need to improve for the next game.

In the end a draw isn’t a bad result, but conceding in the last seconds is never a nice feeling after all the hard work the guys did. As always they gave it their all!”

The teams will meet again on Thursday at 12:00 in Lisnagarvey for the second match of the series against France in Lisnagarvey on June 6 before travelling to Le Touquet where their FIH Series Finals begin on June 15.

Ireland 1 (S O’Donoghue) France 1 (H Genestet)

Ireland: D Harte, J Jackson, J Bell, E Magee, S O’Donoghue, S Murray, M Robson, B Walker, D Walsh, P Gleghorne, L Cole, S Cole,

Subs: J Carr, M Bell, L Madeley, M Nelson, C Robson, N Glassey, C Harte.

France: A Thieffry, T Genestet, H Genestet, S Martin Brisac, B Rogeau, V Lockwood, C Masson, N Dumont, G Baumgarten, F Goyet, JB Forgues,

Subs: P van Straaten, A Bellenger, C Peters-Deutz, E Tynevez, T Ponthieu, M Branicki, C Saunier.

Irish Hockey Association media release

Indian Junior girls lift 4-Nations Cup in Dublin

s2h Team



Dublin (Ireland), 4 June 2019: Gagandeep Kaur's solitary goal helped Junior Indian Women team beat the hosts Ireland 1-0 in the Final and lift the Cantor Fitzgerald U 21 International 4-Nations Cup in style. India ended the tournament with an all win record.

In a cagey first quarter both teams went through dominant phases of play, but goals were hard to come by. Ireland won a succession of PCs right at the end of the quarter, but despite the pressure, India's defence and Bichu Devi in goal ensured they went into the break goalless.

India started asserting more of themselves into the game as it progressed. Ireland though were the ones creating all the PC chances, and had another midway through the quarter, which was saved by Bichu Devi. Despite the quality of attacking play, it was the two defences that really stood out through the encounter. And it was their resilience that meant both teams went into half-time locked in a stalemate.

India played to their plan after half time, defending strongly and attacking on the counter while resisting the urge to go forward in numbers. In a tough-fought third quarter they got their reward for their resilience, winning their first PC right at the end of the period. Gagandeep Kaur responded at the first time of asking, slotting home to give India a valuable lead right at the death.

Ireland came out for the final quarter with their backs to the wall, and forced into attacking without regard for safety. India, on the other hand were happy to sit back and soak the pressure, and hit them on the counter when the opportunity presented itself.

Ireland created three PCs over the period of the final quarter, but each of them was thwarted by a resolute Bichu Devi and the Indian defence, to ensure that the team ended up with a clean sheet. Gagandeep's goal proved to be the difference between the sides, as India prevailed 1-0 and took the title

Stick2Hockey.com

Junior Green Army end second in Four Nations


India celebrate. Pic: Tristan Seaton-Stedham

The Irish Under-21 women were left frustrated as they lost 1-0 to India in the final of their Cantor Fitzgerald Four Nations tournament at Serpentine Avenue, settling for silver in the end.

Dave Passmore’s side made most of the running throughout the first half with Michelle Barry making early inroads while Ellen Curran and Abbie Russell combined to win an early corner.

The set piece, though, was to prove a regret as they won numerous of them throughout the game but could not convert. Three came in the first quarter with a goalmouth scramble ensuing but nothing more came of it.

Hannah McLoughlin – later named player of the tournament – won another early in the second quarter as the half ended 0-0 with Ireland unable to make their good play count on the scoreboard.

India came back strong in the second half and scored from their single corner via Gagandeep Kaur at the end of the third quarter for the game’s only goal.

In a rousing finale, Ireland threw everything forward with Erin Getty going close and Curran’s driving runs causing all manner of problems but the final touch did not come and India took the gold.

Nonetheless, the Junior Green Army will be content enough with four competitive games this week as they prepare for July’s EuroHockey Junior Championships.

Earlier in the day, Canada took bronze with a 1-0 win over Scotland, Sara Goodman getting the only goal.

Cantor Fitzgerald Women’s Under-21 Four Nations final
Ireland 0 India 1 (G Kaur)

Ireland: H Humphries, J Kilpatrick, K Fearon, M Carey, E Getty, N Carey, H McLoughlin, A Russell, M Barry, E Markey, E Curran
Subs: L Murphy, Y Pratt, L Foley, G McLoughlin, C Hamill, M Jennings, A Doyle

India: B Kharibam, Priyanka, Reet, M Choudhary, S Devi, M Khan, S Thoudam, M Kujur, B Kaur, B Dung Dung
Subs: I Chaudhary, Preeti, A Kujur, Chetna, Lalrindiki

The Hook

Scotland U21 Women unlucky to miss out on third spot in Ireland



Scotland U21 Women just missed out on the bronze medal at the U21s Four Nations in Ireland with a very narrow 1-0 defeat to Canada

Scotland got off to a good start and carried on the good form from the previous match. The Scots could have been two up in the opening quarter; a good shot from Rachel Bain from open play fizzed just over the bar, then a short time later a rebound off the goalkeeper fell for Bronwyn Shields but her effort was well saved to keep the Scots out.

The second quarter followed a similar pattern to the first with Canada earning slightly more possession than they did in the opening, but very little circle entries for either side.

Moving into the third quarter and there was nothing separating the teams at all until a penalty corner opportunity went the way of Canada.

Sara Goodman made sure the penalty corner was the difference and she blasted a low shot against the back of the net for 1-0.

Scotland went for it in the final quarter but was met by a dogged Canadian defence and were unable to find a deserved equaliser.

Scotland U21 Women’s Head Coach Neil Menzies said, “It was a good start, we kept up the good form from yesterday’s match, and we’re unlucky not to be a couple of goals ahead in the opening quarter. It was really pleasing to be so dominant in the first half.

“The third quarter was a tough one for us as we didn’t retain possession well and struggled to get out, but what was pleasing is how we reacted to going a goal behind. There’s a lot of positives to take away and good preparation for the rest of the summer.”

Scottish Hockey Union media release

Win for Scotland U21 Men against Club All Stars



Scotland U21 men won their second match of three against Club All Stars as they prepare for U21 EuroHockey Championship II. The Club All Stars are formed of players chosen by National League 1 coaches to give Scotland U21 men tough competition ahead of the Euros.

An early goal for the U21s saw them get off to a good start, the goal scored by Andrew McConnell made it 1-0.

The U21s doubled their lead in the second quarter. A beautiful run from Fraser Moran resulted in a simple pass across the D to David Nairn for tap in to make it 2-0 to the U21s.

Then a goal from Struan Walker in the third quarter made it 3-0 to the U21s.

Club All Stars pulled one back when they were awarded a penalty flick to the Club All Stars – the end result was a goal scored by Albert Rowling to pull it back to 3-1.

Scotland U21s were awarded a penalty flick of their own and Jamie Golden converted to make it 4-1.

A goal from Joe Waterston made it 5-1 to the U21s and completed the scoring in the contest. The final game of the Club All Stars series will be played on Saturday at Uddingston with a 3:30pm start.

Scottish Hockey Union media release

Canada closing gap on women's field hockey elite

Cleve Dheensaw


Captain Kate Wright and the womenÕs national team are hard at work at UVic. Photograph By DARREN STONE, Times Colonist

The quixotic and mostly self-funded Canadian women’s field hockey quest for 2020 Tokyo Olympic qualification has been as organic as it can possibly get at such a high level of sport.

The national team is conducting a one-week training camp on the Island, thanks to support from the University of Victoria and local boosters, before heading to Valencia, Spain, this month for the second round of Olympic qualifying.

The players are being billeted by field hockey supporters throughout the region. The Canadian side, which receives no national funding as a team, raised $82,000 through an online appeal just to be able to get to Valencia. It surpassed the goal of $75,000 that was needed for travel, lodging and food in Spain.

“It was humbling and very special to receive that support from across the country,” said Canadian team player Maddie Secco of Victoria.

“Contributions came from young kids in the sport to veterans who have been playing the game all their lives,” added captain Kate Wright.

Canada has not been to the Olympics in women’s field hockey since the heavily Island-tinged Victoria and Cowichan players dominated squad at Barcelona in 1992. Prospects have never been better since then with a rejuvenated Canadian squad that has shown well recently. These Canadians appear poised to burst onto the world scene. The trouble is the national-team funding system is based on past success. But how do you get that success if you are not funded when you are on the verge of gaining it? That is the circular conundrum which needs to be addressed in Canadian sport.

“It makes no sense and I don’t understand it,” said Canadian team head coach Giles Bonnet.

“When European national teams ask how did we get here [to being a serious world contender], they can’t believe it when we tell them we have to raise our own money.”

The Canadian women’s national ice hockey team, for instance, is funded despite the fact that its many Winter Olympics and world championship medals have been won in what is basically only a two-nation competition against the U.S.

Durban native Bonnet built up the women’s national field hockey team in his native South Africa to the point it qualified for the 2012 London Summer Olympics. But his most stunning success came in building up the previously lightly regarded Belgian men’s team on the path to its breakthrough silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

“I saw that same potential in the Canadian women’s program when I was hired here last year,” said Bonnet.

“Canada has excellent female athletes in multiple sports. I believe this Canadian team can be top-six in the world.”

Then everybody will love it, including the Canadian sports funding system. But now — not after a possible breakthrough — is the nascent moment in the process where the national squad truly needs the monetary support.

“Tokyo is the big dream. But it’s also a big challenge getting there,” said Bonnet.

Joining Secco in the camp is recently called-up UVic Vikes and junior national team star Anna Mollenhauer, daughter of 1984 L.A. and 1988 Seoul Olympian Nancy Charlton of Victoria.

Canada advanced through the first Olympic qualifier last year in Mexico and will face host Spain, Namibia and Belarus in pool play in the second qualifier June 19-27 in Valencia. The top two teams in the two-pool tournament will advance to the final Olympic qualifier this fall at a site to be determined.

Another avenue is through the 2019 Lima Pan American Games, out of which the gold medallist will qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.

The Canadians, several who played the winter in the Belgian league, are entering this crucial period with confidence. Canada has 18 wins, 13 ties and three losses in its most recent Tests. The three losses were against world No. 1 Netherlands, No. 3 Australia and No. 12 USA. The wins have included beating New Zealand, Germany, Ireland, Spain, South Africa, Scotland, Belarus and France.

“Friends and family who have not seen us play recently will notice our game has changed and we are playing a more direct and attacking style now,” said veteran national team captain Wright, daughter of former Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis.

NCAA Stanford grad Secco concurred: “Solid defence has always been the Canadian trademark style in the past, but now we have refined our attack.”

As part of their camp this week, the Canadian players are conducting clinics for youth players from Greater Victoria and the Cowichan Valley.

Times Colonist

HC Minsk earn their ticket to EHL Women 2020 as Belarus champs



HC Minsk have won the Belarussian championship, earning their place in EHL Women next Easter courtesy of their win over Victoriya Smolevichi in their final series.

Minsk won the first two games both on a 3-1 scoreline to move into an unassailable lead before completing a clean sweep at Smolevichi on a 4-3 result with Anastasia Syroezhko netting twice, adding to efforts from Yulia Yubko and Krestiny Popkova.

Popkova was later named the best player of the championship with her team’s goalkeeper Marina Navitskaya taking the goalkeeper of the tournament.

HC Ritm Grodno took third place with victory, primarily thanks to the shooting skills of Olga Shyntar who was the top goalscorer with 40 goals.

“The women's national championship turned out to be fascinating,” said Alexander Ekimenko, the chairman of the Belarus field hockey federation.

“There are several good teams in Belarus now, there is a good base for field hockey in the regions which allows us to develop the sport and create new teams.

“It’s nice that our clubs have a high rating on the international stage. For example, the women's team "Minsk" won the right to compete also in the EHL Women in 2020."

Euro Hockey League media release

2022-23 Hockey World Cups' bidding delayed as nations await govermental guarantees

The bidding process for the hosting rights of 2022-23 Hockey World Cups has been delayed as the respective countries have requested more time for governmental guarantees.

Uthra Ganesan


The Belgium national team won the 2018 Men's Hockey World Cup in Bhubaneswar.   -  GETTY IMAGES

The FIH has further delayed the decision on naming hosts for the 2022-23 World Cups – both men and women – to its Executive Board meeting, to be held in November this year. The decision was taken, the FIH said, following requests from several bidders seeking more time to get governmental guarantees.

The FIH has given countries the option of two windows for hosting the tournaments – July 1-17, 2022 and January 13-29, 2023 – with Germany and India being the only two bidders open to hosting either men or women. But while Germany would prefer the first window, India has opted for the second. Malaysia and Spain have bid for the men’s World Cup in the first window and Australia and New Zealand have expressed interest in the women’s tournament in 2023.

While government guarantees are essential for hosting big-ticket events, interestingly, the issue of government clearances for all participating teams has been an issue in India for some time with the country losing out on a couple of events as a result.

Netherlands has successfully defended the women's World Cup title by beating Ireland at London in August 2018, while Belgium beat the Netherlands' men's team to win its first World Cup title at Bhubaneswar in December later in the year.

Sportstar