News for 05 July 2019
All the news for Friday 5 July 2019
2019 Test matches AUT v WAL - 1st Test
Vienna (AUT)
Results and fixtures (GMT +2)
4 Jul 2019 18:00 AUT v WAL 1 - 1
6 Jul 2019 18:00 AUT v WAL
7 Jul 2019 10:00 AUT v WAL
FIH Match Centre
Daring to believe – Canada's Olympic journey continues
When Canada women secured a place in the final match of the FIH Series Finals in Valencia there was almost a palpable release of tension among the players, coaches and support staff. Head Coach Giles Bonnet and his team had devised an audacious and risky strategy to get Canada to this point and it had paid off.
Nine months of sacrifice, sweat, hard-work and doubtless some tears, all culminated in a 7-0 victory over the higher-ranked Italian team in the semi-finals of the event. The result meant that Canada would face host nation Spain in the final but, more importantly, it meant the north American team would now be competing in an Olympic qualifier in October or November of this year.
The result also meant that Canada moved up the FIH world Rankings to 18th, their highest placing since the ranking system began in 2003.
Why this was such a big moment for the squad was best vocalised, between tears, by an emotional Hannah Haughn, who scored the seventh goal against Italy. “This moment means everything. [As a squad] we’ve moved to Belgium, we’ve moved from our partners and homes. For some of us, we have put careers on hold," she said.
Haughn was referring to the fact that the entire Canada squad had moved en bloc to Belgium for the 2018-19 season to play for a number of clubs in the Belgium domestic league. The move was instigated by a number of factors, outlined by captain Kate Wright, speaking after the team drew their opening game with another higher-ranked team, South Africa.
“By moving to Europe and playing in the Belgium and Dutch league, we got to train and play in a hugely competitive league, against some top players, week-in, week-out. In addition, we were able to get together as a national squad and train.
“It was the only way we could afford to train as full-time hockey players and thanks must go to Giles for making it happen. It has changed the way we train and play and developed a new layer of resilience.”
Bonnet himself lives in Amsterdam, so the move enabled him to continue to coach the team throughout their time in Europe. It also meant he could call on his many contacts within the Belgium and Dutch club system to get placements for his entire squad. The move to Belgium was crucial to their ambitions as it meant the players would be paid to play and would also get money for additional coaching at the clubs. It was the only way many of them could continue to play for the national squad.
Like so many teams, the Canada women's team lacks sufficient finance to run professional or even semi-professional programme. Showing immense powers of fortitude and tapping into a huge well of public support, the team ran a crowd-funding campaign to finance their FIH Series Finals adventure. They raised $81,000, and, says Haughn, the team are delighted and humbled with the way the public got behind them.
For one player, goalkeeper Lauren Logush, the team’s re-location to Europe was no big deal. She has been living and working as a hockey player and goalkeeper coach in the Netherlands for four years. But, she says, the move has made some very definite changes to the squad: “I definitely feel that the balls are being shot harder at me than a few months prior. Many players’ game sense and confidence in developing our own style of play has also certainly grown. We take pride in being an aggressive team and a lot of it comes from our preparation and daring to play forward.”
Having thrown caution to the wind in their all-out effort to make their first Olympic Games appearance since 1992, it is not just on the pitch that Canada women are demonstrating their new found daring and resilience.
#FIHOlympicQualifier
#Hockey4Life
FIH site
FIH Series Finals - field hockey's one-hit wonder
Sarah Juggins
FIH Series Finals, Valencia - Canada (Photo: Yan Huckendubler)
And just like that it was over. As a hockey journalist covering most of the FIH Series Finals, it was almost with a feeling of grief that I departed Valencia after the sixth and final event, with the “ole’s” of the Spanish supporters and the more pragmatic “Let’s go Canada”, from the families and friends of the Wolfpack, still ringing in my ears.
It was a series of events that started and ended with Canadian achievements, but with a bit of every corner of the PAHF region also playing a part.
The FIH Series Finals is the one and only iteration of this event. It began life with the Series Open – eight events at venues across the globe. The idea was that every nation that was a member of the FIH – and wasn’t involved in the FIH Pro League – would have the chance to participate in an international event. From here, depending upon the number of entries, one, two or even three teams would qualify for the next stage, the FIH Series Finals. The top two placed teams would then qualify to take part in Olympic qualifying events to be held later this year. So, for all intents and purposes, the most important matches at any of the Series Finals were the two semi-finals – the winners would be on the next step of the ladder to the Tokyo Olympic Games.
The first stop for this showcase of hockey began with the first men’s Series Finals event in Malaysia. Here, PAHF was represented by Canada; a team with a strong history of pulling out the big performances when it really mattered; and Brazil, who have been making steady progress since they took part in the home Rio Olympic Games in 2016.
In the event, Brazil’s hopes were demolished in the first two games as they lost 6-0 and 3-0 to Malaysia and Italy. They demonstrated they could be competitive at this level when they narrowly lost to higher-ranked China 3-2 and then beat Belarus 4-3 with a joyful explosion of free-running, attacking hockey.
But it was Canada who were the star-turn. An early and sobering 3-1 loss to Wales, who were ranked 14 points lower than Canada (World Ranking: 10), was the wake up call that Scott Tupper and his team mates needed.
The Red Caribou worked their way through the tournament, over-turning the threats from Austria, Belarus and China before they beat Italy in the semi-final to set up a grand finale against the host nation Malaysia. By then, they knew they had an Olympic qualification place, but the hard-fought 3-2 win over Malaysia was the icing on the cake – as was David Carter’s award for Goalkeeper of the Tournament.
Bhubaneswar, India was the scene for the second of the men’s events and PAHF was represented by the USA and Mexico. While neither team qualified through to the Olympic qualifiers, both USA and Mexico’s performances were enough to secure them a rise up the rankings. USA move up one spot from 25 to 24, while Mexico move up a hugely impressive seven places to 32nd in the table.
In the local PAHF derby, USA beat their southern opponents 9-0 but Mexico went on to prove they were competitive against higher-ranked opponents as they only lost 3-1 to Japan and beat Uzbekistan 4-3.
USA for their part were within touching distance of an Olympic qualifier as they topped their pool and won a direct route to the semi-finals. They then lost by a narrow 2-1 margin to South Africa and had to settle for a third/fourth play-off. With their confidence dented by that tough encounter, USA lost 4-2 to Japan in the third place match but for both USA and Mexico, this was a rare and appreciated chance to pit themselves against a range of styles from across the globe.
The third and final men’s Series Final was held in Le Touquet in France. The sole PAHF representative was Chile, who finished in sixth place after losing a tense match with Egypt. Earlier in the competition, Chile had failed to win a match, although they did draw 2-2 with Ukraine and were only narrowly beaten by higher ranked Scotland.
Of the three Series Finals events for women, only two had PAHF representation: Hiroshima where Chile, Uruguay and Mexico were competing, and Valencia where Canada was waving the continental flag.
For Mexico, this was a huge learning curve. The young and inexperienced team were facing teams such as Japan, who recently won the Asian continental championships and Poland, who have the benefit of playing regularly against high quality European competition. It is no surprise that the Mexican side began with a 7-0 loss to continental rivals Chile and followed it with losses to Russia and Japan.
However, Mexico finished their campaign in the best way possible – with a win over Fiji. Captain Michel Navarro spoke about the experience her team had gained and how they now need to “train a lot and think about how we can use this experience in the Pan American Games.”
Both Uruguay and Chile arrived in Hiroshima with hopes of a top two finish. When results dictated a quarter-final meeting, one of the PAHF teams would be ending the Olympic dreams of their neighbour. In the end it was Chile who came closest to qualification. They dispatched Uruguay 5-2 but then fell foul to the higher-ranked India. The final score of 4-2 was no disgrace but it meant that the best Chile could do was a third place, something they achieved by beating Russia in a tight game that went to a shoot-out. The result has moved Chile one place up the FIH World Rankings to 15th – equally their highest position, first achieved two years ago in 2017.
And so to Valencia where Canada women had put their heart and soul into a top two finish. The Wolf Pack’s story is spreading: how a team uprooted and moved continents in search of a consistently higher standard of opposition and regular top quality club hockey. The move to Belgium, and the sacrifices associated with it, were worth it as Canada stormed to a semi-final place and then proceeded to not just beat but annihilate their higher-ranked rivals, Italy.
The team ran out of steam in the final as they faced the host nation and team ranked seventh in the world, Spain, but by then they had done enough to ensure that they remained on course for a first Olympic appearance since 1992. They also moved a heady three points up the rankings to 18th – a position they last held in 2016.
And that is the end of the FIH Series Finals. For the global hockey audience who tuned in to watch their team’s progress the hockey on display has been a joy to watch. The tension, drama and sheer unexpectedness of the sporting action has added to our sport. That only Canada men and women will progress from the Series Finals to the Olympic qualifiers is a shame but each of the teams that participated will take the experience into the next challenge, the Pan American Games in Lima in just under a month’s time.
Pan American Hockey Federation media release
Passmore names final Junior Green Army squad for Euros
Dave Passmore has named his panel of 18 for the Irish Under-21 women’s side whose EuroHockey Junior Championship gets underway on Saturday, July 13 in Valencia.
The squad will feature seven players from the 2017 vintage with Sarah Torrans, Erin Getty, Liz Murphy, Jessica McMaster, Hannah McLoughlin, Ellen Curran (all senior caps) and Michelle Carey.
The Eugene F Collins sponsored side will, however, be without Abbie Russell due to an injury sustained at Easter while Getty will under go a fitness test before the first match having sprained her ankle in a practice match in late June.
Railway Union’s Amy Elliott or Muckross’s Yasmin Pratt wait in the wings as non-travelling reserves. Caoimhe Perdue and Caitlin Sherin get the nod just a couple of weeks after completing their Leaving Certificate.
Head Coach Passmore commented that: “the whole #juniorgreenarmy have worked hard over the past ten months to best place themselves for this tournament and the fitness levels are very high within the group.
“This will help in the intense heat of Valencia. Managing a group with such a diverse background has its challenges and we still haven’t played together with full availability due to exams, placement and injuries.
“That said we have a good balance to the group with the ability to vary how we play. The final selection calls were the hardest I have ever made and the girls who missed out are exceptionally unlucky.”
Ireland completed their preparations in midweek with a 5-0 loss to Belgium on Tuesday before bouncing back to draw 0-0 with the same opponent a day later.
The Junior Green Army will be in a five-team group as a result of the incomplete tournament two years ago, also in Valencia, when the Spanish hosts fell victim to food poisoning en masse.
As a result, no relegation occurred, leaving nine nations in the competition – one group of four, one of five. Ireland’s is a tough line-up, facing the raging hot favourites from the Netherlands and a strong Spanish side.
As such, games against France and Russia – first on the agenda – are key ones. The former will be reasonably well known to Ireland with the majority of the squad playing at the recent FIH Series in Banbridge with over 250 caps shared between the side.
Commenting on the pool Passmore added “There will be no easy matches in this pool. Obviously Netherlands will be the clear favourites although I have been very impressed with the quality of the Spanish team in recent matches.
“France have 15 of the team who were so competitive in the Banbridge World Series and eight of the Russian team played for their senior team in Hiroshima where they were unlucky not to make the final losing to Japan on a shoot-out. That said, if we can fine-tune our finishing we can match any team on our day.”
The top two in the Euros will definitely qualify for the 2020 Junior World Cup while there will likely be more places confirmed in due course at the discretion of the FIH.
Ireland Under-21 squad: Michelle Barry (Co-Capt, Cork Harlequins), Michelle Carey (UCD), Niamh Carey (UCD), Ellen Curran (UCD), Katie Fearon (Railway Union), Laura Foley (Catholic Institute), Erin Getty (Co-Capt, Queens), Christina Hamill (Loreto), Hannah Humphries (GK, UCC), Jane Kilpatrick (Loughborough Students), Erica Markey (Trinity), Hannah McLoughlin (UCD), Jessica McMaster (Queens), Lizzie Murphy (GK, Loreto), Siofra O’Brien (Loreto), Caoimhe Perdue (Cork Harlequins), Caitlin Sherin (Loreto), Sarah Torrans (Loreto)
Non-Travelling Reserves: Amy Elliott (Railway Union), Yasmin Pratt (Muckross)
Head Coach: David Passmore
Manager: Una McCarthy
Coach: Steven Arbuthnot
Coach: Mike Hughes
Physiotherapist: Stephen Brownlow
Performance Analyst: Aaron Passmore
Performance Scientist: Orlaith Curran
Performance Skills: Aine MacNamara
GK Coach / Video: Ronan Passmore
EuroHockey Junior Championships, Match Schedule (all in Valencia)
Pool A: Ireland, Russia, Netherlands, Spain, France
Saturday, July 13: Ireland v Russia, 5.45pm
Monday, July 15: Ireland v Netherlands, 8pm
Wednesday, July 17: Ireland v Spain, 8pm
Thursday, July 18: Ireland v France, 8pm
Saturday, July 20/Sunday, July 21: Crossover matches
The Hook
Scotland U21 Women squad selected for Euros
The Scotland U21 Women’s squad has been announced for U21s EuroHockey Championship II in Alanya, Turkey.
Head Coach Neil Menzies has named a strong Scotland squad that will take to the pitch in Pool B with Austria; Czech Republic and Wales. It is the Welsh who will be Scotland’s first opponents when they meet in the opening match of the tournament on 14 July.
The Scots will take on Czech Republic in their second match before facing Austria in the last Pool match before the crossover matches. Excitement is high for the tournament as the teams who finish in the top two spots in Alanya will be promoted to A Division in 2021.
Scotland U21 Women’s Head Coach Neil Menzies said, “We have been able to select a strong squad for what will be a demanding competition.
“This squad is undoubtedly capable of winning promotion, but it will not be easy, and we will need to be at our best to succeed.
“Much will depend on our ability to adapt to the conditions in Turkey, and to the varying styles of play that we will face. We definitely have the skill and if we can ally that to the correct mentality then we have a chance.”
Scotland U21 Women squad:
Jess Buchanan (Clydesdale Western)
Amber Murray (Watsonians)
Ellie Wilson (Dundee Wanderers)
Cat Booth (Western Wildcats)
Katie Stott (Grove Menzieshill)
Cailin Hart (Watsonians)
Morven Cawthorn (Watsonians)
Eve Pearson (Watsonians)
Bronwyn Shields (Clydesdale Western)
Ruth Blaikie (Dundee Wanderers)
Margery Justice (Edinburgh University)
Imogen Davies (Kelburne)
Rachel Bain (Western Wildcats)
Georgia Jones (Watsonians)
Lunjika Nyirenda (Beeston)
Lexi Sabatelli (Clydesdale Western)
Jenny Walls (Edinburgh University)
Katie MacCallum (Watsonians)
Schedule
14 July | 09:00 | Scotland v Wales
15 July | 18:00 | Czech Republic v Scotland
17 July | 09:00 | Scotland v Austria
19 July | TBC | TBC
20 July | TBC | TBC
Scottish Hockey Union media release
McCann: Strikers lack speed of thought
By Jugjet Singh
Australian coach Michael McCann just four days to identify the national strikers’ poor scoring rate in major tournaments. (NSTP/MOHAMAD SHAHRIL BADRI SAALI)
IT has taken Australian coach Michael McCann just four days to identify the national strikers’ poor scoring rate in major tournaments.
McCann, hired by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation for a week, said the strikers lacked the speed of thought.
“This set of strikers have the speed and agility to score more goals.
“But they lack the mentality to act fast, which is what it’s all about in the semi-circle.
“But the good thing is that they are eager to learn and are picking up fast,” said McCann, who now coaches the Mannheim Hockey Club in Germany.
McCann, who helped Australia win the Olympic gold in 2004 in Athens, retired in 2007 with 165 caps and 72 goals to his name.
Strikers like Faizal Shaari and Akhimullah Anuar Esook tend to be clueless when they get into the semi-circle, including missing sitters.
Malaysia, under chief coach Roelant Oltmans, have so far hired goalkeeping coach Martijn Drijver and penalty corner specialist Taeke Taekema — both from the Netherlands.
And strikers’ coach McCann is now helping out the team before Oltmans names his 20-man squad for next week’s tour of Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and South Korea. The tour is from July 21 to Aug 12.
They will then head to Tokyo for a Four-Nation meet from Aug 19-23.The other teams taking part are hosts Japan, New Zealand and Australia.
The tour and the Four Nations meet are to prepare the team for the Olympic Qualifier in October, when Malaysia will play (home-and-away) against a yet-to-be-named team in their hope to qualify for the Olympics after a 20-year lapse.
The Four-Nation meet will also offer those omitted from the tour a chance to prove themselves and earn a spot in the Olympic Qualifier.
New Straits Times
SA hockey icons share skills
Hockey icons will share their expertise with KZN’s young players at the Investec Hockey Academy’s high-performance course.
SA Hockey player, Shelley Jones, along with many former and current national hockey players, will be sharing their knowledge and skills with KZN’s aspiring school-going players as part of the Investec Hockey Academy on 6 and 7 July.
FORMER SA women’s hockey player, Shelley (Russell) Jones will head up the KZN-leg of the nationwide hockey development programme for schoolgirls at Crawford College in La Lucia on 6 and 7 July.
Along with a stellar line-up of current and former international hockey icons, Jones hopes to inspire, motivate and identify young talent as part of the Investec Hockey Academy’s high-performance courses.
Aimed at growing the sport’s participation and skills from a grassroots level, The Investec Hockey Academy offers a Fundamental Players’ Course (ages eight to 11) that aims to build a solid foundation for the sport, an Intermediate Players’ Course (ages 12 to 15), focusing on skills development, and an Advanced Players’ Course (ages 16 to 18), providing players with position-specific training.
“The courses we offer work on creating dynamic well-rounded athletes. Very important aspects such as mental toughness, functional ability, fitness, nutrition, recovery techniques and athlete education in general are addressed at the academy. These aspects are vital in one’s sporting development,” emphasised Jones.
To register, visit www.investechockeyacademy.com or contact Shelley Russell on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The Berea Mail
Mannheim sign up three young German talents
©: Frank Uijlenbroek / World Sport Pics
Mannheimer HC have added Raphael Hartkopf, Justus Weigand and Luis Knisel to their line-up for the upcoming season as they look to further build on their EHL bronze and German runners-up medal.
Hartkopf moves from relegated Dusseldorf HC, the 20-year-old bringing a sharp-shooting edge having scored 24 goals in 55 youth internationals and he will play in the European Under-21 Championship next week in Valencia. He also played in the Junior Euros 2017.
"Rapha is one of the most interesting players in the Bundesliga for me,” said MHC coach Michael McCann. “He is technically savvy and brings very good individual skills to the team. The development he has taken with the Under-21s and Düsseldorf HC in the last 12 months shows that he has the opportunity to become an international top player."
Weigand is another rising talented striker, joining Mannheim from Nuremberg. He is another nominated for the Under-21 Euros and has scored 20 goals in 45 youth internationals. The 19-year-old scored 15 times in the past Bundesliga season
"I am very happy that one of the best strikers of the past season will join us in Mannheim,” McCann said. “I am pleased to work with him and to accompany his development from Under-21 player to a potential A-squad player.
“He has spent the team-building training camp in Rosenheim with us and I am very, very confident that he fits in perfectly with this group of young players."
Knisel arrives from Düsseldorfer HC having also played with FC Barcelona and RC Jolaseta in Spain before playing for DHC in the Bundesliga for the first time.
"Luis has an absolute will to do everything on the pitch. He will invest everything for his minutes on the field and that is what our team mentality of the last few years was and will be in the future” 110% stake in the field for the team's goal.”
Euro Hockey League media release
Old Alex, Corinthian and Bann sign up new coaches
New Old Alex coach Niall Denham. Pic: Adrian Boehm
Old Alex, Corinthian and Banbridge have all confirmed new head coaches for the 2019/20 EY Hockey League campaigns.
Alex have secured the services of Niall Denham following his remarkable spell in charge of Three Rock Rovers, winning three EY Champions Trophies, two Irish Senior Cups, two Mills Cups and two Neville Cup crowns in four seasons.
He stepped down from the Rovers role following the 2018/19 season.
Corinthian, meanwhile, welcome Joe Brennan as their new men’s coach for their maiden season in the EYHL with Colin Stewart offering coaching support at the club for the first half of the season.
Brennan joins the club from Glenanne where he held the player-coach role when they won the EYHL regular season title in 2018 and previously won the Irish Senior Cup in a similar player-coach role.
In addition to having won everything in the game as a player, Brennan was also an assistant coach with the Irish women’s team.
Stewart – another former Irish assistant coach with the Irish women – takes up the position of Director of Coaching until he moves to New Zealand early in the new year. He played in CHC for many years and is a life member of the club.
Banbridge have appointed Gordon Cracknell as men’s head coach. He returned last November to Ireland as head coach at Kilkeel having spent eight years working in Australia, including in a Head Coach role at Gosford City and at representative level with the Central Coast.
He succeeds Mark Tumilty who stepped down from the position at the end of last season after nine years in charge.
“I am delighted to be taking up this role with Banbridge and I believe that my coaching experiences over the past 18 years will help me to lead the men’s first XI squad into a new exciting phase,” Cracknell said.
“There is a lot of talent in the squad and management team and I look forward to being part of this team of players and staff. I would like to thank Kilkeel for the support for the 10 years that I have been with them and wish them well for the seasons ahead.”
The Hook
T&T Hockey Board to decide on season soon
by Nigel Simon
England-based T&T men’s hockey player and England assistant coach Kwandwane Browne conducts a training session with national players at the National Hockey Centre in Tacarigua earlier this year.
The T&T Hockey Board is expected to make a decision on what to do with the stalled 2019 outdo0r season in the coming days.
The local season flicked off on March 24 but was forced to shut down on May 3 on the request of the Water and Sewage Authority (WASA) due to the low water supply across the country. WASA had banned the outdoor watering of fields due to the harsh dry season and as such the outdoor field at the National Hockey Centre in Tacarigua could not be maintained for the season.
The T&THB Competitions Committee met with the local clubs last month to discuss how to move forward. Garth Baptiste, Lucy Lee (assistant secretary) and Reyah Richardson (honorary secretary) represented the committee. The clubs represented at the meeting included Shandy Carib Magnolias (Natalie Nieves and Kim Wellington), T&T Police Service (Suzette Pierre and Jameel Beharry), Fatima (Justin Pascall), Arlene Gomes (Carib), Lisa Hernandez (Malvern), Ricardo Ramdhin (Notre Dame), Colin Thompson (Paragon), Darren Cowie (Queen's Park Cricket Club) and Cherill Franco (Venture). Absent were representatives for Harvard Checkers, Paradise, Raiders, Shape and the T&T Defence Force.
At the meeting, Baptiste explained that the options were to either resume playing the outdoor league on the turf without the necessary watering of it for matches, or to abandon the league, since both the men's and women's Championship Divisions were only approximately 33 and 50 per cent completed. He said should the T&THB decide to abandon the outdoor season, there will be an option to proceed with the indoor season from September 2019.
However, the clubs suggested that the league resume from September and run to December 2019 with the games already played being applied, while the indoor season should be cancelled. Another option was to abandon the outdoor league and start afresh from September to December while still cancelling the indoor season.
With respect to the other divisions, a proposal was made for the hosting of a festival/one-day competitions for the under-19 and mixed veterans using a half-court, 7-a-side format on the outdoor turf.
Following the meeting and taking into consideration T&T's qualification to the Pan Am Indoor Championship scheduled for March 2020, the Competitions Committee submitted a few considerations for 2019-2020. This included the outdoor competition in two rounds (September-December 2019 and April-June 2020) and indoor competition from January-March 2020. This took into consideration that venues for the indoor competition will have to be researched in light of the anticipated closure of the Jean Pierre Complex for repairs/renovations and the increase in booking demands at the Woodbrook Youth Facility.
The clubs were given a deadline of Wednesday (July 3) to respond to the proposals.
The Trinidad Guardian
Champions crowned in NZ University Championships
Ngå Puna Wai was selected to play host to the 2019 National University Tournament, the Canterbury Men were looking to back up their 2018 win with another great performance in front of their home crowd. On the Women’s side Waikato University in 2018 stormed through the competition on their way to the title.
The opening few days threw out plenty of surprises and set up what was going to be an exciting final day. The Otago University and AUT Men’s sides came into their match on the final day knowing the winner would earn a spot in the Gold Medal match, Otago went up by two goals in the match and then held off a fast finishing AUT side to complete the win and book their spot in the final.
In the Bronze Medal Men’s match AUT would come up against an Auckland University side who were looking for redemption after falling to AUT 4-1 on the previous day, looking composed in the match and helped by the tournament leading goal scorer Charl Ulrich AUT would go on to prevail 2-1 and secure the third place finish.
In the last match of the day South Island rivals Otago University would take on the University of Canterbury for the right to be crowned the National University Men’s Champions. In a one-sided contest the University of Canterbury would run away with a 6-1 win behind a double for Fletcher Edmond. The win secured back to back championships for a strong University of Canterbury side.
In the women’s competition AUT would take on Waikato University in the Bronze Medal match, AUT went up early in the match and were leading 5-3 late in the match, Waikato University would go on to finish the match strongly and secure a come from behind 6-5 match.
In the women’s Gold Medal match Massey University dismantlyed Auckland University in the hockey 5s final at Ngå Puna Wai. Auckland finished the round robin in first place, however in the final they struggled to cope with the Massey teams speed and physicality as they would go on to take the contest 6-1.
Hockey New Zealand Media release