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News for 22 July 2019

All the news for Monday 22 July 2019


Men's Indoor Asia Cup Chonburi 2019 - Finals

Chonburi (THA)

Results

21 Jul 2019     THA v SGP (5/6th)             4 - 0 (3 - 0)
21 Jul 2019     UZB v MAS (3rd / 4th)         3 - 6 (2 - 2)
21 Jul 2019     IRI v KAZ (Final)             10 - 0 (7 - 0)

Final standings

1. Iran
2. Kazakhstan
3. Malaysia
4. Uzbekistan
5. Thailand
6. Singapore
7. Bangladesh
8. Chinese Taipei
9. Nepal
10. Philippines

FIH Match Centre



Women's Indoor Asia Cup Chonburi 2019 - Finals
Chonburi (THA)

Results

21 Jul 2019     IRI v TPE (5/6th)                  1 - 2 (0 - 1)
21 Jul 2019     MAS v UZB (3rd / 4th)         1 - 1 (0 - 0) (0 - 1 SO)
21 Jul 2019     KAZ v THA (Final)               3 - 1 (2 - 1)

Final standings

1. Kazakhstan
2. Thailand
3. Uzbekistan
4. Malaysia
5. Chinese Taipei
6. Iran
7. Nepal
8. Singapore
9. Philippines

FIH Match Centre



Malaysia win bronze in Asia Cup

THE national indoor hockey team hammered Uzbekistan 6-3 to finish third in the Asia Cup in Chonburi, Thailand, yesterday.

Malaysia scored through Firdaus Omar (third, 31st), Hanip Che Halim (seventh, 25th, 32nd) and Aminuddin Zain (23rd) while Enver Ismailov (sixth) and Ruslan Satlikov (ninth, 38th) responded for Uzbekistan.

However, it was heartbreak for the women’s team who lost 1-0 in a shootout after a 1-1 draw in regulation time.

Uzbekistan took the lead through Kamilla Adizova in the 32nd minute before Nor Asfarina Isahhidun converted a penalty stroke in the 40th minute to level the match.

Malaysia failed to convert in the shootout while Uzbekistan netted one of their three attempts.

Both teams are using the tournament to prepare for the Philippines Sea Games later this year.

New Straits Times



Scotland men beat Spain as Euros prep continues



Scotland men defeated Spain 2-1 in Barcelona in the second of two-matches ahead of the Belfius EuroHockey Championships in Antwerp. Cammy Golden, just off the plane after helping Scotland U21 Men gain promotion in Czech Republic, scored both goals in an excellent team performance against the World’s ninth-ranked team.

The Blue Sticks had a full complement of players going into the match after being two players down in the previous match, which Spain won 4-0. The difference was clear as Scotland matched the Spanish all over the pitch.

The opening goal came in the second quarter and it was Cammy Golden who provided the strike. From a corner rebound Golden was on hand to flick the ball into the net to put Scotland 1-0 up.

Spain equalised right after half time through a penalty corner strike by Pau Quemada.

It was a tight game with very little chances going either way. Alan Forsyth came close for Scotland and Tommy Alexander made a couple of solid saves in goal for Scotland.

Spain took off their goalkeeper towards the end and the Scots were able to capitalise. Golden took the ball, beat two players, and flicked the ball into the net from the baseline to give Scotland the victory.

Scotland play Ireland next week in Glasgow in the final preparations before competing in Belfius EuroHockey Championships in August.

Scotland men’s Head Coach Derek Forsyth said, “We’re really pleased, it’s an excellent win against a top ten side on their home patch. Having a full team of players available was a huge help today, we were missing two forwards yesterday and today Cammy Golden and Kenny Bain came back into the team.

“It was a tight game but we took our chances. It was a good defensive performance as well. We’re looking to make small gains in every match and if we keep improving the way we are it’ll be promising for us. Next up we have Ireland and we’ll look forward to those matches in Glasgow next week.”

Scottish Hockey Union media release



EuroHockey Junior Championship Men 2019 - Finals
Valencia, Spain

Results

21 Jul 2019 11:15     BEL v AUT (Pool C)         5 - 0
21 Jul 2019 13:30     FRA v POL (Pool C)         2 - 1
21 Jul 2019 15:00     ESP v NED (3rd/4th Place)     1 - 3
21 Jul 2019 19:30     GER v ENG (Final)             5 - 3

Final standings

1. Germany
2. England
3. Netherlands
4. Spain
5. Belgium
6. France
7. Poland
8. Austria

FIH Match Centre



Hartkopf hat-trick powers Germany to men’s Junior Euro crown


©: Frank Uijlenbroek / World Sport Pics

Germany’s men won a thrilling EuroHockey Junior Championship final in Valencia as they beat England 5-3 to sweep to the title at the end of eight days, 20 games and 103 goals.

For the Germans, it was perhaps a fitting ending for Valentin Atterburg's team as two years ago, the side dedicated their bronze medal to the Spanish team who had been struck down by the norovirus virus and were unable to play the game.

Germany started the game at a very fast pace putting immediate pressure on the English defence. Raphael Hartkopf broke the deadlock in the 19th minute when he shrugged off his marker and smashed the ball into the back of the goal.

Nine minutes later, new Mannheimer HC man Hartkopf again found himself free to take a shot on target and double Germany's lead but England got on the scoresheet via a brilliant pc strike from Stuart Rushmere in overtime. The score was 2-1 at half time.

Jan Schiffer restored the two-goal advantage for Germny early in the second half and a hattrick for Hartkopf in the 44th minute – bringing his tournament total to eight – brought the score to 4-1 and making a comeback by England a tough job.

Germany converted a corner in the 57th minute via Thies Prinz to stretch their lead to 5-1 before England got two goals back in the closing minutes but could not threaten to close the gap fully.

Altenburg, the German coach, said of the win: "I am very proud as it was a very tough game, I have to say that I am very surprised about the development of England during the tournament, they asked everything from us today. We needed everything we had from the first to the last moment and they were very hard to play.

"My boys had a goal to win this championships in a very clear manner. They wanted to make it clear, they never stopped playing today. They are a very good team, they wanted the win as a team and that was done well today."

The Netherlands won bronze with a 3-1 win over Spain courtesy of three goals in eight minutes before half-tme, Pepijn Scheen, Jim van de Venne and Valentijn Charbon scoring the goals.

Euro Hockey League media release



Silver for U21s men at Junior EuroHockey Championship


Photo credit - Frank Uijlenbroek / World Sport Pics

England’s U21s men’s impressive Junior EuroHockey Championship campaign concluded with a silver medal after a 5-3 defeat to Germany, their first defeat in the competition.

Germany began the game well and took the lead with just under 20 minutes on the clock as Raphael Hartkopf, who bagged a first-half brace, squeezed the ball in at the near post with a fierce strike.

England replied in the final action of the first-half as Stuart Rushmere scooped the ball over the German ‘keeper after he’d initially made a smart save to deny Edward Way’s penalty corner strike from finding the back of the net to make it 2-1 at the interval.

Germany, who cruised past Spain in the semi-finals with a 3-0 victory, continued their blistering form with a third goal within two minutes of the restart as Jan Schiffer pounced on a loose ball in the D and tucked it into the goal.

Though Germany, who scored 14 goals in just three group stage matches, were looking strong, England were creating chances of their own and continued to look for a way back into the match at 3-1.

But the German outfit showed their class as Hartkopf completed his hattrick before the team got another from a penalty corner in the final few minutes after England had withdrawn their ‘keeper for another outfield player.

Despite being in a tough position, England continued to push forwards and were rewarded with two goals inside the final two minutes. The first goal a superb strike from James Oates at the edge of the D, the second an unstoppable drag flick from Duncan Scott as England’s hard work was converted onto the scoreboard.

With the final whistle concluding the match at 5-3 in Germany’s favour, England took home the silver medal after a very encouraging campaign that saw great development from the team and guaranteed a place at the 2021 Junior World Cup.

England Hockey Board Media release



EuroHockey Junior Championship Women 2019 - Finals
Valencia, Spain

Results

21 Jul 2019 09:00     IRL v FRA (7th/8th Place)     5 - 1
21 Jul 2019 09:00     RUS v ENG (5th/6th Place)     2 - 2 (3 - 2 SO)
21 Jul 2019 11:15     BEL v GER (3rd/4th Place)     1 - 1 (2 - 3 SO)
21 Jul 2019 17:15     NED v ESP (Final)             1 - 1 (3 - 4 SO)

Final standings

1. Spain
2. Netherlands
3. Germany
4. Belgium
5. Russia
6. England
7. Ireland
8. France
9. Belarus

FIH Match Centre



Spain end the Netherlands’ nine-year reign as women’s Euro Junior Champs


© Frank Uijlenbroek / World Sport Pics

Spain’s women delighted their home crowd as they took the EuroHockey Junior Championships in Valencia for the first time as they beat the five in-a-row chasing the Netherlands.

They left it lat as the Dutch were leading right up until the last minute of normal time before Spain snatched an equaliser and then won it in a shoot-out.

Early in the first quarter, Freek Moes had a big chance after some good work down the baseline but it went just wide of the goal. The Dutch had more ball possession and Spain was mainly defending. But the Dutch didn’t have too many big chances.

In the 25th minute, from the second penalty corner for the Netherlands, Danique van der Veerdonk opened the score for her team.

Spain came back with more forceful intentions in the second half and piled on the pressure in the latter stages and managed to force an equaliser via Estel Forte in the last minute.

They fell behind in the shoot-out, too, falling 3-2 behind after three rounds but the Dutch could not score again while Constanza Amundson and Laura Barris scored for a 4-3 win.

Germany took the bronze in a shoot-out, too, beating Belgium 3-2 after normal time had ended 1-1.

Euro Hockey League media release



Shootout defeat for U21s women in Junior EuroHockey Championship


Photo credit - Frank Uijlenbroek / World Sport Pics

England’s U21s women’s side suffered a 3-2 loss in the shootout against Russia having drawn their last Junior EuroHockey Championship match 2-2 in regular time.

The side started brightly, Pippa Lock only being denied by a magnificent save from the Russian goalkeeper when through on goal. But England would get the opener thanks to quick reactions from Lily Walker who plucked the ball out of the air and diverted it high into the back of the net with less than ten minutes on the clock.

Russia worked their way back into the match and created several dangerous opportunities before getting onto the scoresheet with just over half-an-hour played as they flashed the ball across the face of goal and tapped it in at the far post.

There was little between the two sides in the third quarter with the scores locked at 1-1 setting the tie up for a decisive final 15 minutes.

England regrouped in the final quarter and found the goal first with the ball breaking loose in the D, Katie Birch tapping it into the path of Jen Park who swept the ball low against the backboard with ten minutes remaining.

That wasn’t to be the end of the scoring as Russia responded with one of their own with just over five minutes left to ensure the game would be settled via a shootout.

Though England started well with a calm finish from Walker and Miriam Pritchard making a smart save, Russia took the advantage with England unable to score their next three. The opposition were clinical in front of goal leaving little chance for Pritchard as Russia claimed fifth spot at the Junior EuroHockey Championship.

England Hockey Board Media release


 

Junior Green Army end with cathartic dismissal of France



Ireland’s Under-21 women finished off their Euro Under-21 campaign with a cathartic 5-1 win over France to end the campaign in seventh place.

For much of the tournament, Ireland have struggled to pair strong build-up play with an end product and this tie looked like following a similar route until the last 20 minutes.

Eight first-half penalty corners brought no return but once Michelle Carey slotted home from Jessica McMaster’s assist in the 39th minute, the shackles were off.

Laura Foley guided in from Caitlin Sherin’s corner sweep two minutes later and Michelle Barry robbed the last defender for a fantastic goal soon after for three goals in five minutes.

Carey found Foley for another in the fourth quarter before France got one back via a rare breakthrough Yohanna Lhopital – young player of the tournament at FIH Series in Banbridge – to make it 4-1.

But Ireland continued to press on and they finished their fifth goal on the stroke of full time when Carey grabbed the fifth.

It meant an overall seventh-place finish for the Junior Green Army, a tough outcome that hinged mainly on their 1-0 loss against Russia on day one when they had their chances to win the tie but were caught cold 12 minutes from the end.

Indeed, they had the far tougher group with Pool A sides beating Pool B opposition in all four of crossover matches while both Belgium (fourth – three draws) and England (sixth – two draws) managed to finish higher up the chain without winning a game.

It means a return to the B division for 2021 while a Junior World Cup spot for 2020 looks unlikely, though the FIH has yet to lay out the qualification criteria.

Women’s EuroHockey Junior Championship (Valencia)

Seventh place playoff: Ireland 5 (M Carey 2, L Foley 2, M Barry) The Hook (Y Lhopital)

Ireland: L Murphy, J McMaster, J Kilpatrick, E Getty, N Carey, H McLoughlin, C Perdue, M Barry, C Sherin, E Markey, E Curran
Subs: K Fearon, C Hamill, M Carey, C Reid, L Foley, S O’Brien, H Humphreys

The Hook



Missed opportunities for Ireland's u-21 hockey teams

By Stephen Findlater

Ireland’s Under-21 women and men’s team salvaged upbeat wins to their European campaigns though the ultimate feeling will be of missed opportunities for both.

The women ended their A division campaign in seventh place with a resounding 5-1 win over France as they belatedly found the Midas touch in front of goal in Valencia.

They were already relegated, however, following losses to the two finalists – the Netherlands and Spain – and, crucially, on day one against Russia when they could not convert their superiority into goals.

A 1-0 loss ensued and will remain the defining moment from the campaign. Against the French, their travails in front of goal looked set to continue as they could not score from eight penalty corners.

But once Michelle Carey netted 21 minutes from time, the floodgates burst in spectacular fashion with Limerick woman Laura Foley scoring twice and Cork’s Michelle Barry made it 4-0.

France got one back but Carey netted once more on the final whistle for an upbeat finish.

The Under-21 men won for the fourth time out of five outings in the Czech Republic when they beat Turkey 4-1 courtesy of a pair of Guy Sarratt penalty strokes and one each from Ali Empey and Callum Robson.

But it was not enough to earn promotion as their semi-final loss on Friday to Scotland – eventual winners in the final 9-0 against Russia – left them shy of their target.

In Eindhoven, the Irish Under-18 boys produced the pick of the performances from the Volvo 6 Nations in Eindhoven when they drew 2-2 with champions Spain.

It was their first point of the campaign, a rare one across both the boys and girls competition with only the Under-16 boys recording a win against Poland.

With both the Under-18 and 16 girls sides posting five losses out of five, questions are already been raised by parents and beyond over Hockey Ireland’s commitment to supporting the junior age groups.

Each side’s preparation and involvement in these top-line competitions is only possible via self-funded programmes with each limited by what each team can raise themselves.

Breaking News.ie 



EuroHockey Junior Championship III (Men) 2019 - Finals
Vilnius, Lithuania

Results

18 Jul 2019     WAL v LTU (Pool A)     6 - 1
19 Jul 2019     UKR v WAL (Pool A)     2 - 5
20 Jul 2019     LTU v UKR (Pool A)     0 - 7
21 Jul 2019     WAL v UKR (Final)         4 - 3

Final standings

1. Wales
2. Ukraine
3. Lithuania

FIH Match Centre



Wings continue their fine run, while the Mambas lead the Men’s competition


mage credit Marcel Sigg, Run, Ride, Dive

The Wineland Wings continued their flight to glory, while the Dragons and Gazelles served up an all-time CTM Premier Hockey League classic. The Namaqualand Daisies earned a shock victory while the Maropeng Cavemen blew a bonus point opportunity. The Blyde River Bunters also saw their tournament hopes all but disappear after three consecutive defeats.

The final day of the opening weekend began with the untelevised game between the SA U21 side playing under the guise of the Golden Gate Gladiators taking on the Garden Route Gazelles. Unfortunately for the youngsters it was another defeat that left them on the verge of elimination from the 2019 CTM Premier Hockey League. 

It was an incredible whirlwind start to the game after frost had caused a delay to the proceedings. The action didn’t take as long as the pitch to warm up and within five minutes we had four goals. The Gazelles first struck through Hans Neethling before Sihle Ngubane doubled the lead with a fine deflection from a Jonty Robinson pass. Before we had time to blink it was 2-1, Sam Mvimbi who recently earned his first cap for South Africa, pulled one back for the Gladiators.

Lance Louw got his first for the Gazelles in the fifth minute from a variation penalty corner to make it 3-1 and a superb flick from Connor Beauchamp made it 4-1 by the end of the first quarter. The remaining three quarters saw the Gazelles solidify the bonus point with goals in each period through Berne Burger, Marvin Simons and Connor Beauchamp with the final goal. 7-1 the final score.

The Mapungubwe Mambas sealed top spot in the weekend with their own bonus point victory over the Addo Elephants despite trailing to an early Chad Futcher deflection. The Mambas then produced a near perfect performance from there on out and pulled level through Wade Dollman finishing off after a wonderful Tevin Kok delivery. It got better before half time as Matt Brown pulled off a trademark finish into the top right corner.

Mustapha Cassiem showed his opportunistic ability to make it 3-1 with a good tomahawk finish. The best was yet to come as the sensational trio of Kok, Dollman and Cassiem combined for arguably the best team goal of the tournament. A quick-thinking Mambas move fell to Cassiem who presented with the opportunity squared it for a diving Dollman to put it into the empty net. It was the men’s 300th Premier Hockey League goal. They added another milestone right at the end when Kok deflected home the 50th goal of the current year’s competition to send the Mambas to the top.


Image credit Marcel Sigg, Run, Ride, Dive

Over the past couple of days, the opening quarter had been a tentative one as the teams tried to get into the swing of the action. Today that was not the case and the Orange River Rafters, and the St. Lucia Lakers came out swinging. Sulette Damons gave the Rafters an early lead after being given acres of space after a penalty corner, before a determined run by Erin Hunter led to Refilwe Ralikontsane levelling from a Lilian du Plessis shot. Zimkitha Weston then made it 2-1 to the 2017 Champions bundling home a variation PC. The Rafters then had a golden opportunity to make it 3-1 but Simone Gouws wasted the one-on-one opportunity.

The Lakers showed their class in the third quarter as they turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead. Quanita Bobbs showed incredible reactionary skills to deflect a rebound back over Greyvenstein and Lilian du Plessis made it 3-2 with a spectacular solo goal and finish from the most acute of angles.

Sulette Damons however had other ideas and ensured the game would go to a shootout to decide the destination of the three points with a replica of the game’s opening goal. After the high of pulling level the Rafters will be disappointed that they were unable to convert any of their shootout efforts and ultimately had to only accept 1 point on the log.

The Namaqualand Daisies next took on the Wineland Wings with both teams on a high from their victories on the previous day. The Wings had an early opportunity after a sensational run by Jess Lardant, but a superb goal line clearance denied a tap in for the table toppers.

The Daisies then produced their best chance of the half with Bianca Woods denied by Magazwa. Sylvia van Jaarsveldt broke the deadlock with a sensational strike. It was van Jaarsveldts 10th PHL goal in history. The Wings looked more and more like they were going to extend their lead, but Stephanie Botha went off her feet and took Segoale out leading to a penalty stroke. Sare Loubscher just about finished it although Magazwa got the glove to it. The game would go to a shootout. The Wings, having shaken their curse scored all four of their shootouts with Jess Lardant finishing the last one to seal a full house of points from the opening four days.

The Maropeng Cavemen and Drakensberg Dragons are the only two teams to have lifted the PHL trophy and they met in the opening weekends final game. The Dragons were on an 8-game winning streak extending back to the opening game of the 2018 competition and were the strong favourites.

In a dominating opening half the Dragons will be disappointed with only leading 1-0 through Chad Caincross with a penalty corner. Lots of chances were wasted to the frustration of Sihle Ntuli. The Cavemen managed to restore parity through Dayaan Cassiem, who along with Brynn Cleak was growing in influence in the game for the Cavemen. But the supremacy of the Dragons was re-established when Ignatius Malgraff, the all-time top goalscorer in PHL, scored his first for the Dragons after a Courtney Halle slip was brutally punished.

But despite the statistics going against them, the chances stacked against them and the weight of pressure against them, the Cavemen emerged victorious. The duo of Cleak and Cassiem were causing serious issues and a bad stick tackle by Swanepoel led to a Cavemen stroke which Keegan Hezlett finished giving no chance to Gowan Jones.

With the Dragons trying to pour forward Cleak won a penalty corner for the Cavemen and the Courtney Halle finished with the type of goal that will remind the SA Hockey loving public why he was so highly regarded with the SA U21 side.

The opening weekend has come to and end with nearly 100 goals scored. Teams will be back next Saturday and Sunday as the group stages wind up and the final four are decided. For now, though it will be the Wings and the Mambas who are in celebratory mood.

CTM Premier Hockey League – 21 July Results

08:00 – (M) – Golden Gate Gladiators 1-7 Garden Route Gazelles
10:00 – (M) – Mapungubwe Mambas 5-1 Addo Elephants
12:00 – (W) – Orange River Rafters (0) 3-3 (2) St. Lucia Lakers
14:00 – (W) – Namaqualand Daisies (2) 1-1 (4) Wineland Wings
16:00 – (M) – Drakensberg Dragons 2-3 Maropeng Cavemen

Pool Standings

Men

Rank Team Played Wins SO Win SO Loss Losses Goals For Goals Against Goal Difference Points
1 Mapungubwe Mambas 3 2 1 0 0 9 4 5 10
2 Maropeng Cavemen 4 3 0 0 1 11 8 3 9
3 Drakensburg Dragons 3 1 1 0 1 10 8 2 7
4 Garden Route Gazelles 3 1 0 1 1 12 7 5 5
5 Addo Elephants 3 1 0 0 2 7 9 -2 4
6 Golden Gate Gladiators 4 0 0 1 3 6 19 -13 1

Women

Rank Team Played Wins SO Win SO Loss Losses Goals For Goals Against Goal Difference Points
1 Wineland Wings 4 2 2 0 0 6 3 3 12
2 Orange River Rafters 4 2 0 2 0 7 5 2 8
3 St Lucia Lakers 3 1 1 0 1 9 8 1 6
4 Namaqualand Daisies 3 1 0 1 1 7 8 -1 4
5 Madikwe Rangers 3 1 0 0 2 4 5 -1 3
6 Blyde River Bunters 3 0 0 0 3 0 4 -4 0

SA Hockey Association media release



Kenya overcomes Indian side in historic hockey friendly

By Norbert Oduor

The Kenya national men’s field hockey team thumped Sports Authority of India (SAI) 3-1 to emerge winners in a historic friendly match for hockey astroturf inauguration tournament on Sunday at the sheikh Union Club Nairobi.

The first quarter of the game ended in a 1-1 draw with Marango Arnold giving Kenya the first lead in the 10th minute, before Pankaj gave SAI an equalizing goal five minutes later.

The second period ended in a stalemate, but things changed in after Marango scored his second goal and also the second goal for Kenya in the third quarter and Baraza Danson scoring the third goal in the last quarter.

SAI had three players, Sigh Diljet, Amit and goal scorer Pankaj being suspended respectively by the match official after receiving a green card for committing minor offences. Kenya received only one green card in the last quarter after Obare Otora was suspended for five minutes.

Kenya’s First goal scored from open, continuous play by David Marago to find the back of the net after 10 minutes in the first quarter but they could not maintain their lead when Pankaj was given possession of the ball of the ball from an offensive stop on the penalty corner to score an easy goal.

The friendly match marked the first-ever astroturf inauguration competitive game as an opener before the 10-team tournament proper bullies off on Monday 22 July 2019 at 14:00hrs.

The men’s competition has two pools. Pool A featuring SAI, Sikh Union and the United States International (USIU), whereas Pool B, is composed of Kenya Police, Arusha and Green sharks.

The lady’s teams, which will play in a round-robin format are Telkom A, KHU Development, SAI and Telkom B.

All matches will be played at the Sikh Union Club Nairobi on Wangari Maathai Road. (Formerly forest road)

Citizen TV



How USIU switched off Telkom

By Elizabeth Mburugu


USIU-A’s captain Harnet Ominde in action against Strathmore University in a Kenyan hockey Premier League match at City Park on June 17. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

United States International University of Africa (USIU-A) Spartans routed Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) 4-0 in a Kenya Hockey Union women’s Premier League match, yesterday at City Park.

The victory spurred Spartans, who are eying their maiden league title to the summit with 14 points, three more than defending champions Telkom, who were not in action.

Rhoda Kuira scored four quick goals in the second half to see her side register their fourth win and snatch the top spot.

USIU-A coach Willis Okeyo said they were looking for improved performance this season.

“We want to perform better than we did last season because we missed out on a slot to this year’s continental club games,” said Okeyo.

“So far so good. The girls have done well and they are determined to get better as the season progresses,” Okeyo added.

The loss further condemned JKUAT, who are still chasing their first win to bottom place, where they risk relegation to the lower tier.

However, Spartans’ victory did not come easy as they were forced to work harder for goals.

USIU-A were the better side from the onset but their efforts met strong resistance from JKUAT’s defence with goalkeeper Emma Aroni making impressive saves to help her side remain in the game.

Kuira, Beatrice Mbugua, Harriet Omindi and Naomi Kemunto were impressive for Spartans in the first half but failed to break the opponent's defence.

JKUAT’s  Njoki Kuria, Perpetua Makena, Josephine Ouma and Mariam Ngugi were also outstanding despite the loss.

USIU-A intensified their hunt for goals with a resilient JKUAT defence thwarting their efforts for the better part of the game.

Their hard work came to fruition in the 40th minute when Kuira converted a penalty corner to give them a 1-0 lead by the break of the third quarter.

Kuira was unstoppable in the fourth quarter firing three past Aroni in the 53rd, 58th and 59th minutes extending JKUAT’s wait for a win.

In the men’s Premier League matches, champions Butali Sugar Warriors were held to a barren draw by Greensharks slowing down their title defence campaign.

They, however, remained on top of the log with 15 points from seven matches.

The Standard Digital



Pak to send team for Surjit Hockey Tournament

Avneet Kaur

A team from Pakistan will participate in the 36th Surjit Hockey Tournament, to be played in October. According to the organisers, the gesture is a peace initiative to commemorate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak and the ongoing Kartarpur Corridor proceedings.

“The Pakistan Hockey Federation has given its consent on sending a 22-member team and a coach to participate in the tournament scheduled to be held from October 10-19. We have requested the concerned authorities to facilitate visas for them,” Iqbal Sandhu, general secretary of Surjit Hockey Society, said.

Sandhu said that the last time a team from Pakistan played in the tournament was six years ago. In fact, in 2013, there was a Pakistani team each in the men’s and women’s sections.
The tournament will be played in two phases. Participants include defending champions Punjab Police, runners-up ONGC, Indian Railways, Indian Oil, Army XI, Punjab National Bank, Air India, Indian Air Force, Punjab & Sind Bank, BSF and CRPF.

The Tribune



SSTMI retain JHL title

By Jugjet Singh


Two teams in action in a recent JHL match

KUALA LUMPUR: Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI) Thunderbolts retained their Junior Hockey League (JHL) crown after thrashing KL Wipers 8-0 on Sunday.

It was their 12th straight victory in the league.

The sports school will now focus on retaining their Overall title. Based on SSTMI’s results in the JHL, they are likely to achieve their target.

SSTMI will complete their league campaign against Penang HA on Wednesday.

On Sunday, SSTMI scored through Amirul Hamizan (sixth, 34th, 54th), Izzuan Ismail (24th), Hafizz Fikri Zali (29th), Muhibuddin Moharam (35th), Muhajir Abdu Rauf (50th), Abid Sufian Mat Ruslee (55th).

RESULTS -- Men: SSTMI Thunderbolts 8 KL Wipers 0, Penang HA 0 Anderson Thunderbolts 3, Sabah Juniors 0 BJSS Thunderbolts 3, UniKL-Datuk Bentara 1 SSTMI Juniors 1, Terengganu HA 3 Perlis Young Lions 0, BJSS Juniors 1 PJCC Tigers 5, SSMS Resilient 2 Pahang Thunderbolts 3.

WOMEN --Zaba Girls 0 Terengganu HA 8, Mutiara Impian 2 PKS-UniTen 1, Johor Girls 0 SSTMI-PKS UniTen 8, KL Wipers 4 SSMS Girls 1.

New Straits Times



W C Eagles repeat three peat as USA National Club Champions

West Coast Eagles won all three age groups of the USA FH National Club Championships over the past nine days, repeating their success of the previous year, winning all of their 18 games and amassing 125 goals while conceding only 6.

First up were the Under 14. Getting off to a strong start in their Pool W C Eagles secured victories over North East Elite (Massachusetts) 16 - 0, Seacoast United (New Hampshire) 9 - 0 , and Freedom HC (Maryland) 5 – 0, before dispatching Warhawks (Maryland) 5 – 1 in the Quarter Final, Charlotte Ambush (North Carolina) 7 – 0 in the Semi-Final, and AGH (Connecticut) in the Final 3 – 1. This is the 7th consecutive year that W C Eagles Under 14s have been National Club Champions under the leadership of Head Coach Jun Kentwell

W C Eagles Under 16s got off to a similarly strong start with wins over Central Penn (Pennsylvania) 15 – 0, IFHCK (Kentucky) 8 – 0, and Spirit of USA (New Jersey) 5 – 1, in their Pool.  Moving into the Quarter Final, they beat Pinnacle (Michigan) 9 – 2, then AGH (Connecticut) 2 – 0 in the Semi-Final, before scoring a 6 – 0 victory over North East Elite (Massachusetts) in the Final, to be crowned Under National Club Champions for the 6th consecutive year.

Not to be outdone, W C Eagles Under 19s repeated as U19 National Cub Champions. In hot and humid conditions, they won their three Pool games against Nook (Pennsylvania)
8 – 0, Richmond Panthers (Virginia) 5 – 0, and Field Hockey Life (Ohio) 3 – 0. In the Quarter Finals they defeated North East Elite (Massachusetts) 5 – 1, followed by a 12 – 0 win over New Heights (New Jersey) in the Semi-Final, and maintained their winning ways with a 2 – 0 score line over X-Calibur (Pennsylvania) in the Final. In the medal presentation, Kelly Smith was awarded the MVP of the U19 Tournament.

“I was very proud of our players when they won all three age groups last year”, commented Head Coach Jun Kentwell, “To come back and repeat that success this year was amazing and says a lot about our players commitment to excellence and how they play for each other”.

WC Eagles media release



British hockey players sets world record in Nepal


North-east policeman hopes to take hockey to new heights with Nepal world record attempt

KATHMANDU: British hockey players have set world record in hockey by playing the game at 5,020 meters above sea level in Nepal. The venue for the game was Thorangla of Mustang.

Out of 34 professional hockey players, 31 played hockey for an hour at Thorangla on July 16.

The Visit Nepal Year Secretariat honoured the British hockey players amidst a function here on Sunday. National Programme Coordinator of the Visit Year Campaign, Suraj Vaidya, handed the players Nepali dhaka-topi and the logo of Visit Nepal Year.

On the occasion, Vaidya said that the hockey was organised with an objective of attracting foreign tourists in a message that Nepal is an appropriate place for sport and adventure, trekking and religious tourism.

Stating that the Visit Nepal Year Campaign prioritises sport tourism, he further said preparations have been made to organise hockey championship at Gokyo Lake of Solukhumbu district in near future.

Similarly, Chairperson of the Hockey Association Nepal, also vice-president of Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Umesh Lal Shrestha said that the hockey game played by British hockey players in Nepal has been successful in making Nepal known to the world as well as in establishing Nepal as an adventure and safe tourism destination.

Nepal 24 Hours



Hockey Great Gurbux Singh's Autobiography

By Ijaz Chaudhry



Indian hockey great Gurbux Singh, Olympic gold medallist 1964, Asian Games gold medallist 1966 and co-captain 1968 Olympics (bronze medal) has come out with a very interesting and beautifully penned down autobiography.

A sportsman’s biography contributes to the history of the particular sports in that era and ‘My Golden Days’ is definitely one.  A true star of his time, Gurbux was named the right full back in the World XI selected at the conclusion of the 1968 Olympics.

The tall bespectacled Sikh was probably the only player on the international hockey circuit during his time who wore glasses. The very first chapter is titled ‘In Praise of Spectacles’ where his own experience playing with the glasses plus people’s reactions on seeing a bespectacled hockey player in action are given.  The next chapter is about his most memorable day, the final of the 1964 Olympics, when India defeated Pakistan to regain the Olympic gold, having lost the 1960 final to the same opponents after six consecutive golds.

After the first two Chapters, it goes chronologically.   

Born in 1935, Gurbux comes from a family living in the potohar area of the Punjab (now in Pakistan) and witnessed the riots of 1947 before the family crossed the newly created border to settle in what is now India.  As his father was an army man, the family changed stations every few years.  The Punjabi started his serious hockey in Lucknow and later settled in Calcutta where he is now living for over six decades.  He proudly associates with Bengal throughout; represented the state in the nationals a number of years.  A chapter is dedicated to his beloved city where all his five children were born. 

First called for the national camp in 1959, he had to wait for more than two years before gaining the first cap for India. Apart from the two Olympics where he played, Gurbux attended four other in different roles: media person (1972), coach of Indian team (1976), then after a long gap, in 1996 as TV commentator and 2000 as an ordinary spectator : shares memories from all.

From the 1972 Olympics, he describes the two incidents which are still frequently recalled. One was the Palestinians’ attack on the Israeli contingent in the Olympics Village. The other was the silver medal winning Pakistan team’s ‘misbahaviour’ during the medal ceremony which resulted in a ban on the entire Pakistan team.

After his playing career, Gurbux became an international umpire and whistled at the 1982 Asiad.

Later, he served as a national selector for three spells, last in 2003-08. Coached the French national team; was offered the citizenship of that country.

Politics plague sports in the subcontinent. A number of incidents of infighting and bickering among players, team officials and national body’s office bearers are mentioned. The 1968 Olympics saw the most bizarre arrangement: the Indian team had two ‘joint’ captains in Gubux himself and Prithipal Singh. The background is fully explained. Not surprising, the favourites India, the reigning Olympics and Asian Champions, failed to reach the final for the first time, “so even with the bronze in our bag, we had to return home quietly, faces hidden in disappointment, heads lowered in shame”.

That was also his swansong; far cry from 1964 when there were victory parades.

Faced humiliation also at the 1976 Olympics where he was India’s coach; failing to qualify for the semifinals for the first time. Gurbux had to appear before a parliamentary committee. Cricket saved him as everyone was listening to the commentary of the cricket Test match going on between India and England.

One chapter has tributes to the players Gurbux admired, not only his contemporaries but also from the early and following eras. The  Indians  get more space for obvious reason with as many as three pages only for Dhyan Chand; the greatest of them all.  The non-Indians, however, do get compliments in the shape of brief but succinct comments.  There is also praise for the notable administrators including the present FIH President, N.D.Batra from India.

Gurbux’s father was his mentor. One chapter has elder Singh’s letters to his son. These letters are sort of guidelines encompassing various vital aspects of one’s life- invaluable for any young man!

Indo/Pak rivalry in hockey was at its peak- the two countries mostly faced each other in the finals. Not confined to the physical altercations during the game, it extended off the field; even to the dining hall of the Olympic village.           

 There were personal battles too. At the 1964 Olympics final, he was assigned to keep a check on Pakistan’s legendary right winger Khalid Mahmood who was incidentally born in the village just 10 km from Gurbux’s ancestral place in Chakwal.

Book has a number of fascinating anecdotes. One really captivated this scribe. For the 1983 Champions Trophy in Karachi, Gurbux was the manager of the Indian team.  On their way back, Indians had a stopover in Lahore en route to Delhi. At the farewell dinner, on Gurbux’s request, the President of Pakistan General Ziaul Haq arranged a visit of Sikh players to Nanakana Sahib, Sikhs’ holy place, not far from Lahore.   The General is quoted in Punjabi,”Gurbux Ji, adha suwab toheda te adha suwab mera”, meaning half the blessings will be for you and half for me”.

There are forewords by Indian cricket legend Bishan Bedi and hockey great Keshav Dutt, the double Olympic gold medallist.                          

Book is in the coffee table design with picture/pictures at almost every page (total 232 pages) including a number of full page pics. 

‘My Golden Days’ is a wonderful read for any sports buff not just hockey lover.

Book: ‘My Golden Days- Gurbux Singh’ available via www.amazon.in, www.flipkart.com and also amazon.com  (link for amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/My-Goden-Days-Gurbux-Singh/dp/8193712706)

Published by Sujata Sett; Allsport Foundation, Kolkata.  Cell: 0091 9830038399 email:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Ijaz Chaudhry writes on hockey & other sports. For more about him and his work, visit: www.sportscorrespondent.info

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