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All the news for Monday 29 July 2019

Pan Am Games 2019 (Women) - Day 1
Lima (PER)

Fixtures (GMT -5)

29 Jul 2019 10:00     ARG v URU (Pool A)
29 Jul 2019 12:00     CAN v CUB (Pool A)
29 Jul 2019 14:00     USA v MEX (Pool B)
29 Jul 2019 16:00     CHI v PER (Pool B)

NB No live streaming until the Semi-finals

FIH Match Centre

Live From Lima: Scouting Report - USWNT vs. Mexico



As a lead up to today’s Pan American Games (PAG) match-up, here are a few details you’ll want to know before the starting whistle.

Game Day: Monday,July 29, 2019

Time: 3:00 p.m. ET

Opponent: Mexico

FIH World Ranking: 30

2015 Pan American Games Finish: 6

Current Pan American Games Record: 0-0-0

Last Time USA Played Opponent: The last time the USWNT played Mexico was in their first game at the 2017 women's Pan American Cup in Lancaster, Pa.  After scoring early in the first quarter, USA didn’t look back and tallied another five on their way to a 6-0 victory over Mexico. USWNT captain Kathleen Sharkey (Moosic, Pa.) led the scoring with a hat trick, tallying two off penalty corners and one field goal.

What You Need to Know: Mexico is coming off a seventh place finish at the FIH Series Finals in Hiroshima, Japan. The team finished 0-0-3 with a -19 goal differential and zero goals for in a pool that consisted of PAG opponent No. 15 Chile, host nation No. 14 Japan and No. 23 Russia. Before that, Mexico competed in the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games, clinching the top spot in pool play before moving on to a second place finish. Michel Navarro led the team with three goals throughout the tournament, followed by Arlette Estrada with two. In the last edition of the Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada, Mexico ended their campaign in sixth after going 0-1-2 in pool play.

Mexico Roster:
#            Name     Caps
1           Jesus Castillo (GK)     90
2           Mireya Bianchi     57
3           Mayra Lacheno     22
4           Maribel Acosta     60
6           Karen Gonzalez     17
7           Cindy Correa     87
8           Maria Correa     79
10           Michel Navarro (C)     95
11           Jennifer Valdes     79
12           Montserrat Inguanzo (GK)     44
13           Ana Juarez     65
14           Marlet Correa     85
15           Arlette Estrada     36
16           Fernanda Oviedo     68
17           Nathalida Nava     26
27           Karen Orozco     70
                  
            Head Coach: Arely Castellanos
            Assistant Coach: Salvador Indurain
            Manager: Leopoldo Rios

Team USA is ready in Lima with a gold medal and automatic qualification to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on the line. With that, fans and followers can join the conversation and follow along with additional story lines with the hashtag #AllEyesOnLima on social media and usafieldhockey.com. Check back often for more stories around USMNT and USWNT athletes, umpires, venue, history and more as the Pan American Games get underway.

USFHA media release

USMNT Ready to Face Familiar Pan American Foes

Pool Play Preview



LIMA, Peru - The new moon will be present during competition at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru as the U.S. Men's National Team "wolfpack" finishes preparations for their first match in two days time. Here's how the USMNT stacks up against their upcoming opponents in pool play.

No. 55 Peru
These two squads will end the opening day of the men's tournament on Tuesday, July 30. While USA has not played the host nation in recent years, the two teams met at the 2000 men's Pan American Cup in Havana, Cuba during crossovers, where the red, white and blue came out on top 3-1. Peru's last major tournament was the 2018 South American Games in Cochabamba, Bolivia, which ended with a fifth place finish. Buoyed by a new home in Chiclayo, Peru is backed by Sebastian Dennison to help lead once more in tournament play.

No. 10 Canada
USA's second pool play opponent is a familiar one in their neighbors to the north. These two sides last met in 2018 at the 5 Nations Tournament in Malaga, Spain. Two early goals by Canada's Keegan Pereira and Floris van Son in the 4th and 12th minute respectively put USA on their back foot. USA recovered in the second quarter and scored on their first penalty corner opportunity. Tyler Sundeen (Simi Valley, Calif.) deflected the ball into the goal on the option play to cut the deficit but USA could not fully recover as they went on to lose 1-3. Just a few months prior, these teams met in the semifinals of the 2017 men's Pan American Cup in Lancaster, Pa. In that match, Canada buried the opening score in the 8th minute off a penalty corner by Gordon Johnston, but USA responded in the 14th minute with a penalty corner of their own as Paul Singh (Simi Valley, Calif.) netted the tying goal. The 1-1 stalemate still stood at the end of regulation as the game moved to a shootout where Canada prevailed 4-3 to send USA in to the bronze medal game.

Canada has already ensured themselves a spot in at least an Olympic Qualifying event after claiming first place in the FIH Series Finals in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Canada, who competed in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games under current captain Scott Tupper, earned the silver medal at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.

No. 32 Mexico
USA rounds out their pool play matchups with a very familiar opponent in Mexico. Last month, the two faced each other in pool play at the FIH Series Finals in Bhubaneswar, India as seven different USA players registered goals, with two each scored by Michael Barminski (Ventura, Calif.) and Sean Cicchi (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), in a 9-0 victory. Both squads met in India after each qualified from the Hockey Series Open one year prior in Salamanca, Mexico. It was a much different matchup in 2018 as Mexico capitalized on nearly all offensive chances to gain an early lead over USA, who dominated ball control throughout the first half. USA in turn fell behind early and was forced to rally late to tie it 5-5. Francisco Aguilar led all players in the Hockey Series Open with 16 total goals, while Guillermo Pedraza and Luis Villegas brought up the rear with six and five goals, respectively.

Since Salamanca, Mexico was quick return to the pitch with competition  the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games in Barranquilla, Colombia. After stunning Trinidad and Tobago in the semifinals with a 4-2 shootout victory, Mexico came up short to Cuba in the final. Like their female counterparts, Mexico's men finished sixth in the 2015 Pan American Games and look to have greater fortune in Lima.

Team USA is ready in Lima with a gold medal and automatic qualification to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on the line. With that, fans and followers can join the conversation and follow along with additional story lines with the hashtag #AllEyesOnLima on social media and usafieldhockey.com. Check back often for more stories around USMNT and USWNT athletes, umpires, venue, history and more as the Pan American Games get underway.

USFHA media release

EuroHockey Championship II (Men) 2019 - Day 1
Cambrai, France

Results

28 Jul 2019 12:15     RUS v ITA (Pool A)     3 - 1
28 Jul 2019 14:30     AUT v UKR (Pool A)     2 - 0
28 Jul 2019 16:45     POL v BLR (Pool B)     4 - 0
28 Jul 2019 19:00     FRA v CZE (Pool B)     7 - 0

Fixtures (GMT +2)

29 Jul 2019 16:45     UKR v ITA (Pool A)
29 Jul 2019 19:00     RUS v AUT (Pool A)

FIH Match Centre

EuroHockey Championship III (Men) 2019 - Day 1
Gibraltar, Gibraltar

Results

28 Jul 2019 09:00     CRO v SVK (Pool B)     7 - 0
28 Jul 2019 11:15     POR v MLT (Pool B)     6 - 0
28 Jul 2019 15:45     SUI v LTU (Pool A)     11 - 1
28 Jul 2019 18:00     TUR v GIB (Pool A)     1 - 5

Fixtures (GMT +2)

29 Jul 2019 15:45     MLT v SVK (Pool B)
29 Jul 2019 18:00     CRO v POR (Pool B)

FIH Match Centre

EuroHockey Championship III (Women) 2019 - Day 1
Lipovci, Slovenia

Results

28 Jul 2019 12:30     LTU v SVK (Pool B)     2 - 0
28 Jul 2019 14:45     SUI v HUN (Pool B)     13 - 0
28 Jul 2019 17:00     FRA v SLO (Pool A)     16 - 0

Fixtures (GMT +2)

29 Jul 2019 15:45     SVK v HUN (Pool B)
29 Jul 2019 18:00     SUI v LTU (Pool B)

FIH Match Centre

2019 Test Matches GER v NED (M)
Krefeld

26 Jul 2019 19:00     GER v NED     3 - 2
28 Jul 2019 11:30     GER v NED     2 - 3

FIH Match Centre

2019 Test matches JPN v NED (W)
Koufu city, Yamanashiken, Japan

Results

26 Jul 2019 17:00     JPN v NED     2 - 3
29 Jul 2019 17:00     JPN v NED     1 - 3

FIH Match Centre

Narrow defeat for Scotland men against Ireland


Photo by Duncan Gray

Scotland men were narrowly defeated 2-1 by Ireland in the second of two matches at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre. The first encounter ended in a 1-1 draw as both teams prepare for the EuroHockey Championship in Antwerp.

It was a close match right from the outset. The first chance of the game went the way of Ireland when a penalty corner effort zipped just over the bar.

Then a tremendous double save by David Forrester kept Ireland from taking the lead. The first was a reaction stop to his left, before getting to his feet and diving to his right to save the rebound.

Aidan McQuade then had a penalty corner well saved for Scotland, before a follow up penalty corner gave Scotland the lead. Alan Forsyth popped up with the strike from a rebound at a tight angle to make it Scotland 1-0 Ireland.

Early in the second quarter saw an equaliser for Ireland; Jeremy Duncan struck with a near post deflection to make it 1-1.

Callum MacKenzie came close for Scotland when he unleashed a fierce shot from a penalty corner rebound, but it zipped over the bar.

Ireland took the lead early in the second half with a clinical finish into the bottom right corner by Benjamin Walker to make it Scotland 1-2 Ireland.

The Blue Sticks were playing some lovely hockey. One excellent swift attack down the left saw lovely interchange between Cammy Golden, Callum Duke and Forsyth but the ball was ushered out of play.

Then in the final quarter a speedy burst into the D by Forsyth nearly gave Scotland an equaliser but the ball squirmed wide from a tight angle.

With minutes remaining Golden was very unlucky from a penalty corner rebound – his powerful shot was blocked on the line.

Murray Collins produced a great block to deny goal for Ireland in the final minute, and the game ended in a 2-1 win for the visitors as the two teams ready themselves for Antwerp.

Scottish Hockey Union media release

Green Machine take small psychological edge into Euros


Alan Forsyth holds off Jeremy Duncan and Paul Gleghorne. Pic: Duncan Gray

The Green Machine will take a small psychological edge into next month’s Europeans as they edged a 2-1 win in their second meeting this weekend in Glasgow.

It was a special day for John Jackson who became the third Irish player to reach 250 international games after Ronan Gormley and Eugene Magee; Michael Robson reached the 100 cap mark, too.

Ireland opened up well with a cracking ball in by Jackson deflected onto a foot which led to a corner which Lee Cole dragged over the bar. Jeremy Duncan also drew a good save from David Forrester, a reaction stop to his left, before getting to his feet and diving to his right to save the rebound.

Aidan McQuade then had a penalty corner well saved for Scotland, before a follow up penalty corner gave the hosts the lead. Alan Forsyth popped up with the strike from a rebound at a tight angle to make it 1-0.

Early in the second quarter, Michael Robson crashed one in on his reverse which Jeremy Duncan deflected into the top left corner, getting in front of two defenders for the touch.

Shane O’Donoghue almost nicked in for a second a minute late when he intercepted from the Scottish centre backs and drew a save.

Callum MacKenzie came close for Scotland when he unleashed a fierce shot from a penalty corner rebound, but it zipped over the bar while a three on two counter-attack was broken up by Jonny Bell.

Ireland took the lead early in the second half with a clinical finish into the bottom right corner by Benjamin Walker  after O’Donoghue robbed possession once again and created the opening.

It proved to be the winner in a lively half hour with Michael Robson blocked out at the near post and Daragh Walsh unlocked the door for O’Donoghue who shot into the sideboard.

Scotland had a flurry of late corners which Ireland survived and they almost grabbed a late winner with O’Donoghue rounding the goalkeeper but his flicked effort was brilliantly picked out of the air by Murray Collins chasing back.

The sides will next meet in the all-important European Championships group game in Antwerp on August 18. Before that, Ireland will travel to Spain to take part in a four nations tournament against Malaysia, Spain and England.

Men’s senior international test match

Scotland 1 (A Forsyth)
Ireland 2 (J Duncan, B Walker)

Scotland: D Forrester, T Atkins, C Duke, M Bremner, A Bull, A Forsyth, L Morton, C Golden, A McQuade, D Riddell, E Greaves
Subs: H Galt, R Harwood, C Falconer, G Byers, M Collins, C MacKenzie, T Alexander

Ireland: M Ingram, J Jackson, J Bell, S O’Donoghue, S Murray, M Robson, B Walker, D Walsh, L Cole, S Loughrey, S Cole
Subs: M Bell, T Cross, M Nelson, K Shimmins, P Gleghorne, J Duncan, D Fitzgerald

The Hook

Magnificent seven as Ireland hammer Italy at Stormont


Ellen Curran scored on her move back up to the senior side.

Ireland’s pre-European Championship preparations took a marked step forward as they hammered Italy 7-0 at Stormont in the driving rain.

It came against a side that often struggled against, recording two wins in their last eight meetings with the last three outings producing draws.

In terms of a result, though, this was done and dusted early on. Zoe Wilson banged home two penalty corner hits in the first 11 minutes. From a fourth corner before the end of the first quarter, Wilson hit goalward again and Ellen Curran – elevated from last week’s Under-21s in Valencia with Liz Murphy – finished off.

A lovely Sarah Hawkshaw run down the line picked out Serena Barr who picked out Katie Mullan for a fourth goal before half-time as Italy struggled for meaningful periods of play.

The goals continued to flow in the second half with a turnover on the edge of the D opening an opportunity for Hawkshaw who held up play and picked out Ali Meeke for number five.

Deirdre Duke was an unused sub in the first half but was used to great effect as an “impact player” in new coach Sean Dancer’s rotation. She struck from the top of the circle for 6-0 and Lizzie Colvin got the seventh with 21 minutes to go.

There were big chances for more spurned while Italy did have one major chance skip wide of an open goal to keep Murphy’s clean sheet in place.

For coach Sean Dancer, it was a third win out of four since he took charge but was by the far most convincing performance to date.

While he said there may have been mitigating circumstances, he was delighted with the performance.

“Italy is certainly an improving team; they may not have had much preparation since the World Series or, as some teams do, go through their dips. I don’t think it was a true indication of where they are at.

“For us, it was really pleasing to see a lot of things we have been practicing unfold in a game. Winning an international game 7-0, you have got to be happy.”

The sides play again on Tuesday at Stormont at 3pm.

Women’s senior international test match

Ireland 7 (Z Wilson 2, E Curran, K Mullan, A Meeke, D Duke, L Colvin)
Italy 0

Ireland: L Murphy, R Upton, N Evans, K Mullan, L Tice, G Pinder, S Barr, L Colvin, S Hawkshaw, Z Wilson, A Meeke
Subs: S McCay, B Barr, H Matthews, A O’Flanagan, E Curran, D Duke

Italy: N Schinoni, C Traverso, E Bianchi, T Dalla Vittoria, E Pacella, C Tiddi, F Carta, J Singh, M Busechian, L Oviedo, S Laurito
Subs: E Munitis, C Carosso, S Puglisi, S Cesanelli, C Cusimano

The Hook

Irish men and women’s teams post solid performances

Women hammer Italy at Stormont while men overcome Scotland in tight Sunday fixture

Stephen Findlater

The Irish women and men’s team both ran up good results over the weekend to bolster their mood ahead of selection for the European Championships.

The women hammered Italy 7-0 at Stormont with Zoe Wilson smashing in a couple of goals in the first 11 minutes to set the ball rolling.

Further goals from Ellen Curran, Katie Mullan, Ali Meeke, Deirdre Duke and Lizzie Colvin spun out the impressive result against a side Ireland have only beaten twice in their last eight meetings.

The men, meanwhile, drew on Saturday 1-1 with Scotland with Ben Walker and Kenny Bain trading goals.

On Sunday Alan Forsyth put Scotland 1-0 up but the returning Jeremy Duncan – one of several changes from the FIH Series Finals – equalised before Walker scored the winner in a 2-1 success.

Ireland will play in a four-nations tournament in Spain next weekend before facing Scotland again in the European Championships group stages.

The Irish Times

Namaqualand Daisies and Garden Route Gazelles complete the Semi-Final Picture


Image - Marcel Sigg, Run, Ride, Dive

Entering the Men’s final group stages, three of the four semi-final spots had already been decided. The table topping Mapungubwe Mambas were to be joined by the two previous victors the Maropeng Cavemen and the Drakensberg Dragons. The final spot would be decided in a virtual quarter final between the Addo Elephants and the Garden Route Gazelles.

The Garden Route Gazelles come out firing with an early first quarter goal. Gareth Heyns standing on post was unable to deny Connor Beauchamp’s low drag flick and it was 1-0. The Elephants showed their own fighting spirit and brought matters level through skipper Reza Rosenberg. The South African dual indoor and outdoor national finished with a very reactive strike to restore parity.

But Ashlin Freddy’s side re-established the lead when Matthew Martins made a good penalty corner save but Keenan Horne was on hand to slap in the rebound. It was very soon 3-1 as Taine Paton showed superb aerial skills before a blistering strike gave Martins no chance. If Paton’s goal was good, then Reece Arendse’s finish was great. Picking up the ball in the D, Arendse pushed it across to create the space and fired it home.

The Elephants brought themselves back into the game with a penalty corner strike by Gareth Heyns before the superb youngster Marvin Simons rounded Martins and made it 5-2 which would ultimately be the final score and a confirmed place in the semi-final for the Garden Route Gazelles, while the Elephants would miss the final four for the first time in PHL history.

The others men’s game today was to decide the top team in the group stages and the Mapungubwe Mambas continued their fine form to run home with a 4-1 win over the Drakensberg Dragons. Neil Raath opened the scoring with a low drive into the bottom corner and Dylan Swanepoel levelled with a great drag flick for the Dragons.

With 8 minutes left the Mambas broke the deadlock with some quick passing and quick thinking for Mustapha Cassiem to make it 2-1. They quickly made it 3-1 when a Ryan Julius was saved but Ross Goncalves reacted quickly to fire home. There was still time for a bonus point as the Mambas finished the group stages with a perfect record. Calab Syce finished from an Owen Mvimbi cross into an empty net. 4-1 the final score.

In the Women’s tournament only the Wineland Wings were assured of the semi-final spot but were quickly joined there by the Orange River Rafters when the Blyde River Bunters beat the St. Lucia Lakers. The 2-1 win inspired by Celia Evans again and gave themselves a hold of fourth spot for the time being.


Image - Marcel Sigg, Run, Ride, Dive

Former Wing’s player Stephanie Baxter had opened the scoring for the Lakers to put the Bunters on the verge of elimination but Celia Evans first and later Miecke Flemming turned the game on its head and confirmed a 2-1 win that eliminated the Lakers.

The Madikwe Rangers were then able to add their name to the semi-final list as Kristen Paton inspired the team to a victory to deny the Wineland Wings a perfect group stage. The seven-goal thriller was arguably the game of the weekend as both teams held the lead at different points and a last-minute winner decided the game.

The Rangers opened the scoring with a superb top right corner drag flick by Antoinette Louw, but early in the second quarter Jade Mayne forced the equaliser through a superb run. Mayne’s goal was the 200th in the CTM Premier Hockey League history. The Wings then completed an early comeback as Sylvia van Jaarsveldt celebrated her recall to the national team by catching Lisa Deetlefs in possession and finishing past Modipane.

Lisa quickly atoned for that error though as she went up the other end and finished off a penalty corner won by Toni Marks with a trademark slap. Deetlefs then finished her second with a slap into the opposite corner to make it 3-2 to the Rangers. The Wings then had a sensational save by Zimi Shange to thank for keeping it to one goal and rewarded her with a levelling goal through Stephanie Botha, the 50th women’s goal in this year’s PHL.

Zimi Shange then made another sensational save to keep the scores level but she could not deny Tamlyn Kock after more Paton good work and the Rangers had sealed their spot in the final four.

The last place in next weekends finals was decided in the final game of the group stage. After going into the break at 0-0 the Namaqualand Daisies were in dreamland as they took a 1-0 lead against the Rafters through an Ashleigh Thomas penalty corner.

It got even better for the Daisies when they took a 2-0 lead through Jean-Leigh du Toit with a bullet strike but the gave was given a breath of life when Charne Maddocks finished a goal mouth scramble with just 3 minutes remaining. The Rafters poured forward looking for an equaliser and pulled Cheree Greyvenstein off, but the gamble backfired as they conceded a last-minute penalty corner and Jean-Leigh du Toit made it 3-1 expertly. The Daisies had made the semi-finals and confirmed that for the first time in four seasons the Blyde River Bunters would not medal!

CTM Premier Hockey League – 28 July Results

08:00 – (W) – Blyde River Bunters 2-1 St. Lucia Lakers
10:00 – (W) – Madikwe Rangers 4-3 Wineland Wings
12:00 – (M) – Addo Elephants 2-5 Garden Route Gazelles
14:00 – (M) – Mapungubwe Mambas 4-1 Drakensberg Dragons
16:00 – (W) – Orange River Rafters 1-3 Namaqualand Daisies

CTM Semi-Final Fixtures

M – Mapungubwe Mambas vs. Garden Route Gazelles
M – Drakensberg Dragons vs. Maropeng Cavemen
W – Wineland Wings vs. Namaqualand Daisies
W – Orange River Rafters vs. Madikwe Rangers

FInal Pool standings - Men

Final pool standings - Women

SA Hockey Association media release

Wapda Whites rout Balochistan in Noor Khan Hockey

ISLAMABAD-Five-goal Zahid Ullah helped Wapda Whites demolish Balochistan 8-1 in the 65th Muhammad Noor Khan National Hockey Championship 2019 match at Abdul Sattar Edhi National Hockey Stadium, Karachi on Sunday.

In other matches of the day, PAF thrashed Islamabad 6-0, NBP outclassed KP 3-0, SSGC hammered Sindh 9-1 and Army Whites edged Punjab 4-2. In the first match of the day, it was sensational performance by Zahid Ullah, which helped Wapda Whites demolish Balochistan. He scored fabulous five goals while Adnan Babar, Rana Waheed and Suleman contributed with one one goal apiece while for Balochistan, Munawwar struck the only goal.

Mushtaq was hero for the airmen, as he helped PAF rout Islamabad 6-0. Mushtaq scored a beautiful hat-trick while Mudassar, Mohsin and Akhlaq hit a goal each for the winners. In the third match, Arsalan Qadir scored a brace to help NBP thump KP 3-0. Junaid Manzoor scored the third one for the winners. SSGC thrashed Sindh 9-1 with Rana Sohail and Bashir Lai hammered a hat-trick each while Adeel, Shaan and Rizwan struck a goal each for the winners. For Sindh, Sardar Chandio scored the lone goal.  In the fifth and last match of the day, once again Punjab boys showed tremendous fighting skills and kept might Army Whites at bay and fought their hearts out before losing 2-4. Haseeb provided 1-0 lead to Punjab, which remained intact till the first quarter. Army bounced back in the second quarter as Aamir Sohail smashed in an equalizer to level the score 1-1.

Aamir scored his and team’s second goal to give Army 2-1 lead and soon it was 3-1, as M Ihsan scored the third goal for Army. M Arsalan reduced the deficit to 2-3, which remained intact till the final whistle and Army emerged as winners. Nepotism and liking/disliking in Punjab team is at peak, that’s why they lost the must-win match.

PHF President and Punjab Hockey Association Secretary Col Asif Naz should conduct an inquiry and provide justice to the deserving players, who are forced to either sit out in the crucial must-win match, or their role is minimized. Hockey is already at its lowest ebb and if talent is continued to be denied its due right, then who is going to send their kids to play this game.

The Nation

Butali down Jaguars to go four points clear

By Washington Onyango


Butali Warriors' Zack Aura (left) in action. [Jenipher Wachie, Standard]

Defending champions Butali Sugar Warriors bounced backed to winning ways after edging out hosts Western Jaguars 1-0 in an entertaining match played at Eregi Teachers College in Kakamega.

The win saw the sugar sponsored team maintain their unbeaten run and go four points clear at the helm of men’s Kenya Hockey Premier League with 18 points from eight rounds of matches.

George Mutira's goal in the second quarter was enough to earn Dennis Owoka’s charges their fifth win of the season that saw them maintain top spot.

Speaking after the match, head coach Owoka praised his team of remaining focused throughout the game despite losing numerous scoring chances.

“We were very precise and disciplined today and I am happy the boys defended well and scored early ion the game to remain somewhat safe. And despite missing chances to increase our tally, I am delighted with how we played,” he said.

The game started on a high with both teams testing each other but it was the visitors who threatened first and forced Jaguars stopper Linus Sang into a great save to deny Emmanuel Wiswa.

The first quarter would prove hard for both teams but it was Mutira, who broke the deadlock first, scoring seven minutes into the second quarter to give the visitors the lead.

The loss condemned Jaguars to their third consecutive defeat after their previous loss to Sailors and Sharks and head coach Mike Malungu has called for an improved show in coming matches.

“We need to start afresh and build our confidence if we are to fight for the top prize,” Malungu said.

Jaguars have played nine matches and are fourth with 13 points. Butali will play Parklands next.  

The Standard Digital

No stopping Thunderbolts

By Jugjet Singh


Dejected PJCC players after losing the shootout to Anderson Thunderbolts.

TENGKU Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI) Thunderbolts took it easy yesterday but still had enough firepower to demolish SSTMI Juniors 5-1 in the quarter-finals of the Junior Hockey League (JHL) knock-out tournament at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

Amirul Hamizan Azahar (12th and 56th minutes), Hafiz Zauri (36th), Hafizz Fikri Zali (45th) and Muhibuddin Moharam (49th) netted for SSTMI while SSTMI Juniors responded through Irfan Irsyad Salehudin (37th).

The newly-crowned league champions will play Anderson Thunderbolts in Tuesday’s semi-finals.

Anderson edged Petaling Jaya City Council (PJCC) Tigers 3-1 on shootout after a 2-2 draw in regulation time.

SSMS Resilient will take on Pahang Thunderbolts in the other semi-finals.

Anderson coach M. Kaliswaran said: “Our tough quarter-final win is actually a blessing ahead of our semi-final clash against SSTMI.

“I believe today’s match has toughened up my boys and they will be in the mood to surprise the defending champions,” said Kaliswaran yesterday.

SSTMI coach Wan Roslan Wan Rahman said: “I allowed my players to decide on how to approach today’s match against SSTMI Juniors in the hope it would teach them leadership skills.

“There was no need for me to push them but it won’t be the same against Anderson.

“We cannot afford to take Anderson lightly as we had a tough time against them in the league (won 4-3). They are one of the most improved sides in the JHL,” said Wan Roslan.

In the JHL, Thunderbolts won all 13 matches while Anderson won eight, drew two and lost three matches to finish fourth.

RESULTS — Quarter-finals: SSTMI Thunderbolts 5 SSTMI Juniors 1, PJCC Tigers 2 Anderson Thunderbolts 2 (Anderson won 3-1 on shootout), Pahang Thunderbolts 3 UniKL-Datuk Bentara 2, BJSS Thunderbolts 1 SSMS Resilient 3.

FIXTURES — TUESDAY

Semi-finals (1st leg): SSTMI Thunderbolts v Anderson Thunderbolts (4pm), SSMS Resilient v Pahang Thunderbolts (6pm).

* both matches at the National Hockey Stadium (Pitch I) in Bukit Jalil

New Straits Times

Quebec and BC Come up Big at the 2019 U15 Nationals


Photo Credit: Sajan Jabbal

Yesterday was the final day of the tournament, and with that, the gold and bronze medal games were played. On the boy’s side, Alberta takes on Ontario for the bronze medal game, while BC goes up against Quebec for the gold. The women’s side features two Ontario teams, Ontario West and Ontario Central, going up against two BC teams, the Lions and the Rams, for the bronze and gold medal, respectively.

Alberta vs Ontario – Men’s bronze medal match

The bronze medal match was a close one throughout, with the only goal being scored late in the second quarter by Ontario. Both the Ontario and Alberta goalies stood strong against many chances against them, and Ontario goalie Udaibir Gill managed to keep the ball out of their net and finish the game 1-0, winning the bronze medal in the boy’s division.

Ontario West vs BC Lions – Women’s bronze medal match

The bronze medal in the girl’s division was another close game throughout. Although the BC Lions carried the offence throughout, Ontario West’s goalie had another amazing performance, shutting down the Lions opportunities as they came. The game came right down to the end, but in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter, Ontario West earned themselves a penalty stroke, which was the only goal of this tight game. Ontario West wins the bronze medal against the BC lions by a score of 1-0.

BC vs Quebec – Men’s gold medal match

The men’s final features two extremely skilled and talented teams, going back and forth to try to get that gold medal. Quebec was the first to get on the board late in the first quarter, but BC was quick to answer back in the second quarter, tying it up before halftime. The third quarter was dominated by the Quebec attack, getting lots of chances and scoring one goal to take the lead by the end of the third quarter. BC put pressure on in the fourth, but the Quebec goalie stood strong and kept the score at 2-1 to win the gold medal for Quebec.

Ontario Central vs BC Rams – Women’s gold medal match

The women’s gold medal game was between the BC Rams and Ontario Central. Although Central was coming of a big semi-final win against the BC Lions, they knew that it was going to be a tough task from the get-go. Rams poured the attack on, and although the Ontario goalkeeper was able to stand up to a bunch of the saves, the Rams were able to find the net on numerous occasions. 4-0 was the final score, and a big gold medal for the Rams from BC.

This wraps up the 2019 Field Hockey Canada Nationals. Thank you to all the staff, players, volunteers, and parents for their commitment and dedication throughout the entire FHC Nationals.

Women’s Division All Stars

Maeve Connorton: BC Stags
Nicole Poulakis: Ont Central
Elena Esposito: AB
Mallory Mackesy: Ont West
Katie Bentley: BC Stags
Ahria Dhillon: BC Rams
Halle Trieu: BC Lions
Maizy Dickson: Ont East
Emily Chisholm: Ont Central
Maggie Mullins: PEI
Olivia  Zaccagnini: AB

Men’s Division All Stars

Nicola Bergeron: Quebec
Quentin Demars: Quebec
Riley Findlater: Quebec
Jackson Romeril: AB
Gaurav Ghai: AB
Jayen Biring: BC
Kirin Robinson: BC
Ravi Mehta: BC
Leighton De Souza: Ont
Roman Shamku: Ont
Sukhman Mannan: Ont

Field Hockey Canada media release

England Hockey keeps four quarters rule at arm’s length, for now



England Hockey have had the “145,000 going out to play each weekend” at the heart of its decision whether to implement the four quarters rule for next season.

“They are the people this is most important for, it is easy to do things at the top of the domestic game,” England Hockey chief Sally Munday said.

England Hockey announced recently that it wouldn’t be fully aligning with international rules and play 4 x 15 minutes, rather than the traditional, two 35-minute halves.

The governing body has been opposed to the International Hockey Federation’s plans and had declined to enforce rule changes from January 2019.

Instead, the national league will play 4 x 17.5 minutes this season, as well as the adult Tier 1 Championships, while the grass roots game will be left at two halves. For now.

Munday told The Hockey Paper recently: “The four quarters has created a lot of debate. We were a little surprised when the rule change came up and we weren’t even aware if was going to be a consideration. At the moment it is a tournament regulation as opposed to being a rule of the game.”

Since December, hockey chiefs have been in a consulting period as to what impact it will have across the sport, as well as finding out the mood in Netherlands, Belgium and Ireland.

“There are a lot of implications for the rule change. We have to get to a place where the positives outweigh the negatives,” added Munday.

England Hockey will now look at how the top of the game deals with the four quarters before any implementation for the 2020/21 season when the FIH hopes that England will adhere to the rule change.

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The Hockey Paper

Can Stoop project spark much-needed life into domestic hockey?

By Rod Gilmour


Kids play on the pitch at The Stoop PIC: World Sport Pics

Richard Leman, the 1988 Olympic-winner, played in plenty of hockey cauldrons across the globe in his career and was a keen observer at The Stoop as the self-billed ‘Big Stadia Hockey’ took hold.

Back in the day, Leman saw the game transported to the football pitches of Kenilworth Road, Deepdale and Loftus Road. With crowds in the low thousands, Leman says that the blue turf at Twickenham was a “signature occasion” for the sport as fans dwarfed those of 30 years ago at international games at non-hockey stadia.

These truly are heady days for hockey. With the game-changing spectacle at The Stoop and the FIH Pro League finale in Amsterdam showcasing the best in the world over four days, we’ve been well catered for even before August’s EuroHockey Championships take place in Antwerp, a week on the continent which, for those there, is always a wonderful occasion. This is certainly a summer of excess.

But flick your diaries further forward to mid-September when the domestic season kicks off and we will revert back to sparse crowds and the bald facts that the Premier Division is secondary in support, coverage and a desire to support our elite teams.

What the last two summers have shown, starting with the World Cup in London, is the disparity between the international and domestic audiences, with hundreds of families, young boys and girls, attending England and GB games across the country who would give the domestic season a cursory glance. The understandably scant regard for the domestic fixtures are two-fold: they haven’t been released yet and the unexciting domestic product.

But before the domestic doom-mongers nod their head in agreement, these are not problems afflicted only to hockey. May saw the launch of the first Women’s County Cricket Day, which aims to discover the ‘hidden gem’ of watching women’s county cricket and has snatched inspiration from football’s Non-League day, where clubs open their doors to encourage more fans to support their local club. In some respects, these are all factors associated to The Hockey Paper’s own Watch Your 1s campaign which we launched in our edition last month and is urging clubs to sign up to, in conjunction with England Hockey’s HockeyFest.

Ask some of the top players for their views on the domestic game and there is clearly a passion for the league, despite, in some cases, years of making the choice to play without pay. “Hockey has great participation but we are missing a trick,” says Olympian and Old Georgians’ James Tindall. “There is a disconnect but it can’t be the sport as people love it and are intrigued. People want to watch it but we need to push it and promote it more. You package the sport and put it up against other sports and it will come out on top most of the time.”

The quest to find a consistent support base will perhaps never be reached in hockey due to the non-tribalism of the sport.

Meanwhile, cricket and football are looking to increase their own fan base. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is disbanding the women’s Kia Super League, with eight semi-pro teams – which are likely to be region-based rather than counties – introduced from next summer in the T20 ahead of the 100-ball overhaul.

The success of the England Lionesses at the women’s World Cup will also likely see clubs look to bring their club sides further into the spotlight, and the Football Association already looking for a participation increase (90 per cent of all schools to offer football to girls by 2024), which could blight numbers in hockey and netball.

As England Hockey chief executive Sally Munday accepts, “there is a challenge with the top end of the domestic game and how it sits alongside the international game.”

The news, reported in our last print issue, that Harlequins RFC sees its partnership with England Hockey as “long term” is an enticing one for both sports. While Leman praises England Hockey and the enormity of bringing the recent double headers to life, thanks to government quango Sport England and other backers, he did raise questions over the future business case of the initiative.

Talk soon turned to how the likes of Wasps RFC have connected with other sports to forge its own club franchise in the Netball Superleague, concepts which have seen Saracens and Leeds Rhinos, the rugby league side, also conceive clubs. “What is the future now [for hockey]?” says Leman in the Stoop aftermath.

The Olympian believes there should be a serious debate on whether hockey clubs could indeed be branded alongside rugby clubs and a consideration towards a franchise-based system. Of course, this wouldn’t be a first for the sport with the Great Britain Super League running for six years up until 2012.

The Stoop may have been a double header the like never seen before in the UK. But it has also ushered in questions on the sport’s future away from the international game. One that hockey should not shy away from.

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