News for 08 September 2019
All the news for Sunday 8 September 2019
2019 Oceania Cup (Men)
Rockhampton Queensland (AUS)
Results
5 Sep 2019 AUS v NZL (RR) 4 - 0
7 Sep 2019 AUS v NZL (RR) 2 - 2
8 Sep 2019 AUS v NZL (RR) 3 - 0
Australia win the series and qualify for Tokyo 2020
FIH Match Centre
2019 Oceania Cup (Women)
Rockhampton Queensland (AUS)
Results
5 Sep 2019 AUS v NZL (RR) 1 - 3
7 Sep 2019 AUS v NZL (RR) 3 - 2
8 Sep 2019 AUS v NZL (RR) 1 - 1
New Zealand qualify for Tokyo 2020 on a Goal difference of +1
FIH Match Centre
Vantage Black Sticks Women book their place at the Tokyo Olympic Games
The Vantage Black Sticks Women have won the Oceania Cup against the Hockeyroos and booked their place at the Tokyo Olympic Games with a 1-1 draw. Heading into the match the New Zealand side only needed to draw the match to qualify for the Olympic Games and despite significant pressure late in the match the New Zealand side held their nerve to see off the Australians.
Vantage Black Sticks coach reflected on the match “We have been reflecting on our performances recently and have come together to and managed perform as a team when it counted the most. We are so glad to get the win and it’s an amazing feeling”.
Black Sticks Coach Graham Shaw commented “The game was ugly at times, but the team dug in and was able to stick together to get a fantastic result”.
Game three of the Oceania Cup between the Vantage Black Sticks Women and the Hockeyroos got underway with both sides needing a positive result to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. The Hockeyroos started the match positively earning several penalty corners, on the second corner Mariah Williams slid in and deflected the ball past Grace O’Hanlon to put the Australians in the box seat early in the match. Australia continued to apply pressure on the Kiwis and forced O’Hanlon to pull off some outstanding reactive saves. Late in the first quarter Olivia Merry managed to get into the Australian backline and intercepted a ball for a great scoring opportunity for the New Zealand side. The Hockeyroos managed to apply enough pressure to stifle the opportunity. At the end of the first quarter the Australians had their nose slightly in front in what was a tight first period.
The Australian side looked to build more pressure early in the second quarter and were rewarded in the third minute when they found a Brooke Neal foot in the circle. Ella Gunson ran a great line off the subsequent penalty corner to stop the Australians getting a clear shot off. Midway through the second quarter Brooke Neal managed to find an open Stacey Michelsen in the New Zealand midfield who pulled off an outstanding shot. Rachel Lynch was composed and pulled off a great save.
The Vantage Black Sticks Women came out in the second half looking aggressive as they were desperately searching for the eqauliser goal and put themselves back into the box seat in the series. The Hockeyroos absorbed the early pressure and started to slow the match down as they looked to close out the contest. After a scoreless third quarter the New Zealand side would be looking for a big final quarter in the hopes of finding an equaliser and qualifying for the Olympic Games.
The Hockeyroos suffered a set back early in the final quarter when they were reduced to ten players for not leaving the ball alone. The New Zealand side then earned a penalty corner and Sam Charlton managed to get a good pass into the circle, unfortunately the pass beat Rachel McCann’s stick and New Zealand were still searching for the equaliser. The Australians had a great opportunity midway through the final quarter then there drag flick clanked off the post to deny the Hockeyroos a two goal buffer. With five minutes to go the Vantage Black Sticks Women got on the score sheet through an Olivia Merry straight hit. The Australians immediately pulled their goalkeeper and applied significant pressure on the New Zealand defence. The Kiwis were struggling to clear their circle as the Hockeyroos were rewarded with several penalty corners in a row. The New Zealand defence was up to the task as they soaked up the pressure to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.
Vantage Black Sticks Women 1 (Olivia Merry 55 min)
Hockeyroos 1 (Mariah Williams 2 min)
Hockey New Zealand Media release
Late goal sees Black Sticks women beat Australia to Olympic berth
Olivia Merry scored the crucial equaliser for the Black Sticks against Australia. GETTY IMAGES
A penalty corner rocket from the stick of Olivia Merry has won the Black Sticks women a series over powerful Australia and booked them an automatic spot at the Tokyo Olympics next year.
Merry's strike with five minutes remaining clinched New Zealand a 1-1 draw with world No 2 Australia in game three, which was enough to win the Oceania Cup in Rockhampton.
More importantly the series victory on goal difference assured the sixth-ranked Black Sticks of another Olympic appearance while the Hockeyroos have to take a much tougher path to qualify.
Australia score an early goal via Mariah Williams against the Black Sticks.b GETTY IMAGES
New Zealand only needed a draw to clinch the Olympic spot after they won game one 3-1, before their hosts fought back with a 3-2 victory in game two.
Ambrosia Malone of Australia contests the ball with Ella Gunson of New Zealand during game three of the 2019 Oceania Cup. GETTY IMAGES
Stuff
2019 Oceania Intercontinental Hockey 5s - Final day
Results from the Men's and Women's tournaments in Rockhamton
2019 Oceania Intercontinental Hockey 5s (Men)
Rockhampton Queensland (AUS)
4 Sep 2019 PNG v SOL (RR) 5 - 2
4 Sep 2019 SOL v PNG (RR) 1 - 4
5 Sep 2019 TGA v SOL (RR) 1 - 16
6 Sep 2019 PNG v TGA (RR) 18 - 2
7 Sep 2019 TGA v PNG (RR) 1 - 17
8 Sep 2019 TGA v SOL (RR) 2 - 12
Final Pool standings
| Rank | Team | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Papua New Guinea | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 6 | 38 | 12 |
| 2 | Solomon Islands | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 31 | 12 | 19 | 6 |
| 3 | Tonga | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 63 | -57 | 0 |
2019 Oceania Intercontinental Hockey 5s (Women)
Rockhampton Queensland (AUS)
4 Sep 2019 09:00 PNG v SOL (RR) 5 - 1
4 Sep 2019 14:00 SOL v PNG (RR) 1 - 8
5 Sep 2019 10:00 TGA v SOL (RR) 3 - 7
6 Sep 2019 08:00 PNG v TGA (RR) 11 - 1
7 Sep 2019 13:00 SOL v TGA (RR) 10 - 3
8 Sep 2019 12:00 TGA v PNG (RR) 2 - 10
Final Pool standings
| Rank | Team | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Papua New Guinea | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 5 | 29 | 12 |
| 2 | Solomon Islands | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 19 | 0 | 6 |
| 3 | Tonga | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 38 | -29 | 0 |
AHF Men's Central Asia Cup 2019 - Day 6
Taldykorgan (KAZ)
Result
7 Sep 2019 UZB v OMA (RR) 1 - 1
Pool Standings
| Rank | Team | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kazakhstan | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 10 | 6 |
| 2 | Uzbekistan | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 3 | Oman | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 1 |
| 4 | Tajikistan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | -12 | 0 |
Murugappa Gold Cup: IOC beats CS, sets up final clash with PNB
Defending champion IOC went from being 0-2 down to beat Central Secretariat 6-3. In the other semifinal, Punjab National Bank beat Indian Navy 4-2.
Samarnath Soory
Sukhjeet Singh of Punjab National Bank (third from left) celebrates with team-mates after scoring a goal in the semifinal contest against Indian Navy on Saturday. - M. Vedhan
Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOC) staged a spirited comeback from being two goals down to beat Central Secretariat (CS) 6-3 to book a place in the final of the 2019 Murugappa Gold Cup.
In the summit clash, IOC will face Punjab National Bank (PNB), which beat Indian Navy 4-2 in the second semifinal at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium here on Saturday.
CS took a shock lead in the first minute through Dharmabir Yadav. CS went 2-0 up in the very next minute, when skipper Govind Singh Rawat converted a penalty corner.
IOC took few minutes to recover from the early onslaught, but erased CS’s lead by the end of the first quarter. While CS relied on raw pace and directness, IOC banked on its experience and methodical build-up. In the ninth minute, Armaan Qureshi pounced on a rebound from the keeper to score the champion’s first goal. In the 14th minute, IOC’s player-coach Deepak Thakur pulled his team level when he took advantage of slack defending inside the circle and deflected the ball into the net.
Comeback
Sahir Mohammad restored CS’s lead in the 17th minute as he dribbled from the 25-metre line, skipped past three IOC players and scooped the ball over the goalkeeper. In the 33rd minute, IOC right-half Vikramjit Singh, who had missed the group stage due to a bout of dengue, supplied the cross for Talwinder Singh’s equaliser.
The crowd was on CS’s side, applauding its every foray forward, but the orange and blacks failed to convert two corners and missed two sitters from open play. In the 45th minute, Affan Yousuf put IOC in the lead as he found the right top corner from a Deepak Thakur pass. Further goals Roshan Minz (55’) and Affan Yousuf (60’) sealed a second consecutive final appearance for IOC.
Second-half onslaught by PNB
The second semifinal betweeen PNB and Indian Navy remained goalless until the 35th minute, when Indian international Mandeep Mor broke the deadlock with a dragflick directed at the bottom right corner. In the 37th minute, Jugraj Singh smashed home the equaliser for Navy with a low finish from a penalty corner.
PNB opened the floodgates in the final quarter as quickfire strikes from Gurjinder Singh (50’), Abhishek (55’) and Sukhjeet Singh (56’) made it 4-1. Jugraj Singh (57’) scored from a penalty corner for Navy, but it was too late for the Pool B topper
Results
Semifinal 1 – IOC 6 (Armaan Qureshi 9’, Deepak Thakur 14’, Talwinder Singh 33’, Affan Yousuf 55’ 60’, Roshan Minz 55’) beat Central Secretariat 3 (Dharambir Yadav 1’, Govind Singh Rawat 2’, Sahir Mohammad 17’).
Semifinal 2 – Punjab National Bank 4 (Mandeep Mor 35’, Gurjinder Singh 50’, Abhishek 55’,Sukhjeet Singh 56’ ) beat Indian Navy 2 (Jugraj Singh 37’ 57’).
FINAL – Indian Oil Corporation vs Punjab National Bank – 6.15 pm, Sunday.
Sportstar
MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup: PNB accounts for Indian Navy
To meet IOC, which rallied to beat Central Secretariat, in the final
K. Keerthivasan
Well done: PNB’s Sukhjeet Singh gets a pat after scoring the team’s fourth goal against Indian Navy.
Central Secretariat (CST) scored two goals in the space of two minutes to rattle the defending champion Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) for a brief while in the semifinals of the MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup All-India hockey tournament here on Saturday.
CST threatened to take the match away from IOC after those early goals, but the champion team rallied well to script a 6-3 victory.
In the other semifinal, Punjab National Bank (PNB) blew away Indian Navy in a wonderful exhibition of attacking hockey in the fourth and final quarter to win 4-2.
In the final on Sunday, IOC will take on PNB.
Dharambir Yadav unleashed a stinging forehander after receiving a pass from Sukhjeet Singh in the very first minute. In the next minute, captain Govind Singh Rawat converted off a penalty corner to make it 2-0 for CST.
IOC fought back through Olympians Dharamvir Singh and Deepak Thakur with two goals to draw level. Sahir Mohd’s wonderful run from the right extreme, dribbling past two defenders and scoring, was a fine solo act as CST again went ahead. That goal also forced IOC to replace its ’keeper Pankaj Rajak with J. Chetan.
The complexion of the match changed once IOC’s forwards began to assert themselves. Talwinder Singh tapped one into the net off a cross from the right and Affan Yousuf slammed one into the top of the roof from the top of the circle. Two more strikes in the fourth quarter completed IOC’s tally.
The Navy-PNB match was evenly contested. Easily one of the best teams in the group stages, Navy was completely taken aback by PNB’s aggression in the fourth quarter.
With the score 1-1 till the third quarter, three goals — Gujinder Singh, Abhishek and Sukhjeet Singh finding the net — in the final quarter turned the match in PNB’s favour.
The results (semifinals): IOC 6 (Dharamvir Singh 9, Deepak Thakur 14, Talwinder Singh 33, Affan Yousuf 45 & 60, Roshan Minz 55) bt CST 3 (Dharambir Yadav 1, Govind Singh Rawat 2, Sahir Mohd. 17).
PNB 4 (Mandeep Mor 35, Gujinder Singh 50, Abhishek 55, Sukhjeet Singh 56) bt Indian Navy 2 (Jugraj Singh 37 & 57).
The Hindu
Hockey India names 33 for junior men’s national camp
Yashdeep Siwach replaces Sundaram Singh Rajawat in the core probable group
Ahead of next month’s Sultan of Johor Cup, Hockey India (HI) on Saturday named the 33 core probables list for the four-week junior men’s national coaching camp beginning on Monday.
Players will report at SAI, Bengaluru campus for the camp that concludes on October 7 ahead of the team’s departure for Malaysia.
The annual tournament, which begins on October 12, features a formidable line-up of teams such as Australia, Great Britain, New Zealand, Japan, India and the host.
Just one change
The core probables group has just one change with defender Yashdeep Siwach replacing Sundaram Singh Rajawat.
The group has been playing together for over a year and they understand the team’s shortcomings which need to be niggled out ahead of the tournament where India had won a silver in the previous edition.
Core probables list:
Goalkeepers: Pawan, Prashant Kumar Chauhan, Sahil Kumar Nayak.
Defenders: Suman Beck, Pratap Lakra, Sanjay, Yashdeep Siwach, Mandeep Mor, Parampreet Singh, Dinachandra Singh Moirangthem, Nabin Kujur, Sharda Nand Tiwari, Niraj Kumar Waribam.
Midfielders: Sukhman Singh, Gregory Xess, Ankit Pal, Akashdeep Singh Jr., Vishnu Kant Singh, Gopi Kumar Sonkar, Vishal Antil, Surya N.M., Maninder Singh, Rabichandra Singh Moirangthem.
Forwards: Sudeep Chirmako, Rahul Kumar Rajbhar, Uttam Singh, S. Karthi, Dilpreet Singh, Araijeet Singh Hundal, Amandeep Singh, Prabhjot Singh, Shivam Anand, Arshdeep Singh.
The Hindu
"Boy From Slums" To National Hockey Star: His Story Is Winning Hearts
"We rented a 10x10 house in the slum, but we couldn't afford clean water or electricity," recalls Devindar Walmiki
By Sanya Jain
A photo of Devindar Walmiki shared by 'Humans of Bombay'.
A viral Facebook post on national hockey player Devindar Walmiki is winning hearts online. The post, shared by popular Facebook page 'Humans of Bombay', talks about his struggles and his journey to becoming a celebrated hockey player. In the post, Devindar speaks about his childhood, when he lived in a slum in Mumbai with his family, and his rise to becoming a hockey star.
"My parents moved from a village to Mumbai for a better life," he says. "We rented a 10x10 house in the slum, but we couldn't afford clean water or electricity."
He talks about studying under streetlights and skipping meals to get by. He then goes on to speak about the day he discovered hockey, and how the sport changed his life.
"When I was in 9th grade, my brother had started playing Hockey in school. I'd no idea about the sport, but once I decided to go and watch him play," he says.
Looking at his brother (Yuvraj Walmiki - also a national hockey player now) inspired Devindar.
"I practised everyday, and when I was on the field, I wasn't worried about where I came from, and what my conditions were -- it was just me, doing what I wanted to," he says.
His hard work paid off when he was selected for the under 18 national team and got the opportunity to represent India for the Asian Cup in Burma.
"I put my heart and soul into playing, after that," he says. "My matches would be come on TV, but my parents would have to request neighbours or go to a local shop to watch me play.
"So I'd decided that if I ever played for the country in the Olympics, I'd get my parents an electricity connection and a huge TV - so that they can watch their son play, proudly."
Devindar's dream was fulfilled when he was selected to play in the Rio Olympics 2016.
"I used my savings and bought my parents a TV too," he says, adding that every "hardship and struggle" was worth it. And even though the team did not win, he says representing his country was his win.
Today, Devindar also plays for a European club and aspires to win the next Olympics.
His story has collected over 10,000 'likes' and hundreds of comments.
"Wow... very touching and inspiring journey," wrote one commenter. "Salute to you brother. What a brave journey you had," said another. "You're an inspiration for so many," a third added.
NDTV
Rookie keepers out to catch Malaysian hockey coach Oltmans’ eye
KUALA LUMPUR: Two rookie goalkeepers Adrian Andy Albert and Muhd Zaimi Mat Deris will fight it out for a place in the five-match playing tour to South Korea on Sept 19 after experienced goalkeeper Muhd Hafizuddin Othman was dropped from the national training squad.
There are five keepers in the training squad and seasoned campaigner S. Kumar will be the first- choice keeper for the tour to South Korea while another experienced custodian, Muhd Hairi Abdul Rahman, is still recovering from a knee surgery.
Sabah-born Adrian and Zaimi from Terengganu are both 22 years old and they have played for Malaysia just three times.
Zaimi, who featured for Maybank in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) for the last three years, made his debut in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh last year.
But since then he has not featured for Malaysia in any tournaments while Adrian, a Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) player, made his debut in the playing tour to Europe in July.
Adrian, who played three of the nine Test matches in Europe, said that he and Zaimi have a 50-50 chance of being selected for the playing tour to South Korea.
“I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I will be selected for the tour as I have played in Europe while Zaimi has not played for the country since last year. But it will all depend on national coach Roelant Oltmans who he wants to pick as the second keeper to South Korea,” said Adrian.
“It’s the dream of every player to play for the country and if I don’t feature in the tour to South Korea, it will be tough for me to get a chance to feature in the playoff matches next month,” said Zaimi.
The Star of Malaysia
Scorpions sting Titans in hockey league varsity derby
By AYUMBA AYODI
Strathmore University's Gilly Okumu dribbles the ball during their Kenya Hockey Union women's Premier League match against Kenyatta University at City Park Stadium on September 7, 2019. PHOTO | KANYIRI WAHITO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Strathmore University’s Scorpions edged out Kenyatta University's Titans 1-0 in a scrappy match at City Park Stadium to move into second place in the women’s hockey Premier League.
Winnie Odongo's sizzling field goal five minutes into the second quarter was what Scorpions needed to hit Titans in the dull duel to claim the bragging rights.
The victory lifted Scorpions one place up to second in the league with a total 15 points, but their head coach Meshack Senge wasn’t impressed by the display. Scorpions beat Titans 3-1 in the first leg.
“It was simply an awful display and miles away from how I wanted them to play,” said Senge. “We made many technical mistakes in terms of managing possession and passes. We were in a hurry and it was an eyesore.”
Defending champions Telkom, who didn't have a match this weekend, are perched at the top of the standings with 26 points. They remain unbeaten with eight wins and two draws.
USIU THIRD
United States International University dropped one place to third with 14 points drawn from four wins, two draws and a loss.
Senge said that they might have had the pedigree but they failed to take the chances that came their way.
“The only thing we have is the bragging rights that are associated with a varsity derby and nothing else,” said Senge adding that the only player who impressed is Ruth Adhiambo, who marshalled the midfield well. “The rest were comfortable.”
Kenyatta University team manager Clifford Nyang’wara said a draw would have been a better result adding that they only had a full house training this week with the players coming from along holiday break.
“We have had few numbers in training and that affected our consistency,” said Nyang’wara.
In men’s Premier League, Western Jaguars forced visiting Greensharks to a 1-1 draw at the Eregi Teachers College, Kakamega on Saturday.
USIU beat Nairobi Simba 1-0 at City Park, venue for the weekend’s top clash pitting defending champions Butali Sugar Warriors against Kenya Police at 5pm on Sunday.
Wazalendo face Strathmore University Gladiators at 3pm at the same venue.
Daily Nation