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News for 15 September 2019

All the news for Sunday 15 September 2019


AirAsia Women's Junior AHF Cup 2019 - Day 6
Singapore

Results

14 Sep 2019     SRI v HKG (RR)     0 - 3
14 Sep 2019     UZB v BAN (RR)     6 - 0
14 Sep 2019     SGP v TPE (RR)     4 - 0

Pool standings

Rank Team Played Wins Draws Losses Goals For Goals Against Goal Difference Points
1 Singapore 4 4 0 0 18 1 17 12
2 Uzbekistan 4 2 1 1 13 3 10 7
3 Chinese Taipei 4 2 1 1 10 6 4 7
4 Hong Kong China 4 2 0 2 4 7 -3 6
5 Bangladesh 4 1 0 3 2 10 -8 3
6 Sri Lanka 4 0 0 4 1 21 -20 0

FIH Match Centre



Hockeyroos to face Russia for Olympic spot

Nic Kerber



The Hockeyroos have one more chance to qualify for Tokyo 2020 in the shape of a two-match home series against Russia.

The Hockeyroos find themselves in this ‘last chance’ Olympic qualifying series after they were edged out on goal difference by New Zealand in a best-of-three series at the recent Oceania Cup.

After the Black Sticks Women won the first match 3-1, the Hockeyroos responded to win the second 3-2. Needing a win in the final match to qualify as New Zealand held a slender one goal advantage on goal difference, the Hockeyroos could only manage a 1-1 draw, consequently sending them through to the International Federation of Hockey (FIH) Olympic qualifying draw while the Black Sticks celebrated having booked their ticket to Tokyo.

Positioned in the highest ranked group of teams in the draw due to their number two ranking, the Hockeyroos were drawn against the number 19 ranked Russians.

The two match series will be played in Perth on 25/26 (Friday/Saturday) October 2019, with the winner on aggregate across the two matches to qualify for Tokyo 2020. The venue, match times and ticketing details are to be confirmed.

The winners of the FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers will qualify for the 2020 Olympic hockey tournament which will be staged in Japan’s capital city from 25 July to 7 August next year and involve 12 Men’s and 12 Women’s teams. The following women’s teams have already qualified: Japan, Argentina, South Africa, The Netherlands, New Zealand.

The Kookaburras booked their place at Tokyo 2020 after defeating New Zealand twice to reclaim the Oceania Cup.

Hockey Australia media release



Savita: 'We have a well-settled team going into the Olympic qualifiers'


The Indian women’s hockey team drew a tricky USA in the final round of the Olympic qualifiers.   -  K. Murali Kumar

The Indian women’s hockey team vice captain Savita feels having a well-settled unit will help the team excel against USA in the Tokyo Olympics qualifiers to be held in Bhubaneswar on November 1 and 2.

The Indian women’s hockey team drew a tricky USA in the final round of the Olympic qualifiers.

“Most of the players selected for our upcoming tour of England have played together as a unit for a long time now. We have a well-settled unit as we understand each other’s game pretty well which will further help us against USA at the Olympic qualifiers,” Savita said.

“It has been our aim to qualify for Tokyo after having qualified for Rio after a gap of 36 years. We are all very determined about succeeding in the qualifiers and the upcoming matches against Great Britain will be good preparation for that,” she added.

As part of preparation for the Qualifiers, the team will play a five-match series against England from September 27 to October 4 and India’s ace goalkeeper believes that in USA, it will get to face similar side.

“Great Britain and USA have quite similar playing styles, and all of us are really pleased that we will be playing against Great Britain before the two huge matches in November,” she said.

“The girls have been sweating it out in training for the past two weeks, and I am really confident that we will be able to execute our plans well,” Savita added.

Sportstar



Hockey Ireland Appoint Head Coach for Irish Men



Hockey Ireland is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Tumilty as Head Coach for the Irish Senior Men as they face into their final weeks of preparation for their upcoming Olympic Qualifier against Canada this October. Mark’s appointment is accompanied by that of Jason Lee as the new Assistant Coach to the men’s team.

Speaking on the announcement, new Head Coach Mark Tumilty said, “I am extremely proud to be offered the opportunity to coach the Irish Senior Men’s team. It has all happened very quickly and it would not have been possible for me to take this role without the support of my wife Cara, my children and my employer, Ulster Bank.

I relish the challenge we face as a group over the next 6 weeks, to achieve Olympic Qualification. I look forward to working with the players, coaching team and support staff. It is a difficult draw, but to play any team at this stage of Olympic qualification was going to be challenging. However, I feel if we can get our preparation correct in the coming weeks - both on and off the pitch - we will give ourselves an excellent opportunity to qualify for Tokyo 2020.”

Having watched the Irish men play a lot over the years, newly appointed assistant coach Jason Lee has “always marvelled at their unity, determination and skill. It often felt like other people recognised their strengths more than they did themselves. There’s nothing better than the excitement of playing in big games like this and I think my main job will be to help Mark and the team focus on showing us what they can do, and with a bit of luck, they’ll have a great chance.”

Hockey Ireland Performance Director, Adam Grainger, had this to say on the announcement, “We are delighted to have secured both Mark and Jason for these coaching positions, and we are very grateful for them both coming on board at such short notice. Together they bring a good mix of Irish and International hockey knowledge.

We have a number of camps scheduled to take place in the coming weeks ahead of the Olympic Qualifiers and the team’s focus remains clear. This is a great opportunity for the players to come together and get ready to take on the qualifier at the end of October.”

Both appointments are short-term, with Mark based here in Ireland while Jason will travel over from the UK as appropriate for upcoming camps.

Irish Hockey Association media release



Tumilty to lead Irish men’s Olympic bid


Mark Tumilty. Pic: Adrian Boehm

Mark Tumilty will head up the Irish senior men’s team as head coach with assistance from Jason Lee for their upcoming Olympic qualifier campaign in Canada in October.

The former Banbridge man takes on the role vacated by Alexander Cox in the wake of the European Championships.

Tumilty led the Co Down club to two IHL titles and two Irish Senior Cups as well as numerous Ulster titles in addition to a memorable EHL group win ahead of Royal Leopold and Saint Germain.

He stepped away from the Bann role this summer but he is delighted to take on the job for the Olympic qualifying endgame.

“I am extremely proud to be offered the opportunity to coach the Irish senior men’s team,” he said. “It has all happened very quickly and it would not have been possible for me to take this role without the support of my wife Cara, my children and my employer, Ulster Bank.

“I relish the challenge we face as a group over the next six weeks, to achieve Olympic qualification. I look forward to working with the players, coaching team and support staff. It is a difficult draw, but to play any team at this stage of Olympic qualification was going to be challenging.

“However, I feel if we can get our preparation correct in the coming weeks – both on and off the pitch – we will give ourselves an excellent opportunity to qualify for Tokyo 2020.”

Lee, meanwhile, brings with him a wealth of head coach experience. He spent a decade as England’s men’s leader before a brief spell with the women’s side, encompassing three Olympic Games and a Euro gold in 2009. He previously played in two Olympic Games in the 90s.

Speaking about the job, he said he has: “always marvelled at their unity, determination and skill. It often felt like other people recognised their strengths more than they did themselves.

“There’s nothing better than the excitement of playing in big games like this and I think my main job will be to help Mark and the team focus on showing us what they can do, and with a bit of luck, they’ll have a great chance.”

Hockey Ireland Performance Director, Adam Grainger, said: “We are delighted to have secured both Mark and Jason for these coaching positions, and we are very grateful for them both coming on board at such short notice. Together they bring a good mix of Irish and international hockey knowledge.


Jason Lee

“We have a number of camps scheduled to take place in the coming weeks ahead of the Olympic qualifiers and the team’s focus remains clear. This is a great opportunity for the players to come together and get ready to take on the qualifier at the end of October.”

Both appointments are on a short-term basis. Tumilty will be based here in Ireland while Lee will travel over from the UK as appropriate for upcoming camps.

The Hook



Mark Tumilty appointed national men's coach for Olympic play-off


Mark Tumilty has led Banbridge to one Irish Hockey League title and two Irish Cups.

Former Banbridge coach Mark Tumilty will take charge of the Ireland men's team for next month's Olympic play-off against Canada.

Tumilty replaces Dutchman Alexander Cox who resigned following Ireland's relegation to the second tier at the recent EuroHockey Championships.

Ireland will face Canada in two games in Vancouver on 26 and 27 October.

Ex-Ireland player Tumilty led Banbridge to one Irish Hockey League title and two Irish Senior Cup triumphs.

The coach's assistant will be former England men's and women's coach Jason Lee and both appointments are on a short-term basis.

Tumilty played for both Banbridge and Lisnagarvey during his playing career and his Ireland caps included representing his country at the World Cup qualifiers in 1997.

Tumilty 'proud' to take Ireland role

The new coach said he was "extremely proud" to take on the role.

"It has all happened very quickly and it would not have been possible for me to take this role without the support of my wife Cara, my children and my employer, Ulster Bank," added Tumilty.

"I relish the challenge we face as a group over the next six weeks, to achieve Olympic Qualification.

"It is a difficult draw, but to play any team at this stage of Olympic qualification was going to be challenging.

"However, I feel if we can get our preparation correct in the coming weeks - both on and off the pitch - we will give ourselves an excellent opportunity to qualify for Tokyo 2020."

Ireland's men beat Canada 4-2 at the Rio Olympics but the 10th-ranked Canadians are now three places higher in the world rankings.


Jason Lee guided England's men to the 2009 European title. He played for Great Britain men in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games

Lee long an admirer of Ireland men's hockey

New assistant coach Lee said that he has long been an admirer of Ireland men's hockey.

"I've always marvelled at their unity, determination and skill," added twice Great Britain Olympian Lee.

"It often felt like other people recognised their strengths more than they did themselves."

Hockey Ireland performance director Adam Grainger said the governing body was grateful to the duo for coming on board at "such short notice".

"Together they bring a good mix of Irish and International hockey knowledge," added Grainger.

BBC Sport



Surbiton fire ten past Reading

Hat-tricks from Ben Boon and Luke Taylor helped Surbiton make an emphatic start to the English Men’s Hockey League Premier Division with a 10-1 victory over Reading on Saturday.

Taylor scored twice and Boon once as Surbiton led 3-1 at half time. Reading’s goal came from Andrew Oxburgh.

But the second half was all Surbiton, with both Boon and Taylor completing hat-tricks while other goals came from Rob Farrington (2), Alan Forsyth and Arjan Drayton-Chana.

Old Georgians fired five goals past visitors the University of Exeter as they made a great start to life in the top flight.

Tom Carson and James Tindall scored two each for the hosts, while Exeter’s only goal came from Tom Brooks.

Holcombe ran out 5-3 winners over East Grinstead. Goals from Robert Field and Chris Griffiths ensured it was 1-1 at half time, before the game sprang to life after the break.

Holcombe scored further through Barry Middleton, Jeremy Edwards, Tom O’Keefe and Nick Bandurak, while East Grinstead’s goals came from Simon Faulkner and Liam Ansell.

Reigning champions Hampstead & Westminster were 4-3 winners at Beeston with Matt Guise-Brown scoring a hat-trick, while Hywel Jones also scored for the London side.

Chris Proctor scored twice and Adam Dixon added another for the hosts, but it wasn’t enough.

Wimbledon also secured a good away win, beating Brooklands MU 3-1 with goals from Ben Arnold, Jack Waller and Jonny Codling. Andrew Jackson scored the home side’s only goal.

* Statistics, full scores and table from the Men's Hockey League are available by clicking here.

England Hockey Board Media release



Newcomers Hampstead & Westminster beat Beeston


Surbiton's Alice Sharp and Loughborough's Maddie Pearce in action. Credit Andrew Smith.

Newcomers Hampstead & Westminster made a great start to life in the Investec English Women’s Hockey League Premier Division, beating hosts Beeston 4-1 on the opening day of the season.

After being promoted from the Conference East last season, Kate Richardson-Walsh’s side have added significantly to their squad including international ace Grace Balsdon who opened the scoring with a sixth minute penalty corner.

Sarah Robertson put the promoted side 2-0 up before Rosy Stephens cut the deficit just before the half. Robertson doubled her tally in the 43rd minute before Joyce Esser added another only two minutes later as the London-based side went top of the table.

Reigning champions Surbiton faced another newly-promoted team in Loughborough Students and ran out 3-2 winners.

Georgie Twigg and Alice Sharp scored in the first quarter, but two quick goals from new addition Izzy Petter and Beth Peers got Loughborough back on level terms at half time. But Emily Defroand’s 40th minute goal for Surbiton proved to be the difference for the reigning champions.

After reaching the play-offs last season, Buckingham were looking to maintain their impressive form into their opening fixture, hosting Clifton Robinsons.

Phoebe Richards pegged back her former team with a goal in the third minute but Clifton Robinsons found it tough from then on as the hosts put four past them before a reply from Clifton’s Izzy Webb.

Buckingham’s goals came from Katrina Nicholson (2), Lottie Porter and Natasha James as the game ended 4-2.

Holcombe snatched a win over East Grinstead with around ten minutes to spare thanks to a 61st minute penalty corner from Lorna Cruickshank.

The University of Birmingham settled for a 2-2 draw with Bowdon Hightown.

Aine Curran scored two goals to help the visitors escape with a point while Delyth Thomas and Millie Giglio put the University of Birmingham ahead twice.

* Statistics, full goalscorers and table from the Investec Women's Hockey League are available by clicking here.

England Hockey Board Media release



New Zealand's 2019 Ford NHL day one matches set up an exciting week



2019 Ford NHL Men’s Results – Day One

The Ricoh Capital Cobras got their title defence off to the best possible start when in the 11thminute of the match Sajan Patel broke his way into the top of the circle and ripped a shot into the bottom right of the goal. Joel Rintala followed that up moments later when he scored a fantastic penalty corner flick to make the score 2-0. Tasmania looked to put up a fight and got the score to 2-1 when off some great passing they managed to work their way around the goalkeeper to score their opening goal. The Capital Cobras managed to reassert their dominance and scored twice more before the half time break to put themselves in a commanding position. The win was sealed in the 53rd minute when Daniel Harris scored the Cobras 5thand final goal for the match.

Ricoh Capital Cobras 5 (Sajan Patel 11 min, Joel Rintala 13 min, Rowan Yeo 22 min, Benedict Van Woerkom 25 min, Daniel Harris 53 min)
Tasmania 1 (Ian McHugh 15 min)

The John Turkington Forestry Central Mavericks started the match in a positive fashion when in the second minute of the match they managed to put the Auckland side on their heels with an Andrew Scanlon drag flick that beat Leon Hayward in goal. Central then defended resolutely as they looked to deny the Auckland sides goal scoring opportunities. Zander Fraser put Auckland on the board with a well-constructed field goal that was reversed in. Heading into the second half Auckland went back to back with goals in the 31st and 33rd minute before Central looked to work back into the match with a 39th minute penalty corner goal. Auckland sealed the win in the 55th minute when Nick Finlayson scored off a great overhead before Hamish McGeorge finished the win off with an open goal in the 56th minute.

Auckland 5 (Zander Fraser 17 min, Jonty Keaney 31 min, Dwayne Rowsell 33 min, Nick Finlayson 55 min, Hamish McGeorge 56 min)
John Turkington Forestry Central Mavericks 2 (Andrew Scanlon 2 min, Jason Peel 39 min)

The Canterbury Cavaliers got their campaign started well when Sam Lane scored a great team goal in the 5th minute of the match, they further extended their lead through Dominic Newman in the 22nd minute which looked to put Canterbury in a commanding position. Bayleys Midlands looked to have got a rark up at the half time break and came out fizzing at the start of the second half and scored two goals in quick succession to tie the match back up. Sam Lane utilized his experience minutes later as he put Canterbury back in front. Canterbury soaked up more pressure from Bayleys Midlands and would go on to take the win 3-2.

Canterbury Cavaliers 3 (Sam Lane 5, 42 min, Dominic Newman 22 min)
Bayleys Midlands 2 (Maks Wyndham-Smith 32 min, Matt Rees-Gibbs 41 min)

Tiger Turf North Harbour have come away with a gutsy 2-0 win over a Southern side that fought the whole way through the match, Robbie Capizzi finessed his way through the Southern defence to find the back of the net for North Harbours first goal. Their second goal was scored from a well taken penalty corner to Xavier Guy. North Harbour would need to withstand a tonne of pressure in the second half as the Southern Men tried to fight their way back into the match.

Southern 0
Tiger Turf North Harbour 2 (Robbie Capizzi 12 min, Xavier Guy 27 min)




2019 Ford NHL Women Day One

The Tiger Turf North Harbour Women were forced into an arm wrestle with a Southern Women’s side that was playing with a renewed passion and focus in 2019, despite entering the contest having not won a match at the Ford NHL they were composed and frustrated the defending champions for large parts of the match. Samantha Polovnikoff got North Harbours campaign underway before Julia Gomes extended their lead in the 46thminute, Southern came storming back into the match in the 51st minute off a fanstastic team goal that shocked the North Harbour side, in the end North Harbour was able to hold on for a tough but high quality win.

Tiger Turf North Harbour Women 2 (Samantha Polovnikoff 16 min, Julia Gomes 46 min)
Southern Women 1 (Ellie Duncan 51 min)

The two favourites in Pool A met on day one of the 2019 Ford NHL. Canterbury put themselves in a great position early on in the match when Margot Willis found herself on the receivning end of some outstanding teamwork. Auckland managed to strike back just before the half time break when Tyler Lench found her way into the goal. Deanna Ritchie looked to have put Auckland in the position for the victory when in the 47th minute her field goal put Auckland in front. Canterbury behind a great Leah Butt baseline drive minutes later equalized when Catherine Tinning deflected Butt’s pass in. Looking to be heading for a shootout, Deanna Ritchie came up clutch and scored the winning goal for Auckland with 2 minutes to go in the match.

Canterbury 2 (Margot Willis 14 min, Catherine Tinning 51 min)
Auckland 3 (Tyler Lench 27 min, Deanna Ritchie 47, 58 min)

The John Turkington Forestry Central Mysticks entered the 2019 Ford NHL as one of the competitions early favourites, in the first half of the match they were playing and creating several opportunities in the attacking circle. In the 21st minute Hope Ralph found some space in the circle and put Central in the lead heading into the second half. Pippa Norman extended the John Turkington Forestry Central Mysticks lead late in the second half off a powerful drag flick. Northland refused to go away and in the 48thminute Stacey Michelsen broke down the field and ripped an outstanding reverse shot past the goalkeeper to give her side a chance. Brooke Neal then flicked the ball into the goal minutes later to send the match to a penalty shootout. The Mark Cromie Motor Group Northland side would come up clutch in the penalty shootout behind some outstanding saves from Nicola Howes in goal.

Mark Cromie Motor Group Northland 2 (Stacey Michlesen 48 min, Brooke Neal 56 min)
John Turkington Forestry Central Mysticks 2 (Hope Ralph 21 min, Pippa Norman 47 min)

*Northland won the shootout 5-4

The hometown Bayleys Midlands were able to name an incredibly strong side for their first match at the 2019 Ford NHL. Despite the quality the Bayleys Midlands side were struggling to get their connections early on in the contest and its wasn’t until the 36th minute of the match that they managed to break through with their first and only goal of the match off some great team play down the field. The side will be looking for an improved performance in their next match against Northland who will be on a high after dispatching a quality John Turkington Forestry Central Mysticks.

Bayleys Midlands 1 (Georgia Morton 36 min)
Ricoh Capital Women 0



Hockey New Zealand Media release



Hockey One - Players to Watch

Zoe Lorenzin


Hockey Club Melbournes's Aaron Kleinschmidt

With the inaugural Hockey One season a fortnight away, here are some of the players to look out for.

Tickets for Hockey One are on sale now through Ticketek, with every match to be shown LIVE on Kayo Sports.

ADELAIDE FIRE

Simon Wells

A player on the rise, Wells received a full South Australian Institute of Sport in 2018 and represented the State at this year’s national U21 Championships.

· Position: Forward

· DOB: 5 March 1999

· Notable achievements: Player of the Match at the U18 Boys Outdoor Championships in 2017

Ashlee Wells (GK)

A member of the Hockeyroos since 2011, Wells brought up her 100th cap in 2018 at the Tri-Nations Series in New Zealand. Sure to play an integral role if the Fire are to be contenders and it will be worth the price of admission seeing her try to deny a host of the talented forwards she will come up against.

· Position: Goalkeeper

· DOB: 1 August 1989

· Notable achievements: 118 appearances for the Hockeyroos; Oceania Cup Winner 2013 & 2015

BRISBANE BLAZE

Dylan Wotherspoon

A potent attacker, Wotherspoon has been part of the Kookaburras program since 2015 and was a part of Australia’s 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medal winning team.

· Position: Forward

· DOB: 9 April 1993

· Notable achievements: 86 appearances (30 goals) for the Kookaburras; 2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist

Jodie Kenny

The Hockeyroos’ top scorer at the 2018 Commonwealth Games where Australia won silver, Kenny has the ability to decide games off her stick with her expert drag flicking from penalty corners. The 32 year old is currently one of the Hockeyroos’ co-captains.

· Position: Defender

· DOB: 18 August 1987

· Notable achievements: 227 appearances (111 goals) for the Hockeyroos; Won silver at the 2014 World Cup and two Champions Trophies in 2014 and 2018

CANBERRA CHILL

Andrew Charter

Part of the winning 2014 World Cup Kookaburras team and a 2016 Rio Olympian, Charter played two of the three matches in the recent Oceania Cup success over New Zealand.

· Position: Goalkeeper

· DOB: 30 March 1987

· Notable achievements: 177 appearances for the Kookaburras; 2014 World Cup Winner, 2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist

Anna Flanagan

A former Hockeyroo, the Canberra junior was a former international young player of the year and helped NSW to win the Australian Hockey League last year.

· Position: Defender

· DOB: 8 January 1992

· Notable achievements: 171 appearances (34 goals) for the Hockeyroos; two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist

HOCKEY CLUB MELBOURNE

Aaron Kleinschmidt

Part of the 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medal team, Kleinschmidt was instrumental in the medal decider. A product of Xavier College and the Victorian Institute of Sport, the 30 year old will be determined to put on a show for the big V.

· Position: Forward

· OB: 1 September 1989

· Notable Achievements: 66 appearances (23 goals) for the Kookaburras; 2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist

Amy Lawton

Currently undertaking her Year 12 studies, 17 year old Lawton has made waves since debuting for the Hockeyroos during the 2019 FIH Pro League. She impressed at the recent Oceania Cup and Olympic Test Event in Tokyo, and has a big future in front of her.

· Position: Forward

· DOB: 19 January 2002

· Notable achievements: 8 appearances (2 goals) for the Hockeyroos; 2018 U18 Girls Outdoor Championship Player of the Match

NSW PRIDE

Matthew Dawson

Debuting for the Kookaburras in 2014, Dawson was part of the 2016 Rio Olympics team, and at the 2018 Commonwealth Games scored in the final to help secure the gold medal. A composed and reliable defender, watching Dawson go about his business is worth purchasing a ticket to watch the Pride in action.

· Position: Defender

· DOB: 27 April 1994

· Notable achievements: 132 caps (12 goals) for the Kookaburras; 2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist

Emily Chalker

Born in Crookwell NSW, Chalker was appointed Hockeyroos captain in 2017, a role she now shares with Georgina Morgan and Jodie Kenny. Chalker was part of the 2014 Commonwealth Games Gold Medal team and was on both the 2012 and 2016 Australian Olympic Teams.

· Position: Forward

· DOB: 28 July 1992

· Notable achievements: 233 caps (80 goals for the Hockeyroos); current Hockeyroos co-captain

PERTH THUNDERSTICKS

Aran Zalewski

The Kookaburras co-captain was part of the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Medal teams and was named Player of the Tournament at the 2018 Champions Trophy.

· Position: Midfielder

· DOB: 21 March 1991

· Notable achievements: 183 appearances (23 goals) for the Kookaburras; 2018 Champions Trophy Player of the Tournament

Penny Squibb

Debuting for the Hockeyroos in 2018, Squibb became a permanent member of the national program in 2019. She was the Australian Hockey League’s equal top scorer in 2017.

· Position: Defender

· DOB: 9 February 1993

· Notable achievements: 10 appearances (1 goal) for the Hockeyros; 2017 AHL equal top scorer

TASSIE TIGERS

Eddie Ockenden

A proud Tasmania, one of Australian hockey’s most decorated players, and the Kookaburras’ second highest capped player ever, Ockenden was named the Kookaburras Player of the Year in 2014 and 2015 and was part of the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Medal winning teams.

· Position: Midfielder

· DOB: 3 April 1987

· Notable achievements: 358 appearances (70 goals) for the Kookaburras; three-time Olympian; 2014 and 2015 Kookaburras Player of the Year, World Cup Winner in 2010 and 2014

Amelia Spence

A former Hockeyroo, Spence represented Australia at the 2014 Champions Trophy, helping the team to the Silver medal. The Tasmanian local knocked back an approach to play in Europe to stay and play for the Tassie Tigers in the inaugural Hockey One season.

· Position: Midfielder

· DOB: 23 June 1993
           · Notable achievements: 11 appearances (1 goal) for the Hockeyroos

Hockey Australia media release



No hands up: Keeper Hafizuddin vows to regain national spot

By AFTAR SINGH



KUALA LUMPUR: Experienced Malaysian hockey goalkeeper Mohd Hafizuddin Othman (pic) has vowed to reclaim his place after he was dropped from the national team last week.

And he aims to win back the selectors’ trust when he turns out for Terengganu in the Razak Cup tournament at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil from Sept 20-28.

The 27-year-old Hafizuddin, who has played for Malaysia since 2016, said he is disappointed he will not feature in the Tokyo Olympics playoff matches against Britain on Nov 1 and 3 in London.

“My exclusion was a bitter pill to swallow as I was looking forward to the playoffs but that’s life. Maybe, I was not good enough.

“I guess it was also a lesson for me that I cannot take anything for granted. I aim to work harder and perform well in local tournaments to be part of the national team again,” said Hafizuddin, who last played for Malaysia in a four-nation tournament in Tokyo last month.

Hafizuddin, who has 60 international caps, said that he would now focus on helping Terengganu win the Razak Cup.

He was between the posts when they won the title in Kuantan (2012) and Kuala Lumpur (2016).

“For this year’s tournament, we will not have the services of the Saari brothers (Faizal and Fitri) who will be playing in the playoffs.

“Their absence will, in a way, affect our performance as they are top players. But we have a few seniors and juniors that are good enough to give the other teams a run for their money,” he added.

Terengganu will be banking on national forward Muhd Akhimullah Anuar Esook, who scored three goals during Malaysia’s playing tour of Europe in July.

The team will be led by former international Mohd Shahrun Nabil.

Eight teams will feature in Division One and Terengganu are drawn in Group B with Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Pahang while Group A will have defending champions Perak, Melaka, Johor and Police.

Terengganu open their campaign against Kuala Lumpur on Sept 21.

The Star of Malaysia



Field hockey ends win streak, falls to earth with loss to unranked New Hampshire

By Holden Foreman


With Friday’s loss, five of Stanford’s seven games this season have been decided by just one point, and three of them have gone to shootouts. The Cardinal are now 2-3 in these narrow contests, having come out on top in two of the shootouts. (Photo: Cody Glenn/isiphotos.com)

No. 18 Stanford field hockey (4-3, 0-1 American East) could not overcome second-half struggles in its conference opener, falling 3-2 at New Hampshire (2-3, 1-0 America East). The loss snaps Stanford’s win streak at four games, two of which were against top-10 teams, and is the first loss to an unranked opponent this year.

Notably absent on Friday was the efficiency, particularly in goals per shots taken, that Stanford has displayed in other games this week. The Cardinal outshout the Wildcats 14-10 and took five penalty corners to the Wildcats’ three, but the net proved elusive for Stanford’s offense.

Going into Friday’s matchup, approximately 74% (54/73) of Stanford shots this season were on goal, meaning that either a goal was scored or the opposing goalkeeper made a save. As recently as Thursday’s win over No. 10 Harvard, Stanford shot 87.5% (7/8) on goal.

Friday was a different story, as just 64% (9/14) of Stanford shots were headed for the net. The Cardinal finally broke through with four minutes left in the first half, as senior midfielder Phoebe Crosthwaite notched her second goal of the season to give Stanford a 1-0 lead. But Stanford’s failure to score more early points proved devastating when New Hampshire turned up the heat in the second half.

The Wildcats outshot the Cardinal 6-1 in the third quarter, netting back-to-back goals in the same  two-minute span to claim a 2-1 lead. Having already assisted Crosthwaite’s first-half goal, senior attacker Jessica Welch scored a goal of her own in the 57th minute to knot the game at 2-2.

But the Wildcats connected on a penalty corner less than one minute after Welch’s goal, securing a 3-2 lead that would prove insurmountable for the Cardinal.

For the first time this season, junior attacker Corinne Zanolli walked away from a game without a goal to her name.

With Friday’s loss, five of Stanford’s seven games this season have been decided by just one point, and three of them have gone to shootouts. The Cardinal are now 2-3 in these narrow contests, having come out on top in two of the shootouts.

Stanford will stay in New Hampshire for the finale of a four-game road trip in which the Cardinal are thus far 2-1. They will aim to maintain a winning record overall and secure a .500 conference record in a matchup against Vermont (2-2, 0-0 America East) on Sunday at 9 a.m. PT.

The Stanford Daily



UMass field hockey falls to No. 20 Albany in final minutes

McTear scores lone goal in a 2-1 defeat

By Justin Ekstrom


Credit: Nina Walat

With the score tied and under five minutes to play, Cosima Rocktaeschel of Albany ripped a shot which was tipped in by forward Kelsey McCrudden, and the Massachusetts field hockey team was unable to come back in a 2-1 loss.

The Minutewomen (2-3) waited four matches before getting the chance to play on their home turf and faced a stiff test in No. 20 Albany (2-3). The match was hard fought and came down to a decisive fourth quarter, where the Great Danes took the lead back for good.

Albany started the match by dumping the ball to the back right of the UMass defense, charging ahead to pressure the Minutewomen on defense – a strategy which gave UMass trouble at times and led to seven Albany penalty corners in comparison to UMass’ one. On the seventh, Rocktaeschel and McCrudden combined for the latter’s second goal of the season to decide the game.

The margin of victory for Albany might have been much larger if not for the consistent stops and interceptions made by the Minutewomen in their defensive half and during these penalties.

“We were really well prepared for penalty corners,” goalkeeper Marlise van Tonder said. “We knew what they are capable of doing and we have a solid defensive unit. It’s not nice to defend a million corners in a game, but we were up to the task.”

One of three UMass keepers who will be sharing time in net this season, van Tonder made six saves in her first start, playing just over 56 minutes between the bars.

“She’s had a great week of training and really settled into the team since she arrived a week and a half ago,” coach Barb Weinberg said postgame. “She was the right start for this game.”

Earlier in the fourth, van Tonder made a huge glove save on the second of two straight penalty corners taken by the Great Danes. UMass improved defensively in the second half, displaying its ability to adjust against a top-ranked team.

“I felt that we matched Albany today,” midfielder Georgie McTear said. “The defense was put under a lot of pressure and we really stepped up with that pressure. We were man-to-man, getting our bodies in the line of goal, and trying to come up with interceptions. We had a lot of turnovers which is a really positive thing going into Harvard.”

UMass also picked up their offensive stride after a slow first half that saw Albany controlling a majority of possession and left the Minutewomen trailing 1-0. Their shots doubled after halftime, due in large part to strong fast breaks such as the one in the third quarter leading to the lone UMass goal.

Sophie Johnson started with a quick push up the right side after she won the ball close to half. After controlling it, she maneuvered herself around an opposing defender and dropped the ball off to McTear.

“I passed it, got ahead, and got the rebound – something we have been working on,” McTear said. “I just ran into the goal, saw the ball coming to me and just wanted to finish it, so I did.”

The aggressive nature of Saturday’s match stood out just as much as the tenacious press of Albany and speed of UMass transitional offense. Whistles blew throughout the game and a total of six cards were handed out.

“Albany is strong and physical and we were getting bumped off the ball a lot,” Weinberg said. “Something we need to work on is definitely being strong on the ball or moving the ball more so they don’t have the chance to be physical.”

UMass will host No. 10 Harvard on Monday at 5 p.m.

The Daily Collegian



Hockey NZ cop heat over lag time addressing key concerns in Black Sticks review

Dana Johannsen


The Black Sticks' busy test schedule has resulted in delays in actioning key recommendations of a damning review into the team's culture. JOHN DAVIDSON/PHOTOSPORT

Frustrations linger over Hockey NZ's handling of a damning review into the women's Black Sticks' team environment, with the national body taking six months to implement a key recommendation of the report.

After a difficult 12 months off the turf, the team received a major shot in the arm last weekend, taking out the Oceania Cup against Australia to qualify for next year's Olympics.

But it appears there remains a lot of work to do to rebuild the team culture, with concerns many of the issues identified in the review continue to fester due to a lengthy lag time in addressing some of the items in the "action plan", and the on-going secrecy around the substance of the report.

The full findings of the review, headed by Wellington lawyer Maria Dew, were kept confidential to the board of Hockey NZ. What little details were disclosed were sanitised for public consumption, with the only insight into the troubles in the camp offered was that 70 per cent of players interviewed believed it was a "negative environment".

It is understood even team management and the players have not seen the full "warts and all" findings of the investigation, proving a hindrance to the group being able to move on from the saga.

"Without a full airing of what [Dew's] investigation uncovered, how can you expect a team to be able to address the issues? There's still people in the team that believe the problems were manufactured," says one Black Sticks insider.

The review of the team environment was sparked in September last year, following allegations of "bullying" against former coach Mark Hager.


Mark Hager resigned as women's Black Sticks coach in January to take up a role with Great Britain. Alex Davidson

Several high profile current and former Black Sticks, including now assistant coach Katie Glynn, were vocal in their support of Hager, who resigned in January this year to take up a role with Great Britain. Hager had viewed a draft of the report prior to his resignation.

Ireland's Graham Shaw took over as Black Sticks coach in May, but beyond the appointment of a new coach, progress has been slow.

One of the key action points determined by Hockey NZ and the players' association was to get an expert in team culture and team dynamics to work with the group. However, this work only commenced last month, with the appointment of performance coach Aaron Walsh of The HP Group. Walsh is also working with the Football Ferns - another team in rebuild mode following the fall-out from an investigation into former coach Andreas Heraf.


Hockey New Zealand chief executive Ian Francis, says he is proud of the progress the Black Sticks have made both on and off the turf. www.photosport.nz

Hockey NZ chief executive Ian Francis says the delay in getting Walsh into the environment was due to the "high competition period" for the Black Sticks.

"Probably the biggest challenge has been the ability to work with the players through an incredibly busy year," says Francis.

"The Pro League was effectively the first six months of the year and involved a lot of time away and then when did an acclimation tour to Japan, and obviously now Oceania Cup as well."

NZ Hockey Players' Association (NZHPA) executive director Glen Sulzberger admits there has been some frustration "things have dragged on as long as they have" and the Black Sticks' busy test schedule should not have been a barrier to doing the much-needed work to team culture.

"Our view is that players have the capacity to think about more than one thing. The work culturally in and around the team is really important and we always advocate that this work should be on-going," says Sulzberger.

"So I guess from that perspective we would have preferred and would have liked to have seen the work been done a little bit sooner, or closer to February than it has taken, but it has taken place now and I think everyone has responded really positively to the work Aaron is doing, which is great."

Having ticked off Olympic qualification early, Sulzberger believes it will now give the women's team the time and space to continue rebuild team culture.


Maria Dew, QC, pinpointed a number of failings after an extensive review of the Black Sticks team environment. SUPPLIED

Another action point to come off the back of Dew's findings was rejected outright by the NZHPA.

As part of the "immediate actions" being undertaken by High Performance Sport NZ following last year's cluster of sporting reviews, the funding agency appointed an independent facilitator to mend bridges between Hockey NZ and the players' association.

"When you go through a review, regardless of how well it is done, and the recommendations can, and in most cases do, create tensions between the organisations. So we've worked through that and got an action plan in place," says HPSNZ chief executive Michael Scott.

However, the facilitator's involvement lasted one meeting with the NZHPA, with president Heath Mills declaring the exercise "a waste of taxpayer money".

"The relationship wasn't as broken as it was made out to be," says Mills.


Hockey players association chair Heath Mills wishes players could have seen a fuller version of the review into their team environment. BRETT PHIBBS/PHOTOSPORT

"[HPSNZ] wanted us to meet with an independent psychologist in order to foster a better working relationship with Hockey NZ. However, we considered that entirely unnecessary and we suggested there were much better ways to spend public funds," says Mills.

Francis agrees Hockey NZ has a strong working relationship with the players' association, which has been "central to moving the sport forward through a difficult time".

The on-going issues arising from around the lack of transparency in review findings are unlikely to be resolved.

It is understood the secrecy around the findings is a result of legal jostling that took place before the investigation commenced, rather than an attempted cover-up by Hockey NZ. Hager's legal representative, Keith Binnie, who is better known as NZ Rugby's general counsel, is believed to have stipulated that the review be commissioned under confidentiality.

Francis would not be drawn on which party requested the findings remain confidential, stating only that "the terms of reference were agreed upon by Hockey NZ, the NZ Hockey Players' Association and HPSNZ".


HPSNZ chief executive Michael Scott was disappointed with the lack of transparency around the review into the Black Sticks' team environment. STUFF

However, both Mills and Scott had previously expressed their disappointment that the full findings were not publicly released.

Mills says in hindsight it is something players' association representatives should have been more firm on.

"Our learnings from that process was when we're working on a terms of reference for an investigation of that nature, we would put a lot more emphasis on transparency and making sure that the outcomes of the investigation were made public. We think that's really important for any investigation," he says.

Francis says there were also lessons for his organisation.

"Would we have managed the process any differently in hindsight? Probably two things. One is give ourselves more time for the process and set clear expectations around that, and two is set clear expectations with the media as to who is available and not available and that we would only be releasing a summary document," he says.


Mark Hager congratulates his former players following the Black Sticks win over Great Britain at the Women's FIH Field Hockey Pro League match in Christchurch earlier this year. GETTY IMAGES

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