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All the news for Saturday 1 February 2020

2020 FIH Pro League (Men) - 1 February

31 Jan 2020    ESP v NED (RR)     3 - 4
1 Feb 2020 13:00 (GMT +1)      ESP v NED (RR)      Estadio Betero, Valencia
1 Feb 2020     AUS v GBR (RR)     4 - 4 (3 - 1 SO)
1 Feb 2020     NZL v BEL (RR)     2 - 6
2 Feb 2020 15:00 (GMT +11)     AUS v GBR (RR)     Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney
2 Feb 2020 17:30 (GMT +13)      NZL v BEL (RR)     North Harbour Hockey Stadium, Auckland

Live streaming and full game replay on https://fih.live (May be Geo blocked if there is TV coverage)

Pool Standings

FIH Match Centre

2020 FIH Pro League (Women) - 1 February

1 Feb 2020      NZL v BEL (RR)     1 - 2
1 Feb 2020)      AUS v GBR (RR)     2 - 1
2 Feb 2020 15:00 (GMT +13)      NZL v BEL (RR)     North Harbour Hockey Stadium, Auckland
2 Feb 2020 17:30 (GMT +11)     AUS v GBR (RR)     Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney

Live streaming and full game replay on https://fih.live (May be Geo blocked if there is TV coverage)

Pool Standings

FIH Match Centre

Three-goal hero Janssen gets Netherlands off to winning ways

By Sarah Juggins



A fast, frenetic and goal-filled match between two of Europe's top hockey nations was played out in front of an enthusiastic crowd at the Estadio Betero in Valencia. Both Spain (World Ranking: 9) and the Netherlands (WR:3) were chasing their first win of the FIH Hockey Pro League after each took just one point from their opening weekend of action, against Germany and India respectively.

The Netherlands started the quicker and took the lead through Jip Janssen – the first of three goals for the striker. It will not be often that Spain's Josep Romeu scores a hat trick and ends up on the losing side but that is what happened in this match. Janssen was joined on the scoreboard by Jonas de Geus and Head Coach to the Netherlands Max Caldas will be pleased that his side scored more than they conceded.

For most of the match, the action and possession were equal for both teams. Both goalkeepers, Spain's Mario Garin and Netherlands Blaak Pirmin made some incredible saves. However, the Dutch created more chances and, in Janssen, they have a weapon that, today, proved deadly.

Player of the Match, Janssen said: "I think I can always add something to the team with the penalty corner. It is for me to do the end part of the penalty corner. The injection was very good, as was the stop, so I do the last part."

Captain of Spain Miguel Delas, who reached his 250th cap in this match, said: "I want to thank all the team mates who have helped me reach 250 caps. It was good to achieve that in front of the crowds here in Valencia. But for us, we want to win and that is what we want to do in the coming matches. It is what we will be trying to do tomorrow."

More information on the match can be found on our live reporting page by clicking here.

Keep up to date with all the latest news on the FIH Hockey Pro League via the event website and through FIH social media channels - Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

FIH Hockey Pro League

Match Day 8 – Friday 31 January 2020

Estadio Betero, Valencia (ESP)
Men’s result: Spain 3, Netherlands 4 (Match 1 of 2)
Player of the Match: Jip Janssen (NED)
Umpires: Christian Blasch (GER), Sean Rapaport (RSA) & Ben Goentgen (GER - video)

Upcoming fixtures

Match Day 9 – Saturday 01 February 2020
Auckland (NZL) – Women: New Zealand v Belgium (Match 1 of 2)
Time: 1700 (GMT/UTC +13)
Sydney (AUS) – Men: Australia v Great Britain (Match 1 of 2)
Time: 1600 (GMT/UTC +11)
Auckland (NZL) – Men: New Zealand v Belgium (Match 1 of 2)
Time: 1930 (GMT/UTC +13)
Sydney (AUS) – Women: Australia v Great Britain (Match 1 of 2)
Time: 1830 (GMT/UTC +11)
Valencia (ESP) – Men: Spain v Netherlands (Match 2 of 2)
Time: 1300 (GMT/UTC +1)

Match Day 10 – Sunday 02 February 2020
Auckland (NZL) – Women: New Zealand v Belgium (Match 2 of 2)
Time: 1500 (GMT/UTC +13)
Sydney (AUS) – Men: Australia v Great Britain (Match 2 of 2)
Time: 1500 (GMT/UTC +11)
Auckland (NZL) – Men: New Zealand v Belgium (Match 2 of 2)
Time: 1730 (GMT/UTC +13)
Sydney (AUS) – Women: Australia v Great Britain (Match 2 of 2)
Time: 1730 (GMT/UTC +11)

#FIHProLeague

Official FIH Pro League Site

Dutch men beat Spain to record first victory of FIH Pro League season

By Liam Morgan


The Netherlands edged out hosts Spain in Valencia ©FIH

The Netherlands recorded a narrow 4-3 win over hosts Spain to earn their first victory of this season's International Hockey Federation Pro League.

Dutch player Jip Janssen and Spaniard Josep Romeu both scored hat-tricks in a thrilling men's encounter at Estadio Betero in Valencia.

Janssen scored the opening goal two minutes into the match, before Romeu equalised shortly after.

Jonas de Geus restored the Dutch team's lead towards the end of the first period, and that was how it stayed until Romeu levelled the contest in the 38th minute.

A quickfire double from Janssen completed his hat-trick and effectively sealed victory for the Dutch, who led 4-2 going into the final 10 minutes.

Romeu pulled one back two minutes from time but it proved to be a consolation as the away side, who had lost one and drawn the other of their two Pro League matches this campaign, held on for maximum points.

"I think I can always add something to the team with the penalty corner," said Janssen.

"It is for me to do the end part of the penalty corner.

"The injection was very good, as was the stop, so I do the last part."

Five Pro League matches are scheduled to take place tomorrow.

Inside the Games

Australian hockey umpires to feature in world first



Two of Australia’s best hockey umpires have been selected by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) for what is a first in top tier international hockey.

Steve Rogers and Aleisha Neumann will officiate a match of their opposite gender at today’s FIH Pro League matches between New Zealand and Belgium in Auckland.

Rogers will take charge of the women’s match alongside South Africa’s Wanri Venter, with Neumann to officiate the men’s fixture together with fellow Australian umpire Adam Kearns.

Never before have females umpired a men’s top tier international and vice-versa, meaning Rogers and Neumann will create their own slice of history.

“This is great recognition and a memorable moment for two of our elite officials and also for our sport,” said Hockey Australia CEO Matt Favier.

“Hockey proudly boasts genuine gender equality and equal billing between the men’s and women’s game, so this initiative and move by the FIH only enhances that reputation further.

“On behalf of Hockey Australia I congratulate Aleisha and Steve on their appointments and wish them all the best as they go about their business in the matches between New Zealand and Belgium.”

Every FIH Pro League match, including the ones between New Zealand and Belgium that Rogers, Neumann and Kearns will be officiating, can be seen LIVE on Kayo.

Hockey Australia media release

Kookaburra Nathan Ephraums set to debut against GB

By The Hockey Paper


Hockeyroos and Kookaburras line up against GB in Sydney PIC: FIH.Live

Debutant Nathan Ephraums has the star appeal to succeed with the Kookaburras, according to coach Colin Batch.

Ephraums, 20, will make his senior international debut, while midfielder Jake Whetton is set to make his 200th appearance for the Kookaburras, against Great Britain in the FIH Pro League this weekend in Sydney.

Ephraums was named under-21 player of the tournament at the 2017 Sultan of Johor Cup and has impressed since being called up to the national programme in November, as well as performing well in the Hockey One.

“He’s got a little bit of an x-factor about him,” said Batch. “He will bring some energy to the group. First games can go one of two ways – they can be really nervous and not play so well, but I’m sure Nathan will embrace the opportunity, play his natural game and play well for us.”


Nathan Ephraums

Ephraums, pictured above, said that pulling on the green and gold had always been a dream, as he looked up to the likes of Eddie Ockenden.

He said: “Seeing my name in the striker line for tomorrow’s game was really exciting, it’s something I’ve looked forward to for a long time, so getting to make my debut will be really special.

“There will be some nerves but I think that’s only natural. I know the guys will get around me and once I have my first few touches of the game I’m confident I’ll settle in pretty well.”

“This really has been a childhood dream. I used to look up to guys like Eddie Ockenden, so to run out with them will be really special.”

Australia will be looking to overturn below par performances against world champions Belgium last weekend.

Batch added: “Great Britain were one of the teams that beat us last year. They played really well against us in London and they have some great attacking players and their defence is very solid, so we’ve got to find opportunities up front and defend well. We will certainly be looking for an improvement.”

Meanwhile, the Hockeyroos enter their back-to-back FIH Pro League matches against GB in Sydney with a string of positive recent results over the reigning Olympic champions, and it’s a record they are eager to extend.

The Hockeyroos have won five of the past six meetings with Great Britain, that solitary loss coming at the last Olympics as GB went on to win the gold medal.

After the Hockeyroos earned three points against Belgium to open their FIH Pro League campaign last weekend, Head Coach Paul Gaudoin has included Greta Hayes and defender Sophie Taylor to the team to face a Great Britain side who has spent the past week in Australia acclimatising to the warm and humid conditions they can expect at Sydney Olympic Park.

“For Greta, she had a tough time last year with some injuries, so we’re looking forward to seeing her run around tomorrow in front of her home crowd,” said Gaudoin.

“Great Britain are a very good team and I rate them very highly. We had two wins over them last year in the Pro League but they were very tight games.”

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The Hockey Paper

Hockeyroos keen to continue run over 2016 gold medallists



The Hockeyroos enter their back-to-back FIH Pro League matches against Great Britain in Sydney this weekend with a string of positive recent results over the reigning Olympic champions, and it’s a record they are eager to extend.

The Hockeyroos have won five of the past six meetings with Great Britain, that solitary loss coming at the last Olympics as GB went on to win the gold medal.

After the Hockeyroos earned three points against Belgium to open their FIH Pro League campaign last weekend, Head Coach Paul Gaudoin has included Greta Hayes and defender Sophie Taylor to the team to face a Great Britain side who has spent the past week in Australia acclimatising to the warm and humid conditions they can expect at Sydney Olympic Park.

“For Greta, she had a tough time last year with some injuries, so we’re looking forward to seeing her run around tomorrow in front of her home crowd,” said Gaudoin.

“Great Britain are a very good team and I rate them very highly. We had two wins over them last year in the Pro League but they were very tight games.

Adding intrigue to the encounters is that Great Britain are coached by former Kookaburra Mark Hager, who Gaudoin played alongside for the national team.

“I played with Mark in my early days for the Kookaburras and he coached me at one stage as well,” said Gaudin.

“I have a lot of respect for him in what he has done in his coaching career to date and he knows the way Australian teams like to play so it will be interesting to see what happens tomorrow.”

“We are a work in progress at the moment and there are some things we are trying to add to our game. We need flexibility in how we play leading up to Tokyo so we’ll be looking to take that to another level this weekend.”

Of added significance ahead of tomorrow’s game, defensive duo Edwina Bone and Karri McMahon are in line to celebrate major individual milestones.

Bone is preparing to play her 200th match, while for McMahon, who has had to endure a number of injury setbacks since making her debut in 2012, is set to run out for the Hockeyroos for the 150th time.

“For Karri McMahon to reach 150 games, it is a tremendous achievement,” said Gaudoin.

“She has had some really tough challenges with injury over the last few years, so it is real credit to her and her ability to work through some long rehabilitation.

“It’s a credit to what the Hockeyroos means to her in terms of Karri being able to get herself in a position to be back playing at this level.”

“Edwina (Bone) epitomises what the Hockeyroos are. She is a warrior, she is committed to the cause and she works as hard as anyone on the pitch so it is great reward for her to get to 200 games.”

This weekend’s matches are the final time the Hockeyroos will play on the east coast before Tokyo 2020, an occasion that is not lost on forward Grace Stewart, who heralds from Gerringong near Wollongong.

“Playing at home is so special,” said Stewart on the eve of the match.

“Now that we get the opportunity to pay in Australia more often with the Pro League, it is really exciting and we would love to see a big crowd at Sydney Olympic Park as it’s a farewell match of sorts because we won’t be back here before Tokyo.”

Tickets for the double headers against Great Britain are available now through Ticketek. The matches will be broadcast on Kayo and/or Fox Sports.

Hockeyroos Team v Great Britain – FIH Pro League 2020

Hockeyroos v Great Britain – Overall Record

Played 51; Won 37, Drawn 7, Lost 7

FIH Pro League 2020 matches – Sydney Olympic Park Hockey Centre

Saturday 25 January
Hockeyroos 3 (Malone 21’, Bone 59’, Commerford 60’)
Belgium 3 (Versavel 33’, Englebert 45’, Nelen 55’)
Hockeyroos win 4-2 on penalties

Sunday 26 January
Hockeyroos 1 (Nance 45’)
Belgium 1 (Duquesne 47’)
Belgium wins 3-1 on penalties

Saturday 1 February
Hockeyroos v Great Britain (6:30pm local)

Sunday 2 February
Hockeyroos v Great Britain (5:30pm local)

Hockey Australia media release

Hockeyroos defensive duo set for milestones

By Adam Clifford



The Hockeyroos will celebrate two major individual milestones on match day 1 of their FIH Pro League weekend against Great Britain with Edwina Bone and Karri McMahon to play their 200th and 150th internationals respectively.

Canberra-born Bone is just the 24th Hockeyroos player to reach the 200 game milestone, and she joins Emily Chalker, Jodie Kenny and Rachael Lynch of the current crop in the elite 200 club.

Bone, a keen Crossfitter, developed her skills alongside twin sister Meredith as a junior and has  been a regular for Australia’s women’s hockey team.

“Eddie is a supreme athlete. She works so hard and has been able to have a long career as she is fit, fast, strong and very brave,” Lynch said when asked about Bone’s impending accomplishment.

“I love having Eddie as my first runner on penalty corner defence, as she is one of the best in the world at that specific skill.”


Australia v Belgium in the FIH Pro League Hockey at Sydney Olympic Park Hockey Centre in Sydney, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020. (Photo/Steve Christo)

Queensland-born McMahon plied her trade with the Adelaide Fire in the inaugural Sultana Bran Hockey One League having relocated to South Australia when she was six years old.

McMahon’s career has included Commonwealth Games gold, a World Cup silver medal and a 2016 Olympic Games appearance, while she has also juggled a career as a paramedic.

Throughout her career McMahon has suffered a number of on-field injuries including a double fracture to her jaw, a nasty head injury and a stress fracture in her foot, which makes her achievement of 150 games for her country all the more remarkable.

“Karri’s career has been plagued by injury which has been a challenge for her,” Lynch said.

“Spending time away from the group would be tough but she has worked her way through each one and managed to find a way back into the group which is a hugely commendable achievement in itself.”

After taking three points out of six against Belgium at home last weekend, Lynch says the milestone duo bring important experience to the side as they look to defeat Great Britain on Saturday.

“We have a majority of our experience in the back line. It has evolved over the years but the three of us have played many games and big tournaments together. With Jodie Kenny as well, I have a lot of confidence in the back group and it makes a big difference.”

Tickets for the matches against Great Britain are available through Ticketek, while they will be broadcast LIVE on Kayo.

Hockey Australia media release

Black Sticks veteran Gemma McCaw ready for pressure as Tokyo Olympics loom large

Andrew Voerman


Gemma McCaw has gone to three Olympics with the Black Sticks, including the Rio Games in 2016. MARK KOLBE/GETTY IMAGES

The Black Sticks women finished 2019 on a positive note – beating Australia to secure their place at the Tokyo Olympics at the first time of asking.

Now they're on the hunt for the Olympic medal that has eluded them in the past, including in Rio in 2016 and London in 2012, where they made it to the semifinals but finished fourth.

Four players in the 25-strong national squad for 2020 were involved in both those campaigns – Sam Charlton, Gemma McCaw, Stacey Michelsen, and Kayla Whitelock.

McCaw and Whitelock, both fresh out of retirement, are also veterans of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and ahead of the start of the FIH Pro League this weekend, McCaw shared what she'd learned from her three experiences at the game's pinnacle event.

"There's a lot of pressure and the thing I've taken away from that is that it's not like any other tournament," she said.

"In our last two campaigns we were fortunate enough to make the semifinals and we worked really hard to get there, but we weren't able to execute when it mattered.

"The key takeaway has been: How do you perform at that level, when there's the extra pressure of being at an Olympic Games?

"It's around playing to your strengths and just doing your job really well. It's not about doing anything fancy or pulling a rabbit out of a hat, it's just about executing the things day-in, day-out, which you train for.

"It's made up of small moments and you have to treasure every single moment that you're on the ball for the whole 60 minutes.

"When I was 18 [in Beijing] I was young and I was just happy to be there, then you realise how much goes into each campaign and how much you just have to treasure it."

The Black Sticks women begin the Pro League with a pair of matches against Belgium on Saturday and Sunday at the new National Hockey Centre on Auckland's North Shore – double-headers alongside the Black Sticks men, who play the same opponents.

In its debut season, the Pro League pitted the world's top hockey nations against each other on a home-and-away basis, but it has undergone a slight revamp, with teams now playing half their opponents twice at home and the other half twice on the road.

The Black Sticks women finished sixth last year, with six wins and 10 losses, but will be hoping to use this year's campaign to get themselves ready for another shot at an Olympic medal.

"I think we're looking really good," McCaw said on Friday.

"I've only been around the group for a couple of months but the girls are excited. This format gives us two games this weekend and next weekend, then we go down to Christchurch and have four more, so it allows us to play good-quality international hockey, then we head over to Europe.

"The team's starting to look really good together and we're working hard, just trying to get those connections. I'm really excited.

"From what we're doing at training, we're building really nicely and playing a really exciting brand of hockey."

The Black Sticks men had a tough time of it in 2019, failing to win any of their 14 Pro League games, but managed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics the end of year, beating South Korea in a playoff.

Great Britain's men's and women's teams come to Auckland next weekend, before the action shifts south, with the men playing Spain and the women playing the United States in Christchurch on February 15 and 16, and both teams playing Argentina there on February 28 and March 1.

Black Sticks' FIH Pro League home fixtures

February 1 & 2, Auckland: Men & women v Belgium
February 8 & 9, Auckland: Men & women v Great Britain
February 15 & 16, Christchurch: Men v Spain, women v United States
February 28 & March 1, Christchurch: Men & women v Argentina

Stuff

The fab four: Argentina’s quartet of FIH award nominees

Lucas Vila, Maico Casella, Carla Rebecchi and Julieta Jankunas

Sarah Juggins


2019 FIH Hockey Stars Awards   

A quartet of Argentina national team players are up for prizes in the annual FIH Hockey Stars awards. From Los Leones, Lucas Vila is nominated for the men’s Best Player, while Maico Casella is a Rising Star nominee. Carla Rebecchi and Julieta Jankunas are nominees for women’s Best Player and Rising Star respectively.

Needless to say, all four players enjoyed a good year in 2019. Both the men’s and the women’s teams won the Pan American Games to secure automatic qualification for the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020. All four of the nominees played a big role in their team’s victories.

The women’s team was also the first side to qualify for the FIH Pro League Grand Final, although a fourth-place finish at the end-of-season finale was not the flourish to the season they would have liked. In the league itself, Argentina finished in second place, behind the Netherlands. Aside from the Dutch, Argentina recorded the most wins of any other women’s team – 10 – and won all the shoot-out matches in the four games they drew.

The men’s team were disappointed to end the Pro League season in fifth place and out of the Grand Finals. This was made doubly disappointing as they lost out on a place due to goal difference, something that might not have happened had their league match against Germany not been cancelled and the points shared.

So, what of the nominees themselves? What were the standout moments that caused them to be nominated for the biggest individual player accolade of all?

For Lucas Vila, 2019 is just another year in a long line of successful appearances for his country. Since he burst onto the international scene in 2006 at the Champions Trophy in Terassa, Spain, he has been a stalwart of the Argentina men’s team.

The pinnacle of Vila’s career to this point must be the 2016 Olympic Games where he scored four goals, including two crucial strikes in Los Leones’ opening match against the Netherlands.

Since then the 32-year-old has continued to be the dynamic midfield force that drives Argentina forwards in their own brand of exciting and creative hockey. His ability to conjure up chances from nowhere were evident in the opening season of the FIH Pro League as Vila popped up on the scoresheet with regularity, including two goals that sealed a hard-fought victory over the Netherlands.

In 2019, Vila was part of the team that won the Pan Am Games, beating Canada 5-2 in the final. By his own standards, he was quiet, scoring two goals and sitting out the quarter-final match against Peru.

In contrast, one of the youngest members of the team, Maico Casella, was leading the attack for his team in Peru. 10 goals in six games, including five in the demolition of Peru in the quarter-finals, were just one of many reasons that the Argentine striker is one of the nominees for FIH Rising Star.

The 22-year-old, who first made his debut for the senior team in 2017 at the Hockey World League Semi-Finals, has also shown he can cut it against the best opposition in the world. In the first six 2019 Pro League games Argentina played, Casella appeared on the score sheet on every occasion.

The other young Argentina hockey player who has made a tremendous impact since her arrival on the senior international scene in 2015 is Julieta Jankunas. Despite scoring five goals in the Pro League and a further 11 in the Pan Am Games, the 20-year-old says she was amazed to find herself among the nominees.

“The nomination took me by surprise,” she says. “When the nominations came out, I thought to myself ‘I hope there are some from Argentina’ and then I saw my name there. I spent two days just crying, I couldn’t believe it. That is what it means to me. It is amazing.”

Talking about the 2019 season, Jankunas says: “It was a very busy year, very loaded. Throughout the year, it was a case of taking things step-by-step and gaining confidence, particularly when it came to understanding my role on the pitch. For this coming season, I will be working to improve my positioning and my defensive play within the team.

“I think when you are feeling good within yourself, that is when your performance grows as well. At the Pan American Games, I feel I fulfilled what the coaching staff asked of me and we did what was needed to qualify for Tokyo and the chance to come home with an [Olympic] gold medal.”

Jankunas also paid a tribute to the support she received from both the national team coaching staff and the coaches and players at her club in Buenos Aires, saying: “Chapa (Carlos) Retegui, together with the coaching staff, helped me play to the highest standards I could. And I received tremendous support and good vibes from the City of Buenos Aires club, who always welcome me back whenever I have the chance to play for them.”

Jankunas, like just about every other hockey player heading to Tokyo, dreams of Olympic success. But success would be particularly sweet for her compatriot Carla Rebecchi who will be hoping that this is the year that she finally turns silver to gold.

Las Leonas have a proud tradition at the Olympic Games but their highest achievement, since Rebecchi joined the squad, is a silver at the 2012 Games in London. The 35-year-old’s first Olympic Games was Beijing in 2008, although she made her senior team debut four years earlier in 2004.

Since then, Rebecchi has been an absolute bedrock of the Argentina team, playing well over 300 games and scoring more than 160 goals. She attempted retirement in 2017 and in the 18 months she was away from the game, she gave birth to daughter Vera.

However, the diminutive striker was back with a vengeance for the 2019 Pro League and quickly demonstrated that she had lost none of her pace or goal scoring acumen. As a cautionary note to all opponents, Rebecchi was voted Player of the Match after the opening game versus Belgium and she just seemed to get better and better as the season progressed.

In an interview with the newspaper Clarin, Rebecchi admitted that even as she was enjoying her pregnancy, she knew in her heart of hearts that she wasn’t quite finished with hockey. “From the outside, I saw the girls training and I knew I hadn’t really closed the door. Whether I returned depended upon a lot of factors but when the opportunity arose, I felt like trying because I knew I had more to give.”

A nomination for Best Player, match-winning performances in the Pro League, another shot at Olympic gold – it’s not just Rebecchi who is glad she made the decision to return, her team mates and Argentina’s legions of hockey fans are very delighted as well.

And the veteran striker says she is enjoying her hockey as much, if not more, than ever. “I think last year was a good one for me because everything is different now. I enjoy being back in the team after becoming a mother and having my baby".

‘Yes, everything is a little bit tougher, like I have to put in a little bit more effort than I did before. It is also tough to leave her [Vera] when I travel away but playing hockey is the thing I love most in my life. Now it is a different moment for me. I am seeing hockey from another side and enjoying it even more. That is what makes it a special year for me.”

With four nominees across all the categories, Argentina’s hockey teams just ooze quality. As the youngest of those nominees, Julieta Jankunas sums up just what it means to be a member of the fabled Leonas and Leones.

“Just being here, being part of it all inspires you. My teammates provide constant motivation and inspiration. Wearing the Argentina shirt gives such pride. I can’t even explain what it means to represent your country. Only the people in the team know just what effort goes into getting into the team and then holding your place there.”

Pan American Hockey Federation media release

Rani Rampal earns SAI promotion

Indian women's hockey team captain Rani Rampal has served the country with distinction since making her debut in 2009 as a 15-year-old.


Rani, who joined SAI as an assistant coach in 2015, has been promoted to the post of coach (Level-10).   -  FILE PHOTO/PTI

Indian women's hockey team captain Rani Rampal, who has been named the World Games Athlete of the Year, was handed an out-of-turn promotion by the Sports Authority of India on Friday.

Rani, who joined SAI as an assistant coach in 2015, has been promoted to the post of coach (Level-10), with immediate effect to honour her achievement.

Speaking about the initiative of SAI to reward Rani on her achievement, Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju said, "As an organisation, the welfare of sportspersons is SAI’s primary concern. It is the government’s duty to provide the best facilities to athletes and motivate them to perform better.

“Ensuring that our athletes have a sound financial standing is of immense importance. This is our way of appreciating Rani for all that she has contributed to the country,” Rijiju said.

The 25-year-old Rani was named the World Games Athlete of the Year on Thursday through an online voting process spanning three weeks. She received over 199,000 votes to emerge winner for the award instituted by the International World Games Association.

Rani has served the country with distinction since making her debut in 2009 as a 15-year-old. She captained the Indian side that qualified for the Rio Olympics in 2016. She also led the Indian team that won a silver in the 2018 Asian Games. Last year, under her leadership, the Indian team qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

She received the Arjuna Award in 2016 and she was named as a Padma Shri awardee by the government on the eve of the country’s 71st Republic Day.

Over the last few years, SAI has appointed a number of leading sportspersons as coaches, even when they were active athletes, in order to ensure financial stability for them and their families.

Athletes like Muhammad Anas Yahiya, Sharad Kumar, OP Jaisha, Savita Punia and Ashwini Akkunji are among the athletes who are currently posted as coaches in SAI.

“It has been SAI’s constant endeavour to support athletes at all stages of their sporting career. This not only includes inducting them into SAI schemes and training centres from a young age and then supporting their careers when they become elite sportspersons, but also preparing them for a career after sport,” the SAI said in a release.

Sportstar

Job Opportunity: Women’s National Team Head Coach (Interim)



Working in collaboration with a variety of partners, Field Hockey Canada is the national sport governing body responsible for the development, growth and promotion of field hockey in Canada.  Among its responsibilities, Field Hockey Canada selects, prepares and promotes Canada’s teams for international competitions including FIH World Cup Qualifiers, Continental Championships, World Championships, and major multi-sport games (e.g. Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games).

Field Hockey Canada receives financial contributions from the federal government and other agencies, organizations, sponsors and donors, and is accountable for the disbursement and reporting of funds according to the contracted terms and conditions.  Programs, activities and services are operated within the limitations established in an annual budget led by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and approved by the Board of Directors.  Field Hockey Canada staff is responsible to manage and administer the finances and provide administrative support for all Field Hockey Canada activity.

Within this scope, it is the responsibility of the Head Coach to work within the policies and procedures established by Field Hockey Canada. We are seeking a Head Coach for the Canadian Women’s National Field Hockey Team. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the Head Coach is responsible for the National Team athletes’ on-field preparation. This includes training sessions in British Columbia, Canada. The role is on basis of a fixed-term contract over an initial 6-month period from May to October 2020, and may be extended.

Core Responsibilities

Coaching-

• Be responsible for leading and coaching the preparation of the WNT;
• Evidence of world-class coach experience, ideally with a successful track record of coaching at the international level;
• Coach and lead the coaching of other nationally identified athletes in both a team environment and individual sessions.
• Capture and maintain team training logs of observations and programs;
• Innovative approach to coaching with an appreciation of past success and the ability to draw knowledge from other sports or fields to achieve excellence;

Planning and monitoring-

• In collaboration with key staff, develop, implement and communicate a YTP;
• Proof of the ability to work effectively within a team, possessing excellent interpersonal, management and organizational skills, with the ability to work in partnership with and inspire others;
• Monitoring and evaluation of athlete performance and the maintenance of relevant data to ensure standards are met and maximal performance potential is obtained;
• Strong engagement and communication skills;

Program Management-

• Prepare and distribute the selection criteria and final team list for camps and tours;
• Oversight and link with de-centralized targeted athletes;
• Integration and application of innovation and technology into the program;
• Experience integrating medical, sport science and technology support within a team environment;
• Provide regular feedback to the WNT members as part of the performance strategy metrics and accountability;

Program and Talent Development-

• Work with key staff to implement and distribute the national strategy, collaborating to develop key initiatives and program direction to the WNT Development Pathway and Development Programs;
• Provide support and direction to the NextGen and Provincial Programs; liaise with NextGen and National Network Coaches to ensure quality athlete and coach development programs are operating;
• Provide strategic advice and mentorship to NextGen and Provincial Coaches on skill and fitness requirements and coaching practices;
• Oversee the development and implementation of sport science and medicine programs to support the WNT and links to the PSO programs;
• Support talent identification to ensure appropriate athletes are included in the National Women’s Program;

Education

The successful candidate will have a demonstrated commitment to coach education throughout his/her career.  Evidence of having completed, or being in the process of imminently completing, coach certification at the highest national level is required.  An academic degree(s) is considered an asset.

Application Details

If you have a passion for working with high performance athletes and collaborating with a variety of stakeholders and believe you possess the appropriate experience and skill set for the position, please submit your resume and cover letter that includes the top 3 reasons why you are the ideal candidate for this position.

Applications are to be submitted electronically by February 21st, 2020 to: Susan Ahrens, Chief Executive Officer at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Field Hockey Canada is committed to employment equity and encourages applications from all qualified candidates. Compensation will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. We appreciate your interest, however, only the shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

DOWNLOAD JOB DESCRIPTION

Field Hockey Canada media release

Three-Time Olympian Dawson Promoted to U.S. Women’s National Development Team Head Coach



COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Field Hockey’s women’s Junior High Performance staff is pleased to announce the appointment of three-time Olympian and former U.S. Women’s National Team athlete Rachel Dawson from assistant coach to head coach of the U.S. Women’s National Development Team.

"I am very thankful to USA Field Hockey and the Junior High Performance program for the opportunity to continue serving the U.S. Women's Development Team in the role of head coach,” said Dawson. “Over the past few years, a great foundation has been built by the collective work of Marc Hardy, Jun Kentwell, Roz Ellis and Mark Atherton as well as the members of the team. The post-collegiate segment is critical to USA Field Hockey's mission of succeeding internationally. We need to keep talented athletes in the game by continuing to provide training opportunities and exposure to high-level international competition."

"In my experience on Team USA, the strength of the USWNT program isn't in who is named to the group, but who is left out of the group," continued Dawson. "The role of the Development Team is to expand competition for the USWNT and prepare athletes for a seamless transition to international competition."

Dawson was named assistant coach of the U.S. Women’s National Development Team in July 2019. She also currently serves as assistant coach at the University of Virginia. She retired from the USWNT in 2016, after representing at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympic Games, and helped lead USA to a fifth-place showing at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Dawson competed in 298 international caps with Team USA and won five golds in international competitions, including at the 2011 and 2015 Pan American Games. She also helped USA to a bronze medal at the 2016 Champions Trophy in London.

Dawson graduated with distinction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2007. She earned the 2007 Honda Award as the National Player of the Year for field hockey and was selected as one of the five finalists for the Honda-Broderick Cup as the nation's top collegiate female athlete. With 19 goals that season, the midfielder was the top scorer for the No. 1 offensive team in the nation while also being named the 2007 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Defensive Player of the Year and 2007 ACC Tournament MVP.

Earlier this month the Junior High Performance staff confirmed the roster for the 2020 U.S. Women’s National Development Team. The team will train in Berkeley, Calif. from February 28 to March 2 before heading to the East Coast to train from March 27 to 29 in Chapel Hill and Durham, N.C. Their first international competition of the year is scheduled from April 16 to 22 when the team will tour in Scotland.

USFHA media release

PSPB expected to shade Air India

Men’s National championship semifinals shorn of big name players

Uthra Ganesan

National championships in any sport are often the pinnacle of performance. The ongoing Hockey Men’s National Championship (A Division) here is anything but.

Consider: The national camp currently has 32 players; the junior campers number 35. That’s 67 of supposedly India’s best players ruled out of the nationals. With little chance of breaking into this elite club — it would take exceptional brilliance for someone to do so — there is little to play for for those here, except bragging rights for the respective state teams or their employers.

It would be in this backdrop that the semifinals of the tournament would be played on Saturday, with all four being institutional sides. In the absence of four-time winner Railways, suspended by Hockey India last year for not acting in an age-fraud case from 2018, Petroleum Sports Promotion Board would take on former heavyweights but now struggling Air India while the other semifinal would see Services take on Punjab & Sind Bank.

With three wins and a draw, PSPB has been in fine form through the league stages. It also boasts of several players who have been part of the national set-up till very recently — both youngsters and seniors — either as players or part of the support staff. As such, the team is not just fitter but also more aware of what is required at any point of the game.

Old hands

Air India, on the other hand, continues to bank on old hands, including players like V.S. Vinaya and Adrian D’Souza, the only recognisable names in the line-up. It was lucky to make the cut after eking out a 1-1 draw with Gangpur-Odisha in its final Pool D game. Having stopped recruiting players more than a decade ago, struggling to survive with the organisation itself on the verge of disinvestment and continuing with contractual players on annual stipend, that Air India has continued to stay in the game only highlights the decay elsewhere.

The last time the two teams met in a knockout game, in the 2018 semifinals, PSPB — included as an associate member by Hockey India that year only — won easily. A similar result seems likely this time around as well.

Semifinals line-up: SSCB vs PSB (1 p.m.), Air India vs PSPB (3 p.m.).

The Hindu

Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra register wins in Senior National Hockey

Tamil Nadu defeated Chandigarh 4-2 while Maharashtra registered a comprehensive 6-1 victory over Uttar Pradesh.

Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra registered victories in their respective matches on the second day of the 10th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship (A Division) here on Friday.

In the first match of the day, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha played out a 2-2 draw in a high octane match in their Pool A. Odisha took the lead in the 34th minute before Madhya Pradesh leveled the scores in the 44th minute.

Madhya Pradesh went ahead for the first time in the match through a field goal in the 51st minute. However, Odisha found the equaliser in the 58th minute as the two sides settled for a draw.

The Sports Authority of India registered a comprehensive 7-0 victory over Rajasthan in its Pool B game. Rajasthan and SAI were neck and neck in the first quarter, but once SAI scored their first goal in the second quarter, they took complete control of the match.

Sonia (36th, 41st), Binita Tirkey (17th), Vartika Rawat (18th), Dung Dung Betan (36th), Pramila Soreng (54th) and Tanya (59th) scored goals for Sports Authority of India.

In the third match of the day, Tamil Nadu defeated Chandigarh 4-2 in Pool C. Chandigarh went ahead through a field goal in the 7th minute, but Tamil Nadu took control of the match after finding the equaliser in the 10th minute.

R. Nivetha (10th), J Ammukutty (20th), A Kamaleshwari (40th), A Gayathiri (48th) found the back of the net for Tamil Nadu, while captain Manju (7th) and Dhapa Devi (60th) scored for Chandigarh.

Maharashtra registered a comprehensive 6-1 victory over Uttar Pradesh in Pool C in the last match of the day. Maharashtra stayed in complete control of the game by scoring goals at regular intervals.

Aishwarya Chavan (14th, 30th), Ankita Sapate (28th), Manashri Narendra Shedage (34th), Reeta (46th), Rutuja Dadaso Pisal (46th) scored for Maharashtra, while Archana Bhardwaj (56th) scored the only goal for Uttar Pradesh.

Sportstar

UniKL power into second leg

By Jugjet Singh


UniKL’s Faridzul Afiq (centre) celebrates his goal with teammates Izwan Firdaus (right) and Shukri Mutalib in a MHL match against Tenaga Nasional at the National Hockey Stadium yesterday.

UNIVERSITI Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) edged Tenaga Nasional 1-0 to romp home with a five- point lead going into the second leg of the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL).

After lifting the Charity Shield, UniKL kept a clean record in the next six matches and look set to dominate the rest of the season.

Tenaga Nasional follow with a distant 16 points on five wins and a draw, but still, coach Nor Saiful Zaini refuses to throw in the towel.

UniKL’s winner was scored in the 25th minute by Faridzul Afiq, while national player Nik Aiman Nik Rozemi blew away an equaliser when he flicked straight towards goalkeeper David Harte’s hockey stick in a 36th minute penalty stroke.

“I have 13 national players, but so far only five of them deserve to be called that (national). The rest are far off as compared to UniKL’s Harte or Tengku (Ahmad Tajuddin),” said a dejected Nor Saiful.

“But still, even though we are second on the standings and five points off UniKL going into the second leg, I believe the League title is still open to those who want it bad enough,” said Nor Saiful.

UniKL coach Arul Selvaraj was modest about his chances: “We did not play well, even in the earlier match against Maybank (won 4-2) but the six points matter most.

“We have an away game (at Batu Buruk) against Terengganu (Hockey Team) on Sunday (tomorrow) as the second leg opener and I believe that it could decide our course in the League,” said Arul.

Irish national Harte said: “There were two key moments in the game, when we took the lead and when I stopped the penalty stroke. In the end, the most important factor is that we collected three points and it was a team effort.”

RESULTS — NurInsafi 5 HockAdemy 2, Terengganu Hockey Team 4 Maybank 1, Universiti Kuala Lumpur 1 Tenaga Nasional 0, TNB Thunderbolts 1 UiTM 4.

TODAY — Women: Sabah v Police Blue Warriors (Likas, 5pm), UniTen v Terengganu Ladies (National Stadium I, 5pm), Mutiara Impian v HockAdemy (USM, 5pm).

TOMORROW — HockAdemy v Maybank (National Stadium II, 5pm), Terengganu HT v UniKL (Batu Buruk, 5pm), TNB Thunderbolts v Tenaga Nasional (National Stadium I, 5pm), UiTM v NurInsafi (Tun Razak, 5pm).

New Straits Times

TNB’s hopes dim as UniKL keeper saves penalty

By AFTAR SINGH


David Harte, the UniKL goalkeeper who saved a penatly flick.

BANGI: David Harte is a goalkeeper who can be a saviour when it matters most.

The Ireland national captain saved a penalty stroke and kept a clean sheet for Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) as they sent Tenaga reeling to their first defeat in a top-of-the-table Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) match.

The varsity team, however, were made to work hard for the 1-0 win at the Tengku Abdullah Hockey Stadium yesterday before registering their seventh consecutive win, which saw them take a five-point lead against second placed Tenaga after the end of the first round.

UniKL have 21 points to Tenaga’s 16.

Faridzul Afiq Mohd scored the all-important goal in the 25th minute from close range.

UniKL started off more aggressively and earned four penalty corners in the match but failed to convert any.

Tenaga, who were in tatters during their match against Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) on Wednesday, put up a better show to give UniKL a strong challenge.


Out of my way: UNiKL’s Mohd Ashran Hamsani (left) and TNB’s Shello Silverius tussle for the ball during their match yesterday. Inset: —AZLINA ABDULLAH/The Star

After failing to convert three penalty corners, they earned a penalty stroke in the 36th minute after UniKL Mohd Hafiz Zainol stopped the ball on the line with his foot.

But Harte stood in the way. Nik Mohd Aiman Nik Rozemi’s high flick to the right was well saved by the lanky Irishman.

Tenaga went all out to get the equaliser in the fourth quarter but, again, Harte played well to make all the saves.

The 31-year-old said he was delighted with his game and also happy to have saved a penalty stroke.

“I am also happy for my teammate Faridzul, who gave us the lead. It was a good win for us,” said Harte, who played in the 2018 World Cup in Bhubaneswar, India.

“What is important that is we earned the three points to finish the first-round by winning all seven matches.

“But that does not mean we are favourites to retain the league title. They are seven more matches to play in the second round.

“So we will take it one match at a time,” said Harte.

Tenaga coach Nor Saiful Zaini was obviously unhappy with his team performance, especially for squandering a penalty stroke.

“We have 13 national players in my team but only five are playing well. Some of the others are lost in the league,” said Nor Saiful.

The Star of Malaysia

Middleton predicting goals galore at Jaffa Super 6s Finals



The England Hockey Jaffa Super 6s Finals return to the Copper Box Arena this Sunday for a day packed full of indoor hockey action.

Ahead of Finals day, England and Great Britain Hockey’s record international cap holder, Barry Middleton, who will be featuring for Holcombe on Sunday, previewed the event:

“I’ve not played too many indoor seasons for the last ten years or so because I’ve always had international fixtures on, so it’s been nice to do it this year. It’ll be good to get into the Copper Box where there’ll be a bit of a crowd and have some fun, I’m really looking forward to it.

“Obviously it’s similar, but there’s a lot of differences about the indoor game compared to outdoors. Things like being low all the time, which at my age isn’t much fun! The speed that everything happens at, and the need to be ready a lot quicker than you have to in the outdoor game, as there’s a lot less space and time on the ball.

“Hopefully it’ll be the same as previous years and we’ll see lots of goals as, with it being within a smaller court, there’s a lot more action around the Ds. Corners are a massive weapon to be able to score so it’s pretty exciting and you do normally get a lot more goals.”



Middleton, whose Holcombe side will take on reigning champions East Grinstead in their semi-final match, gave an insight into how his team are feeling heading into Finals day:

“I think before the qualifying rounds we didn’t really know ourselves how good we’d be and if we’d make it to the Copper Box or not. We didn’t do a lot of training prior to the league because of the time of year and trying to get a court. It’s kind of been the same with the semi-finals, so we’re going there with not too many expectations and we’ll focus on ourselves, try to do what we do well and see how that goes. We know that for any team that has their own court it makes a big difference because they obviously can do a bit more training than everyone else.”

With several big names all participating in the Jaffa Super 6s finals including Sophie Bray, Sam Quek (playing as Sam Mairs), Rhys Smith and Michael Hoare that look set to light up the Copper Box Arena, Middleton also highlighted Sutton Coldfield’s 52-year-old Jane Sixsmith as a player to watch:

“It’s brilliant seeing Jane Sixsmith playing, it shows how good a shape she must keep herself in to still be able to do it! Compared to some others, there probably aren’t many in the shape she is to run around and play now like she does. It’s great she’s still doing it and people enjoy coming to watch her play.”

England Hockey Board Media release

Garvey host Town in huge tussle as men’s EYHL returns


Monkstown celebrate a Rory Nichols goal against UCD. Pic: Adrian Boehm

The pre-Christmas pace-setters in the men’s EY Hockey League meet in an enticing opening gambit to 2020 with Lisnagarvey welcoming Monkstown with top spot on the line.

It is part of five well-matched fixtures on the card which were originally postponed from day three of the competition due to Olympic qualifier preparations.

Free-scoring Garvey went through the first phase of the league in breathtaking form with a series of big wins, netting 39 times in seven ties. The only blemish was a 4-4 draw with Glenanne but, in that, they managed to summon a comeback from 4-0 down, showing the wealth of belief coursing through their veins.

They carry no injuries or changes to their squad into the new year but coach Erroll Lutton is not getting ahead of himself, knowing their two-point lead is a narrow one.

“We have a young team who have made a solid start to what is probably the most open and competitive of EY IHL league since it began in 2015,” he said. “We’re obviously happy with the start we’ve made but, as last year showed, any team is capable of putting a run together to be in the mix for either the top spot or a top four place.”

Town, meanwhile, found their mojo after a slow start with two draws to start their campaign, winning everything since then. After a couple of seasons out of contention, player-coach Gareth Watkins feels his side is getting back in the groove.

“The big thing for us was that we turned around a pattern of losing tight games by a goal last year, to winning them by one this year,” he said.

“It has been a real team effort, built on a strong defense. For the second half of the season we are under no illusions that this is a very tight league with teams taking points off each other regardless of what position they sit in. So we will keep approaching it week by week and look to keep making improvements.”

Youngsters Gavin Gleeson and Max Guilfoyle have stepped up well into the first team since November while Ryan Spencer looks more and more at home at this level.

They will have to cope without Jason Lynch until March at least due to a hand injury sustained on Irish indoor duty in Spain. Captain David Cole is also rehabbing with March also pegged for a return.

Keith Kenning has been excellent in his stead while David Fitzgerald was at his very best. Rory Nichols’ contribution at corner time is crucial in turning tight games.

It is also a big day at the bottom with ninth playing tenth – Pembroke against Annadale. It is something of a surprise to see the former in that position with just one win to their name but coach Paudie Carley is making no excuses about, resolving to make things right in 2020.


Lisnagarvey’s Troy Chambers and Three Rock Rovers’ David Kane. Pic: Adrian Boehm

“I think the league table rarely lies so we are where we are,” he said. “That said, we have been on the wrong side of a number of games we really did enough to win and errors at the wrong times let us down. We don’t intend repeating those errors in the second half of the season!”

He will look to give young guns like Alex O’Meara, Henry Thompson, Liam Labuschagne and James Maginnis their chance to establish themselves on the map while Rob McCollum brings drive and skill to their attacking midfield sector.

Eric Foy is back after a significant injury break while Keith O’Hare has been a big miss to their central defensive partnership with Harry Spain. Kirk Shimmins’ whirlwind of energy should propel them in the right way for the Dale challenge.

For the Ulster side, last summer was a rough one with lots of big players moving on with the club’s youth section the primary route to replace them. As such, it has been a tough baptism for Richard Fariman’s troops.

“As the league will show, we have had a tough start to the season with almost a complete new squad and coach for the 19-20 season.

“That said things are coming along; with the new squad, learning in high performance sport can be a good but harsh place to learn. That thankfully is being grasped by all involved, taking it one game at a time and trying to ensure we build on our performances game by game.

“With 50% of the squad still at school level, this is the biggest challenge, trying to ensure that burnout is avoided with the demands of school hockey.


Charlie Henderson returns to the Corinthian line-up. Pic: Adrian Boehm

“A high percentage of these athletes are also involved with provincial and international youth setups training also which although a great achievement for all is also having to be managed.”

Three Rock Rovers had an erratic first half to the season with some big wins and some heavy defeats as they managed a large series of incoming and outgoing players from the side that swept the board last term.

That trend has continued ahead of their game with Corinthian on Saturday. Conor Quinn returned just before Christmas from the US and will vye for the goalkeeping duties with Shane O’Brien while Peter Blakeney is also back in training.

On the flip side, Ali Empey switched to UCD while Ben Johnson had surgery on his knee in mid-December and could be out for the rest of the season.

Ben Ryder, Luke Adams, Evan Jennings and Harry Lynch will likely play an increasing role in the side with coach Elun Hack praising their “excellent ability”.

“With several new additions to the squad in key positions, and a new coaching staff, it was always going to take time to adjust,” is Hack’s assessment of the first half of the campaign.

“Inconsistency meant results which we would not have hoped for in our pre-season goal setting, but have provided us with the opportunity to learn from and hopefully improve our performances.

“Hopefully we will continue to improve in the second half of the season, and maintain our place in the top four come the end of the season. TRR have been very successful in the playoff weekends over the past number of seasons, and two good performances in EHL, shows the team’s ability to rise to the big occasions.

“Hopefully we can secure a playoff place and once again demonstrate our ability to get the desired results at the business end of the season.”

Corinthian, meanwhile, welcome back an old friend to the line-up this weekend with Charlie Henderson – 40 later this month – named on the squad list as number one goalkeeper. The goalkeeper previously played for Three Rock in their 2008 All-Ireland winning side and run to EHL KO16 in 2009.

The reds were hard to beat before Christmas, winning once but drawing four times with a strong defensive setup under Joe Brennan.

Glenanne host UCD at St Andrew’s – UCD were one of the stories of the first half of the season, sitting in third since earning promotion in 2019. The Glens, meanwhile, are another side marked by inconsistency but coach Gary Shaw feels that is being ironed out.

“Losing eight of our squad from last season did impact us early,” he said. “We settled as the season went on and started to gain some momentum again before Christmas. The break probably came at the wrong time for us but cannot be helped. February is a key month for us, so if we can put together some results, we have a positive outlook for the remainder of the season.”

Jason Rogan is back from injury and adds to Shaw’s options up front; Gavin Gibney, however, has an internship offer in California – he leaves in early February and is not scheduled back until September and so is a loss.


Glenanne’s Jason Rogan is back in action after injury. Pic: Adrian Boehm

YMCA’s youthful side host Banbridge at Wesley with the former pushing some of the big sides all the way and landing a memorable 3-2 win over Pembroke to sit in eighth.

Bann were underwhelming for the first couple of months of the season but hit their stride with three wins out of four, propelling them from ninth to fifth.

In Leinster, Clontarf will expect no hiccups from their home tie against Bray despite the absence of John Mullins with a foot injury and Lorcan McCormack to an ankle issue. Win and they go six points clear with Railway not in action until next Wednesday.

Dublin North host Portrane in the Fingal derby; Dublin University meet Avoca and Kilkenny take on Rathgar.

Men’s weekend fixtures

EYHL Division 1: Glenanne v UCD, St Andrew’s, 2.45pm; Lisnagarvey v Monkstown, Comber Road, 3pm; Pembroke v Annadale, Serpentine Avenue, 3pm; Three Rock Rovers v Corinthian, Grange Road, 1.30pm; YMCA v Banbridge, Wesley College, 2.15pm

Leinster Division 1: Clontarf v Bray, Mount Temple, 11.30am; Dublin North v Portrane, National Sports Campus, 12.45pm; Dublin University v Avoca, Santry Avenue, 1pm; Kilkenny v Rathgar, Kilkenny College, 2pm

Munster Division 1: Catholic Institute v Ashton, Rosbrien, 2pm; Cork C of I v Cork Harlequins, Garryduff, 12pm; Waterford v Bandon, Newtown, 1.30pm

The Hook

Pegasus looking to continue hot streak into 2020 in highly competitive women’s EYHL


Pegasus’s Niamh McIvor has played a key role already. Pic: Adrian Boehm

If the second phase of the women’s EY Hockey League season matches the pre-Christmas encounters, it promises to be an epic run from now until May.

Just one game had more than two goals in the difference of the 34 played to date; lots of late goals have seen points swing from side to side. There also remains something of an unknown with the potential swings of international selection perhaps having an impact at different stages.

As such, while Pegasus and Loreto have etched out strong positions, there is no time to rest on laurels with 11 rounds of matches to play.

Pegasus, leaders on 18 points, face a tricky away date at Muckross on Saturday, travelling south with Michelle Harvey out of action following surgery on her ankle. The hope is she can return before the end of the season.

In her absence, Kerri McDonald in defence and Ruth Maguire in midfield have been leading lights in the wake of injury and retirement. Pamela Glass – despite announcing her retirement after last season’s Champions Trophy – has been excellent in providing experience to a very young side.

Irish Under-18 duo Niamh McIvor and Charlotte Beggs have taken to the league like a duck to water and coach Greg Thompson is delighted with how their campaign has panned out to date and the challenge is now to maintain those standards.

Muckross are enjoying a productive season so far with nine points and a sixth position under new coach Simon Thornton.

Youngsters Ellie McLoughlin, Sarah MacAuley and Caroline Mathews have stepped up and Pearson says of their lot: “I think we are in a really good place right now but there is still a lot of hockey to be played, so for Muckross it all about taking one game at a time and not to look ahead and hopefully finishing in a very positive position”.

UCD are waiting in the wings to a certain extent in fifth place but look like they have plenty going for them in pursuit of a playoff place. Edel Nyland has joined the club after spells in the US and, last season, with Munich SC in the German Bundesliga.

Her aggression in the circle and extra experience is a big boon as is Nina Heisterkamp following a wrist injury which had ruled her out since October. Abbie Russell got in a couple of games at the back end of last year after six months out and she is regaining her sharpness.

Coach Miles Warren is hoping for a more clinical edge in the attacking circle, seeing his defence as being largely solid thud far, and if they can marry the two, they can rise the ranks.


Edel Nyland has started a masters course with UCD. Pic: Adrian Boehm

Their first tie of 2020 is against Catholic Institute against whom they played a thrilling 7-4 battle in the Irish Senior Cup, coming back in the final quarter to win the day.

For Insta, they are hoping they can see Roisin Upton in action for the club for the first time after her wrist injury sustained during the Olympic qualifiers. Sarah Fitzgerald has been added to their panel while Bella Murphy moved back from Dublin to Limerick to expand their panel.

Jane Kirby, however, has a college placement in Luxembourg and will miss most weeks. A very young side, they have 10 schoolgirls in the squad with Roisin Begley and Anna Horan coming through with Christine O’Shea guiding things.

For coach Dave Passmore, he says: “We have played some good hockey in attack but the first half of the season was a steep learning curve which we hoped will benefit us in the second half, especially with the addition of Roisin Upton coming back but we need to get better at managing games as we lost several games from winning positions early on.”

He has been frustrated at a lack of cup matches for Munster clubs in January, something Leinster sides have availed of, following the province’s decision at an AGM a couple of years ago to not include EYHL sides in provincial cups.

The same is true for Cork Harlequins but they do have a large number of active members of the Mount Mercy school team who are through to Munster schools final where they will play Crescent.

Quins meet Railway Union in their first game of 2020 – eighth against seventh currently. The Sandymount side will be without Niamh Sweeney who has been called into the Dublin ladies football panel and made her debut last Sunday against Tipperary.

Lucy Crowe and Martha McCready both made their first team debuts recently and could be in a position to step up. Railway’s midfield mix of experience and youth pairs Emma Smyth and Sophia Cole in a key hub for the side with Orla Fox at the back and Sarah Hawkshaw up front.

Coach Dave McGivern says their rising stars will be key in the evolution of the team: “With the younger players in the squad taking on increasing levels of responsibility, we are at an exciting part of our development as a squad.


Audrey O’Flynn has joined Old Alex. Pic: Adrian Boehm

“Looking to push on towards a top four spot in the second half of the season but, crucially, to keep exposing the younger members to EY hockey to aid their longer term development.”

Old Alex had an excellent first phase of the season and they have added some international experience to their deck for phase two. Audrey O’Flynn is back after a spell playing rugby sevens for Ireland and Pamela Smithwick is back training after the birth of her daughter.

Aine Connery, though, is on the long-term injury list after an ACL operation at the back end of November.

Sarah Robinson, Emma Russell, Rebecca Evans and Hannah McDermott have been key drivers while Orna Bools and Bella Dunlop are making their mark alongside Nikki Evans and Deirdre Duke.

They do have big games against both Pembroke (on Saturday) and Pegasus to give a clear idea of where they lie in the playoff shake-up.

Loreto, meanwhile, will be favourites for all the points against bottom side Belfast Harlequins for whom Bethany Barr is an injury concern having missed the Irish international trip to South Africa.

EYHL2 also returns for the second half of the season. In Pool A, Corinthian travel south to Cork C of I knowing a win would virtually assure them of a place in the promotion playoffs.

They have a perfect record in both their league competitions and are bolstered by Amber Kinlan’s return from a fractured elbow on the first day of the season. Emily McKay and Sarah Coleman both have broken fingers which will keep them out for four to eight weeks.

The scoring has been shared out evenly, giving them multiple points of attack with Jessica McGrane scoring 10 and recording 10 assists. Lauren McGrane as 11 goals and Lynne Pomeroy with nine assists while goalkeeper Holly MIcklem had nine clean sheets.

They also have found a gem in Cilia Holdermann, a 15-year-old TY student in St Columba’s who is over from Germany and has been excellent. Irish Under-16 captain of last year, Milly Lynch, is also about continuing her development.

“Couldn’t have gone much better to be honest,” is Ralph Billings assessment. “The test now is to sustain it, we’re in a good place but we also know only half the job is done. There are no prizes for winning matches from September to December!”

C of I need a win to have any chance of breaching the top two in the group. They feature former Red Hannah Honner. Third place Lurgan go to NUIG with both sides also needing a result.

Trinity are interested observers on their bye weekend. Sophie Roopnarinesingh joins up after a half-year studying in Japan but Sally Campbell is on placement in Hawaii.

Coach Brian Scully puts a lot of store in his defence of Kate Orr, Leah Paul, Rachel Burns, Amy Buttimer and goalkeeper Iseult Cambay. And he is confident Trinity will be in the shake-up in a few months time.

“We are in a good position in our group, but it is only the halfway stage.  It is all about making the semi-finals and then performing well that weekend; which we did not do last season. I see no clear advantage in finishing top or second – both of the teams who emerge from the other pool will be very strong.”  

Their brief this weekend is a game with Naas in Leinster Division One.

In Pool B, UCC will look to jump back over Monkstown – who are on a bye weekend – into second place. They play winless Greenfields with most of the panel of 2019 bar Lorna McCutcheon who has moved to Canada as part of her course.


Corinthian and Trinity are both in the mix for the EYHL2 playoffs. Pic: Adrian Boehm

Jenny Clein has been in superb form and Caoimhe Perdue has begun to settle in well and is starting to reach her full potential as are the likes of Saoirse Griffin, Rebecca Kingston and Elva Kerr.

Ards have been the pace-setters in the group but face a big derby against Queen’s at Malone which will have a big bearing on the group.

In Leinster, Clontarf host Glenanne, Genesis meet Monkstown and North Kildare face Rathgar.

Women’s weekend fixtures

EYHL Division 1: Cork Harlequins v Railway Union, Farmers’ Cross, 1.05pm; Loreto v Belfast Harlequins, Beaufort, 2.45pm; Muckross v Pegasus, Muckross Park, 3.15pm; Old Alexandra v Pembroke Wanderers, Alexandra College, 1.30pm; UCD v Catholic Institute, Belfield, 2.50pm

EYHL Division 2

Pool A: Cork C of I v Corinthian, Garryduff, 2.30pm; NUIG v Lurgan, Dangan, 1.45pm

Pool B: Queens University v Ards, Malone, 1pm; UCC v Greenfields, Mardyke, 12pm

Leinster Division 1: Clontarf v Glenanne, Mount Temple, 2.30pm; Genesis v Monkstown, St Raphaela’s, 12pm; North Kildare v Rathgar, The Maws, 1pm; Trinity v Naas, Santry Avenue, 3.15pm

Munster Examiner Cup – Round 4: Belvedere v Ashton, Ballincollig CS, 1pm

The Hook

Hockey Wales Women's Club Cup semi-finals

This weekend sees a total of 12 teams competing in the Hockey Wales Women’s Club Cup semi-finals.

The tiered structure allows eligible teams to enter the competition relative to their league placements at the start of the season. This results in teams in the top league divisions playing in the Championship, middle division teams playing in the Trophy and the lower division teams in the Challenge Competition.

The semi-finals on the 2nd February 2020, will see action from clubs across Wales, representing all three tiers of the competition.

Sport Wales National Centre, Cardiff

10.00  Howardian   v   Cardiff Uni 1sts                 Championship           
12.00  Rhondda      v   Penarth 3rds                     Trophy
14.00  Cardiff Uni 3rds   v   Newcastle Emlyn      Trophy
16.00  Bridgend 2nds  v  Carmarthen 2nds         Challenge

Maldwyn Leisure Centre, Newtown

12.00  Cardiff & Met v  Ardudwy ac Arfon            Championship
14.00  Cardiff Uni 6ths v  Northop Hall 2nds        Challenge

Hockey Wales media release

Top players, coaches in 2019 to be celebrated
         
By VICTOR OTIENO

Hockey players and coaches who starred in the 2019 Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) Premier League will be recognised today at the HockeyKE Poty Awards to be held at Hillcrest International School in Nairobi.

It is the first time ever that top local hockey players and tacticians will be awarded. HockeyKE, a company that analyses local hockey matches, and KHU have partnered to host the event.

Players and coaches to be recognised include those who feature for teams in the Super League and the National League. Winners will be given trophies and household items.

HockeyKE Chief Executive Officer Simon Mwangi said they came up with the awards to make the sport competitive.

“Apart from recognising talent and achievement, through this event, we hope to make hockey games competitive because players will determined to perform better, knowing at the end of the season, they can win an award to win the awards,” said Mwangi.

Three rounds of selection of players to win the awards took place, HockeyKE panellists carried out the first one, where they came up with the names of players who were outstanding in various leagues. Thereafter, they invited the public to vote, with the top three players in every category being subjected to another round of voting that also included the HockeyKE panellists.

Former Butali Warriors’ Dennis Owoka and Blazer’s Joseph Openda are some of the coaches who had been nominated for the Coach of the Year award. Mwangi said moving forward, the event will be held annually and will involve more categories.

“The event is here to stay and it will improve every year with more categories being created,” he said.

Meanwhile, Lakers Hockey Club has recruited 10 new players, as they intensify their preparation for this year’s KHU Premier League.

The players who joined the club in January are students from some of top playing hockey schools and universities.

They are goalkeepers Quinter Okore and Rebecca Nasambu, defenders Prudence Mugala, Nancy Oyagi, Linda Nelima and Lancy Leah. Others are midfielders Debra Otieno, Maurine Achieng, Lencer Akinyi and Ruth Oluoch.The club lost forward Charlene Sydney to Mombasa Sports Club.

Daily Nation

Scott Baird steps down as Chair of Scottish Hockey



After completing eight years on the Scottish Hockey Board Scott Baird has stepped down as Chair of Scottish Hockey. The Board has appointed Robin McLaren as the Interim Chair of Scottish Hockey.

Scott has a long history with Hockey, starting in 1976 when he played for Uddingston Hockey Club which he still continues to do.


Women’s Scottish Cup Final – Edinburgh University v Dundee Wanderers – Photo by Duncan Gray

Appointed Chair of Scottish Hockey in February 2013, under Scott’s tenure Scottish Hockey has seen exceptional growth and achievement over the years. There has been a 90% growth in Scottish Hockey membership and the sport has moved from strength-to-strength.

Scottish Hockey relocated to Glasgow from Edinburgh and the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games offered a tremendous platform for change and improvement. Scottish Hockey’s focus on events hosting has helped propel hockey forward and build a platform for live hockey in Scotland. Most notably Women’s EuroHockey Championship II in 2019 and Men’s EuroHockey Championship II in 2017 – both teams were promoted to the top division of European hockey.

Another important project has been the introduction of CORE, Scottish Hockey’s bespoke membership system, and it’s a project that is ongoing and will bring real benefits to hockey in Scotland in the years ahead.


Scott Baird

Under Scott as Chair Scottish Hockey’s Board has been built based on skills and experience. Further to this a KPI and targeted approach to Scottish Hockey’s Strategy Plan has led to a strongly governed sport, and a financially sound Scottish Hockey.

Scott Baird said, “It has been a privilege to be on the board for what has been such an exciting period of growth and change for Scottish Hockey. I have enjoyed every minute of working with all the volunteers, players and members that make the sport possible, and in particular it has been inspiring working with the staff of Scottish Hockey who work tirelessly to improve the sport in Scotland and for its members.

“I am delighted to hand over to Robin who has been at the heart of everything that has been achieved over that last six years, and will do an excellent job along with the rest of the board continuing the growth and development of hockey in Scotland.”


Robin McLaren

Robin McLaren will be the Interim Chair of Scottish Hockey. Robin has recently led on the Scottish Hockey Strategic Plan and has been key in providing check and challenge for the Board throughout his term.

He is also the founder and Managing Director of a consultancy business advising on land policies and whose clients include Central Government Agencies, the UK Ministry of Defence and the United Nations amongst others.

Interim Chair of Scottish Hockey Robin McLaren said, “The board of Scottish Hockey would like to thank and acknowledge the leadership, energy and achievements of Scott Baird as he steps down as chair of Scottish Hockey.

“Scott introduced transformational change across all levels of hockey in Scotland during his eight years of tenure. Hockey now has a clear strategy, is played and enjoyed by considerably more people at all levels and ages across Scotland and the national teams are competing successfully at higher international levels.

“New talent pathways and associated coaching support are delivering an exciting new generation of international players – probably the best we have seen for a couple of decades.”

Scottish Hockey Union media release