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All the news for Sunday 8 March 2020

2020 FIH Pro League (Men)

6 Mar 2020     AUS v ARG (RR)     3 - 3 (Shootout 1/4 - 3/3)
7 Mar 2020     AUS v ARG (RR)     5 - 1

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)

6 Mar 2020    AUS v ARG (RR)     0 - 2
7 Mar 2020    AUS v ARG (RR)     0 - 2

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

Pool Standings

USA v NED (26.01.2020) worth double points because of the match cancelled on 24.01.2020
AUS v GBR (01.02.2020) worth double points because of the match cancelled on 02.02.2020

FIH Match Centre

Argentina women and Australia men move to top of FIH Hockey Pro League

By Sarah Juggins



Argentina women moved to the top of the women's FIH Hockey Pro League ahead of the Netherlands after an assured performance against Australia in Perth. Goals from player of the match Victoria Granatto and Sofia Toccalino were enough to ensure that Las Leonas took six points over the two matches against Australia.

In the men's match, Australia put on a dominant show to beat the reigning Olympic champions Argentina 5-1. On his return to action after injury, Blake Govers was among the scorers, finding the back of the net twice. The result moves Australia ahead of Belgium in the FIH Hockey Pro League, after they took a total of four points from this weekend's fixtures.

In the match between Australia and Argentina women, the visiting side took the lead after a fine solo goal was scored by Victoria Granatto. She jinked her way through several defenders before firing home her shot with precision past Ashlee Wells in the Australia goal.

While Australia cannot be criticised for the amount of effort they poured into this match, they struggled to contend with the well disciplined Argentina defence. Every attempt to create opportunities was well dealt with by the defensive unit, led by the imperturbable Victoria Sauze. At the same time, the Argentina attack always looked dangerous and capable of inflicting damage. Agustina Albertarrio and Eugenia Trinchinetti were particularly effective and, in the second half, Maria Granatto always looked capable of adding a goal. However, it was Sofia Toccalino who scored the second goal. Her goal came in the 59th minute, after Australia had removed their goalkeeper in an attempt to gain an on-field player advantage. It was a simple tap-in for Toccalino to seal the match.

Player of the match, Victoria Granatto said: "We did very well and won the three points. Six of six points is very good for us. It is a long way to Tokyo but we are heading in the right direction."

More information on the match here.

It was a special day for Eddie Ockenden who was making his 366th appearance for the Kookaburras. This makes him the most capped Australian player of all time. It was also a good day for Blake Govers, who was returning after an absence through injury. The striker showed his shooting instincts to score twice in the first half of the match. 

Govers was joined on the scoresheet by Trent Mitton, Dylan Wotherspoon, Tom Wickham and Joshua Simmonds – who scored his first goal for the senior side.

Jose Tolini scored a late consolation goal for Argentina from a penalty corner. The goal, his eighth in the Pro League, puts him at the top of the FIH Pro League goalscorers' table.

Speaking after the game, Player of the Match Blake Govers said: "It was good to be back playing in front of a home crowd. It was good to be back on the job. And it was great to celebrate with captain Eddie [Ockeneden] today, he has played more than a calendar year of games. His enthusiasm for his country is amazing."

There was a double celebration off the pitch as the two men's team captains Pedro Ibarra and Eddie Ockenden read messages to celebrate International Women's Day. Click here to see their message. 

It was also time to celebrate Indigenous sporting heritage, with both the Hockeyroos and the Kookaburras wearing a specially designed kit, The Seven Sisters and the Emu in the Sky. The designer is none other than double Olympian – in hockey and sprinting – Nova Peris, cousin of current Hockeyroo Brooke. Nova won gold with Australia in the 1996 Olympic Games and then swapped to track to represent her country in the 2000 Games in Sydney. More information about this story can be found 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 

Saturday 7 March 2020 – Perth Hockey Stadium, Perth (AUS)

Women’s result: Australia 0, Argentina 2 (Match 2 of 2)
Player of the Match: Victoria Granatto (ARG)
Umpires: Amber Church (NZL), Kelly Hudson (NZL) and Gareth Greenfield (NZL - video)

Men’s result: Australia 5, Argentina 1 (Match 2 of 2)
Player of the Match: Blake Govers (AUS)
Umpires: Gareth Greenfield (NZL), Peter Wright (RSA) and Amber Church (NZL - video)

#FIHProLeague

Official FIH Pro League Site

Argentina women beat Australia to go top of FIH Pro League

By Ali Iveson


Julieta Jankunas won her 100th cap for Argentina ©Getty Images

Argentina's women's hockey team have moved top of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) Pro League, while only goal difference is keeping Australia's men off top spot after both won today.

Perth Hockey Stadium was once again the venue of a doubleheader between Australia and Argentina, with the women's match played first and Argentina pulling off a clinical 2-0 win for the second day running.

Victoria Granatto opened the scoring after 25 minutes with a fine solo effort, and Las Leonas' defence then held firm.

Australia couldn't find a way through and Sofia Toccalino put the result beyond doubt a minute from time when she added a second goal.

The hosts had swapped their goalkeeper for an outfield player by that stage.

Julieta Jankunas and Eugenia Trinchinetti were each playing their 100th game game for Argentina, while Giselle Kanevsky won her 150th cap.

Having played eight games, Argentina are now top of the FIH Pro League on 17 points, while Australia sit fourth on nine points.

To celebrate indigenous sporting heritage, both Australia teams wore a special kit designed by Nova Peris, who represented Australia at the Olympics in both hockey and athletics.

In the proceeding men's game, Australia got off to a hot start and never looked back, ending up 5-1 winners.

Joshua Simmonds opened the scoring from a penalty corner, before a Blake Govers brace but the Kookaburras 3-0 up at halftime.

Tom Wickham and Trent Mitton added two more goals, with Jose Tolini getting a late consolation for the visitors.

Having played eight games, Australia now have 14 points - the same as Belgium - but are below the European side on goal difference.

Belgium have also played two fewer games.

Argentina sit fifth on 10 points.

Inside the Games

Kookaburras thrash Argentina in Eddie’s milestone game



Inspired by Eddie Ockenden’s record breaking milestone, the Kookaburras have rinsed the current Olympic Champions Argentina 5-1 in Perth to move into second position on the FIH Pro League table.

In a history-breaking night for Australian hockey, Ockenden led his side onto the field in his 366th international appearance, passing legend Jamie Dwyer’s mark of 365 games.

“Having the whole squad and my family here was special, including my partner Louie, but also seeing a video before the game with lots of ex-teammates and old Kookas who made it here has made it more special and it was really nice to feel the love from all of the boys,” said Ockenden post match.

“It’s nice to win in these sort of games, but importantly it was really nice to have a four quarter performance. We played a lot better, we were a lot more consistent and ran the game out which was good to see.”

The 32-year-old Tasmanian had a typically influential night, having a hand in three goals and almost popping up to score at the death to demonstrate there’s plenty still left in the tank.

The night was also best remembered for Victorian defender Josh Simmonds’ maiden international goal, while Blake Govers returned from a long term injury layoff with a renewed hunger that led to a magnificent brace.

“It was good to be back with the boys and to play in front of a home crowd for my first game of the year,” said Govers.

“It was great to celebrate with captain Eddie (Ockenden) today and his 366 games for Australia, which is more than a calendar year of games, is unbelievable for your country.”

“His enthusiasm is just amazing, and his team first mentality has really shown today. We got up for him today and got the win which was good.”

The match was played at breakneck speed for the majority, with Trent Mitton having an early goal ruled out on review before Simmonds struck from a 10th minute penalty corner.

Australian goalkeeper Andrew Charter was called upon to make a vital save in the shadows of quarter time, before the home side took control of the match.

Govers was at the heart of the Kookaburras success, burying a thunderbolt flick above a hapless Argentinian goalkeeper before utilising his instinctiveness to react first in the attacking circle and knock home another seconds before half-time.

Charter was again on hand to snuff out the danger from Tomas Domene’s shot before Tom Wickham deflected home to make it 4-0.

Hometown boy Trent Mitton then continued his uncanny knack of scoring in the final quarter this Pro League season, deflecting home Dylan Wotherspoon’s pass.

Los Leones struck a late consolation goal through Jose Tolini, which moved him clear on top of the Pro League scoring chart, but it was not going to dent a memorable night for Ockenden and the Kookaburras.

Match Details
Kookaburras 5 (Simmonds 10’, Govers 24’/30, Wickham 44’, Mitton 49’)
Argentina 1 (Tolini 57’)
@ Perth Hockey Stadium at Curtin University

Kookaburras: 3.Corey Weyer, 4.Jake Harvie, 5.Tom Wickham, 6.Matthew Dawson, 7.Nathan Ephraums, 11.Eddie Ockenden (c), 13.Blake Govers, 15.Josh Simmonds, 16.Tim Howard, 17.Aran Zalewski, 20.Matthew Swann, 22.Flynn Ogilvie, 23.Daniel Beale, 25.Trent Mitton, 26.Dylan Wotherspoon, 30.Andrew Charter (gk)
Unused Substitutes: 21.Jack Welch, 24.Tyler Lovell (gk)

Argentina: 1.Juan Vivaldi (gk), 4.Juan Catan, 5.Pedro Ibarra (c), 7.Nicolas Keenan, 9.Maico Casella, 12.Lucas Vila, 13.Jose Tolini, 15.Tomas Domene, 16.Ignacio Ortiz, 17.Juan Lopez, 18.Federico Monja, 19.Tomas Bettaglio, 23.Lucas Martinez, 24.Nicolas Cicileo, 28.Federico Fernandez, 30.Augustin Bugallo, 32.Martin Ferreiro
Unused Substitute: 3.Emiliano Bosso (gk)

Hockey Australia media release

Resolute Argentina do the double on Hockeyroos


Mariah Williams runs away with the ball

Two world class goals have ultimately sealed the Hockeyroos’ fate as they fell 2-0 to Argentina in Perth tonight, the victory sending the South Americans top of the FIH Pro League standings.

The Hockeyroos made eight changes from the side that was defeated by the same score line on Friday night, with recalled trio Greta Hayes, Rosie Malone and Jocelyn Bartram all impressing.

“It was a disappointing result for us because we wanted to come out firing and just didn’t do that in the first half,” said Hockeyroos captain Emily Chalker post-game.

“They had a couple of shots and scored two goals, while we had more opportunities and once again couldn’t convert so that’s something we’ll need to work on.”

The result leaves the Hockeyroos sitting in fourth position on the Pro League table, however with the number of players in the squad who were given a run across the two matches, Head Coach Paul Gaudoin selection changes point to having one eye on the Tokyo Olympics.

“The Olympics is our final goal so this (loss) is going to be a learning curve for us to put our heads down, bums up and get working,” added Chalker.

Both sides began the match in aggressive fashion and the hosts were unlucky not to earn a repeat penalty corner late in the first quarter when Malone was struck above the knee.

The deadlock was eventually broken in the 25th minute by an incredible solo goal from Victoria Granatto.

Receiving in the left-hand corner, Granatto sped towards the head of the circle and evaded four defenders before thumping home a strike past the near post.

At the other end Mariah Williams threatened to break the game open, while Hayes quietly went about producing arguably her finest performance on the international stage yet.

The third quarter saw Kate Jenner’s penalty corner strike sail inches wide of the goal, while at the other end Bartram made a clutch save.

In a seesawing final term, Chalker went close as they surged forward to find an equaliser.

But instead Argentina put the result beyond doubt as Sofia Tocalino scored a reverse stick strike from the narrowest of angles into an unguarded net.

Match Details
Hockeyroos 0
Argentina 2 (Granatto 25’, Toccalino 59’)
@ Perth Hockey Stadium at Curtin University

Hockeyroos: 2.Rosie Malone, 3.Brooke Peris, 5.Ashlee Wells (gk), 7.Jodie Kenny, 8.Georgia Wilson, 9.Lily Brazel, 10.Madison Fitzpatrick, 11.Karri McMahon, 12.Greta Hayes, 14.Stephanie Kershaw, 15.Kaitlin Nobbs, 19.Jocelyn Bartram (gk), 20.Karri Somerville, 21.Renee Taylor, 22.Kate Jenner, 24.Mariah Williams, 26.Emily Chalker (c), 31.Laura Barden

Argentina: 2.Sofia Toccalino, 3.Agustina Gorzelany, 5.Agostina Alonso, 7.Giselle Kanevsky (c), 9.Priscila Jardel, 13.Cristina Cosentino (gk), 15.Maria Granatto, 18.Victoria Sauze, 19.Agustina Albertarrio, 21.Victoria Granatto, 22.Eugenia Trinchinetti, 23.Micaela Retegui, 28.Julieta Jankunas, 29.Victoria Miranda, 32.Valentina Costa, 38.Maria Cerundolo, 40.Maria Forcherio
Unused Substitute: 36.Mariana Scandura (gk)

Hockey Australia media release

Hockey Australia suspends all international travel



In the wake of the ongoing and increasing outbreak in Europe, Hockey Australia has taken the unfortunate but necessary decision to suspend all international travel for its national teams, including the Hockeyroos and Kookaburras, until further notice.

Hockey Australia have made the determination after regular consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of the Australian Institute of Sport, and after monitoring the latest updates from the World Health Organisation and Australian Government.

“We have engaged extensively to seek the best and most recent advice on the Covid-19 virus to inform our recommendation not to travel,” said Hockey Australia CEO Matt Favier.

“We have been tracking the progression of the virus in Europe with the hope it could be contained. Unfortunately, the increase in the number of cases and the spread of the countries now impacted has led us to this decision.”

This comes after the FIH postponed the Hockeyroos’ matches in China next weekend, while the Azlan Shah tournament in Malaysia the Kookaburras were scheduled to play in has been postponed until November due to the threat of the Coronavirus.

The Kookaburras were scheduled to fly out to Europe tomorrow followed days later by the Hockeyroos for their European matches of the FIH Hockey Pro League.

“As is our usual practise, Hockey Australia places the safety and wellbeing of our athletes and staff as our number one priority,” said Hockey Australia Head of High Performance, Toni Cumpston.

“This decision has not been taken lightly, however we believe that at this point in time, it is the right and only one we can make to ensure the health and safety of our athletes and staff, and provide our programs with the least amount of risk in terms of impacting their Olympic preparation.”

“While we are disappointed to miss the European leg of our 2020 FIH Pro League campaign which involved vital matches for our preparation for the Olympics, we have already begun reviewing our plans to ensure we have the best possible preparation for Tokyo 2020.”

“Our view is that even with taking every precaution around travel hygiene, we would be heading into areas of known risk, which is just not sensible when we also have an Olympic campaign to navigate.”

FIH CEO Thierry Weil said: “Hockey Australia has informed us about its decision and while it is disappointing, we do understand the reasons for it. The upcoming FIH Hockey Pro League matches of Australia in Europe have been put on hold. We will continue to work closely with all parties to try to play these matches at a later stage, if possible.”

Hockey Australia media release

Australia matches planned in Europe put on hold



In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in Europe, Hockey Australia has decided to suspend all international travel for its national teams, including the Hockeyroos and Kookaburras, until further notice.

FIH CEO Thierry Weil said: “Hockey Australia has informed us about its decision and while it is disappointing, we do understand the reasons for it. The upcoming FIH Hockey Pro League matches of Australia in Europe have been put on hold. We will continue to work closely with all parties to try to play these matches at a later stage, if possible.”

FIH keeps on monitoring the global evolution of the situation closely and following the recommendations of the World Health Organization.

Official FIH Pro League Site

KHU appoints new coaches for national teams

By AGNES MAKHANDIA


Telkom coach Jos Openda (left) poses with striker Jackline Mwangi after she was won the top scorer award. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLLO |  NATION MEDIA GROUP

Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) has named Fidhelis Kimanzi and former international Jackline Mwangi as the new men’s and women’s national team coaches.

And their first assignments will be the North East Region qualifiers for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations set for May 11 to 17 at the Sikh Union Hockey Stadium in Nairobi.

Kimanzi, who led Wazalendo men’s team to a second finish in the Premier League last season behind winners Butali Sugar Warriors, will be assisted by Western Jaguars coach Mike Malungu.

Mwangi, a prolific striker with women's Premier League champions Blazers, formerly Telkom, and an International Hockey Federation Athletes Committee member, will be assisted by teammates Barbara Simiyu and Glenis Namasake.

The trio have been part of the Blazers team that has won the league title a record 22 times as well as the continental crown 10 times.

Kimanzi takes over from Meshack Senge, while Mwangi replaces Tom Olal, who were in charge of the two teams during the last year’s 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games Africa qualifiers in Cape Town, where the sides failed to sparkle.

The men’s team finished fifth in the six-nation tournament that saw hosts South Africa book the sole ticket to the Olympics in Japan, while the women’s side finished fourth in the five-nation event also won by South Africa.

Malungu will, however, be the head coach of the under 21 men’s team, assisted by the experienced and former national team player, Zack Aura.

Mwangi, Simiyu and Namasake have been retained as the U-21 women’s coaches.

KHU Secretary General, Wycliffe Ongori, confirmed the new development saying it was for the progress of the sport.

“The Executive together with the Coaching & Development Committee looked at the performance of the previous coaches and they were not satisfied during the meeting held yesterday at the City Park Stadium and thus the change.

We have given the new technical bench two years to gauge their performance, but all in all the changes are always geared towards giving a chance to other coaches.

Those who have been discharged off the duties will serve KHU in other capacities” said Ongori.

The men's team will face Burundi, Libya, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Seychelles, where the top two nations will proceed to the next year’s Cup of Nations.

The ladies will battle favourites Egypt, Burundi, Libya, Seychelles, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda for the two slots.

Daily Nation

ROUND-UP: Investec England Women's Hockey League


Mel Wilkinson and Rebecca Van Arrowsmith, Buckingham versus Hampstead. Credit Andrew Smith

The battle for second spot and home advantage in the play-offs will go down to the last weekend of the regular season after Hampstead & Westminster and East Grinstead both secured away wins in the Investec Women’s Hockey League Premier Division on Saturday.

East Grinstead remain in the driving seat and two points clear of Hampstead & Westminster after picking up a 2-0 victory at Beeston.

Ellie Rayer opened the scoring in the 40th minute before Sophie Bray sealed the points from open play 15 minutes from time.

Hampstead & Westminster produced a good performance at Buckingham to win 1-0 and maintain their hopes of leap-frogging East Grinstead next weekend.

Lily Owsley netted the only goal of the game in the eighth minute when scored from a penalty corner.

Clifton Robinson were 1-0 winners of table toppers Surbiton to boost their hopes of avoiding relegation play-offs.

Kathryn Lane scored the only goal of the game from a penalty corner in the 41st minute to inflict a first defeat of the campaign on the home side.

Elsewhere Holcombe secured a 3-1 victory at home against the University of Birmingham in a battle of two sides still not safe from the drop.

Heather McEwan, Sarah Jones and Candice Manuel were all on the scoresheet for the home side while Rafaela Brandao-Lee scored the only goal for the away side.

Bottom of the league Bowdon Hightown secured a 1-0 victory at home against Loughborough Students.

Alex Lukin scored the winner from open play in the 42nd minute.

Investec Division 1 North

Swansea closed the gap to leaders Leicester City to just three points with a 2-1 win at Stourport, Betsan Thomas and Livvy Hoskins scoring the goals in their victory.

Leicester had to settle for a 2-2 draw at Olton & West Warwicks, who had Sally Walton to thank for both their goals while Katie Mason and Mikayla Hazelwood scored for Leicester.

The University of Durham’s promotion hopes remain after they won 1-0 at home against Ben Rhydding with Mollie D’arcy-Rice scoring the only goal.

Ben Rhydding remain fourth despite losing, but are now level on points with Olton & West Warwicks.

It remains tight at the bottom with Leeds suffering a 2-0 defeat at Gloucester City, while Belper are now one point ahead of Leeds following their goalless draw at Brooklands-Poynton.

Investec Division 1 South

Wimbledon secured the Division One South title in style with a 3-0 win at second place Reading.

Goals from Eliza Brett, Olivia Chilton and Fiona Burnet helped keep Wimbledon’s perfect record intact with 16 wins from 16 this season.

St Albans’s relegation was confirmed after they lost 3-2 at home to Slough, and Isca drew 1-1 with Canterbury to go nine points clear of St Albans with two games to play.

Cambridge City leapfrogged Harleston Magpies in the league table after they beat them 2-1 thanks to goals from Heidi Barber and Megan Crowson.

Elsewhere Amy Sheehan scored two goals to help Trojans beat Sevenoaks 3-1.

Investec Conference East

Leaders Wimbledon 2XI cemented their position at the summit of the Investec Women’s Conference East table after picking up a 5-0 win at home against Chelmsford on Saturday.

Tamsyn Naylor netted a hattrick while Natalie Wray and Harriet Lang scored one apiece to secure all three points for the home side.

Elsewhere, Barnes kept the pressure on at the top of the table after picking up a 5-2 win at Broxbourne.

Triona Doyle (2), Alexa Copeland, Teddy Middlebrook and Aleesa Ferguson all netted for the away side.

Rebecca Scarrott and Alice Brown were the goalscorers for Broxbourne.

Investec Conference North

Ella Bromley scored two goals to help the University of Nottingham maintain their perfect record in the Investec Conference North with a 6-4 win at second-placed Sutton Coldfield.

Cannock secured a vital 2-1 win away at Fylde to take them three points clear of bottom-placed Beeston who drew 3-3 away at Alderley Edge.

Elsewhere, Timperley won 2-1 away at Wakefield and Pendle Forest won 3-2 away at Doncaster.

Investec Conference West

Conference title winners Surbiton added another victory to their tally after securing a 4-1 victory at home against Clifton Robinson in the Investec Conference West on Saturday.

Issy Casey, Tasmin Cookman, and Hannah Dennison (2) were the goalscorers for Surbiton while Sarah Barratt netted the only goal for the away side.

Elsewhere, Oxford Hawks won 2-1 at local rivals Oxford University to maintain their place in second.

Caro Harris and Gemma Crocker scored for the Hawks while Susannah Dunn scored the only goal for Oxford University.

Results:

Investec Women’s Hockey League (Sat, 7 March 2020):

Investec Premier Division: Beeston 0, East Grinstead 2; Holcombe 3, Univ of Birmingham 1; Surbiton 0, Clifton Robinsons 1; Bowdon Hightown 1, Loughborough Students 0; Buckingham 0, Hampstead & Westminster 1.

Investec Division One South: Cambridge City 2, Harleston Magpies 1; Isca 1, Canterbury 1; Reading 0, Wimbledon 3; St Albans 2, Slough 3; Trojans 3, Sevenoaks 1.

Investec Division One North: Brooklands-Poynton 0, Belper 0; Gloucester City 2, Leeds 0; Leicester City 2, Olton & West Warwicks 2; Stourport 1, Swansea 2; Univ of Durham 1, Ben Rhydding 0.

Investec Conference West: Cheltenham 2, Basingstoke 0; Exe 5, Univ of Bristol 1; Oxford University 1, Oxford Hawks 2; Surbiton 2XI 4, Clifton Robinsons 2XI 1; Univ of Birmingham 2XI 2, Team Bath Buccaneers 1.

Investec Conference East: Broxbourne 2, Barnes 5; Canterbury 2XI 4, Ipswich 1; Horsham 2, Bromley & Beckenham 3; Southgate 2, Bedford 5; Wimbledon 2XI 5, Chelmsford 0.

Investec Conference North: Alderley Edge 3, Beeston 2XI 3; Doncaster 2, Pendle Forest 3; Fylde 1, Cannock 2; Sutton Coldfield 4, Univ of Nottingham 6; Wakefield 1, Timperley 2.

England Hockey Board Media release

St Louis clan fires Carib to Trinity men’s final

by Nigel Simon


Shape’s Sheldon De Lisle, right, battles Fatima’s Joshua Olton during their T&T Hockey Board Indoor Championship Trinity Division semi-final at the Woodbrook Youth Facility on Saturday. Shape won 6-1 and faces Carib in the final Sunday. ANTHONY HARRIS

For­mer na­tion­al play­er Hillary St Louis and his sons Jael and She com­bined for six goals to lead Carib past Malvern 10-2 in their T&T Hock­ey Board’s In­door Cham­pi­onship Trin­i­ty Men’s Di­vi­sion semi­fi­nal at the Wood­brook Youth Fa­cil­i­ty, Wood­brook, on Sat­ur­day.

How­ev­er, the stand-out per­former among the St Louis’ was the youngest of the fam­i­ly in Jael who net­ted a beaver trick in the fourth, 17th, 34th and 39th min­utes while his broth­er She (18th) and dad Hillary (19th) chipped in with one each in the lop­sided tri­umph to set up a ti­tle-match with Shape to­day.

The duo of Jalani James (15th, 29th) and Dane Fran­cis (20th, 25th) added a pair of goals each for Carib while Ko­r­ry Bar­nett (24th) and Dami­an Gor­don (37th) got Malvern’s con­so­la­tion items.

Shape al­so coast­ed in­to the fi­nal be­hind two goals each from Shel­don De Lisle (7th, 10th) and ex-T&T in­ter­na­tion­al Leroy Sookdeo (10th, 36th) in a 6-1 spank­ing of Fa­ti­ma.

The Trin­i­ty Women’s semi­fi­nals al­so took place Sat­ur­day, with long-time ri­vals Mag­no­lias and Har­vard Check­ers both in win­ners’ row.

Mag­no­lias got two goals from Toni Camp­bell-War­ren to reg­is­ter a come-from-be­hind 3-1 win over Paragon and ex-na­tion­al de­fend­er Patrice Pad­more al­so net­ted twice for Har­vard Check­ers to blank Po­lice 4-0.

Po­lice had eas­i­est of pas­sages in­to a fi­nal when their Mixed Vet­er­ans squad moved to with­in a win of re­tain­ing their crown cour­tesy a 5-0 semi­fi­nal de­fault win over De­fence Force. In to­day’s fi­nal, the Law­men will meet Queen’s Park, who out­gunned Malvern 8-5 in the oth­er semis.

Sat­ur­day’s re­sults:

Semi­fi­nals:

Trin­i­ty Men’s Di­vi­sion:

SHAPE 6 (Shel­don De Lisle 7th, 10th, Leroy Sookdeo 10th, 36th, John Her­nan­dez 26th, Nick Pas­cal 27th) v FA­TI­MA 1 (Joshua Olton 38th)
CARIB 10 (Jael St Louis 4th, 17th, 34th, 39th, Jalani James 15th, 29th, Dane Fran­cis 20th, 25th, Shea St Louis 18th, Hillary St Louis 19th) v MALVERN 2 (Ko­r­ry Bar­nett 24th, Dami­an Gor­don 37th)

Trin­i­ty Women’s Di­vi­sion:

MAG­NO­LIAS 3 (Toni Camp­bell-War­ren 9th, 30th, Robyn Dash 12th) v PARAGON 1 Monor­ka Lewis-Weekes 5th)
HAR­VARD CHECK­ERS 4 (Patrice Pad­more 3rd, 5th, Kwylan Jag­gas­sar-Ec­cles 20th, Nia Cum­ber­batch 31st) v PO­LICE 0

Mixed Vet­er­ans:

POLICE 5 v DE­FENCE FORCE 0 - Po­lice won de­fault
QPCC 8 (Dar­ren Cowie 3rd, 15th, 20th, Reiza Ho­sein 10th, Raphael Govia 18th, 37th, pe­tra Zand­vli­et 27th, Rob Wy­att 32nd) v MALVERN 5 (Ce­cile Wren 3rd, Col­in By­ron 9th, 11th, Liselle Par­ris 16th, Ko­r­ry Bar­nett 18th)

To­day’s (March 8) sched­ule

Third place play­offs:

Trin­i­ty Women: Paragon v Po­lice, 10 am
Trin­i­ty Men: Fa­ti­ma v Malvern, 11 am

Men Open: Po­lice/QPCC win­ner v Paragon/De­fence Force win­ner, 3 pm

Fi­nals:

Mixed Vet­er­ans: Po­lice v QPCC, 1 pm
Un­der-19 Boys: Fa­ti­ma v Paragon, 2 pm
Trin­i­ty Women: Mag­no­lias v Har­vard Check­ers, 4 pm
Trin­i­ty Men: Shape v Carib, 5 pm
Open Women: Paragon v Mag­no­lias, 6 pm
Open Men: Po­lice/QPCC win­ner v Paragon/De­fence Force win­ner, 7 pm

The Trinidad Guardian

An equality showcase from around the world



A week of celebrating International Women’s Day has proven testimony to how hockey is among the leading international sporting federations when it comes to equality. Perhaps the best way of showing that equality is a treasured part of our sport’s psyche is the fact that it is now rarely commented upon.

Perhaps the best working example of this took place earlier this year when a team of four umpires – two men and two women – took to the pitch to officiate the men’s and women’s FIH Hockey Pro League matches between New Zealand and Belgium. As Black Sticks stalwart Sam Charlton points out, it really made no difference to the game whether it was a man or woman blowing the whistle.

Of course, there are parts of the world where equality is not so readily observed and, in these areas, our Equally Amazing message continues to be pertinent, serving as a reminder that hockey is a sport for all, with everyone an equally accepted participant. It is to the credit of our Continental Federations and National Associations that so many projects are being run to promote equality, with hockey as the platform from which that message is delivered.



Over the past five days we have highlighted ways in which women are leading from the front; creating opportunities; smashing down gender barriers. From Oceania Hockey Federation we focused on a visionary project that gives young Indigenous women the opportunity to lead through hockey coaching. Indigenous children are the recipients of their coaching and leadership sessions – thus two often disadvantaged groups enjoy mutual benefits. Read full story and atch the video here.



The African Hockey Federation celebrates the long years of service from three dedicated members of the international hockey community. For more than three decades, Sheila Brown, Ginny Ross and Marelize de Klerk have been at the forefront of officiating and administration, running top tier tournaments with relentless efficiency as well as guiding and supporting their less experienced colleagues. Read full story here.




Danae Andrada is the face of development in Uruguay. The current President of the Uruguay Hockey Federation and FIH Executive Board member started out as one of the youngest members of the national team. Now she is at the coal-face when it comes to driving hockey forwards in the South American country. Read full story here.



It is refreshing to hear Svitlana Makaieva say that female coaches are not so rare across Europe, but it is still true that female coaches operating as head coaches to national teams are still a minority. We spoke to two female Head Coaches to discover how they reached the pinnacle of coaching and what life is like at the top. Read full story here.



Our story from Asia is the moving account of an Afghanistan hockey player who defied her country’s war-torn recent history and the raft of barriers to women playing sport. Khadija Achakzai is captain of the national women’s team of Afghanistan and her story is a truly inspiring tale of how her determination to play hockey is helping other women in Afghanistan participate in sport, and start to enjoy all the physical and mental benefits that activity and exercise can bring. Read full story and watch the video here.



Our final story to wrap up this week of celebration is one that really sends a message that we are a sport where equality is truly achievable. In a world’s first, a four-person umpiring team took control of FIH Hockey Pro League matches between New Zealand and Belgium. A male and female umpire were appointed to each match, the first time top tier men’s and women’s matches were umpired by a mixed gender umpiring team. We interviewed one of the players, Sam Charlton, to get a player’s perspective. Read full story and watch the video here.

Speaking for the FIH

Reflecting on the stories that have emerged from all corners of our global hockey family over the past five days,  FIH President Dr. Narinder Dhruv Batra says: “On the occasion of his visit to FIH last year, IOC President Thomas Bach commended FIH for its gender equality policy, stating it 'really is best practice' and ‘a role model for many International Federations’. We welcomed these words with a lot of appreciation but, more importantly, they provided FIH and the global hockey community encouragement to do even more, so that we can reach a fully gender-balanced sport, not only on the field the play but also off it. I can only urge all Continental Federations, National Associations, Leagues and clubs to continue to strive for equality across all aspects of our sport.”

Marijke Fleuren is chair of the FIH Women in Sport Committee as well as a member of the IOC Women in Sport Commission. She has a clear vision of how FIH will continue to drive forward in its mission to ensure the sport has true parity across the genders.

“International Women’s  Day is an excellent moment for our Women in Sport Committee to inform you about our main goals,” says Fleuron.

“We are seeking to create awareness within all our national associations that men and women are stronger together. Not only on the field of play, but also in other realms of life.

“FIH’s special goals are realising this amongst coaches, umpires and board members.

“So please think about it, look for role models and make this next step to togetherness! Everybody can do it. Really!”



And on a weekend where the entire hockey community around the world came together to celebrate International Women's Day, the captains of Australia and Argentina men's teams added their own voice of support. Eddie Ockenden (AUS) and Pedro Ibarra (ARG) read supporting statements ahead of their FIH Hockey Pro League encounter. To hear these messages, click here.

FIH site

Museum’s holy grail: producing GB Hockey player numbers

By Mike Smith


GB’s current players will know their team number PIC: WORLDSPORTPICS

The Hockey Museum is on the cusp of producing the first definitive records for the GB Hockey teams

During 2019 the England football team played its 100th international match. One of these was remembering the 100th player to represent England, which occurred back in 1987, 32 years before.

All of this was possible because football has extensive and definitive records. Hockey, on the other hand, has been a participant sport enjoying a fraction of the coverage by the media. One result of this is that hockey in Britain does not have the records from which such statistics can be distilled and milestones celebrated.

This may seem an amazing situation for one of the nation’s main sports but it was a fact when The Hockey Museum really got going just nine years ago.

We realised the importance of this missing link but it has only been during the past three years that we have really got to grips with compiling accurate and definitive records of our national hockey teams. It has been an amazing journey of investigation and discovery and it is only now in early 2020 that we can announce that we are on the cusp of producing the first definitive records for our national hockey teams.

This has been achieved through the painstaking work carried out by a small group of dedicated volunteers – but more of them later because they are the true heroes.

Firstly one has to define the word ‘definitive.’ Without completely accurate records that tell us all of the matches, results, players and scorers, one has nothing of any real value. We have a few elusive pieces of information needed, to complete the first task: to create definitive records for the GB teams that are going to the Tokyo Olympics. We can tell you that the GB men have played their 600th match and the women are closing in on their 400th.

GB’s main function is to represent us at Olympic level and please remember that women’s Hockey was only introduced into the Olympics in 1980.

However, the holy grail target is to give the team members their team numbers and possibly emblazoned on their shirts like the England cricket team. These represent, numerically, every international player’s position in the history of our sport. For now, we do know that the current women’s number of GB international players is in the region of 200 while the men are approaching 400.

This originally featured in a previous Hockey Paper edition. Don’t miss out. Subscribe in print or in digital format.

The Hockey Paper