News for 16 March 2020
All the news for Monday 16 March 2020
Indoor IPT 2020 | Western Province defend their crown
Under the watchful eye of national indoor men’s coach David Joshua, the defending champions Western Province took on the hosts and 2018 winners KZN Raiders in a mouth-watering final. In the Raiders ranks were some of SA Indoor Hockey royalty with the likes of Jethro Eustice, Justin Domleo and Wade Paton all having played in the previous World Cup, while coach Ryan Hack is the national assistant coach.
Western Province have their own ace up their sleeve in the coaching of Ross Willis and a team that features the dynamic brilliance of Dayaan and Mustapha Cassiem alongside the likes of Ryan Julius and Kyle Esau. On paper this was a game that you would struggle to predict. Fortunately, the game is not played on paper and Ashton College in Ballito played host to its first ever Indoor IPT final and a capacity crowd.
Province had earned their way to the final winning every game and scoring 33 goals while only conceding 13. They were victorious over Pens in their semi-final and had played a game less in the road to the final being in Pool A. The Raiders had started slowly with a 2-2 draw but had raised the game throughout scoring 39 goals and conceding 8, including a clean sheet against Southerns in the final.
South African indoor skipper and dual international Jethro Eustice opened the scoring in the final with a trademark penalty corner to give Ryan Hack’s team the lead. Although Jonty Robinson received a yellow card shortly after that, Province were unable to make it count and it ended 1-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Western Province fought back in the second quarter and turned the game on its head with goals by Ryan Julius and Dayaan Cassiem to swing the game and momentum in their favour. Raiders poured forward to look for an equaliser but met an inspired Anton van Loggerenberg, playing with an injured shoulder. Loggies was in inspired form and should be proud of his performance.
With the clock winding down Raiders got the goal the match deserved with Ross Hetem the man to convert it. For the second final of the day the game would be decided by a shootout.
After six penalties the deadlock was finally broken. Dayaan Cassiem who had missed his first one on one finished with a cheeky and superb reverse flick. When Loggies kept out Keegan Hezletts final effort it was game set and match. Western Province had retained the trophy!
Indoor IPT 2020 | Men’s Final Standings
Western Province
2. KZN Raiders
3. Southern Gauteng
4. WP Peninsula
5. KZN Mynahs
6. Mpumalanga
7. SG Witsies
8. Northern Blues
9. KZN Robins
10. Eastern Gauteng
11. KZN Inland
Indoor IPT 2020 | Men’s Individual Awards
Most Promising Player – Luke Lange (WP Peninsula)
Goalkeeper of the Tournament – Anton van Loggerenberg (Western Province)
Top Goalscorer – Liam Hermanus (Mpumalanga)
Player of the Tournament – Jarryd Jones (KZN Raiders)
SA Hockey Association media release
SPAR KZN Raiders are the Women Champions
Western Province had fallen short at the semi-final stage in 2019 and SPAR KZN Raiders at the final stage. The 2020 Indoor Hockey IPT final at Danville Park Girls School offered them both an opportunity for redemption.
Province had been given a mighty scare in their semi-final winning through to the final on a shootout against KZN Mynahs, while SPAR KZN Raiders were made to work for a narrow 1-0 win against the defending champions Southern Gauteng. To add intrigue to the final the two coaches AJ Spieringshoek and Calvin Price had worked together on the emerging South Africa side less than a year ago with both being tipped for future opportunities.
Both teams also featured a host of Internationally capped players, so the excitement was at fever pitch for the capacity crowd at Danville. The Raiders got the first penalty corner and shortly after the second as Jess Lardant fired it home to give the hosts a 1-0 lead. Raiders looked the more likely team to add to the score line but at the end of the first quarter it remained 1-0.
In the second half the Raiders experienced core took control of the game and produced some sensational goals to the delight of the crowd. Kelly Reed finished off a sensational fast flowing move before Tegan Fourie scored a sensational individual goal. The domination was carried through to the end of the match as further goals by Reed, Fourie and Hack made it a comfortable 6-0 win. It was Raiders fifth win in the last six years and a further reminder of the power that the union wields in indoor hockey.
Earlier in the day Southern Gauteng secured the bronze medal while the Northern Blues were relegated after losing to Mpumalanga.
Indoor IPT 2020 | Women’s A Section Final Standings
SPAR KZN Raiders
2. Western Province
3. Southern Gauteng
4. KZN Mynahs
5. KZN Inland
6. WP Peninsula
7. Mpumalanga
8. Northern Blues
Indoor IPT 2020 | Womens A Section Individual Awards
Most Promising Player – Tamlyn Kock (Southern Gauteng)
Goalkeeper of the Tournament – Charlize Swanepoel (Mpumalanga)
Top Goal scorer – Kayla de Waal (Western Province) & Kelly Reed (SPAR KZN Raiders)
Player of the Tournament – Kelly Reed (SPAR KZN Raiders)
SA Hockey Association media release
North West win the Women’s B Section
The Women’s 2020 IPT B Section final offered something that is probably the next best thing to a trophy and that’s promotion back to the tournaments top 8. At the beginning of the week the odds were on North West and Southern Gauteng Witsies to contest the final and both got there with varying degrees of difficulty.
North West were given a might scare in their semi-final when they went 2-0 down to Eastern Province. They managed to pull level before falling behind again and Kirsty Adams eventually scored the goal that sent them to a shootout. They were able to win that 2-0 to secure their place in the final. There was no such difficulty for Wits as they ran out 7-0 winners against Free State in a one-sided semi-final.
It was North West who opened the scoring in the final when Badrunnisaa opened the scoring in the 8th minute. Witsies were given a fortuitous stroke shortly afterwards, but it was saved by Mishka Ellis. North West should have made it 2-0 with some amazing work but a diving Elmien Nel was unable to convert. It was a chance they were quickly made to rue. Emma Paget made no mistake from a penalty corner to draw the score level at 1-1 which it remained at the half time break. Julian Hykes and Shaun Baker both had their half time talks cut out for them as they looked for the gold medal.
Halliday had the best chance of a tentative third quarter for North West, but Mishka Ellis was keeping it competitive by denying Gracious Mpe on two good occasions. Both teams were searching for the break to give themselves the title but were finding chances hard to create.
A penalty corner from North West early in the fourth beat Rebelo in goal but Jenna Lange was on the line to keep it out. Kaylee Hardwood saw yellow for Witsies but the Hykes girls were able to repel the challenge successfully. Kirsty Adams was trying her hardest to make something happen but both teams appeared ready to have the title and the place in the A Section decided by a penalty shootout. But not Hardwood. The hotshot converted a penalty corner with 1-minute remaining to give Southerns the lead and a share of the top goal scorer award.
But North West roared back and won a controversial penalty corner that was trickled home on by Kirsty Adams. North West needed a big player at the big time, and they got it from Adams. The game was going to a shootout.
After pulling level through Legaae Mentor North West finally won the shootout when Gracious Mpe struck the post with the fifth shootout.
Earlier Eastern Province had won the bronze medal. A fantastic result for Dalan Phillips team.
Indoor IPT 2020 | Women’s B Section Final Standings
1. North West
2. SG Witsies
3. Eastern Province
4. Free State
5. KZN Robins
6. Eastern Gauteng
7. Northerns Daisies
8. Mpumalanga B
Indoor IPT 2020 | Women’s B Section Individual Awards
Most Promising Player – Kirsty Adams (North West)
Goalkeeper of the Tournament – Petro Stoffberg (Eastern Gauteng)
Top Goal scorer – Amy Visagie (KZN Robins) & Kaylee Hardwood (Southern Gauteng)
Player of the Tournament - Dunell van Taak (North West)
SA Hockey Association media release
ROUND-UP: England Men's Hockey League
Six-time Premier Division winners Reading were relegated from the top flight of the Men’s Hockey League after losing out 5-2 to Old Georgians on Sunday.
Ever-present in the top league of hockey, Reading needed to beat Old Georgians and hope the University of Exeter lost to avoid automatic relegation.
Old Georgians took a 2-0 lead with goals from Sam Ward and Ed Carson, but Reading’s fighting spirit shone through and they battled back to 2-2 with goals on 33 and 51 minutes from Andrew Oxburgh and Charlie Ellison.
However, Old Georgians went on to clinch the win with further goals from Matt Richards, Sam Ward and Lee Morton.
Meanwhile, the University of Exeter were beaten 3-2 at Holcombe and will have to go through the promotion play-offs against the Division One winners to secure their top flight status.
Sam Hooper gave Exeter the lead on 16 minutes, and although Nick Bandurak levelled for Holcombe the visitors retook the lead with Archie Winter scoring on 23 minutes.
However, second half goals from Anton Parenta Varela and Tom O’Keeffe proved enough for a Holcombe win.
A hat-trick from Phil Roper helped Wimbledon beat hosts Surbiton 3-1, inflicting their first league loss of the season.
David Goodfield pulled one back for the table toppers, but they couldn’t overhaul in-form Wimbledon.
Hampstead & Westminster’s 2-0 win over Beeston was enough for them to clinch second spot and home advantage for the play-offs, Rupert Shipperley scoring both their goals in the second half.
And Brooklands MU ensured their Premier Division survival with a 2-1 win over East Grinstead to overtake the University of Exeter.
Thomas Lush scored a goal in each half for Brooklands, while Dylan Holland scored for East Grinstead.
Division One North
The University of Durham have a two-point advantage going into the final game of the Division One North season after picking up a 3-1 victory at Cardiff & Met on Saturday.
Phillip Jansen, Barney Wilkinson and Ross Vides netted the three goals for the league leaders while Gareth Furlong scored the only goal for Cardiff & Met.
Second-placed Bowdon maintained the pressure at the top of the table after winning 7-1 at home against City of Peterborough.
The visitors took the lead in the first minute after Brendan Andrews netted from open play.
Simon Egerton scored a hat-trick, Matt Steventon bagged a brace and Richie Dawson-Smith and Daniel Campbell netted one a piece to seal all three points for the home side.
Elsewhere, Loughborough Students won 4-1 at home against Leeds, the University of Birmingham won 4-3 against Olton & West Warwicks and the University of Nottingham versus Sheffield Hallam ended 2-2.
Division One South
Oxted sealed the Division One South title and a place in the promotion play-offs after securing a point in a 4-4 draw at Southgate on Sunday.
Nick Cooper, John Sterlini, Jonny Maunder and Alex Williams scored the goals before half time to give the home side a 4-1 lead going into the break.
But Timothy Guise-Brown netted a hat-trick for the title winners and Nick Giles bagged the fourth from open play as Oxted completed their comeback.
Sevenoaks missed the chance to take their title challenge to the last day of the season as they could only manage a 3-3 draw at Teddington.
Craig Wiid (2) and Lewis Wilcher netted for the away side while Ed Greaves and Kyle White (2) scored for Teddington.
Elsewhere, Brighton & Hove versus Team Bath Buccaneers finished 2-2 at full time and Oxford Hawks won 5-2 at home against Canterbury.
Conference East
The battle for the title will go all the way to the final day of the season in the Men’s Conference East as Cambridge City and Wapping remain neck and neck at the top on 41 points.
Wapping were involved in a ten-goal thriller where they were ultimately victorious, beating Harleston Magpies 6-4.
Wapping were 5-0 up at half time, but a spirited comeback and a Ben Gowing hat-trick saw Harleston bring the score back to 5-3 before Morgan Harries scored Wapping’s sixth in the 63rd minute to seal the win.
Two second-half goals from Euan Gilmour saw Cambridge City stay top of the table in a 3-1 win at London Edwardians.
Bedford stay bottom of the table after losing 3-0 at Spencer and the Old Loughtonians beat Chichester 3-2 in a clash between third and fourth.
Conference North
Deeside Ramblers wrapped up the Men’s Conference North title with a 3-1 win at home to Timperley.
Rashad Al-Fazari opened the scoring in the 20th minute with a field goal, but Timperley equalised early in the second half thanks to David Halkyard’s penalty corner. Goals from Tom Fearnall and Christopher Barber gifted victory and the title to Deeside, who have only lost one game all season.
Second-placed Barford Tigers beat third placed Belper 2-1, with Damian Jarzembowski and Navraj Degun scoring the goals.
Alderley Edge remain bottom after they lost 2-0 at Doncaster, a brace from Matt Gibson gave the South Yorkshire side all three points.
Conference West
Muhammad Irfan notched four goals in a thrilling 4-4 draw between Khalsa Leamington and Ashmoor in the Men’s Conference West.
Ashmoor went into the break leading 3-1, but a second half hat trick in the space of 11 minutes from Irfan saw Khalsa Leamington complete the comeback to lead 4-3. However, Max Romer-Lee’s 59th minute field goal ensured that the points were shared.
Champions Old Cranleighans showed no sign of letting their foot off the gas as they beat Harborne 2-1 away from home. The goals coming from Matt Murphy and Hugh Robinson.
Cheltenham also completed an impressive comeback after they found themselves trailing 3-1 to Isca at the break, second half goals from Alex Salmon and Morgan Powell-Jones ensured they left Isca with a point, the game finishing 3-3.
Results:
Men’s Hockey League (Sat, 14 March 2020):
Division One North: Cardiff & Met 1, Univ of Durham 3; Univ of Nottingham 2, Sheffield Hallam 2.
Division One South: Oxford Hawks 5, Canterbury 2.
Conference West: Harborne 1, Old Cranleighans 2.
Conference North: Deeside Ramblers 3, Timperley 1; Wakefield 1, Didsbury Northern 5.
Men’s Hockey League (Sun, 15 March 2020):
Premier Division: Hampstead & Westminster 2, Beeston 0; Holcombe 3, Univ of Exeter 2; Surbiton 1, Wimbledon 3; Old Georgians 5, Reading 2; Brooklands MU 2, East Grinstead 1.
Division One North: Bowdon 7, City of Peterborough 1; Loughborough Students 4, Leeds 1; Univ of Birmingham 4, Olton & West Warwicks 3.
Division One South: Brighton & Hove 2, Team Bath Buccaneers 2; Southgate 4, Oxted 4; Teddington 3, Sevenoaks 3.
Conference West: Isca 3, Cheltenham 3; Khalsa Leamington 4, Ashmoor 4; Cardiff Univ 5, Univ of Exeter 2s 2.
Conference North: Barford Tigers 2, Belper 1; Lichfield 2, Preston 3; Doncaster 2, Alderley Edge 0.
Conference East: London Edwardians 1, Cambridge City 3; Spencer 3, Bedford 0; Old Loughtonians 3, Chichester 2; St Albans 1, Bromley & Beckenham 1; Wapping 6, Harleston Magpies 4.
England Hockey Board Media release
Dar Hockey Academy and Karachi Youth in Thrilling 2-2 draw
By Ijaz Chaudhry
Lahore: Visiting Karachi Youth hockey team played Pakistan's premier hockey nursery, Dar hockey academy at the Johar Town hockey stadium in Lahore.
The match began at a fast pace.
Karachi youth team was selected after a number of phases starting from open trials which saw 130 aspirants.
Lahore is the last stop of the tour.
Having played 10 matches in Sargodha, Gojra and Faisalabad, the Karachi team appeared to be a well knit side.
The match began at a fast pace with both the teams displaying attacking game.
Karachi Youth went ahead just before the end of the first quarter.
Adnan Ladoo capped a fast move with a good finish.
The to and fro pattern continued in the second quarter.
Dar HA equalised through their first PC converted by Waseem.
However, the visitors soon restored the advantage through another beautiful open play goal. A measured diagonal pass from the left of the circle was beautifully deflected in by diving Harris Naseer. It was the 13th goal of the leading scorer of the tour.
In the second half, Dar Hockey Academy appeared to be the better of the two sides.
They equalised for the second time with another penalty corner.
A quick exchange at the top of the circle beat the onrushing defenders and Bilal Aslam calmly put it in.
Dar Academy had quite a few chances, penalty corners as well as field, but failed to get the winner.
Two sides meet again on Monday.
Ijaz Chaudhry writes on hockey & other sports. For more about him and his work, visit: www.sportscorrespondent.info
FIeldhockey.com
Junior league suspended
By Jugjet Singh
Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) competitions committee chairman Datuk Seri Dr Anil Jeet says new dates will only be announced after getting the green light from the concerned parties including the Health Ministry. - BERNAMA pic
The Junior Hockey League (JHL) has been postponed due to Covid 19.
The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) announced yesterday that the new dates for the boys’ JHL, initially scheduled on March 25-April 19, will be decided later.
The girls’ event is only scheduled to start in June.
MHC competitions committee chairman Datuk Seri Dr Anil Jeet Singh said the decision was taken after consultation with several parties.
He said the new dates will only be announced after getting the green light from the concerned parties including the Health Ministry.
“Once the all-safe signal is given, the competitions committee will meet to decide on the new JHL dates.
“The new dates, once things get better, will be marked accordingly and will not affect other tournaments on our calendar.
Among the important tournaments this year are the Junior Asia Cup (June 4-12) in Bangladesh, Malaysia Games (July 11-19) in Johor and the National Under-16 Championships (August) along with the Azlan Shah Cup and Razak Cup (September)
“This cannot be avoided. My advice to all State HAs is to ensure the players’ health and safety, and adopt preventive measures,” he added.
New Straits Times
On This Day: Indian hockey team beats Pakistan to lift 1975 World Cup
Ashok Kumar scored the winning goal as the Indian men's hockey team beat arch-rival Pakistan 2-1 in the final to lift its only World Cup in 1975.
Indian hockey team captain Ajit Pal Singh (left in front row) and IHF cheif M.A.M. Ramaswamy (Right) pose with the trophy after winning the 1975 World Cup in Kaula Lumpur, Malaysia. - The Hindu archives
More than four decades ago, the Indian hockey team had lifted its only World Cup crown on this day, a glorious chapter which was written after suffering the ignominy of a heart-breaking loss two years ago in 1973.
After enduring a topsy-turvy tournament, the Ajit Pal Singh led Indian team had scripted history, notching up a thrilling 2-1 win over arch-rival Pakistan on the night of March 15 at the Merdeka Football Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.
The golden voice of the legendary hindi commentator Jasdev Singh, describing the final winning moments of that iconic final, still reverberates in the hearts and minds of millions of Indians.
Ashok Kumar and Aslam Sher Khan, the stars of the semifinal and final, remembered those moments on the 45th anniversary of that historic win.
“We were very close of winning the trophy in 1973 but lost to the hosts despite leading by two goals at one time. I missed a goal in extra time and we missed penalty stroke in sudden death. It was heartbreaking for us. So we did not want to leave any stones unturned in 1975,” said Ashok Kumar, son of legendary Dhyan Chand, who scored the winning goal against Pakistan in the final.
“We had a practice camp in Chandigarh prior to the tournament. Huge crowd used to gather to watch us. Giani Zail Singh was the chief minister then and he along with sports minister Umrao Singh visited us twice a week. Our morale was high and we were determined to win.”
India was trailing against host Malaysia in the semi-final when team manager Balbir Singh Sr pushed Aslam into the battlefield, the move earning rich dividends as he scored the equalizer in a crucial situation to take the match into extra time.
“I can never forget that goal in my life. We had left Chandigarh with only one goal: to win the World Cup. Every member of the team had the same goal and we wanted to win it for our country,” recalls Aslam.
“We were riding high on confidence after semifinal win. Pakistan was former champion and a very strong team but they could not match our confidence in the final,” he added.
For Ashok Kumar, there was added pressure as he was the son of Hockey wizard Major Dhyanchand.
“Definitely pressure was there. More because of my family background. When we reached Malaysia and I saw the World Cup trophy for the first time in hotel lobby, I made a promise to myself that I will make my father proud,” he said.
A National holiday was declared in India on the day of the final and Indian community in Malaysia was equally excited.
“Wherever we went, people gathered to have a glimpse, autograph and photograph were takes. People went crazy and we were treated like heroes in Malaysia and India.”
Balbir Singh Sr, the then team manager, also went down memory lane.
“The historic World Cup triumph almost didn’t happen. The team entry for the tournament was almost withdrawn before it started. So many people worked so hard to make it possible,” he said.
“I had created a unique team motto -- ‘Regaining world supremacy is our goal’ It was painted in bright red on the entrance to the team dormitory during training camp .. the boys played with unity, for each other and there was no place for showmanship. It was the combined efforts that made winning for India possible.”
Forty five years have passed since then and India is yet to win another World Cup.
Ashok Kumar lamented that despite such a historic feat, the winning team did not get its due.
“Forget about celebrations, nobody called us to congratulate on this day. I think not many remember the day. After all we are a Cricket crazy country. Who remembers Hockey heroes?,” he rued.
Sportstar
Hockey all the rage in Turkish town Suruç after team’s success
More and more boys take up hockey nowadays in Suruç. (AA Photo)
Unprecedented accomplishments of their local team have inspired more young residents of Suruç, a small town in southeastern Turkey, to take up indoor hockey.
In just five years, the town, otherwise known by little else than sharing a border with Syria, saw the number of licensed hockey players increase tenfold. Currently, it boasts 114 young professional players.
The rise in the number of players is inspired by the success story of a team founded five years ago to endear the youth to the sports, which has little following in the football-mad country.
The cumbersomely titled Suruç Hockey Culture and Research Sports Club managed to make it into Turkey's indoor hockey Süper Lig within five years of its foundation.
The club administration, which was challenged initially to find players, now ponders who to pick for the starting lineup due to the increasing number of players in this town of just about 100,000 people.
Yusuf Elmaser, head of the local sports authority in Suruç, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that they wanted to make Suruç a hub for hockey. “We have a dedicated coach and boys who liked the sport. We hope it will be even better,” Elmaser said, referring to Abit Bostancı, who started the team in 2015.
Elmaser said what Suruç couldn't accomplish in football, it will compensate for with indoor hockey.
Bostancı is proud of his team, which won all regional championships in the last five years. “We now have a junior, an under-18 and a seniors’ team. We want to turn hockey into a culture for Suruç. I hope it will soon be a common sight to see young boys with hockey sticks on streets, returning from training,” he said.
Daily Sabah