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All the news for Wednesday 9 September 2020

Germany looking to turn excitement to excellence



Kais Al Saadi has been Head Coach to the men’s national German team since November 2019. Prior to that, Al Saadi held a number of coaching roles with both club and national teams, including the top German side UHC Hamburg, the gold medal-winning German women’s indoor team, and several national youth teams.

With his German men’s team all set to take on the might of European neighbours Belgium in the opening fixtures of the resumed FIH Hockey Pro League, Al Saadi is very aware of the challenge his team faces.

Belgium are reigning European and World Champions and currently are ranked at number one in the world. In their previous FIH Hockey Pro League encounter, which took place in June 2019, Belgium held the upper hand, winning 8-0. Germany, for their part, started this campaign with a solid win over Spain – and Al Saadi and his players will want to pick up on that momentum.

Are you satisfied with the amount and quality of preparation time you have had with your team ahead of the first FIH Hockey Pro League fixture?

Kais Al Saadi: Of course, the time and quality of the preparations [ahead of the FIH Hockey Pro League] has been limited. There are a lot of things to do. We are coming from a gap [in competition] of over half a year now so we are happy at least to see each other again and work together. The question is not so much ‘if’ the amount and quality of preparation is enough but that is an obvious ‘no’.

How excited, motivated and ready do you feel the players are for a return to Pro League action?

Kais Al Saadi: Well, they are very ‘excited’, but it feels a bit surrealistic still. I am just happy that everyone is healthy, and their families are okay. The motivation is a no-brainer because nobody is over-played, everybody is ready to do sports and play hockey again together. ‘Ready’, not so much. Pro League has been very good for us in 2020. We were looking forward to the games. Our start in Valencia [against Spain] was okay. Motivational concerns, I don’t have, but, of course, the team is far from being on-point and sharp and ready. But we will learn a lot and compensate with excitement and motivation.

Are you able to draw any positives from the break from action of the past seven months?

Kais Al Saadi: What is the positive to be drawn from a lockdown and a corona virus like this? It is hard to see any. Many people worldwide were suffering either directly through health issues or indirectly with economic concerns, social concerns – there were many things that could go wrong. So the positive thing is that everyone [in the squad] is healthy, everyone has avoided an infection and their families are well. And, if you look at the outcome of a break like that where no-one could really play hockey or see the team, then nobody will be overplayed, nobody will be over exhausted because they have had time to take care of themselves, so that is one positive aspect of it.

What will you be looking for from your players if they are to win this opening game of the season?

Kais Al Saadi: Ahead of the restart [to the FIH Hockey Pro League] we have a camp for about a week to see each other finally, and then we play the European and World Champions, so that is quite tough but at least we will know where we stand and where we are at. If we are to win the opening games, then we need courage and commitment to compensate for any tactical shortcomings that naturally occur when you haven’t had the chance to prepare yourselves properly.

Can you sum up the importance of the next few months when it comes to preparing for the EuroHockey Championships and the Olympic Games?

Kais Al Saadi: It is less than a year until the Olympic Games, well, that is what we all hope, we don’t know exactly.  It is in the calendar and we take whatever is in the calendar very seriously. It is the final phase ahead of the Olympic Games so Pro League, which has been a great motivational booster for us, is the only competition where we get to play top nations, to compete, to try things, to learn, to develop a team that will be capable of taking the challenge of going to the European Championships and the Olympic Games. So yes, the importance of the Pro League is very high and that is why we are taking it very, very seriously and I am looking forward to the challenges ahead of us.

Germany men take on Belgium men on Tuesday 22 September and Wednesday 23 September at Dusseldorf Hockey Club 18:00 (CET). Visit the FIH Hockey Pro League website for more information on the FIH Hockey Pro League and all the ways you can follow the action.

#FIHProLeague

Official FIH Pro League Site

Hauke is ready to rise to the challenge



Tobias Hauke is a long-serving member of the German men’s national team. His 310 international appearances include two Olympic gold medals [Beijing and London], as well as a bronze medal from the Rio 2016 Olympics Games. Despite his long career, Hauke still brings the same high levels of motivation and top class performance to each game and his influence on the team is immense. With the first FIH Hockey Pro League encounter with Belguim just days away, Hauke is ready to pit his talents against the world’s best.

Do you feel as if you are physically and mentally prepared for the Pro League season to begin again?

Tobias Hauke: As a team, we are prepared and in a good way physically for the first game after Corona. We do have two weeks of Bundesliga [club hockey] before we play Belgium in Düsseldorf and this is good preparation to be ready for two games against the best nation, at the moment, in the world. We are using the time between now and then to be physically prepared. Mentally, I can only speak for myself. I am 32 years old and I am looking forward to playing the best teams. You could wake me up at midnight and I would be ready to play against a national team, so mentally that will not be a problem for us.

Has the past few months and the Covid-19 situation changed your perspective on being a national team player in any way?

Tobias Hauke: Of course Corona was a challenge for all of us and it has changed, a little bit, my perspective on being a national team player. We learnt how it is to live without one of the most important things in our lives and now we are back and we hope we can play the next month at a really high level and enjoy it. I think it is good to know what life is like without hockey. We will be really prepared for the next month.

How do you and your teammates feel about playing hockey under strict health/hygiene guidelines and the challenges that will pose?

Tobias Hauke: I can’t say much about this as we haven’t yet played at professional level under Corona restrictions. We will see how it works. I know everyone has worked really hard to make it possible to play at this high level again. To be honest, as a player, it is a bit weird now to see what we have to do to play at a high level, but we hope it works and we come through this part and that we can play two games in Düsseldorf. It is the only way to play hockey, under these restrictions.

What are you hoping of the next few months of Pro League hockey?

Tobias Hauke: I hope that we can play in the Pro League as it is planned at the moment, firstly against Belgium and later in the year against Great Britain. I hope until then, it will be a step-by-step improvement all over the world and next year, in March, we have a situation where we can play it again as we have done in the past. Hopefully everything will work out as the FIH have planned it and we can all stay healthy.

#FIHProLeague

Official FIH Pro League Site

Niels keeps a sense of perspective



Niels Thijssen has been in charge of the Belgium women since October 2015 and, over the past five years, he has enjoyed mixed results. A silver medal at the 2017 EuroHockey Championships demonstrated just what his squad could achieve but a failure to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games showed the frailty of the team when the heat was turned up.

In the FIH Hockey Pro League, despite being the second lowest ranked team in the competition (11th) Belgium has shown consistently good form. The team travels well and has matched higher ranked teams step for step. Thijssen is patiently building his squad and, with some tightening of discipline when the pressure is on, the Red Panthers are fast becoming a force to be reckoned with.

Despite a limited amount of time with his team ahead of their fixtures against Germany, Thijssen is calm and ready for whatever challenges the FIH Hockey Pro League may throw his way.

Are you satisfied with the amount and quality of preparation time you have had with your team ahead of the first FIH Hockey Pro League fixture?

Niels Thijssen: The time we had to prepare for the coming games against Germany was very limited. I think we are looking at a maximum of four to five sessions before we actually play our first games again. We have to be realistic. We live in a different world at the moment and times have been challenging for all of us. I am happy that we can play again, so the limited preparation time is a fact, but we are mostly happy to give it a go again. At the moment, players are mostly with their clubs preparing for the domestic league and it is a conscious decision to let the players mostly prepare with their clubs. These clubs have also suffered in the past six or seven months so this is a time for them to restart and for the players to prepare in their own environment for the upcoming season.

How excited, motivated and ready do you feel the players are for a return to Pro League action?

Niels Thijssen: The players are motivated for sure. Like we have seen with the first games being played at club level, the excitement is obvious and, of course, with international hockey players are super excited but still, I think, at the same time, a bit hesitant. [They are asking] are the games going to be played? Are the games in the future going to be played but, above all, they hope those games will be played and they are super-excited to travel to Germany to play those first games.

Are you able to draw any positives from the break from action of the past seven months?

Niels Thijssen: Absolutely a big yes. We ended up in a situation that no-one predicted but if we look back now, we are looking at a period where the players had a chance to spend more time in their home environment with their friends and family – mostly family. That is not something which is usually given to an athlete. Normally it is a super busy programme, preparing one tournament to the next, so to have this amount of time with your close ones and your inner circle, actually turned out to be a gift. It was a gift coming from difficult circumstances but what we are used to in elite sport is to adapt and try to take the positives out of difficult situations. I have seen players who have used the time really well.

What will you be looking for from your players if they are to win this opening game of the season?

Niels Thijssen: If you have four or five training sessions to prepare and play against a strong nation like Germany, we are not even talking about winning or losing at the moment. Most important is that we can play again, so if there is something we want to see back on the pitch from both teams, it is love for hockey and put all our energy into finally being back on the pitch again. This is for ourselves but also for the people who love to watch the game. Let’s hope we can create some super-exciting games in the coming months for everyone who missed international hockey in the past six or seven months.

What are you hoping to see from your team in the coming months?

Niels Thijssen: We hope to find some consistency to prepare for big tournaments. We need to spend time together, to play games, to have practice games and international games, such as the Pro League. We need to be able to travel the world again to hopefully in the future to prepare in the best possible way and meet other teams to help each other prepare for those tournaments. We are looking for consistency in our programme but we are also realistic and the fact that we restart again doesn’t mean the situation in the world has changed. This may be a cliche but above all, let’s stay healthy first and hockey is in second place in the coming months.

#FIHProLeague

Official FIH Pro League Site

Hockey player Ward: Tokyo would be one of the proudest moments of my life


Pic: Reuters

The countdown to the Olympic Games is back on but few will embrace the journey to Tokyo 2020 quite like hockey player Sam Ward.

Having been effectively blinded in one eye after being hit by a ball, the Leicester-based athlete feared his career in the sport he loves would be over.

Eight months later and Ward’s Olympic dream is back on, even with the coronavirus pandemic pushing the Games back by a year.

His life, yet alone his sporting career, was changed forever having been struck at 50mph.

But having made a successful, albeit trepidatious, return to the pitch before the country came to a halt, it’s all systems go for a man with four metal plates and 31 screws holding his face together.

"Tokyo 2020 would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” said Ward, one of 1,100 athletes on UK Sport’s World Class Programme, funded by The National Lottery.

“After what happened last year and losing an eye, to be able to come back stronger and be a better hockey player for it, I think I'd be very emotional about it all after such a diverse year.

"Sometimes emotions catch up to me. I've got to accept it being a great achievement and something I never really expected.

"Having missed out in Rio, we're going there to put things right and we do have a point to prove, and now we have another year to do that.

"We had a tough time early on, but for me the postponement has provided a chance of another 12 months to get even better and more used to my eye.

"I saw as much positive as I could in a tough time and that's given me more confidence in the return to training.

"I was back playing and feeling good, ready and raring to go. I felt ready when I trained before lockdown but even from six weeks ago to now, the difference I get from day to day life is massive.”

Should his hockey career not pan out the way he intends, Ward is certainly not short of any alternative options.

Thanks to his Isolation Olympics, the 29-year-old now has 31 new events in his locker – with the boredom-buster keeping the country gripped during the height of lockdown.

"It was purely boredom. It was the week before full isolation where we were half in lockdown and half not,” explained Ward who, if selected for Tokyo, will aim to add to the 864 Olympic and Paralympic medals won since National Lottery funding began in 1997.

"We couldn't train with the British team, and as a bit of a joke I did the wrecking ball event, which went down really well.

"Then I thought I could change it into Olympic events, have my humour on each of them.

"I did day one and had loads of people messaging me about it and it went down far better than I even thought it would.

"It got to day ten and I was struggling - I'd used up all my humour, but then all of a sudden I had a wave of new ideas of what I could do.

"I signed off on my favourite one - doing an impression of the coach was really good fun and I signed off with 31.

"Every few days I'd have a day off and it made me really grumpy when I wasn't doing anything!

"When they ended, I was so grumpy for about a week - and it was literally because that Isolation Games was my bit of excitement for the day and it kept me going through the whole thing.”

Campaign Series

Eddie Jones coaching podcast: Culture over performance with Great Britain hockey coach Danny Kerry

By Ashleigh Wilmot


Eddie Jones and Danny Kerry at an England training session in 2017

This week, England Rugby's The Eddie Jones Coaching Podcast welcomed England and Great Britain men's hockey head coach Danny Kerry MBE.

Kerry is the most successful coach in British hockey history, having led England and Great Britain's women to numerous successes, including 2016 Olympic gold in Rio.

In 2018, he was appointed head coach for the men's hockey team and although they work in different sports, Jones and Kerry have shared several different coaching methods.

"I remember when Danny won the gold medal and hearing a few people talk about the way he coached and obviously winning the gold medal you've got to do a lot of things right," Jones said.

"We've met on a number of occasions and I've stolen a number of ideas from the women's hockey, and now the men's hockey, and it's of real benefit.

"It's one of the beauties about being in England is you have access to so many good coaches and Danny is one of the best in England."

Although the technical side of coaching may differ between the two sports, there is no denying a lot can be learnt when it comes to the 'non-technical' - keeping athletes and staff motivated, structuring training programmes and finding innovative ways to lead a team.

The pair have often traded coaching strategies and after steering England women's hockey team to their first European title in 24 years back in 2015, and being awarded the High Performance Coach of the Year gong at the UK Coaching Awards as a result, it's no surprise Kerry was on Jones' networking radar.

"There was a session I watched that Eddie and the coaches were running, and they were literally going from one thing to the next thing very quickly," Kerry said.

"Eddie was saying…there's an element of preparation for a Six Nations match but there's also an element of throwing them in to the quick chaos. The athletes are quickly having to go from one thing to the next thing and having to recall all elements of the game.

"I thought I quite like [Eddie's] concept as they cover every aspect of the game in very rapid bursts and the athletes are forced to switch on.

"There's a little bit of jealousy, I watch Eddie's staff and he's got people mic'd up with kit guys who can move kit around. I spend half of my training sessions moving goals around the place and over a period of several years that's time lost - the rugby guys don't lose that time."

Kerry's darkest hour came in the aftermath of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games where he endured a brutal debrief session which saw his methods criticised by athletes and staff.

"I was trying to work out how I'd lost them, and essentially it boiled down to the fact I was the classic defeat-the-world-with-knowledge-type coach and nothing to do with the relationships," Kerry recalled.

"The athletes pretty much said I was grumpy, miserable and unapproachable. I was really hurt as I felt I had given everything… but reading through this stuff I could see why they had said it.


I thought I quite like [Eddie’s] concept as they cover every aspect of the game in very rapid bursts and the athletes are forced to switch on. Danny Kerry

"Then I had one of those classic moments in your life where you go home that evening and I felt pretty betrayed, especially by some staff who I felt had stuck some daggers in my back and thinking 'that's it, that's my international career over'."

It led to a transitional period for Kerry where he worked to showcase a 'new Danny' after being giving the opportunity to continue at international level.

"There's definitely some athletes that stayed with me all the way to the gold medal in Rio in 2016, we had good functioning coach-athlete relationships but you could always sense that [they thought] maybe old Danny was in there somewhere," added Kerry.

Jones described his experiences in the rugby world as a lot more 'cut throat', but he too has learned lessons from previous coaching jobs.

"When you fail, you're out the door, you've got to get your stuff out in a certain period of time and you don't get any feedback," Jones said.

"I got sacked as the Australia coach in 2005 and when I look back it's very similar to what Danny was saying - I didn't get that feedback so I had to reflect myself and it took me about three or four years to really get to the core of it.

"And it's painful… you think you're doing a great job and then you realise you haven't been doing a great job, You've got to find a way to change but if you love coaching, and you love the sport enough you find a way to change."

Jones holds himself and the England team to very 'high standards' but he admits juggling the different, challenging personalities within the team is 'probably the most enjoyable' aspect of the job.

"In international sport particularly when we don't have a lot of time, we're just coaching behaviours, we're not coaching skills or tactics… to try to get a cultural fit because we've got players from all different clubs who have different ideas of what's right and what's wrong and we're trying to fit them all together," Jones said.

Listen to The Eddie Jones coaching podcast

Sky Sports

Rome 1960 Olympics: When Indian hockey team’s golden run came to a halt

Having dominated the world since 1928, the Indian hockey team fell short of another Olympic gold, losing to arch-rivals Pakistan in the final at the Rome Games.

By Naveen Peter



Ever since its debut at the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam, the Indian hockey team had proven to be a dominant force at the global stage.

The trend was kick-started by one of the finest players to ever grace the hockey pitch, Dhyan Chand, who helped India to three consecutive gold medals at the Olympics.

Post his retirement, it was the towering forward from Punjab -- Balbir Singh Sr -- who ensured that India’s supremacy continued.

Balbir Singh Sr led the Indian hockey team to three more gold medals at the Olympics in 1948, 1952 and 1956. But India’s domination was increasingly getting challenged.

While the victories in 1948 and the 1952 Games came with consummate ease, India’s sixth Olympic hockey gold that came in Melbourne 1956 wasn’t a cakewalk. The 1-0 win against Pakistan in the final was hard earned and India’s neighbours showed tell tale signs that they had arrived on the world stage.

Four years later at the Rome 1960 Olympics, India were ‘conquered’. Pakistan relegated India to the silver medal to announce that they were a power to be reckoned with.

Prithipal, Bhola to the rescue

With Balbir Singh Sr retired, the Indian hockey team was still looking for an able replacement for the goal machine as they headed for the 1960 Olympics.

Captained by the veteran half-back Leslie Claudius in his fourth Olympics, the most by an Indian then -- boasted of a quality mix of youth and experience.

On one hand, India had the likes of John Peter, Prithipal Singh and Joginder Singh who were keen to leave an impression in what was their debut Games.

On the other, Claudius along with legendary goalkeeper Shankar Laxman and Raghbir Singh Bhola brought in the much-needed experience of playing at the Olympics stage.

India beat Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand by convincing margins to move into the quarter-finals.

The team, however, looked scratchy. This despite a dominant 10-0 win over Denmark and conceding just a solitary goal in the group stages.

According to a report by The Hindu, the Indian forwards didn’t display any “thrust or combination” and were considered lucky to have won.

The Indian hockey team even trailed for the first time in an Olympic match against the Netherlands. Defending deep in their own half, the Dutch frustrated the Indians for long periods before turning things around as the experienced Raghbir Singh Bhola handed India the lead with seven minutes left on the clock.

It was Bhola’s incisive scoring and Prithipal Singh’s short corner conversions that masked the shortcomings as India slammed 17 goals and won all their matches in the group stages.

A different game

Rather than skilfully maneuvering their sticks in Rome, the Indians had resorted to playing the west’s hit-and-run style of hockey, which they were largely unfamiliar with.

“It was a delight in the past to watch our forwards indulge in quick short passing and skilful dribbling,” said SM Sait, the then vice president of Indian Hockey Federation.

“Now what we saw in Rome was a different picture altogether. Our players were trying to outdo our opponents in hard-hitting and individual thrusts,” he pointed out.

The new style wasn’t working for the Indians. And it troubled them when they ran into a determined Australia in the quarter-finals.

With the Kookaburras too deploying deep defensive tactics, the Indian hockey team once again found it hard to break the opponent’s backline and have any clear look at the Aussie goal.

With nothing to separate the teams, the match went into extra-time and once again it was the experience of Raghbir Singh Bhola that did the trick. The officer in the Indian Air Force scored from a penalty corner and carried India into the semi-final against Great Britain.

In the semis, the Indians were pushed back as the British chose to pile pressure on the champions with their incessant waves of attack. But this time, it was goalkeeper Shankar Laxman who made the difference.

The shot-stopper from Mhow in British India - now a cantonment in Indore in the state of Madhya Pradesh - was kept busy throughout the game as Stuart Mayes and John Hindle probed the Indian defence in search for a goal.

Helping Shankar Laxman hold fort -- he saved four attempts that day -- was defender Prithipal Singh who was rock solid. Udham Singh’s goal was the matchwinner and India were in another final.

Victory on the walls of Pakistan

Up against a formidable Pakistan in the final, the Indian hockey team’s task was cut out to retain the Olympic title.

Eight of the 11 players in the Pakistan side, also unbeaten in their group, had played in the final against India at the 1956 Olympics.

“We had undergone rigorous three to four months training in the camp at Lahore where the morale of players was very high and the slogan ‘Victory at Rome’ was written all over the walls of our bedrooms and elsewhere which infused a fighting spirit among the players,” recalled Abdul Waheed Khan, a member of the Pakistan hockey team.

High on adrenaline, Pakistan enjoyed a fine outing in the final, with inside-left Naseer Bunda giving them the lead in the 11th minute.

With India in disarray and unable to stitch any decent attack, Pakistan clung on that slender lead and clinched the gold for the first time in Olympic history.

“As soon as the match ended, the Pakistanis went berserk,” Boria Majumdar wrote in his book Dreams of a Billion. “It was the first time in Olympic history that the Indian hockey team has been pushed to number two on the podium.”

India had surrendered the Olympic hockey crown to their neighbours. At Rome, Indian hockey team’s brilliant run of six successive gold medals had ended.

“I never thought I would win a silver medal under my captaincy," the then captain Leslie Claudius summed up when speaking to the Times of India decades later. “I was so unlucky. I just can’t explain it."

Olympic Channel

Magic Matla gets Den Bosch up and running with a hat trick



Frédérique Matla banged in a hat trick of backhand shots to set Den Bosch off and running with a 6-0 win in the women’s Hoofdklasse in the Netherlands, seeing off Victoria.

After Noor Omrani’s opening goal, Matla scored three of the next four goals before Lidewij Welten helped herself to a pair of goals.  

Title hopefuls SCHC had to wait until the 69th minute before getting their winner against Bloemendaal with Ginella Zerbo making amends for a missed penalty stroke earlier in the game to grab the crucial goal. They trailed with three minutes left but Pien Dicke made it 2-2 before Zerbo cashed in.

A new-look Oranje-Rood started with a win with 16-year-old talent Trijntje Beljaars getting her first goal for the first team in a 2-1 success against Laren. Ultimately, Janneke van de Venne’s goal was the difference, coming 12 minutes before the end.

Pinoké beat Kampong while HDM saw off Hurley 2-1 thanks to Tessa Beetsma’s diving touch in the closing seconds.  

In the men’s competition, Rotterdam’s star men Jeroen Hertzberger and Thijs van Dam both scored twice in Eindhoven to beat Oranje-Rood 4-1 in the performance of the weekend.

EHL Cup qualifiers Den Bosch held off the challenge of Pinoké to record a 3-2 success. Austin Smith’s early corner was added to by a couple of Noud Schoenaker touches for a 3-0 lead before Alexander Hendrickx and new addition Niklas Wellen gave Pinoké hope.

They had a couple of corner shots but Loïc van Doren held firm for a good start to the season on the road.

AH&BC Amsterdam were comfortable 5-1 winners in their derby against Hurley while Bloemendaal were too strong for Almere, 5-2. HGC beat Tilburg 3-0 with a Kenta Tanaka brace and SV Kampong accounted for Klein Zwitserland 5-0 with Jip Janssen’s pair of corner goals setting them on their way.

Euro Hockey League media release

Mülheim’s men and Mannheim’s women lead the way in Germany



Uhlenhorst Mülheim made the big move over the weekend in the men’s Bundesliga with back-to-back wins, seeing off Rot-Weiss Köln on Saturday and Crefelder HTC on Sunday.

In front of 300 spectators, they won the former game 3-1, coming back from a third minute deficit with goals from Malte Hellwig, Till Brock and Lukas Windfeder.  

A day later, Windfeder added another couple of goals and Hellwig scored his second of the weekend in a 3-0 success.  

New coach Thilo Stralkowski was satisfied with the outcome, saying: “In the end, the win is well deserved, even if it was definitely not brilliant. We started well and then had a small lull in the game. It was very important for us to come back into the season strong.”

The results lift them to the top of the table, just ahead on Rot-Weiss on goal difference with both sides on 29 points. Mannheimer HC lost some ground when they drew 2-2 with UHC Hamburg  for whom Scottish duo Cameron Golden and Michael Bremner were on the mark; their goals were cancelled out by Luis Holste and Gonzalo Peillat.

Hamburger Polo club moved above both UHC and Crefeld with a 3-0 victory over Harvestehuder THC on Sunday, jumping into fourth place.

On the women’s side, Mannheimer HC picked up four points out of six to remain clear at the top of the table, their advantage now at three points after 13 rounds. They started off the weekend with a 2-0 away win over Zehlendorfer Wasps before drawing 1-1 at Berliner HC with Charlotte Gerstenhöfer and Stefanie Wendt exchanging goals.

“In the first half we played a good game and we deservedly led it.,” was MHC coach Nicklas Benecke’s assessment. “In the third quarter, the BHC came out of the half-time break differently, so we had some problems there. Accordingly, the 1-1 is completely the right result.”

UHC Hamburg and Düsseldorfer HC are in a share of second spot on 31 points; both picked up a full set of six points from their two games while Rot-Weiss remain in the top four in spite of a 3-0 loss to Harvestehuder THC.

Euro Hockey League media release

EH Champs Finals Insight: Sat 12 September


2019 EH Champs Men's T3 Uni of Nottingham v Atherstone Adders

After hockey made its long-awaited return last weekend, another eight postponed EH Championships Finals will be contested on Saturday 12 September when the competition returns at Nottingham Hockey Centre.

Though the event will be following Step 4 of the Return to Play guidelines, matches will be played behind closed doors with no spectators allowed. However you will still be able to keep up with the action through our live stream on Facebook, social media updates using #EHChamps and live match info.

Men’s T1 Final – Beeston v Fareham (15:15)
The centrepiece fixture on the first day of action this weekend will see either Beeston or Fareham crowned the 2020 Men’s T1 champions.

Premier Division outfit Beeston have plundered the goals in this year’s competition, starting with an 8-1 victory over City of Peterborough before thumping Belper 12-2 in their quarter-final. Their semi-final against last year’s champions Bowdon, contested just a few days ago, was a much tighter affair and finished 2-2 after normal time. However they prevailed on a shootout and will be hoping to match their women’s team by securing the T1 title.

Fareham have enjoyed two thrilling fixtures in their run to the final, overcoming Old Cranleighans 4-3 in their second round game back in December before beating Southgate by the same scoreline last weekend to reach the final. After a tough 2019/20 league campaign, they will be hoping to cap it off by claiming a big scalp and taking home the silverware.

How they got to the final

    Beeston: R1) BYE; R2) Beeston 8-1 City of Peterborough; QF) Beeston 12-2 Belper; SF) Bowdon 2-2 Beeston (7-8 S/O)
    Fareham: R1) BYE; R2) Old Cranleighans 3-4 Fareham; QF) Fareham W/O Canterbury; SF) Fareham 4-3 Southgate

Last year’s winners
Bowdon (beat Canterbury 4-3)

Men’s T2 Final – Repton v Surbiton 2s (12:45)
Defending champions Surbiton will be hoping to claim the Men’s T2 title for a second consecutive year this weekend when they face Repton in a repeat of last year’s final.

The south west London outfit have looked in fine form since the resumption of the competition, beating Barnes 3-0 on 1 September before defeating Southgate 4-2 in the semi-final at the weekend. That followed a convincing 5-2 victory over Blackheath & Elthamians in Round 2.

Repton have a score to settle after being defeated 4-1 by Surbiton in last year’s final and have been in fine form during this year’s competition. They have scored 27 goals in five games during the competition, including a 10-1 quarter-final win over Cronkbourne Bacchanalians before beating Plymouth Marjon 4-1 in their semi-final a few days ago.

How they got to the final

    Repton: R1) Coalville Town 0-6 Repton; R2) Sheffield University Bankers 0-5 Repton; R3) Repton 2-2 University of Nottingham (7-6 S/O); QF) Repton 10-1 Cronkbourne Bacchanalians; SF) Plymouth Marjon 1-4 Repton
    Surbiton: R1) Surbiton W/O Marlow; R2) Surbiton 5-2 Blackheath & Elthamians; R3) Reading W/O Surbiton; QF) Barnes 0-3 Surbiton; SF) Southgate 2-4 Surbiton

Last year’s winners
Surbiton 2s (beat Repton 4-1)


Surbiton 2s 2019 EH Champs Men's T2

Men’s T3 Final – Atherstone Adders v Southport (17:45)
The final match of the day will see last year’s Men’s T3 runners-up Atherstone Adders seek to go one further this year when they face Southport.

After losing 4-1 to University of Nottingham in last year’s final, Atherstone will be looking to win the trophy this year having overcome some tricky ties on their way to the final. They beat Wolverhampton & Tettenhall 4-3 in their opening match before defeating Berkswell & Balsall Common in Round 3. A tense 6-5 quarter-final victory over Southampton followed before they put four goals past Lewes in their semi-final.

Southport will be full of confidence heading into the final after knocking out defending champions University of Nottingham in their semi-final. That was their fourth straight away win in the competition and will not be phased by the 120m trip they will take to get to Nottingham. They also boast a fine defensive record, conceding just five goals in their five games.

How they got to the final

    Atherstone Adders: R1) Atherstone Adders 4-3 Wolverhampton & Tettenhall; R2) Tamworth W/O Atherstone Adders; R3) Berkswell & Balsall Common 3-3 Atherstone
    Southport: R1) Southport 6-1 Buxton; R2) Vikings 0-2 Southport; R3) Triton 0-2 Southport; QF) Stafford 2-3 Southport; SF) Universoty of Nottingham 2-3 Southport

Last year’s winners
University of Nottingham 4s (beat Atherstone Adders 4-1)

Men’s T4 Final – University of Nottingham 5s v Tower Hamlets (10:15)
Defending champions University of Nottingham 5s take on Tower Hamlets in what is set to be an enthralling Men’s T4 final, the first game of the day to be live streamed.

After needing a shootout to defeat Loughborough Carillon in their opening game, it’s been an emphatic run to the final thereafter for University of Nottingham. They scored seven against Ramsey, nine against Eastcote and then reached the final by defeating Addiscombe 3-0. They will also hope to use the advantage of playing at home to claim the trophy once again.

They will face stern competition in Tower Hamlets though who themselves have been impressive in front of goal throughout the rounds. They put five past Burnt Ash (Bexley) and London Edwardians in the opening matches and have only conceded once in their last two games, underlying their strong defensive capabilities too.

How they got to the final

    University of Nottingham: R1) Loughborough Carillon 1-1 University of Nottingham (3-4 S/O); R2) Ramsey 2-7 University of Nottingham; QF) Eastcote 1-9 University of Nottingham; SF) University of Nottingham 3-0 Addiscombe
    Tower Hamlets: R1) Tower Hamlets 5-1 Burnt Ash (Bexley); R2) London Edwardians 3-5 Tower Hamlets; QF) Tower Hamlets 2-0 East London; SF) Tower Hamlets 3-1 Newbury & Thatcham

Last year’s winners
University of Nottingham 5s (beat Crawley 2s 5-1)


University of Nottingham 5s 2019 EH Champs T4

Men’s O50s T3 Final – Old Cranleighans v Shrewsbury (09:00)
Kicking off the second weekend of action in Nottingham will be Old Cranleighans and Shrewsbury as they contest the Men’s O50s T3 final.

A convincing 4-0 win over Eastcote back in late August booked Old Cranleighans their place in the final after also overcoming Bristol & West and St Albans in the earlier rounds of the competition.

They will have their work cut out though against a Shrewsbury side who have been in clinical form right from the word go. Not only have they scored 17 goals in their five games, they also only conceded just once and will be ready for a fierce encounter.

How they got to the final

    Old Cranleighans: R1) BYE; R2) Amersham & Chalfont W/O Old Cranleighans; R3) Old Cranleighans 2-2 St Albans (2-0 S/O); QF) Bristol & West 0-2 Old Cranleighans; SF) Old Cranleighans 4-0 Eastcote
    Shrewsbury: R1) Shrewsbury 2-0 Atherstone Adders; R2) Shrewsbury 2-0 Lichfield; R3) Sutton Coldfield 0-4 Shrewsbury; QF) Shrewsbury 3-0 Kettering; SF) Shrewsbury 3-1 Belper

Last year’s winners
Bristol & West (beat Lichfield 2-1 on shootout after 1-1 draw)

Men’s O40s T3 Final – Harborne v Taunton Vale (11:30)
A new champion will be crowned in the Men’s O40s T3 competition with Harborne and Taunton Vale set to go into battle in the final.

Harborne have been in blistering form since the get go, defeating North Notts 12-1 in their opening game. They then put seven past Bridgnorth before repeating the feat in their semi-final as they thrashed defending champions Herne Bay on Sunday.

Taunton Vale have shown immense grit and resilience on their way to the final, winning the first three games they played by a single goal. A 2-0 victory over Woking in their semi-final saw them reach the final back in March.

How they got to the final

    Harborne: R1) Worcester W/O Harborne; R2) North Notts 1-12 Harborne; R3) Harborne 7-4 Bridgnorth; QF) South Wirral 0-3 Harborne; SF) Harborne 7-1 Herne Bay
    Taunton Vale: R1) Petersfield 1-2 Taunton Vale; R2) Team Bath Buccaneers 2-3 Taunton Vale; R3) Taunton Vale W/O Plymouth Marjon; QF) Worthing 3-4 Taunton Vale; SF) Woking 0-2 Taunton Vale

Last year’s winners
Herne Bay (beat Broxbourne 3-1)

Men’s O50s T2 Final – Broxbourne v Stockton (14:00)
The Men’s O50s T2 final is set to be a thrilling affair with two teams who have scored goals for fun so far set to meet on Pitch 2.

Broxbourne notched an emphatic nine goals against Eastcote in their second round match before putting six past Chelmsford in their quarter-final. They also found the net five times against Epsom in their semi-final and will hope to take that blistering form into this crucial game to lift the trophy.

Stockton have also been imperious in front of goal, registering 21 goals in just five games so far in the competition. They put six past Gateshead and City of Peterborough in the early rounds before facing their biggest test yet against Oxford Hawks in the semis. However they overcame them on a shootout and will be raring to go come Saturday.

How they got to the final

    Broxbourne: R1) Blueharts 1-4 Broxbourne; R2) Broxbourne 9-1 Eastcote; R3) BYE; R4) Broxbourne W/O Cambridge City; QF) Chelmsford 2-6 Broxbourne; SF) Broxbourne 5-1 Epsom
    Stockton: R1) Gateshead 0-6 Stockton; R2) Stockton 4-0 City of York; R3) BYE; R4) Stockton 2-1 Timperley; QF) Stockton 6-0 City of Peterborough; SF) Oxford Hawks 3-3 Stockton (6-7 S/O)

Last year’s winners
Isca (beat City of York 4-1)

Men’s O40s T2 Final – Old Cranleighans v Blueharts (16:30)
The penultimate match of the day sees last year’s semi-finalists Old Cranleighans – who could win their second trophy of the day – come up against Blueharts.

After losing to eventual champions Deeside Ramblers in the penultimate round of last year’s competition, Old Cranleighans have already gone one further this season. However they won’t be satisfied with just making the final and will be desperate to win. They’ve played out some thrilling games so far - overcoming Burton on penalties in their quarter-final before narrowly beating Bowdon in the semis – and will hope to emerge victorious one more time.

Blueharts have scored at least five goals in every single game they’ve played so far, finding the target an incredible 33 times in just five matches on their way to the final. They started with an 11-1 win over Southend before putting six past Bishops Stortford and Indian Gymkhana. Five more were added in their quarter-final win over Chelmsford before they defeated Isca in 5-4 in a thriller last weekend.

How they got to the final

    Old Cranleighans: R1) Old Cranleighans 9-1 Marden Russets; R2) Old Cranleighans W/O Guernsey; R3) Old Cranleighans 4-1 Tulse Hill & Dulwich; R4) Old Cranleighans 3-1 Banbury; QF) Old Cranleighans 4-4 Burton (4-1 S/O); SF) Bowdon 2-3 Old Cranleighans
    Blueharts: R1) Blueharts 11-1 Southend; R2) Blueharts 6-2 Bishops Stortford; R3) BYE; R4) Blueharts 6-3 Indian Gymkhana; QF) Blueharts 5-3 Chelmsford; SF) Blueharts 5-4 Isca

Last year's winners
Deeside Ramblers (beat Khalsa 4-2 on shootout after 3-3 draw)

September 12 schedule:
09:00 – Men’s O50s T3 Final
10:15 – Men’s T4 Final (available on Facebook live stream)
11:30 – Men’s O40s T3 Final
12:45 – Men’s T2 Final (available on Facebook live stream)
14:00 – Men’s O50s T2 Final
15:15 – Men’s T1 Final (available on Facebook live stream)
16:30 – Men’s O40s T2 Final
17:45 – Men’s T3 Final (available on Facebook live stream)

To see all the fixtures and results in the 2019/20 EH Championships, click HERE.

England Hockey Board Media release

Hockey Ireland Cup Competitions 2019-20 Finals



The schedule for the Hockey Ireland Cup Competition Finals 2019/20 has been announced. Please note that these fixtures are subject to Government Guidelines and Covid19 Restrictions. Information regarding Spectators etc will be posted closer to the finals dates.

Many thanks to Lisnagarvey Hockey Club who have agreed to host the majority of the Cup Finals.

Schedule:

Sat.19th Sept. @ Lisnagarvey HC

12.30 Men's Challenge Final: Portrush v. Antrim (Green Pitch)
13.00 Women's Irish Senior Cup Final: Pegasus v. UCD (Blue Pitch)
16.00 Men's Trophy Final: Belfast Harlequins v. Portrane (Green Pitch)
16.30 Men's Irish Senior Cup Final: Lisnagarvey v. UCD (Blue Pitch)

Sunday 20th Sept: @ UCD, Belfield.

13.30 Women's Irish Junior Cup: Old Alexandra v. Pembroke Wanderers
16.00 Women's Challenge Final: NICS v. Blackrock.

Sunday 27th Sept. @ Lisnagarvey HC.

13.00 Women's Trophy Final: Lisnagarvey v. Nth.Kildare/Portadown
16.30 Men's Irish Junior Cup Final: Lisnagarvey v. Corinthian

Irish Hockey Association media release

Leinster Under-18 panels named for new-look interpro series


Leinster Under-18 players in their AerCap sponsored kit

Leinster have named their 24-player AerCap Under-18 boys and girls panels for the new-look Irish interprovincial series which will take place over the October mid-term break.

Despite the enforced break since March, Sarah Scott and Simon Lowry oversaw development sessions through the summer with international players – usually on rest periods – were able to join these groups.

This year, to cope with the changed circumstances, the underage interpros will see each province have access to a 24-player panel from which they can name an 18-player match days squad.

The competition will be played over the mid-term break in different locations, avoiding the need for players to miss school and for overnight stays. Matchdays are set for Sunday, October 25; Tuesday, October 27; Thursday, October 29; Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1.

The boys panel features five of the Irish Under-18 panel from earlier this year – Adam Galbraith, Callum Hewat, Craig Mackay, Ben Ryder and Ben Whelan. A further six move up from the Irish Under-16s – Rhys Armah-Kwanteng, Harry Dagg, Rex Dunlop, Sam Hickmott, Kameron Moran and Conor Walsh.

For the girls, Sophie Dix, Ali Griffin and Milly Lynch have a second season at Under-18 level having been in the 2019/20 Irish setup. Of the Irish Under-16 selections named earlier this year, Georgie Fottrell, Alex Gallagher, Ella Pasley and Naas’s Roisin Sexton move up a grade.

Due to Covid restrictions, some players for the Under-16/Stage 2 Panels (Players born 2005/2006) have not been fully assessed and therefore while the squads have been reduced, and players advised the final squads will not be announced until Tuesday, September 16.

The South East development sessions are still in progress and will be finalised this week.

Commenting on the announcement Interprovincial & Development Director Ann Ronan stated “despite the enforced break since March, the standard at the assessments and development sessions was extremely high and overall the coaches had a challenge to select the final panels and it was great to be able to include those players who would normally be on rest [from Hockey Ireland] in the development phase”.

She also thanked AERCAP for their sponsorship of the Under 18 programme.

On the schools hockey front, no fixtures have currently been scheduled with a further meeting with a new Leinster sub-committee charged with assessing the situation taking place later this week.



This committee will meet and review the position of the competitions every 5 weeks. Updates will be sent to all schools after every meeting.

Should it be possible for Leinster Hockey school’s competitions to restart at some point throughout the academic school year, the committee will discuss in what format competition will be played, given the time available.

Schools will be guided by their own COVID policies and those of the HSE & Department of Education and therefore schools can decide to participate or not in competitions should they happen.

No competitions will be resumed until it is deemed safe to do so.  When competitions do commence, it is anticipated that there could be changes to league/cup structures and some competitions may not take place in the coming season.

Leinster Boys U18 (stage 3 final panel): Rhys Armah-Kwantrang (Monkstown HC/St Andrew’s College), Tim Cope (Kilkenny HC/Kilkenny College), Harry Dagg (Avoca HC/Templecarrig), Rex Dunlop (Three Rock Rovers HC/The King’s Hospital), Andrew Fox (YMCA HC/Wesley College), Adam Galbraith (YMCA HC/Wesley College), Callum Hewat (Monkstown HC/St Andrew’s College), Sam Hickmott (Monkstown HC/St Andrew’s College), Christopher Knatchbull (Monkstown HC/St Andrew’s College), Theo Kohlmann (Monkstown HC/St Andrew’s College), Craig Mackay (Corinthian HC/Wesley College), Josh O’Neill (Monkstown HC/St Andrew’s College), Alex O’Meara (Pembroke Wanderers HC/Blackrock College), Oran O’Sullivan (Avoca HC/Newpark Comprehensive), Ben Ryder (Three Rock Rovers HC/Wesley College), Ben Stewart (YMCA HC/Wesley College), Darragh Sullivan (Three Rock Rovers HC/The High School), Henry Thompson (Pembroke Wanderers HC/The King’s Hospital), David Vincent (Monkstown HC/St Andrew’s College), Conor Walsh (Three Rock Rovers HC/Wesley College), Daniel Wann (Monkstown HC/St Andrew’s College); Mathew Johnson (Monkstown HC/St Andrew’s College), Kameron Moran (YMCA HC/Wesley College), Ben Whelan (Three Rock Rovers HC/The High School)

Leinster Girls U18 (stage 3 final panel): Lucy Crowe (Railway Union HC/Muckross Park College), Sophie Dix (Pembroke Wanderers HC/The Institute of Education), Georgie Fottrell (Corinthian HC/Muckross Park College), Alexandra Gallagher (Pembroke Wanderers HC/Muckross Park College), Ali Griffin (Pembroke Wanderers HC/Mount Anville), Jennifer Hamill (Monkstown HC/Loreto Foxrock), Lauren Johnston (Pembroke Wanderers HC/Alexandra College), Ana Kennedy (Loreto HC/Loreto Beaufort), Milly Lynch (Corinthian HC/Newpark Comprehensive), Anna McCarthy (Old Alex HC/Alexandra College), Sarah McFarland (Avoca HC/Holy Child Killiney), Robin McLoughlin (Loreto HC/Loreto Beaufort), Lauren Moore (Avoca HC/Newpark Comprehensive), Katie Murphy (Pembroke Wanderers HC/St Andrew’s College), Aine Naughton (Monkstown HC/Holy Child Killiney), Ella Pasley (Pembroke Wanderers HC/The High School), Lindsay Power (Old Alex HC/Wesley College), Alex Purcell (Pembroke Wanderers HC/Holy Child Killiney), Róisín Sexton (Naas HC/Newbridge College), Annabel Sweetnam (Loreto HC/The King’s Hospital), Zoe Watterson (Avoca HC/Newpark Comprehensive); Martha Duignan (Monkstown HC/St Andrew’s College), Erika Gallagher (Avoca HC/Newpark Comprehensive), Astrid O’Toole (Monkstown HC/St Andrew’s College)

Coaching Panels

Head of Girls Development: Sarah Scott

Head of Boys Development : Simon Lowry

LHA Director – Coach Development: Niall Denham

The Hook

Hockey training camp to be held in Abbottabad

KARACHI: An important meeting of Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) high officials was held at PHF secretariat in Lahore, chaired by president Khalid Sajjad Khokar, on Tuesday.

The meeting was attended by PHF secretary Asif Bajwa, chairman national selection committee Olympian Manzoor Junior, and national senior team head coach Khwaja Junaid.

The meeting discussed at length the future planning of Pakistan hockey and implementation of PM Imran Khan’s directives about domestic and international activities, sources said.

Some important decisions were taken in the meeting for the promotion and development of the game in the light of the PM’s directives, whom the PHF high officials met last week.

The meeting also discussed the preparation for the five-a-side tournament which is to be held in Karachi later this month, and the training camp of Pakistan team for qualifying rounds of World Cup in Abbottabad.

Sources said that PHF has plans to organise the senior team’s three-week physical training camp in Abbottabad. Its schedule is yet to be announced. The names of the players for the camp will be announced by PHF in a couple of days.

The meeting also reviewed the possibilities of Pakistan hockey’s first professional hockey league.

The PM in the meeting with the PHF high officials last week said that Pakistan Hockey League (PHL) should be organised along the lines of Pakistan Supreme League (PSL). He also urged the PHF to establish regional teams to lift the standard of the game.

Sources said that the second phase of the training camp would be held in Karachi.

It is pertinent to mention here that the condition of the PHF’s Abdul Sattar Edhi hockey stadium is not conducive for the camp.

Sources said that there would be no clash of dates of the training camp of Pakistan hockey team and the five-a-side tournament.

The News International

KHA Secretary honored for his services for hockey

LAHORE - Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) President Brig (R) Khalid Sajjad Khokhar has paid rich tribute to Karachi Hockey Association (KHA) Secretary Haider Hussain for his outstanding services at the grassroots level for the development and promotion of the national game.

KHA Secretary Haider Hussain has rendered valuable services for the development of hockey.

Under the supervision of the PHF, the KHA secretary has conducted innumerable events at the grassroots level in Karachi.

Haider was also given a special certificate of appreciation by the PHF president at the PHF Headquarters, Lahore. Also present on the occasion was 1971 World Cup gold medalist and 1968 Olympic gold medalist Rashid Junior.

The Nation