News for 09 October 2020
All the news for Friday 9 October 2020
Hockey India ensuring Covid-19 is not a setback for India’s Tokyo Olympic dream
The national men’s and women’s hockey teams have resumed preparations in SAI, Bengaluru after a brief break.
VR Raghunath
Former Indian hockey player VR Raghunath.
After a brief break due to a series of nation-wide lockdowns, the Indian National Teams (both Men and Women) are back on their feet. It’s been over six weeks since they returned to normalcy with regular, uninterrupted daily schedules in their preparations for the Tokyo Olympic Games. They live in a safe bio-secure environment in Sports Authority of India’s Bengaluru campus and will continue to remain in the National Coaching Camp until travel restrictions are lifted to tour and compete abroad.
I think this swift resumption of activities for the teams was largely possible due to the working relationship Hockey India shares with Sports Authority of India (SAI). When India went into a lockdown, Hockey India did not stop working. They used the virtual medium to engage with their state member units, continued with their ambitious Coaches Education Pathway courses through the virtual medium and also conducted online courses for their umpires and technical officials. Simultaneously, they began working on an extensive Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) with an intent to be well prepared and ready for systematic roll-out once the lockdowns were lifted and permissions granted for resumption of activities.
They remained in constant touch with the National Teams’ Coaching staff in SAI, Bengaluru were the team was housed between March and June. They ensured the players were safe, followed a healthy diet and continued to encourage them to follow a good indoor fitness regime that helped maintain their muscle mass.
When National Federations work in a professional fashion, it sends out a message to the players too -- that they are cared for and they are respected for their efforts they put on the field for the country.
I can say this out my own experience that things were not the same before 2009. Players had to toil for basics and it was a difficult phase for Indian hockey. The repercussions were evident on the playing field with dip in the national team’s performance. The men’s team, with a repute of being the most successful team in the history of Olympic Games, failed to qualify for the quadrennial extravaganza for the first time in 2008.
There has been a huge turnaround in the way things are managed now with Hockey India taking over the reins in 2009. There is a great sense of professionalism in the way the federation functions.
The national camps and tours for both men and women’s team is scheduled in a manner that is scientific (keeping in mind when the team needs to peak in their performance). The teams have a very good support system around them and even when they are injured, there is a strong injury rehabilitation policy that ensures player is 100 per cent fit to return to action.
Hockey players today have little to complain about. They have financial benefits, almost everyone in the core probable group are employed with public sector units and are paid handsomely. I believe all these aspects help players stay focused on their performance and not be worried about any outside factors.
Even now, when all international events were suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Hockey India acted swiftly to send a revised ACTC (Annual Calendar for Training and Competition) to SAI where a detailed plan for national camps and tours have been proposed till September 2021.
This kind of proactiveness in planning helps a great deal when the national teams are preparing for major events like the Olympic Games and it ensures there are no hindrance in preparations despite an ongoing battle with the global pandemic.
Apart from ensuring that the National Teams preparations remain on track for the Olympic Games, Hockey India is also encouraging all the state member units to resume district and state level training programmes locally. Since I am part of the administration in Hockey Karnataka, I am aware of the initiatives taken up by the federation. As a result, we have begun constructing a 5-a-side pitch in Bengaluru which can in the future host national level tournaments.
It is quite motivating for young administrators like myself and some of the other former international players who have taken up the responsibility of developing hockey in our state. Hockey India has set a yardstick in sports administration and I am happy hockey is moving in the right direction.
(The author is former Indian Men’s Hockey Drag Flicker, Arjuna Awardee and Vice President of Hockey Karnataka)
Hindustan Times
No fans at Holland v GB for Hockey Pro League matches
The Holland v Great Britain matches, the next FIH Pro League games to take place, will be played behind closed doors.
The Royal Dutch Hockey Association (KNHB) decreed on Thursday that the FIH Pro League men’s and women’s matches on Oct 27 and 29 will be played without an audience.
Managing rirector Erik Gerritsen: “Although the government has not yet set any restrictions on the possibilities of playing with the public, we think it is wise to take this decision now under the current circumstances.
“Of course we would have preferred to play with (a limited number of) spectators, but it is most important to us that the matches take place properly. All preparations are now focused on that. ”
The four matches will be played in the Wagener Stadium in Amsterdam and will be broadcast live by Ziggo Sport and BT Sport in the UK (Geo blocked).
Gerritsen added: “We are now going to try to involve fans in the matches in other ways and will also use hockey.nl and OranjeHockey in addition to Ziggo Sport.”
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Kumar happy with the four goalkeepers he has
By Jugjet Singh
National Juniors goalkeepers coach S. Kumar says he is happy with having four young goalkeepers under his wings. -NSTP/File pic
Malaysian National Juniors goalkeepers coach S. Kumar would like to have more under him, but four will do for now.
Chief coach Wallace Tan had selected three and Kumar added another player after the recent Razak Cup.
"Of course we need to have a bigger pool of goalkeepers to select from but for now, I am happy with the four trainees that I have under my wings," said the former National No 1 who is now training youth as well as taking goalkeeping courses for higher paper qualifications.
Kumar has 310 caps, and played at every level except the Olympics.
Che Shahrul Azmi (age 19), Hamiz Ahir (20) and Aidil Shah (21) faced competition from Amir Muhaimin (19) after the Razak Cup.
"The other coaches and I came to a consensus that Selangor goalkeeper Amir deserves a call-up as he did very well in the Razak Cup.
"For me it's very simple. If a goalkeeper has the right techniques, he can be turned into a better player.
"And Amir displayed the right techniques to stop strikers and impressed me.
"We have about three months plus to go before the Junior Asia Cup (JAC) in Dhaka and the goalkeepers are being slowly conditioned towards this tournament.
"It is a Junior World Cup qualifier and of course Malaysia want to be among those who make the cut.
"Earlier we were in a limbo as to when the JAC will be held, but once AHF (Asian Hockey Federation) announced the new dates, I can activate a conditioning plan to peak at the end of January," said Kumar, who himself was trained by top goalkeepers coaches from around the world, and knows the drills well.
The men's JAC will be held in Bangladesh on Jan 21-30, and Malaysia are among the favourites to play in the semi-finals.
But if the Covid-19 pandemic does not permit Dhaka to host the tournament, it could be postponed yet again.
"I will prepare the goalkeepers towards the end of January but if the tournament is moved to another date because of Covid-19, just like all the other teams, Malaysia will also have to tone down and plan for another peak," said Kumar.
Initially Malaysia were ready to host the JAC if Bangladesh could not, but the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) are not willing to take the risk now.
"Too many departments are involved in giving the green light to host any international tournament right now and it will be very difficult to host the JAC if Dhaka can't.
"And even if we managed to get the hosting rights, will the governments of the other playing countries allow their teams to travel to Malaysia under Covid-19 conditions?" said MHC president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal.
So it's Dhaka, for now.
New Straits Times
Previews: English Women's Hockey League Round 4
There is currently a three-way tie at the top of the Women’s Hockey League Premier Division league table as Surbiton, East Grinstead and Loughborough University all sit on two wins, one draw and seven points.
This weekend could well provide the opportunity for one of those teams to get some clear air between themselves and their rivals.
For Loughborough, a visit by Buckingham will see two teams that play similar styles of hockey come head-to-head. Both teams are tight units with aggressive, unrelenting styles of play. Both sides focus on pace and fitness and will work hard for each other on and off the ball.
It’s a match that Loughborough Head Coach Brett Holland is looking forward to.
“It’s always a great match against Buckingham who play the game in a brilliant spirit and are always competitive,” he said. “We played out an intense 1-1 draw during pre-season, which was an excellent game of hockey with plenty of action at both ends and we know the game at the weekend may well be as close.
“We’ll go into the game with confidence, well prepped but also knowing we have to be on it from the start to get the performance we’re after.
“I’m really excited about the direction we’re heading as a team especially given the challenges this year is bringing. The training intent and quality has stepped up a level and it’s a brilliant environment to be in. The players are really taking ownership and that was seen in how adaptable they were last weekend. We’re hoping to be known for playing really exciting positive hockey whilst being tough to play against.”
For Surbiton and East Grinstead, who meet at Sugden Road, the difference could lie in how well the East Grinstead defence performs. The team has no problem scoring goals – particularly with the attacking force of Sophie Bray and Tess Howard – but they have shown themselves to have some level of frailty when under attack. It is this area that Brett Garrard and his team will certainly target.
In South-West London high flying Wimbledon will be playing host to Hampstead & Westminster. The visiting team have not really got their campaign underway yet this season but they will be strengthened by the return to action of Olympian Nicola White, who hadn’t featured in an elite game for the past two and a half years due to injury before making her long awaited comeback last week.
“I feel so grateful and overwhelmed to finally be back playing after such a long recovery,” says the Rio gold medallist. “I never expected it to be as challenging as it has been and there were times I wasn't sure if I would even make it back to this level of competing.
“There's been lots of mixed emotions during my return to play because of how much it has meant. Generally it's gone better than I could have hoped for and my symptoms are ongoing but being managed fairly well.
“My goal was always to get back playing and I couldn't quite believe it was happening if I'm honest after the journey I've been on. It made me so proud and I feel like I've got a lost part of my identity back.
“Being back around a club and team-mates is something I have missed and mentally it really affected me as I was so isolated and physically away from the game. It makes you realise the importance of people and sport when it's taken away so I'm appreciative now to be back in this environment.
“After a disappointing result against Loughborough, we are taking the learnings, resetting and we will just focus on what we can control against Wimbledon. We need to be more tough in the individual battles and we need to value the ball more for sure, but we have worked hard in training and there are still a lot of positives that we as a team possess, so it's just about gaining consistency with those to dominate games, but that will come with time together. Personally, I am looking for that first goal to celebrate being back.”
Hampstead & Westminster 2020
Clifton Robinsons, whose league campaign has got off to a solid start, will be looking forward to the trip over the border to take on Swansea.
The league newcomers are yet to settle into the top flight and have conceded goals at an alarming rate. But, this is all about learning curves and head coach Gareth Terrett and his team will have been working hard on areas that need tightening up. Clifton Robinsons have had a week away from league action, courtesy of a bye, and may have lost some momentum.
The University of Birmingham received a sharp lesson in goalscoring from visitors Surbiton last week as they conceded early and were then on the back foot for most of the game. Coach Richard Chambers will be looking for his team to put Beeston under pressure from the start.
The Women’s Conference North game between Loughborough Students 2s and Doncaster, scheduled for 26 September, was forfeited by Loughborough. The result has been set as a 3-0 win for Doncaster and Loughborough have been deducted one point.
FIXTURES
Women’s Hockey League (Sat, 10 October 2020):
Premier Division
Loughborough Students v Buckingham 14:00
Surbiton v East Grinstead 16:00
Swansea v Clifton Robinsons 12:00
Univ of Birmingham v Beeston 14:30
Wimbledon v Hampstead & Westminster 16:00
Division One North
Belper v Brooklands-Poynton 12:30
Ben Rhydding v Leicester City 13:30
Stourport v Gloucester City 18:00
Univ of Durham v Bowdon 12:00
Univ of Nottingham v Olton & West Warwicks TBC
Division One South
Cambridge City v Reading 14:30
Sevenoaks v Canterbury 17:00
Slough v Harleston Magpies 12.15
Trojans v Surbiton 2s 12:00
Wimbledon 2s v Isca 14:00
Conference East
Barnes v East London 12:00
Canterbury 2s v Bedford 14:00
Chelmsford v Bromley & Beckenham 14:30
Horsham v Hampstead & Westminster 2s 13:30
Southgate v St Albans 14:30
Conference North
Didsbury Northern v Fylde 12:30
Leeds Ladies v Pendle Forest 14:15
Loughborough Students 2s v Alderley Edge 12:00
Timperley v Cannock 16:00
Wakefield v Doncaster 15:00
Conference West
Bristol Firebrands v Exe 13:00
Clifton Robinsons 2s v Cheltenham 14:30
Sutton Coldfield v Oxford Hawks 12:30
Team Bath Buccaneers v Basingstoke 12:30
Univ of Birmingham 2s v Oxford Univ - postponed
England Hockey Board Media release
50th consecutive Season for Sue Merry
Sue Merry
50 consecutive seasons, an England World Grand Masters Association Gold Medalist, an inspiring person and one of the most passionate people in hockey.
Sue Merry’s hockey career began back in 1970 in Wales and continues to thrive now in Southampton after she stepped on the pitch for her 50th consecutive season.
It all began on the second Saturday in September 1970, Sue played her first 1st XI League match for Porthcawl in Cardiff v Llanishan. She played for seven seasons before moving to Swansea’s 1st XI where she joined a squad of Welsh internationals, together winning the Welsh League for several seasons to gain entry into the European Clubs Cup.
The most memorable year they had was winning the Final of the European Cup in Madrid on grass. They celebrated later in the evening by running through the streets of Madrid holding the Cup aloft after consuming a number of jugs of Sangria!!
In 1980 Sue started her first teaching job in Gloucester but continued to play for Swansea, clearly not yet ready to cut her Welsh ties!
In 1982 another move followed, this time to Evesham where she joined the local Hockey Club. Evesham used to play on the grass alongside the river, which was a beautiful setting, and in which many happy and successful years were had.
In 1990 Sue joined Olton & West Warwickshire’s 1st XI to progress her playing career on Astro turf. After two great years at the Club they made it to the National League, but it was at this point Roger arrived to whisk her off to Southampton.
In 1992 Southampton gained a truly great player. Over the following 28 years, Sue married Roger, they were a perfect match, sadly he passed away in 2016. Sue coached and managed many individuals and teams as well as been an inspirational captain for the 1st XI.
In 2003 Southampton made it to the National League after being coached by Sue’s husband. They both helped lead the team with great coaching and Sue’s prolific goal scoring talents. This was the pinnacle of the Southampton 1st XI ladies success.
In 2006 Sue added to her achievements and took home a silver medal in the Masters World Cup in Germany, where she played for the England Women’s O45s, in what has been an incredible hockey journey!
Sue and Roger Merry
But her journey didn’t stop there, in 2018 Sue helped lead her team to victory as the top goal scorer in the England Women’s Masters 060s team V Argentina in the Final of the WGMA Hockey World Cup in Barcelona.
But it was all leading up to a special date.
On 26 September 2020 Sue Merry started her 50th Season playing 1st XI League Hockey for Southampton HC in Womens South League Division 3B.
At each club, Sue has been top goal scorer.
To date, Sue has scored 92 South goals for Southampton and is looking to achieve her century this season.
Sue, thank you for being an inspiration for so many. Her passion for the sport and SHC is second to none. Players have absolutely love playing alongside her and appreciate all the support she gives as Captain.
Here’s to her 50th season playing for a 1st XI!
England Hockey Board Media release
Horne in the USA: The story of the First GB Women’s Matches
By Mike Haymonds
Following the centenary of the first Great Britain (GB) men’s Olympic gold medal on 5 September 1920 at the Antwerp Olympic Games comes the 55th anniversary of the GB women’s team’s first international appearance on 9 October 1965.
This game occurred during a 63-day tour of the USA by a British and Irish team, nicknamed the GBITTs, comprising players from all four Home Nations.
The game against the 1964 US team was played on grass at Kent Place School, New Jersey, and resulted in a 5-1 win for the British team. Their highly impressive tour record against all teams was: played 24, with 22 wins, one draw and one defeat, 161 goals for and 13 against.
A further game against the 1965 US team, now designated as Great Britain’s second official women’s international, took place on 28 November 1965 at Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, during the annual USFHA Tournament. It ended in a 4-4 draw. The tourists’ only defeat was a 2-1 reverse against Brandywine.
Joan Horne's blazer from the Great Britain and Ireland tour of USA, 1965. Image credit: Dublin City Library and Irish Hockey Archives.
The tour was sanctioned by the Women’s British & Irish Hockey Board but was self-financed by the players, although the Welsh members received £50 from their governing body. The squad comprised 15 players – four each from England, Scotland and Wales and three from Ireland, one of whom was from Ulster – plus a manager Mrs Hopkins, the mother of the Ulster representative Thelma Hopkins. They had no coach, physio or other support staff.
The squad was largely made up of existing internationals although a Welsh member, Mary Hyland, who replaced the English Jean Mead, was a Wales Reserve player with no previous senior caps and gained none after the tour. Three others – one each from England, Wales and Scotland – were from their nations’ Reserve teams. Four of the party, including the captain Joyce Hunter, a Scot, plus the manager, have now passed away, the whereabouts of four more are unknown and two are believed to have emigrated to Canada.
Back row: Jennie Braham (England); Joan Horne (Ireland); Maureen Short (E); Helen Weir (Scotland); Bridget Cannell (E); Thelma Hopkins (I); Valerie Sinclair (S).
Sitting: Mary Hyland (Wales); Janice Mitchell (S); Joyce Hunter (S); Mrs Hopkins, Manager (I); Nan Thomas (W); Ellen Toulson (E); Helen O’Neill (I).
Kneeling: Barbara Stacey (W); Janet Morgan (W).
The players had not met as a team before the tour; their first game together was in the first match against Long Island which they won 11-0. This was not their biggest win as they later beat Baltimore 12-0.
Despite the one defeat the captain Joyce Hunter said: “We can still claim a record – we never came off the field with a wet uniform, a tribute to US weather and our luck!”
The quality of the pitches they encountered was varied with some described as “like a ploughed field.”
24 games in 63 days, mainly along the East Coast, from Boston in the North to Virginia in the South and Chicago to the West, meant a lot of travel by air and on Greyhound buses. Accommodation was with families, some in very plush homes and in colleges, with roommates rotated to help in team bonding. All five tourists this writer spoke to were full of praise for the hospitality they received and the facilities at the college venues.
The food they enjoyed was also much praised with the generous helpings a great temptation. Fitness was maintained in runs rather than in gyms. Lobster at Hugo’s in Boston proved memorable while beef burgers and the 28 varieties of ice cream at Howard Johnson’s were favourites.
Despite the short down time between matches, the squad managed to visit many famous tourist places en route. At the outset they visited the World’s Fair in New York, a flight to Rochester gave them a view of the Great Lakes, and Niagara Falls was a highlight. In Washington they visited the Capitol, the White House and Arlington Cemetery, which they found very moving. Their final three days after the last game were based in a New York hotel and allowed visits to the Empire State building, the United Nations, Broadway, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Greenwich Village – and the inevitable shopping. Some admitted to having to buy a larger suitcase for the return flight.
GBITT and USA captains Vonnie Gros (l) and Joyce Hunter (r) with Constance Applebee, the English-born pioneer credited with bringing field hockey to the United States. Image credit: Janet Hopkin
Following this highly successful tour, it would be some 13 years before a formal Great Britain structure was put in place to select and prepare a team to compete in the first women’s Olympic tournament in Moscow in 1980. Because of the boycott GB did not compete in Moscow and it was not until the 1988 Seoul Games that GB women made their Olympic debut.
Sheila Morrow, President of Great Britain Hockey, commenting on the anniversary event, said: “I have enormous pleasure and pride to add my congratulations to the pioneering group of women who represented Great Britain & Ireland on the 1965 tour and are now recognised as playing the first ever women’s GB matches and earning the first ever women’s GB honours caps.
“Those visionary officials who collaborated to ensure the tour went ahead, together with the players selected to represent GB, certainly paved the way for future squads and set a standard that all subsequent GB internationals have striven to emulate. As GB President, I look forward to meeting members of this first team as soon as practicable and giving public acknowledgement of their achievements.”
Scot Janice Lang (nee Mitchell) summed up the reaction of the players, twelve of whom will earn honours caps, saying: “I’m absolutely stunned at the news but delighted to get tangible recognition of our achievement after all this time.”
The importance of this USA tour in the annals of hockey history has been uncovered by the very thorough investigative work carried out by the volunteer statisticians at The Hockey Museum. It is amazing that prior to this study project no definitive playing records existed for the Great Britain teams. It was through the investigations that this 1965 tour became apparent and, as the Americans had counted the results in their records, it was obvious that GB had to consider including these two matches.
The study is now complete with 415 women’s matches in addition to the 615 men’s matches. The records give full results of all matches, with goal scorers, match number and, most interestingly, the player numbers. The numbers for the tourists to the USA are easy to determine as they were the very first GB women’s internationals. The remainder, together with all the other fascinating information, will be announced in May 2021 when the GB teams preparing to go to the Tokyo Olympics will receive their international honours caps.
This will be followed over the next few years by definitive details of England players, hopefully in time for the World Cups, then a listing of all international matches ever played, some 29,000 of them. The Hockey Museum also has volunteers working on a listing of Umpires and Officials, the unsung heroes of our sport. Then we will turn our attention to the English National and Regional Leagues for which virtually no complete records exist.
The writer is indebted to the five tourists who contributed to the composition of the story of the USA tour: Janice Lang (nee Mitchell) and Valerie Crombie (Sinclair) from Scotland; Eirianwen (Nan) Thomas and Janet Hopkin (Morgan) from Wales; and Joan Priestman (Horne) of Ireland. Their memories in recalling events 55 years ago were remarkable.
The Hockey Museum
India was voted BEST TEAM at the world’s first-ever floodlit tournament 57 years ago on this day
K. ARUMUGAM
India playing Canada in the Lyons Cup. Photo courtesy: K. Arumugam
Exactly 57 years ago on this day, the Indian sports fraternity woke up to a great victory captured in newspaper headlines.
India’s hockey team, enduring defeat and disappointment of losing the 1960 Olympic final and thereby the gold medal held since 1928 as well as finishing with the silver at the 1962 Asian Games, was in a tearing hurry to get back to Numero Uno.
The team embarked on a long and arduous journey towards resurrection. Any victory was eagerly awaited. And good news arrived on 8th October, 1963. It came in the form that India was adjudged the best team in Lyon, France, where a major tournament was held outside the Olympics. It was called the 12-Nation Lyon Cup.
The tag of ‘Best Team’ came from journalists covering the tournament in an era when the media had a say in making such a choice irrespective of medal hues around teams.
When journalists had a say in deciding who is best irrespective medals’ hue. Photo courtesy: K. Arumugam
Two things stand out here. First, the 12-Nations Lyon Invitation Cup was the first ever floodlit tournament in the history of the field hockey. It also was the biggest hockey event held in France.
Secondly, reigning Olympic and Asian Games champions Pakistan were in the fray along with India, their bitter rivals, adding to the spice of the event.
India won six matches and drew one – against West Germany (1-1). With 13 points in the kitty, India topped the overall standings to win the title. West Germany finished second (11 points) to pick up the silver while Holland took the bronze at third (10 points) followed by Pakistan in fourth.
It was rumoured that the pools were drawn in a manner to prevent India and Pakistan clashing.
India’s triumph was all the more commendable and heartening given that livewire forward Harbinder Singh was injured earlier on (a victim of rough play) and the responsibility for scoring was left to the trio of Udham Singh, Bandu Patil and VJ Peter.
The team: Charanjit Singh (Captain), RA Christy, Shankar Laxman, Gurbux Singh, Natarajan, Dharam Singh, Deshmuh, Sawant, Gurmit Singh, Mohinder Lal, Balbir Singh Jr., VJ Peter, Harbinder Singh, Udham Singh, Darshan Singh, Joginder Singh, Bandu Patil and Ali Sayeed.
Coach: Dhyan Chand
Manager: IM Mahajan
Stick2Hockey.com
Weekend College Games: Atlantic Coast Conference
Image Courtesy of Riley Herriman
As the only conference playing field hockey this fall, the Atlantic Coast Conference's (ACC) fourth weekend of action will have two games Saturday, three on Sunday and one on Monday. Most matches this weekend are available for live stream on the ACC Network.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10
No. 1 Louisville at No. 4 Wake Forest** | 12:00 p.m. ET | ACCN
No. 1 Louisville (4-0, 3-0 ACC) opened the modified ACC season, undefeated after playing their first four matches at home. The Cardinals will finish the second half on the road, first heading to Winston-Salem, N.C. this weekend to take on No. 4 Wake Forest (0-1, 1-2 ACC) in a two-match series. The last time these two teams played was early October 2019, where Louisville came out victorious 3-0.
Louisville is coming off a two, big game-win weekend after hosting now No. 3 North Carolina and No. 5 Boston College. On Friday, the Cardinals ended the defending two-time national champions bid for a third consecutive undefeated season and snapped the Tar Heels' 47-game win streak. Louisville jumped out to an early lead with just under three minutes left in the first quarter. After earning the first corner of the game, Alli Bitting inserted the ball and Meghan Schneider provided the stop for Mercedes Pastor converted to put the hosts ahead. The Cardinals extended the lead with 40 seconds left to play in the second quarter when Pastor zipped a ball near the end line from the left side of the circle and Margo Lawn deflected it past North Carolina goalkeeper Amanda Hendry. The Tar Heels cut the deficit in half early in the third quarter when Erin Matson sent a reverse shot into the upper left corner of the cage just six minutes into the frame. With seven minutes remaining in the game, North Carolina pulled goalkeeper Hendry in favor of another field player. The Tar Heels pushed the ball to their offensive circle and were able to register one shot during that timeframe, but could not capitalize. With six seconds left in the contest, Aimme Plumb sent a long pass to Lawn who sent the ball into the empty goal to seal the 3-1 win.
On Sunday, Louisville started its attack early in the game, firing off eight shots and earning three penalty corners in the first quarter. Boston College goalkeeper Jonna Kennedy turned back three of Louisville's shots before Schneider connected on a penalty corner assist from Pastor to put the Cardinals on the scoreboard with two minutes remaining in the first quarter. The teams played more evenly in the second quarter with the shots tied at two each and Louisville owning a 2 to 1 edge in penalty corners before the Eagles evened the score with an unassisted goal by Elizabeth Warner with a minute and half left to play in the half. Louisville regained the lead in the third quarter after Boston College was issued a yellow card. Shortly thereafter, the Cardinals connected on a penalty corner attempt. Emilia Kaczmarczyk's initial shot was blocked by a defender and Charlie van Oirschot perfectly-timed the rebound to put the Cardinals on top 2-1 at the 43rd minute mark. In the fourth quarter, Boston College earned three penalty corners, and lifted Kennedy in favor of a field player with 29 seconds remaining in the contest, but Louisville went on to win 2-1.
Wake Forest is coming off a split result weekend against No. 2 Virginia. Last Saturday, after taking just seven shots in the first 45 minutes of action, the Demon Deacons put up 11 shots in the final 15 minutes of play and scored two second half goals to earn their first win of the 2020 season. Wake Forest out-shot Virginia 18 to 12 and only allowed the Cavaliers to get off two shots in the second half. Virginia showed off their fast-paced tempo in the first few minutes of the game, after Amber Ezechiels scored a penalty corner goal just four minutes in. The Demon Deacon defense held strong for the remainder of the game, not allowing another Virginia goal, but the Cavaliers controlled a 1-0 lead heading into the break.
Wake Forest's offense came to life in the second half as Grace Delmotte scored to tie the match 1-1 at the 42nd minute mark. Eleanor Winants. With just over 10 minutes to play in regulation, Laia Vancells gave Wake Forest a 2-1 lead scoring on a deflection from the top of the circle with an assist from Elisha Evans.
On Sunday, defenses were on display throughout the entire game, but Virginia found the back of the goal in the 56th minute to break a scoreless tie and take a 1-0 victory. Wake Forest had a few last second corner opportunities to even the game and a chance to force overtime, but the penalty corners were just off the mark. The Deacons took 10 shots, led by Anne van Hoof and Grace Delmotte each with two. Laura Jannsen scored the game-winner for the Cavaliers, assisted by Adele Iacobucci, with just three minutes to play in regulation.
No. 5 Boston College at No. 6 Syracuse** | 12:00 p.m. ET | Live Stats
No. 5 Boston College (0-1, 0-1 ACC) will travel to New York to take on No. 6 Syracuse (0-2, 0-1 ACC) in a two-game series. These teams last played mid-October 2019, in what finished in a thrilling, second half battle where the Eagles came out on top, 2-1.
Boston College opened the season last weekend with a road game against Louisville. The Cardinals scored first on a penalty corner through Megan Schneider before Eagle Elizabeth Warner tied it late in the first half. She found a loose ball in the circle, spun around a defender and put the ball in the back of the net. The game remained tied for about 15 more minutes until Louisville took the lead off a penalty corner rebound goal from Charlie van Oirschot. Boston College had a handful of chances to tie late, winning three penalty corners in the final five minutes, but couldn't capitalize. The match saw the Eagles fight and claw to stay in, as they were out-shot 19 to 4, while the Cardinals had nine penalty corners on the day to Boston College's four.
Syracuse dropped both their contests last week against No. 2 Virginia. On Friday, the Orange showed a strong defensive effort in the season opener holding Virginia scoreless through the first 58 minutes of action. The Cavaliers were aggressive from the start holding a 4 to 1 advantage in shots in the first quarter. SJ Quigley came up big for the Orange with a defensive save in the opening minutes of play to keep the scoreboard blank. Moments later Sienna Pegram juggled a shot off the goal line to prevent a Cavalier goal, recording the first defensive stop of her career. Syracuse's pressure increased in the second quarter and the Orange edged Virginia 5 to 3 in shots but were unable to find the back of the goal. By halftime, the Cavaliers held a 7 to 6 advantage in shots and both teams were tied with two penalty corners apiece.
The Orange had the only penalty corner opportunity in the third quarter and Virginia held a slight 2 to 1 advantage in shots but neither team had a shot on goal in the frame and with 15 minutes to play the scoreboard still read 0-0. Syracuse outshot the Cavaliers 5 to 4 in the final frame but Virginia's Laura Janssen penalty corner goal with 1:24 remaining in regulation to hand Syracuse their first loss of the season.
On Sunday, Syracuse erased a two-goal deficit in the second half to force overtime, but a Cavalier goal in double overtime handed the Orange their second loss of the season. Virginia scored in the 13th minute of the game to take a 1-0 lead when Adele Iacobucci deflected the ball in off a Virginia penalty corner. The Cavaliers out-shot the Orange 4 to 1 in the first quarter added six more shots in the second quarter, including Amber Ezechiels' goal off a penalty corner to put Virginia ahead 2-0.
SJ Quigley scored first for 'Syracuse in the 35th minute when her second chance shot off the rebound found the back of the cage. Virginia held a one goal lead, 2-1, going into the final frame. In the 50th minute, Florine van Boetzelaer tied the game when she knocked it in from the left side. The two teams battled through the end of regulation and Syracuse headed to its first overtime period of the season. The Orange made some big defensive stops in the first overtime. In the 76th minute Ezechiels scored on an assist by Makayla Gallen to end the game.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11
No. 5 Boston College at No. 6 Syracuse | 11:00 a.m. ET | Live Stats
No. 2 Virginia at No. 3 North Carolina** | 12:00 p.m. ET | ACCN
No. 2 Virginia (3-1, 2-0 ACC) and No. 3 North Carolina (2-1, 1-1 ACC) will meet in Chapel Hill, N.C. for a two-game series. Last year's meeting which took place at the end of September, saw the Tar Heels shutout the Cavaliers, 5-0.
Virginia is on a three game win streak, after defeating Syracuse twice last weekend. On Friday, the Cavaliers had two excellent scoring chances in the first quarter. The first was from Lilly Hengerer, who took an on-target shot at an open goal in the fourth minute into the contest, but Syracuse defender SJ Quigley got a stick on the ball and saved the shot. Three minutes later, Meghen Hengerer also had a great angle for a shot that was knocked down right in front of the goal line by the Orange’s Syd Taylor. Annelos Knol had a shot go into the net after a penalty corner with six minutes remaining in the second quarter, but the goal was whistled off after review. Syracuse had their best scoring opportunity in the waning minutes of the first half, taking four shots after a penalty corner, but the first effort was blocked, with Virginia goalkeeper Taylor Henriksen making a pair of saves before a fourth attempt sailed high.
With the scored tied 0-0 and the clock showing less than two minutes left in regulation, Laura Janssen received a pass up ahead and dribbled her way into the circle, drawing a foul to earn a penalty corner for the Cavaliers. Janssen then deflected in a shot from Amber Ezechiels off the stick stop at the top of the circle to break the tie.
On Sunday, Virginia got onto the scoreboard late in the first quarter when Adele Iacobucci deflected in a shot from Ezechiels after a penalty corner. The Cavaliers doubled their advantage on their next corner, with Ezechiels smashing in a shot from the top of the circle after an injection by Knol and a stick stop by Danielle Husar. Virginia took a 2-0 lead and a 10 to 3 advantage in shots into the halftime break. In the second half, Syracuse came out firing, taking seven shots in the third quarter with a second-chance opportunity for Quigley finding its way into the net four minutes into the period. Florine Van Boetzelaer tied the score in the fourth quarter, deflecting in a shot from Quigley.
With three minutes remaining in the first overtime period, Janssen tipped in a second-chance shot after a penalty corner, but the play went to video review and it was ruled that it touched her body and was whistled off. In the second overtime period, Makayla Gallen sent a perfect pass to Ezechiels on the far post. Ezechiels hit it into the upper corner of the net to give the Cavaliers the victory.
North Carolina split last weekend's contests against Louisville and Duke. On Friday, the Tar Heels trailed 2-0 at halftime after Louisville scored goals in the first and second quarters. In the 13th minute of play, the Cardinals pulled ahead, capitalizing on their first penalty corner of the game. Mercedes Pastor scored the goal on assists by Meghan Schneider and Alli Bitting. Louisville added to the lead less than a minute before halftime on a goal from Margot Lawn, who deflected in a cross from Pastor. Just under six minutes into the third quarter, Erin Matson got North Carolina on the board with an unassisted goal. With the score still at 2-1 midway through the fourth quarter, UNC Head Coach Karen Shelton pulled goalkeeper Amanda Hendry in favor of an additional field player in an effort to score the equalizer. With six seconds to play in the game, the Cardinals got behind the North Carolina defense to score into the empty cage.
On Sunday, North Carolina bounced back with a shutout over Duke. The Tar Heels struck late in the first quarter with the only goal they'd need. In the 13th minute of play, Matson stole the ball just beyond midfield, sprinted to the circle, split two defenders and drilled a backhand to make it 1-0. Coming out of halftime, North Carolina when Meredith Sholder drove the right baseline and drew out Duke's goalkeeper and dished a short pass to Eva Smolenaars, who one-touched it in for a 2-0 lead three minutes into the third quarter.
Carolina added two goals late, scoring twice in the final five minutes of play. In the 55th minute, the Tar Heels displayed standout passing to earn their third score. Matson sent a ball into the circle from the right side. Sholder received the pass and drew out the goalkeeper, then passed out to Smolenaars in the middle of the circle. She took a shot that was saved by a Duke defender, but the ball bounced off her stick. Hannah Griggs dove at the left post to tap in the loose ball for a 3-0 lead. The Tar Heels got their fourth goal on a penalty corner with 3:44 remaining in the game. On a give-and-go with Matson, defender Romea Riccardo scored her first career goal with a hard shot from the top of the circle.
No. 1 Louisville at No. 4 Wake Forest | 2:00 p.m. ET | ACCN
MONDAY, OCTOBER 12
No. 2 Virginia at No. 3 North Carolina | 12:00 p.m. ET | ACCN
USFHA media release
Food for thought
Dr Rebecca Townsend specialises in performance nutrition and works closely with the Great Britain and England men’s hockey squads as well as the Royal Ballet School.
Good nutrition to back up the physical and mental demands of training are a key part of the Great Britain and England performance programme. It is something that the coaching staff are very aware of and is part of their drive to attain excellence in all aspects of player preparation.
Dr Townsend is one of a team of Performance Nutritionists working with the national governing body. There is another Performance Nutritionist who works with the women’s squad and a third who works with the Elite Development men’s and women’s squads. Dr Townsend spends two days a week with the athletes, although she says the demands on her time vary depending upon the time of year and where the squad are within the Olympic cycle.
“I work very closely with the players, although some will require more individual support than others depending on various factors, such as; age, experience, injury status, time of the season, performance aims,” says Dr Townsend. “Some players will have very detailed dietary plans, others will just need advice and guidance, others will need more practical support. It totally depends on the individual. My role also involves a lot of implementing whole squad protocols, strategic planning and logistics around travel.”
Data plays a big role in Dr Townsend’s work. Although there are general nutritional principles related to the physical and mental demands of the sport, the Performance Nutritionists also tap into data from individual players to inform the nutritional advice they provide. The data take the form of anthropometric and physiological data, as well as data from the strength and conditioning coaches, the hockey coaches and the team psychologist.
There is little doubting the importance of good nutrition when it comes to performance levels. “An improvement in nutritional intakes can have a huge impact on an athlete’s health and performance,” says Townsend. “Some significant changes can often be seen with younger players that start on the programme and work on making their [nutritional] intakes more consistent, particularly increasing protein intake throughout the day and around training sessions. This often has a big impact on how the player recovers as well as increasing adaptation to the training programme, such as increases in strength, power and lean muscle mass.”
There is no one-size-fits-all nutritional plan, says Dr Townsend. Demand varies according to a number of factors such as: player position, height, weight, age, training age, time of the season, individual strengths and performance aims, physical outputs and performance demands on the pitch and injury status.
Townsend gives an example of the differing nutritional demands between a goalkeeper and an outfield player. She explains that goalkeepers have different physical demands. They do not cover the same distance as an outfield player but they do have to be explosive, powerful, have quick reaction times. They also may have added thermal stress if playing in the heat, due to the heavy kit and a reduction in the ability to lose heat through sweat.
Compared to an outfield player, a GK will generally have a lower carbohydrate requirement and may have an increased need for a supplement like creatine. They are likely to also have a different hydration strategy, because they are able to keep their drinks bottle with them in the goal throughout a match.
There is, of course, no ‘wonder’ food or vitamin that will guarantee success, but Townsend is an advocate of Vitamin D, both for athletes and the general population. She says: “Vitamin D is especially important in the winter months (particularly in the Northern hemisphere), when sunlight exposure is limited. We utilise blood tests to measure vitamin D concentrations in our players, so that we can prescribe specific and individual vitamin D supplementation protocols.
Dr Townsend also encounters the tricky issues of athletes not eating enough. She says this can be due to a number of factors and is not always a conscious decision. Very busy schedules that don’t allow sufficient time to snack between training sessions is one common factor.
“Of course, sometimes,” she adds, “athletes can purposefully under-fuel in order to change their body weight or body composition or because they believe it will improve their performance. There are often multiple reasons why this would happen and again it is always treated on an individual athlete basis.”
And Dr Townsend has this advice for people who are playing sport at any level. “Getting the basics right is the first thing to work on. By this I mean, limit intakes of processed foods, cook from scratch using fresh whole ingredients as much as possible, eat at least five portions of fruit and veg each day, choose high quality low glycaemic index carbohydrates (most of the time), generally choose lean protein options and try to eat oily fish twice or three times a week.
“Hockey is a high intensity game, which requires carbohydrate for fuel, so pre-match meals need to be predominantly carbohydrate based and the post-match meal should be balanced, with a decent portion of protein. I play hockey myself and often find that post-match teas are not good enough for recovery, so I bring my own meal and snacks. Being organised and prepared is key.”
FIH site
Moroz elected as new President of Russian Field Hockey Federation
By Michael Houston
The FHTR elected Anton Moroz as its new President ©FHTR
The Russian Field Hockey Federation (FHTR) elected Anton Moroz as its President during an extraordinary conference at the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The meeting was attended by hockey representatives from regions including Rostov, Moscow, Samara, Tyumen, Kostroma, Chelyabinsk, St. Petersburg, Crimea, Bashkortostan and Krasnodar.
Seven representatives were able to cast a vote for either Moroz or his opponent Evgeny Akimenko – with six voting for Moroz and one abstaining.
Moroz stated that if either candidate was not fully supported by colleagues, he would be happy to further discuss any issues they have.
"I ask you to support this proposal, it seems to me that any of these positions are negotiable anyway," said Moroz, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
"If we at least make an attempt to find a common platform for work, then this may be the first possible step towards resolving the situation."
It comes after former FHTR President Nikolai Aleksandrov was involved in an embezzlement scandal.
Aleksandrov was arrested last December on suspicion of committing economic crimes during his time as chief executive of Russian construction company Mosmetrostroy.
Russian hockey could return to normality under a new President ©FHTR
He was released under house arrest the following month before being detained on separate charges in April.
Aleksandrov was then placed under house arrest for a second time in May.
He is accused of concluding a fictitious contract and embezzling the funds from Mosmetrostroy.
FHTR held an election in February where Andrei Kananin, an assistant to State Duma deputy Mikhail Buger, was voted in as President.
This was deemed invalid by the Russian Olympic Committee, however, which still recognised the reign of Aleksandrov.
In August, the Russian Sports Ministry stepped in and removed the accreditation of the FHTR, with the Baseball Federation of Russia overseeing the sporting body's "rights and duties" for a period of six months.
A.V. Sorokin from St. Petersburg was elected chairman at the conference, while Moroz was forced to join the meeting via video call after he revealed he was suffering from illness.
Before the election, Alexandrov's powers were terminated as well as those of the former FHTR Executive Committee.
A total of 12 new members were elected to the new Executive Committee.
Inside the Games
PHF delegation calls on DG Sports Punjab
LAHORE - A delegation of Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) led by its secretary M Asif Bajwa called on Director General Sports Punjab Adnan Arshad Aulakh at his office here at the National Hockey Stadium on Thursday.
The promotion of hockey in line with the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan was discussed during the meeting. Head coach of national hockey team Olympian Khawaja Junaid was the other member of the PHF delegation.
Director Admin Javed Chohan, Deputy Director Planning Rauf Bajwa and PD PMU were also present on this occasion.
The DG SBP said: “Hockey is our national game and its revival is among top priorities for us. The Sports Board Punjab (SBP) is fully cooperating with PHF for the revival of hockey which happened to be Pakistan’s national game. We will continue to provide every possible assistance to our national game in future as well.”
Aulakh said dozens of new hockey grounds with astro-turf have been built in the province, which will help in revival of hockey in the country.
PHF Secretary Asif Bajwa said that the revival of hockey is a joint mission for all of us.
“We will have to join hands for this great task and we are hopeful that Pakistan will regain its lost glory in hockey in near future.
“We can regain our lost status in world hockey with the collaboration of SBP. Besides this, PHF will also trace fresh hockey talent through our joint efforts with the SBP.”
The Nation