News for 09 November 2020
All the news for Monday 9 November 2020
Black Sticks players run camps in Hawke’s Bay ahead of Premier Hockey League
Hawke’s Bay Hockey have been able to put on some incredible camps for the kids in their Association thanks to the help of some local Black Sticks who were assisted by other members of the National Squad from around the country.
The opportunity was initially planned for earlier in 2020 before COVID struck. This was the first opportunity to hold the camps since the Association got up and running earlier in 2020. The Association had an outstanding response from the community as they marketed the camps as Black Sticks in the Bay. This was in response to Shea McAleese, Olivia Shannon and Kaitlin Cotter who would be leading the camps.
They had 145 players aged Year 7-13 register for two, one day Black Sticks Camps. We held one Camp at the Unison turf in Hastings on Saturday and one at our home turfs at Park Island.
Not wanting to leave any of their community out the camps also offered speciality goalie training by George Enersen and Mike Mayo and the reception to these was awesome.
Each camp was run with 2 x 2-hour sessions with 5 circuits run by Shea McAleese, Hugo Inglis, Samantha Charlton, Olivia Shannon and Kaitlin Cotter. The players rotated around each circuit.
The Local parents were so grateful to have their children given such an incredible opportunity and many wrote to express their gratitude and were appreciative of the well planned and delivered Camps. The kids came away from this special day with so many tips and drills and a few signatures on their sticks.
Following these camps, the players have turned their attention to the Sentinel Homes Premier Hockey League which is being held inland from Napier at Hamilton’s Gallagher Hockey Centre.
Hockey New Zealand Media release
Hockey player Namita Toppo to get Ekalabya Puraskar this year
163-cap midfielder Namita represented India in almost all the international tournaments including Rio Olympics in 2016.
Indian women's hockey team midfielder Namita Toppo (Photo | Hockey India Twitter)
BHUBANESWAR: Namita Toppo, one of India’s most consistent and high performing hockey players, will receive the prestigious Ekalabya Puraskar for 2020. The Odia girl was unanimously chosen for the award by jury members of the Ekalabya Puraskar Committee after a meeting here on Sunday.
Olympian Namita will get a cash award of Rs 5 lakh along with a citation at the award ceremony to be held later under the strict observance of Covid-19 guidelines. Interestingly, all the three winners of Ekalabya Puraskar this year are women.
Besides Namita, weightlifter Sneha Soren and shuttler Rutaparna Panda will be felicitated with citation honours for their remarkable performances in international and national levels in their respective fields. They will receive a cash prize of Rs 50,000 each along with citations.
163-cap midfielder Namita represented India in almost all the international tournaments including Rio Olympics in 2016. She is credited to have spearheaded numerous wins for Indian national hockey team at international levels. Similarly, Sneha and Rutuparna have brought laurels for Odisha as well as the country through their achievements in last two years.
The annual award is instituted by IMPaCT, the charitable wing of Indian Metals and Ferro Alloys (IMFA). The award is given every year to young sportspersons of Odisha in recognition of their outstanding performance in the preceding two years.
Announcing the winners, former MP and trustee of IMPaCT Baijayant Panda said, “IMPaCT has been in continuous pursuit to recognise and foster excellence in sports and literature besides contributing to the general welfare of the society at large. Ekalabya Puraskar is instituted to encourage and inspire young sports persons to perform at national and international arena.”Date for the award ceremony will be announced later.
New Indian Express
New dates with consequences for Malaysia?
By Jugjet Singh
KUALA LUMPUR: The Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) will announce the new dates and eligibility criteria for the twice-postponed men's Junior Asia Cup (JAC) by this week.
At first the JAC, which is a Junior World Cup qualifier was supposed to be held on June 4-12 this year in Dhaka, Bangladesh, but it was postponed to Jan 21-30 at the same venue because of Covid-19. However, AHF had to yet again move the January dates because the pandemic is still raging across the globe.
"Right now we are working on this together with FIH (International Hockey Federation) and we don't see a problem in extending the dates of the JAC to June or July," said AHF CEO Datuk Tayyab Ikram.
"We are still discussing the dates and eligibility criteria for the JAC and in the next few days, we shall be ready with the decision.
"Covid-19 has put us on a roller coaster ride, but the AHF is confident of hosting the event the moment there is clearance to do so from the relevant authorities."
AHF had announced earlier that if the JAC is hosted before the end of March, players who turn 22 will still be eligible to play because the Junior World Cup is planned for the end of next year in India.
That gave a lifeline to eight of Malaysia's best players. But now, it looks like AHF might have to host the men's tournament in June or July and also enforce the eligibility ruling on 22-year-olds.
The JAC is an Under-21 event but due to Covid-19, rules were "bent" to accommodate the players who were "victim of circumstances."
Malaysia will be up against India, Pakistan, South Korea, Japan and China for a semi-final slot as the three best finishers will automatically qualify with host India for the Junior World Cup.
If the eligibility ruling is set at Under-21 for the men's tournament if it is held after the first quarter of next year, coach Wallace Tan will have to reshuffle his plans and ditch eight stalwarts.
New Straits Times
Hall of Fame - Jean Wynne (nee Pearce)
The late Jean Wynne (nee Pearce) was a brilliant centre-half-back with superb anticipation, excellent vision and uncanny skill in distributing the ball accurately to her forwards.
Jean was one of six Pearce sisters whose love for hockey started around a farmhouse at Moulyinning, 230 miles from Perth. Jean was picked for her state in 1939, however World War II robbed WA and Australia of her services for six years.
She resumed for WA in 1946 and was State captain-coach from 1947 to 1953. After that she continued as non-playing coach until 1958. Together with her sisters, Jean ensured WA would go unbeaten in national carnivals for 15 years and recording 45 consecutive wins.
She became the 123rd women’s player capped for her country after making her debut in September 1948 against New Zealand and was one of the main drawcards during the series against the Kiwis.
Selected in Australia's blue-ribbon team every year from 1946 to 1953, the high point of Jean’s career came in 1953 when she captained Australia to a famous first victory over England in the IFWHA tournament at Folkestone. She was a shrewd tactician and her dynamic captaincy played a major part in the historic 2-1 victory. Jean would make 10 appearances and score five goals representing Australia.
Jean Wynne will be remembered for bringing a new dimension to women's hockey as an attacking centre-half, joining in as a sixth forward and showing deceptive pace with long, loping strides to create scoring opportunities.
Jean’s sisters May Campbell and Morna Hyde both also captained Australia and another sister Tib Ash also played for Australia.
Jean’s induction into the Hockey Australia Hall of Fame was ratified in 2019.
What they said…
“Jean would have been proud and humbled to receive this honour along with all of the other recipients of this award. Thank you to Hockey Australia for the acknowledgement and recognition of her contribution to Australian hockey.
Aunty Jean was a typical country girl from Moulyinning. Self-taught and with nine siblings to practice against on the farm she enhanced her competitive edge in hockey. Jean as a player will be remembered for bringing a new dimension to hockey as a brilliant attacking centre half back with excellent vision and an uncanny skill in distributing the ball accurately to her forwards.
Jean’s dynamic captaincy played a major part in Australia’s historic defeat of England at Folkestone in 1953. She was a strong and determined woman and had an amazing tactical mind as a coach whether it be for her club in Moulyinning, Western Australia or Australia.
We are extremely proud of Aunty Jean and her achievements in Club, Association, State and Australian hockey. Janelle Edwards (nee Pearce) & Jodi Pearce (nieces)
From those in the know…
“How I would have loved to have seen Jean play hockey. She was first selected for WA in 1939 and in the era spanning 1938-39 and 1946-53, WA played 50 matches at the national titles without losing a match. Jean was an integral part of this amazing era being captain and coach of WA for eight of those 10 years. She was also an AA player for eight years. What a superlative career.” Wendy Pritchard (Hockey Australia Hall of Fame Committee)
Hockey Australia media release
Scottish North Conference delivers another weekend of competitive hockey
With North the only conference to survive the present COVID-19 restrictions and continue playing competitively, Ellon (women) and Granite City Wanderers (men) remain top of their respective conference leagues. Both sides are three points ahead of Gordonians men and women respectively, although both have a game in hand.
Ellon stretched their winning sequence to three games with a 5-3 win over second division Granite City Wanderers in the women`s North conference. Bizarrely, there was no scoring in the first half, but eight goals followed after the interval, described by Ellon captain Louise Gordon as a “busy second half for both teams.”
The catalyst behind Ellon`s triumph was a hat-trick from Jenni Urquhart while Nikki Kidd and Abby Wilson were also on target, the result leaves Gordon`s charges at the top of the table.
Open play strikes from Sophie Conrad and Anna Warnock gave Gordonians a 2-0 edge over Aberdeen University at Countesswells.
Gordonians’ Rebecca Murray remarked: “It was a good match but got a bit scrappy in the second half. I would say we had the majority of the possession and more circle penetrations and shots, but saying that Aberdeen Uni had a few good breakaways though and did have chances.”
In the men`s competition Granite City Wanderers maintained their 100% sequence with a 3-1 win over Ellon. Meldrum MacKenzie got two and Mark Cooper got the other while Callum Young scored his first goal for Ellon.
At Rubislaw Gordonians moved into a four goal lead through player/coach Adam Walker, Paul Weston on his debut and Will Serle chipped in with a double. Hosts Aberdeen GS got a consolation through a calm penalty corner strike from Leon Potts.
However, the score line might have been different but for a string of saves by Grammar`s 15-year-old keeper Fraser Bruce which was described as an “outstanding performance.”
Gordonians John Hamilton assessed: “Gordonians played some good flowing hockey in the first and third quarters, Grammar did well in the second and fourth to keep the game relatively close. The game was played in the spirit of a local derby rather than a friendly, which was great.”
Scottish Hockey Union media release
UNC field hockey beats Louisville, claims fourth consecutive ACC Championship
By Zachary Crain
Junior forward Erin Matson (1) drives the ball up the field during the ACC Field Hockey Championship game against Louisville in Karen Shelton Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2020. Matson scored two of Carolina's four goals. Carolina defeated the Cardinals 4-2, securing their fourth consecutive tournament title. Angelica Edwards
The North Carolina field hockey team (10-1, 4-1 ACC) secured an ACC Championship on Sunday in Karen Shelton Stadium, defeating top-seeded Louisville (8-2, 5-1 ACC), which had beaten the Tar Heels earlier in the season to snap their historic 47-game winning streak.
What happened?
The Cardinals struck first after dominating the opening minutes of the match, finding their way onto the scoreboard by way of a blast from redshirt sophomore Katie Schneider from the middle of the circle. Before the Tar Heels could even take a shot, Louisville had already notched three shots and one penalty corner. At the end of the first 15 minutes of play, UNC had taken just one shot in the final minute, as the Cardinals held a firm lead in the time-of-possession battle.
Less than four minutes into the second quarter, Louisville struck again, turning its second penalty corner opportunity into a goal to take a commanding 2-0 lead.
Halfway through the second period, the Tar Heels got their first real opportunity, after junior forward Erin Matson drew a penalty in front of the net. In UNC’s first penalty corner of the day, Matson converted, slamming the ball into the upper right corner of the net to shrink the Louisville lead to 2-1.
North Carolina drew another penalty corner with less than two minutes remaining in the first half, but failed to convert it into a scoring opportunity. Going into the break, the Tar Heels’ deficit remained at 2-1, with Louisville dominating time-of-possession and taking six shots to UNC’s three.
A back-and-forth third quarter saw neither team budge through its first ten minutes, until North Carolina senior Bryn Boylan found the back of the net, equalizing the match at 2-2 with the Tar Heels’ second consecutive goal.
As the clock wound down in the third quarter, UNC maintained an advantage in possession, moving the ball deep into Louisville territory multiple times and threatening to take its first lead of the season against the Cardinals entering the final period. After minutes of attacking the Louisville defense, the Tar Heels stuck again with under two minutes remaining in the quarter by way of a goal from sophomore back Madison Orobono, taking a 3-2 lead into the final frame.
A goal coming off of a penalty corner from Matson secured the victory for North Carolina in the 59th minute, as the Tar Heels took a 4-2 lead they would never give back.
Who stood out?
Despite impressive offensive performances from many of the Tar Heels — including six who scored or assisted in North Carolina’s four goals — it was senior goalkeeper Amanda Hendry, who finished with four saves, and UNC’s defense that protected a narrow Tar Heel lead in the waning moments of the match, that were the stars. Louisville attempted eight penalty corners, most of which came in the last 17 minutes of the match while UNC protected a one-goal lead. For all of the fourth quarter, even with plenty of quality Louisville chances, Hendry and the Tar Heels stood tall in front of the net.
When was it decided?
Not until the final moments, when Matson buried the ball in the back of the net to take a two-goal lead, was this game truly over. Louisville was extremely aggressive offensively throughout the game, totaling 16 shots with its eight penalty corners, and could have converted if given the opportunity in a one-goal game.
Why does it matter?
Despite the absence of an NCAA Tournament for the fall season, the Tar Heels managed to win their fourth consecutive ACC Championship. With the win, UNC also managed to avenge their loss to the Cardinals earlier this season, which remains their lone loss since Nov. 17, 2017.
When do they play next?
UNC’s fall season is done, but with the NCAA’s decision to move fall championships to the spring, the Tar Heels should have a chance to compete for their third consecutive national championship in the coming months.
The Daily Tar Heel
Against Louisville, UNC field hockey avenges only loss of season to claim ACC title
By Ryan Wilcox
Junior forward Erin Matson (1) drives the ball up the field during the ACC Field Hockey Championship game against Louisville in Karen Shelton Stadium on Nov. 8, 2020. Matson scored two of Carolina's four goals. Carolina defeated the Cardinals 4-2, securing their fourth consecutive tournament title. Angelica Edwards
For a minute it looked like, as the saying goes, "déjà vu all over again."
For a minute it looked like the North Carolina field hockey team would lose for the second time this season and the second time since 2017, once again to fellow ACC juggernaut Louisville. On Oct. 2, the Tar Heels went down 2-0 to the Cardinals in the first half and lost, 3-1. In the season-ending ACC Championship, they were once again down a pair of scores before halftime. They, and we, had seen this movie before.
But if the world learned anything about the Tar Heels on Sunday, it's that they aren't fond of repeating bad memories. This time, the two-goal deficit was turned into a 4-2 win; anguish turned into elation; the end of a 47-game win streak turned into a fourth straight conference title, not to mention evidence that head coach Karen Shelton's team of back-to-back national champions remains probably the best in the country.
"We gave up a couple of goals," Shelton said. "But we didn't crack."
The two Louisville scores, both from forward Katie Schneider, were a result of UNC's play early on: tentative and slow, as Shelton put it, while the Cardinals controlled possession and created turnovers. It was just like the season's first matchup, which put UNC in the unenviable and unusual position of the underdog.
For the first time since the opening of Karen Shelton Stadium in 2018, the Tar Heels were forced to sit on the visitors' bench. North Carolina had been unofficially favored in every game the last three seasons, except this one. And now, the team was down a pair of goals.
"We were the underdog for the first time in three years," Shelton said. "That allowed us, especially in the second half, to play with more freedom. So we started going after it."
A goal off of a penalty corner from star forward Erin Matson had made it a 2-1 game at the break. Then, in the third quarter, successive scores by Bryn Boylan and Madison Orobono gave the Tar Heels their first lead of the day. And after a stellar defensive fourth quarter, it was Matson again with the cherry on top, tapping in a goal with just over a minute left to seal it.
The Cardinals had outshot and out-cornered UNC, just as in the teams' first matchup. This time, though, the Tar Heels were the ones celebrating, prevailing in the closest thing the team's had to a rivalry matchup in recent memory.
"It wasn't really, 'Oh, we get a rematch against Louisville,'" Matson said. "If anything, the difference was that we were the No. 2 seed and we were the underdog. So coach said, 'Relax, have fun, that's when we play our best.'"
"We played to our strengths and didn't really let anything get to us."
That's not to say the Tar Heels had forgotten what happened early last month. Shelton admitted to using the loss as a "little piece of psychological warfare," and the team's postgame exuberance was evident (see: players spotted driving down Franklin Street, blasting Queen's "We Are The Champions" hours after the win).
"Once we lost (to Louisville), then had an opportunity to play against them for a championship," Boylan said, "that got us fired up."
Still, the team rightfully has loftier goals in mind than avenging a regular season loss. They'll have to wait until the spring of 2021, when a delayed NCAA Tournament will serve as a bizarre coda to this COVID-19-altered season.
In the meantime, it seems the Tar Heels will have enough to stew about. It's easy to imagine that the Louisville loss still stings, for a team that's become somewhat accustomed to perfection. They answered the bell on Sunday, in emphatic fashion; the only question remaining is how they'll respond in a few months' time.
The Daily Tar Heel
'We've sacrificed so much': In an unusual year, UNC field hockey shows its greatness
By Zachary Crain
UNC field hockey celebrates following their win against Louisville in the ACC Field Hockey Championship on Nov. 8, 2020 in Karen Shelton Stadium. UNC beat Louisville 4-2, securing their fourth consecutive tournament championship. Angelica Edwards
If there were ever a time for the North Carolina field hockey team to lose, it would have been Sunday.
It was the final game of a season that would see no real ending. There was no NCAA Tournament seeding to jockey for, no third straight national championship to strive toward and no record-breaking winning streak to protect.
In the opening half of Sunday’s ACC Championship matchup with Louisville, the Tar Heels looked dead in the water. After falling into a 2-0 deficit against a Cardinals group that had snapped UNC’s 47-game winning streak just a month before, it looked as though the Tar Heels were something they hadn’t been in over two years: beatable.
Despite the deficit — and a powerful Louisville offense that notched more shots and more penalty corners, and dominated possession for much of the game’s first half — it was the Tar Heels who took to Franklin Street donning t-shirts and hats declaring them the best in the ACC, once again, as champions.
“It’s all about the end goal,” said Erin Matson, a junior forward who iced a 4-2 UNC victory with a goal in the final minutes. “Whenever there were little pebbles in the road, people would figure it out and come together.”
As the Tar Heels had done so many times before in their seemingly endless stretch of dominance, they found a way to win. Firing off four consecutive goals and refusing to let Louisville opportunities slip into the net, North Carolina rushed the field as the game’s final buzzer sounded and reclaimed its spot atop the landscape of collegiate field hockey.
“A lot of challenges, a lot of stuff we had to go through as a team — but we managed it, we became closer, became stronger,” Matson said. “This is why we play field hockey.”
It was a season that would have been unthinkable to the Tar Heels just a year prior, when they won their third straight ACC Championship. Uncertainty loomed throughout an offseason of social distancing and modified training, before the ACC decided on a conference-only, abbreviated game schedule with a tournament at the end to name a champion.
UNC knew there wouldn’t be a third straight national title to claim this fall — the NCAA moved all fall championships to the spring, and many conferences didn’t get to take the field at all — but head coach Karen Shelton said the team’s focus never faltered.
“They’ve had to remain in a bubble, and I know everybody kind of does, but everybody has a little bit more freedom, you know everybody else doesn’t have the responsibility of perhaps infecting 35 other people,” Shelton said. “It’s a huge commitment. And so I credit our team for sticking with it.”
For a Tar Heel group that has only dropped one game in the last 1,000-plus days, they entered Sunday’s game with a chip on their shoulders. Not only because they were the self-proclaimed “underdog” after dropping a game to Louisville earlier this year, but because of the collective sacrifice it took to continue to compete for months on end amid a still-worsening pandemic.
“We’ve sacrificed so much for this season, just to have this season and to be able to play every game,” senior Bryn Boylan said. “That just prepared us to go out there and be thankful that we can compete."
The Daily Tar Heel
SA Hockey celebrates Doreen Martin’s 100th Birthday
Doreen Martin today celebrates her 100th Birthday. The South African Hockey Community celebrate alongside the former SA Women’s Hockey President.
Doreen’s involvement in hockey throughout her life tells a wonderful story of a committed and passionate individual.
After starting her hockey career at Progressive while at high school, it was California where Doreen showed the off-field abilities moving from secretary to treasurer and eventually chairperson. She was also an umpire excelling at various national tournaments.
From 1967 onwards Doreen served in various roles for the Western Province Hockey Union including secretary, treasurer and eventually president of the Union in 1976. She served in this position until her retirement in 1988. She also served as the president of the SA Women’s Hockey Board from 1977 for just over a decade before being made Honorary Life President at the time of her retirement. Incredibly she held both positions at the same time requiring remarkable effort levels.
In 2008 at the SA Women’s Hockey Association function in Port Elizabeth she was presented with the SA Hockey Badge for her service to the game. Mrs Martin represents a generation that impacted and contributed to building a better society.
SA Hockey CEO Marissa Langeni shares:
“Today the South African Hockey family celebrates a wonderful milestone birthday with Doreen Martin. She has always been a superb servant of the game serving for a remarkable period and impressively so. We hope you have a wonderful day with your loved ones!”
All the SA Hockey Community thank Doreen for her service to the game and wish her all the best for this milestone birthday!
SA Hockey Association media release