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All the news for Sunday 12 November 2023

HRH Sultan Nazrin Shah Men's International Indoor Tournament 2023 - 12 November
Ipoh, Perak

All times GMT +8

11 Nov 2023 16:00     AUS v NZL (3/4th)     4 - 6
11 Nov 2023 20:00    NAM v RSA (Final)      2 - 2 (3 - 2 SO)

Pool standings

FIH Match Centre

South Africa edged out on a shootout by Namibia in Sultan Nazrin Shah Cup



South Africa and Namibia wrote the next chapter of their remarkable history in the inaugural final of the inaugural Sultan Nazrin Shah Cup. South Africa had won the game in the group stage, but Namibia was feeling up for the moment after one of their greatest days in beating Australia on Friday.

HRH Tuanku Zara Women's International Indoor Tournament 2023 - 12 November
Ipoh, Perak

All times GMT +8

11 Nov 2023 14:00     AUS v MAS (3/4th)     2 - 0
11 Nov 2023 18:00     RSA v SUI (Final)         1 - 1 (4 - 3 SO)

Pool Standings

FIH Match Center

Super South Africa down Switzerland to lift the Tuanku Zara Cup



Just over 24 hours after facing off in the final pool stage game of the Tuanku Zara International Cup, the South African Indoor Hockey Women and Switzerland met again in the final. In the previous 12 meetings between the sides the South Africans had the upper hand winning seven and drawing three. But none of that mattered as the two teams locked horns to decide the champions.

Malaysia finish fourth after 2-0 loss to Australia

By Aftar Singh


Malaysia (in white) against Australia in the Tuanku Zara International Indoor tournament. - Pic courtesy of MHC

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia finished fourth in the women's hockey Tuanku Zara International Indoor tournament after a 2-0 loss to Australia at Indera Mulia Stadium in Ipoh today.

‘We will give added emphasis to our circle entry,’ Indian Junior Men's Hockey player Amandeep Lakra talks about team’s preparations for FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Malaysia 2023

Amandeep finished as the top scorer in the recently concluded 11th of Sultan of Johor Cup 2023



New Delhi: Amandeep Lakra, a prominent member of the Indian Junior Men's Hockey Team, stated on Saturday that the team "will give added emphasis to our circle entry" while discussing the upcoming FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup Malaysia 2023. He also shared his thoughts and experiences from the 11th Sultan Johor Cup 2023, where the Indian Team took home a Bronze medal.

Seven fighting against time

By Aftar Singh


 NSTP/ASYRAF HAMZAH

KUALA LUMPUR: Seven injured hockey players are fighting against time to recover for a playing tour of Auckland, New Zealand, from Dec 8-18.

Worldwide Hockey fixtures - 12 November

Fixtures from the various leagues around the World

Adelaide Fire enjoy memorable double as Tassie falter



Adelaide Fire Men have kept themselves in finals contention with a stellar 3-1 win over the Tassie Tigers, before the Fire Women ensured they would finish the JDH Hockey One League 2023 Season above their Tasmanian counterparts thanks to a come from behind 2-1 victory in Hobart tonight.

Hockey Ireland Results Round-Up – Saturday Nov 11



EYHL WOMEN’S DIVISION 1

LORETO 4 PEMBROKE WANDERERS 0
Things began to unravel for the visitors as early as the seventh minute when Loreto were awarded a penalty stroke. Hannah McLoughlin converted the stroke to give Loreto a 1-0 lead. This was a lead they maintained until half-time. They increased their lead before half time through a Síofra O’Brien goal from open play to lead 2-0 in the forty seventh minute.

Opondo eyes better fortunes with Lakers at African tourney

After failing to sparkle at the recently ended African Hockey qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in Pretoria, South Africa, Kenyan national team forward and Lakers Hockey Club top scorer, Aurelia Opondo, believes she will get her groove back at the Africa tournament in Blantyre, Malawi.

NCAA Division 1 Championship fixtures and results - 12 November


(Right click and Open in a new Tab for a larger image)

One Win Stands Between UNC And The FH Final Four



CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – One game stands between the North Carolina field hockey team and the program's 27th appearance in the NCAA semifinals. That game is Sunday at noon against Harvard.

NCAA Tournament second round preview: No. 4-seed Maryland field hockey vs. Virginia

The Terps look to advance to the Final Four for the third straight season.

By Ryan-Martin


Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics

Following a 3-0 win Friday against Old Dominion in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, No. 4-seed Maryland field hockey (17-5, 8-3 Big Ten) is set to host Virginia (13-6, 3-3 ACC) in the Elite Eight.

Customs Hockey's remarkable reappearance

By Ijaz Chaudhry

The 67th edition of  Pakistan's national hockey championships was recently held at Rawalpindi, 's Lt General Ashfaq Nadeem Stadium. The surprise package was the newly raised young customs side which finished third. Customs was appearing in the nationals after a long gap of 11 years. Astonishing as customs remained a big name in Pakistan hockey - won the national championships eight times, a record second only to PIA. The last of these wins came in 1988.


The Customs hockey team was based in Karachi. The Enforcement Collectorate, Karachi was responsible for the team`s in the national tournaments, logistics, selection of the players, etc. Customs even built its hockey stadium with synthetic turf. Inexplicably, the interest of the concerned officers diminished. The dwindled patronage eventually led to the unthinkable, the disbandment of the customs hockey team.  

The credit for reviving the department`s hockey team goes mainly to Tauqeer Dar, Olympic gold medallist 1984, who himself played for customs during the 1980s. Tauqeer is the founder and president of Dar Hockey Academy- not only Pakistan`s best hockey nursery but also a role model for any sport.

“When I picked up the hockey stick for the first time, my uncle Tanvir Dar inspired me. The penalty corner expert was the top scorer of the 1971 World Cup won by Pakistan and had also made a major contribution to Pakistan`s gold medal-winning campaign at the 1968 Olympics. He enjoyed cult status at the time. Tanvir Dar played for customs in the domestic tournaments. Hence, my family supported customs as ‘our team’. When I made strides in hockey in the early 1980s, many departments offered me a job to join their hockey teams. I chose customs for obvious reasons. Apart from being a proud member of the Pakistan teams who won gold at the 1984 Olympics and the 1985 Asia Cup, I also enjoyed success with the customs side. I appeared for customs in five nationals from 1984 to 1988 and won the title four times including a hat trick. Coincidentally, Tanvir Dar was a member of customs’ other four victories at the national championships achieved in the late 1960s and early 1970s. All this made it very painful to see customs disappear from the national scene.”                                                             

A man always on the move, Tauqeer convinced the customs hierarchy to assign customs hockey to the Enforcement Collectorate, Lahore.  

“In this regard, Mukarram Jah Ansari, member customs played a vital role in getting the approval. We held open trials in June which were participated by boys from all over the country including national team players, not with any departmental team. A strong team was selected. Still, few gave our recently raised side much chance at the nationals. The team entered the tournament after a training camp of only 10 days supervised by superintendent customs Danish Kaleem, World Cup winner in 1994.”

In Rawalpindi, Customs steamrolled all three opponents in the pool to encounter an experienced Pak army team in the quarterfinal. The youngsters came from behind to upset the soldiers 3-1. In the semifinal, they faced the defending champions WAPDA who included several members of the current national team. The boys played out of their skins and dominated the proceedings for the better part of the match. Customs was unfortunate to lose 1-3. It missed a penalty stroke and conceded two goals through unforced errors; sheer inexperience. The Navy was thumped 7-0 in the 3rd place game.   

Six custom boys won selection in Pakistan`s junior team for the Sultan of Johor Cup in Malaysia which concluded on the 4th of November: Faizan Janjua, Abuzar, Abdul Qayyum, Mohammad Ammad, Hamza Fayyaz and Ghazanfar Ali

Players are employed on a contract basis. After the team`s stellar performance at the nationals, Tauqeer hopes the boys will get permanent jobs. It will not be a one-off affair. To institutionalize, a committee comprising customs officers from across the country has already been formed to look after the affairs related to the department`s hockey. It comprises of Mohsin Rafiq, Asif Abbas, Asad Rizvi, Mateen Alam, Abbas Ali Babar and Tauqeer Dar.  

Ijaz Chaudhry writes on hockey & other sports. For more about him & his work, visit http://www.sportscorrespondent.info