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All the news for Friday 17 August 2018

Hockey Series Open - Port Vila 2018 (Men) - Day 3
Port Vila (VAN)

Results 17 August

FIJ v SOL     9 - 2
TGA v VAN     0 - 11

Pool Standings

Hockey Series Open - Port Vila 2018 (Women) - Day 3
Port Vila (VAN)

Results 17 August

FIJ v VAN     5 - 0
TGA v SOL     3 - 4

Pool Standings

FIH Match Centre

Fiji’s women hit form at hockey series


Fiji doubled up with a pair of victories in the women's tournament on day two of the Hockey Series event in Vanuatu. Picture: Fiji Hockey Federation

PORT VILA – Fiji doubled up with a pair of victories in the women’s tournament on day two of the Hockey Series event in Vanuatu.

The top-ranked side in the competition first thrashed Tonga 13-0 in their morning fixture at the Wan Smolbag Hockey Stadium in Port Vila.

They then steamrolled past Solomon Islands 8-1 in their second game of the day.

Their success means Fiji matched the achievement of hosts Vanuatu who also beat Tonga and Solomon Islands when playing twice Wednesday.

Both countries will meet today to decide who tops the round robin phase at the four-team tournament.

They will then meet again the following day in the final as neither side can slip out of the top two.

Tonga and Solomon Islands will meet to decide third and fourth place and then for bronze.

In the men’s event, Fiji, again the top-ranked side, also played twice.

They endured mixed fortunes as they beat Tonga 14-0 before losing 7-5 to Vanuatu.

The home side now have two wins as they beat Solomon Islands, prior to today’s final group fixtures.

This competition is the first International Hockey Federation (FIH) event in the Pacific country since the 2014 Oceania Youth Olympic Games Qualifying Tournament.

The FIH has launched the Hockey Series this year, with events taking place across the world.

Teams who have not qualified for the new top-tier Hockey Pro League will contest the tournaments, which will offer places at next year’s Hockey Series Finals.

Countries who make the Finals will earn the chance to qualify for Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualification events.

The Fiji Times

Battle of prestige for Indian men's hockey

By Rutvick Mehta


Indian Hockey Team India captain PR Sreejesh believes this current Indian men’s hockey team is showing signs of winning mentality that Indian hockey so badly needed. Hockey India

Former national men's hockey team coach Terry Walsh had an interesting take on the sport at the Asian Games.

The Australian, who was sacked months after the 2014 Incheon Games, believed that the reward for winning the Asiad — a direct qualification to the Olympics — isn't always ideal.

"There's a very strong argument which says that you don't want to qualify (for Olympics) automatically. Because when teams do that, quite often it takes the sting out of the preparation. And you can lose a bit of that impact," Walsh told this paper after India won the hockey gold in Incheon.

While Walsh's theory might have some substance to it, the scenario staring at the Indian men's hockey team this time around is quite different.

In 2014, the team went into the Asian Games on the back of some impressive results, none more than a creditable silver-medal finish at the Commonwealth Games (CWG).

However, as good as India's 2014 CWG show was, their Gold Coast sojourn this year was as disappointing.

The team finished fourth and its aftermath resulted in coach Sjoerd Marijne being axed from the men's team.

And while a silver medal at the Champions Trophy in June did undo some wrongs of the Gold Coast CWG, PR Sreejesh and his troops know too well that they can ill-afford to have another CWG-like outing at the Asian Games in a crucial year for Indian hockey.

"It's about prestige now," Sreejesh told DNA.

"When it comes to Asian Games, it's always considered a major event in Asia, more so in hockey.

"So for us, it's definitely a prestige thing. Winning the Asian Games will be a really proud moment for us, and the ticket to Olympics acts as a big bonus," he added.

The India captain is clear that there can be no substitute to winning the Asian Games and sealing a direct ticket to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The desperation is more so because they're defending their reputation as the best hockey team in Asia, with India now ranked fifth in the world.

"We won the last Asian Games as well as Asia Cup last year. So, we want to defend the place where we're at right now," Sreejesh said.

"The fact that we're the defending champions acts as a boost for us. We have improved our rankings, and our recent performances have been good as well.

"It only gives us more confidence in our game and the kind of hockey that we are playing right now," the goalkeeper added.

The Harendra effect

That confidence also stems from the change of coaching guard, with Harendra Singh taking over from Marijne after the CWG.

The Indian, who was coach of India's 2016 Junior World Cup-winning team and then the senior national women's team, doesn't believe in terms like "process", a word probably thrown around the most in Indian hockey by foreign coaches over the last decade.

Harendra is a man who believes in delivering results, no matter the circumstances and challenges.

In his first assignment, he turned the team around from its CWG disappointment and took it to the final of Champions Trophy, and the defeat to Australia in penalty shootouts in the final despite fighting hard acted as little consolation.

It's safe to assume that Harendra's face is bound to turn red if the team doesn't win gold, for he is also looking ahead to the third key tournament this year: the FIH World Cup in November in India.

"Winning a gold will be good for Indian hockey, good for the players, good for the team, good for the entire nation," Harendra told this paper.

"We want to carry the momentum from Asian Games into the World Cup. We haven't reached the semifinals in any World Cup for many years now, and we want to change that," he added.

Change is the buzzword in Indian hockey at present.

The 32-year-old Sreejesh, who made his international debut in 2006 and has been an integral part during the highs and lows of Indian hockey over the last decade, said it was about time this mentality change hit Indian hockey.

"We needed this change in mindset," he said.

"When I joined the team, we were ranked 11th or 12th in the world, and it has taken all these years for us to reach No. 5. We have worked really hard to earn this position.

"Now, it is our responsibility to improve this, or pass this legacy to the youngsters so that they can take things forward and improve the rankings, from 5th or top-4 or top-2. So, we're on the right track," he added.

Dreaming big is one thing, and believing in it is quite another. But this Indian team falls in the latter category, and that, perhaps, is the biggest change in Indian hockey.

"The change is showing in our winning mentality, and the players are getting the rhythm of winning. We want to retain that with us. We are now familiar with the pressure of playing quarterfinals or semifinals in major tournaments, because we have been there quite a few number of times now. We know we can achieve more under Harendra sir," Sreejesh said.

For now, though, an Asian Games gold will be just right.

India men’s hockey squad

Goalkeepers: PR Sreejesh (C), Krishan B Pathak

Defenders: Harmanpreet Singh, Varun Kumar, Birendra Lakra, Surender Kumar, Rupinder Pal Singh, Amit Rohidas

Midfielders: Manpreet Singh, Chinglensana Singh Kangujam (VC), Simranjeet Singh, Sardar Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad

Forwards: SV Sunil, Mandeep Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Dilpreet Singh

India’s fixtures

August 20 vs Indonesia
August 22 vs Hong Kong
August 24 vs Japan
August 26 vs South Korea
August 28 vs Sri Lanka

Daily News & Analysis

PR Sreejesh interview: At Asian Games, no match will be cakewalk despite our top-ranked status and defending champs tag

Amit Kamath

At the Asian Games in Jakarta/Palembang, World No 5 India will not just be the top-ranked team in the fray, they will also be defending their Asian Games crown. In such circumstances, it would be easy to feel like the team has a target on their backs, especially with the gold medal winners also entitled to a berth in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

However, India skipper PR Sreejesh believes that the team will be buoyed by the twin tags of being the top-ranked team and the defending champions.

Ahead of the team’s departure for Jakarta for the Asian Games, Firstpost caught up with Sreejesh to talk about the Indian team’s chances at the Asiad, his evolution as a leader of the team and coach Harendra Singh’s disciplinarian side.

Edited excerpts:

India are the top-ranked team at the Asian Games and are also the defending champions. Does that ease pressure or increase it?

There are two ways of thinking about this. If we think that we’re defending champions and top-ranked, so we should be careful, that will add pressure. But if we think the other way — that we are better than the other teams, after all, we are World No 5 and that recently we beat all the world top teams — then it is a confidence-booster. When you're preparing for a tournament like the Asian Games, the toughest thing for us will to remember that despite us playing against lower-ranked teams, sometimes ranking is just a number. Look at Ireland at the Women's World Cup. Similarly, any team can threaten any team at any stage in the Asian Games. It's more about India — can we play according to our style and perform in a consistent way and how we can take up the challenge.

Which teams will pose the biggest threat to India at the Asian Games?

At the Asian Games, every team will want to get a ticket to the Olympics by winning gold. It's one of the best opportunities for the Asian teams. We can't take any team lightly. The onus is on to play with the same mentality against every team — be it Indonesia, South Korea or Japan. You can't take any team lightly, because no match will be a cakewalk.

How has your role in the team evolved over the years?

As a youngster, I have played under many senior players. I used to watch them, and learnt a lot of things from them. But the thing was that I wasn't too comfortable talking to my seniors. Hailing from Kerala, my language was not good, Hindi was like an unknown language for me. It was a difficult task for me that time. So communication between us was not happening. I used to hide myself behind many things back then. I would listen to everyone, but never came up with any suggestions. Through my time with the national team, I learnt that keeping good relations with the other players is the base of team bonding. Talking to others will give you a thousand ideas. If I am the senior-most player in the team, and juniors dare to come talk to me, that's the best thing I can do as a senior. That is what I wanted as a junior: for my seniors to come talk to me and make me comfortable. A few of them did do that. But when you are really new to the team, no one does that. But since my role as captain has begun, I talk to all the junior players. They come to me to talk about anything. If they're feeling that there's something wrong they come up to me to discuss it. That's the bond of this team. The best part of this outfit is that we are open to conversation.

Do you make it a point to make youngsters and newcomers comfortable?

My coach always used to say that the best thing you can offer someone is a smile. If you smile at your juniors, they feel more comfortable and at ease. They will always approach you then. You create an atmosphere for them to come and mingle with you or share things. When we are having a team meeting we ask them to talk, or come up with ideas. Because I, as a senior player, will always have my own ideas. But a youngster can offer his own ideas, his own perspective, his own style. It will be a fresh idea. That can add to the positivity in the dressing room. When a youngster talks in our team meetings, he'll feel more comfortable on the field. For example, I will tell Dilpreet Singh that you have to call Sardar Singh by his name, not bhai. Just call out to him during training. Just say, 'Sardar, mark your man'. If he's getting that message a few times during a team meeting, he'll automatically do so on the field. He'll call out to Sardar without hesitation. This is the kind of atmosphere we want to create in the team. Everybody listens to everyone. We're all equal on the field. Everyone has their own responsibility and they have to take care of it.

Many coaches have come and gone during your time with the national team. How has your role for national team changed in so many years and how has Harendra Singh changed the team?

We started with Jose Brasa. He instilled the values of European style of hockey in the national team. We learnt how the Europeans used to practice a lot of basic skills, like the defensive stretch. Harendra was there with the team as an assistant coach. From there, we played under Michael Nobbs, Richard Charlesworth, Roelant Oltmans, Paul van Ass and Terry Walsh for varying periods. Everyone had their own style and their own ideas. They taught us lot of new things. The players started to get more information, new skills and learn new varieties of training. Each of these coaches had a new style of preparation or methods of having a team meeting. We got lot of information from various sources. And Harendra was also a part of lot of these teams. He worked under a lot of these coaches and updated himself. Not the Indian team is a combination of a very experienced coach and a very experienced team. There's a lot of conversation now in the team, and this conversation helps us come up with a lot of ideas to solve problems.

Could you talk about Harendra Singh's disciplinarian side?

Harendra is a typical Indian coach. He knows how to scold a player. And he also understands when he needs to support or motivate a player. If players feel that the training session is easy, then they will be relaxed and they won't focus on their training. So his strictness helps players stay on their toes.

Firstpost

Cox announces his first National Training Panel ahead of the World Cup in India

The Green Machine head coach Alexander Cox has announced his first Irish training panel in advance of the upcoming World Cup to be played late in November in Bhubaneswar, India. The Mens National squad have been on a break since the 4 Nations in Dusseldorf, in late July, and will have their first training camp together in Lisnagarvey on 10/11 September.

Cox said "I'm happy to start our preparation to the World Cup with this group of players. This first training panel consists of 28 players, which is a big number. That gives me the opportunity to have a good insight of the depth of the Green Machine"

Upcoming Fixtures:

 4 Nations Valencia, Spain 29th October/4th November
29th October Ireland v Holland 16.30
30th October Ireland v Spain 18.30
1st November Ireland v Argentina 16.30
3rd & 4th November Classification Matches

World Cup 28th November / 16th December Bhubaneswar, India
30th November Ireland v Australia 17.00
4th December Ireland v China 19.00
7th December Ireland v England 19.00

Classification Matches

Jonathan Bell, Lisnagarvey (IRE)
Matthew Bell, HTC Crefeld (GER)
Christopher Cargo, Hamstead & Westminster (UK)
Jamie Carr (GK), Three Rock Rovers (IRE)
Peter Caruth, Annadale (IRE)
Lee Cole, Oree (BEL)
Stephen Cole, Oree (BEL)
Mitch Darling, Three Rock Rovers (IRE)
Jeremy Duncan, Heracles (BEL)
David Fitzgerald (GK), Monkstown (IRE)
Paul Gleghorne, HTC Crefeld (GER)
David Harte (GK), Kampong (NL)
Conor Harte, Racing Club (BEL)
Mark Ingram (GK), HC Rotterdam (NL)
John Jackson, Bath (UK)
Stuart Loughrey, Reading (UK)
Luke Madeley, Three Rock Rovers (IRE)
Eugene Magee, Banbridge (IRE)
John McKee, Banbridge (IRE)
Sean Murray, HC Rotterdam (NL)
Matthew Nelson, Lisnagarvey (IRE)
Shane O Donoghue, Dragons (BEL)
Callum Robson, Annadale (IRE)
Michael Robson, HTC Crefeld (GER)
Alan Sothern, Gantoise Gent (BEL)
Kirk Shimmins, Dragons (BEL)
Ben Walker, Three Rock Rovers (IRE)
Daragh Walsh, Three Rock Rovers (IRE)

Irish Hockey Association media release

Cox names first panel with 28 players in for Garvey camp


Ireland are currently on a month’s break before ramping up preparations in September. Pic: Adrian Boehm

New Irish coach Alexander Cox has named an extensive 28-player squad as the World Cup comes into focus for the men’s side following the women’s heroics in London.

For the Dutchman, his side will convene for the first time together since he took on the role on September 10 and 11 with Lisnagarvey the host venue.

It follows a scheduled month’s break from activity since the Real Four Nations in Dusseldorf in July as they begin their preparations for Bhubaneswar, India in late November.

In terms of players, there is no place this time around for Cork man Julian Dale – two weeks into a stint with Royal Daring in Belgium – Owen Magee and Neal Glassey.

Three Rock Rovers’ Ben Walker missed most of the summer programme but is available now following the conclusion of his Leaving Certificate.

Cox says his first training panel is “a big number” but says he is looking at it as an “opportunity to have a good insight of the depth of the Green Machine”.

It is a cosmopolitan line-up with seven Belgium-based players and three each in the Netherlands, Germany and England.

Their currently confirmed World Cup challenge matches will see the play in a Four Nations tournament in Valencia against the Netherlands, Spain and Argentina in late October before flying out to India.

There, they will open their campaign against world number one Australia on November 30 before facing outsiders China and then England.

Like the women’s competition, top spot sees them straight through to the quarter-finals while second or third ensures a crossover tie.

Ireland men’s squad for training camp (September 10/11): Jonathan Bell (Lisnagarvey), Matthew Bell (HTC Crefeld, Germany), Christopher Cargo (Hamstead & Westminster, England), Jamie Carr (GK, Three Rock Rovers), Peter Caruth (Annadale), Lee Cole (Oree, Belgium), Stephen Cole (Oree, Belgium), Mitch Darling (Three Rock Rovers), Jeremy Duncan (Herakles, Belgium), David Fitzgerald (GK, Monkstown), Paul Gleghorne (HTC Crefeld, Germany), David Harte (GK, SV Kampong, Netherlands), Conor Harte (Racing Club de Bruxelles, Belgium), Mark Ingram (GK, HC Rotterdam, Netherlands), John Jackson (Bath Buccaneers, England), Stuart Loughrey (Reading, England), Luke Madeley (Three Rock Rovers), Eugene Magee (Banbridge), John McKee (Banbridge), Sean Murray (HC Rotterdam, Netherlands), Matthew Nelson (Lisnagarvey), Shane O’Donoghue (KHC Dragons, Belgium), Callum Robson (Annadale), Michael Robson (HTC Crefeld, Germany), Alan Sothern (La Gantoise, Belgium), Kirk Shimmins (KHC Dragons, Belgium), Ben Walker (Three Rock Rovers), Daragh Walsh (Three Rock Rovers)

The Hook

New Ireland coach Alexander Cox names extended training squad


Mitch Darling (left) and Eugene Magee (centre) have both been included in the extended training squad

New Ireland head coach Alexander Cox has selected a 28-man training panel ahead of this year's World Cup.

Cox, who succeeded Craig Fulton this month, has named an extended squad for what will be his first training camp with the players on 10-11 September.

Mitch Darling, Eugene Magee and Shane O'Donoghue have been recalled after they were among the players who missed the recent 4Nations Cup in Germany.

"I'm happy to start our World Cup preparation with this group," said Cox.

"This first training panel consists of 28 players, which is a big number. That gives me the opportunity to have a good insight of the depth of the Green Machine"

Banbridge's Owen Magee is the only player involved in the 4Nations Cup to be left out of the squad with Chris Cargo, David Fitzgerald, Conor Harte, Mark Ingram, John Jackson, Callum Robson, Kirk Shimmins and Ben Walker also recalled for the two-day camp in Lisnagarvey.

In preparation for their first World Cup appearance in 28 years, Ireland will take part in an invitational tournament in Valencia, Spain from 29 October to 4 November.

Ireland World Cup training squad

Jonny Bell, Matthew Bell, Chris Cargo, Jamie Carr (GK), Peter Caruth, Lee Cole, Stephen Cole, Mitch Darling, Jeremy Duncan, David Fitzgerald (GK), Paul Gleghorne, David Harte (GK), Mark Ingram (GK), John Jackson, Stuart Loughrey, Luke Madeley, Eugene Magee, John McKee, Sean Murray, Matthew Nelson, Shane O'Donoghue, Callum Robson, Michael Robson, Alan Sothern, Kirk Shimmins, Ben Walker, Daragh Walsh.

BBC Sport

Cavemen stunned as Orange River Rafters march on


Andrew Hobson (Golden Gate Gladiators) evades the attention of Ryan Crowe (Maropeng Cavemen) in their CTM Premier Hockey League 2018 match – Photo: Sean Burke / PHL

The Maropeng Cavemen were stunned by the Golden Gate Gladiators, the Orange River Rafters produced a class display to dispatch the Blyde River Bunters, the Drakensberg Dragons got their first win, while the Namaqualand Daisies and Wineland Wings face early elimination in the 2018 CTM Premier Hockey League.

There were another 18 goals scored on day 3 of the CTM Premier Hockey League, with the story of the day undoubtedly coming from the 14:00 game when the experienced Maropeng Cavemen, the double defending champions tasted their first normal time defeat since PHL 2016, going down 3-1 to the Golden Gate Gladiators.

The Gladiators were without regular coach Garreth Ewing due to work commitments, so SA Under-18 coach and national selector Devon van der Merwe took charge for this game. The Gladiators were in bullish mood and the side settled into the game early. Chris Makaba danced through the defence of the Cavemen and from a tight angle converted the goal. It was a touch fortunate as the ball took a deflection past Cavemen keeper Rassie Pieterse.

The second goal was nothing about luck. Wade Dollman executed the perfect penalty corner to fire the ball into the bottom corner. Such was the velocity of the shot that it hit the back-board before Pieterse even had a chance to save it.

The Cavemen were far better in the second half and found themselves back in the game when Ryan Crowe squared it for Reza Rosenberg to net into the empty goal. As the Cavemen surged forward to find the equaliser they replaced Pieterse with an outfield player which created an opportunity for Jared Cass, newly selected to the South African Men’s side, who finished from a tight angle. 3-1 the final score.


Cheree Greyvenstein (Orange River Rafters) makes a save to deny Mmamoagi Kungoane (Blyde River Bunters) in their 2018 CTM Premier Hockey League match– Photo: Sean Burke / PHL

In the Women’s side there was arguably a surprise too when the Orange River Rafters defeated the favourites the Blyde River Bunters 2-0. This is one of the few times in CTM Premier Hockey League history that the Bunters have been unable to score.

Shaun Hulley’s side were top value for their victory that made it 3 out of 3 in this year’s tournament. Although it was built on a fine defensive display, helped by SPAR South Africa indoor keeper Cheree Greyvenstein back in goals, it was two moments of magic that saw the defending champions win. Lerato Mahlangu and Mia Barnard both benefited from superb link up play behind them, with Sulette Damons pass for Bernard’s goal special.

The Lakers got their second win in two thanks to Tegan Fourie scoring in the top left corner with a superb drag flick. With the South Africans looking for a drag flicker for the national team you can’t fault the effort of Fourie in giving her team the lead.

It really could have been 3 or 4 for the Lakers who were once again superbly marshalled by Erin Hunter and player of the match Kara Botes.

The Madikwe Rangers resurrected their 2018 CTM Premier Hockey League with a bonus point victory against the Daisies. However, they found themselves trailing at half time when Lauren Nina sent Modipane one way and the ball the other.

Facing the daunting possibility of being 0 from 3 the Rangers poured forward and with just 3 minutes left in the third quarter pulled one goal back through Sylvia van Jaarsveldt. The goal was because of a poor defensive mistake. There no mistake and just all class in the second strike by van Jaarsveldt whose tomahawk strike flew into the top corner. The ball just inside the D and arguably the goal of the tournament so far!

In the fourth quarter the Daisies pushed forward to try and level the game, but the Rangers were belligerent in their attack. Nomnikelo Veto pulling a van Jaarsveldt in scoring her own tomahawk.  There was time for one last goal and it fell to skipper Lisa-Marie Deetlefs with a signature penalty corner sealing a 4-1 win and importantly the bonus point for the 2016 finalists.


Richard Pautz on the charge (Drakensberg Dragons) during their CTM Premier Hockey League game against Garden Route Gazelles – Photo: Sean Burke / PHL

All the way at the other end of the day the Drakensberg Dragons and the Garden Route Gazelles looked for a first win having both only played one game last week. They produced the most frenetic period of the tournament so far as there were 4 goals in the opening quarter that ended square.

Taine Paton, who has 104 caps for South Africa, put the Gazelles ahead, but Blake Tyack pulled it level. Connor Beauchamp, an in-demand man in the draft, re-established the lead, but it lasted just 3 minutes and Richard Pautz, the man of the match and ex Elephant, scored a penalty corner.


National team-mates Tyson Dlungwana (Garden Route Gazelles) and Bili Ntuli (Drakensberg Dragons) compete for the ball at the 2018 CTM Premier Hockey League – Photo: Sean Burke / PHL

We had to wait till the end of the third quarter for the next goal and it came from Melrick Maddocks. Maddocks who recently played for South Africa has grown well as a player and took his opportunity like a seasoned campaigner. Cody van Wyk wrapped up the game in the 46th minute to give Sihle Ntuli’s side the first win of this campaign.

There is no time for rest as a full five fixtures meet the players tomorrow at Randburg Astro. The games start at 08:00.

CTM PHL Day 3

Thursday 16 August

08:00 – Men – Pro Grip Drakensberg Dragons 4-2 Garden Route Gazelles
10:00 – Women – Italtile Orange River Rafters 2-0 Tivoli Taps Blyde River Bunters
12:00 – Women – Old Mutual iWyze Namaqualand Daisies 1-4 Top T Madikwe Rangers
14:00 – Men – Old Mutual iWyze Golden Gate Gladiators 3-1 Origins Maropeng Cavemen
16:00 – Women – Private Property St. Lucia Lakers 1-0 Ceramic Industries Wineland Wings

SA Hockey Association media release

Three Changes To National Men’s Development Squad

Ben Somerford



Hockey Australia today confirms the addition of Jacob Anderson, Joel Rintala and Tristan White to the 2018 National Men’s Development Squad.

Queensland forward pair Anderson and Rintala are both elevated following their performances in the Australia A series against Malaysia in Perth recently.

Both players scored three goals in the Malaysia series where Australia A won four matches and drew the other.

White moves into the National Men’s Development Squad following his withdrawal from the National Men’s Senior Squad for family reasons.

National Men’s Development Squad:

Jacob Anderson (QLD)
Kieron Arthur (TAS)
Robert Bell (QLD)
Scott Boyde (QLD)
Matthew Butterini (NSW)
Ben Craig (NSW)
Tim Cross (VIC)
James Day (ACT)
Stephen Gale (VIC)
Frazer Gerrard (WA)
Casey Hammond (VIC)
Jack Hayes (NSW)
Max Hendry (VIC)
Kiran Arunasalam (VIC)
Kurt Lovett (NSW)
Kurt Mackey (TAS)
Hugh Pembroke (QLD)
Joel Rintala (QLD)
Ash Thomas (NSW)
Jack Welch (TAS)
Tristan White (NSW)

Hockey Australia media release

Junior’s clear focus to reach the EHL KO16



Junior FC’s Oriol Salvador says that while his club aim to enjoy their first EHL ROUND1 experience in Barcelona, the clear objective is to go much further in the competition.

The Spanish side finally made the breakthrough last season to reach the EHL, becoming just the fifth different club from the country to play in the world’s best club competition.

The Sant Cugat club reached the Honor Division’s playoff final last season, only missing out at the hands of Real Club de Polo in a shoot-out.

They join Polo and Copa del Rey winners Club Egara in the EHL, ousting Atletic Terrassa and Club de Campo in the process.

Salvador told the Junior FC first team’s blog that they are in the midst of three-weeks of a “demanding physical plan”, a short, intense preseason with only a few weeks to go until the new campaign.

Looking ahead, Salvador said: “Last season was a dream that the team chased for some time. This year, we have an even more difficult challenge to stay at this level and compete in all competitions. We are no longer a surprise to anyone.

“It will be vital to continue working with humility and the sacrifice of last year to be able to achieve our objectives.”

As for making their debut in the EHL, hs said: “For the vast majority, it will be our first European experience and we must be prepared for this first phase and above all, to enjoy it. But we should not deceive ourselves; the clear objective is the KO16.

“It will be a very different season with more competitions and we will not be able to use three of our internationals all of the tie. It is a very important reason why the staff has decided to increase the size of the squad.

“We have good youth players who have already trained with us and have shown they can lend a hand to the team.”

Euro Hockey League media release

Surbiton complete quartet of summer signings


©: Frank Uijlenbroek/ World Sport Pics

Surbiton have confirmed a series of key signings for their upcoming campaign as they look to retain their English title won via the playoffs last spring.

Ben Boon and Scottish international Tim Atkins were confirmed earlier this summer with James Royce and Tom Sorsby (pictured) completing the set of new players in the last few weeks.

Sorsby was the latest new arrival at Sugden Road, arriving at the club from the University of Nottingham. The 21-year-old joins following spells with Sheffield Hallam and Beeston and has been capped at England Under-18 and 21 level as well as playing with the Great Britain Under-21 and 23s.

Coach Mark Pearn said of Sorsby: “He is exactly the type of player we need to add to the quality we already have in the squad, to allow us to continue to move forwards and challenge strongly in the Euro Hockey League."

The 28-year-old Royce arrives from Reading, returning to the club to the club he has had two previous spells with including the 2013/14 EHL campaign in Eindhoven.

“Having spent four seasons playing in Perth, Australia and after a short stint at Reading HC for the back end of last season, the opportunity arose to re-join Surbiton HC and I couldn't be happier to return to Sugden Road, where I made my senior club debut.

“The first XI squad and the club as a whole has enjoyed a huge amount of success in recent years and I can't wait to get involved with the current squad for the forthcoming season.”

Surbiton Men retained the English Hockey League Championships title after beating Hampstead & Westminster 3-2 in a shootout after drawing 3-3 at Lee Valley in April.

Surbiton will be ranked as England’s top team in next season’s Euro Hockey League with Wimbledon ranked second after finishing top of the regular season MHL Premier Division table. It means they will advance to the KO16 of the EHL.

Euro Hockey League media release

Duke Dusseldorf-bound for upcoming season


Deirdre Duke celebrates her first goal against USA. Pic: Rodrigo Jaramillo/World Sport Pics

Deirdre Duke has become the latest World Cup star to be snapped up by a professional club as the striker confirmed she will join Dusseldorfer Hockey Club next week.

Irish skipper Katie Mullan will also move to Germany once terms are finalised with a club to be named once the contract is complete.

They join Nikki Evans who is set to start her second season with UHC Hamburg while Anna O’Flanagan will switch from HC Bloemendaal to Pinoke in the Dutch league.

Duke added that a few more players received phone calls from pro clubs following Ireland’s run to silver in London last week and so there may be some more switches ahead of the September 1st tip-off.

It is something that coach Graham Shaw is happy to see with his players gaining the ability to focus on hockey full-time in high-quality competition.

“Graham has also encouraged us to take up chances at better hockey because it is a big jump up to international level,” the 26-year-old Duke, who scored twice in the 3-1 win over the USA, said.

“He wants us to play at the best standard we possibly can and being in the foreign leagues is probably closer to international level.”

It is something that has worked well for the Irish men’s team over the last six years with over 20 players now based abroad.

On the downside, it will leave the EY Hockey League without star names for newly found local fans to see week-in, week-out.

The German season, tough, does dovetail nicely with Irish commitments. The first half of the campaign runs from September until the first week in November before returning next April after a lengthy indoor seaons.

In the interim, the Irish players are free to return for winter training camps and challenge matches, something Duke is hopeful the additional €500,000 funding can be channeled into supporting.

She flies out to Germany after a few final presentations and events this week. UCD – who she won four Irish Senior Cups and five Intervarsity titles – are celebrating the nine players in the Irish squad who played for the club.

On Sunday, she will be supporting Nicci Daly who will make her motor-racing as part of the Formula Female team at Mondello Park. Daly is using her involvement to raise money for the Irish Cancer Society in honour of her father Vivion who was a central figure on the local motor-racing scene before his death.

Duke says that is likely to be “the last hurrah” before all of the players go their separate ways and back to their different versions of reality.

“We are still coming down to earth a little bit! We have been paraded around and it is amazing, enjoying every minute of it. We want to meet as many people as we can.

“It took us about 40 minutes to get from one side of the RDS to the other to congratulate us. It is all so alien; we are just a bunch of friends who play hockey who now have people who want a photo with you. It is quite bizarre.

“Graham spoke about it for a long time about it being us to change things [for hockey] by our performances. He has believed for a long time that we are capable of it but sometimes you don’t get the toss of a coin in your favour or something else… it’s still crazy.

“I am looking at 100 newspapers on my kitchen floor, photos of all the girls. It’s difficult to comprehend and still might be a couple more weeks before we sit back and realise how much we have done for the sport.

“My medal is firmly attached [to my neck]! More because I am worried about losing it than anything else. We have got good wear out of them and will keep them on as long as people will put up with us.”

The Hook

England Hockey award Members of Honour to Richard Leman and Katie Dodd


Richard Leman and Katie Dodd (Centre)

England Hockey are delighted to announce the award of Members of Honour to Richard Leman OBE and Katie Dodd.

Richard and Katie are two outstanding individuals who are fully deserving of this, the highest accolade that can be bestowed by England Hockey. The award is made in recognition of outstanding contribution to hockey, and with Richard and Katie there are now only eight current Members of Honour.

Richard said, "It is a real honour to be recognised in this way by England Hockey. It has been a privilege to have worked with so many talented people and I am delighted that we now think about the athletes first in all performance matters. I feel hockey in England is in the best place it has ever been and I am very confident England Hockey will continue to go from strength to strength."

Katie said, "It is really special to be honoured in this way. Hockey has given me so many memorable moments, opportunities and lifelong friendships. It has been important to me therefore to give something back to hockey so I am delighted that the work of The Hockey Museum has been acknowledged in this award. The Museum’s development and success over the last seven years has been very much a team effort and with the support of the hockey family, we look forward to continuing this journey of ‘giving hockey’s history a future’.    

Richard was a member of the Great Britain men’s hockey team who famously won gold in the 1988 Seoul Olympics. He was captain of his nation and won 228 caps in his international career, including an Olympic bronze in 1984 and World Cup silver in 1986.

As President of Great Britain Hockey, he presided over an incredible period of success culminating in the women's team's historic gold medal in Rio in 2016. He also served as an England Hockey board member for many years. He represented hockey on the National Olympic Committee before being elected to the British Olympic Association's Board.  In addition to his national and international duties Richard has contributed significantly at a local level having been actively involved with East Grinstead Hockey club for over twenty years.

Katie Dodd is Chair of the Trustees of The Hockey Museum that in 2018 achieved Museum Accreditation for the first time from the Arts Council England.

A former international, Katie gained 26 caps for her country and also captained the indoor team to a bronze medal in the European Indoor Championships. She has served at all levels of the sport including county and regional level and serving as a Director of the England Hockey Board 2008 -2015.

Katie also has contributed locally as an active member of  Ealing Ladies Hockey Club for over 25 years and led the merger with Hounslow in 2001. She has combined her lifelong commitment to hockey with a highly successful 27 year career in the Metropolitan Police

England Hockey Board Media release

Black Sticks inspire confidence in young Te Horo school girl



It’s never really been questioned the undeniable influence that all Vantage Black Sticks players have on younger kids. After returning home from the Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast with a gold medal, the Vantage Black Sticks Women from Northland were able to see their influence first hand.

All five Northlanders including Ella Gunson, Samantha Harrison, Brooke Neal, Madison Doar, and current Vantage Black Sticks captain Stacey Michelsen alongside their coach Mark Hager were treated to a golden parade organised by Northland’s very own Sue Shepherd. Locals were able to catch a glimpse and even hold the gold medals of their local sportswomen upon returning to their home location.


Photo: Black Sticks Sam Harrison, Brooke Neal, Madison Doar, Stacey Michelsen and Ella Gunson with coach Mark Hager and Whangarei Deputy Mayor Sharon Morgan at the Town Basin

Two weeks prior to this event taking place Te Horo school, a school located in a small rural town near Whangarei, had been doing their research on a couple of Northland’s Black Sticks. Sandra Toapuho, Te Horo school’s principal, introduced an exciting topic to students in term 2 which encapsulated “well known people, people that we admire in the community”. She decided it was important to build a connection with players who had a link to the school and as such decided to write them letters after doing some research. As it turned out Brooke Neal’s father prints the school magazine every year, Stacey Michelsen’s sister teaches at the school and Sam Harrison’s father is a builder as well as coincidentally being Sandra’s neighbor. “We focused on player’s that I could guarantee I’d be able to get letters to, to say how proud we were of them,” Sandra explains.

With such great success achieved by the Black Sticks Women at the Commonwealth Games Sandra decided it would be a great idea to do a piece on another great accomplishment at the games. One moment that only a handful of athletes are lucky enough to have the honour of – being the New Zealand flag bearer at the closing ceremony. This just happened to be Northland’s own Stacey Michelsen.

“A few days prior to the parade I thought it would be really cool to write a bit of a role play to motivate the 5, 6 and 7-year olds,” said Sandra. “I chose a very quiet, very studious, hard working but not very confident little girl, Coco, to act as Stacey Michelsen. When I chose her she just beamed”.

The role play followed with everyone including Sandra following Coco, pretending to be Stacey Michelsen, around the classroom where she weaved through desks and chairs whilst holding the New Zealand flag proudly and the rest of the class pretending to be the remaining NZ team.


Photo: Te Horo School

Finally, the day of the golden parade arrived. Now Te Horo is situated 40 minutes away from Whangarei which Sandra mentions “to travel into town can be a challenge for our families because our community is predominantly low decile. Financially that can be a bit of a hardship too.” Putting that aside, Principal Sandra Toapuho and her students made their way down to the town basin to watch the parade unfold, “we heard that Northland were recognising our local Black Sticks so we thought it was something we definitely couldn’t miss out on”.

Unbeknownst to Sandra until she saw a picture of Coco with Stacey holding her medal in the newspaper did she realise how much of an impact this had made to this little girl’s life. “You just saw her blossom. You could visibly see how confident and proud she was so it was a bit of a tear jerker. She’s so much more confident in all areas of her learning. She’s not just the quiet little girl that didn’t have much to say now, but someone that just beams at you when you come into the room and can’t wait to show you her story that she’s written that day” Sandra adds. “For them to take the time to acknowledge the kids at the parade for me as a principal and a teacher, it was fantastic”.

She reiterates how they are very grateful for having such great role models from the Black Sticks not only from Northland but from within the whole squad. With a lot of excitement through watching the Commonwealth Games it’s clear to see a few more keen hockey watchers from Te Horo. Sandra is optimistic that “maybe this will be a step towards a hockey player from Te Horo”.

Hockey New Zealand Media release

New Zealand Hockey bosses set for crisis meeting

By David Leggat

Hockey's bosses and its players association will meet on Monday to try and resolve problems around the women's Black Sticks in the wake of a damaging email critical of players before the World Cup last month.

Hockey New Zealand moved to shut the issue down after longtime coach Mark Hager wrote an email which was negative towards three players before the World Cup. But instead of sending it to just its one intended recipient, a member of his coaching/support staff, he inadvertently sent it to all his players.

Hager has apologised in person to the group and each player individually, but rather than die away the matter is simmering.

Former goalkeeper Amelia Gibson spoke out tonight detailing the reasons she walked away from the game.

Fear kept her quiet, she said. Gibson, who won 63 caps since 2010, believed she had no choice but to cut short her career, citing a negative environment within the Black Sticks.

"You want to be treated with integrity, you want to be able to play to the best of your ability but if you're in a negative environment it's not possible to perform," she told One News.

"It becomes pretty real when you're at home crying most days.

"I was too scared to say anything because I didn't want to ruin my chances."

Gibson said she sought help from a team psychologist then chose to go outside the team environment.

She raised her concerns with HNZ, who have acknowledged they received a complaint from a third party but felt it didn't require further action at the time. That view is being revisited.

Players association executive manager Glen Sulzberger said initially the bulk of the feedback from players was of the 'time to move on' variety.

"When they arrived back in New Zealand I reached out to a few players to get their view on how it (the email) affected them. It became reasonably evident that…a number still had concerns surrounding it.

"There's a number who think it's done and dusted; and a number who feel quite the opposite. We want to work out what the next steps might be needed."

Sulzberger said there had been no talk in specific terms of Hager having to leave before players would be satisfied. That was a matter for HNZ.

"We think there could be some learnings. If things happen in the environment, how do they deal with it?

"What things can the team manage and (on) what things they should look for external support."

Sulzberger said there were no pre-conceived ideas of what the players association want to get out of the meeting.

But "we want to present the views of the players who have given us feedback. We want to collaborate with HNZ on any potential solutions or if there is a need for adjustment in the environment."

New Zealand, who won their first Commonwealth Games title on the Gold Coast in April, had a disastrous World Cup. Ranked fourth in the world, they failed to even make the quarter-finals. In the latest rankings they have dropped to sixth.

The New Zealand Herald