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News for 17 November 2018

All the news for Saturday 17 November 2018


Wanglibao Hockey Champions Trophy Changzhou Wujin 2018 - Day 1
Changzhou (CHN)

Results  17 November

GBR v CHN (RR)     2 - 2
16:00     AUS v ARG (RR)
18:00     NED v JPN (RR)

Fixtures 18 November (GMT +8)

14:00     AUS v GBR (RR)
16:00     CHN v JPN (RR
18:00     NED v ARG (RR)

FIH Match Centre



GB Start 2018 Champions Trophy With Draw Against China



Great Britain opened their 2018 Champions Trophy campaign with a battling draw against hosts China.

Hannah Martin and Lily Owsley scored the goals for David Ralph’s side as they twice came from behind in an entertaining first half, with Wenyu Xu and Yang Peng finding the net for China.

The second half was a much less frenetic affair as both defences held firm with Amy Costello and Giselle Ansley in particular producing plenty of crucial tackles.

All three of GB’s debutants – Tess Howard, Erica Sanders and Sarah Jones – also impressed but they couldn’t quite inspire the crucial third goal to see their side to victory.

Playing in her first international since February 2017, Sabbie Heesh was called into action early on but could do nothing to stop Xu’s seventh minute effort as she pounced on a blocked Bingfeng Gu corner.

The current Olympic champions soon got into their stride though, with Owsley seeing a strike thwarted by Jiao Ye before three corners in succession were kept out, the last forcing the Chinese ‘keeper into a flying save.

Martin then equalised with just seven seconds of the quarter remaining, showing fantastic determination to beat the defender to the ball before firing the reverse effort under Ye.

Having re-grouped at the break, China then took the lead again in the 21st minute as Peng once again took advantage of a rebound, firing into the roof of the net after Heesh had saved Xu’s initial shot.

But two minutes later the scores were level again as Owsley fired an unstoppable shot into the top corner after great play again by Martin controlling the ball at the top of the circle.

Chances then became scarce in the third quarter, with only Ansley coming closing to finding the next goal as Ye produced another great save to block her flick that looked destined to go in.

The final quarter saw GB apply plenty of pressure but they couldn’t force Ye into any further action as both sides eventually settled for the draw.

Next up it's Australia on Sunday 18 November at 06:00GMT, a game you can watch on BT Sport.

Great Britain 2 (2)
Martin (FG, 15); Owsley (FG, 23)

China 2 (2)
Xu (PC, 7); Peng (FG, 21)

Starting XI: Heesh (GK), Unsworth, Evans, Toman, Martin, Townsend, Ansley, Bray, Pearne-Webb (C), Heesh, Owsley, Balsdon

Subs: Tennant (GK), Robertson, Petty, Sanders, Howard, Jones, Costello

Great Britain Hockey media release



Stats Speak: Changzhou Women Champions Trophy- Know the teams

By B.G.Joshi (Sehore-Bhopal, India)


Photo- Most 6 Gold Medals, most 15 appearances and most 88 matches in CT history Luciana Aymar (caps-376, goals-162) holds the Trophy in Nottingham (2010) with Soledad Garcia.

Hockey fans all over the World like to know about the all 6 teams of 23rd Champions Trophy (CT) commence from today. In spite of FIH’s media kit the following compilation are useful, here it is:

1.0 Netherlands (NED) - World Ranking (WR): 1, Coach: Alyson Annan, Captain: Goede de Eva, Current Titles: World Cup (London-2018); World League (Auckland-2017); Europeans Nations Cup (Amsterdam-2017), In CT: Appearances (App)-21; Matches Played(MP)-123; Won(W)-72; Drawn(D)-27*; Lost(L)-24; Goals For(GF)-256; Goals Against(GA)-134, Best Finish(BF): 6 Gold Medals
(1987,2000,04,05,07,11),Biggest Ever Wins(BEW)-beat Germany 8-1 in 2005, Worst Defeat(WD)-lost to   Argentina 2-4 in 2010,Records: Most Medals-11(3G-3S-5B) by  Minke Smeets Smabers;  Most Goals-34 by  Maartje Paumen.
*wins 3 and lost 2 in tie breaker/shoot out, as in total matches win/loss in tie breaker/shoot out are reflected under drawn.

2.0 Great  Britain(GBR) - WR: 2, Coach: David Ralph, Captain: Hollie Pearne-Webb, Current Titles: Olympic Champions (Rio de Janerio-2016); In CT: App-12;MP-70; W-19; D-14*; L-37; GF-82; GA-136, BF: 1 Silver Medal(2012), BEW-beat New Zealand  5-0 in 1987, WD-lost to China 0-9 in 2009,Records: Helen Richardson-Walsh scored the 1300th goal  of CT history.
*wins 2 and lost 0 in tie breaker/shoot out. England records merged with Great Britain

3.0 Australia (AUS) - WR: 3, Coach: Paul Gaudion, Captain: Emily Smith, Current Titles: Oceania Champions (Sydney-2017); In CT: App-20;MP-117; W-64; D-25*; L-28; GF-248; GA-136, BF: 6 Gold Medals(1991,93,95,97,99,2003),BEW-beat New Zealand  8-0 in 1987, WD-lost to Argentina 1-5 in 2009,Records: Five in row triumphs during 1991-99,captain Rechelle Hawkes as a captain won  the CT 3-in-row(1993-97),Jackie Pereira scored the first ever goal of the CT history on June 21,1987 in Amstelveen(Amsterdam).*wins 3 and lost 4 in tie breaker/shoot out.

4.0 Argentina (ARG) - WR: 4, Coach: Agustin Corradini, Captain: Delfina Merino, Current Titles: Reigning Champions (London-2016);Pan Am Cup(Lancaster-2017), In CT: App-17;MP-102; W-53; D-27*; L-22; GF-212; GA-136, BF: 7 Gold Medals(2001,08,09,10,12,14,16),BEW-beat New Zealand  6-0 in 2004, WD-lost to Australia 2-4 in 1999,Records: Most Titles: 7, Luciana Aymar have 3 records-most 6 Gold medals; most 15 appearances  and most 88 matches played,  Agustina Habif and Florencia Habif are the Golden Siblings, both have won the Gold Medals in 2014 and 2016. *wins 3 and lost 4 in tie breaker/shoot out.

5.0 China(CHN) - WR: 11, Coach: Yong Sheng Huang, Captain: Cui Qiuxia, Current Titles: Nil; In CT: App-13;MP-77; W-18; D-23*; L-36; GF-115; GA-144, BF: 1 Gold Medal(2002), BEW-beat England  7-0 in 2009, WD-lost to Argentina 2-7 in 2014,Records:Zhao Yudiao scored the 1200th  goal   of CT history.
*wins 3 and lost 2 in tie breaker/shoot out.

6.0 Japan(JPN) - WR: 14, Coach: Anthony Farry, Captain: Natsuki Naito, Current Titles: Asian Games Champions(Jakarta-2018); In CT: App-4;MP-24; W-5; D-2; L-17; GF-29; GA-56, BF: 5th(2007,12), BEW-beat Spain 2-0 in 2007, WD-lost to Australia and Netherlands 1-4 in 2012 and 2014 respectively, Records: Zhao Yudiao scored the 1200th  goal  of CT history.

Fieldhockey.com



2018 Test Matches: MAS v NZL (M) - 1st Test
Kuala Lumpur (MAS)

MAS v NZL     1 - 2

FIH Match Centre



Kiwis draw first blood against Malaysia

By Jugjet Singh

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia had the lion’s share in the semi-circle, but New Zealand walked away with a 2-1 win in their First Test at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil today.

Both the teams are preparing for the World Cup in Bhubaneswar, India, on Nov 28-Dec 16.

Malaysia are in Group D with the Netherlands, Germany and Pakistan while New Zealand are in Group A with France, Argentina and Spain.

Stephen Jenness scored in the second minute while Aidan Sarikaya made it 2-0 in the 17th before Faizal Shaari narrowed the gap with a 22nd minute penalty stroke.

Malaysia were guilty of failing to score off the five penalty corners which came their way, the last one was when coach Roelant Oltmans used “power play” by taking out the goalkeeeper in the last two minutes of play.

“(The) penalty corners were disappointing because if you win five and don't score any, it’s difficult to gain any points from a match. However, the team structure was there and they are shaping up well for the World Cup,” said Oltmans.

A day before, Malaysia and New Zealand trained their flickers and goalkeepers in penalty corner situations.

"Yes, we trained our flickers and goalkeepers together and maybe that's one reason the New Zealand goalkeeper managed to stop all, while S Kumar also knew what to do against their flickers for the same reason,” said Oltmans.

Malaysia will play two more Test matches with New Zealand on Nov 20 and 22 before the Kiwis fly off to India.

"It's always nice to play a team like Malaysia which gives everything it has and we learned much about our players in this match in the run-up to the World Cup.

“We are looking forward to two more test matches with Malaysia after which we will head to India and play a very tough tournament.

"We are in the same boat as Malaysia, as both of us have tough opponents in our group, and will be fighting to advance to the next stage,” said New Zealand coach Darren Smith.

New Straits Times



Game 1 Recap Vantage Black Sticks vs Malaysia



The Vantage Black Sticks Men came up against an in form Malaysian side who were looking to build upon some impressive performances in the recently concluded Asian Games where they came away with the silver medal.

Playing in some hot and humid conditions that was sure to test our team. We were playing in our traditional black strip while the Malaysian team was in white.

The match started with some great control from the Vantage Black Sticks as they looked to construct some good attack. 2 minutes into the game Stephen Jenness received a pass from the left hand side and pulled the trigger on a squeeze shot that flew past the keeper and put the Vantage Black Sticks up 1-0. Malaysia then weathered the pressure that the Vantage Black Sticks threw at them including George Muir pinging one off the post. From there Malaysia constructed their own chances including a near miss on a penalty corner which was deflected just wide of the goal. At the end of the 1st quarter the score was 1-0 to the Vantage Black Sticks Men.

2 minutes into the start of the second quarter Dominic Newman beat a defender on the baseline and then crossed a ball to Aidan Sarikaya who slotted home a deflection. Malaysia continued to fight and were rewarded just before the half with a penalty stroke to Faizal Saari which made it 2-1. The match continued some great end to end play however the score remained unchanged and and the teams went to the sheds with the Vantage Black Sticks Leading 2-1.

After the half the Vantage Black Sticks looked to build some momentum and extend their lead. Despite having 4 penalty corners the Malaysians were stout in defence and refused to concede another goal.

As the 4th quarter started the stadium started to cool as the sun begun to set. The Vantage Black Sticks looked to use these improving conditions to their advantage and pushed hard to extend their lead. The Vantage Black Sticks made a goalkeeper swap bringing on George Enersen who was immediately required to pull off a great save off a Malaysian penalty corner.

With 5 minutes to go and the game still very much in the balance Malaysia looked to play an attacking move and pulled their keeper looking to push for the equalising goal. Malaysia with no keeper were rewarded with a penalty corner with two minutes to go as Malaysia nearly equalised however Nick Ross pulled off a goal line save to keep the Vantage Black Sticks up 2-1 as we entered a nail biting last two minutes.

The Vantage Black Sticks held on and ended the game with a hard fought 2-1 victory over the Malaysian side.

Vantage Black Sticks Coach Darren Smith said “This was a solid win for our team. At times we were able to have periods of dominance especially in the 3rd quarter where we generated 6-7 good opportunities, which we were guilty of not taking. This saw a tight 4th quarter where they were able to put pressure on including removing the goalie. All of these situations are good preparation for the Odisha Men's Hockey World Cup and in the end it was a good win against Malaysia at home”.

Vantage Black Sticks: 2 (Stephen Jenness 2’, Aidan Sarikaya 17”)
Malaysia: 1 (Faizal Saari 22”)

Hockey New Zealand Media release



Malaysia let down by poor penalty corner conversions


Keen tussle: Malaysia’s Firhan Ashari (left) and New Zealand’s Woods Nic fight for the ball during their Test match at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.— FAIHAN GHANI / The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s hockey coach Roelant Oltmans was not too pleased with his team’s penalty corners’ conversion rate in the first Test match against New Zealand at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

Malaysia earned five penalty corners in the match yesterday but drag flickers Muhd Razie Abdul Rahim and Faizal Saari (pic) failed to get it right.

The Kiwis, who are in Kuala Lumpur for 10 days to prepare for the World Cup in Bhubaneswar, India, from Nov 28-Dec 14, won the match 2-1.



Malaysia’s defence was in shambles as they conceded a field goal as early as the second minute.

Stephen Jenness made a solo effort beating three defenders before slamming the ball from the top semi-circle past Malaysian goalkeeper S. Kumar.

The Kiwis could have increased the lead in the 10th minute but George Muir’s effort in the semi-circle hit the bar.

The Kiwis continued to pile on the pressure and they increased the lead through Aidan Sarikaya in the 17th minute only to see Malaysia reduced the deficit five minutes later.

Meor Mohd Azuan Hassan was brought down in the semi-circle by Kane Rusell and Malaysia was awarded a penalty stroke, which was converted by Faizal.

Oltmans, who had mixed reaction, said after the match: “If you want to win matches you must convert the penalty corners but it didn’t happen today. However, the structure of the team is there and they are shaping up well for the World Cup.”

“I hope to see better penalty corners execution rate in our next two Test matches scheduled for Nov 20 and 22,” said Oltmans.

New Zealand coach Darren Smith said he was rather happy with the match as the Malaysians gave their best.

“We did well in the first two quarters but Malaysia played better in the last two quarters,” said Smith.

The Star of Malaysia



Joel’s X factor

By Aftar Singh


Joel van Huizen in action at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta - AFP

KUALA LUMPUR: National hockey player Joel van Huizen not only adores Professor Xavier in the X-Men movie – he also tries to emulate the good traits of his favourite character.

“The professor has the ability to read people’s minds. I think it’s really cool if you can read someone’s mind,” said Joel, who loves to watch the superhero movie X-Men: Apocalypse when he’s not busy on the hockey field.

“It helps in some way in hockey too. One cannot read another’s mind but we can anticipate what’s going to happen on the field.

“When you play a match, you want to know where your opponent is going to make a pass and whether he is going to dribble past you.

“I try to think what the opponents are thinking. It helps you mentally,” said the midfielder.

The 26-year-old will be featuring in his first World Cup in Bhubaneswar, India, which begins on Nov 28 but his presence in the squad did not come as a surprise as hockey runs deep in the blood of Joel’s family.

Joel is the third generation player from the Van Huizen clan to be involved in the World Cup.

Joel’s grandfather Lawrence represented Malaysia at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and also coached the national team in the 1970s.

The 88-year-old Lawrence was one of the coaches involved in helping Malaysia finish a creditable fourth in the 1975 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur.

Joel’s father Stephen featured in the 1981 World Cup in Bombay (now Mumbai) and also played in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.



Stephen was the skipper of the national team from 1985-89 and was also the national coach of the national team several times. He is now assisting national coach Roelant Oltmans of Holland.

Coming from a family with a rich tradition in hockey, Joel is simply honoured.

“I’m proud to keep the family tradition going,” said Joel, who made his international debut in the six Test series – four against New Zealand and two against South Korea – in Auckland in 2016.

“I believe that this is the first time in the history of Malaysian hockey that three generations from a family have been involved in a major hockey tournament.

“There was no World Cup when my grandfather played hockey in the 1960s but he featured in the Olympics, which was the biggest and most glamorous hockey event in his time – and still is,” said Joel.

“I’m also proud of my dad, he played in the World Cup and Olympics. My family has inspired me to become a national player and now, I’m so thrilled to feature in my first World Cup.”

Sixteen teams will feature in the World Cup and Malaysia are in Group D with three former champions – Holland, Pakistan and Germany.

“We’re in the group of death as Holland and Germany are former world champions and they are ranked fourth and sixth respectively.

“We’ll also face a strong challenge from Pakistan as they too will be going all out to finish in the top three to advance into the second round.

“But we’ll give our best to deliver,” said Joel, who has a degree in business, majoring in accounting, from Help University.

The Star of Malaysia



Indian visa issued to Pakistan hockey squad for World Cup



LAHORE: The Indian High Commission has issued visas to the members of Pakistan hockey squad, barring its head coach, assistant coach and one player, for participating in the forthcoming World Cup being held in Bhubaneswar.

The game’s pinnacle event featuring teams from 16 nations is scheduled to be staged from Nov 28 to Dec 16.

The issuance of visa to Pakistan head coach Tauqir Dar, assistant coach Danish Kaleem and Irfan Junior (player) is currently in process and hopefully these will be issued by Tuesday.

In another development, Dawn learnt, Haier, the new sponsor of Pakistan hockey team, has issued a cheque of Rs9 million for purchasing tickets for the World Cup-bound national squad and clearing the players’ payments before they leave for India.

Since the appointment of Tauqir as head coach, the national team has been attending receptions being hosted by civil society almost every day. For a similar function, the organisers have given a cheque of Rs2.5 million for the players to boost their morale.

A 27-strong Pakistan contingent — including 18 players, six officials, PHF president retired Brig Khalid Sajjad Khokhar, secretary Shahbaz Ahmed Senior and chief selector Islahuddin Siddiqui is scheduled to travel to India.

Dawn



No counters; tickets for Hockey World Cup opening ceremony to be available online

By Vikash Sharma



Bhubaneswar: A day after fans went berserk over unavailability of tickets for the opening ceremony of the Men’s Hockey World Cup at Kalinga Stadium, the authorities today announced that all the tickets for the mega event will be sold online.

Moreover, the dates for the sale of online tickets would be notified through various mediums nearly 48 hours in advance, informed International Hockey Federation (FIH) President, Narindra Dhruv Batra after a meeting today.

Batra further informed that nearly 10,500 tickets would be sold for the inaugural ceremony of the Hockey World Cup at Kalinga Stadium on November 27 and 30,000 tickets for the mega AR Rahman concert at Barabati stadium in Cuttack on November 28.

Batra further informed that apart from certain commitments, a major share of the tickets will be up for grabs for the fans in Odisha.

It is pertinent to mention here that tension prevailed outside Kalinga Stadium yesterday after fans failed to get tickets for the inaugural ceremony as earlier announced. Police had to resort to mild lathi-charge after fans tried to ransack hoardings installed outside the stadium.

Meanwhile, Odisha Sports and Youth Services Minister, Chandra Sarathi Behera informed that several important issues including review of the arrangements for the event were taken up at the high-level meeting today.

“We are coming up with a parking space for fans at Janta Maidan and adequate measures will be taken for the transportation. Besides, giant LCD screens will be installed at several places in Bhubaneswar for live streaming of matches,” said Behera.

Odisha TV



2018 Central American Hockey 5s Championship (M) - Day 3
Pinula (GUA)

HON v PAN     2 - 4
CRC v ESA (Semi Final 1)     2 - 1
GUA v PAN (Semi Final 2)     3 - 2

2018 Central American Hockey 5s Championship (W) - Day 3
Pinula (GUA)

ESA v HON     4 - 0
GUA v PAN (Semi Final 1)     2 - 0
CRC v ESA (Semi Final 2)     1 - 1 (2 - 0 SO)

FIH Match Centre



Pembroke eye share of top as Glens and Town showdown in ISC


Keith O’Hare has scored six times this season in the EYHL. Pic: Adrian Boehm

With Ireland’s senior men concluding their World Cup warm-up programme on Monday in the Netherlands, there is another limited series of top-line matches on offer.

Pembroke play YMCA in the one EY Hockey League with the former looking to move level with Glenanne and Banbridge at the head of the table.

Pembroke have made a habit of coming from behind to win three times already this season with Keith O’Hare scoring a half dozen corner goals.

YM sit bottom of the table but the last four games have seen them either draw or lose by a single goal as they become more competitive following their promotion.

In the Irish Senior Cup, Monkstown and Glenanne have brought forward their game by a week. Town will be without David Fitzgerald with Gordon Clarke the likely deputee while Kyle Good has moved to London.

They will need to keep tabs on the corner count with Shannon Boucher the top scorer in the EYHL with seven to date.

In Leinster Division One, Corinthian have a testing away trip to Kilkenny who have gone a little off the boil since winning their first two ties. The cats missed David McClure’s incision and Eddie Dore’s injury stymied their progress against Avoca.

The reds, meanwhile, had Euan MacKay line out last week in goal in place of Ross Murray who was unavailable. Ian Stewart has already scored 13 times this season, marking him out as one to watch. They sit one point back from UCD who host Avoca at Belfield.

In-form Trinity will hope to continue their run when they host Clontarf with Patrick Temperley in strong goal-scoring form. Railway Union aim to reignite their challenge when they go to Dublin North while Rathgar come up against Portrane.

In midweek, Three Rock Rovers advanced to a Mills Cup quarter-final date with Clontarf with Luke Madeley scoring two penalty corners in a 2-1 win over Monkstown.

Glenanne beat Avoca 10-0 with former players Stephen Brownlow, Richard Couse and Jonny McCormack scoring against their former club with Boucher landing a hat trick. The Glens play YMCA next.

The final place in the last eight will be confirmed on Sunday with UCD hosting Pembroke for the right to play Kilkenny away.

Men
Mills Cup: Three Rock Rovers 2 (L Madeley) Monkstown 1 (G Watkins); Avoca 0 Glenanne 10 (S Boucher 3, S Brownlow, A Clayton, R Couse, G Gibney, J McCormack, J Rogan, R Shaw)
Sunday: UCD v Pembroke, 4.15pm, Belfield

Saturday fixtures
EY Hockey League: Pembroke v YMCA, 2.30pm, Serpentine Avenue
Irish Senior Cup: Monkstown v Glenanne, 4.15pm, Rathdown

Leinster Division One: Dublin North v Railway Union, 12pm, NSC; Dublin University v Clontarf, 2.45pm, Santry Avenue; Kilkenny v Corinthian, 12pm, Kilkenny College; Rathgar v Portrane, 4pm, High School; UCD v Avoca, 1pm, Belfield

Munster Division One: Cork C of I v Bandon, 3pm, Garryduff; UCC v Catholic Institute, 12pm, Mardyke; Waterford v Ashton, 2.30pm, Newtown School

The Hook



Loreto face big test from Belfast Quins on key EYHL weekend


Isy Delamer has helped to marshal six successive clean sheets. Pic: Adrian Boehm

A full boat of women's EY Hockey League and a series of key games in Leinster Division One mark a great weekend of action with plenty of movement on the cards

Loreto will be keen to put some difference between them and one of the chasers, Belfast Harlequins, in one of the highlights of day seven of the women’s EY Hockey League.

The tie forms part of the pitch opening at Three Rock Rovers’ back pitch at Grange Road with Paul Fitzpatrick’s side looking to build on their five wins from six.

It has been built on the most solid defence in the league, letting in just three so far, while their penalty corner options have played a huge part in their rise with nine different scorers already.

Belfast Quins have made decent strides toward the top half of the table this season with a very strong spine of the team via Gemma Frazer in defence, to Zoe Wilson and Lizzie Colvin and then up to Jenna Watt.

They sit in fourth place to date and are hungry for a marquee win over one of the main title challengers to cement their place in the top four.

Elsewhere, third place UCD host Railway Union with the hope Abbie Russell and Hannah McLoughlin are coming closer to fitness.

Lena Tice, meanwhile, is back in the country following her success in the New Zealand Hockey League while she was also player of the tournament in the Australia Hockey League.

At the far end of the table, Ards are ninth in the table, have just a solitary point from six games and have scored just two goals after drawing a blank in the first four matches of the season.

They take on Pembroke at Londonderry Park, anxious to take something from the game as there is now a five point gap between themselves and eighth-placed Cork Harlequins. Pembroke were without Aisling Naughton and Sorcha Clarke.

Cork Harlequins will be aiming to put greater distance between themselves and the EYHL relegation places when they meet basement side Muckross.

Last week saw a very welcome return to action for Rebecca Barry, adding to Quins’ forward armoury, following an extended break from the game.

They showed more than enough against joint-leaders Pegasus a week ago but were caught too often by sucker-punches. Tighten up that side of the game and the Cork side should move toward the top half.

Pegasus host Old Alex at Queen’s, knowing the Milltown side have won all of their games on the road so far this season with Aine Connery scoring five times, meaning this is far from a gimme.

However, Pegs are incredibly quick to counter and have Alex Speers in red-hot form both at the head of their press and in front of goal.

In Leinster Division One, Trinity continued their superb form in the local league with a 3-0 win over Glenanne in midweek with Sally Campbell, Rachel Burns and Ailish Long scoring.

Amazingly, they have yet to concede in six games with Isobel McGovern unbeaten in goal behind Isy Delamer, Aoife O’Sullivan – after a year out with a back injury – and Alex Burns.

Corinthian look to make it six wins from six when they come up against Rathgar before facing Trinity on Sunday in a potentially crucial showdown at the head of the table.

Fourth place Monkstown come up against Genesis looking to move into the top three.

Our Lady’s will have their work cut out to try and break down the Naas defence in Terenure whil North Kildare face Avoca.

Women’s weekend fixtures (Saturday unless stated)
EY Hockey Hockey League: Ards v Pembroke, 2.30pm, Londonderry Park; Cork Harlequins v Muckross, 1.05pm, Farmers’ Cross; Loreto v Belfast Harlequins, 2.50pm, Beaufort; Pegasus v Old Alex, 4pm, Queen’s; UCD v Railway Union, 2.50pm, Belfield

Leinster Division One
Tuesday: Trinity 3 (S Campbell, R Burns, A Long) Glenanne 0
Saturday: Corinthian v Rathgar, 1.30pm, Whitechurch Park; Genesis v Monkstown, 11.45am, St Raphaela’s; North Kildare v Avoca, 12.30pm, The Maws; Our Lady’s v Naas, 2pm, Terenure
Sunday: Corinthian v Trinity, 1pm, Whitechurch Park

Munster Division One: Bandon v Catholic Institute, 12.30pm, Bandon GS; Belvedere v UCC, 1pm, Ballincollig; Cork C of I v Ashton, 1pm, Garryduff; Waterford v Limerick, 12.30pm, Newtown School

The Hook



Injury-plagued Butali face tricky GreenSharks

By AYUMBA AYODI


Butali Sugar Warriors midfielder Brian Musasia (centre) in element against KCA- University during their Kenya Hockey men's Premier League match at the City Park Stadium, Nairobi on August 26, 2018. PHOTO | KANYIRI WAHITO |  NATION MEDIA GROUP

Injury-plagued Butali Sugar Warriors will face Greensharks without key players in defence in a crucial Kenya Men’s Hockey Premier League duel on Saturday at City Park Stadium.

Coach Dennis Owoka will be without three dependable defenders - Nickson Amadi, Robert Amadi and Tony Nyikuri - as they seek to better their 2-1 victory against Greensharks in the first leg.

The Amadis are out for the season owing to injuries while the bereaved Nyikuri will be burying his father on match day.

Even though Owoka welcomes back Maxwell Fuchuka from injury, he will be forced to draw back midfielders Brian Musasia and Barnabas Odhiambo to enhance his defence.

“I have really struggled with some makeshift defence of late due to injuries. The Amadis had just returned and are now completely out for the season,” said Owoka.

Owoka explained that even though they remain with three matches against Greensharks, Strathmore Gladiators and defending champions Kenya Police, their duel with Greensharks is the most important.

“Our meeting with Greensharks has always been a derby,” said Owoka.

Victory for Butali Warriors will see them go three points clear of second-placed Police who are currently level on 51 points albeit with an inferior goal difference.

Police edged out stubborn Parkroad Badgers 2-1 in their mid-week fixture to take their tally to 51. Police have four matches to go while Butali have three.

Greensharks coach Nixon Nyaganga said they are going for nothing short of victory. “We don’t care about the mathematics that will be involved at the top but what we want is to win and remain third in the league,” said Nyaganga.

Greensharks who have 29 points, have only two matches left against Butali and USIU to end their season.

In other matches, Nairobi Simba Union welcome Nakuru on Sunday in a match both teams will be eyeing victory to avoid relegation. Both teams have 20 points each and while Simba are a place above relegation zone, the visitors risk being relegated.

Badgers have to beat Strathmore on Sunday if they hope to stay above the relegation zone. Strathmore are fifth with 26 points while Badgers are seventh on 22 points. Three teams will be relegated from the 12-team league.

In the women’s Premier League, Strathmore face Chase Amira in their penultimate duel of the league. Victory for the Scorpions will see them take their tally to 30 points, three off leaders Telkom.

Strathmore and Telkom’s duel on December 9 will wrap up the season.

Realistically, Telkom have one hand on the trophy due to their superior goal difference. Even if Strathmore win the final match, they have to beat them by at least 32 goals. Telkom boast of huge goal difference of 58 against 26 at the moment.

Daily Nation



Maryland field hockey is back in the final four. This time, it knows it belongs.

After a surprise run to the 2017 title game, the Terps have been determined to finish the job this year.

By Lila Bromberg


Midfielder Linnea Gonzales turns with the ball during Maryland field hockey’s 2-1 overtime win over UConn in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Nov. 11, 2018. (Andi Wenck/The Diamondback)

The Maryland field hockey team entered 2017 on a three-year final four drought, and for most of the season, it seemed the streak would stretch to four. With five freshmen starters, the Terps opened the year 1-2 and didn’t win a Big Ten trophy for the first time since joining the conference.

As the team entered the NCAA tournament unranked, not even the players anticipated ending up in the national championship game.

But ever since losing the title game to UConn, Maryland has been determined to make it back. At the start of this season, the team captains met and declared that their goal was not just to return to Louisville, but to leave as national champions.

This weekend, after sneaking past the Huskies in the quarterfinals on Sunday, the No. 2-seed Terps get a chance to finish the job and show what they learned from last year’s near-miss.

“We all were kind of a bit nervous and stuff because that was our first final four,” forward Linnea Gonzales said. “We kind of surprised ourselves and didn’t really know we could get that far. … This year we have it in us, and we know where we want to be and how far we can go.”

Not only is the final four in a familiar setting for the Terps, their first opponent is a familiar one, too. Maryland will face No. 3-seed Princeton on Friday, a team it beat, 5-4, on the road in September.

In that game, Maryland tallied the opening goal but then broke down and allowed four consecutive Tigers scores. Terps forward Bibi Donraadt capped a second-half comeback by scoring with 15 seconds left, setting the stage for a double-overtime win.

Maryland knows it’ll need to have a better start in its rematch with Princeton, but coach Missy Meharg’s squad also believes it has improved since that rocky game. Forward Julie Duncan said the struggles against the Tigers motivated the Terps to become a better team.

“We want to keep the ball moving,” Meharg said. “We're going to have to open strong and just be structurally dominant."

Last season, Maryland’s semifinal opponent was Michigan, a team that had beaten the Terps earlier in the year. But this year, the Terps have been one of the NCAA’s top teams since August.

They opened the campaign 13-0, lost just two games all year, and won both the Big Ten regular-season and conference championship.

And when they return to Louisville for their second consecutive final four, they’ll look to accomplish their real goal and avenge last year’s loss in a game they weren’t even expecting to be in.

“It triggers last year and what we went through together...That fires us up so much more that we’re back in the same place and position,” Gonzales said. “It was just very hard because we were all tired and put it all out there, and I don’t think we all played to our potential that game.”

The Diamondback



Maryland field hockey advances to national title game with 1-0 OT win over Princeton

Bibi Donraadt’s 78th-minute goal sent the Terps to their 2nd consecutive national championship game

By Lila Bromberg


Forward Bibi Donraadt slips the ball across during Maryland field hockey’s match against Albany. (Andi Wenck/The Diamondback)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Maryland field hockey forward Bibi Donraadt had her back to goal and a pair of Princeton defenders closely guarding her near the edge of the circle with about two minutes left in the first overtime period of Friday’s NCAA tournament semifinal.

But with a clever move and a rocket shot into the top of the net, Donraadt showed why she’s the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year by splitting the double-team and sending the Terps to their second consecutive national championship game with a moment of individual brilliance that nullified her team’s overall struggles Friday. The score was also the latest first goal in NCAA final history.

Tigers defenders had dominated Donraadt and the rest of the offense throughout the first 77 minutes, but after a late Princeton goal was waved off and the game went to overtime, No. 2 Maryland came out victorious and earned a date with undefeated No. 1 North Carolina in Sunday’s national championship.

“We were all waiting for the goal and it took way too long, but I’m very happy that it was in the first overtime,” Donraadt said. “You just feel it when it’s the perfect one. I was 99 percent sure that it was going in.”

Maryland players have spent the whole season talking about avenging their loss to UConn in last year’s national championship all season, but for much of Friday’s final four, it was unclear whether they would get that chance.

Princeton set the tone by swatting away Maryland’s passes and earning a penalty corner. The Terps didn’t take a shot until the 15th minute and only earned one corner in regulation.

“Princeton is so athletic and … their first line of attack is to intercept the ball,” coach Missy Meharg said. “We struggled posting up, we struggled getting between the ball and their defender. I thought they were exceptional at it.”

With its offense sputtering, Maryland played strong defense through the first 35, stopping three Princeton penalty corner chances and only allowing the Tigers four shots.

The Terps took control on offense for the final two minutes entering halftime and earned a penalty corner but couldn’t find the game’s first goal.

When Maryland played Princeton earlier this season, it took a 1-0 lead but then dug itself into an early hole. The Tigers scored four consecutive goals before the Terps came back in the second half and won, 5-4, in double overtime.

In that game, Maryland fixed its first-half errors after intermission. But Friday, the Tigers continued to press, and it was only a strong performance from the Terps’ defense that kept them in the game.

“I’m overwhelmed by the fortitude of our defense,” Meharg said.

Goalkeeper Sarah Holliday had a slew of impressive saves on Princeton’s nine penalty corners. And when she didn’t stop the Tigers’ final corner with about a handful of minutes left in regulation, referees waved off the goal for being hit too high.

That gave Meharg’s squad new life, and it looked stronger to end regulation and in overtime, playing a more even game rather than constantly defending. The Terps earned a penalty corner in the extra period, but it wasn’t until Donraadt’s slick stick-work and lethal finish that they found a goal that gives them a chance at redemption.

“It’s really exciting to finally see our hard work paying off since last year when we lost to now,” forward Linnea Gonzales said. “And we have more work to do."

The Diamondback

Maryland will take on #1 University of North Carolina in Sunday's final after UNC beat Wake Forest 4 - 1 in the other semi-final.



The war against boys playing field hockey is picking up steam in Mass.

By Cam Smith



Nearly every year in Massachusetts, some notable field hockey team is led in part by a boy playing on a girls team. Well, Walpole (Mass.) High School field hockey coach Jen Quinn has had enough of it.

Quinn, who heads up one of the state’s most successful programs, recently saw her Walpole squad eliminated in the South regional final by Somerset Berkley, which features a pair of boys in prominent roles. As reported by the Boston Globe, while Quinn doesn’t want to tell boys not to play, she does want to tell them they need to play in their own separate sport.

“We’re trying to see what path to go down,” Quinn told the Globe. “All I know at this point is that something needs to change: whether that’s a number of rule changes, creating their own league, change needs to be made.

“You take a 110-pound boy and a 110-pound girl, he’s still going to be bigger, stronger, faster. They can generate more velocity on the ball. They have more power. It is totally evident in those two Somerset Berkley boys.”

Quinn’s comments underscore concerns that have escalated in the Bay State for a number of years. It’s hard to tell precisely when the panic about having boys compete in girls field hockey began, but the 2010 breakout seasons of brothers Chris and Ben Menard on the South Hadley (Mass.) High School varsity team is a good place to start.

The Menard brothers (Ben went on to play college lacrosse at Sprinfield and is now a lacrosse coach at Western New England) were lightning rods for controversy as they led their Tigers team to a Western Massachusetts title, but they’re hardly the only ones. In 2011, there were just 31 boys playing field hockey across some 20 teams alongside girls in the state of Massachusetts. In 2017, 157 boys participated in Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association-sanctioned field hockey programs. Officially, 7,793 girls competed on teams across the state. That makes for a 506 percent participation increase of male athletes in just six years, or an annualized increase of roughly 84 percent.

Even as that male participation number continues to climb, for now there’s nothing formal that Quinn, other coaches or even MIAA officials can do to completely stop it; the right for boys to compete on girls team when a sport is enshrined in legal precedent; Massachusetts was the first state to rule it was unconstitutional to bar a player from competing based solely on gender some three decades ago.

That’s why Quinn’s measures are increasingly reliant on soft influence. The coach has advocated boycotting games against mixed-gender teams and instituting gender-based rule changes to limit boys’ impact. Or, better yet, creating their own league. “… change needs to be made,” she told the Globe. She also cited rule changes that were instituted in Pennsylvania to limit the impact of boys on a game.

Or, maybe it doesn’t. There’s no question that male field hockey players have made an impact, and continue to as Somerset Berkley stars Lucas Crook (in midfield) and Alex Millar (in defense) have proven during the team’s 22-1-0 rush to the state final. Whenever a girl competes alongside boys, she’s heralded as a brave, iconoclastic student athlete, the kind universally worthy of praise. When a boy competes against girls in field hockey in Mass., he’s cheating.

That’s not the fault of the male players, of course. They’re playing a sport they love against the only competition they’re allowed. It’s not their fault that they are more physically developed than their foes.

That, in turn, is what makes the field hockey debate in Massachusetts so compelling. In a very real sense, both sides are correct; it is unfair that more physically advanced boys can compete on a level playing field with female counterparts. It’s also unfair to limit them from doing so, particularly without providing another viable outlet for them.

USA Today, High School Sports



Administrative and Translation Assistant

Part-time: January to December 2019 (3 days per week, 12-13 days per month)



The Pan American Hockey Federation is the governing body for the Pan Americas in the international Olympic sport of field & indoor hockey and is one of 5 Continental Federations that report to and are funded by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).

We are seeking an experienced self-starter, passionate about field hockey and its development in the Pan Americas, and ready to take on the challenge of supporting the administrative process and the delivery of the 2019 PAHF Congress.

Reporting to the Event & Development Coordinator, the individual will be responsible and accountable for the ensuring all forms of administrative tasks and the translation of documents of the organization in accordance with its mission, goals and policies. The candidate must be fully bilingual in both English and Spanish.

Responsibilities:

    working with PAHF Event & Development Coordinator to ensure the successful delivery of the 2019 PAHF Congress;
    providing administrative support for a variety of tasks such as scheduling internal and external meetings and the creation of presentation slides;
    communication with National Associations, Board Members, Committee Chairs and other partners;
    assist with the translation of documents required for distribution;
    preparing and distributing meeting materials, and providing photocopying, filing, faxing support;
    assist with data organization and management.

 Knowledge and Experience Requirements:

A college or university degree and five (5) years related work experience preferable and previous experience as an administrative assistant working in a home office.

Other essential qualifications include:

• Strong English and Spanish oral, writing and editing skills;
• Sound knowledge of, and experience with Microsoft Office, including Word, PowerPoint and Excel;
• Strong interpersonal and communications skills to work with PAHF consultants and external stakeholders;
• Excellent multitasking and time management skills with ability to set priorities and meet deadlines; and
• The ability to work independently and communicate by email and skype.

This is a one-year part-time position contract that will receive a monthly compensation of US$850.

Qualified candidates can submit their letter of interest and their resume in confidence to the Search Committee at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by December 14th, 2018.

We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.  Anticipated start date early January 2019.

Administrative and Translation Assistant details

Pan American Hockey Federation media release

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