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News for 19 November 2018

All the news for Monday 19 November 2018


Wanglibao Hockey Champions Trophy Changzhou Wujin 2018 - Rest Day

Changzhou (CHN)

Results 18 November

AUS v GBR (RR)     2 - 0
CHN v JPN (RR)     0 - 0
NED v ARG (RR)     3 - 0

Fixtures 20 November (GMT +8)

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

Pool Standings

Rank Team Played Wins Draws Losses Goals For Goals Against Goal Difference Points
1 Netherlands 2 2 0 0 6 1 5 6
2 Australia 2 2 0 0 4 1 3 6
3 China 2 0 2 0 2 2 0 2
4 Great Britain 2 0 1 1 2 4 -2 1
5 Japan 2 0 1 1 1 3 -2 1
6 Argentina 2 0 0 2 1 5 -4 0

FIH Match Centre



Australia and Netherlands continue winning ways in Changzhou



The Hockeyroos are leading the way at the Wanglibao Hockey Champions Trophy Changzhou Wujin after they recorded a second win at the prestigious end of year event.

The results, as the teams head into a rest day, see Australia and the Netherlands sitting at the top of the table with six points apiece. China have drawn twice, so have two points, with Great Britain and Japan on one point and Argentina on zero points after two defeats.

Australia v Great Britain 2-0 (2-0)

Australia continued their great form at the Wanglibao Hockey Champions Trophy as they beat the world number two side Great Britain in an entertaining and hard-fought match.

The result leaves Australia with six points from two matches and sets-up an intriguing encounter with the Netherlands when the competition resumes after Monday's rest day.

The first half was a well-matched contest in the middle of the field. Both sides were playing quick, passing hockey that created space and opportunities to attack. The difference lay in the finishing.

Where Great Britain were unable to find a way past a quite impressive Australia defence, the Australia attack was able to unpick holes in their opponent's circle and both first half goals were the result of sharp passing and inventive movement around the circle.

First to score for the Hockeyroos was Brooke Peris, who was able to latch onto a fizzing pass from the right-hand side of the field: with a full-length stretch she was able to steer the ball into the goal.

The second goal was a real team effort, which saw the ball played up the pitch in a quick series of passes before Kalindi Commerford controlled the ball in the centre of the circle and squeezed it past Amy Tennant, the Great Britain goalkeeper.

Great Britain continued to play their own inventive game. Sarah Jones was busy in midfield, often magicking herself out of a sea of Australian players, while Giselle Ansley was enjoying a good game in defence, emerging with the ball time and again and distributing with vision.

There were no further goals in the match but Great Britain were left rueing two missed opportunities towards the final minutes of the game as a quick interception by Sophie Bray led to a cross from Suzy Petty that pinged tantalisingly across the face of the Australian goal – no Great Britain stick was able to connect.

Seconds later, Hannah Martin saw a strong shot well-saved by Ashlee Wells, who just managed to get the outside of her goalkeeper pad to the ball.

"We wanted to go out with a lot of energy," said goalscorer Peris, speaking after the game. "At times we played as we wanted to, there were times when we didn't, but I am proud of the way we are performing overall.

"I think we have talked about our culture a lot and now is time to show that with actions. We did that and that is why we came away with the win today. We learnt a lot from the World Cup and in our next game [against the Netherlands], we are going to really go for it."

Great Britain have not enjoyed the start to the competition they would have hoped for, but the players are focusing on the long term, as Sarah Robertson explained: "We would obviously have hoped to have got better results in our opening two games but we have to remember where we are on our programme. We have Pro League next year and Tokyo the year after – we have to keep our eye on the bigger picture."

And teammate and fellow Scotland international Amy Costello added that the Great Britain team was gelling well and the future was looking exciting for the squad, despite today's result. "We did a lot of things very well and we will learn from thebthings that didn't go to plan," she said.

China v Japan 0-0

The two Asian rivals, Japan and China, played out a busy but ultimately goalless game in the second match of day two in Changzhou. China were marginally the better side as they created the greater amount of chances but in Japan's goalkeeper, Megumi Kageyama they found an immovable object as the agile 'keeper made some crucial saves.

That said, one of the best saves came from China as Kanon Mori unleashed a shot that beat China's goalkeeper Ye Jiao but was saved on the line by Gu Bingfeng.

"For our next game, against Argentina, we must start with more confidence, put our shots away and keep our focus," was the verdict of China's Cui Qiuxia.

"We created a lot of chances, particularly penalty corners but we didn't score. And we started slowly, that too must improve."

Head Coach to Japan, Anthony Farry was frustrated by his team's performance.

"We lost yesterday [3-1 against the Netherlands], but we played much better in that game. Of course, to get a point is okay but we didn't play anywhere near as well today and that is disappointing."

Netherlands v Argentina 3-0 (1-0)

When Caia van Maasakker scored the goal that broke the deadlock against Argentina, she also put her team ahead very much against the run of play.

The defender and penalty corner specialist, who scored a second thunderous penalty corner in the final quarter, said: "We didn't start well but we worked very hard to compensate for that.

"That is the thing about the team, when we are not playing well, we still have the self-confidence that we can change things. This is a team that is growing and learning in every match."

The match was a bitter disappointment for Argentina, who needed to win if they are to be in with a realistic chance of defending their title.

It was also the day Martina Cavallero celebrated 200 caps for her country, and the midfielder would have loved to have enjoyed a victorious milestone.

The Argentina side started very brightly and threatened to breach the Dutch defence throughout most of the first half. Julieta Jankunas had a storming shot well saved by Anne Veenendaal and Maria Ortiz was unlucky not to score from a penalty corner.

These were just two of the many attempts that Las Leonas had to take the lead, but either good defence or poor finishing meant the wave of attacks amounted to nothing.

Maasakker's two strikes sandwiched an equally fine penalty corner from Yibbi Jansen, who placed her shot beautifully in the corner of the goal past the outstretched leg of Belen Succi.

Today's results leave Netherlands and Australia on six points; China on two; Great Britain and Japan on one apiece and Argentina still to register a win.

Monday 19 November is a competition rest day.

Match schedule for Tuesday 20 November (all times UTC+8)
14:00 Australia v Netherlands
16:00 China v Argentina
18:00 Japan v Great Britain

FIH site



Australia shine as Great Britain suffer Champions Trophy defeat



Great Britain were beaten by a clinical Australia 2-0 in their double header weekend at the Women’s Hockey Champions Trophy in China.

First half goals from Brooke Peris and Kalindi Commerford handed Australia their second successive win of their campaign. Great Britain are yet to find a win after their 2-2 draw on Saturday.

After an opening salvo where Australia were firmly on the front foot – Stephanie Kershaw in particular showing attacking intent – Peris opened the scoring for Australia in the ninth minute when she deflected a shot from Greta Hayes past goalkeeper Amy Tennant.

Commerford, who celebrated her 24th birthday today, then sneaked the ball past Tennant in the dying seconds of the first half.

“We’ve talked about it a lot and it’s time to show those actions,” said Peris of the Hockeyroos’ team culture.

“Credit to the girls for sticking to the game play and the team culture. That’s why we came away with the results today.”


Australia were in clinical form PIC: World Sport Pics

Ashlee Wells had an impressive first half, denying two penalty corners opportunities for Great Britain.

After the break, Rosie Malone was handed a green card in the 40th minute but the Hockeyroos were able to withstand Great Britain’s offensive push until she returned.

There was plenty of attack from GB in the second half but Australia defended well, restricting the likes of Hannah Martin and Sarah Robertson to half chances, while Rachael Lynch was in great form in goal to deny the Olympic champions.

Great Britain play Japan at 10am GMT on Tuesday as they look to clinch their first win of the tournament.

The Hockey Paper



In-Form Hockeyroos Out To Topple Top-Ranked Dutch

Ben Somerford



Hockeyroos coach Paul Gaudoin expects a “tough” test in the side’s next Champions Trophy match against world number one Netherlands on Tuesday night in Changzhou, China PR.

Australia have started the tournament with two wins from two matches, 2-0 over 2016 Rio Olympic gold medallists Great Britain on Sunday and 2-1 against Champions Trophy reigning champions Argentina on Saturday.

The results mean the Hockeyroos sit second on the standings with six points, behind their next opponents the Dutch only on goal difference.

Draws in the other group matches mean the Netherlands and the Hockeyroos are four points clear of third-placed China PR, with three points in Tuesday’s game to go a long way to securing a spot in Sunday’s decider for either side.

“It’s one game at a time,” Gaudoin said.

“But it’s pleasing to get two wins from two games at the start of this tournament.

“Every game is tough. We’ve got Holland next.

“We know how tough that is going to be. We’re looking forward to that contest.”

Reflecting on Sunday’s win over the British, Gaudoin admitted there was room for improvement, having raced to a 2-0 half-time lead thanks to goals from Brooke Peris and Kalindi Commerford.

“We were a bit wasteful there,” Gaudoin said.

“We want to tidy that up and hopefully we can hit a few more to make it a bit easier on our defence.”

He added: “We’re pleased with our performance on Sunday. We weren’t great on Saturday in our second half.

“I’m very pleased we were able to play a bit better in our second half. It’s coming together slowly.

“This is a new group. We’ve got three debutants in this tournament.”

Six-time champions Australia haven’t won the Champions Trophy since 2003 but Gaudoin added that their ambition was to end that run, whilst growing their group ahead of next year’s FIH Pro League and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“We’re trying to explore our athlete cohort,” he said.

“There’s some very good players here. We’re looking to do well here and win the tournament, of course.”

Australia faces the Netherlands from 5pm on Tuesday live on Fox Sports 507 and kayosports.com.au.

Hockeyroos 2018 Champions Trophy schedule (all times AEDT):
Saturday 17 November 7pm – Australia 2 Argentina 1
Sunday 18 November 5pm – Australia 2 Great Britain 0
Tuesday 20 November 5pm – Australia v Netherlands
Thursday 22 November 7pm – Australia v China
Saturday 24 November 5pm – Australia v Japan
Sunday 25 November – Finals

Hockeyroos’ 18-member Champions Trophy team:
Edwina Bone (Orange, NSW) *Plays for ACT
Lily Brazel (Sydney, NSW) *Plays for VIC
Jane Claxton (Adelaide, SA)
Kalindi Commerford (Mollymook, NSW) *Plays for ACT
Madison Fitzpatrick (Cabarita Beach, NSW) *Plays for QLD
Rebecca Greiner (Bundaberg, QLD)
Greta Hayes (Sydney, NSW)
Jodie Kenny (Wamuran, QLD)
Stephanie Kershaw (Townsville, QLD)
Rachael Lynch (Warrandyte, VIC)
Karri McMahon (Berri, SA)
Ambrosia Malone (Burleigh, QLD)
Kaitlin Nobbs (Newington, NSW)
Hayley Padget (Doncaster, VIC)
Brooke Peris (Darwin, NT)
Emily Smith (Crookwell, NSW)
Penny Squibb (Tambellup, WA)
Ashlee Wells (Morwell, VIC) *Plays for SA

Hockey Australia media release



2018 Test Match: NED v IRL (M)
Amsterdam (NED)

19 Nov 2018 19:00     NED v IRL

FIH Match Centre



Netherlands aim to end decade-long cycle of near misses by performing 'better than ever before'


File image of the Netherlands team. Twitter@oranjehockey

The Netherlands have a long and storied past when it comes to field hockey and currently host one of the most robust league competitions of the sport, in the shape of the Hoofdklasse. Their men's hockey team has won on every international stage, having two Olympic golds, three World Cups and eight Champions Trophy titles to their name and hockey is still an immensely popular sport in the country.

However, things have been a little different in recent years, and success on the global stage has eluded the team for the past decade. Since winning the 2006 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy in Spain, a number of close calls and near finishes have ultimately ended in defeat, with the team losing three major finals since.

The Netherlands will head into this edition of the World Cup on the back of a strong performance in the 2017 EuroHockey Championship, which they won, and a third-place finish in the 2018 Champions Trophy. The hosts were only beaten twice at the Champions Trophy in June, losing a close-fought encounter against Argentina in their opening fixture, and falling to eventual champions Australia.

By all accounts, the Oranje, as they are known in the Netherlands, are completely aware of the fact that they are not favourites in the tournament. In a statement to the FIH website, their Argentine coach Max Caldas defined their approach to the tournament, saying, "We are professional athletes and will play the World Cup to win the title. But we do realize that we're not the only team with that ambition. It's a tough competition, all teams are very strong."

The draw for the competition has been slightly awkward for the Netherlands, with their pool consisting of embattled four-time champions Pakistan, 2012 Summer Olympics gold medallists Germany and twelfth-ranked Malaysia. While the Netherlands are clear favourites to progress from the group stage, none of these matches could be considered an easy fixture for the Oranje. "We want to perform better than we have ever done before, in skills, tactics as well as physically and in mental strength. If we can do that, we will be able to compete for the title. I'm convinced about that," said Caldas.

The Netherlands will take on Malaysia in their first match on 1 December, before facing Germany on 5 December and finishing the group stage by playing Pakistan on 9 December.

Netherlands squad for 2018 Hockey World Cup: Seve van Ass, Sander Baart, Billy Bakker, Lars Balk, Pirmin Blaak, Thierry Brinkman, Thijs van Dam, Jonas de Geus, Jeroen Hertzberger, Robbert Kemperman, Mirco Pruyser, Glenn Schuurman, Sam van der Ven, Valentin Verga, Bob de Voogd, Mink van der Weerden, Sander de Wijn and Floris Wortelboer

Reserve players: Jorrit Croon, Joep de Mol

Coach: Max Caldas

Firstpost



Eyeing the big catch

By Aftar Singh


Fighter: Striker Norsyafiq Sumantri (left) wants to prove his worth when donning the national jersey in the forthcoming hockey World Cup in India

KUALA LUMPUR: Norsyafiq Sumantri and Nik Muhammad Aiman Nik Rozemi will play the same role – as forwards in their debut for Malaysia at the hockey World Cup in Bhubaneswar, India, starting on Nov 28.

But their similarity does not end there – both are 22, love fishing and are bachelors!

Klang-born Norsyafiq picked up fishing two years ago after following his friends for fun. Then, he took Aiman along and now, both are addicted to it.

The duo fish at either the lake in Section 24 in Shah Alam or at Taman U in Serdang.

Norsyafiq said fishing is rather therapeutic.

“Fishing is not only an enjoyable pastime but there are also mental, emotional and physical benefits,” said Norsyafiq.

“Fishing teaches one to be patient. It also enables one to enjoy peace and quietness –- away from the hustle and bustle of a big city like Kuala Lumpur.

Norsyafiq has caught different types of fishes such as siakap (Asian sea bass) and patin (silver catfish) but what does he do with them?

“Usually, I’ll take a selfie with the fishes before releasing them back into the lake,” said Norsyafiq, whose siblings are also national hockey players.

His elder brother Norhizzat played in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow while his sister Norazlin has been in the national team for the last seven years.

“It is fun fishing with Aiman – it takes our mind off hockey sometimes.”

Aiman echoed his friend’s sentiment and said fishing was the best way for him to spend time with friends and also boost his mood.

“I’m grateful to Norsyafiq for introducing me to this. It teaches me to be calm and patient,” said Aiman, who only picked up the hobby early this year.

Asked what was his biggest catch, he said it was a patin that weighed 12kg.

“I was thrilled when I caught a giant patin. I took a selfie with it before selling it at a nearby market,” said Aiman.

Fishing aside, Aiman also hopes to put up an eye-catching performance in his first World Cup.

Malaysia are drawn in Group D with hockey giants – Holland, Germany and Pakistan.

Aiman is aware of the tough task ahead for him, Norsyafiq and the team, but promised to justify his selection into the team.

“Norsyafiq and I are playing for the first time in the World Cup and we want to leave a lasting impression in India,” said Aiman.

Norsyafiq also chipped in and said the challenge would be on the forwards to get the goals and he was ready.

“We want to rise to the occasion and deliver. We’ve worked hard,” added Norsyafiq.

The Star of Malaysia



Online ticket sale for opening ceremony of Hockey World Cup from Nov 20

The online ticket sale for the grand opening ceremony of Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup in Bhubaneswar will begin from November 20, according to Hockey India.

The opening ceremony will be held at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on November 27 and the world cup celebrations event at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on November 28.

Music maestro AR Rahman is slated to perform at both the venues, along with other Bollywood celebrities, including Shah Rukh Khan, sources said.

Hockey India on Sunday made the announcement about the online ticket sale from November 20 on its official Twitter handle.

“Hockey India announces the online ticket sales will go live from November 20 for the grand opening ceremony for the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 to be held on November 27 and 28,” it said.

Around 10,500 tickets are likely to be sold for the inaugural ceremony in Bhubaneswar and 30,000 tickets for the November 28 event, sources said.

The online redemption of the tickets for the opening ceremony in Bhubaneswar will be from 3 pm on November 22 at Gate 4 of Kalinga Athletics Stadium along with other locations throughout the city, Hockey India said in its website.

Fans can choose redemption centres from multiple locations/counters in Cuttack while booking their tickets for the World Cup celebrations event. The date for online redemption of the tickets for the World Cup celebration event would be announced in due course, it said.

As per schedule, the World Cup will kickstart from November 28 and continue till December 16.

Sixteen teams, including India, Pakistan, Australia and the Netherlands are participating in the World Cup.

The Tribune



HA Congratulates Kieran Govers Following Kookaburras Retirement

Ben Somerford



Hockey Australia today congratulates Kookaburras forward Kieran Govers who has announced his retirement from international hockey effective immediately.

Wollongong product Govers, 30, enjoyed a decorated career for Australia, having debuted in January 2010 against Korea Republic in Hobart.

Govers won two World Cups (2010, 2014), three Champions Trophies (2010, 2011, 2012), one World League Final (2014-15), one Oceania Cup (2011), a Commonwealth Games gold medal (2014) and an Olympic bronze medal (2012).

The Albion Park junior represented Australia 126 times, scoring 60 times, including memorable goals in the 2012 Champions Trophy, 2012 London Olympics and 2014 World Cup.

Govers netted a dramatic extra-time winner in the 2012 Champions Trophy final in Melbourne to clinch a 2-1 win over the Netherlands. He also scored a miraculous mid-air volleyed goal during the 2014 World Cup against England, before netting in the 6-1 win over the Dutch in the final.

After an almost two-year absence, Govers earned a recall to the Kookaburras team during the Darwin International Hockey Open in September 2018 where he scored in what will go down as his final game, a 2-1 loss to Argentina in the final.

“It’s a sad day to know that I have announced my retirement but a happy time to celebrate what was,” Govers said.

“You never want it to end and always want to keep playing but having a great chat with Batchy (coach Colin Batch) about the future and how it might go it was time to go in different directions.

“Being given the chance again by Batchy and the coaching staff means the world. Ever since 2016 I have been banging on the door to get another chance and that came just recently.

“Unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be and I feel more than confident to say I tried my ultimate best to keep going.

“To be able to represent Australia with the Kookaburras was my dream since I was young. To be able to achieve that goal and go onto have the career I had will be something I cherish and remember for life.

“I was so honoured to receive my jersey and it’s the same feeling knowing I’m leaving the group in a better place and my jersey will be taken by someone who will be held up to the traits I withheld.

“Not many players can say they got to play with their brother in the green and gold. Blake and I were fortunate enough to tick that box off.

“I can’t wait to see what the future brings for me and my lovely family. They have been the biggest supporters of me and now it’s time to repay that support.

“I can’t thank the Kookaburras and Hockey Australia enough for the opportunities they gave me to chase my dreams.”

Kookaburras Head Coach Colin Batch paid tribute to Govers for an outstanding international career.

“We congratulate Kieran on his fantastic career which was a remarkable journey full of many highlights,” Batch said.

“He emerged in the Kookaburras team as a promising striker in 2010 and reached the pinnacle of the sport.

“It hasn’t always been an easy ride for Kieran, with the disappointment of the Rio Olympics, plus injuries, but he fought his way back into the team to play for the Kookaburras again this year.

“There’s something about Kieran you’ve always got to admire. He got the best out of his ability through hard work and true endeavour.

“You only have to watch Kieran play to realise his passion for the game, whether it’s the Kookaburras or NSW, his will to win is second to none.”

Hockey Australia media release



In the blink of an eye



Matt Dawson

It’s crazy what goes through your mind sometimes.

In the hours after I got hit, my biggest concern was whether it would stop me flying to our next tournament.

When that possibility passed by, I wondered how I could get myself to the Gold Coast for the Commonwealth Games. It’s a very long drive from Perth!

A few weeks later, once it became clear that I’d recover, I asked my girlfriend Maddy what she’d have done if things had turned out worse.

‘What do you mean?’ she said.

I asked her again. ‘Would you have stayed with me if I’d lost my eye?’

She said she would have stayed with me no matter what.

In fact, a number of people showed me incredible support in the weeks and months after that terrible day in February.

Maddy was great. The team’s coaching staff was, too. My mum Trish flew over from the east coast to be by my side by the time I went in for surgery. Mum played cricket for Australia and knows the perils of sport. But her concern, of course, was as a mother above all. Seeing her son in that situation must be have been tough.

Then there was Knowlesy – our former captain Mark Knowles – a great leader, a former mentor of mine, who kept telling me to look after myself and that the team needed me back. His words were really important to me.

Thankfully, things worked out OK. I was given the all-clear to fly to the Commonwealth Games, though I did have to wear some pretty funky glasses during the matches. On Friday, my Kookaburras teammates and I head off to India for the World Cup, which if you ask any international hockey player is as prestigious, or even more so, than the Olympics.

It’s my first World Cup, a major milestone personally and an important event for a number of young players who could form the nucleus of our side for years to come.

But it could have been so different. Instead of continuing the career I’ve put everything into since I was about 12 years old, I could have been out on my own and wondering what to do next with my life.

Pretty much literally, in the blink of an eye, my hockey career could have been over.

The gory details

It was just a normal practice day. I’ve been in the same situation many times before.

We were at training in Perth, where our team’s headquarters is based. It was a Wednesday, shortly before we were due to fly out to the Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia on the Saturday.

I was chasing a player from behind, he went to have a shot and had an air swing. His stick came flying around his body, over his opposite shoulder, and clattered straight into my eye.

I’ve never felt a sense of pain anything like that in my life. It was paralysing. Looking back it’s a bit embarrassing, but I couldn’t get up. I tried but had to go back onto all fours again. The pain was excruciating, but I’m sure a lot of my reaction was a result of shock.

Usually, when someone gets badly injured, teammates gather around to console them or help out. In this case, there was quite a bit of blood and – I don’t blame them for this at all – the boys gave me plenty of space. I don’t think anyone quite knew what to do.

Eventually, I was stretchered off and taken to hospital.

As the shock subsided, those funny thoughts started entering my mind. Early on, as most sportsmen might react, I thought, ‘Oh, it’s just a fractured eye socket. I’ll be right. I can deal with that’. And I just wanted to know I could fly by Saturday.

The doctor was pretty straight-up. ‘Ah, no, you’re not going to be able to fly’, he said. And that was that. And then my mind threw forward to the Comm Games, which were a couple of months down the track.

Things were put into perspective once the plastic surgeon inspected the damage and gave me the rundown. It was pretty extreme.

He told me I was very lucky that my eyeball hadn’t burst. But there were still big problems to address, mostly that there was heavy bleeding behind my eye and pressure was building. They were also concerned about permanent nerve damage.

The surgeon outlined his plan to operate. He wanted to take a bone graft from my skull and put it under my eye to fill in the hole that had broken away.

I thought plastic surgeons used synthetic materials for that sort of thing. But he explained that using bone was better because it’s stronger and there’s less chance your body will reject it. I was on board with that. Who was I to argue?

By the end of the surgery at St John of God Hospital at Subiaco, I had 30-odd staples across the back of my head, from about the middle over to my right ear, where they took the graft from. And, under the eye, there were 30 internal stitches. Needless to say, I felt pretty sore and sorry.

Why am I telling you this gruesome story? It’s not because I want to appear tough or macho or anything like that. In fact, quite the opposite.

This experience, to me, was a huge wake-up call. It was a brutal realisation of how fragile we all are and how all your plans can be turned upside down in an instant, no matter how much work you’ve put in. Above all, it reinforced for me the value of what I’d learnt in the aftermath of the Rio Olympics in 2016.

Satisfaction from within

People always talk about how they dreamed of playing for Australia when they were a kid. I wasn’t really like that until I was about 12. And I only got into hockey by chance.

I grew up around Killarney Vale on the Central Coast of NSW as the youngest of three children. My eldest sister, Jessica, played quite a lot of netball but decided she’d had enough and wanted to try another sport.

It just so happened there was a hockey field about five kilometres from the netball courts. My parents saw an ad in the paper calling for youngsters to join the local competition and took my sister down to have a look. As little brothers tend to do, I tagged along and watched my sister play hockey over the next couple of years.

Finally tired of watching and not doing, I picked up a hockey stick and basically never looked back. From about the under-15s, I was consistently picked in NSW youth teams and got swept up in the development system.

By 2014, soon after my 21st birthday, I made my debut for the Kookaburras and have since played over 100 matches for my country. We’ve had quite a lot of success in that time. At the moment, we’re the number one ranked team in the world.

Reaching the pinnacle in any sport is, of course, very hard work. But I think it’s especially hard in hockey. It’s really cool, what we do. We get to travel around the world with our mates and play the game that we love. I’m very thankful for the opportunity and cherish every game.

But the reality is, we train six days a week and dedicate ourselves without a whole lot of reward from outside. Ninety-nine per cent of people see you travelling and getting good results and think it’s all rosy. But when you see the Kookaburras and Hockeyroos putting in that much time and effort for tiny wages compared to Australia’s major sports, you can be pretty sure we’re doing it for the love of the game and not much else.

What that means is, satisfaction has to be found from within. It has to be felt by the players because very few people outside the team environment can really relate to the world in which we work day-to-day. I think once the playing group can feel that satisfaction, they’re on track towards getting good results.

The advantage of failure

We were in that space as we headed towards the Rio Olympics. The Oceania Cup, World League Final, the Champions Trophy – we’d cleaned up throughout the entire lead-in to the Games and big things were expected of us. Our squad featured some great names, including one of the greatest-ever hockey players, Jamie Dwyer.

I was very bright-eyed at that time and, no doubt, naive. When you see players in their late 30s still competing at the highest standard and you’re only 22 or 23 about to compete for a powerhouse team at the Olympics, it’s hard to feel anything other than hockey being your destiny.

There’s no skirting around it, our Rio campaign was a failure. We finished sixth, equalling the Kookaburras’ worst-ever result at the Games. It was a sad time for us all and it signalled the end of an era for that squad.

There was a fair bit of a clean-out after the Games. A completely new coaching staff came in and nearly half the Rio team was replaced. It was disappointing it happened that way.

From every difficult situation, it’s important to learn lessons. What I learnt from that Olympic experience was – just as when I suffered my eye injury – it can all end when you least expect it. I had felt invincible before the Games, yet completely vulnerable after them.

Thankfully, I kept my place in the team. But what if I’d been part of the clean-out? All my plans would have gone out the window. And then what?

That’s when I decided to enrol in university and start preparing for life after hockey, whether that’s in one week or 10 years. I’m studying primary school teaching and really enjoying it on several levels.

The irony of studying at university is that it’s made me a better hockey player. It forces my mind to go elsewhere, to concentrate on something else. It’s healthy to not always have my mind filled by hockey. Studying at university refreshes me and challenges my mind in a different way.

We are lucky that our coaching staff understands and promotes that approach. They know we don’t get paid enough. They know we need to be prepared for when hockey ends.

We have one day off every week, but the coaches try to be flexible at other times so we can work and study. Our regular training times are 6am to 10am, which gives us the rest of the day to do other things.

Rio was a cruel blow for us all. But it changed the way we go about things in the Kookaburras set-up. And I think that’s had a positive effect.



A changing game

Our team for the World Cup is young, with a sprinkling of experience. It’s uncommon for Kookaburras teams, but we do have a number of players who’ve played in a World Cup before, which is a good asset.

There are a few Rio veterans – Eddie Ockenden, Aran Zalewski, Matthew Swann Andrew Charter, Jake Whetton, Daniel Beale and myself – the ones who were able to hold on. But it’s fair to say, the face of hockey has changed in recent years since the change to quarters instead of halves and we’ve had to move with the times.

The Australian men’s and women’s hockey teams have generally over the years been fitter, faster and stronger than our opponents. But the introduction of quarters before the Rio Olympics negated that to some degree. Now, teams that have maybe 13 really good players can use those players for 15 minutes, get a break and play for another 15 minutes, and get a bigger break.

It means you can have a solid core team without having to make many changes. Teams with fewer good players won’t have their squad depth tested to the same extent as previously. 

It may have been a contributing factor to our poor outcome at the Olympics and it’s forced us to add more strings to our bow. There is still that attacking and speedy element to our game. But we’ve also learnt to be more adaptable and maybe a bit smarter in our effort to control games.

That evolution took quite some time. After somewhat of a sustained period of success, the playing group, I believe, feels a lot more settled in the way we want to go about things.

It’s just as well. World hockey these days is extremely competitive. We’re at the top at the moment, but it’s fair to say any of the top eight teams has the potential to win the World Cup.

One thing you can be sure of is, when the World Cup gets underway next week, the Kookaburras will play like there’s no tomorrow. Because you never know when that will be the case.

PlayersVoice



Guatemala Men and Costa Rica Women Central American Champions

Carlos Paredes


Winner men: Guatemala   

Gutemala’s male team closed the day with a victory and for the second time in a row took home the Gold Medal.  During the tournament, Guatemala showed amazing hockey skills and great collective skills, the perfect mix to stay undefeated.

The fans present at the Gatorade Arena Complex in San José Pínula, vibrated during the final game when the local team took over Costa Rica  by 2-0 . Manuel González and Oscar Leiva, scored for Guatemala. Leiva finished as top scorer with 9 goals, and was selected as the best player if the tournament.

Costa Rica finished second and took home the Silver Medal Meanwhile, El Salvador took the Bronze Medal after a great game against Panama were they  only won by shootouts (4-3) .  Ángel Molina was selected as the best goalkeeper.



In the Women’s competition, Costa Rica is the new champion . María Solano, scored the only goal and gave her team the Gold Medal of the Central American hockey 5 championship.

Guatemama finished second, while El Salvador kept the third place after defeating Panama 2-0. The goal scorers of the tournament were  Ivania Rodríguez from El Salvador and Arely López from Guatemala with 7 goals each, Rodiguez was also designated as the best player of the tournament. The best goalkeeper was for Hellen Solis from Costa Rica.

The 2018 Central American Hockey Championship 5s were a success, with the participation of El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama and the host Guatemala. There were four consecutive days with a total of 15 games were played during the qualifying, semifinal and final round, both in the men's and women's categories.

Pan American Hockey Federation media release



ROUND-UP: English Men's Hockey League


Beeston's Lucas Ward after scoring against Holcombe. Credit: David Kissman

East Grinstead stretched their unbeaten run to five matches as they inflicted Hampstead & Westminster’s first loss of the season, beating them 5-3 in the Men’s Hockey League Premier Division on Sunday.

The victory leaves East Grinstead fifth in the table and within just a point of third spot.

Liam Ansell gave the home side the lead in the second minute with a goal from a penalty corner but the lead was short-lived as Rupert Shipperley equalised for Hampstead a minute later.

Simon Faulkner regained the lead for East Grinstead in the fifth minute from a penalty stroke before Dominic Bowden doubled their advantage in the 16th minute.

Sam French hit back for the away side after 41 minutes and Toby Roche added their third three minutes later.

Toby Wilson sealed the victory for the home side in the 66th minute with a goal from open play.

Beeston’s play-off hopes were boosted with a 1-0 victory at home to Holcombe, who they leapfrogged into third spot.

Lucas Ward scored the winner for the home side with a goal from open play in the 27th.

Surbiton extended their lead at the top of the table with a 5-3 victory at bottom of the table Sevenoaks.

A brace from Alan Forsyth and goals from Sam Spencer, Arjan Drayton Chana and Jonathan Gall were enough to secure all three points. Tim Warrington and Chris Barker scored two consolation goals for the home side.

Elsewhere, Reading secured three points with a 4-2 victory at home against the University of Exeter.

Charlie Ellison, Lee Morton (2) and Ciaran O’Connell scored the goals for the home side while George Carson and James Ferguson were on the scoresheet for the University of Exeter.

Brooklands Manchester University secured a 5-2 victory at Wimbledon.

David Flanagan (2), Thomas Lush, Thomas Russell and Richard Slater were the scorers for the away side, while Ben Roe and Chris Gregg scored the goals for the home side.

Men’s Conference West

Olton & West Warwicks went top of the table in the Men’s Conference West, as they beat previous leaders the University of Birmingham 3-2.

Birmingham had taken the lead through Jolyon Morgan, before Olton pulled level through Tom Mallett. Adam Harriman added another for the University of Birmingham, before Olton went on to win with Peter Jackson and Mallett scoring second half goals.

The University of Bristol sailed to a resounding 4-0 victory over the troubled Isca in the only other game that ended with a victor in the North Conference.

Third placed Havant drew 2-2 with Oxford Hawks, Fareham and Cardiff & Met finished 3-3 with Team Bath Buccaneers and Chichester playing out a 2-2 stalemate.

Men’s Conference East

Old Georgians were at their devastating best as they put six past Canterbury in their 6-3 win in the Men’s Conference East.

Ashley Jackson was the pick of the scorers, netting twice in the victory that retains their unbeaten start to the season and leaders position.

Southgate topped the leaders’ scoreline however in their 8-1 rout of City of Peterborough which moves Southgate up to third, albeit eight points adrift of Old Georgians.

Richmond produced the shock of the day to record their first win over fifth placed Brighton & Hove thanks to goals from Karan Sofat, Nathan Palmer and a double from Jordan Hussell.

Second in the table Oxted beat Old Loughtonians 4-1 whilst Cambridge City beat Teddington, who accumulated four yellow cards, 3-1.

Men’s Conference North

Bowdon maintained top spot in the Men’s Conference North thanks to a 5-1 thrashing of second-bottom Belper.

Thomas Ainsworth, David Egerton, Richie Dawson-Smith, Oliver Stoddart and Ben White were all on target for the hosts.

Fellow North East side the University of Durham kept pace with Bowdon after beating Doncaster 3-1.

Leeds versus Preston produced the highest scoring game in the division with the Yorkshire side prevailing over their cross-pennine rivals 6-1.

Elsewhere, Loughborough Students toppled bottom-side Alderley Edge 5-1.

RESULTS:

Men’s Hockey League

Premier Division: Beeston 1, Holcombe 0; East Grinstead 5, Hampstead & Westminster 3; Reading 4, University of Exeter 2; Sevenoaks 2, Surbiton 5; Wimbledon 2, Brooklands Manchester University 5.

Conference West: Fareham 3, Cardiff & Met 3; Oxford Hawks 2, Havant 2; Team Bath Buccaneers 2, Chichester 2; University of Birmingham 2, Olton & West Warwickshire 3; University of Bristol 4, Isca 0.

Conference East: Cambridge City 3, Teddington 1; Canterbury 3, Old Georgians 6; City of Peterborough 1, Southgate 8; Old Loughtonians 1, Oxted 4; Richmond 4, Brighton & Hove 1.

Conference North: Alderley Edge 1, Loughborough Students 5; Bowdon 5, Belper 1; Leeds 6, Preston 1; University of Durham 3, Doncaster 1.

England Hockey Board Media release



Pembroke produce stunning comeback from 3-0 against YM



In a season packed with them already, Pembroke produced their biggest one yet as they came from 3-0 to beat YMCA 5-3 at Serpentine Avenue, scoring four times in the last 14 minutes.

For the Y, it was another tough end as they let points slip through their fingers despite a strong lead. Pembroke did boss the first phases but suddenly found themselves one behind when Herbie Fowler-Hudson and Cillian Hynes combined to win a corner which Grant Glutz converted.

It gave them huge confidence and Ben Campbell added a second when he capitalised on a mistake in midfield, burst through and struck home. Glutz added another corner to have YM in dreamland at 3-0 with 29 minutes gone.

Keith O’Hare got his seventh goal of the season to give Pembroke a lifeline four minutes into the second half from a corner but they were still well out of range going into the final quarter.

O’Hare fired in another, though, soon after that restart and two minutes later, Tim Hill had the game level. From there, Pembroke were the only winner and they went in front with seven minutes to go via Patrick Shanahan and Jack Ryan made extra sure with a minute to go.

It was the fourth time this season Pembroke had come from a losing position to secure full points and they now go into the winter break in a share of first place with Banbridge and Glenanne.

Men’s EY Hockey League
Pembroke 5 (K O’Hare 2, T Hill, P Shanahan, J Ryan) YMCA 3 (G Glutz 2, B Campbell)

The Hook



Loreto and Pegasus extend lead at head of women’s EYHL


Hannah de Burgh Whyte celebrates her goal. Pic: Adrian Boehm

Loreto and Pegasus extended their advantage over the chasers with impressive wins on Saturday on day seven of the women’s EY Hockey League; UCD drew while Pembroke and Cork Harlequins made strong moves up the table

Women’s EY Hockey League – day seven reports
Ards 3 (E Matchett 2, F Brown) Pembroke 4 (L Noble 2, S Loughran, KJ Marshall)
Pembroke picked up their fourth win of the season to move into the top four for the first time, winning a seven-goal thriller at Ards.

Laura Noble finished off a strong team goal in the second quarter to give the Dubliners the lead and she backed that up with a sliding deflection to the returning Aisling Naughton’s ball into the D for 2-0.

Emily Matchett got one back from a penalty corner but Pembroke restored their strong lead in the 48th minute via Sinead Loughran, a cracking shot from the top of the D into the backboard.

Matchett’s second on the break put the game right back into the mix going into the final quarter at 3-2 but Pembroke, once again, replied with Katie Jane Marshall getting a corner deflection.

Francesca Brown made the last two minutes interesting when she scored off the back of a long corner but Pembroke held on for a 4-3 win.

Loreto 5 (S Torrans 2, S Clarke, A Meeke, S Evans) Belfast Harlequins 1 (L Colvin)
Two goals in the minute before half-time saw Loreto continue to lead the pack on goal difference as they saw off a Belfast Harlequins side shy the services of Zoe Wilson.

Sarah Clarke gave Loreto a very early lead from a corner but Quins were more than their equal for much of the second quarter and got back on terms when Lizzie Colvin’s corner shot was deflected in off a defensive stick.

Grace McLoughlin had to clear off her own line moments later but the game turned when Gemma Frazer was shown a green card with 60 seconds to go in the half. She broke down a quick Hannah Matthews’ free and while she sprinted to the sin-bin, Matthews reset and arced a pass to Sarah Torrans to guide home first time.

Within seconds, Ali Meeke was clean through and while her first shot was saved, Quins could only clear the ball straight back onto her stick and she popped into an unguarded net.

That took the sting out of the game and Loreto duly dominated the second half. Sarah Evan’s deflection made it 4-1 in the third quarter. Torrans was on hand to clean up the pieces after a Siofra O’Brien run down the left was half-blocked by Marianne Fox, the striker taking her time before smashing through two scrambling defenders.

UCD 1 (M Carey) Railway Union 1 (H de Burgh Whyte)
Hannah de Burgh Whyte’s penalty stroke eight minutes from time earned Railway Union a point, moving them further away from the danger zone while dropping UCD a further two points off the top two.

UCD started brightly with some nice moves from former Railway player Nina Heisterkamp before Sarah Hawkshaw started making her presence felt for the visitors.

The students were welcoming back Lena Tice following stints in New Zealand and Australia and she had a drag-flick saved by Carolyn Crampton. Tice also made the interception for the first goal in the 15th minute, setting Michelle Carey loose as she tipped the ball out of a couple of tackles before slipping the ball to Emma Young.

She returned the pass and Carey nicked the ball away from the last defender before finding the goal with her early shot. It remained that way through the second quarter as Niamh Carey and Amy Elliott made strong runs for either side. Railway were welcoming back Holly Jenkinson to the fold following the tag rugby World Cup.

They bossed the last quarter with UCD enduring numerous nervous moments, working hard to clear the danger with Clodagh Cassin making key saves.

From a corner, de Burgh Whyte’s powerful hit was parried by Cassin to injector Katie Fearon whose first rebound was blocked brilliantly by Tice on the line but the next phase fell to Elliott. Again, Tice blocked but with the body this time and de Burgh Whyte scored from the subsequent stroke.

Pegasus 1 (S McCay) Old Alex 0
Shirley McCay’s second-half goal sealed Pegasus a hard-fought 1-0 win over Old Alex and kept the Belfast side within goal difference of Loreto at the top of the EY Hockey League table.

The Ireland World Cup silver medallist was also a tower of strength in defence as her team coped well with the Dublin side when they threatened on the break. Pegasus have now lost just once in seven games – a record matched by leaders Loreto.

In a hugely entertaining contest in the late slot at the Dub, Lucy McKee had the first chance on 15 minutes when her shot ended up in the side netting.

Kate Gourley was next to threaten for the hosts but Ireland goalkeeper Pamela Smithwick pulled off a superb save from point-blank range.

McCay cracked in a set-piece two minutes after the restart for what proved to be the winner, her low sweep shot finding the corner of the net.

Smithwick kept her team in the game with another fabulous stop when she denied Michelle Harvey, who had looked certain to score from a couple of yards out in the 52nd minute after earlier thwarting Taite Doherty from close range.

McCay blotted her copy book when she was then yellow carded for dissent at the award of Alex’s only corner of the match but the visitors were unable to capitalise on their numerical advantage.

Cork Harlequins 1 (C Perdue) Muckross 0
Cork Harlequins jumped up to sixth place in the standings at Caoimhe Perdue’s first quarter goal was enough to see off bottom side Muckross 1-0 at Farmers’ Cross. The result – in tandem with those elsewhere – puts eight points between them and the relegation places with confidence high they can look up the table rather than over their shoulders.

Perdue scored following a bout of sustained pressure just before the end of the first quarter and that was all that came in the scoring stakes despite a lively tie. Olivia Roycroft had already gone close while Quins had four first half corners. At the far end, Becky Maye did well to keep Muckross at bay.

Ellie McLoughlin continued her fine form between the posts in the second half while Muckross could not take advantage of their first corner in the third quarter. Two more Quins corner went incomplete in the final quarter as they struggled to break down a stubborn opponent but they had their third win of the campaign in the bag.

The Hook



Loreto and Pegasus stretch their lead at top of Hockey League

UCD lose ground after Railway Union rally to level game, while Pembroke sink Ards

Mary Hannigan


Pegasus’ Shirley McCay in action for Ireland. McCay proved key in her club’s win over Old Alexandra, scoring the only goal of the game. Photograph: Joe Toth/Inpho
 
Loreto and Pegasus stretched their lead at the top of the Hockey League to four points over third-placed UCD on Saturday when they both picked up their sixth win of the campaign, with the students losing some ground after being held to a 1-1 draw by Railway Union. Pembroke Wanderers, meanwhile, moved up to fourth in the table with a 4-3 win away to Ards.

While Pegasus were made to toil for their victory over Old Alexandra in Belfast, Shirley McCay’s 37th-minute strike from a penalty corner the game’s only goal, Loreto cruised to a 5-1 win over Belfast Harlequins at Grange Road.

Liz Colvin briefly got Harlequins back in the game when she equalised against her former club after Sarah Clarke had given the home side an early lead, but it was all Loreto from then on. Sarah Torrans and Ali Meeke put them 3-1 up by the break, with Sarah Evans and Torrans again completing the scoring in the second half.
Fine performance

Railway produced a fine performance to take a point from their game against UCD at Belfield, Hannah de Burgh Whyte’s penalty stroke levelling the game after Michelle Carey had opened the scoring for the students who were boosted by the return of Lena Tice after her spell in New Zealand.

Ards managed to score more goals in their meeting with Pembroke than they had done in their previous six Hockey League outings combined, but it still wasn’t enough to take anything from the game. Laura Noble had the Dublin side 2-0 up by half-time, but a double from Emily Matchett, either side of Sinead Loughran’s third for Pembroke, made a game of it. Katie Jane Marshall, though, restored Pembroke’s two-goal advantage in the final quarter before Francesca Brown pulled one back for Ards.

Ards, then, remain at the bottom of the table level on a point with Muckross who ran Cork Harlequins close at Farmers Cross, but lost out in the end to a first quarter Caoimhe Perdue goal. The win was Harlequins’ first on home turf this season and lifts them up to sixth in the table.

The Irish Times



Scottish National League 1 leaders hold on to pole position



There’s no change at the top of the National League 1 tables; Grange remain top of the men`s with a 1-0 win over Watsonians, but in the women`s leaders Edinburgh University lost 1-0 at Clydesdale Western but still hold onto the number one spot on goal difference from Derek Forsyth`s charges.

Grange held on to pole position in Men’s National League 1 with a narrow single goal victory over neighbours Watsonians.

The first half finished goalless, Grange had most of the possession although Watsonians were dangerous on the counter-attack. The goal came in the second half, Hamish Imrie and Duncan Riddell combined to dispossess the Watsonians defence along their baseline leaving the latter to smash the ball into to the net for the winner.

Western Wildcats clawed their way into second spot with a six goal victory over Hillhead at Auchenhowie. Andrew McConnell gave the home side a two goal lead at the interval. The victory was sealed when Rob Harwood added a couple in the second half, McConnell completed his hat-trick and Fraser Calder finished the scoring.

However, Wildcats` coach Harry Dunlop praised his defence and keeper Gavin Sommerville for yet another shut-out.

Grove Menzieshill trail the Wildcats only on goal difference after their 5-0 win over Kelburne. Luke Cranney and Aidan McQuade from a penalty corner gave the Taysiders a two goal advantage at the interval. The goals continued in the second half through Olly James, Cameron Golden and Albert Rowling.

Uddingston advanced their cause with an 8-2 win over bottom side Gordonians, there were four strikes each for Brad Hughes and Paul Counsell.

In Clydesdale`s encounter with Edinburgh University at Titwood Ewan Fraser opened for the home side after a driving run from teenager Ben Galloway. The students pressed for the equaliser and were rewarded when Kevin Wong scored after a good move.

The `Dale survived University pressure and were down to ten players, but with eight minutes left Gordon Amour intercepted a pass, released a pass to Fraser who tipped the ball into the net for the winner.


Scottish League Division 1 match – GHK v Clydesdale Western – photo by Duncan Gray

In Women’s National League 1 Edinburgh University are now level on points with Clydesdale Western after the latter scored a 1-0 win over the champions at Titwood.

The difference between the sides was a first half strike by Fran Lonergan to keep the points at Titwood.

Wildcats kept in touch at the top with a single goal victory over Hillhead, it was a scrappy performance by the Auchenhowie side but Erin Stevens produced the winner in the second half.

Grove Menzieshill advanced their cause with a narrow 3-2 victory over GHK on Tayside.

In the first half Katherine Hill put the home side ahead only for Lynsey Waddell to level before the interval with a clinical finish.

Grove Menzieshill moved into a two goal lead in the second half through Ellie Stott and a penalty corner rebound from Lucy Smith. Carly Bisset pulled one back for the Glasgow side at a penalty corner but it was Grove Menzieshill who took the points.

Dundee Wanderers also kept up the pressure with a comfortable six goal win at Glasgow University.

Watsonians held on to fifth place with a 2-0 victory over bottom side Grange.  Lucy Lanigan opened the scoring for Watsonians with a reverse stick shot into the bottom corner, then Ellie MacKenzie doubled the tally with neat bit of individual skill and a composed finish.

Scottish Hockey Union media release



Telkom clinch historic league title

By AYUMBA AYODI and VINCENT OPIYO


Telkom coach Jos Openda (left) and captain Tracy Karanja lead Kenyan hockey queens in celebrations after they were presented with the trophy for winning the women’s 2017-18 Premier League on February 18, 2018 at City Park Stadium. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLLO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

Telkom have retained their women’s hockey Premier League title.

Telkom tossed to their record 19th consecutive cup success after second-placed Strathmore University's Scorpions were held to a goalless draw by Chase Amira on Sunday at City Park Stadium.

The draw means Telkom now have an unassailable lead of 33 points from 11 matches. Scorpions, who now have 28 points, have one match left against the record champions to end the season.

Scorpions needed to beat Amira so as to close in on Telkom and set up a potential title-decider on December 9 when the top two sides would clash in the season-ender.

Realistically, even if Scorpions were to win against Amira and Telkom, it could have been an uphill task to lift the title considering the huge goal difference set by Telkom.

Currently, Telkom have a goal difference of 58 against Strathmore’s 26. Therefore Scorpion would need to win with at least 32 goals margin to be crowned champions.

In the other women’s Premier League match, United States International University (USIU) crushed Sliders 3-0 to stay third but with an improved tally of 16 points. Veronica Maua and Beatrice Mbugua’s goals in the second quarter gave USIU a 2-0 lead at the break.

Then skipper Grace Akumu would seal the victory with the last quarter field goal.

On Saturday, Butali Sugar maintained their lead at the summit of the men’s hockey Premier League, stretching their tally to 54 points with a 2-0 win over Greensharks at City Park.

Merteen Fonteyn and Seth Oburu scored in quick succession in the 45th and 47th minutes respectively to hand Butali victory.

Butali lead defending champions Kenya Police by three points following Police’s 2-1 mid-week victory against Parkroad Badgers.

While Butali have two matches to go, Police have four matches to complete their season.

Nairobi Simba pulled away from the relegation zone when they made light work of visiting Nakuru thrashing them 5-0. Harvir Ghataure claimed a brace in the 12th and 30th minutes. Allan Iningu, Peter Nyambura also scored in the 20th and 24th minutes to give Simba a 4-0 lead at the break. Then Davis Wanangwe would seal the victory for Simba just a minute on resumption.

Simba climbed two places to seventh with 23 points.

Strathmore University's Gladiators captain Festus Onyango starred in their 2-1 win over Parkroad Badgers 2-1 at City Park on Sunday.

The Kenyan international scored on 23 and 36 minutes before Parkroad's Gordon Odwuor cancelled one from a penalty corner on 42 minutes.

Victory for Gladiators sends them fourth with 29 points while Badger drop to eighth following Simba's resounding win.

Daily Nation



Forget the big leagues, how strong really is hockey’s grass roots?

Todd Williams


How strong is grass roots to absorb any Olympic omission? PIC: clickinfocus.com.au

Three stories in the Australian sports media caught our columnist Todd Williams‘ eye in recent weeks – and they don’t paint the prettiest of hockey pictures

Firstly, The Herald Sun announced Hockey Australia’s plan to launch a “Big Bash” style league, after the regular winter season, to replace the current AHL.

Televised by Fox Sports, with international import players and his beloved rule modifications, Hockey Australia’s CEO Matt Favier described the new competition as an opportunity to “not only retain current fans, but engage new fans”.

A day later, ABC featured an interesting article about the struggles of basketball and football (soccer) on Australian TV. Despite those sports enormous grass roots participation (at least three and six times bigger than hockey respectively) and their big crowds, they are apparently drawing a blank when it comes to TV audiences.

Both basketball and soccer, just as hockey plans to do, already play their national leagues outside of the football (Aussie Rules, Rugby League and Rugby Union) dominated winter.

Yet, the two sports “are struggling to convert their enormous participation and encouraging live audiences into the kind of TV viewing figures that will, inevitably, provide the funds needed to underpin their sustainability and growth.”

Wow. It’s a tough gig when you can count your playing numbers in the hundreds of thousands, your crowds in the tens of thousands and people still won’t watch your game on telly.

The Australian then reported on the struggles of hockey in Australia at the grass roots level, which painted a concerning picture. Despite continuing to attract young players to the game, participation numbers are apparently on the small but steady decline – about one per cent a year.

Central to the problem is the challenge of retaining young players after they’ve been introduced to the game, with Favier explaining how the Australian government’s freeze on funding has made the journey for aspiring young players (and their parents), increasingly expensive.

These three stories seem to sum up hockey’s dilemma. A televised, top domestic league, spiced with Favier’s “celebratory moments” might help attract fans to the game, but will it attract the desperately needed sponsorship revenue to ease the burden on young players and their parents?

But isn’t the solution simple? Surely just stop spending so much on the elite and send it down to the clubs and their juniors?

Unfortunately it’s just not that easy and in defence of Hockey Australia and the other governing bodies around the world tied to government funding, it might be our beloved Olympics that are to blame.

The reality is that government funding, and in particular the significant sums that are allocated for Olympic programmes, are as much a poisoned chalice as a benefit. For all the help to infrastructure, talent development and the sport’s profile every four years is countered by the fact that the funding is based on the possibility of medal success ahead of the overall health of the sport.

Take the winter sport of skeleton in UK as an example. With three medals in Pyeongchang this year, the skeleton’s funding has been boosted from £6.5m to £7.2m leading up to Beijing. At a tick over £2m per medal though, that represents unbelievably good value for UK Sport when, for example, GB hockey’s £17m can only ever yield a maximum of two medals.

The “health” of skeleton though is a different matter. With not even a training track in Britain, skeleton has no domestic clubs or competition and not enough athletes to fill a sports hall.

Of course the incredible medal winners have provided huge inspiration, but anyone in the UK wanting to try the sport is more likely to end up in a sports hall playing basketball or badminton once they find out there isn’t a 1500m long, refrigerated track with a 100m vertical drop around the corner.

The real irony though is that basketball and badminton have had their Olympic funding from UK Sport almost completely cut as they have little or no Olympic medal-winning prospects.

Just like these sports, hockey in countries like Australia and GB have the same grass roots responsibilities. And whilst recent medals and current world rankings make their Olympic funding from the government reasonably secure, it’s the ever-present danger of the IOC dropping hockey altogether that has the funding finger perilously close to the trap door button.

But is losing Olympic funding the real danger facing hockey in those countries? Or is it possible that it’s the weight of the Olympic programmes at the top of the tree that are actually crushing the roots of hockey underneath?

Well, let’s look at some worrying symptoms. If, as The Australian states, participation numbers in Australia are declining at the same time that the game is becoming more expensive for junior and club players, then there’s clearly a problem.

Similarly, if you are one of those players whose fees are increasing but your club is still struggling to improve its pitches, clubhouse or coaching then things definitely aren’t moving forward.


Hockey in Australia and GB have the same grass roots responsibilities

And for talented young players, not only should the progress not cost you an arm and a leg, but you also want strong clubs offering good coaching and competition. That should then complement national junior programmes rather than them just using clubs as a source of raw product. The win-win of course is that this ensures that more players progress forward and that late bloomers, or less well-known players, aren’t discarded too early.

For the same reasons, you also want to see a top domestic league with standards getting as close to the international programmes as possible. In Holland for example, the 12 men’s and women’s Hoofdklasse club teams enable well over 200 players of either gender to be training at least five times a week.

In Australia, the eight AHL teams effectively create a pool of between 130 and 160 players who train at least twice as much as players train in local club teams. Top Hoofdklasse games or AHL finals matches are consequently not a million miles away from the standard of a regular international. Please watch them on YouTube if you don’t believe me.

So, just imagine the impossible for a second and the IOC somehow drops hockey tomorrow and the Olympic funding goes with it.

How strong is the game at your grass roots level to absorb the shock?

Is your national association able to move into the world that netball and rugby league live in or would it be more like the financial crisis of 2008 where the chase for profit ignored the need for stability and sent the whole world into crisis?

If you’re worried that it’s the latter, then join the club.

The Hockey Paper



No. 1 UNC field hockey wins National Championship with a 2-0 win over Maryland

By Chris Hilburn-Trenkle


Head coach Karen Shelton celebrates with the UNC field hockey team after a 5-2 win against Michigan during the second round of the NCAA Tournament Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018 in Karen Shelton Stadium. Emily Caroline Sartin

The No. 1 North Carolina field hockey team completed a perfect season on Sunday afternoon at Trager Stadium in Louisville, Ky., with a 2-0 shutout over No. 2 Maryland in the 2018 National Championship.

With goals from junior forward Megan DuVernois and first-year forward Erin Matson, the Tar Heels captured their first national title since 2009.

What happened?

UNC (23-0, 6-0 ACC) faced Maryland in the National Championship for the first time since 2011 and both sides got off to a slow start.

Less than five minutes into the match, the Tar Heels were awarded a penalty corner, but failed to capitalize. After 15 minutes of play, neither side had yet scored, with UNC holding a 1-0 shot advantage.

In the 21st minute, UNC struck first. DuVernois fired off a shot on a pass from sophomore forward Meredith Sholder that found the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.

Less than 12 minutes remaining in the first half, the Terrapins garnered their first corner of the match. However, the team failed to get a shot off, thanks to strong play from the Tar Heel defense.

Just a few minutes remaining in the first half in the 31st minute, Matson added her name to the score sheet with her team-high 20th goal of the season. The score held heading into halftime.

The Terrapins failed to score in the second half thanks to the play of the Tar Heel defense and sophomore goalkeeper Amanda Hendry. UNC recorded six saves in the second half to preserve the 2-0 victory and win the national title.

Who stood out?

DuVernois scored what wound up being the game-winning goal, her ninth of the season. Sholder added her sixth assist of the campaign on the strike.

Matson scored her team-leading 20th goal in 23 games this season and provided the insurance for her team.

When was it decided?

Although the goal from DuVernois gave the Tar Heels the lead, Matson sealed the victory with her strike. Having only conceded 16 goals all season, the UNC defense showed why it's so dominant by failing to allow a goal from Maryland.

Why does it matter?

Head coach Karen Shelton's squad clinched its first National Championship since 2009 in the team's 10th consecutive Final Four. It is the program's seventh national title and the conclusion to a 23-0 season.

The Daily Tar Heel



Maryland field hockey loses 2nd straight national title game, 2-0, to UNC

After not taking a shot in the first half, the Terps controlled possession after halftime but couldn’t chip into the Tar Heel lead

By Lila Bromberg


The Maryland field hockey team breaks it down after their match against Albany at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex. (Andi Wenck/The Diamondback)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Maryland field hockey midfielder Brooke DeBerdine hung her head as the clock hit zero in the 2018 national championship. Other players slowly walked off the Trager Stadium field heartbroken for the second consecutive year.

In 2017, after a rocky season, the Terps got hot in the NCAA tournament before falling to UConn with the title on the line.

Before the beginning of the 2018 season, Maryland’s team captains had a meeting where they vowed to return to the national championship game and, this time, leave as national champions.

This year, Maryland was one of the best teams in the nation all season, earning the No. 2-seed in the tournament and reaching the title game again with a chance at redemption. But the Terps ran into undefeated No. 1-seed North Carolina with the national championship on the line and came up one win short of their goal Sunday, losing 2-0.

“It’s obviously pretty upsetting,” midfielder Madison Maguire said. “You work all year round and all spring just to get here, you know, but I think our performance in the second half really showed our heart and how we wanted to play for the seniors.”

Maryland had squeaked past its previous two opponents, but the team looked stronger in the opening minutes against the Tar Heels than it had against Princeton in the semifinals Friday. The Terps appeared to have a goal less than three minutes into the contest, but officials waved it away because the ball was hit on the wrong side of the stick.

The Terps and Tar Heels went back and forth in possession in the earlygoing, but North Carolina started to dominate in the middle of the field towards the end of the half and scored two consecutive goals to put Maryland in a hole.

“We went into the game saying this is just another Sunday,” Tar Heel midfielder Ashley Hoffman said. “And this team wins on Sundays.”

The second goal came while Maryland was down a player, with DeBerdine out of play on a green card. North Carolina’s Erin Matson forced a Maryland turnover, dribbled the ball into the circle and took a shot, which goalkeeper Sarah Holliday initially saved. But Matson grabbed the rebound and lifted a shot over Holliday to double the UNC lead.

After going the whole first half without a shot, the Terps notched eight in the first 18 minutes of the second, desperate to slim their deficit. Maryland had multiple opportunities to score, including four penalty corners and a man-up chance, but couldn’t convert amidst stellar play from goalkeeper Amanda Hendry, who completed her fourth shutout this year, and the team’s 10th.

“We were just so dominant and just played our heart out there, every minute, every play,” defender Bodil Keus said. "We don’t give up, never, and you can see that through the second half. We just need to do that next time in the first half.”

Maryland outshot the Tar Heels, 9-8, behind the nine-shot second half, and the team was proud of that effort, even if it came in a loss.

“North Carolina has had an incredible season,” coach Missy Meharg said. “To go undefeated and come into a match like this and be outshot and out-cornered is a great testament to Maryland.”

But after struggling in the quarterfinals and semifinals, Meharg’s squad couldn’t knock off the best team in the nation, settling for second place — again.

“We’ll get 'em next year,” Maguire said.

Just like last year.

The Diamondback

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