News 07 March 2014
All the news for Friday 7 March 2014
GB men training in France
Match 2
Following a goal drought yesterday France and Great Britain made up for it in match two today, scoring six goals between them before the final whistle. Once again there was nothing to separate the two sides as they battled to another draw.
It was a much brighter opening from Great Britain and with three goals scored inside 21 minutes it seemed like the match would only go in one direction as France struggled to compete with the intensity levels demonstrated by the visitors.
Wimbledon’s Phil Roper scored his first goal for Great Britain in the fifth minute with a reverse stick effort from 10 yards out after Ben Arnold had made a driving run into the danger area to slip the ball to Roper.
Great Britain continued to put the pressure on France causing their defence problems. In the 13th minute an excellent team move down the right resulted in the ball being driven onto a French foot in the circle and Reading’s Nick Catlin seized on the advantage played by the Belgian umpire to tap the ball home from close range.
Catlin only had to wait another eight minutes before he secured his brace; this time his goal came from a Great Britain penalty corner. The corner initially broke down at the top of the circle when the ball was mis-trapped, but Catlin was waiting wide left to receive the resulting pass and he made no mistakes as he smashed the ball into the far corner past the French goalkeeper.
Great Britain might have started to think they had the victory secured at three goals in, but a determined French side came back into the game with renewed vigour and pulled three goals back to earn the draw. Their first goal came just before the break in the 30th minute for Guillaume Deront from a deflected penalty corner and then following the break they scored twice in two minutes.
An unmarked Simon Martin-Brisac got the first from close range as Great Britain were punished for some slack defending and Hugo Genestet scored just two minutes later, again from close range, after a wide ball was fired in across England’s circle to the far post.
Speaking after the second game Great Britain Head Coach Bobby Crutchley said, “It was a much improved performance from us today with a greater intensity in our attacking play and overall we should have won the game. Slack defending at the start of the second half cost us and although we created some good chances later in the game we weren’t able to convert them into goals.”
“I was pleased to be able to name [Holcombe’s] Dan Fox to be captain for these two matches in the absence of Barry [Middleton]. Dan’s leadership skills in the group have been clear for some time, even when he’s not captain, and he has qualities that I know both the players and coaching staff really value.”
Great Britain 3 (3)
Phil Roper 5 (FG)
Nick Catlin 13, 21 (FG, FG)
France 3 (1)
Guillaume Deront 30 (PC)
Simon Martin-Brisac 43 (FG)
Hugo Genestet 45 (FG)
Started:
Patrick Smith – GB debut
Michael Hoare
Ollie Willars
Dan Fox
Henry Weir
Andy Bull
Nick Catlin
Chris Grassick
Phil Roper
Tom Carson
Ben Arnold
Substitutes used:
Alastair Brogdon
David Condon
David Beckett
Tim Whiteman
Dan Coultas
Did not play:
James Bailey
England Hockey Board Media release
Malaysia rout Canada
Malacca seems to be a happy hunting ground for national striker Faizal Saari.
Two years after stamping his mark in the Junior Asia Cup, Faizal turned on his magic yet again, this time scoring a hattrick in Malaysia's 6-2 win over Canada in a friendly ahead of the 23rd edition of the Azlan Shah Cup.
Faizal opened scoring for Malaysia in the 5th minute but Canada were back on level terms the very next minute through Hudson Stewart.
But after that the floodgates opened as Malaysia added goals via Ramadhan Rosli ( 21st minute), Mohd Marhan Jalil ( 32nd minute), Faizal ( 42nd and 51st minutes).
Canada reduced the deficit through Ian Smythe in the 56th but Rashid Bahrom completed the rout, finding the mark a minute from time.
The next friendly will be on Saturday.
Sultan Azlan Shah Cup site
Easy for Malaysia in warm-up match
MALAYSIA got off to a great start in a warm-up leading to the Azlan Shah Cup, which will be held in Ipoh on March 13-23, when they beat Canada 6-2.
Coach K. Dharmaraj's men who had just returned from Perth where they played six matches, losing 5-1, 7-1, 9-0 and 2-0 to a mixed national side, lost 4-2 to a Western Australian side and drew 3-3 against Australian Institute of Sports.
Yesterday, playing at the Malacca Stadium, the Malaysian goalscorers were Faizal Saari (10th, 42nd, 51st), Ramadhan Rosli (21st), Marhan Jalil (32nd) and Rashid Baharom (69th).
In the Azlan Shah Cup, silver medallists Malaysia will be up against defending champions Australia (who will be gunning for their eighth title), South Korea, South Africa, Canada and China.
AZLAN SHAH CUP -- March 13: Australia v China (6pm), South Africa v Malaysia (8pm).
March 14: South Korea v Canada (6pm), China v South Africa (8pm).
March 15: REST DAY.
March 16: Australia v Canada (6pm), South Korea v Malaysia (8pm).
March 17: South Africa v Australia (4pm), China v South Korea (6pm), Malaysia v Canada (8pm).
March 18: REST DAY.
March 19: Canada v South Africa (6pm), Malaysia v China (8pm).
March 20: Canada v China (6pm), South Korea v Australia (8pm).
March 21: REST DAY.
March 22: Australia v Malaysia (6pm), South Africa v South Korea (8pm).
New Straits Times
Faizal's hat-trick gives Malaysia 6-2 victory over Canada
By Percy D’Cruz
MALACCA: Faizal Shaari scored a hat-trick to lead Malaysia to a 6-2 win in the first of three hockey friendlies against Canada at the at the Bukit Serendit Hockey Stadium in Malacca.
Malaysia drew first blood in the fifth minute when Faizal latched on to a long pass from the right flank to shoot past Canadian goalkeeper David Carter.
Canada drew level two minutes later when the unmarked Hudson Stewart slot past Malaysia goalkeeper Azrul Faiz.
Ramdan Rosli made it 2-1 for the homesters in the 21st minute and another field goal by Jalil Marhan gave Malaysia a 3-1 lead at the break.
Faizal fired in two goals, including one from a penalty corner set-piece, in the 42nd and 51st minutes to complete his hat-trick and put Malaysia 5-1 ahead with the game beyond reach for Canada.
Nevertheless, the visitors pulled a goal back through Ian Smythe in the 56th minute but Rashid Baharom wrapped up the big win for Malaysia with a field goal in the final minute of play.
Canada and Malaysia will meet again on Saturday at 8.30pm, followed by the final encounter at 6pm on Sunday before leaving for Ipoh on Monday to participate in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup from March 13-23.
The Star of Malaysia
Place in final a cinch for duo
MILO CUP: Thunderbolts and Young Guns set to square off for title after big wins on Wednesday
By JUGJET SINGH
SSTMI Thunderbolts are set to play UniKL Young Guns in the Milo Cup final on Sunday, after both sides registered thumping wins in the first leg of the semi-finals on Wednesday.
Thunderbolts zapped Olak-PKT 6-1, while UniKL beat Petaling Jaya City Council 5-2 to virtually turn the second leg semi-finals into warm-ups before the title clash on Sunday.
Thunderbolts will be gunning for their double, while UniKL will be out to make amends for their 4-1 defeat to Thunderbolts in the League.
However, UniKL have improved much since then as even though they could only edge PJCC 2-1 in the League, there was a better performance from the university side in the first leg semi-finals.
UniKL manager Faiz Isa said the battle is only half won as they still have 70 minutes to play, and he knows that in hockey things can change in the blink of an eye.
PJCC need to score an early goal if they harbour hopes of making a comeback and Faiz said the coaching staff of UniKL are well aware of this.
"That is why we need to hit them first because if we allow them to score, it might give them the much needed boost," said Faiz.
"We cannot allow them to take control of the second leg and at the same time must make our chances count."
For Thunderbolts, it will just be another 70 minutes of hockey in the second leg as their minds are already on Sunday's final.
"We have a healthy lead and I cannot see us losing it. So, what we need to do is go through the motions and look forward to the final on Sunday," said coach Wan Roslan Rahman.
Olak-PKT have had a dream run thus far and their coach-and-manager combination of S. Sivabalan and Joseph de Silva should be proud of the exploits of their players.
"We made many errors in the first leg but we are not going to give them a free ride into the final," said coach Sivabalan.
TODAY -- S-finals 2nd leg: SSTMI Thunderbolts (6) v Olak-PKT (1) (5pm); UniKL Young Guns (5) v Petaling Jaya City Council (2) (5pm).
Matches at Pitch I and II of National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
New Straits Times
Another Thunderbolt-UniKL final on the cards
By S. Ramaguru
Can anyone stop the SSTMI-Thunderbolt machine from winning the MJHL overall title as they are certain to meet UniKL in the final on Friday?
KUALA LUMPUR: It is going to be a fifth successive final between SSTMI-Thunderbolt and Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) in the MHC-Milo-NSC Malaysian Junior Hockey League (MJHL).
Only a major upset can prevent the duo, who have acquired comfortable cushions after the first leg semi-finals, from reaching Sunday’s showdown for the overall title.
Thunderbolt thumped Olak-PKT 6-1 while UniKL beat Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) 5-2 on Wednesday.
Going by the scorelines, Friday’s return leg of the semi-finals should be mere formalities.
UniKL won the double on their MJHL debut in 2010. But from 2011 onwards, Thunderbolt have ruled the roost.
Despite holding the advantage, UniKL are not planning on easing off in the return leg.
Team manager Mohd Faiz Isa has two concerns going into the match.
“Firstly, we need to keep winning ... maintaining that momentum is vital at this stage,” said Faiz.
The other concern is warning cards. Mohd Hafif Elkan is suspended for the return leg but will be available for the final.
However, five others are in danger of missing the final if they collect a green card on Friday.
“We may give them a longer rest but it depends ...,” said Faiz.
The five in danger of suspension are Nor Azrul Rahman, Mohd Shahfirul Aqmal, Wan Mohd Hazrul, Ahmad Ashraf Alias and Mohd Rahimi Iskandar.
Rahimi, however, is nursing an injury he picked up in the first leg and is a doubtful starter.
MBPJ will be depleted as well because Mohd Khairul Adha and Zul Pidaus Mizuin are suspended.
Team manager Zainal Abidin Ismail admitted that it won’t be easy to overcome the three-goal deficit.
“We aim to get early goals to reduce the deficit. Only then can we try and salvage the match,” he said.
Thunderbolt, on the other hand, can play their reserves and still walk off winners in what is expected to be another high scoring game.
The Star of Malaysia
Double delight for KZN Inland at South African indoor hockey interprovincial
JONATHAN COOK
THERE was much for KwaZulu-Natal fans to savour as their men’s and women’s teams excelled at the interprovincial indoor hockey tournament on the University of KZN and Durban University of Technology courts this past weekend.
The weekend was especially sweet for KZN Inland, who beat KZN Coastal Raiders in both the men’s and women’s finals to retain the titles won in Cape Town in 2012 and Pietermaritzburg last year.
The Inland men have now won the indoor IPT nine times in the last 11 years and the women are two from two. While it’s two titles in a row for the Inland ladies, the Inland men have won the men’s title five times in a row.
The victories cemented Inland’s position as the heartland of indoor hockey in South Africa and must have given much pleasure to the appointed coaches over the years, Brian Edwards (women) and Charlie Pereira (men) who have both coached and played at the highest level in the outdoor form of the sport as well as having been very good players in the South African context and pretty nifty, too, when it comes to indoor techniques and tactics.
Day three saw the finals and classification matches take place, and in the men’s semi-finals Raiders had a hard-fought 7-4 win over the big province of Southern Gauteng while Inland enjoyed a 6-2 defeat of the biggest hockey province in the country, Western Province.
The men’s final saw Inland shade Raiders 4-3 in a titanic struggle.
In the women’s competition’s semi-finals, Raiders beat their “B” side, KZN Coastal Mynahs, 4-0 while Inland outplayed Namibia 4-0.
The women’s final was a tense affair with Inland scraping past Raiders 2-1.
While there were some landslide victories for the Inland and Raiders men’s sides, there were also some close contests, namely Inland’s 5-4 defeat of Southern Gauteng in a Pool match, and Raiders’ 7-4 victory over Western Province.
Amongst the other KZN men’s teams, KZN Mynahs beat Namibia 5-4 for fifth place while Inland B ended eighth after losing to Eastern Gauteng A 6-2.
The women’s semis were relatively straightforward for Inland and Raiders. The Raiders beat Mynahs 4-0 and Inland accounted for Namibia 4-0.
In the playoffs outside the final, Namibia beat KZN Mynahs 4-3 for fourth spot and Inland B were giant-killers in beating Southern Gauteng 5-3 to end in fifth place.
TITLE WINNERS
KZN Inland women: Taryn de Winnaar, Tracy Martens, Tracy Bestall, Eloise Walters, Amy Greaves, Carla Botha, Natalie Esteves, Lyndal Robertson, Lauren Stone.
KZN Inland men: Ryan Gray, Chris McCathie, Justin Domleo, Simon Johnson, Grant von Mayer, Travis Hardnick, Lloyd de Kock, Gavin Jelley, Ayden Shrives, Kegan Walters.
TEAM CLASSIFICATION
Men: 1 KwaZulu-Natal Inland, 2 KZN Raiders, 3 Western Province, 4 Southern Gauteng, 5 KZN Mynahs, 6 Namibia, 7 Eastern Gauteng, 8 KZN Inland B, 9 Eastern Gauteng B, 10 Mpumalanga.
Women: 1 KZN Inland, 2 KZN Raiders, 3 Namibia, 4 KZN Mynahs, 5 KZN Inland B, 6 Southern Gauteng, 7 Eastern Gauteng, 8 Eastern Gauteng B.
* The recently announced FIH men’s world indoor rankings has South Africa nowhere to be seen in the top rung and places the European countries at the top of the pile, not altogether surprising considering the amount of time spent indoors in less sunny climes than SA, which means the Europeans play a lot more indoor – as well as being geographically in a perfect position compared to SA to play a lot more Test matches - and consequently have many opportunities to hone their game and improve their rankings.
The Australian men and women break the northern hemisphere barrier – not altogether surprising considering what an all-round great hockey nation Australia is; an enviably funded programme no doubt a major contributor to their success.
The SA men are ranked 24th in the world with the top 10 featuring Germany, Poland, Austria, Russia, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Canada, England, Australia and Spain in that order – and remarkably, Iran in 11th place.
The FIH women’s indoor world rankings appear to only go to number 12 and SA is not featured. Amongst southern hemisphere countries the well-funded Australians and Argentines – and, rather surprisingly, Uruguay - break the mould.
The top 12 in descending order: Germany, Netherlands, Belarus, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, Spain, Australia, Argentina, Uruguay, Scotland.
SA Hockey Association media release
Himachal beat J&K by solitary goal
Lucknow, - Bihar, Uttarakhand, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Himachal Pradesh made winning starts to their campaign in the fourth Hockey India Senior Men National Championship at Major Dhyan Chand Hockey Stadium.
Himachal Pradesh beat Jammu and Kashmir by a solitary goal to make a winning start to their campaign. Himachal Pradesh took the lead dominated in the first half with the help of Sanwar Ali's field goal in the 34th minute.
But Jammu and Kashmir fought back and leveled the scores through Amrinder Singh's field goal at the 41st minute. Rajesh Kumar converted a penalty corner in the 46th minute to seal the match in HP’s favour.
Meanwhile, Bihar went all out againt Gujarat from the very beginning. However, it was Gujarat who drew the first blood through Krushsingh Zala in the ninth minute.
But Bihar came back strongly and scored through Md Reyazuddin (11th), Naveenminz (14th) and Mangra Bhengra (21st) to take a sizeable 3-1 lead in the first half. Gujarat played a defensive game in the second half but could not stop Bihar's Naveenminz from scoring another goal at 40th minute to wrap up the game. In another match, Uttarakhand thrashed Goa 4-0. Prakash Mehra scored two goals for Uttarakhand at 23rd and 49th minutes. Captain Maheshwar Negi (28th) and Kailash Jalal (56th) were the other goal-getters for the winners.
In the third match of the day, SSB had to toil hard to beat Rajasthan 2-1.
Rajasthan took the lead in the first half through Purshotam Bagdi's penalty corner conversion in the 22nd minute.
The Tribune
Hockey India League a boon for Indian players
Bharat Sharma
Few would disagree that the two-year-old Hockey India League is a step in the right direction. But for it to make Indian hockey vibrant and regain its past glory, it still has some catching up to do.
The initiative has done a fair bit to raise the profile of the game, what with the world's top stars playing alongside budding domestic talent. The sport has gained some visibility with fans flocking to the stadiums and television simultaneously catching more and more eyeballs.
It is more true in the case of smaller venues like Ranchi and Bhubaneshwar, which saw capacity crowds even as capital Delhi continued to disappoint. Ironically, it is the Delhi franchise Delhi Waveriders that won the HIL-2 championship in Ranchi last week.
For the greenhorns of Indian hockey, the league is still work in progress. Matching the pace and fitness of players from Germany, Holland and Australia obviously will take some more time but they have done well to adapt to the work ethic of the overseas players.
"Now the boys know to what to eat and how to look after their fitness even when they are not playing. Not like the old times, where they came back from training and gorged on aaloo paranthas. Staying with foreigners has also been an education for these players," HIL boss Narinder Batra told IANS.
It is no surprise that foreign recruits get the bulk of fat cheques while most Indians use the platform to hone their skills and make the national team.
The tournament also gives sidelined players a chance to prove themselves on the big stage.
Drag-flicker Sandeep Singh, who moved to Punjab Warriors from Mumbai Magicians, ended as the highest-scorer in HIL for the second year in a row. The effort was enough for him to be picked among the 33 probables for the World Cup in the Netherlands in May-June.
Right-half Gurbaj Singh too has returned to the national fold after an impressive showing for the Waveriders. So has once WSH rebel Vikram Kanth, who will be part of the national camp after four years.
Increasing the number of teams from five to eight by 2016, as planned by the organisers, will further enhance the quality of the league.
As an international umpire pointed out on a flight from Ranchi to Delhi, the presence of more Germans and Dutch would be a welcome development.
Olympic champions Germany are considered tactical masters and India should be looking at a German coach to see if he can make a difference.
DNA
Injury rules Fuerste out of Rabobank Hockey World Cup
Recurring ligament problem strikes German superstar
(Photo: Frank Uijlenbroek)
The 2012 FIH player of the year Moritz Fürste has been ruled out of the Rabobank Hockey World Cup, which is taking place in The Hague in 31 May to 15 June this year. The influential German has torn his posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) during a training session in South Africa, where the German men's team are preparing for the World Cup.
Messages of support and commiseration have been flooding in via Twitter to the 29-year-old. He replied under the hashtag 'nevergiveup' "Woke up and realised that it is just another day. Thank you so much for everyone supporting me… it helps a lot." Speaking to the online sports magazine Sportschau, German coach Markus Weise said: "This is obviously very depressing for all of us,".
It is not the first time that Fürste has suffered with ligament problems. He had a similar injury in 2011, but recovered in time to play a crucial role in Germany's Olympic victory at London 2012.
Germany, who are playing in group B in the World Cup, face South Africa in their opening match on 1 June.
FIH site
Youth Olympic Games Qualifying Tournament, 8-11 March 2014
A nine-man Australian Under 18 squad will compete at the Youth Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Vanuatu from 8-11 March 2014.
It will be the first time that Australia has competed at any level in an official international Hockey5s tournament. Endorsed by the International Hockey Federation (FIH), Hockey5s is the officially sanctioned complementary version of the sport featuring fewer players and simpler rules than hockey’s traditional 11-a-side version.
The Australian team will be looking to qualify for the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China, which take place 16-28 August. To do so they must finish in the top two of the four team qualifying tournament taking place in Port Vila. If successful, they will join talented young athletes from other sports as part of the Australian Olympic Committee’s 90-strong delegation to the Youth Olympic Games.
The round-robin format will see Australia meet Fiji, New Zealand and Vanuatu. The top two sides – which will both be guaranteed a place at the Youth Olympic Games - will play off in the final with third and fourth also playing off against one another.
Should Australia qualify for the Youth Olympic Games a further selection process will be undertaken for that squad at the U18 National Championships in Canberra in April.
Fixtures & Results
Sat. 8 March Local AEDT AWST
2:30pm 2:30pm 11:30am New Zealand v Fiji
3:45pm 3:45pm 12:45pm Australia v Vanuatu
Sun. 9 March Local AEDT AWST
2:30pm 2:30pm 11:30am Fiji v Vanuatu
3:45pm 3:45pm 12:45pm Australia v New Zealand
Mon. 10 March Local AEDT AWST
2:30pm 2:30pm 11:30am Australia v Fiji
3:45pm 3:45pm 12:45pm New Zealand v Vanuatu
Tues. 11 March Local AEDT AWST
10:00am 10:00am 7:00am Third v Fourth
1:00pm 1:00pm 10:00am First v Second
Australian U18 squad
James Benetti (Perth, WA) Defender
Simon Benetti (Perth, WA) Defender
Isaac Farmillo (Tamworth, NSW) Forward
Danny Fletcher (Brisbane, QLD) Midfielder
Sean Gibbs (Mackay, QLD) Midfielder
Tim Howard (Wakerley, QLD) Midfielder
Kurt Lovett (Parkes, NSW) Forward
Andrew Scanlon (Werribee, VIC) Defender
Hayden Walker (Perth, WA) Goalkeeper
Oceania Hockey Website
Key features of Hockey5s and significant differences to 11-a-side format
• Five players on each side as opposed to traditional 11-a-side. Up to four rolling substitutes.
• Smaller pitch (55m long x 41.7m wide) played across a half of a full-sized pitch. Boundary boards keep the ball in play along the sidelines and backline.
• Matches last 36 minutes comprising three periods of 12 minutes (this tournament only - usually 15mins) with two minute breaks between periods – as opposed to 70 minutes comprising two 35 minute halves in 11-a-side.
• No shooting circle / ‘D’. Goals may be scored from anywhere on the pitch and by any team member, including goalkeepers who may score with their stick.
• Penalty corners replaced by a ‘challenge’, a one-on-one contest between an attacker and the defending goalkeeper within the new ‘11 metre’ area.
• There must always be a winner. In the event of a tie after 45 minutes a two minute period of ‘golden goal’ extra time is played with each side removing a player for that period. In the event that a golden goal is not scored after two minutes’ play, another two minutes are played and another player removed by each team. This continues until a goal is scored.
Hockey Australia media release
Fiji Hockey sets sight on Nanjing games
Arin Kumar
The U18 girls and boys hockey teams with their new uniform and carry bags given by JR White on Wednesday. The team left for Vanuatu yesterday. Picture: JONE LUVENITOGA
NATIONAL under-18 girls hockey team captain Lala Ravatu is confident her team will compete in the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Nanjing, China, later this year.
The boys and girls teams departed for Vanuatu yesterday where they will compete in the YOG Oceania Qualifiers in Port Vila.
Ravatu said they would have to beat either New Zealand or hosts Vanuatu to qualify for the games.
Last month, it was revealed Samoa and Papua New Guinea had pulled out of the women's competition which has made Fiji's path to Nanjing even easier.
"The two top placed countries from this qualifier will compete at the YOG," Ravatu said.
"This means we would need to win only one game to qualify, so we are confident of beating Vanuatu and it's only New Zealand we are a little worried about."
Ravatu said a win against New Zealand was possible.
"Our aim is also to beat New Zealand. But China is a must for us."
Girls team vice-captain Adi Mateiwai Naselesele is the only one from outside of Viti Levu in the squad.
She is representing the birth place of hockey in Fiji — Levuka.
"It's been long, hockey started there (Levuka) and I am so blessed being a national rep and representing my town and my country," Naselesele said.
Boys team captain Amenatave Sam Veitamana said they were confident of a good outing against Australia and New Zealand.
"There's a lot of excitement and a lot of adrenalin going through the boys right now and to represent Fiji in Vanuatu makes us feel strong-hearted and we are sure to come back with a victory," he said.
The Fiji Times
Congratulations to the Crowned US Under-19 NIT Champions
With the clatter of balls bounding off of side-boards, cheers of victory and sighs of defeat at the final buzzer silenced, the second weekend of the 2014 US National Indoor Tournament, presented by YOLO Sportswear, wrapped up on Sunday after three days of exciting competition. The event gathered more than 1,200 field hockey enthusiasts to Richmond, Va. with all of the action being held at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. The top 120 Under-19 clubs in the country battled it out on eight courts for bragging rights and polished medals.
“The Under-19 athletes always bring fierce competition and a high-level of hockey to the courts, and it was exciting to watch their passion for the sport,” said Karen Collins, USA Field Hockey’s Director of Event and Logistics. “Thank you to all who made this event possible, especially the staff of the Greater Richmond Convention Center. We look forward to the upcoming Under-16 tournament.”
As the largest stage for indoor hockey, the weekend pitted old rivals against one another and brought forth new faces. Sunday proved to be action packed as pool play rounded out and teams gave their all in the hopes of being crowned victors. WC Eagles, with an event-high four teams claiming medals, retained its titles in Pools A and F, while newcomer Nook Hockey claimed its first Under-19 title in Pool I.
This year’s event included one more pool than in 2013, allowing more competitors to stake their claim. Acting as further proof for the growth of the sport, a wide variety of clubs were draped with medals, where in previous years only a few clubs dominated the podium.
USA Field Hockey sends our congratulations to this year’s winners who earned the top spots in each pool!
Congratulations to the following winners:
A – WC Eagles I
B – High Styx Stampede
C – WC Eagles II
D – Xcalibur Dragons
E – H2O Pink
F – WC Eagles IX
G – Key State Styx
H – Firestyx Styxfire
I – Nook Hockey Green
J – PA Mavericks
K – Xcalibur Liberty
L – FSC Falcons Black
M – WC Eagles III
N – Mystx Sonics
O – FC United White
The National Indoor Tournament for Under-16 Girls, Under-17 Boys, Adult Men and Adult Women will be held next weekend, March 7-9 at the Convention Center in Virginia Beach, Va. An estimated 1,200 athletes will compete in the upcoming event.
USFHA media release
Colin Hutchinson Tribute Upon Retirement
by Warren McCully
Top Irish umpire, Colin Hutchinson recently retired from international hockey having reached the current age limit of 47 for umpires. During a highly successful career which saw him reach 100 international caps and the very peak of the umpiring ladder, he represented Ireland and Irish umpiring with great honour.
Colin’s interest in hockey began at an early age as a pupil at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution. He went on to play club hockey at Instonians Hockey Club prior to entering the world of umpiring at the age of 26. Like many umpires before him, his early introduction in umpiring started off in the lower levels of club hockey before steadily progressing ‘up the ladder.’ Through hard work and dedication Colin became an established Ulster and Irish Panel Umpire which eventually culminated in him becoming one of the top umpires in the world.
Colin has umpired at various tournaments around the world including the Junior World Cup in Hobart 2001, the Asian Games in Busan 2002 and the European Nations in Barcelona 2003, Manchester 2007 and Amsterdam 2009. Many of you would have seen him perform in the EHL KO16’s and Final 4 in recent years. However, some of the real highlights of his career have been his achievements in world hockey’s highest profile tournaments, such as the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne 2006, the World Cup in Delhi 2010 and the London Olympics in 2012.
Current Ireland Vice-President and former World Cup and Olympic umpire, Richard Kendrick, had this to say about Colin’s career, “Colin has represented Irish Hockey all over the world with great distinction. I have had the privilege of umpiring with him in the past, seeing him in many of the tournaments listed above, especially enjoying watching his first Olympic match in London 2012 (Belgium v Germany). He has always been a great credit to himself and to umpiring. Success at the very highest level only comes with ability, determination and commitment and Colin has consistently shown all these traits. His commitment to the game of hockey is well illustrated by the time he gives to umpiring in Ulster, where he serves on their umpiring selection and other committees and the help he gives to other umpires at all levels through coaching and grading, as well as, accepting appointments to any level of game. All this while having a busy work life and trying to keep the right balance for his family. Colin may have retired from umpiring at international level he is still making a fine contribution to the game in Ireland. I am delighted to have been asked to help recognise his many achievements.”
Warren McCully, Chair of the Irish Hockey Umpires Association added, “I fully endorse Richard’s comments and on behalf of all our members I would like to congratulate Colin on a highly successful umpiring career, particularly at international level. He is a hugely respected umpire and we are proud to have had him represent Irish umpiring at some of the most prestigious tournaments in world hockey. Hopefully, he will continue to umpire at a national level for a few years yet!”
Written for Irish Hockey by Warren McCully
Irish Hockey Association media release
Luis Ciancia, a revolution in Argentinean Hockey
Tribute to Luis Ciancia from his friends and hockey family
By Alberto "Coco" Budeisky, PAHF President
When talking about Luis Ciancia you will immediately think about High performance, and that special point of view that allowed Luis to read and adapt to the coming changes of our sport, using these changes to achieve excellence.
Luis will remain in his friends and players heart. Straight forward and loyal, he was the leader of the project that boosted “The Leonas” to the top. He appointed the young Coach, Sergio Vigil and quickly achieved results; “the Leonas” got a place in Utrecht World Cup in 1998, Silver Medal in 200 Olympic games in Sydney, gained the title in Perth World Cup in 2002 and Bronze in Athens in 2004.
Luis was also credited for his great and passionate job with Argentinean Men’s national Team; one of his dearest memories.
Luis was a player at San Fernando Club, Coach of Argentinean Men’s National team, Argentinean Head Coach, leader of the project of Lomas, San Fernando, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Quilmes Athletic, Banco Provincia and CASI hockey teams. Abroad he shared his hockey knowledge in Chile, Spain and Portugal.
Luis Ciancia left behind an important hockey legacy. His hockey family will miss him.
Farewell dear friend!
Alberto ”Coco” Budeisky
President PAHF
Pan American Hockey Federation media release
A fond farewell to an Argentine hockey legend
FIH President Leandro Negre pays his own, moving tribute to Luis Ciancia
Last Sunday, my dear friend Luís Jorge Ciancia passed away in Buenos Aires at the age of 62. I have known Luís for more than 40 years, during which time we shared great hockey moments and a fierce and loyal friendship. Let me please take this opportunity to honour his memory.
Among the many messages that relevant hockey personalities have posted on Twitter, let me please borrow Sergio Vigil’s tweet: “Luís departed, but his love and teachings will forever remain in our souls, transcending his death”. It is clear to me that Sergio’s tweet reveals a widespread feeling among all who shared hockey experiences with Luís.
Whether in Argentina, Spain, Chile or Portugal, his passion for the game and his articulated manner of transforming game concepts into teachable words, have left a deep and transcendent imprint.
Luis is credited as the founder of the Argentina’s high performance and talent development program that has led to numerous results, and to the sporting and media phenomena of Las Leonas. He called Sergio Vigil to become the Leonas’ coach, and Sergio led the team to World Cup victory in 2002.
Even if his role as Head Coach or Technical Director of the federation is well acknowledged, his best personal memories in hockey come from his time spent coaching the Argentina men’s team. As he told me many times, defeating Pakistan 3-1 in the 1986 World Cup, was his treasured hockey memory. That game included players such as Marcelo Garraffo, Alejandro Verga, Sergio Vigil and Gabriel Minadeo. All have gone on to become notable coaches in their own right, carrying on Luís Ciancia’s legacy in Argentina and everywhere they have coached.
Luís was undoubtedly an outspoken character, a trait that earned him esteem and reservations in equal measure. However, none can dispute that he always spoke the truth, kept his word, and never deceived a friend.
I will miss Luís very much and the world of hockey has lost a coach from a golden generation; among them Whitaker, Lissek, Aggiss. These coaches managed to adapt and move forwards with the numerous changes in the game – rules, surfaces – and set the tone for our game's future.
As President of the FIH and on behalf of the hockey family, I convey my deepest condolences to Luís Ciancia’s family and friends, with the assurance that his friendship, his presence and his hockey teachings will always remain with those who knew him. I will be always proud to say: "I have been a friend of Luís".
Pan American Hockey Federation media release