News 21 April 2014
All the news for Monday 21 April 2014
Harvestehuder produce stunning FINAL 4 comeback
FINAL 4, Eindhoven: Harvestehuder produced the comeback of the knock-out stages of the Euro Hockey League to defeat Racing Club de Bruxelles with a brilliant recovery from 2-0 down to win 3-2 in the first FINAL 4 tussle in Eindhoven.
The German club looked on their way out of the competition when Jonathan Beckers' pair of corner goals left them trailing at half time but, inspired by Tobias Hauke, they replied with gusto with Michael Korper eventually potting the winner with six minutes to go.
It was a terrific game, played at high intensity throughout. Racing made the early running, scoring from their first series of corners in the seventh minute as they worked the ball right to Beckers who hit a low and true shot into the bottom corner.
Harvestehuder held the majority of possession from there on but, led by Jerome Truyens, the Belgian side defended well, protecting their circle well. On the counter-attack, they moved at speed and it helped them win another corner late in the first half. This time, he took the direct route to the top of the goal and a big advantage.
But German sides are rarely beaten, no matter the circumstances. They got a glimmer of hope at the end of the third quarter when a corner was half-broken down but ultimately fell to Hauke who picked out the bottom corner with a low push.
He subsequently picked out a sublime backhand pass to Xaver Hasun on the right of the circle and he arrowed in a thunderous drive to the bottom corner, levelling the game with 15 minutes.
And Korper won it with six minutes left, eventually flipping home from close range amid a melee in front of Jeremy Gucasoff to win it for the German side, setting them up for a date with either KHC Dragons or Oranje Zwart.
Euro Hockey League media release
OZ through to Harvestehuder final showdown
FINAL 4, Eindhoven: Oranje Zwart's composed, controlled performance put them through to their first Euro Hockey League final, seeing off last year's runners-up Dragons 3-0 in front of a loud home crowd in Eindhoven.
They never looked troubled from the moment they went ahead late in the first half with Jelle Galema opening the scoring before Mink van der Weerden and Gabriel Dabanch extended the lead to three in the third quarter.
Long before OZ went in front, they were well on top with Thomas Briels - playing against a side he played with in his youth - twice going close while Sander Baart's excellent interception from a Luypaert clearance also wreaked havoc.
In reply, Dragons had agonisingly hit the inside of the post via Jeremy Celis with the best of their chances while Loick Luypaert was denied on the line by Robert van der Horst but, from then on, they were pinned back for long periods by a Dutch club that had found their mojo.
Manu Leroy stood tall to most chances while Felix Denayer brilliantly ran down van der Weerden's drag-flick attempt. OZ also had the ball in the goal from an Elliott van Strydonck cross that deflected in but the effort was ruled out.
There was no stopping Galema, though, as Rob Reckers he'd his balance superbly at the right baseline before bouncing the ball across goal where the Dutch international was waiting to finish off; the goal scored with just over 20 seconds left in the first half.
Van der Weerden applied the second with a powerful shot that Leroy and his post-man could do nothing about. Dabanch duly closed out the match with a spectacular reverse-stick finish from the left of the circle to make it 3-0.
From there, Dragons tried to give their super fans something to cheer about but could not break through Rob van der Horst's tight-knit defence. It means OZ progressed to the final on Monday at 2.30pm (CET), ensuring a Dutch side will be present in the final for the seventh successive year in the EHL.
It also means that two sides will battle out their first final, Harvestehuder hoping to become the only side to win in their debut year since the tournament's inception.
Euro Hockey League media release
Pakistani trio prominent in Orange Zwart reaching final.
By Shahid Khan
The Pakistani trio Rashid Mahmood, Fareed Ahmad and Rizwan Snr
European Hockey League (EHL) reached the final phase at the Easter weekend at the MHC Orange Zwart' impressive home ground in Eindhoven with host club celebrating it's establishment 80 years ago.
Of the 16 remaining teams competing in the K16 Belgians, Germans, England and the Dutch were represented by 3 teams. However the English teams' challenge evaporated in the first two days as Reading and Beeston went down to RC Polo de Barcelona (4-2) Waterloo Ducks (4-3) respectively before the hosts MHC Orange Zwart completed the English elimination with a comfortable 3-1 victory over EHL debutants Surbiton HC.
The knowledgeable Dutch crowd together with the large contingent of supporters from the neighbouring country, Belgium were treated to fast and furious top class of hockey in the quarter finals. The much fancied HC Rotterdam were bundled out by KHC Dragons (4-1) and in the final match of the day MHC Orange Zwart squeezed through on penalty shoot out against a defensive RC Polo de Barcelona team.
In the first semi final, Hamburg team Havesthuder showed typical German spirit coming back from 2 goals deficit at half time to overcome the KHC Dragons (3-2).
The well supported host club MHC Orange Zwart, recently crowned champions of the Dutch league appeared to be finding their rhythm in their semi final at last. They put together some exquisite moves, with the Pakistani trio of Fareed, Rizwan and Rashid prominent in their attacking roles against Waterloo Ducks. After Rashid made an excellent goal line stick save from a penalty corner strike above his head with score goal less at the time, they gradually took control and reached their first ever EHL final with a 3-0 victory.
On reaching the final Olympian Rizwan said 'we fancy our chances in the final as the team has found the team work we had been displaying in the winning the league and break since had upset our rhythm'.
Winning EHL championship will be crowning for the Eindhoven club which has announced its merger with EMHC club in 2016 to boast 2,600 membership and a sports centre with capacity of 8,000 spectators.
Fieldhockey.com
Razie given a lifeline by Dharmaraj
By Aftar Singh
Mohd Razie Abdul Rahim (left) getting a word from national coach K. Dharmaraj. - filepic
KUALA LUMPUR: Penalty corner specialist Mohd Razie Abdul Rahim has yet to recover fully from a shoulder injury but was surprisingly shortlisted for the Champions Challenge I hockey tournament, which begins in Kuantan on April 26.
National chief coach K. Dharmaraj included defender Razie in the 21-man team after putting him through the paces in Sunday’s 6-3 friendly win over China at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
The 27-year-old Razie dislocated his left shoulder while playing for Mumbai Magicians in the Hockey India League on Feb 4 and underwent a surgery on Feb 18.
“Razie played well despite being out of action since February. I will gauge his performance in two more friendlies against France on Tuesday and Poland on Thursday before deciding whether to name him for the Champions Challenge 1. I have shortlisted 21 players and will name the final 18 after the two friendlies,” said Dharmaraj.
Kevin Lim, a former Germany international, also made the 21-player list.
Nine players – goalkeepers Roslan Jamaluddin, Mohd Hazrul Faiz Ahmad Sobri; defenders Baljit Singh Charun, Sharil Irwan Nazli; midfielders Meor Azuan Mohamed Hassan, Norhizzat Sumantri and forwards S. Selvaraju, Izwan Firdaus and Hafifihafiz Hanafi – were dropped.
In the Champions Challenge 1, Malaysia are in Group B with France, South Korea and Canada. Group A has New Zealand, Ireland, Poland and Japan. The champions will gain an automatic berth to next year’s Champions Trophy.
Meanwhile, Malaysia emerged triumphant in the friendly series against China. The homesters won four, drew one and lost one.
In Sunday’s match played under the new format of 15 minutes of four halves, Malaysia scored through Ismail Abu (12th), Izwan Firdaus (15th and 50th), S. Selvaraju (25th), Faizal Saari (56th) and Ahmad Kazamirul Nasruddin (60th). Zhang Zhixnan (sixth) and Huang Yue (seventh and 51st) replied for China.
The Star of Malaysia
Black Sticks confident ahead of Malaysia
Adam Cooper
The men's Black Sticks are approaching this week's Champions Challenge in Malaysia with an extra dose of confidence.
New Zealand had a loss followed by a creditable draw with world number one ranked Australia earlier in the weekend, in their final buildup to the eight-team tournament.
Coach Colin Batch says the warm up matches are all part of the process of upskilling the younger members of the side.
He says it's about developing the group both individually and as a team and they're getting quite good at that in a tournament sense.
New Zealand opens its Champions Challenge campaign against Ireland on Saturday night.
Yahoo Sport New Zealand
Meet New Zealand... building on success
The Black Sticks are on the up, and will be looking for medals in the Hague
New Zealand men's and women's teams, both known as Black Sticks, have been making their way up the world rankings of late. A silver medal in the Hero Hockey League for the men, and a fourth-place finish for the women in the London 2012 Olympics has given the Black Sticks the confidence that they can be among the medals in the Hague.
Black Sticks men, who are coached by the former Belgium coach Colin Batch, are currently ranked sixth and come to the Hague on the back of a highly competitive test series against their neighbours and the world number one side, Australia. They lost the first match but the drawn second test demonstrates the Black Sticks ability to mix with the best.
The women have been involved in an intensive campaign since Christmas, including a series of matches in the USA and a four nations tournament at the newly-built New Zealand Hockey Centre. They are ranked fifth in the world and coach Mark Hager will be hoping they can play above that ranking as they did in London.
FIH site
The social side of sport
Today's sporting stars have a whole new way of engaging with their fans
Sports stars have always held a fascination with the public. Back in Ancient Greece and Roman times, the public had their favourite gladiators, wrestlers and athletes, and would queue for hours to get a glimpse of their hero. And little has changed in that respect two thousand years later. But one thing that has changed beyond all recognition is the way that sports stars interact with their fans.
Social media, and in particular Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, is the new way for sports stars and sports clubs or organisations to connect with their fans around the world. A sports club or organisation can send information directly to its fan base about players, fixtures, results and statistics as well as real time game feeds, photographs and updates. This is all information that would take a fan hours of internet trawling to find.
FIH has adopted social media wholesale and its 26,654 Twitter followers (@FIH_Hockey) can stay abreast of all the latest hockey news from around the globe. Likewise, the FIH Facebook account sends the latest website updates directly to its large fan base, so hockey lovers can read articles and posts relating to hockey news, tournaments and developments.
Twitter and Facebook allow clubs to publish such information in an interactive and personal way, delivering it straight to the fans' news feeds with just the click of a "like" or "follow" button. The interactive element allows the fans to have their say on a public forum, whether it's about a match result, a rule change or a comment on an aspect of the game.
One of FIH mission's is to work hard to engage and interact with the sport's supporters. The international players and the national hockey associations are on board with this and work hard to develop a loyal, growing fan base. Through regular tweets and interactions with fans, there is evidence that the public's engagement with our sport is growing steadily. Lawrence West is the communications manager for Australia Hockey. he said: "We leapt from 17,000 followers of the Hockeyroos on Facebook in November to 41,000 because of the team's trip to Argentina for the World League Finals. The growth in digital profile is tremendous."
For followers of a sport, social media is a chance for the sports stars to interact and to give a personal perspective on all aspects of their sport, unhindered by various PR and marketing machines. This is a world away from the bland television interviews given by some of the best known sporting stars on the planet. Of course there is a danger that a tweet made in jest or in anger can give offence, but in so many ways that makes our sports stars much more personable.
Hockey's top tweeters: Luciana Aymar @aymarlucha has 214,000 Twitter followers; Ellen Hoog @ellenhoog – 21,7000; Jamie Dwyer @jamiedwyer1 –14,7000 and Ashley Jackson @ashleyjackson7 – 6,727. And Australia top the charts for Instagram: Jamie Dwyer @Jamiedwyer01 has 5,010 followers and Anna Flanagan @anna_flanagan has 7,895.
FIH site
7-Up for Scotland against Wales
Scotland Senior Women extended their lead in the two match series against Wales to 2-0 after another convincing win at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre today.
A double from Nikki Lloyd plus goals from Ailsa Wyllie, Vikki Bunce, Nikki Kidd and Cat Ralph provided the Scots with a 7-1 victory, with Wales’ consolation goal coming courtesy of a Nikki Brooks’ strike.
For the second match running, Scotland were much quicker out the starting blocks than their Welsh counterparts; barely a minute had elapsed when the home side were awarded a penalty corner after concerted pressure.
Nikki Kidd’s penalty drag-flick was palmed away by Wales’ goalkeeper Margaret Rees, but Nikki Lloyd made the set-play count, turning the ball home from close range to open the scoring.
Two minutes later, Alisa Wyllie doubled the advantage, profiting from poor defending to give her side a 2-0 lead.
With Wales on the ropes, Dundee Wanderers’ midfielder Vikki Bunce piled on more misery for the visitors, putting the national side 3-0 up in the eighth minute with a brisk low shot that nestled in the near corner of the goal.
However, credit to Wales; the away side came back into the match after a period of good play, with Nikki Brooks on hand to tap-in past Scotland goalkeeper Amy Gibson to make it 3-1 in the 18th minute.
Reflecting yesterday’s proceedings, Scotland produced two goals before half-time to give them a comfortable lead at the break; Olympian Emily Maguire found Ali Bell at the back post and the Grove Menzieshill striker lifted the ball high past Rees for 4-1, while Lloyd increased her personal tally to two goals in the 33rd minute to make it 5-1.
The Scots started the second half strongly and extended their lead further in the 49th minute; Kidd’s penalty corner attempt was illegally blocked on the goal-line and the Canterbury midfielder made no mistake from the subsequent penalty stroke, beating Rees low to her right hand side.
In the 56th minute, Catriona Ralph rounded off the scoring with a seventh Scottish strike, the Milne Craig Clydesdale defender slamming the ball into the right corner after a neat penalty corner set-piece.
Scotland play the final match of the series against Wales tomorrow at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre, with a 12pm start.
Scotland Senior Women: Nicola Cochrane (Edinburgh University), Vikki Bunce (Dundee Wanderers), Morag McLellan (Clydesdale Western), Alison Bell (Grove Menzieshill), Rebecca Ward (Dundee Wanderers), Catriona Ralph (Clydesdale Western), Sarah Robertson (Edinburgh University), Linda Clement (Captain, Grove Menzieshill), Ailsa Wyllie (Grove Menzieshill), Leigh Fawcett (Grove Menzieshill), Rebecca Merchant (Edinburgh University), Nikki Kidd (Canterbury), Susan McGilveray (Clydesdale Western), Nicola Lloyd (Canterbury), Nicola Skrastin (Clydesdale Western), Emily Maguire (Reading), Aileen Davis (Clifton), Amy Gibson (Old Loughtonians)
Scottish Hockey Union media release
Young Scots take on Ireland with bundles of enthusiasm
Photo taken by Duncan Gray Photography
U18 International matches
The U18 boys and girls squads travelled to Dublin for a three match series against Ireland this weekend. There were great performances all round from the young scots despite both Scotland squads loosing all three matches in the series.
The first match of the weekend saw the Scottish boys lose 2-1, Scots goal from Glynhill Kelburne Jack McAllister scoring from a penalty corner. The girls also lost in a very close fought match with Ireland scoring in the last three minutes of play finishing 1-0.
It wasn’t to be such a Good Friday for the boys with a narrow 3-2 loss, Scottish goals from Patrick Lonergan and Chris McFadden. Another highly competitive match for the girls, but they just came short losing 2-1 with Katie Robertson scoring the scots only goal.
In the final match of the series saw the boys lose 3-1 with Jack McKenzie scoring the scots single goal. The girls put in a strong last performance but just missed out on that win, loosing 2-1, goal from Lucy Ramsay.
It was a great weekend had by the Scots even if they lost the three match series, congratulations to all players on representing and playing for Scotland this weekend.
U16 International Matches
U16 Scotland girls taken by Duncan Gray, find more photos from the day from his website here.
The U16 series with Ireland took place in Dundee this weekend with great home crowds cheering the Scots on this beautiful Easter weekend.
It was a confident and solid start from the boys in their first match at Dundee International Sports Complex winning 5-1 against Ireland. The young scots were only 1-0 up at halftime from a penalty stroke from Dean Baber. The boys soon found form in the second half, Ruairidh Grossart scoring two followed by Cameron Golden, then Andrew Webb making it fifth. However the Scottish girls didn’t start as well, despite Amy Costello scoring from a penalty corner the Irish scored in the dyeing minutes finishing 2-1.
The boys had to work hard in their second match having to come from 4-2 down to finish 4-4. All the action happened in the second as at half time the Scots were 1-0 up from a Dean Baber penalty stroke. Ruairidh Grossat scored two more goals with Callum MacKenzie scoring the fourth. A great win for the girls, with Dundee Wanderers Charlotte Watson netting Scotland’s two goals.
In the third and final match the boys faced their first loss of 2-1, Scotlands single goal came from a field goal by Cameron Griffiths. The girls were a bit luckier drawing their final match 1-1, Scottish goal scorer Ella Watt.
Congratulations to both Scottish squads for drawing their test series with Ireland. A big thanks to all the volunteers who helped put on this event.
Scottish Hockey Union media release
England U18 & U16 Four Nations tournaments
England U18 Boys lose to Belgium
ENGLAND Under-18 Boys turned in a much improved performance in the Four Nations Tournament on Easter Sunday, but still lost out 3-1 to Belgium in Mannheim.
After the previous day’s heavy defeat to high-flying Netherlands, the team regrouped and turned in an improved performance, but it still wasn’t enough for victory and they will now go into Monday’s 3/4 play-off.
“I was extremely pleased with how the boys bounced back from the defeat to the Netherlands,” said Head Coach Jody Paul.. “The intensity was much better and the display on the pitch in terms of trying to deliver our game plan was excellent.”
Belgium took the lead with a sixth minute goal from open play, but two minutes later England pulled level, Jack Clee scoring after breaking free deep in Belgian territory and coolly finishing off from just inside the circle.
However, Belgium retook the lead from a penalty corner on 31 minutes, and added to their lead from open play in the 65th minute.
England suffered a set-back on 15 minutes with Rhys Smith being yellow carded, and later Will Carter Keall went off through illness. But England didn’t concede during these periods as the team worked tirelessly in defence.
England Under-18 Boys take on Germany in their next match on Easter Monday (10am BST).
England improve against tough Dutch
HEAD coach Andy Bradshaw hailed his team’s performance after England Under-18 Girls turned in a much-improved performance in the second test match against the Netherlands on Easter Sunday.
While still a 3-1 defeat, it was a world away from the previous day’s drubbing, and Bradshaw said afterwards: “After yesterday’s defeat we all sat and looked at the match and asked the girls to respond, and the pleasing thing was that they did exactly that.
“We competed physically and tactically which we really didn’t in the first match, and it was a good competitive game of international hockey.
“In training camp situations you are looking for improvement rather than just results, and we definitely got that from them today. We now need to move on from just containing the opposition to creating more of an attacking game.”
England’s defence held the Netherlands at bay and the first half looked set to remain goalless until a 28th minute deflection at a penalty corner gave the Dutch the lead.
England still managed to contain their threat, but as English legs tired the Netherlands scored on the hour mark, entering the circle down the left baseline. Three minutes later they added a third following a build up down the right.
But England were not finished quite yet, and opened their account on 68 minutes with Meg Crowson scoring with a drag flick at a penalty corner, firing past the keeper’s right side.
England U16 Boys draw with Belgium
Battling back from behind twice, England Under-16 Boys secured their first point of the Four Nations Tournament in Mannheim as they drew 2-2 with Belgium on Easter Sunday.
The Belgians took the lead from a penalty corner in the 22nd minute, but just two minutes later England pulled level from a penalty corner, Euan Gilmour scoring from the rebound with a spectacular reverse stick shot.
Another penalty corner goal gave Belgium the lead on the hour mark, but five minutes later Josh Pavis won a penalty stroke and Gilmour once again scored the goal.
“After a poor start we got into the game more in the second half,” said Head Coach Charlie Bannister. “We showed character to come back from behind twice, although we could’ve made more of our chances in front of goal.
“However, the group continues to improve and impress, and we will be going for the win against Belgium in our final game.”
Improved showing from U16 Girls
AFTER losing heavily to the Netherlands in their first ever international match, England Under-16 Girls turned in an improved performance in the second test match at Lilleshall on Easter Sunday.
The Dutch ran out 6-1 winners in the latest match, with England playing well in spells and competing with more intensity and skill.
“It was a much better performance than the first game,” said Head Coach Marc Bourhill. “They pressed much more and didn’t give away as many corners as the previous day. But we got caught on the break, and the Dutch are clinical in attack.”
It took the Netherlands just three minutes to score their first goal from open play, and they made it two-nil on 14 minutes in similar fashion. The score remained unchanged until the second half, when the Dutch scored on 37, 45 and 48 minutes.
England earned a penalty corner on 56 minutes, and after the initial shot was saved Charlotte Calnan scored from the rebound.
The Netherlands’ final game came on the hour mark and they pressed for more, but strong defending as a team stopped them adding to their tally.
England Hockey Board Media release
PHF embarks on nation-wide talent hunt
By Natasha Raheel
KARACHI: Starting this week, the new head coach of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), Shahnaz Sheikh, will embark on a nation-wide talent hunt.
The veteran, who was part of the World Cup squad in 1971 and 1978, said that his priority is to find a pool of talented players to make a winning team for the Asian Games in Korea.
PHF Secretary Rana Muhajid announced last week that Sheikh will be the new national coach, while Islahuddin Siddique will serve as the chief selector.
Sheikh has planned to hold open trials in Karachi, Lahore, Bahawalpur, Peshawar and Quetta, starting this week.
“I want to get started with the open trials right away,” Sheikh told The Express Tribune. “We only have 40 players who keep coming to the national camp. I want to find more players to work with. We need to find top quality players. We’ll begin the trials from Quetta first. Hopefully we can initiate the trials on April 22.”
The head coach said that the next stop for him and the selectors will be Karachi, Bahawalpur and then Lahore.
He added that he wants to conclude the open trials in Peshawar on April 30 so that he can start the national camp on May 3.
“Time is a very important factor here. Once I get the required players I want, I will start the five-week camp on May 3.”
Olympians displeased with PHF management
While Sheikh has a clear vision to make a team for the Asian Games, colleague Samiullah Khan, along with other Olympians, are not happy with PHF’s new management.
However, Sheikh replied to this by saying that the reason for the campaign against PHF’s previous administration, headed by Qasim Zia and Asif Bajwa, was the dire results of the national side in the recent international events.
He added that the senior Olympians had given the PHF a four-point agenda, which demanded that the PHF should keep the right man for the job and that the funds should be utilized wisely.
The Express Tribune
Camp for Asiad starts next month
RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) will set up a five-week training camp in connection with preparation for the upcoming Asian Games at the Naseer Bunda Hockey Stadium Islamabad.
The newly-appointed head coach Shahnaz Shiekh announced during a news conference at the Shahnaz Sheikh Hockey Stadium here the other day that the camp will start from May 3.
“I have chalked up a comprehensive plan for the Asian Games 2014 to defend the title,” claimed the head coach while stating that his first task is to prepare players for the Asiad. Asian Games are scheduled to be held in South Korea later this year.
To a query, the former Olympian said that he had no magic stick to improve hockey in a few days. “I will do my level best to get desired results from the players,” he added.
Shahnaz also claimed that he would also focus on making the national side one of the best sides to defeat world best teams like Australia, Holland, Germany, England and Spain.
The former Olympian further said that the PHF is also in touch with India for organising bilateral series.
Dawn
HK Hockey 'shoots itself in the foot'
Former national skipper Farooq Saeed is scathing of officials over failure to qualify for the Asian Games
Alvin Sallay
Former men's hockey captain Farooq Saeed has hit out at Hong Kong's failure to qualify for the Asian Games for the first time in two decades saying the Hong Kong Hockey Association's excuse that stringent player-eligibility rules led to the poor show in the qualifiers in Bangladesh did not stand up to scrutiny.
With the Asian Games governing body, the Olympic Council of Asia, following IOC guidelines of passport-only as a measure for an athlete's eligibility for the first time, Hong Kong was forced to send a side described as "second string" by Sarinder Dillon, the president of the Hong Kong Hockey Association.
They lost all their matches in the eight-team qualifying competition where six berths were available for the Incheon Games in September.
The men's team had played in every Asian Games since the qualifying process was put in place for the first time for the 1998 Bangkok Games.
"All we needed was to win one game to qualify, but we couldn't even beat Iran, who only started playing hockey in recent years. It hurts badly to see Hong Kong missing out on these Games," said Saeed.
A solid central defender, Saeed, 44, represented Hong Kong for 20 years and played in four Asian Games starting with the 1990 edition in Beijing, 1998, 2002 and 2006.
He retired from international hockey in 2009, but came back to represent Hong Kong at cricket at the last Asian Games in Guangzhou four years ago.
"Hong Kong hockey was once in the top six in Asia, now we cannot even qualify for the Asian Games and all the blame cannot be placed on the players or the eligibility issue," Saeed said.
"The question that must be asked is why we failed to develop the sport over all these years, especially since we won the bronze medal at the 2009 East Asian Games."
The passport-only criteria resulted in almost one-third of the squad for Bangladesh last month being first-timers.
There were seven young debutants in the squad - Andrew Hayward, Tse Man-chun, Chan Ka-chun, Chuen Kwun-wa, Wong Chun-hin, Alexander Kwan Chi-hong and Tsang Kin-kan.
Arif Ali, the youngest of the four Ali brothers, led the squad, with the rest having retired like Saeed from international level.
After losing 6-2 to Taiwan in the final match - Hong Kong's fourth defeat in a row - HKHA president Dillon said: "What can you do? We had to send a second-string side for the qualifiers due to eligibility issues."
Under new eligibility requirements for the Asian Games - following International Olympic Council guidelines - athletes need to hold the passport of the country they represent.
This meant at least eight regular players missing out from going to Bangladesh, among them Hong Kong-born players Kieran Smith and Dev Dillon as well as others like Ishtiaq Ahmed, Muhammed Arshad and Inderpal Singh, who had qualified under the previous three-year eligibility rule.
"The new eligibility requirements jolted us. We had a lot of youngsters who had come through the ranks but, unfortunately, a number of them didn't carry a Hong Kong SAR passport," said Dillon.
"Ishtiaq and Arshad are a deadly attacking combination, and easily the top two 'local' players. We missed them badly."
Saeed scoffed at the idea that the passport-rule had exposed Hong Kong's underbelly.
"If the association knew they were sending a second-string side, and with so much at stake, why didn't they ask if any of the more experienced players who had retired would come back?
"Why didn't they take players like Asghar Ali or Akbar Ali [two of the older brothers of Arif], both of whom still play in the local league, and who have Hong Kong SAR passports.
"This is after all an Asian Games you are talking of. They could have qualified with a few of the older guys and then sent a young and inexperienced team to Korea in September," said Saeed, who captained the team at the 1998 and 2002 Asian Games, and shared captaincy with Akbar Ali in 2006.
Dillon said the association felt it would have been counter-productive to go back to the old hands even with the stakes so high.
"One or two players don't make a difference and anyway it would have been unfair on the youngsters who had been training right along if someone was to come in at the last minute and take their place. That would have crushed the morale of the entire squad," Dillon said.
"But even with this squad, we had confidence we would qualify, but they had one bad game and that cost us. It happens in sport, you play one bad game and you are out of contention."
Hong Kong lost 2-1 to Iran after leading for most of the match. The post-match report submitted by officials to the HKHA said the players failed to follow the game plan and that had cost them against Iran.
In 2009, Hong Kong hockey was on a high when the Akbar Ali-led team captured the bronze medal at the East Asian Games. Saeed is critical that the HKHA failed to jump on the bandwagon and use that landmark moment to promote the sport more aggressively.
"When I was playing alongside the Ali brothers and others like Swalikh Mohammed, Hong Kong enjoyed some of their best results.
"We should have started a development programme then. For instance, winning that bronze medal in front of the home crowd at the East Asian Games was one of the best moments for Hong Kong hockey. We defeated China in that game in extra time, with Swalikh scoring the golden goal.
"We should have used that impetus to push our development programme forward then and started to plan ahead to the future. But sadly, once the bulk of us retired, there was no one left who could step into our shoes and four years on, the results are plain to see, sadly," Saeed said.
The local scene, however, is vibrant and this season was juiced up with the presence of international stars like Pakistan's penalty-corner wizard Sohail Abbas turning out for Punjab in the Premier League.
Here, too, the association had not made the most of this rare opportunity of having an international star in Hong Kong, said Saeed.
"When you have a player like Sohail Abbas in your midst, you must try and maximise that opportunity by organising clinics for youngsters, but the association didn't do anything," Saeed said.
South China Morning Post
Resounding victory for Orange: Vaisakhi defending champs begin title retention campaign with big win
By ELIZABETH MBURUGU
Orange Lucy Wangeci (left) shields Sliders’ Elizabeth Maina during their Vaisakhi Top 8 tournament opening tie at the City Park, yesterday. [PHOTO: JENNIFER WACHIE / STANDARD]
Annual Vaisakhi tournament defending champions Orange Telkom began their title retention campaign on a high with a resounding 8-0 victory against Sliders.
The African queens fresh from retaining the women’s national title were no match for Sliders.
Former Strathmore midfielder Lilian Aura scored a brace in her debut match with the African queens.
In men’s contest, Nairobi Simba defeated Karate Axiom 1-0.
Aura told FeverPitch that it was good to play for the winning team and she hopes to lift the trophy with Orange. “I am glad to be with Orange. It is good to be in a winning team,” she said.
Aura also said she wants to grow her hockey career, win the African title and the national title in her first season with the six times continental champs. “I want to grow my hockey career and Orange is a strong club that will offer me that opportunity to achieve my objectives.”
Orange coach Jacqueline Apiyo said the victory is a good start for them and Aura is a big boost to the club as she is a good player.
Good start
“The victory is a good start for our title defence; Aura is a playmaker and a big boost to our club, we are glad to have her services.”
Veteran Terry Juma opened the score in the 12th minute converting a penalty corner nicely pushed by margaret Rotich.
Hellen Chemtai was undoubtedly the star of the match as she beat Sliders goalkeeper Flavian Amuhaya four times.
Chemtai converted a penalty corner in the 18th minute to make it two for the champions.
She added her second a minute later scoring a fantastic field goal from a Barbara Simiyu pass. Chemtai displayed her scoring prowess with another field goal in the 20th minute making it three goals in a span of three minutes.
National team player Audrey Omaido made it five for the defending champions in the 25th minute through a field goal.
Aura scored her first goal of her new club in the 31st minute with her second coming in the 34th minute. Chemtai was at it again in the 39th minute scoring the winner for the three-time Vaisakhi champions.
Today Nairobi Simba will take on Wazalendo while Greensharks will have face Wazee –– a veterans side. Strathmore Gladiators will play Parkroad.
In the women’s category, Young Rovers will have Strathmore University Scorpions to reckon with in their first round robin match.
Foreign teams that have already confirmed their participation are Ghana Customs of Ghana, Moshi CSSL of Tanzania and Kampala Simba of Uganda.
They will join the completion at the knockout stage and are expected to give the hosts a run for their money. Men’s defending champions Kenya Police are not taking part in the tournament.
The Standard Online
Nairobi Simba edge Wazalendo in Viasakhi tourney
By ELIZABETH MBURUGU
Wazee’s Moses Chepleting (left) and Simba’s Feroz Sultan in action. [PHOTO: JENNIPHER WACHIE]
Nairobi Simba edged Wazalendo 3-2 in the ongoing Viasakhi Hockey tournament.
Simba, who lost 1-0 to winners Kenya Police in the semis last year are favourites to win this year’s trophy in the absence of Police.
Simba coach Inderjit Matharu told FeverPitch: “We are the strongest side in the tournament, strong sides in the premier league are not taking part.”
Matharu raised concern over “the tournament’s continued loss of value”.
“Vaisakhi is no longer as competitive as it used to be years back, it is becoming a social event as our local clubs have skipped it, this means we can’t attract more foreign clubs,” Matharu added.
Only three foreign clubs confirmed their participation and will join in the knockout stage.
First three clubs will qualify from the round robin and will be pooled with the foreign sides. Customs of Ghana, Moshi CSSL of Tanzania and Kampala Simba of Uganda will battle it out with the local clubs for the trophy.
Amritpal Ghataure opened the scores for Simba at the quarter hour mark through a penalty corner that was pushed by national team forward George Mutira.
Three minutes later, Titus Ngolia cancelled the score through a fantastic field goal from a Fidhelis Kimanzi back pass.
Joseph Mwangi put Wazalendo in the lead in the 27th minute through a field goal.
Mutira, who converted a penalty corner in the 33th minute to level the scores, was at it again in the 36th minute, converting another penalty to seal the victory.
In another encounter Simba beat the Veterans side Wazee 5-0. Wazee had earlier trounced Karate 2-0. National team manager and former Kenyan international Godfrey Bila, turning up for Wazee, said: “We are here to challenge the young players, we want to help them improve their style of play and become better players.”
“We are old but we bring to the tournament a lot of experience, our goal is to reach the knockout stage,” he added.
Strathmore Gladiators played to a barren draw with Parkroad, who had earlier settled for a 1-1 draw with Wazalendo.
In the women’s category Orange Telkom beat young Rovers 2-0.
The Standard Online
Hockey India appoints Harendra Singh as coach of junior team
NEW DELHI: Hockey India on Monday appointed former senior coach Harendra Singh as the coach of the junior men's team to groom it for the 2017 World Cup to be held in the country.
Harendra will join the training camp of the team on April 25.
"The appointment of Harendra Singh is in line with our efforts to prepare Junior Hockey Men team for the 2017 World Cup to be hosted in India," Hockey India Secretary Narinder Batra said.
"His experience as a coach and player will add huge value to the camp which is scheduled to start end of this month and we are pleased to have him on board. We are sure that with Harendra Singh coming in to support the initiative towards ensuring a full and strong team for the World Cup will be achieved.
"Harendra Singh had earlier coached national teams for several major events and we welcome him in his new role as that of the Junior Men Hockey Team's coach and wish him all the best for the future and for the upcoming Junior Men World Cup," he added.
Speaking on the appointment Harendra said he was looking forward to the new assignment.
"My coaching experience and its course till date has given me this splendid opportunity to work with the Junior Men Hockey Team as a coach and to spruce up the squad's abilities and strength and help them in moulding them on a world class platform.
"I am elated by the opportunity and will contribute towards my team with the techniques and skills known best to my knowledge and help the players implement both hard work as well as smart work on the field."
Starting his coaching career in 1998, Harendra has an experience of 379 matches approximately which includes Sydney Olympic (2000), World Cup (2005-Jr, 2006 and 2010), Asian Games (2006 and 2010), Asia Cup (2004-Jr and 2009), Champion's Challenge (2009) and various other tournaments.
His achievements as a coach already includes 8 gold, 5 silver and 9 bronze medals with senior and junior teams in various international tournaments.
The Times of India