News 15 July 2014
All the news for Tuesday 15 July 2014
U21 Men Off To Flying Start at Euros
Ireland's U21 Men got off to a flying start today in their first match of the Europeans beating Russia 5-2. Two first half goals gave Ireland a healthy start going into the break Johnnie McKee with an open play goal followed up by Nick Burns converting from the set piece.
Ireland extended their lead to 4-0 with two more goals in the 52nd minute from Neal Glassey and Peter Brown, Russia pulled one back in the 54th before Captain Nick Burns got his second and Ireland's 5th to make it 5-1. Russia got one further goal to make it 5-2 but Ireland will no doubt be happy with a strong start to the tournament. Ireland take on the Ukraine tomorrow at 5pm Irish time.
Commenting Coach Jonny Caren said "We are delighted with teh result & how we started the tournament. The preparation for this has been perfect with good wins against Portugal & Scotland in our warmup games in the week building up to today's game. We had composure & patience in our build up and dictated when we wanted to go forward which was vital in a team renowned for its counter attack hockey."
"We created some superb chances and also capitalised on our corner routine which was a focus in our preparation phase. We will recover well this evening and prepare for what will be a similar battle tomorrow against Ukraine."
Starting XI: Mark Ingram (GK); Lee Cole; Simon Wolfe; Owen Magee; Harry Spain; Neal Glassey; Mark Loughrey;Jonny McKee; Matthew Bell; Nick Burns; Peter Brown
Reserves: Jamie Carr (GK); Darragh Walsh; Sean Murray; James Lorimer; Ben Cosgrave; Jeremy Duncan; Jamie Wright
Match Schedule Europeans (all local times)
Monday 14th July Ireland 5-2 Russia (16.00)
Tuesday 15th July Ireland v Ukraine (16.00)
Wednesday 16th July Ireland v Portugal (18.00)
Friday 18th Classification
Saturday 19th Classification
Irish Hockey Association media release
Confident start for Scotland U21s in Europe
(Photo Credit: Douglas Rogerson)
Scotland’s U21 sides both started their European competitions strongly with two convincing wins in the EuroHockey Junior Nations Championship II.
Scotland U21W 6-0 Lithuania
Scotland U21 Women’s campaign got off to a resounding start in Vienna earlier today, triumphing 6-0 over Lithuania.
Two goals for Louise Campbell, added to strikes from Jenny Morris, Kirsten McIntosh, Claire Hill and Fiona Burnet, ensured a confident boosting result for Neil Menzies’ charges.
(Photo Credit: Fiona McCrae)
Reflecting on today’s results, Scotland U21W Head Coach Neil Menzies said, “It was a very good result and we were on top from the very first hit of the ball. We couldn’t quite convert our opportunities early on but once the first goal went in, there was never any doubt and we put the game to bed in the first half.
“We had the vast majority of possession and territory, and made far more penetrations into their goal than they did. Neither Nicki Cochrane, nor Rowan Sinclair, our two goalkeepers had a single save to make. It really was a case of one-way traffic.”
The Scots opened the scoring in the 13th minute, Jenny Morris netting from open play. Two goals inside six minutes before half-time led to a commanding position at the interval; Kirsten McIntosh registered a field goal in the 29th minute, while Louise Campbell finished off a penalty corner in the 35th minute.
The match was wrapped up in clinical fashion with three field goals within six second half minutes; Claire Hill making it 4-0 in the 41st minute, Fiona Burnet notching a fifth Scottish goal four minutes later, before Campbell added her second goal of the match in the 47th minute for a 6-0 victory.
Ireland on Wednesday is the next challenge facing the side, a game that is expected to be a tougher proposition than today’s assignment, “Ireland will be a step up in quality and we know that members of their squad played for the senior side at the Champions Challenge in Glasgow”, said Menzies.
“Ireland will get the benefit of also playing Lithuania tomorrow, and goal difference could be crucial if the Irish take advantage and score a few goals. On the flip side, we will have had a rest day and Ireland will be playing a second game in two days. It is the key game for us, so we will see how things go.”
Scotland U21M 3-1 Belarus
Elsewhere, Scotland U21 Men defeated Belarus 3-1 in Lousada with goals from Ross McIntyre, Aedan McCrossan and Murray Collins.
Summarising the performance, Scotland U21 Manager Fraser McCurdy said, “It was never really in doubt that we’d win this game, but whilst we’re happy with the win, the players know there is plenty more in the tank and they can play much better.
“We’ll analyse the performance tomorrow and look forward to the match against Italy, who play Belarus tomorrow. Our form is good and the guys know they can deliver a better performance against the Italians.”
The Scots took an early lead, Kelburne’s Ross McIntyre firing home with a field goal in the sixth minute.
Aedan McCrossan doubled the lead in the 18th minute to move his side into a more comfortable position midway through the first half.
The Scots wrapped up the match twelve minutes from full-time, Murray Collins scoring from a penalty corner to make it 3-0.
There was still time for more goal-mouth action, this time the Belarussians netting a consolation goal from Pavel Zukhavets in the 69th minute.
Italy are next up on Wednesday.
Scottish Hockey Union media release
Laura Unsworth puts pain behind her to help England to London Investec Cup glory
By Graham Wilson
Laura Unsworth said England managed to put the horrors of the World Cup behind them[GETTY]
WHEN Laura Unsworth was felled by a ball to the knee with just three seconds remaining, England knew they had won the London Investec Cup in front of their fans at their new home in the Lee Valley Olympic legacy stadium.
The 2-1 win over South Africa in the final was the perfect, though painful, boost as far as Unsworth was concerned after a fraught 11th place in the World Cup.
Unsworth, a 2012 Olympic bronze medal winner, said: “That brought back a lot of memories of London with all the support. We did not perform at our best at the World Cup, but we have won all of our matches here and the Commonwealth Games coming up is something to refocus on. I am sure that we can come away with a medal.”
The men can, even though they were held to a 2-2 draw by Ireland before winning a shootout.
Daily Express
Ashley Jackson eager for Lee Valley to be England hockey fortress
ASHLEY JACKSON, who top-scored with four goals and was named player of the tournament as England won the London Investec Cup, wants to turn England’s new home at Lee Valley into a fortress.
By Graham Wilson
Ashley Jackson celebrates scoring for England at the London Investec Cup[PA]
England enjoyed their new home surroundings at the Olympic Park and Bobby Crutchley’s squad turned on the style for all the home fans to see.
England were taken all the way by Ireland and held to a 2-2 draw. They eventually won on a 4-2 shootout, with Simon Mantell showing his fine form scoring England’s final goal.
Jackson and his midfield partner the GB and England captain Barry Middleton gave the fans a real glimpse of some the arts they will take with them to the Commonwealth Games.
Jackson has recovered from the shoulder injury that hampered England’s penalty corner routine in the World Cup in Holland, where they came fourth. Together, they are dynamite in midfield. But, unfortunately, striker Nick Catlin missed out with a thigh injury and will have a scan.
Jackson, of the East Grinstead club, said: “It’s great to be on a new home ground, which hopefully we’ll be able to make into a fortress in the coming years. Thanks to all the spectators too, the support was fantastic and we hope to see everyone many more times here. It’s important to play games ahead of big tournaments and as the week went we couldn’t have asked for anything better.”
Ali Brogdon scored for England in the sixth minute, Eugene Magee equalised just a minute into the second half before David Condon struck in the 49th minute.
Middleton was sin-binned with a yellow card for a back stick and Ireland’s Michael Darling pulled the game level in the 69th minute.
Middleton said: “I thought the yellow card was a bit harsh but that’s all part of the game. It was good to get in some shootout practice before the Commonwealth Games.”
Daily Express
Kelburne crew key to Commonwealth hosting
Former Glynhill Kelburne duo William Marshall, pictured, and Gordon McIntyre - now with English club's Surbiton and Beeston, respectively - were among the those honoured to take part in the Commonwealth Games baton relay today on their home soil.
Marshall took the baton at Gourock while McIntyre ran with the baton in Kilmacolm to the west of Glasgow. They are among a number of players with connections to Kelburne, Scotland's EHL representatives in 2014/15, with Marshall's younger sister Kareena - a Scottish international - Duncan McInnes and youth player Finn Halliday also involved.
It comes a day after Marshall and McIntyre played in the Investec London Cup, a competition won by hosts England in a penalty shoot-out against Ireland, as part of the ongoing warm-up to the Commonwealth event that gets underway on July 24.
Kelburne's Michael Bremner, Chris Nelson and Iain Scholefield are included in their panel for the Games along with a large number of players who have come through their youth system.
Beeston goalkeeping recruit Jamie Cachia is another squad member with next season's EHL on the agenda along with Gareth Hall while East Grinstead pair Ross and Niall Stott have similar aspirations.
Euro Hockey League media release
Last chance saloon for Selva
S. Selvaraju in training with the national hockey squad in January. - Filepic
KUALA LUMPUR: Four years in the wilderness due to an ankle injury has not diminished S. Selvaraju’s appetite for international matches.
Now, he will play in next week’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
The 29-year-old Perak-born player knows that it is his last chance to come good in the national team.
“This is the best and perhaps the only chance for me to stake a place as a regular in the national team. The Asian Games (in Incheon, South Korea, from Sept 19-Oct 4) is the next big assignment. I want to try and secure a place in the team, too. The Glasgow campaign is more about performance rather than results,” said Selvaraju.
“For the last four years, I have been battling an ankle injury. I was told I might not get to play hockey again. But I joined this meditation group and it helped me to recover from the injury. My life has also changed for the better.
“I will go all out in Glasgow to show I am still good enough to be in the national squad. I am physically and mentally ready for the task,” he added.
Selvaraju, a forward with silky skills, has represented Malaysia 88 times, but his last outing was in the World Cup qualifier in Invercargill, New Zealand, in November 2009.
He also has the distinction of being the only Malaysian to have featured in seven different hockey leagues.
Selvaraju, who made his international debut in a Test series against China in Guangzhou in 2006, played for the Moenchengladbach Club in the German League in 2007. Two years later, he featured for the Berlin Club in the German League before joining Midlands Club in the New Zealand League in 2010.
A year later, he played for Racing de Dulie in the French League. Then last year, he played in three different leagues – with Khalsa Club in Hong Kong, Armed Forces Club in Thailand and Armicora Club in the Italian League.
On the local front, he has represented Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) in the Malaysian Hockey League (MHL) for the last four years.
Selvaraju, who featured in the Junior World Cup in Rotterdam in 2005, was also a member of the Malaysian team who won the bronze in the Asia Cup in Chennai in 2007.
Selvaraju is among a handful of senior players in the Glasgow team. Most of the players are from the National Juniors squad.
Malaysia, who finished last out of the 12-team World Cup last month, are in Group B and open their campaign against Canada on July 26 followed by England (July 27), Trinidad and Tobago (July 29) and New Zealand (July 31).
Titleholders Australia, India, Wales, South Africa and Scotland are in Group A.
The Star of Malaysia
Dharmaraj has to explain Facebook post
By Jugjet Singh
NATIONAL chief coach K. Dharmaraj has been issued a show cause letter by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) for hitting out at it on social media.
Dharmaraj had posted on his Facebook account that the MHC management is very weak, and that it should not manage the hockey body like people who still live in caves, or on trees.
“Kenapalah pentadbiran kita lemah sangat.... Susah sangat ke, nak didik semua.....
“...Jangan lah mentadbir macam orang duduk dalam gua atau duduk atas pokok....”
(“Why is our administration weak...is it so difficult, to guide everyone...
“....Don’t administrate like people living in caves or on trees...”)
The coach posted this after many hit his style of coaching, as well as his players who finished 12th in the World Cup at the Hague, Netherlands.
“Yes, I have received a show cause letter from the MHC on the statement that I made. I was told to explain in writing by this Thursday, and there is a likelihood that I will face the disciplinary board,” said Dharmaraj.
Dharmaraj said Malaysia qualifying for the World Cup after 12 years ( was an achievement.
“Many don’t understand that after 12 years being out of the World Cup, the rest of the hockey playing world has moved a few miles ahead of us.
“We should take The Hague as a stepping stone to qualify for the Olympics (by winning the Asian Games gold or securing a World League ticket), and not look at it negatively to demoralise my players,” said Dharmaraj.
The team are feeling very down, and skipper Azlan Misron started the ball rolling by sending in a quit letter, followed by Faizal Saari. Two more players have quit the Commonwealth Games squad.
“Fitri (Saari) and Firhan Ashaari were selected for the Commonwealth Games, but Fitri withdrew due to fatigue as he played in every tournament since the Junior World Cup in December.
“Firhan injured his ankle in training, so I have called in junior players Noor Izzat Sumantri and Haziq Samsul to make up the 16 for Glasgow.”
Malaysia will open their Group B campaign against Canada on July 26 followed by England (July 27), Trinidad and Tobago (July 29) and New Zealand (July 31).
Defending champions Australia, India, Wales, South Africa and Scotland are in Group A.
New Straits Times
PHF secretary says Pakistan will give their best in title defence
By Abdul Jabbar Faisal
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) secretary general Rana Mujahid Ali has said Pakistan will give their best in the upcoming Asian Games to be held in Incheon, South Korea in September. Pakistan are the defending champions of the Asian Games hockey, winning the gold in Guangzhou in China in 2010. “Our players are in high spirits and they want to give their best,” said Mujahid while talking to Daily Times on Monday. He said Pakistan were quite capable of retaining their title as they were undergoing strenuous training under guidance of former Olympian Shahnaz Shiekh. He said head coach Shahnaz was managing to transform players to play both classic and modern hockey and also giving top priority to goalkeeping department.
The Asian Games 2010 proved to be very memorable for Pakistan as they won the Asian Games gold after a long drought of two decades. Hockey is a national sport of Pakistan and very popular nationwide along with the obvious South Asian craze - cricket. Pakistan are the most successful team in the Asian Games, having the unbeaten record of eight gold medals: 1958, 1962, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1990 and 2010 with two silver and three bronze medals as well. “All the questions regarding medal chances should be asked from head coach Shahnaz and chief selector Islahuddin Siddique as they are the ones responsible for setting the targets for any tournament. The PHF will only monitor the activities of the national team and its management without any interruption,” he added. Mujahid said the present PHF set-up was the first one that had give complete autonomy to the team management and the selectors. “We don’t interfere in their working.”
He said all former Olympians, except Samiullah, had joined the PHF in its endeavors to put hockey on the right track. “I have great respect for Samiulah and I want him to help the PHF with his good suggestions for the betterment of Pakistan hockey. The PHF wants to move forward that is why we have taken all former Olympians on board who once criticised the national federation.” The PHF official said that Pakistan would also field a team in 2nd Youth Olympic Games, set be held in Nanjing, China in August this year. “I am here to do my best to revive Pakistan hockey and my target is to provide maximum matches to the Pakistan junior and senior outfits so that they could get best international experience and exposure.”
Mujahid said the PHF had requested the Prime Minster for the allocation of funds for the national team’s participation and for the running of hockey affairs. “Funds are the top priority requirement for the operating of the national game,” he said. Speaking about the hockey series with Indian hockey team, he said the PHF had very good relations with their counterparts but at the end it was up to the governments to give a helping hand in the finalization of the series. “Whenever the series happens India will first tour Pakistan and then Pakistan will play there,” he concluded.
The Daily Times
Lammers steps down as Delmee steps up
Marc Lammers resigned as the Belgian men's national team coach with former Dutch international captain Jeroen Delmee named as his successor at a press conference on Saturday afternoon.
Lammers stepped down from the role after two years in charge during which time the side achieved all the targets initially put in front of him, medalling at the European championships and rising their world ranking to fourth. An Olympic medal in Rio was the ultimate goal.
But he says the intensive nature of the world hockey schedule was not one he could not fully commit to, admitting he was "relieved" to have stepped down in an interview with hockey.nl.
"I have regained some of my freedom. The international schedule has become a lot more intense in recent years. 'Can I do this for two more years?' I asked myself."
"My passion and ambition to be there in the future and to give everything became less. I was taking on more and more duties as coach, talking to all kinds of people, from nutrition to the Olympic Committee.
"The World League added more games. In the Belgian league, more double weekends were played. You should always be there as a coach and, starting from last February, I was in Belgium every weekend. In addition, the preparations take much longer than before. Now you do not have four weeks, but ten weeks leading into a big tournament. "
Marc Coudron, president of the KBHB, said it was with a heavy heart that they accepted Lammers' resignation.
"I wish to sincerely thank him for the excellent work he has done with his staff and his players. He has helped the team grow in recent years to demand more professionalism from the players. He has them styled into a new mentality, based on the principle of 365 days: you are 365 days a year a player of the national team and you have to work 365 days a year to your life."
Delmée, who played 401 times for the Netherlands, steps up from the assistant coach role to lead the team with Philippe Goldberg w set to be his right-hand man.
Euro Hockey League media release
Terry Walsh: Indian problem is it is its outcome-driven rather than process-driven
Suhrid Barua
Every time the Indian men’s hockey team heads into a major hockey tournament, the expectations soar. Of course, there is nothing wrong having ‘expectations’, but the hassle is when our countrymen go beyond the ‘realistic picture’ and yearn for results that are far removed from the round realities. A debacle in a major hockey tournament is all it takes to reignite the ‘snide talk’ of Indian hockey falling away over the years almost to the point of suggesting that Indian hockey can never regain its ‘glory days’.
“If you look closely, hockey-wise India is more outcome-driven and not process-driven. It’s all about being obsessed with the outcome all the time. The fact that India have not won anything ‘big’ in the last thirty years is a factor in triggering ‘despair’ among hockey lovers in the country. There is a need to put processes in place and you can’t deliver results unless you have these,” says Indian team head coach Terry Walsh.
The shrewd Australian coach believes things are potentially looking good for the future. “We had an extremely positive, meaningful two-day review meeting recently to assess where India stands after its 9th place finish in the World Cup. The focus is on putting a robust national programme in place which will ensure that a process is implemented to develop hockey at the grassroots, which is so key for Indian hockey to flourish,” he opines.
The Indian hockey team comprises largely players from states like Punjab, Haryana, Odisha, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Manpur, UP and Maharashtra. In a country of 29 states, isn’t it a sad commentary how the sport is developing in the country? “I agree that there is a need to spread the game to every nook and corner of the country. For that to happen we need good coaches and this is where coaches at the state level must be groomed or upgraded to the demands of modern hockey. At most times, youngsters may have the passion but have little playing avenues and lack of information about the sport,” he quips.
There is a feeling all around that the biggest disadvantage that India youngsters have in their formative years is their exposure to synthetic turfs. A vast majority of these youngsters, barring a few states, end up playing first on grass and then shift to synthetic turfs. Walsh begs to differ. “Technically there are things one needs to adapt playing on synthetic turfs. But it does not mean that a youngster starting on grass and then switching to a synthetic turf will lose out on anything ‘big’. A talented youngster will always adapt to such situations. In India, most of these youngsters get to play on a synthetic turf when they represent their respective states in the national sub-junior or national junior events, something which can be rectified for sure,” he observes.
How important is it for youngsters to enjoy the confidence of a coach, especially you know that a youngster can make mistakes during training? “Well, you just have to ‘coach’ them. If a youngster is making a few errors during training, he should be encouraged not to repeat it. It’s so easy to holler at a youngster and the danger in such situations is that he may never be able to give off his best. No coach can deliver by being an ‘angry’ coach – being ‘angry’ just shows that one is not able to handle the stress of a job he is supposed to perform. This is an area where Indian coaches can work on besides the technical and tactical aspects they focus on,” he remarks.
How does he deal with the cynicism (all stuff written in newspapers) in India, especially after India’s World Cup campaign? “I don’t read too many newspapers. I have a job to do and I’m focused on that. As I said before, people in India are obsessed with the outcome and not the process. They want overnight results which will never happen,” he says.
Walsh, who earlier coached the Australian, Malaysian and Netherlands national teams, has no doubts that India are fast narrowing the gap with teams like England, Belgium, Argentina, New Zealand and Korea. “Look, India are capable of beating all these teams ranked between 4 to 8. There is a lot of self-belief among the boys that we can take these teams head-on. Even the Netherlands are a side whom we can possibly match with greater exposure. As for Australia and Germany it will take some time before we start beating them,” he remarks.
The former Australian stalwart has set ‘realistic’ expectations for the 2016 Rio Olympics. “This team is capable of producing a top-six finish. Let’s not try to get ahead of ourselves,” he adds.
Hockey India League poured much-wanted money into the hockey world , coming as a boon for the Indian players besides all the international players. Walsh offers an ‘interesting angle’ here. “Indian hockey players are the only ones in the world to have a secure full-time job for playing hockey for the country. Look at Germany and Australia or other top countries, they don’t make money from playing for the country nor do they have a secure full-time job. Take the case of Jamie Dwyer – he earns good money by playing the Dutch league and HIL – otherwise there are no match fees for any hockey player across the globe. There can be occasional financial rewards handed out, but the overall picture is grim. In India, jobs for hockey players are drying up which is alarming,” he serves a note of caution.
India’s penalty corner conversion was below par at the 2014 World Cup – the team failed to convert a single PC (in terms of direct conversions). “Talking of set-pieces, we converted one penalty stroke and one of a PC rebound by Jasjit Singh. We really need to up our PC conversions going forward,” he puts forth his views.
And the Commonwealth Games is India’s next international assignment where the Blueshirts will look to build on the positives of the 2014 World Cup. “We will look to put our best foot forward and take our improvement to the next level,” he signs off.
Stick2Hockey.com
We can win a medal in Glasgow CWG: Hockey player Rampal
Edinburgh, UK: Indian women`s hockey team has in it what it takes to secure a podium finish in Glasgow Commonwealth Games if it performs to its full potential, striker Rani Rampal said here on Monday.
19-year-old Rampal, who has earned 111 international caps so far, was speaking after the training session of the Indian team at the University of Edinburgh`s Peffermill sports complex.
"If we do our best we can definitely win a medal. It all depends on our performance and how we manage on the day of the game. In India, so many people have expectations for us to do well in these Commonwealth Games and we also hope we can do our best because if we do well, then people will be happy," she said.
The 16-member Indian women`s hockey team arrived in Edinburgh last week to prepare for the July 23-August 3 Games. India play their opening match against Canada on July 24.
Chief coach Neil Hawgood said the team had a useful tour of Malaysia before coming here and the players were confident of doing well in the Games.
"We had a really good tour to Malaysia where we played and won six tests but that was more about finally being able to play a six-test series where we could just go and experiment with our structures and our style," she said.
"We walked away not worrying about the results but knowing that if we get things right we can compete and if we can compete we have the chance to win."
The women`s hockey competition in the CWG will feature 10 teams divided into two groups. India are placed along with Canada, New Zealand, Trinidad & Tobago and South Africa in Group A.
Scotland, Australia, England, Malaysia and Wales are in Group B. The top two sides from each group will go forward to the semi-finals.
Following their match with Canada, India play New Zealand on July 27, Trinidad and Tobago on July 28 and South Africa on July 30.
Zee News
Scanty rains dampens hockey monsoon tournament
Joe Williams
Pune: National game, hockey became the latest victim of poor monsoon, as the annual Devdas Shetty memorial and the Monsoon league hockey tournaments have been postponed definitely.
The second edition of Devdas Shetty Memorial and the 4th Monsoon League was to kick off from July 15, but due to shortage of water, the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation who own the Major Dyanchand stadium in Nehru Nagar, Pimpri have asked the organisers to hold on to the championship.
"This is for the first time our Monsoon League which is being organised by the four consecutive year and second edition of Devdas Shetty Memorial has to be postponed," said Shridharan Thamba, the organising secretary of the championship.
In a letter to the organisers, PCMC authorities have stated that due to lack of water we (PCMC) will be obliged if the said tournament can be postponed and wait for the good rains.
This championship is being organised by Maharashtra Hockey Umpire Association league-cum-knockout basis under the Poona District Hockey League.
" We have got a good response and now we have to wait for the nod from PCMC to start this tournament," said Tamba.
"We conduct three matches on any given day, and we need to water the surface after each match, which according to them is not available," said Tamba
There is a water scarcity and after we cut off water to all the swimming pools in this vicinity, we cannot provide water as per their demand. We understand this the surface at the stadium needs more water," said Tanaji Shinde, the PCMC Additional Commissioner.
We will be happy if they postpone the tournament and go ahead when their is sufficient water," added Shinde.
"They can organise the tournament but with less water. And only we have sufficient we can meet to their demands," said Shinde.
Major Dhyanchand stadium was the first astro surface in the Pune district and has witnessed many national and some international matches in the past. The District Sports Office events. Inter-school and colleges events for the past many years.
DNA