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All the news for Wednesday 19 November 2014

Black Sticks Men bag 3-0 win against Japan


Pictured: Capital striker Jacob Smith in action. www.photosport.co.nz

The Black Sticks Men showed a big improvement tonight with a 3-0 second test win against Japan at the National Hockey Stadium in Wellington.

Although it was an all-round better performance from the young Kiwi side, the night went to local hero Jacob Smith who slotted home two superb goals on his own turf.

“It’s good to see that improvement from one game to another and we spoke a lot about this last night – it isn’t just one big thing, it’s lots of little things and we were much, much better in those areas today,” said head coach Colin Batch.

“Jake got a spectacular goal and everyone would probably think that was the best one, but I was really pleased with the first one as well, which was well constructed by Simon Child and Jake was in the right spot at the right time,” said Batch.

In the first half the Kiwis were sharp, holding the majority of possession and continuously forcing Japan to scramble in defence.

The attacking pressure paid off when Black Sticks drag flicker Nick Haig capitalised off a penalty corner with a direct flick to the keeper’s left.

The second goal was assisted by the captain of the series, Simon Child, who clinically dribbled it along the baseline finding Smith who deflected it in.

It continued going the Kiwis way in the third quarter, Simon Child finding Smith again who tomahawked it to the back of the net, ricocheting off the keeper’s glove and rattling the cage.

The Kiwis held their lead in the fourth quarter and although they tried to add to their tally, the score remained.

Smith noted the defensive structures tonight were much better and although the quick and nimble Japanese looked threatening at times, the Kiwi defence connected well and cleared the ball well under pressure.

“We will be disappointed that we let Japan have some chances and we will look to patch that up and fix it ahead of the next game, but a clean sheet is a clean sheet.”

“In the first game we were definitely getting used to each other, and today it felt like we had a lot better connections through the layers. The new boys made a really big contribution today which was great,” said Smith.

The Black Sticks Men now head to the Coastlands Kapiti Sports Turf where they play their final two games of the series at 7pm this Friday and 6pm this Saturday.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.dashtickets.co.nz – gate sales are also available. If you can’t make it to the game, watch it live and on-demand at www.hockeynz.co.nz/video

RESULTS

Full time: 3-0 (NZ win)
Half time: 2-0 (lead to NZ)

NZ goal scorers: Nick Haig, Jacob Smith x2
Umpires: Tim Bond (NZ) and Devendra Patel (NZ)

Hockey New Zealand Media release

New Zealand put Japan to the sword in 3-0 win

SAM WORTHINGTON


ON TARGET: Nick Haig opened the scoring for the Black Sticks against Japan. ANDY JACKSON/Fairfax NZ

A green Black Sticks side have flexed their muscle in the second men's test against Japan, claiming a 3-0 victory at Wellington's National Hockey Stadium tonight.

Six New Zealand players had made their international debuts in last night's disappointing 1-1 draw but with those opening night jitters out of the way, Colin Batch's side quickly asserted their authority.

Ranked sixth in the world to Japan's 14, the Black Sticks were confident and composed from the opening whistle, displaying better ball speed, patience and spacing to manipulate and tire a resolute Japanese defence.

New Zealand set up camp in the Japanese half for most of the match with the visitors having to feed off scraps on the counter-attack.

It did take a wee while for the hosts to open the scoring, however, before Nick Haig did the honours via a penalty corner at the end of the first quarter.

The experienced Cantabrian displayed pin-point accuracy with his drag flick into the bottom-right corner and any remaining nerves dissipated.

Capital striker Jacob Smith scored the first of his two goals midway through the second spell, positioning himself perfectly to finish from close range following superb build-up work along the baseline from skipper Simon Child.

Smith helped himself to another at the end of the first quarter, given acres of space to launch a powerful tomahawk strike into the side netting.

Japan didn't throw in the towel at any stage, and continued to scramble well defensively and timed most of their tackles well without fouling.

Canterbury goalkeeper George Enersen, playing his second test, had an armchair ride for most of the night, but did make a good penalty corner save to maintain his clean sheet in the fourth quarter.

An injured Blair Tarrant, who played in game one, sat out with a calf injury while Joseph Bartholomew replaced Dane Lett in the squad.

With many of his frontline players plying their trade in Europe, Batch had little option but to turn to new faces Enersen, Lett, Richard Bain, Willie Davidson, Dwayne Rowsell and Nic Woods.

But as he looks to build depth in his playing ranks, Batch will be satisfied at the rate of improvement from his youngsters between games one and two.

Game three of the four-match series takes place on the Kapiti Coast on Friday.

AT A GLANCE

New Zealand 3 (Jacob Smith 2, Nick Haig) Japan 0. HT: 2-0

Stuff

Black Sticks win against Japan


Manabu Hatakeyama of Japan stretches for the ball during the match against the Black Sticks. File photo / Getty Images

It was a big improvement from the Black Sticks men with a 3-0 second test win against Japan at the National Hockey Stadium in Wellington.

In the first half the Kiwis were sharp, holding the majority of possession and continuously forcing Japan to scramble in defence.

The attacking pressure paid off when Black Sticks drag flicker Nick Haig capitalised off a penalty corner with a direct flick to the keeper's left.

The second goal came from the captain of the series, Simon Child, who perfectly dribbled it along the baseline finding local Jacob Smith who deflected it in.

It continued going the Kiwis way in the third quarter, Simon Child finding Smith again who tomahawked it to the back of the net, ricocheting off the keeper's glove on the way through.

The Kiwis held their lead in the fourth quarter and although they tried to add to their tally it remained as is.

The Black Sticks now head to the Coastlands Kapiti Sports Turf where they play their final two games of the series at 7pm Friday and 6pm on Saturday.

The New Zealand Herald

Kerry names Champions Trophy squad


Shona McCallin in action

England Head Coach Danny Kerry has named the 18 athlete squad who will compete in the Women’s Champions Trophy in Argentina at the end of the month. The tournament is being hosted in Mendoza and runs from Saturday 29 November until Sunday 7 December.

England are in Pool B and will face Australia, Germany and hosts Argentina in the preliminary stages, while Pool A consists of New Zealand, Japan, Netherlands and China.

The squad

Kerry has made a number of changes to the Commonwealth Games squad which claimed a silver medal in August. After a solid two-month training block in the lead up to the Champions Trophy, there are debut tournament call ups for Slough’s Shona McCallin and Clifton’s Joie Leigh. Surbiton lead the way in terms of club selection with four of the squad coming from the Sugden Road club.

It has been an excellent season so far for Clifton’s Joie Leigh who has impressed for her club side, helping them to third in the Investec Women’s Premier Division and scoring seven goals in the process. Leigh has five England caps to date after making her debut in February 2013, but this will be her first senior international tournament.

Slough’s Shona McCallin is also enjoying a fine season at club level. Her side are currently top of the Investec Conference West with an unbeaten record. She has previously captained England U21s to fourth place at the Junior World Cup in Monchengladbach, Germany, in 2013 and lived in Holland for three and a half years playing for MOP. She will make her England debut if she plays at the Champions Trophy.

Surbiton’s Sarah Haycroft earns a re-call to the squad for the first major tournament since the FIH World League Semi-Final in 2013. London 2012 bronze medallist and St Albans Player-Coach Hannah Macleod also returns to the squad after missing out on Glasgow.

England and Great Britain Captain Kate Richardson-Walsh has taken time away from the programme since finishing with a Silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. After being away from the centralised programme and not training full-time she was not in consideration for the Champions Trophy squad. With Richardson-Walsh absent from the side, the captain’s responsibilities will fall to the senior leadership group within the squad.

After competing in Glasgow Holcombe’s Nicola White and Lucy Wood have not been named in Kerry’s squad.

Squad members Helen Richardson-Walsh and Ashleigh Ball both have long term injuries. Richardson-Walsh continues to recover from back surgery and Ball from a knee operation she had following the World Cup. Both athletes are working through rehabilitation programmes at Bisham Abbey.

Quotes – England Head Coach Danny Kerry.

On the squad selected: “The group we have chosen reflects those who have pushed their case hard during the training block since September. As a result we’ve given some opportunities to a number of players who are relatively inexperienced at this level. The block of training since September has been really focused and has produced excellent commitment from each one of the athletes. We have pushed the group exceptionally hard during this time and they have responded well to that environment.”

On England’s aims for the competition: “As a group we will look to generate a number of outcomes from the tournament not just in trying to be extremely competitive but also in gathering some much needed information ahead of the Olympic Qualifiers.”

On competition for places: “Joie Leigh, Shona McCallin and Sarah Haycroft are all relatively inexperienced at this level but a good 3 months’ training from them has been rewarded with selection for this prestigious event. Their inclusion allows us to grow the depth in the group and means there is more competition for places in the squad. We have left a number of highly experienced medallists behind, which is a testament to the pool of talent we are beginning to generate.”

On England’s rivals for a medal: “Netherlands are hot favourites, with Australia and Argentina likely medal contenders, too. The beauty of the Champions Trophy is that all the teams competing are capable of beating each other on their day. That means consistency of performance becomes crucial for us.”

Pool B opponents

Kerry’s team face a difficult opening test as they come up against world number two side Australia. The Hockeyroos are the current Commonwealth Games champions after defeating England on shootout in Glasgow and are also World Cup silver-medallists.

Germany, who England beat 3-1 at the World Cup in The Hague come into the tournament ranked 7th-one place below Danny Kerry’s side.

Argentina are England’s final Pool B opponents. The hosts won the last Champions Trophy back in 2012 when a Silvina D’Elia goal was enough to edge out Great Britain in the final, 1-0. Roared on by a fervent home support, Las Leonas will be looking for inspiration from eight-time FIH World Player of the Year Luciana Aymar who holds the record for appearances in the competition and will be competing in her 15th Champions Trophy.

England’s first game is against Commonwealth Games champions Australia on Saturday 29 November at 1930 [UK time].

All matches from the Champions Trophy are being shown live on Sky Sports.

Champions Trophy: the tournament - Source: FIH

The front runners

The Netherlands and Australia both hold six Champions Trophy titles apiece, defending champions Argentina winning five times and Germany, China and Korea all winning once. England will be hoping to emulate the same performance as Great Britain after Danny Kerry’s side took home a silver medal from the last edition of the Champions Trophy back in 2012.

Mendoza, Argentina – the hosts

The opening day of the tournament (Saturday 29 November) will feature all eight teams taking to the field in the Estadio Mendocino de Hockey. The stadium seats 5,000 spectators and was built initially to host the 2013 Women’s Pan American Cup. The new stadium was greeted with great enthusiasm by hockey fans in Argentina, who were already thinking ahead then to the 2014 Champions Trophy.

Qualification for this year's edition was as follows:

Argentina qualified as defending champions and hosts; Great Britain were runners up in the 2012 edition, enabling England to qualify this time; the Netherlands, Germany and Japan qualify by virtue of their placings in the same tournament, third, fourth and fifth respectively; and Australia were winners of the 2012 Champions Challenge 1. In addition New Zealand and China were given invitational places.

The future of the Champions Trophy

From 2016, the qualification criteria as set out by FIH will be slightly modified to accommodate the Hockey World League results. Qualifying teams will comprise: the host, the 2012 Olympic Champions, the 2014 World Cup winners, 2015 World League champions, the winners of the 2014 Champions Challenge and a team nominated by FIH Executive Board. If any team qualifies twice under the criteria, then FIH Executive Board will invite a further team. The format of the competition will also revert to a six team round robin followed by classification matches.

2014 Women’s Champions Trophy – Squad

Name – Club –Hometown

Giselle Ansley – Surbiton – Kingsbridge
Sophie Bray – East Grinstead – Surrey
Alex Danson – Reading – Odiham
Susie Gilbert – Reading - Lichfield
Sarah Haycroft – Surbiton – Esher
Maddie Hinch – Holcombe – West Chiltington
Joie Leigh – Clifton – Huddersfield
Kirsty Mackay – East Grinstead – Blackpool
Hannah Macleod – St Albans – Huntingdon
Shona McCallin – Slough – Newark
Lily Owsley – University of Birmingham – Bristol
Sam Quek – Holcombe – Wirral
Zoe Shipperley – Buckingham – Marsh Gibbon
Susannah Townsend – Canterbury – Egerton
Georgie Twigg – Surbiton – Lincoln
Laura Unsworth – Holcombe – Sutton Coldfield
Ellie Watton – St Albans – Oakham
Hollie Webb – Surbiton - Belper

England Hockey Board Media release

England women's hockey head to Champions Trophy with senior leaders taking the helm

Kate Richardson-Walsh's absence from the side sees no captain appointed for eight-team Champions Trophy

By Rod Gilmour


Stepping up: Slough's Shona McCallin is a former England under-21 captain Photo: ADY KERRY

England women will head to the Champions Trophy in Mendoza, Argentina at the end of the month without an appointed captain.

England Hockey revealed that the “captain’s responsibilities will fall to the senior leadership group within the squad" after Kate Richardson-Walsh, the current incumbent, was not included in the squad for the eight-team event, following her decision to take time away from the sport after the Commonwealth Games.

Danny Kerry, the head coach, has also made several changes to his 18-strong squad for the tournament, his first since being appointed full-time after Glasgow 2014.

There are call ups for Slough’s Shona McCallin, a former under-21 captain, and Clifton’s Jo Leigh, who has racked up seven goals in the top flight this season. Leigh first made her debut in 2013, though this will mark her first senior tournament.

Sarah Haycroft earns a recall, bringing Surbiton’s representation in Argentina to four, while Holcombe’s Nicola White and Lucy Wood have been dropped after both featured in England’s silver medal performance in Glasgow.

Kerry said: “The group we have chosen reflects those who have pushed their case hard during the training block since September.

“As a result we’ve given some opportunities to a number of players who are relatively inexperienced at this level.

“We have left a number of highly experienced medallists behind, which is a testament to the pool of talent we are beginning to generate.”

England face a tricky test in Mendoza. They will play Australia, Germany and hosts Argentina in the preliminary stages. The third game will see England take on the hosts and defending champions, Argentina, which will mark one of Luciana Aymar’s last matches before retirement.

Hero Hockey Champions Trophy 2014

Where: Estadio Mendocino de Hockey, Mendoza, Argentina
When: Nov 29 – Dec 7
Pool A
Netherlands, New Zealand, China, Japan
Pool B
Australia, Argentina, England, Germany

The Telegraph

Ireland’s Men Continue World League 2 Preparation with French Tour



Ireland’s men’s hockey team will depart for France this coming Sunday for a three day tour which will see them take in two matches against France as they continue preparations for the 2016 Olympic Qualifiers, World League 2. Coach Fulton has been operating with a large squad and has named a team for this tour that sees two new caps in Neal Glassy and Mark Ingram while Johnny Bruton is welcomed back into the squad. Fulton has elected to leave a number of his more seasoned players off this tour as some younger talent get the chance to impress at international match level.

The Green Machine have had an intense period with twelve national sessions over the last three months and Coach Fulton was looking forward to putting the team back into match mode “We are looking forward to playing France next week in the build up to World League 2.There is a good mix of youth and experience in this current Irish Senior Men’s team and all the squad players have been working hard and are ready to play”

The Irish team will have one more tour before Christmas, travelling to Alicante, Spain from the 15th – 20th December where they will play against both Spain and Poland twice, the squad will be announced post this French tour.

Match Schedule (Lille, France – French times)
25th November Ireland v France 18.00
26th November Ireland v France 11.00

Ireland Squad – French Tour.

1. Jonny Bell, Lisnagarvey
2. Mathew Bell, Banbridge
3. Peter Brown, Banbridge
4. Jonny Bruton, Three Rock Rovers
5. Drew Carlisle, Banbridge
6. Mitch Darling, Three Rock Rovers
7. Stephan Dowds, Banbridge
8. Neal Glassey, Mossley
9. Paul Gleghorne, Instonians
10. Kyle Good, Dragons
11. David Harte, Kampong
12. Conor Harte, Racing
13. Mark Ingram, Pembroke Wanderers
14. John Jackson, Reading
15. Bruce McCandless, Banbridge
16. Shane O’Donoghue, Dragons
17. Michael Robson, Annadale
18. Michael Watt, Surbiton

Ned Fulton, Head Coach
Jonny Caren, Assistant Coach
Stephan Barry, S&C/ Manager
Stephan Haslam, Physio
Mark Kavanagh, Video

Irish Hockey Association media release

Walsh's contract over, ball now in HI's court

Harpreet Kaur Lamba

"You can call me former India hockey coach for now," was Terry Walsh's first reaction after a series of meetings with the sports ministry and the Sports Authority of India-appointed committee that looked into the Australian's demands of "greater decision-making powers" over the last few days. Walsh ad resigned last month citing "bureaucratic interference".

The talks, which appeared to be headed in a positive direction till late on Monday night, hit a roadblock after HI president Narinder Batra raised questions over Walsh's financial trouble over a sports development programme with former employers Hockey USA and stall a fresh contract for the Australian.

In the end, the ministry and SAI backed the coach saying "they believed that Walsh was the right man to take Indian hockey forward", but there was still no resolution.

The development is a definite set back for the national team, who appeared o be headed in a positive direction under Walsh. The Asian Games gold was followed by a series win over world champions Australia, and with the Champions Trophy just days away, it has left the players in a state of shock.

Walsh heads back to Perth on Wednesday, leaving behind huge question marks on his return and many more on HI's unprecedented move on Monday night.

It is learnt, that the SAI appointed committee had prepared a final draft - which went through four stages of discussion and included many of Walsh's demands - and the government too backed the Australian.

"As of last evening, I ceased my role with the national programme," said Walsh here. "We had reached an impasse in proceedings regarding my involvement with the programme. But there may be a way forward. This must be finalised between Hockey India and myself."

Walsh termed Batra's allegations as "slanderous", saying it was a contractual arrangement with USA Hockey over the use of a software.

"I gave him (Batra) clear indication that what is going on is unacceptable, and needs retraction. A lot of things were brought to the table unnecessarily.

"It's something that came from USA Hockey but which has been solved nearly 18 months ago. It's a thing of the past, it's about contractual arrangement where it was agreed that they will use all my software programme inside their environment and it just escalated from there," said Walsh, adding that he was ready to return if things were to work out between him and HI.

The day's proceedings, however, clearly put the spotlight on HI's timing on bringing forth the issue. If Batra - who claims to have papers to prove Walsh's financial irregularities - was so diligent in his investigation, why didn't the HI president use the same resources when the Australian was hired an year ago, is something to ponder over. Why have these issues being raised only after demands of more power and freedom from Walsh?

The day's happenings, in fact, mirrored what transpired four years ago when Walsh's predecessor Jose Brasa - having led India to medals in the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games - had demanded a free hand in selection and other matters highlighting the bureaucratic way of functioning. Brasa too was shown the door.

Batra, on his part, said he would never allow a tainted person to work ithin the set-up, but it is ironic that the HI head has only gone into Walsh's background after the latter's run-in with the Indian authorities calling the system "suffocating".

Walsh will now await a fresh contract, and said he would read it with an open mind.

"I will be in Perth, and am expecting to get a new contract within 24 to 48 hours. What has happened has left me in a daze and I am determined to think clearly."

Asked if he would be willing to work with HI again, he said, "If you are talking about trust, yes it has been shaken a bit, but can be resolved."

He also clarified on his request for 120 days of leave among other things, saying it was "wrongly construed".

"It is simply working from my home base in Perth, when I am not required in the country and that really is the nexus. That is where the whole piece lies. It is an arrangement in high performance sport worldwide and requires a professional set of thinking," said Walsh. "It takes a level of trust, and I am in looking for that."

The Asian Age

Hockey coach Terry Walsh quits as talks with Hockey India, Sports Authority of India fail

It's back to square one.

Indian hockey coach Terry Walsh, on Tuesday, decided to quit from his post after talks with Hockey India (HI) and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) regarding his contract and changes in the system failed to reach a conclusion. Walsh's contract was set to expire on Wednesday.

There's still a ray of hope, though, with a fresh proposal being worked out for the Australian's consideration that is expected to be notified to him in a couple of days. Walsh will fly back to Perth on Wednesday and will only give his final decision after a few days.

Walsh announced his decision after meeting Sonowal on Tuesday morning. That was the one last chance for both parties to reach a compromise, but it ended inconclusively.

"Walsh had a meeting with the sports minister today (Tuesday) along with the committee. The minister applauded Walsh's recent performance and believed that he's the right man to take Indian hockey forward," SAI executive director (Teams) Sudhir Setia said.

Walsh, on his part, said on Tuesday that he was excited by SAI and government's desire to make changes, but refused to mention HI. "I have been really excited by the SAI and government's desire to review and possibly implement small changes to enhance hockey in India," Walsh told reporters in New Delhi.

"Their support in this process has been extremely positive and shows a clear desire to take hockey forward in this country. Change is never easy but without it, progress cannot be made," he said.

"But as of last (Monday) evening, I closed my role with the national programme. But I have just discussed a new proposal and I hope to receive that in the next 24 to 48 hours," the two-time Olympian added.

Walsh's departure means the team will be left without a coach in their ongoing national camp in New Delhi for the upcoming Champions Trophy. Asked if a replacement for Walsh was being discussed, HI CEO Elena Norman said they were still hoping that the Australia would come back after studying the new proposal.

Walsh also chose to remain optimistic. "I'm still hoping for a resolution to this situation in the very near future. My case has been discussed today (Tuesday) and I need a few days to gather my thoughts," he added.

Walsh had resigned last month citing greater say for the high-performance group in the decision-making processes. The 60-year-old also wanted some hand-picked support staff besides wanting to work from home for a period of 120 days.

Walsh's resignation resulted in an intense war of words between the three parties. While SAI director-general Jiji Thomson made it clear that an exception cannot be made just for Walsh in terms of working from home, HI president Narinder Batra slammed the Australian, saying "he is blackmailing them and the nation", and that "if Terry Walsh thinks India is a milking cow, he is wrong". Batra also accused Walsh of indulging in "financial fraud" during his time with the USA women's hockey team. Clearly, Batra didn't want the Australian to stay around.

After being asked by SAI and sports minister Sarbananda Sonowal to withdraw his resignation, Walsh agreed to have a dialogue to reach a compromise. After the team's return from Australia, a six-member committee had been formed to look into Walsh's demands. The committee met Walsh on November 14 and November 17, but failed to reach any conclusion. The committee comprised Indian hockey legends Ajit Pal Singh, Ashok Kumar and Zafar Iqbal, India's high-performance director Roelant Oltmans, Setia and Norman.

DNA

Hockey coach Terry Walsh quits, but says he's open to renegotiation

National hockey team coach Terry Walsh on Tuesday submitted his resignation after his contract-related talks with sports officials failed, but added that he was open to renegotiation. The Australian will leave for Perth, but is expected to return after four days.

"I have now been in the job for 12 months, and we have grown a lot. Each phase of improvement in that time has been quite noticeable as far as I am concerned. As far as the last month is concerned, it has been a traumatic time. Emotions are running very high, much higher than when I am sitting on the side watching an intense match," Walsh told ANI. "There are too many highs and lows, which has made it difficult. We have to move past that. I have to readdress exactly where I am," he added.

Walsh further said that his talks with sports officials had been nearing settlement before the occurrence of what he called 'unnecessary drama'. "The direction was very clear, and in our marathon meeting, the matter was almost settled till something came up at the last moment, which created quite a few hours of unnecessary drama," he said. "I spoke to the team this morning and I will speak to them again, because, they are the most important group," he added.

Confident in the talent of the national side, Walsh also said that if the team manages to get through this time positively, it will be a powerful team, adding that the team is prepared for a solid participation in the upcoming Champions Trophy. "It is important that we get through this phase and that we get through it intact. It has been a difficult time for both the individuals and the team as a whole. If we can get through this positively, then I think it will be a very powerful team," he said.

"The reality is that we are prepared for the Champion's Trophy and we have been doing a lot of work along the way. Monitoring what we are doing is critical, because, physiologically, we are at a stage of exhaustion and we have to get to other end. We are working very hard to make sure that the progression within the group is appropriate from one tournament to the next," he added.

DNA

Game over for Walsh

India hockey coach quits but may return if his demands are met

Sabi Hussain


Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal tried to persuade Terry Walsh to stay on but the Australian stuck to his decision and would fly back home on Wednesday.

New Delhi - In a major blow to Indian hockey, Terry Walsh relinquished the post of the head coach of the national team after Hockey India (HI) and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) failed to convince him to take his resignation back, on Tuesday.

Walsh, who had submitted his resignation on October 21 and whose contract was to expire on Wednesday, decided to fly back to Australia immediately without withdrawing his resignation, despite the intervention of the Sports Ministry which tried to persuade him to stay on.

Walsh had been negotiating with the Ministry to stay on board, but the talks eventually broke down after HI president Narinder Batra alleged that Walsh had indulged in “financial fraud” to the tune of $176,000 during his stint with the USA Hockey.

That statement had a damaging effect as Walsh categorically told Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal that he wouldn't be able to travel with the team to Bhubaneswar for the next month's Champions Trophy.

The Ministry had acceded to most of the demands put forth by Walsh, even offering him a contract till the 2020 Olympics, but the 60-year-old Australian insisted on taking a “long break”, citing the “disturbing state of mind” he was in. Walsh talked about the suffocating environment in the federation, especially the high-handedness of Hockey India president Narinder Batra and interference by other officials.

During his interaction with the Minister, Walsh complained about the allegations levelled by Batra, saying it had caused irrevocable damage. “Walsh was adamant about going on a break. He told the Minister that he was in a disturbed frame of mind and he wouldn't be able to coach the team for the Champions Trophy. He even refused to accept the contract offered to him till the 2020 Olympics, and insisted on taking a long break,” a Ministry official told The Tribune.

Later, at a press conference, Walsh said that he was still optimistic about coaching the Indian team and a fresh proposal would be sent to him in the next couple of days by HI for his consideration, leaving the door still open for his return to India.

“As on Monday, I have ceased to be a part of the national programme. We had reached an impasse regarding my involvement with the programme. But, there may be a way forward. I am still hoping for resolution in the near future. I need a few days to gather my thoughts. I shall return to my home, Perth, on Wednesday,” Walsh said.

“There has been a proposal from HI which I am waiting to see. When that document comes to me, I'll have a look at it and decide about it in a couple of days. I believe if I don't take a break at this point, I wouldn't be of any use to the team. It's been quite difficult for me,” he added.

Highs and lows Walsh had with Indian hockey

November 2013 Succeeds compatriot Michael Nobbs as head coach of the Indian team. Hired till the 2016 Olympics.

January 2014 His first big tournament as coach — Hockey World League Final in New Delhi. Team finishes sixth in the eight-team event.

June The team finishes a lowly ninth at the World Cup in The Hague, Netherlands. Despite its mental frailties team shows all-round progress.

July-August India wins first medal under him — silver at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games after losing to Australia in final. The comeback-win over New Zealand in the semifinals raises hopes of a medal at the Asian Games.

September-October Leads India to their first gold medal at the Asian Games since 1998. Beat Pakistan in the final to qualify for the Rio Olympics.

October 19 Walsh puts in his papers, one month before his contract expires. Wants more decision-making powers and more time with family in Australia. Reportedly asks for 120 days of paid leave, during which he would keep in touch with the team through video conferencing.

November 9 During his one-month long notice period, India beat world champions Australia 3-1 in an away Test series.

November 13 Sports Ministry appoints six-member panel to look into Walsh's demands.

November 18 Quits formally after contractual talks with Hockey India and the Sports Authority of India break down. But a fresh proposal is still being worked out for the Australian's consideration.

The Tribune

Terry Walsh quits as chief coach of Indian hockey team

NEW DELHI: India's chief hockey coach Terry Walsh quit from his position after his contractual talks with Hockey India and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) broke down but a fresh proposal is still being worked out for the Australian's consideration.

Walsh, whose contract was to come to an end on Wednesday, had already submitted his resignation last month after his demands for a greater say in team decisions and hand-picked support staff were turned down by HI and SAI.

He had been negotiating to stay on board and met sports minister Sarbananda Sonowal this morning but the talks ended inconclusively, prompting the 60-year-old to head back to Australia without withdrawing his resignation.

However, a fresh proposal will sent to him in the next couple of days for his consideration, leaving the door still open for his return to India.

Walsh, who was present at a press conference, said that he was still optimistic about coaching the Indian team and that the fresh proposal would address all his demands.

Walsh's continuance had become doubtful after reports emerged that he had developed serious differences with Hockey India president Narinder Batra.

Batra had alleged that Walsh had indulged in "financial fraud" during his stint with USA Hockey and he was reluctant to keep the Australian on board.

If Walsh does not come back, it can be counted as a setback to Indian hockey considering that the team had been producing good results under his watch. The men recently won the Asian Games gold medal after a gap of 16 years, which also fetched them qualification for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

It is, however, learnt that Walsh and some other support staff were having some issues with the government over TDS (Tax Deduction at Source) on their salaries.

Before this, the team won a silver medal in the Commonwealth Games and most recently defeated world champions Australia in an away Test series.

Earlier, a three-member panel had been formed to look into Walsh's demands but it failed to come to any "conclusion".

The panel comprising former hockey captains Ajit Pal Singh, Ashok Kumar and Zafar Iqbal met Walsh, Hockey India Performance Director Roelant Oltmans and Sports Authority of India officials twice but could not come up with a solution to end the logjam.

Apart from a greater say in decisions and support staff of his choice, Walsh has also sought 120 days paid leave in a year during which he has committed to stay available over video conference for players.

Walsh, on his part, reiterated that progress cannot be made without change in the current set-up.

"I have been really excited by the SAI and government's desire to review and possibly implement small changes to enhance hockey in India," said Walsh.

"Their support in this process has been extremely positive and shows a clear desire to bring hockey forward in this country. Change is never easy but without it progress cannot be made," he emphasised.

Walsh said the national team has huge potential. "I have become strongly attached to the performance of the players and support staff. With this team there is huge potential and a growing level of performance. I thank them sincerely for their efforts, their trust and most of all their friendship.

"But as of last evening I closed my role with the national program," said the Australian, who was appointed India coach in October last year, replacing the sacked and fellow Australian Michael Nobbs.

Walsh made it amply clear that his differences were with Hockey India rather than SAI as earlier perceived.

"We have reached an impasse in proceedings regarding my involvement with the program but there may be a way forward. This must be finalised Hockey India and myself."

He is still hoping for a positive outcome. "I m still hoping for a resolution to this situation in the very near future. My case has been discussed today and I need a few days to gather my thoughts."

The Times of India

Narinder Batra alleges Terry Walsh committed financial fraud, puts spanner in contract talks

by Vinayak Bhushan Padmadeo, Mihir Vasavda


BATRA_M Hockey India President has suddenly has now put a question mark of the continuance of the Australian. (Source: PTI)

Hockey India president Narinder Batra’s allegation that national hockey coach Terry Walsh was involved in financial impropriety to the tune of $ 1,76,000 during his stint with USA Hockey has put a question mark of the continuance of the Australian.

Batra had on Friday raised this allegation with the chairman of the three-member panel — Ajitpal Singh — which had been formed to look into Walsh’s demands as coach. The issue was not taken up on Friday, but on Monday it was raised and has resulted in a fallout between the Hockey India president and the India coach.

Walsh, who has been with the Indian team for over a year, said he was surprised that the issue had cropped up this late in the day.

“In essence, the money Batra is talking about is regarding a contractual issue between USA Hockey and myself,” Walsh said.

The story

Walsh developed the software Sportscode, while working with Sportstec and when USA Hockey hired the performance analysis tool they hired the Australian to work on the software further. However, when Walsh left in 2012, USA Hockey wanted to keep the software, which led to a dispute.

“We made a contract (Walsh and USA Hockey) and the only way they (USA Hockey) could do it was to put money to develop the software. That was because they used it all these years. And then Steve Locke came joined as the CEO in 2010. I signed a similar contract with him. But when I left in 2012, he said ‘we should keep all the software’. I said ‘the software is mine, what you’ve been doing is hiring it’. That’s how it began.”

Batra, however, was adamant that the issue between Walsh and USA Hockey could not be overlooked.

“I had informed the chairman Mr Ajitpal of this issue during the last meeting on Friday. But it was not taken up. Today I put my foot down. I can’t have anyone working with us who has been accused of financial impropriety. I am willing to keep him but first this issue needs to be resolved, otherwise we can’t have him. My fundamentals are very clear. If govt wants to keep a tainted person, I am willing to quit in the morning. Let the government and Terry Walsh take hockey forward I am ready to quit. I will not have any tainted person in Hockey India,” Batra said.

Earlier in the day the three-member committee along with Walsh was scheduled to meet the sports minister in the evening but the coach hinted that the impropriety issue raised by the HI derailed any hopes of a positive conclusion.

“I can’t talk about it because it’s inappropriate for me to do so. But I can tell you that in essence it was a supportive meeting and we were moving in a very good direction. All of sudden, something happened and everything was in disarray. It was after Batra raised these allegations. SAI has bent over backwards to make something happen but it is absolutely weird to me that a new issue has been raised,” Walsh said.

Walsh said he was willing to give out all the clarifications but said that the manner in which the issue was put out painted him in a bad light.

“It doesn’t help, does it? It doesn’t help anyone. It surprises me that he (Batra) would raise this issue without speaking to me first. I have been extremely cautious because of his recent circumstances and I am deeply sorry for that. But I am disappointed with what he has done.”

Indian Express

Walsh Issue: Why does achiever Hockey India reverse gear now?

K Arumugam

"World Cup will now onwards be known Pre HIL era and Post HIL Era". This was the words of none other than the FIH chief Leondro Negre two years ago when he came to India on the eve of first Hockey India League.

Hockey India League, the way the first Auction went about, created history in the otherwise conservative world hockey. Now after two years, when an unknown name to Indian fans, Tom Boom of Belgium, stands to amass a whopping USD 103,000 for a single season, the hockey world is more excited.

Tom's booty, I feel, is probably more than the annual budget of many FIH Member Nations.

Even as we felt momentarily that the HIL is facing slow death with two Franchises withdrawing in quick phase, there came quick counter from Hockey India. Two new owners jumped in.

Last fortnight, Hockey India announced Annual Awards running into amazing Rs. 1 crore

Hockey India, contrarily to its predecessor IHF, has put in place a good working administrative set up, enlarged communication and is dynamic.

It also shed the conservative view of things, and hired foreign experts to boost national teams, for men and women teams.

Now, one its imports, Terry Walsh, has delivered his target of winning the Asian Games Gold, thereby removing the headache of qualifying for the Rio Olympics.

With the recent decent show against Australia, hockey is being talked about among public, came to occupy lost space in the media.

Credit for all such good development naturally goes to the apex body, Hockey India, for steering from top.

If hockey does well, the first beneficiary is Hockey India

It can enlarge its activities, enhance its image, envision better things for future.

Its Hockey India that brought Terry Walsh, though at that time we felt an younger coach would have been preferred. Time has proved HI was right in hiring Terry.

But the developments in the last two days, has put the achiever HI in the bad light of public.

Public at large consider HI's president Narinder Batra as the villain of the piece.

Most of the social media postings vouchsafe for such a turn around in perception.

Indian public is not dull, as popular Hindi song goes, yeh public hai saab jaanti hai. No one can claim moral upper hand. Time and context is always understood and underlain.

Pulling out an accusation out of nowhere, and telling the country of its own coach has committed 'Financial Fraud' is unwelcome, inappropriate and undesirable too.

The accusation is unverified and bad in taste -- done in haste.

Its therefore apparent, HI is disinterested in the continuance of Terry Walsh, which is really stunning and surprising.

We don't know exact reasons for the sudden somersault, but what we require at this time is wisdom.

The bureaucracy is bending backwards, which Narinder Batra wanted always, the political head of sports, Union Minister is going extra mile, coach himself is willing to reconsider his resignation.

Its timee therefore for Narinder Batra to extend warm hands to Terry who can never go against him anytime, against hockey interest anytime.

Batra has been made a member of FIH executive Board, and has got FIH President Award recently. He needs to rise above petty issues, and stand tall and count.

Lest, history will not be polite to him.

There is no need to reverse gear now.

Stick2Hockey.com

Terry Walsh has been made to quit

s2h Team

With Hockey India's stern refusal to go along with many of his demands, Indian national men's hockey team chief coach Terry Walsh has been decided to quit.

His one year contract comes to an end today

Under Walsh, Indian men's team has shown tremendous improvement, clinching gold at the Asian Games, winning a Series against mighty Australia and silver at the Commonwealth Games.

When it looked almost all issues have been thrashed out in the three marathon meetings the expert committee has had so far, Hockey India President Narender Batra cast a strong accusation on Terry Walsh over his 'financial dispute' with his former employer United States hockey.

Its unfortunate of all the sections involved Hockey India took a strong stand that prevented the master coach continue for another year.

Incidentally, coach of the 1998 Asian Games team, MK Kaushik was also sacked days after India winning the Asian Games gold after a gap of 32 years.

Such whimsical sacking will not help Indian hockey improve.

Stick2Hockey.com

India fails to retain field hockey coach Terry Walsh

NEW DELHI: Indian hockey’s problems took a turn for the worse on Tuesday as Hockey India (HI) and Sports Authority of India (SAI) failed to convince chief coach Terry Walsh to take his resignation back - with the Australian deciding to fly back home a day before his contract ends. A six-hour long meeting, second in two days, of the three-member special committee formed by SAI failed to resolve the issue despite offering a new contract to Walsh. It said Walsh was not willing to back down on some of his demands, which include more decision-making powers, personnel of choice in the support staff as well as a 120-day of paid leave in Australia.

The committee, which includes former India players Ajit Pal Singh, Ashok Kumar and Zafar Iqbal, has now decided to knock at the door of Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonwal to end the impasse. The committee met Walsh, HI’s High Performance Director Roelant Oltmans and SAI officials in back-to-back marathon meetings over two days but couldn’t reach a conclusion, following which Walsh decided to pack his bags saying he would decide on his future over the weekend and is not taking back the resignation he gave a month ago.

“My contract has expired and I am leaving for Perth on Wednesday. As of now I have resigned and will take a call on whether to continue by the weekend,” Walsh said after the meeting. “I have been offered a new contract but not signed it yet. I’m happy with the efforts of the Sports Ministry and Hockey India to resolve the matter,” the Australian added.

On October 19 Walsh had quit as India hockey coach after claiming that bureaucracy hurdles had prevented him from working independently, only to continue as coach in hope of reaching an agreement with SAI and HI. However, matters worsened when HI President, Narinder Batra, raised questions over Walsh’s financial dealings in his past job with the USA hockey team. That probably put to rest any common ground being reached by the two parties. With the Champions Trophy scheduled to begin in Bhubaneswar on December 6, it looks highly unlikely Walsh will return to India in time unless his demands are met.

The Daily Times

Terry Walsh seeks time to consider fresh offer


NEW HOPE: Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has a reassuring word with Indian hockey team chief coach Terry Walsh after a meeting at the Sports Ministry in New Delhi on Tuesday. Photo: R.V. Moorthy   

Running high on emotions, Walsh said he had been assured of being provided with a fresh set of proposals in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Even as the issue regarding chief coach Terry Walsh’s continuation with the Indian hockey team remained unresolved on Tuesday, there was a glimmer of hope following the intervention of Union Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

A fresh offer is being extended to the Aussie in order to facilitate his stint until the 2016 Olympics.

A day before the expiry of Walsh’s contract, the Sports Minister met the chief coach in the presence of top officials from the Ministry, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and Hockey India (HI) and thrashed out a formula which compelled Walsh to have a rethink.

“We had a very healthy discussion and we are thankful to Walsh for his contribution to Indian hockey. We need his services. We have appreciated most of his conditions. He has indicated that he will positively decide on the issue that we have discussed today,” Sonowal told reporters.

Welcome sign

Running high on emotions, Walsh said he had been assured of being provided with a fresh set of proposals in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Indications that HI is willing to budge from its stand is also considered to be a welcome sign.

“It is not an easy job. One needs to be in proper frame of mind. It is one of the most difficult tasks. In the hockey world it is probably the most difficult because of the public impact it makes. I need to be calm and collective about what I do and I truly appreciate a couple day’s of patience.

“My contract obviously finishes tomorrow and we are very keen to move forward towards the Olympic Games in 2016,” said Walsh, who is set to fly back home on Wednesday.

In an interaction with the press, Walsh, who had been accused of financial malpractice by Hockey India president Narinder Batra, categorically denied any wrongdoing.

“It’s something that’s come from US field hockey but it’s something has been covered off some 18 months ago. I have spoken to Mr. Batra about it. I have given clear indications that what’s been going on in the press is unacceptable and there needs to be a retraction from that perspective. There’s no problem in that area and it’s just an unacceptable situation,” Walsh insisted.

Bone of contention

The primary reason for the impasse, he said, was finding a solution to his proposal of working from Perth. “The bone of contention, at the moment, is really to be able to spend more work time in my Perth office, when we don’t have the necessary programmes running in India, something that’s been misconstrued as a holiday.

“Working out of the home base is difficult and working out the arrangements of how to do it is where the whole piece really is. SAI has been very helpful but there are huge, significant problems that we are trying to find a solution to,” Walsh said.

He said a final decision would be taken by the weekend, depending on the proposal he receives from SAI, but was hopeful of returning to India in time for the Champions Trophy.

The most positive statement on the matter, however, came from High Performance Director Roelant Oltmans, who was part of the committee formed to look into renewal of Walsh’s contract.

“I am not prepared to not see him at Champions Trophy. We will inform you about the exact status before the team leaves on November 27 and you can see him there,” he said.

The Hindu

Terry Walsh fiasco not the right preparation for Indian hockey team

The confusion in the Indian hockey camp ahead of the men's Champions Trophy beginning December 4, in Bhubaneswar, does not augur well for the sport which is clawing back at the global level. India had recently won title at Incheon Asian Games and a passage to the 2016 Rio Olympics Games.

Differences between chief coach Terry Walsh and Hockey India (HI) had emerged when the former was in the process of finalising his new contract with the Sports Authority of India (SAI). Walsh's one year contract expires on Wednesday. Since he has not signed a fresh contract, he would not oversee the preparation of the national team for the Champions Trophy. Walsh said he needed some more time to decide whether to sign his new contract or not.

In his absence, high performance director Roelant Oltmans is overseeing the national camp that got underway in Delhi on Sunday at the National Stadium.

Despite federation president Narinder Batra going on record saying he does not want the Australian expert on board because of his alleged financial fraud during his coaching stint with USA women's hockey team, Walsh played the issue down saying he has no differences with the federation. "There is no issue," he told HT, adding: "Something unfortunate has happened when things were going smoothly and I can't talk about it right now."

What is intriguing is the fact that Walsh had been working with the national team for almost a year and the issue of alleged financial fraud did not crop up then. Also, a couple of weeks back, the federation was backing Walsh as there was no record available of his income-tax deduction. Then federation was critical of SAI on the issue.

Unavailable

Despite repeated efforts Oltmans was not available for his comments, even federation's general secretary Mohammed Mushtaq Ahmad did not respond to calls and text messages.

An official of the sports ministry said, the government had agreed to Walsh's proposal in principle. SAI's six-member panel had met twice in the last four days to discuss the proposal and then recommended it to the sports minister for his approval.

On Wednesday, Walsh and members of the panel met sports minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

Walsh, according to a functionary of the ministry, is keen to work with the national team, but would not renew his contract immediately. "He wants to go back to Australia at the moment," said the official.

Hindustan Times

SAI committee meets sports minister regarding Walsh's proposal

NEW DELHI: The six-member committee, constituted by Sports Authority of India (SAI) to study the proposals of Indian hockey coach Terry Walsh, met the sports minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday.

In a major setback for Indian hockey, the men's national team chief coach Terry Walsh officially quit from his post after his contractual talks with Hockey India and the SAI broke down but a fresh proposal is still being worked out for the Australian's consideration.

"Mr Terry Walsh had a meeting with the honourable sports minister today along with the committee at 14:30 hours. The minister applauded Mr Terry Walsh's recent performance and believed that Mr Walsh is the right man to take Indian hockey forward," said Setia in a statement.

"The committee comprising of former Indian hockey players Ajit Pal Singh, Ashok Kumar, Zafar Iqbal, High Performance Director Rolant Oltmans, SAI's Executive Director (Teams) Sudhir Setia and Hockey India CEO Elena Norman decided to meet the sports minister after two days of meeting.

"The minister patiently listened to Mr Walsh's proposals and have agreed to all of them in principles and have asked the committee to find more details. However, Mr. Walsh stated that he needs few days off to go back to Australia. He will then have a re look at all the proposals offered in a positive manner towards renewal of his contract." Setia said.

Walsh, whose contract was to come to an end on Wednesday, had already submitted his resignation last month after his demands for a greater say in team decisions and hand-picked support staff were turned down by HI and Sports Authority of India.

The Times of India

Sports minister steps in to keep Terry Walsh on board

Biswajyoti Brahma

NEW DELHI: It took some strong assurances from the sports minister on Tuesday to convince chief hockey coach Terry Walsh to reconsider his decision to quit his job, the contract for which expires on Wednesday.

After Walsh's two meetings with the panel formed by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) to look into the Australian's demands failed to come up with a solution, the coach met sports minister Sarbananda Sonowal at his office on Tuesday afternoon. Sonowal, who listened to Walsh's proposals, agreed to "all of them in principle".

Walsh, who submitted his resignation soon after India's gold medal win at the Incheon Asian Games last month, had put forth several demands for staying on as India's coach. Walsh wants permission to work from Perth, his home town, financial incentives in salary, support staff of choice and financial autonomy.

"The minister applauded Terry Walsh's recent performance and believes that Walsh is the right man to take Indian hockey forward," SAI executive director Sudhir Setia, who was part of the panel, said in a statement. "The minister patiently listened to Walsh's proposals and has agreed to all of them in principle. However, Walsh stated that he needs a few days off to go back to Australia. He will then have a relook at all the proposals offered in a positive manner towards renewal of his contract."

Walsh, on his part, said he was pleased with the latest development. "I am far more optimistic today than I was yesterday. But interestingly all this happened at the last moment.

This seems to be the way (in India)," Walsh said. "I really hope it works. I am much more pleased with the situation (today) than what it was yesterday." Interestingly, sources in the know told TOI that while it was possible on the part of the ministry to cede to most of Walsh's demands, it would not be right to give him financial autonomy. "He wants financial autonomy for purchasing equipment and all. But how can such authority be given to a foreigner?" sources said.

Even if Walsh agrees to resume his job with a new contract, he might find it hard to work in India since Hockey India president Narinder Batra has reportedly alleged that the Australian was involved in financial impropriety to the tune of $176,000 during his stint with US Hockey. "I am willing to keep him but first this issue needs to be resolved, otherwise we can't have him," the HI president was quoted as saying.

The Times of India

Current situation reminiscent of '98': Ashok Kumar

Dhananjay Roy

MUMBAI: The turf-war with Hockey India that led to chief coach Terry Walsh's resignation on Tuesday reminded fans of Indian hockey's propensity to self-destruct, just when things are looking bright.

"We had a marathon seven-hour meeting on Monday to thrash out the issues that Walsh had raised while putting in his papers. We were confident he would change his mind and accept our new proposal, as Wednesday was his last day of contract with Hockey India. But I am not sure what happened after that," Ashok Kumar, who was part of the committee, along with Ajit Pal Singh and Zafar Iqbal, that looked into Walsh's demands told TOI on Tuesday.

Ashok, son of the legendary Dhyan Chand, and a key member of the Indian team that won the World Cup in 1975, now fears for the side that's preparing for the Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar in early December.

"The current episode reminds me of 1998 when we returned from Bangkok with the Asiad gold. Everyone was celebrating the achievement but all of a sudden we heard that six members of the team were suspended which left bitter feelings," he recalled.

The Times of India

Faizal aims to return to national training squad

By Aftar Singh


Faizal Saari (left) will only return to the national training squad if coach Tai Beng Hai still wants his services for the World League Second Round in Singapore in January next year.

KUALA LUMPUR: Diminutive forward Faizal Saari is interested in returning to the national training squad.

The skilful 23-year-old is in top form, having scored eight goals for Terengganu in five Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) matches.

But Faizal, who last featured for Malaysia in the World Cup in The Hague, Holland, in June, wants to meet the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC), National Sports Council (NSC) and national coach Tai Beng Hai before making a decision.

Faizal, who has 162 international caps, said that he would only return if Beng Hai still wanted his services for the World League Second Round in Singapore (from Jan 17-25).

“I also want to have a discussion with the NSC and MHC officials first to iron out certain issues before making a decision,” said Faizal, who was a letdown in The Hague, failing to score a single goal in six matches in the World Cup.

He was issued a show-cause letter for making press statements against the MHC. He also had a fallout against former national coach K. Dharmaraj after the World Cup and declined to play for the national team.

Faizal does have a hot streak. He was shown the red card in the MHL match against Sapura last Friday for using foul language against an umpire.

Faizal served out the one-match automatic suspension against Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) on Sunday. However, he will face the technical committee on Thursday for further action.

Terengganu are second in the six-team Premier League standings with 15 points from five wins and a loss. Defending champions Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) top the standings with maximum points from six matches.

The East Coast team can still bag the title if they win their remaining four matches.

Terengganu, who made their MHL debut last year, face Tenaga Nasional and Maybank this weekend and KLHC and Sapura next weekend.

The Star of Malaysia

Women’s National Team training camp set to identify athletes for 2015 squads

Camp begins Tuesday in Richmond with fitness and strength testing



With a busy and important 2015 competition season just around the corner, the Canadian Senior Women’s National Field Hockey Team will be holding a training camp in Vancouver from November 18-20th in order to identify athletes who will compete for squads moving into the new year.

The primary purpose of the camp is to monitor the fitness and progress of the current Women's National Team while at the same time using the opportunity to provide those athletes who have impressed throughout 2014 an additional opportunity to push their claims. As such, thirteen additional athletes will attend Camp, joining the Senior Team in the three-day camp.

“Over the past 18 months, we have been continually narrowing our selection focus in order to prepare for the Pan American Cup, the Commonwealth Games and World League 1," says Women's National Team Head Coach Ian Rutledge. "We now have a little breathing space to make sure that we have the best squad possible for the important 2015 season."

"We are refining our final group and this camp will provide the opportunity for us to broaden the selection process. Working with our Junior Development Squad and watching the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Finals, the Ontario University Athletics conference, as well as the CanWest CIS Series, I have been very impressed with the talent across the country and those athletes that currently exist outside our current group. It is therefore critical that we keep searching and keep providing encouragement for a larger group of athletes who do have the potential and the ability to play for Canada."

“While we have a core group of players who continually perform on the World Stage, we need to make sure that we continue to build depth and a high degree of internal competition. The players are learning to push themselves and each other to areas that are uncomfortable but critical for growth and success.”

Commenting on the opportunity that awaits, Rutledge stated “given the timing in the Quadrennial, this is a real opportunity for players to push for selection and prior to us finalizing the 2015 Women's National Team.”

“We need to select players who have a high degree of internal commitment – that is, that they want to be the best they can be on their own, that they do the work and that they demonstrate a high degree of character and professionalism. We define character as what you do when others are not watching.”

The next year of competition is a busy one for the Women’s National Team, which has qualified for Round 2 of World League, which will take place early in 2015 and serves as a path to 2016 Olympic qualification. Canada is also set to host the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto next summer. The first trip of the year is to New Zealand for a two-week training camp, culminating in a 3-Test Series against the World Number 4, Blacksticks.

“It is very easy in a small pond to cruise and be apathetic. But I do not see that we have a small player population. I see the top 30 athletes in the country being very equal and the only deciding factors being the opportunity provided to impress, develop and progress.”

Attending the camp will be the majority of the current Women’s National Team in addition to select additional athletes who have been identified throughout the previous year of competitions and camps.

“Throughout 2014 the Women’s National Team has taken the opportunity to invite other potential squad members into their training environment. We will continue to do so at various stages during 2015 and 2016, in order to give our program the best opportunity for success.”

With an eye towards the 2016 Junior World Cup, a number of players who have impressed through the Junior Development Squad program over the past two years have also been invited to the Camp. Following this Camp, along with the 2015 Women's National Team, a Junior Squad for the upcoming February USA Tour and Series will also be named.

The Pan-Ams also serve as a route to Olympic qualification, with the winner of both the men’s and women’s field hockey tournament earning a berth in the 2016 Summer Games in Rio, Brazil.

The upcoming three-day training camp which including aerobic and speed testing, strength and skills training, and scrimmages and is an opportunity for athletes to be recognized at the senior level and advance their chances of earning a spot on upcoming 2015 squad selections.

2014 Women’s National Team Training Camp Roster – Invited Athletes:

Field Hockey Canada media release

Austrian trio named in nation's top 100

Harvestehuder trio Xaver Hasun , Michael Korper and Benjamin Stanzl have all been named in the list of Austria’s top 100 athletes by the country's Sport Magazin.

They come in ahead of tennis player Jurgen Melzer and national team player Macr Janko in joint 93rd following their incredible 2014.

The trio received the nod for helping their German club to the treble of indoor European Cup, the Euro Hockey League and the German national title while also helping Austria to second in the European indoors and advancing to the second round of the World League.

Euro Hockey League media release

Strathmore Africa Cup hopes

African women hockey silver medalists Strathmore University Scorpions are determined to seal their first-ever continental title as the 2014 Africa Cup

By Elizabeth Mburugu


Gilly Okumu of Scorpion team of Strathmore University at Citypark. ON 30/07/14 PHOTO: JENIPHER WACHIE

African women hockey silver medalists Strathmore University Scorpions are determined to seal their first-ever continental title as the 2014 Africa Cup of Club championships (ACCC) starts on Saturday at Khumalo Hockey Stadium in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. This will be a third attempt by the students who made their debut on the continental scene in 2012 ACCC's at the same venue.

The students, who were fifth at their inaugural event, proved to be a force to reckon with as they fought hard to finish second behind winners Orange Telkom in Kampala, Uganda. Strathmore striker Yvonne Wanjiku scooped the top scorer's award for her seven goals in the tournament.

Strathmore head coach, Meshack Senge, is confident his charges will excel because they have maintained a good record. "My players improved from fifth to second. The only way we can show growth is if we win gold," he said.

He, however, cautioned his players not to underrate any team as they are equally good and up to the task. "I have talked to my players and they know that all teams have joined the competition with the trophy in mind. They are now ready to take each match with the seriousness it deserves," he said.

Strathmore have had a good run in the women's league and remain unbeaten in their Pool B. They have been impressive, scoring 34 goals and conceding three. Strathmore will be relying on their new signing Gilly Okumu for goals. She currently leads the top scorer's table with 10 league goals. The former Sinyolo Girls student will make her debut on the international scene at club level in Bulawayo.

Beaming with confidence, national team defender Caroline Njoki, who will be wearing the captain's armband for the first time, promised to lead her charges to gold. She said her team are youthful and have matured and their opponents should expect a different side.

"We are a very young squad with 23 as the average age. Even so, we have matured in the sport and are focused and ready to win," Njoki told FeverPitch. She added that they don't feel pressured because they have prepared well and are ready to conquer the continent. "Pressure is on our opponents because they are aware that we have trained well. On our part, all we need is to remain focused and keep our eyes on the prize."

The Scorpions will join defending champions Orange, who beat them 2-0 in the previous finals, as the only representatives for the country. The country will not be represented in the men's category as Police and Butali Sugar Warriors, formerly Kisumu Simba, pulled out due to financial constraints.

The Standard Online

Seniors ride high

Seniors Hockey Club continue to ride high in the Ashanti regional hockey league in Ghana, beating Royals 2-0 in last Saturday's match to consolidate their hold to the top of the table on nine points.

Inspired by their captain, Yaw Boafo, the Seniors attacked early to unsettle their opponents but wasted series of short corners until midway through the match when they found the net.

Michael Numnah (Naana) and Samuel Amankwah scored their first goals in the season for Seniors in a fast game.

Sensational Silver club of which so much is expected in the season, could only manage a 1-1 drawn game with 'journey men' Bibiani. Abheyquaye fetched the opener for Silver before Samuel Asamoah equalised for Bibiani.

One of the big clubs in the league, KNUST, is yet to rediscover the form that made them outstanding last season. They suffered a painful defeat to Unique in a match that they could have won.

They lost 1-2 after a great push-off. And after failing to take advantage of their early dominance, they were punished by Unique with two clinical finishes from the sticks of Emmanuel Antwi and Fredrick Osei.

Christopher Dogbe pulled a face-saving one back from the university students.

GhanaWeb

Marist wins Fijian hockey meet

Zanzeer Singh

NATIONAL rep Hemlet Wedlock scored the winner for Mates against Marist Suva to win the men's title during its own tournament at the Nadovu hockey ground on Sunday.

It was a six-year title wait for the host club that surprised favourites Marist Suva 1-0 in the final.

In the semi-final Mates beat Rebels 6-3 while Marist Suva defeated Seals 2-0.

Defending champions Ventures failed to impress and was bundled out during the pool stage.

Marist Suva did not go home empty handed after bagging the women's title.

In the final, Marist Suva defeated Stingers 2-0.

In the semi-final, Marist Suva beat Rebels 3-0 while Stingers downed Tokalau 2-0.

Owen Smith of Mates took out the top honours in the men's section awards.

Smith was named as the most valuable player and also the top goal scorer.

Taila Ah Yuk of Marist Suva won the women's most valuable player award while teammate Raijeli was the highest goal scorer.

Tournament director Fergus Underwood said all the players enjoyed themselves despite the hot conditions.

"We would like to thank our sponsors Medica Pacifica and Kadar Buksh Ltd," Underwood.

"The teams are keen to come for next year's event which will be the 27th."

Placing: Men's: 1st Mates, 2nd Marist Suva, 3rd Rebels, 4th Seals, 5th Ventures, 6th Rockefellers, 7th Naidrodro, 8th Stingers. Women's: 1st Marist Suva, 2nd Stingers, 3rd Rebels, 4th Tokalau.

The Fiji Times

Barbara West

It is with great sadness that England Hockey reports the death of Barbara West, who died recently aged 100.

Born on the 9th November 1913, she died five days short of 101st birthday. Known to all as ‘Bar’, she was an outstanding servant of women’s hockey for over 50 years, lecturing and coaching at Chelsea PE College, President of Sussex, involved in South coaching and a South Selector and much more.

In her playing days she went with two England Touring Teams to New Zealand & the USA. In later life, she and her identical twin sister, Bridget who was similarly connected with West hockey, were ever present figures at County, Territorial and International events.

There will be a service at St Andrew’s Church, Alfriston, Sussex BN26 5TL on Wednesday 19th November at 11.30. A full obituary will appear in The Times next week.

England Hockey Board Media release