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News for 10 December 2014

All the news for Wednesday 10 December 2014


India surprise by winning against the Netherlands, England top Pool A

Hero Hockey Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar sees Argentina and Australia grabbing wins, Belgium draw with England


India defeated the Netherlands to claim third place in Pool B. (Photo: FIH )

England finished top of Pool A ahead of Belgium at the Hero Hockey Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar. Both teams remain unbeaten after the pool stage as their match finished tied at 1-1. Earlier, Argentina celebrated a 3-0 win over Germany in Pool B moving up to six points. The second session began with Australia running up a fine 3-0 win over Pakistan to finish third in Pool A. The Netherlands are first in Pool B despite losing 3-2 to India.

Thursday’s quarter final will see the Netherlands taking on Pakistan, England playing Germany, Argentina facing Australia and Belgium meeting India.

Pool A: Argentina v Germany 3-0 (2-0)

Argentina ended their Pool B campaign on six points following their 3-0 (2-0) win over Germany in the opening game of day three of the Hero Hockey Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar.

Indeed, it was Argentina's biggest ever win in Champions Trophy matches. After a chanceless first quarter, Argentina upped the ante in the second. Captain Matias Paredes was at the centre of everything and he opened the scoring with a mid-circle smash.

Gonzalo Peillat drew a brilliant diving save from Felix Reuss before Joaquin Menini continued his fine form with a great strike, clipping into the top corner after Paredes robbed the ball on halfway. He laid on a perfect back-door pass for Menini to race clear, making it 2-0.

Germany had a couple of better openings in the third quarter of this tight, cagey battle, with Florian Fuchs firing across the face of goal while Juan Vivaldi made some tidy saves while his defence kept out a penalty corner.

Christopher Wesley shot a sharp, close-range effort wide early in the fourth quarter and then miscued a shot to continue Germany’s frustrations. And they were caught once again from a quick free on 49 minutes which Ignacio Ortiz popped past Reuss for 3-0 with Manu Brunet on hand to watch the ball go in. From there, the European side had their moments but could not get one back and they end the group on three points courtesy of their 1-0 win over India last Saturday.

England v Belgium 1-1 (0-1)

England and Belgium remain unbeaten in the Hero Hockey Champions Trophy after drawing 1-1 in their last Pool A match on Tuesday. However, England are Pool A winners having collected two more points than Belgium’s Red Lions who finished second.

Belgium took the lead early on when Amaury Keusters was located unmarked in the circle by a clever Tanguy Cosyns pass. The forward unleashed a powerful backhand shot to beat George Pinner in the ninth minute.

From there, England had the better chances, Ollie Willars and Sam Ward seeing their efforts brilliantly saved by Vincent Vanasch. Ashley Jackson then hit the post from a penalty corner while, in the aftermath, Ward was fouled leading to a penalty stroke. Iain Lewers, however, could only find the metalwork, leaving Belgium ahead 1-0 at the break.

England produced a series of two penalty corners in the third quarter but neither captain Barry Middleton nor Jackson were able to find the target. Just before the third quarter break a Keusters strike hit the crossbar and the Red Lions remained in their narrow 1-0 lead.

Lewers eventually equalised for England on 13 minutes remaining when his powerful backhand stroke found the bottom of the goal. Belgium fought hard to get a second goal but the result remained tied. 

Pool B: Australia v Pakistan 3-0 (1-0)

Jeremy Hayward’s pair of goals saw Australia claim third place in Pool A at Pakistan’s expense as they beat the Asian side 3-0 (1-0), gaining their first win of the competition at the third attempt.

Pakistan had the first major opening, Muhammad Arslan Qadir hitting the outside of the goal following a great piece of skill by Muhammad Dilber. From there until the big break, Australia pummelled their goal but only came away with a single goal. That came from Jeremy Hayward from a penalty corner rebound in the 23rd minute.

Chris Ciriello saw a drag-flick charged down while Jacob Whetton went particularly close after some great individual skill from the pick of the chances, leaving the minimum in the difference. But they could not build on it further. Simon Orchard was denied by a stunning Imran Butt save and Matt Gohdes could find no way past the defender on the line with the follow-up.

Butt also tipped a drag-flick over the bar to keep Pakistan interested and they started to forge their own chances in the final quarter with growing frequency. They also could not find their scoring sticks and they were chances were all but done and dusted when Hayward flicked home his second with seven minutes left. Whetton completed the result with 90 seconds to go with a simple touch.

The Netherlands v India 3-2 (0-0)

The Netherlands finished top of Pool B despite losing 3-2 to India in Tuesday’s last pool match. Grabbing their first win at the Hero Hockey Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar, host nation India moved up to third place in the pool, overtaking Germany. Goals from SV Sunil, Manpreet Singh and Rupinder Singh sealed the victory.

The Kalinga Stadium was sold out again when host nation India took on the Olympic and World Cup finalists from the Netherlands. The match started with an entertaining first quarter seeing Akashdeep Singh being blocked by Dutch goalie Pirman Blaak with the pick of the chances.

The Dutchmen, meanwhile, went close to scoring through Jelle Galema and Robert van der Horst but Indian goalie Sreejesh Parattu kept them out. The hosts produced a couple of penalty corners in the second quarter which forced Blaak to show some terrific reflexes.

Rogier Hofman could have taken the lead just before halftime but Sreejesh cleared once again. The Netherlands won their first penalty corner in the last minute of the first half but Mink van der Weerden’s drag-flick hit the crossbar. The halftime score remained goalless and tied at 0-0.

SV Sunil’s deflection opened the scoring in the Kalinga Stadium much to the delight of the enthusiastic home crowd. The men in orange took their video referral but the goal was confirmed. However, van der Weerden silenced the crowd shortly afterwards when his third penalty corner attempt found the net to level the score at 1-1.

The fourth quarter saw India bringing it home thanks to a Manpreet Singh goal, converting at the third attempt, and a Rupinder Singh penalty corner flick. Van der Weerden added another penalty corner goal with two minutes remaining to shorten the score to 3-2.

FIH site



Hero Hockey Champions Trophy knock-out phase ready for action

All the key facts and figures you need to know about the quarter-finals in Bhubaneswar


The ticket counters are busy in Bhubaneswar. (Photo: FIH / Stanislas Brochier)

The four Hero Champions Trophy quarter-finals are ready to roll in Bhubaneswar with a series of fascinating match-ups between the giants of the game. Here, we give the key facts and figures on each of the runners and riders and how they have fared against their next opponent in the Champions Trophy in the past.

Netherlands v Pakistan (11.30 hrs)

The Netherlands against Pakistan is one of the classic Champions Trophy contests with the nations meeting a massive 34 times. The Dutch have held a clear advantage in recent times with Pakistan not beating them in their last 12 games, dating back to 1998. Indeed, the last time the Netherlands missed out on the top four was in 1986 but Pakistan enjoy knock-out hockey and won their quarter-final against Germany in 2012 in Melbourne en route to a bronze medal.

The Dutch topped Pool B with wins over Argentina and Germany but were undone 3-2 by hosts India. Pakistan are looking for their first win of the competition after losses to England, Belgium and Australia. The Netherlands’ ace drag-flicker Mink van der Weerden knows the opponents reasonably well. He plays his club hockey with Rashid Mehmood and Muhammad Rizwan Senior at Oranje Zwart and describes them both as “seriously skillful”.

Rizwan Senior’s focus is “We must win in the quarter-finals; there is no other option.” Dutch coach Max Caldas’ echoes his sentiments, saying “a quarter-final is do or die."

Argentina v Australia (13.45 hrs)

Champions Trophy experts Australia are going for a sixth successive win in the competition and have never lost to Argentina in the competition in their four previous meetings.

But World Cup bronze medalists Argentina are in the mood for breaking records as they showed with their 3-0 win over Germany; this was their biggest ever win in the Champions Trophy and they would dearly love to get into the final for the first time. Their counter-attacking style yielded great benefits in wins over India and the Germans with Joaquim Menini, Matias Paredes, Agustin Mazilli and Lucas Vila all shining.

The last time world champions Australia missed out on the top four, however, was in 2002 so it will be a huge effort for Los Leones. The Australians did struggle for consistency in their 4-4 draw with Belgium and 3-1 loss to England. But Chris Ciriello said “a greater focus on defence” helped underpin a 3-0 win over Pakistan and show their attacking intentions.

England v Germany (17.15 hrs)

For England and Germany,  it is a classic European battle. The former have impressed so far as the tournament’s top scorers so far with 12 goals in three outings. Newcomer Sam Ward has scored three of them from open play despite only receiveing his call up seven days before the tournament’s start.

They beat Germany the last time the two sides met in the Champions Trophy, a 4-1 success in Melbourne which was England’s first success in this fixture. Germany, meanwhile, have not made the top four since 2010 and captain Tobias Hauke says that, after a slow start to the competition, his team must produce a big performance. The Olympic champions have seven Junior World Cup winners from 2013 in their squad, starting off with a narrow 1-0 win over India following defeats to Netherlands (1-4) and Argentina (0-3).

“We have to win on Thursday,” he said. “Otherwise the second half of this tournament will be quite tough. We had three games to find ourselves and prepare for the quarter-final but what happens on Thursday is what counts.”

England coach Bobby Crutchley, meanwhile, says his side is feeling good after an unbeaten group phase with wins over Pakistan and Australia and a draw with Belgium. “I am really pleased with how we did in the group. As we know, in this format, it is now playing your best hockey in the knock-out phase and that’s our challenge.”

Belgium v India (19.30)

The two sides have met only once previously in the Champions Trophy, India winning 1-0 in the quarter-finals in Melbourne in 2012 – the first time this format has been used for the competition.

Belgium bounced back to finish fifth last time while India ended a place ahead in fourth. And the hosts will be gunning to claim a medal for the first since the bronze they landed all the way back in 1982. Their 3-2 win over the Netherlands on Tuesday evening in front of a packed house at the Kalinga Stadium has given the team real confidence – a game coach Roelant Oltmans said “nobody expected us to win”. This put India third in Pool B ahead of Germany.

He did add that his side “need to rectify some mistakes and need to stop conceding goals after scoring one” if they are to test the effervescent Belgians. With the trickery of Manpreet Singh and Akashdeep Singh, allied to the pace of SV Sunil, they have plenty of threats going forward while goalkeeper PR Sreejesh has been in immaculate form between the posts.

For unbeaten Belgium, finishing second in Pool A, Vincent Vanasch has also been in top form in goal while they showed immense fighting spirit to come back from 3-0 down to draw with Australia 4-4 in their group.

Broadcasters that will be showing matches live on television.

ABC
All AUS matches

ASTRO Malaysia
All matches

TEN Sports
All matches

SUPERSPORT - Africa
All matches

Germany - Sport 1
GER matches (depending on GER progress)

Netherlands NOS
All NED matches - not always live

Belgium - Telenet, VRT and VOO (French)
All BEL matches + semis and final

UK - BSKYB
All ENG matches

Follow FIH on here:

Event Website: For more information about the Hero Hockey Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar please visit our official tournament microsite by clicking here. The microsite will bring you all of the news coming from the event, including written match reports, flash quotes, action photos, goal scoring statistics, video highlights and much more.

You Tube: The FIH You Tube channel will be active throughout the events, with match highlights and much more being posted as soon as they become available. To visit our You Tube channel, click the link below: www.youtube.com/fihockey

Social media

FIH will provide comprehensive coverage of the event via our social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Facebook: facebook.com/fihockey
Instagram: instagram.com/fihockey
Twitter: twitter.com/fih_hockey

#CT2014 #BestOfTheBest

FIH site



Indians subdue the Dutch

Y. B. Sarangi


HOISTING THE LEAD: Manpreet Singh put India 2-1 ahead with a strike in the 47th minute. Photo: Sandeep Saxena

After two morale-sapping defeats, India finally regained a lot of confidence by notching up a 3-2 upset win over World Cup silver medallist and second-ranked Netherlands in its final Pool B match of the Champions Trophy hockey tournament at the Kalinga Stadium here on Tuesday.

The home team, which opened its account with three points earned from this unexpected victory, finished third in its pool and will meet Pool A’s second-placed side Belgium in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

The Netherlands frontline, especially the trio of Jeroen Hertzberger, Sander Baart and Rogier Hofman, showed tremendous understanding and agility to invade the Indian circle at lightning speed and came close to taking the lead on several occasions.
Fabulous saves

But India remained unaffected mainly due to some fabulous saves by its brave goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh. V.R. Raghunath and Rupinderpal Singh, who were tested on numerous instances, withstood the nervous moments. Against the run of play, India grabbed the lead early in the third quarter. Bubbling with energy, young Gurjinder Singh launched a long-range slap shot and S.V. Sunil deflected it in to trigger celebrations in the stands. The Dutch lost a bit of advantage as its referral challenging the goal did not yield the desired result.

The Netherlands, however, replied strongly as van der Weerden shot high to convert his side’s third short corner in the 36th minute.

India scored its second goal as man-of-the-match Manpreet slid to put it in after rival custodian Pirmin Blaak blocked two consecutive attempts in the 47th minute.

Two minutes later, the host earned its third penalty corner and Rupinderpal rolled it in a bit late as the whole stadium erupted in joy. van der Weerden pulled one back in the closing minutes, but that was not enough to prevent India from securing its third victory ever over the Netherlands in the Champions Trophy. India had last beaten the Dutch way back in 1986.

England fought back to hold Belgium to a 1-1 draw and top Pool A with seven points. Belgium took the second place with five points from one win and two draws. Australia banked on Jeremy Hayward’s brace to register its first victory and settle for the third spot in Pool A.

Argentina beat Germany 3-0 to post its second win and take the second place behind the Netherlands in Pool B with six points.

The Hindu



Indians overpower mighty Dutch 3-2

s2h team

It's was an evening packed with spirited Hockey. An evening that each one of the seven thousand plus crowd present at the Kalinga Stadium will remember in times to come. An evening that tens of thousands of Indian Hockey fans waited for decades.

9th ranked India beat World Cup winners Netherlands 3-2 in a stellar performance at the ongoing Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar.

The last time India beat Netherlands at the Champions Trophy was twenty-eight years back, at Karachi. For India the goals came from SV Sunil (33rd minute), Manpreet (47th) and Rupinderpal (49th). For the Dutch, Mink van der Weerden scored a brace (36th and 58th).

It was a nervous start for India. In the 5th minute, Rupinderpal saved the blushes for India when Gurjinder while clearing a Dutch move at the goalmouth, mis-passed the ball back to the men in Orange. On another occasion, on a feed from a sprinting Sardara, Gurbaj was superbly tackled by Constantijn Jonker at the edge of Dutch circle.

But India looked composed, held their nerves and prevented the Dutch from taking a real hit at the Indian post. At more than a few occasions, eight Indian were seen countering four opponents inside the Indian circle.

The first half witnessed classy Hockey from both the teams. Both teams employed a defensive strategy, picking up on counters and at one stage it looked like anybody's game.

India missed on an opportunity to draw first blood in the 24th minute when Martin Havenga's stick-check foul against Ramandeep resulted in a short corner for India.

Gurjinder's flick was too predictable for the Dutch goalkeeper who blocked it straight-on. Another short corner followed. Manpreet failed to stop the ball and India squandered their best chance to break the deadlock.

Moments before the half time, it looked like India's perennial problem of slack play in the final minutes of a period have returned. The Dutch earned a penalty corner from a slap-shot into the Indian cage. Interestingly, there were five Indians in the circle and no Dutchmen was present; still the shot found the foot of Manpreet. To India's relief, the man of the match in the first game, Indian custodian Sreejesh cleared the rising flick with his left hand.

Into the second half, it was apparent that India is playing to a script. They pressed the Dutch harder and were duly rewarded in the 33rd minute. A long through ball from Gurjinder found a deflection from Sunil's stick and as the vociferous crowd roared in the electrified atmosphere, scoreboard read 1-0 in favor of India.

Quite similar to the previous game against Argentina, the Indian lead was short-lived. In the 36th minute, Gurjinder fouled conceding a short corner to Netherlands. On the follow-up penalty corner, Mink van der Weerden sent down a rocket high into the nets, out of reach of substituted goalkeeper, Harjot Singh.

The third quarter finished 1-1 but with India attacking more than before, Dutch reciprocating in kind and not falling into complete defence, the stage looked set for a nail-biting finish.

In the 47th minute, a kneeling Danish got a cross from Gurbaj in Holland's circle. He swept it into Netherlands' cage but the goalkeeper, Blaak padded it. Unfortunately for the Dutch, Manpreet got the lose ball and invaluable seconds to himself. He hit it hard and Indians were up again 2-1. The sheer force that he exerted into that dispatch must have inspired the organizers to award him the 'Man of the Match' award at the end of the game.

Two minutes later, the sturdy Rupinderpal scored on a low flick putting India ahead 3-1.

From hereon, Indian attackers turned impertinent and they upped their forays into the Dutch citadel. The World Cup winners buckled under pressure and resorted to aggressive tactics resulting in a Green Card for var den Weerden in the 53rd minute, followed by an injury to Seve van Ass.

The '14 Olympics Silver medallist could manage to pull one back in the 58th minute thereby extending the excitement to the final hooter. Weerden scored on a penalty corner in the similar fashion as that of his first goal earlier.

The final minute scare came to haunt India again when with just seconds to spare, Rogier Hofman took a reverse-flick at the Indian goal. The young Harjot Singh exhibited superb reflexes palming off the incoming ball. Post the match, an elated Indian coach, Roelant Oltmans, gave Singh a pat-on-the-back for sealing a victory for India.

India have finished 3rd in the Pool B and go on to play Belgium, placed 2nd in Pool A, in the Quarter Finals. The match is scheduled for Thursday.

Stick2Hockey.com



Oltmans: Our fourth quarter changes worked

Tazeen Qureshy



Victorious coach Roelant Oltmans said that self-belief and appropriate changes in the strategy worked for the success today in the match against Netherlands.

India posted a famous 3-1 win over World Cup silver medallist today

On asked whether he and the team thought of winning today's match against the popular belief that the team will lose.

“If I thought a team was not beatable, I would not have been here as the coach of the team", the Dutch legend retorted.

"Prior to this match, there was a general perception that we would lose today. Hockey is game where we every team plays for 60 minutes to win’, he explained.

The main worry before the match was impact making player Brendra Lakra's injry and subsequent absence in today's line up. But Oltmans claims the team made suitable strategy to nullify the effect.

“Since Birender is injured and didn’t play, we had to make changes. I also made some changes in the fourth quarter when the team was playing on field.”

Roelant Oltamns is of the opinion that the team played well in the first two matches also, but the outcome was not there due to minor lapses. He also felt luck was not with the team in the first two matches

“If we look at the statistics, we played better in the previous matches also in terms of the ball possession and penalty corners. You know a bit of luck is also required and we had that luck today.”

“One of the positives of the match is that we conceded goal after two minutes rather than a minute.” said for humour.

Oltmans gave emphasis to fourth quarter, and credited the team for adhering to the plan

“Second would be we played much better in the fourth quarter. But again, we scooped the ball aimlessly and it cost us the second goal.”

Stick2Hockey.com



Nobody expected us to win against Holland, says Oltmans

BHUBANESWAR: His native country ended up on the losing side on Tuesday, but India's high performance director Roelant Oltmans was a relieved man after the hosts stunned the Netherlands 3-2 in a Pool B match of the Hero Champions Trophy hockey tournament.

He said what went in India's favour was that "nobody expected" them to win against the mighty the Netherlands and that too after back-to-back defeats in the tournament.

"Nobody expected us to win against the Netherlands today. We were the underdogs," he told reporters after the match.

India produced an inspired performance to register their first win over the Netherlands in 18 years when they stunned the World Cup and Olympic silver medallists Dutch side in the high-voltage encounter to finish third in Pool B.

The win not only broke India's two match losing streak, but also helped the Sardar Singh and Co to break their 18 year winning jinx against the mighty Dutch. India last defeated the Netherlands way back in 1996 in an Olympic qualifying tournament in Barcelona.

It is also India's first win over the Netherlands in the Champions Trophy after 1986 in Karachi.

The other positive that came out of the match against the Netherlands was that India could able to convert their chances.

"The positive is that we scored thrice against a side which conceded just one goal against Germany coming into the match," Oltmans said.

"From the start, we played aggressive, attacking hockey and will continue to play according to our style in the remaining matches. We showed our potential in the last two matches which we lost but we did not have luck in our side," he said.

Oltmans, however, said India will need to address a few areas, especially conceding goals quickly after scoring, before the quarterfinal duel against Belgium on Thursday.

"We need to rectify some mistakes. We need to stop conceding goals after scoring one," he said.

The Times of India



India stun Netherlands, first time in 18 years

Indervir Grewal


India goalkeeper Sreejesh watches as Gurbaj Singh (L) blocks the Netherlands Constantijn Jonker during their match in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday.

Bhubaneswar - India played fast, attacking hockey to pull off their first win over Netherlands in 18 years. India, who had last beaten the Dutch in the Olympics qualifiers, won 3-2 to finish the pool at third place. The hosts will now face Belgium in the quarterfinals.

It was a fast but erratic game as both teams attacked in turns. Netherlands, surprisingly, made too many mistakes to give away the ball. India played the possession game, rotating the ball, in the first half.

But as the time passed, the game opened up. In the 33rd minute, however, India drew the first blood, with Gurjinder Singh firing in a diagonal ball from the right and SV Sunil pulling off a highly improbable deflection. He ran out to the right with his back to the ball and flicked it towards his left into the near post. So improbable was the touch that the Dutch asked for a video referral, but the goal stood.

However, within three minutes, India gave away a soft penalty corner. Mink van der Weerden's put the ball in the right corner.

India went ahead again in the 47th minute. Danish Mujtaba deflected Gurbaj Singh's cross towards the goal, the goalkeeper kicked it back to Mujtaba who was lying on the ground. Another weak effort followed, another weak clearance, the ball rolled to Manpreet Singh, and he slammed it in.

With the Netherlands pushing for a goal, the game opened up and India got many chances on the counter. One such attack led to a penalty corner. Rupinderpal stepped up and, with his low drag-flick to the right, made it 3-1 in the 49th minute.

The crowd must have left the stadium hoarse, for the non-stop shouts of “India, India” reverberated in the stadium for the remaining 11 minutes”. They fell silent only once when van der Weerden converted a penalty corner in the 58th minute.

Was India going to falter again in the end? For two minutes, the Indians fought like their lives depended on it. High on emotions, the Indians forgot about structure or tactics. Netherlands had their chances but India held on. In the end it wasn't pretty but it worked.  
 
England top pool
 
England found a late equaliser to draw 1-1 with Belgium and finish on top of the pool. In another  match, Australia defeated Pakistan 3-0.

Germany question umpiring standards

Furste was seen screaming in German at one of the umpires – Gareth Greenfield of New Zealand. Greenfield made some very poor decisions today. At one point, the ball went over the baseline without having touched any German player’s stick. Greenfield awarded a corner to Argentina and Furste shouted, “How is that possible”, thrice before the decision was reversed. “One umpire was having a very bad day. He was not moving enough and was away from the action most of the time. I am critical about my players, critical about my own game and I will be critical about the umpiring,” Furste said.

The Tribune



India stun Netherlands for first victory

Arnab Lall Seal

BHUBANESWAR: Days like these make it difficult not to romanticize about sports. On a day when no one expected India to win, they shocked world No. 2 Netherlands at the Champions Trophy on Tuesday.

Even the Australian players and team officials were left in awe as Sardar & Co won their last group match 3-2 at Kalinga Stadium. It's their first win against the Dutch in 18 years in any tournament and their first since 1986 in the Champions Trophy.

With this victory, India finished third in Group B and will face Belgium in the quarterfinals on Thursday. In the other last-eight matches, England will face Germany, Netherlands will take on Pakistan and Australia will play Argentina.

SV Sunil opened the scoring for the hosts three minutes into the third quarter to send the packed stadium into frenzy. Gurjinder Singh, who scored in the last match against Argentina, slapped the ball hard towards Sunil and he made no mistake deflecting it into the net.

But their joy was short-lived as the Dutch equalized two minutes later from the penalty corner. It was their third penalty corner of the night and Mink van der Weerden slammed the ball into the top-right corner of the net giving no chance to Harjot Singh.

However, India again took the lead two minutes into the fourth quarter and this time it was none other than Manpreet Singh. The young midfielder scored from the rebound after Dutch goalkeeper Primin Blaak twice kept out Danish Mujtaba's shot.

The hosts did not stop there and made it 3-1 two minutes later after Rupinder Pal Singh converted their third penalty corner of the match.

But more drama awaited the crowd as Netherlands reduced the lead with two minutes left on the clock. It was Mink's second goal and like the first one this also came from the penalty corner. They kept pushing hard for the equalizer but that wasn't to be as India posted their first victory of this edition of the Champions Trophy.

Unlike the last two matches against Argentina and Germany, the team as a whole played much better on Tuesday night. They were the better team for most of the first and the second quarter. Even towards the end, the defence held it together and did not allow Netherlands to take advantage.

Earlier, Netherlands began the match putting a lot of pressure on the Indian defence and they came close scoring on a few occasions. But it was India who created the best chance in the first quarter when Uthappa made a beautiful run through the midfield and passed it to Akashdeep inside the D.

He slapped it hard towards the goal but the ball took a deflection and did little to trouble goalkeeper.

Towards the end of the first quarter though, Rupinder made a huge lapse in defence that allowed Sander de Wijn to come dangerously close to scoring. Not only in the first quarter, Rupinder's terrible form continued in the second quarter also but fortunately the Dutch weren't able to score from either of his lapses. Either the other defenders made up for him or it was goalkeeper PR Sreejesh who made the final save.

Like the first two matches, Ramandeep was again disappointing at times but he did win India's first penalty corner of the match. But the hosts weren't able to convert it after Manpreet Singh failed to trap the push. Late in the second quarter, Akashdeep also had a great chance but his shot went wide of the net.

The Times of India



Kookas defeat Pakistan

Kookaburras to face Argentina in QF after defeating Pakistan 3-0


Jeremy Hayward celebrates one of his goals

The Kookaburras secured their first 3-0 win over Pakistan at the men’s 2014 Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar Tuesday night,  after winning goals from Jeremy Hayward and Jake Whetton.

The Australian men’s hockey team will now prepare for the tournament's quarter final on Thursday night. The Kookaburras will take on Pool B second placed Argentina, after slotting home three goals off the back of two penalty corners and one field goal against their final pool opponent, Pakistan.

Jeremy Hayward opened the scoring for Australia after a follow up ball on Glenn Simpson’s penalty corner drag flick in the second quarter of the match, followed by Hayward's third quarter drag flick, pushing Australia in front with the 2-0 lead.

Jake Whetton sealed the deal for Australia 3-0 with moments left on the clock, after Tom Craig fed through a winning ball for Whetton to deflect past Pakistan’s goalkeeper Imran Butt.

Speaking after the match, Kookaburras Head Coach Graham Reid said, “Tonight was a better controlled performance, we held the ball and moved it around well, which is what we were trying to achieve. There was a lot more atmosphere tonight and we expected Pakistan to be a completely different team to what they were when they played England.”

Speaking about the Kookaburras’ teamwork, Reid added, “It’s always difficult to start out with a different group of players however, they are now starting to connect well as a team. We are seeing some good progress with this team so far.”

Australia is confirmed to face Pool B opponents Argentina in the quarter final Thursday, after they finished second in their pool standings on six points. Discussing the Kookaburras preparation, Reid said, “Argentina are a team that have been better and better each game. It will be a difficult task on Thursday night however, our boys will be up for the challenge.”

Exceptional skill and talent was showcased by the green and gold. Queenslander, Jake Whetton created a valuable opportunity in the 19th minute, only to undercut the ball past Pakistan’s goalkeeper Imran Butt and out of reach from the goal.

After a slow first quarter with no scores visible on the board, it was Northern Territory youngster Jeremy Hayward that gave Australia their break through. Hayward coolly slotted home the Kookaburras first goal of the night, coming off the back of Australia’s second penalty corner in the 23rd minute.

Back onto the field after half time, Australia were not out of the woods with their 1-0 lead. Early opportunities from Jake Whetton and Glenn Simpson were denied by Pakistan’s goalkeeper.

Moments later, Australia and Pakistan found themselves down to ten players apiece, after Jake Whetton and Muhammad Rizwan Sr were green carded to the sin bin.

On target, Jeremy Hayward doubled his night’s tally in the 54th minute. Scoring his second goal of the match from a powerful drag flick to the top right of the net, gave the Kookaburras breathing space with a 2-0 lead.

It was just one minute before the final siren and Tom Craig and Jake Whetton still had more to give. Teaming up for a dual effort, Whetton was fed an on target ball from Craig, allowing Whetton to get the golden touch on scoring Australia’s third and final goal of the night and finalising the Kookaburras match result at 3-0.

On Thursday, The Kookaburras will face Argentina in the tournament's quarter final. Showcasing the best of the best, Australia will be offered the chance to defend their 2012 title with their recently new and younger Champions Trophy squad. The match will take place at 13:45 local time / 7:15pm AEDT.

Day three Fixtures & Results
Argentina 3-0 Germany
England 1-1 Belgium
Australia 3-0 Pakistan
Netherlands 2-3 India

Pool Standings
Pool A
1. England (7 points)
2. Belgium (5 points)
3. Australia (4 points)
4. Pakistan (0 points)
                           
Pool B
1. Netherlands (6 points)
2. Argentina (6 points)
3. India (3 points)
4. Germany (3 points)

Men's Champions Trophy
Bhubaneswar, India

KOOKABURRAS: 3 (1)
Jeremy Hayward 23, 54 (PC) (PC)
Jake Whetton 59 (FG)

PAKISTAN: 0 (0)
-

Kookaburras Squad
Athlete (Hometown, State) caps/goals
Started
Daniel Beale (Brisbane, QLD) 41/7
Nick Budgeon (Hobart, TAS) 24/11
Andrew Charter (GK ) (Canberra, ACT) 81/0
Chris Ciriello (Melbourne, VIC) 152/97
Russell Ford (Melbourne, VIC) 155/72
Jeremy Hayward (Darwin, NT) 24/9
Fergus Kavanagh (Geraldton, WA) 194/14
Flynn Ogilvie (Wollongong, NSW) 7/1
Simon Orchard (Maitland, NSW) 160/49
Glenn Simpson (Melbourne, VIC) 115/21
Jake Whetton (Brisbane, QLD) 75/32

Used Substitute
Tom Craig (Lane Cove, NSW) 6/1
Matthew Dawson (Central Coast, NSW) 7/0
Tim Deavin (Launceston, TAS) 97/4
Matt Gohdes (Rockhampton, QLD) 107/31
Tyler Lovell (GK) (Perth, WA) 33/0
Eddie Ockenden (capt) (Hobart, TAS) 228/57
Tristan White (Wollongong, NSW) 41/3
     
Kookaburras’ Upcoming Fixtures
Thursday 11 December – quarter final – Australia v Argentina - 13:45 local time/7:15pm AEDT
Saturday 13 December – semi final/playoff - arrangements to be confirmed
Sunday 14 December – medal match/playoff - arrangements to be confirmed

Hockey Australia media release



Pakistan lose third on the trot


Down but not out: Imran Butt attempts to save a Jacob Whetton effort as Pakistan lost 3-0 against Australia. However, they still make it through to the quarter-finals as all teams qualified. Photo: AFP

KARACHI: Pakistan were unable to find their scoring sticks against Kookaburas as they lost their final league match 3-0 to give four-time defending champions Australia their first win of the tournament yesterday. The Kangaroos claimed third position, while Pakistan finished last in Pool A at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, India.

Pakistan had the first major opening as Muhammad Arslan Qadir hit the outside of the goal, following some great piece of skill from Muhammad Dilber. However, Australia opened the scoring through Jeremy Hayward from a penalty corner rebound in the 23rd minute.

Simon Orchard was then denied a goal by a stunning Imran Butt save and Matt Gohdes could find no way past the defender on the line with the follow-up.

Butt also tipped a drag-flick over the bar to keep Pakistan in with a sniff going into the final quarter. There were chances for Pakistan to find an unlikely equaliser, but the match was over when Hayward flicked home his second with seven minutes remaining and Jacob Whetton completed the scoring with 90 seconds to go.

“I tried to keep the game going and made several saves, but in this format, the entire team has to play together in order to save or score goals, which was missing again,” said Butt. “We did our best and now will have to face a very strong team in the quarter-final.”

The keeper added that his side was unable to read the movement of the Australian players due to the lack of exposure the players have against European and Australian sides. “We would have won the match if we had played against European or Australian teams before.”

Other results

In the other matches of the day, Argentina defeated Germany 3-0 to claim second place in Pool B, while Germany secured third spot.

Whereas, in the Pool A match, England drew their final fixture with Belgium 1-1 to lead the pool as Belgium finished second.

The quarter-finals

Pakistan will now face Netherlands, the top side from Pool B, while Pool B bottom side India will face Pool A leader England in the quarterfinals on December 11.

Argentina, second in Pool B, will lock horns against third-placed Pool A side Australia, while Belgium, second in Pool A, will face third-placed Pool B side Germany.

The Express Tribune



Australia beat Pakistan in Champions Trophy

Kookaburras set up Argentina quarter-final while India upset Netherlands to clash with Belgium in quarters

BHUBANESWAR - Hockey world champions the Kookaburras have opened their account at the Champions Trophy in India - and just in time for the quarter-finals.

Having lost their opening match to England before throwing away a lead in their 4-4 draw with Belgium, Australia were in desperate need of a form reversal heading into their final group match. Their wishes were granted, with a 3-0 thumping of Pakistan restoring confidence ahead of the knock-out games, where they will now face Argentina.

Rising star Jeremy Hayward kick-started Australia's campaign with a goal in each half, which was complemented by a goal in the final minute by Jacob Whetton. The result, combined with Belgium's 1-1 draw with England, ensured Australia finished third in Pool A - setting up Thursday's showdown with Argentina, who finished second in Pool A. Under the controversial tournament format, all eight participating teams progress to the quarter-finals with results from the group stage simply determining match-ups for the knock-out fixtures. Kookaburras coach Graham Reid said Argentina were a threat despite a ranking of seventh in the world which suggests they are one of the easier teams to face in the tournament.

"Argentina are a team that have been better and better each game," Reid said. "It will be a difficult task on Thursday night however, our boys will be up for the challenge." Defensive enforcer, and penalty specialist, Chris Ciriello was pleased to have seen more of an effort on defence after an uncharacteristically sloppy Australia conceded seven goals in their opening two matches.  "We just focused a bit more on defence and keeping the ball out of the net," he said. "Our basic skills we better when we moved the ball - our midfield had a lot of touches and they created (chances)." In other semi-finals, England will face Germany, while Pakistan take on the Netherlands and hosts India, who stunned the world No.2 Dutch team 3-2 on Tuesday, will play Belgium. Meanwhile, a resurgent India on Tuesday surprised London Olympics silver medallists Netherlands to register their first win of the FIH Men's Champions Trophy here and set up a quarter-final date with Belgium.

After the first 30 minutes failed to produce a goal, the next 30 threw up as many as five in India's 3-2 win as the tempo of the game and finishing of the forwards from both the sides lifted in front of a capacity 5000 crowd here at the Kalinga Stadium.  After SV Sunil put India ahead three minutes into the third quarter, Mink van der Weerden equalised for the visitors in the 36th minute off a PC. India restored their lead a minute into the fourth quarter through Man-of-the-Match Manpreet Singh in the 47th minute and then added a cushion in the 49th through Rupinderpal Singh's drag-flick off a penalty corner.

Weerden lifted the sagging Dutch spirits in the 58th minute when he found the net once again on his team's fifth short corner. But India held on for the last two minutes, courtesy a save by goalkeeper Harjot Singh.

Argentina condemned Olympic gold-medallists Germany to their second loss in three games with an emphatic 3-0 victory in the Champions Trophy field hockey tournament in India on Tuesday. Skipper Matias Paredes, Joaquin Menini and Ignacio Ortiz scored for the Pan-American champions, who ended the preliminary league with two wins and one defeat in pool B of the eight-nation competition in Bhubaneswar. Paredes said he wanted his team to maintain the momentum when the knock-out phase starts on Thursday. "This win was very satisfying because we kept them under pressure throughout the game and converted the chances that came our way," he said. "We don't want to lose this momentum."

Results

Australia 3 - 0 Pakistan
England 1 - 1 Belgium
Argentina 3 - 0 Germany
India 3 - 2 The Netherlands

The Nation



Haywards' double gives Australia first win in Champions Trophy

BHUBANESWAR: Jeremy Hayward's twin strike helped world champions Australia register their first win in the tournament when they beat Asian Games silver medallist Pakistan 3-0 in their final Pool A match of the Hero Champions Trophy on Tuesday.

The win hardly made any difference to the final standings as Australia, with four points from a victory and a draw, finished on third position in Pool A behind leaders England and second-placed Belgium.

Pakistan dismal show continued as they slumped to their third straight defeat in the elite eight-nation tournament.

While Hayward (23rd and 54th minutes) converted two penalty corners for Australia, the other goal was a field effort from Jacob Whetton in the 59th minute.

When Pakistan had the first real scoring chance, Muhammad Arslan Qadir hit the outside of the goal following Muhammad Dilber's great delivery.

After a barren first quarter, Australia finally broke the deadlock when Hayward scored from a penalty corner rebound.

Thereafter, Australia came close through Chris Ciriello and Whetton but failed to increase their lead.

Simon Orchard was then denied by Pakistan goalie Imran Butt before Matt Gohdes failed to get the ball past the defender on the line with the follow-up.

Trailing, Pakistan started to build attacks in the final quarter in search of the equaliser but could not find the back of the net.

Pakistan's hopes of a comeback were dashed when Hayward flicked home his second from a penalty corner with seven minutes remaining before Whetton sealed the match for his side 90 seconds from the final hooter.

The Times of India



Hayward double condemns Pakistan to third straight defeat


Australia’s Jacob Whetton scores past Pakistan goalkeeper Imran Butt during their Champions Trophy match at the Kalinga Stadium on Tuesday.—AFP

BHUBANESWAR: Jeremy Hayward scored twice as Australia registered their first win at the Champions Trophy, beating Pakis­tan 3-0 on Tuesday to condemn Shahnaz Sheikh’s men to their third straight defeat in the elite eight-nation tournament.

Australia’s win hardly made any difference to the final standings as the Kookaburras, with four points from a victory and a draw, finished on third position in pool ‘A’ behind leaders England and second-placed Belgium.

England topped the pool by drawing 1-1 with Belgium in an earlier match at the Kalinga Stadium on Tuesday.

With all eight teams to be involved in the quarter-finals and the final pool positions determining the draw, Pakistan will face the Netherlands who topped Pool ‘B’ on goal difference ahead of Argentina.

The Dutch were beaten 3-2 by India in their final pool match on Tuesday with the victory sending the hosts third courtesy Olympic champions Germany’s 3-0 loss to Argentina earlier in the day.

Germany with clash with England for a spot in the semi-finals with India facing Belgium in another last-eight battle. Argentina will face Australia in the fourth quarter-final.

Pakistan had the first real scoring chance, Muhammad Arslan Qadir hit the outside of the goal following Muhammad Dilber’s great delivery.

After a barren first quarter, Australia finally broke the deadlock when Hayward scored from a penalty corner rebound in the 23rd minute.

Pakistan started to build attacks in the final quarter in search of the equaliser but could not find the back of the net.

Their hopes of a comeback were dashed when Hayward flicked home his second from a penalty corner with seven minutes remaining before Jacob Whetton sealed the match for his side 90 seconds from the final hooter.

“The boys did not play well today and missed a number of opportunities,” Shahnaz said. “But they are improving match by match and meeting any team in the quarter-finals will not make much of a difference as all eight teams are strong and anyone can win on any given day.”

England, seeking their first Trophy title and have been the pick of the teams with wins over five-time defending champions Australia and Pakistan, conceded an early goal to Belgium but dominated thereafter.

Amaury Keusters put Belgium ahead in the eighth minute, and goalkeeper Vincent Vanash fisted out some threats from England to help hold on to the lead.

But England’s pressure was unrelenting. Iain Lewers hit the crossbar from a penalty stroke but produced the equaliser in the 48th minute with a crisp reverse-flick from the top of the circle.

“I was fortunate to find myself in a position to score and make up for not converting the stroke,” Lewers said. “We’re pleased with our performance today but what matters is that we win our knockout games.”

Argentina handed Olympic champions Germany a second straight loss with their biggest ever win in the Trophy.

Skipper Matias Paredes, Joaquin Menini and Ignacio Ortiz scored for the Pan-American champions, who ended the preliminary league with two wins and one defeat in pool ‘B’.

Paredes said he wanted his team to maintain the momentum when the knock-out phase starts on Thursday. “This win was very satisfying because we kept them under pressure throughout the game and converted the chances that came our way,” he said. “We don’t want to lose this momentum.”

After two successive defeats, India finally tasted their first success with goals by SV Sunil, Manpreet Singh and Rupinderpal Singh giving them a much-needed boost ahead of the quarter-finals.

Dawn



England top Pool A with Belgium draw


Iain Lewers celebrates scoring against Belgium at CT2014

A point was enough for England to secure their place at the top of Pool A after a close encounter with rivals Belgium finished 1-1 at the Hero Champions Trophy. In their final pool match the Red Lions took a deserved lead in the first quarter through Amaury Keusters. After watching his penalty stroke rebound off the woodwork just before half-time Holcombe’s Iain Lewers showed his class with a pin-point accurate reverse stick effort in the 48th minute to bring his side back level and secure England’s first place finish in the pool. The result means that Head Coach Bobby Crutchley’s side will face the team who finishes fourth in Pool B in the Quarter Finals, India or Germany, which will be decided following the final pool match between India and the Netherlands at 1400 [UK time]. The quarter final will be shown live on Sky Sports and is likely to be played at 0600 [v Germany] or 1400 [v India] depending on England’s opponent and FIH scheduling.

Head Coach Bobby Crutchley reflected after the game:

“All our games against Belgium are close and today was no different. It wasn’t pretty on occasions, but we created good chances and edged possession and we could have won it.  The conditions were more challenging today than in our games against Pakistan and Australia, and the humidity got to us a bit in the second half as our pace slowed.

 “We know we’ve got to play our best hockey from now on. Neither game against Germany or India will be easy, these are the best teams in the world. Germany certainly haven’t played their best hockey here yet, but they are past masters at upping their game in the knock out phases. If we face India it will be a great experience to play in front of a packed crowd and a good challenge because we’ve had such good games against them in the past couple of years.”

With both sides still able to finish top of the pool, as expected, it was a tense opening quarter. Belgium had the lion’s share of possession but it was England who got the first shot away at goal. Ashley Jackson slipped the ball to Alastair Brogdon, who fired in a reverse stick shot, forcing Vincent Vanasch into a save. Immediately following this England attack, Belgium got the breakthrough with Amaury Keusters opening the scoring in the ninth minute. Tanguy Cosyns found the No11 in the middle of the circle and his low backhand shot beat George Pinner.

There were chances for both the world number four [Belgium] and world number five [England] sides in the second quarter, but by far the best opportunity fell to England in the closing minutes when they won their first penalty corner of the match. Jackson’s drag flick was saved onto the post and the rebound fell to Beeston’s Sam Ward who was fouled as he followed up. Belgium protested the decision by umpire Paco Vazquez to award a penalty stroke, but their referral was unsuccessful. Holcombe’s Iain Lewers stepped up to take the stroke, but the woodwork saved Vanasch again, as his shot came back off the cross bar.

The third quarter was end to end, with both sides winning penalty corners but ultimately failing to convert their chances. The physical, fast paced encounter in humid conditions was starting to take its toll on both sides as the pace dropped a little and in the final minute of the quarter a tired tackle from the Red Lions’ Florent van Aubel on Barry Middleton led to him receiving a yellow card and gave England a man advantage going into the final period.

It took Crutchley’s side just three minutes to capitalise on the advantage as Lewers made amends with a fantastic individual goal. The Holcombe defender picked up Jackson’s pass outside the circle, drove to the left eliminating the Belgium defender and fired an unstoppable backhand shot into the bottom right corner to bring his side back level.

It was a tense finish to the game as Belgium surged forward looking for the winner to overtake England at the top of Pool A, however Pinner [nominated for FIH Men’s International Goalkeeper of the Year] was on hand again to powerfully punch out Cosyns’ drag flick from a Belgian penalty corner to keep the scores level.

Hero Man of the Match and England goal scorer Iain Lewers spoke after the game about his individual goal and the potential quarter final opponents.

“That’s probably the best open play goal I’ve scored. I’ve not scored one of those in a long time so it’s great to contribute to the team.

A lot of us would love to play India. The home support here is absolutely brilliant and fanatical and it’s great to play in those sorts of games. We’ll be watching their game against the Netherlands later with great interest.”

England 1 (0)
Iain Lewers 48 (FG)

Belgium 1 (1)
Amaury Keusters 9 (FG)

England Hockey Board Media release



England reach quarter-finals as Iain Lewers strikes late

Bobby Crutchley's side reach Champions Trophy last eight with 1-1 draw over world No 4 side and set up clash with Germany after India shock Netherlands 3-2

By Rod Gilmour


Atonement: England defender Iain Lewers struck late Photo: PA

Iain Lewers scored a rare goal from open play as England reached the knockout stages of the Champions Trophy on Tuesday morning after a comfortable 1-1 draw with Belgium in Bhubaneswar.

England's record-breaking goalscorer, Ashley Jackson, raised a cheeky smile at the sight of Lewers smashing home in acres of space, but the defender's second-half equaliser meant that Bobby Crutchley's side remain unbeaten and topped Pool A.

England will now face Germany on Thursday in the quarter-finals after they finished bottom of Pool B. It followed India's shock win over the Netherlands after the hosts saved their best hockey for the last pool game in a shock 3-2 win over the Netherlands, the world No 2 side.

Lewers also atoned for an earlier penalty stroke miss through his reverse stick strike, with 12 minutes left, as England slowly negated Belgium's attacking play after an early Amaury Keusters goal.

"That's probably the best open play goal I've scored and I haven't scored many like that for a while," said Lewers, whose penalty stroke against Belgium at the World Cup sent England through to the semi-finals. "You miss penalties you practice, but fortunately it didn't have too many consequences.

"A lot of us want to play India here in Bhubaneswar now. We want to play matches like that."

Both defences were always going to be busy in a tightly-contested match. Michael Hoare was caught napping in the ninth minute, allowing Keusters time to shoot on the reverse, finding the net through George Pinner's legs.

Mark Gleghorne and Sam Ward both had chances to level, but it took trickery from Jackson to win a penalty corner in the dying seconds of the first half to give England a chance of levelling.

Jackson saw his strike hit the post via a deflection before Ward's stick was taken away from him on the rebound. The resulting penalty stroke saw Lewers hit the post.

Jackson was at the forefront of England's chances after the restart. He led three penalty corner attempts, but each time Begium managed to see off the threat.

Keusters nearly doubled the lead at the other end, but flicked hard on to Pinner's bar after a fine move down the right. Pinner, again, also contributed in goal with some smart saves.

In the last quarter, Lewers was then offered space at the top of the circle and his low shot proved too good.

Belgium had late chances but Barry Middleton, the captain, made sure England kept their focus, despite Jackson's late green card.

Crutchley said of the Germany encounter: “We know we’ve got to play our best hockey from now on. Germany certainly haven’t played at their best here yet, but they are past masters at upping their game in the knock out phases.”

Thursday: v Germany, 11:45am GMT

The Telegraph



England to face Germany in Quarter Final


England Captain Barry Middleton in action against Germany at the World Hockey League Final in Delhi, India earlier this year

After finishing top of Pool A ahead of Belgium, Australia and Pakistan, England will face Germany in their Champions Trophy Quarter Final battle on Thursday morning at 1145 [UK time].

The Quarter Final fixtures are listed below; all matches will be shown live on Sky Sports.

Host nation India pulled off one of the results of the tournament beating an in-form Netherlands side 3-2 in the final pool match lifting them above Germany and cementing the London 2012 Olympic Champions to the bottom of Pool B.

England’s last five encounters with Germany could not have been closer with two wins, two defeats and a draw [further stats attached]. The most significant fixture of the five was back in January at the World Hockey League Final where England sealed a 2-1 victory over Germany in the pool stages; Reading’s Tom Carson and 2014 FIH Men’s Player of the Year nominee Ashley Jackson will be looking for a repeat of that fixture as they both scored for Head Coach Bobby Crutchley’s side on that day.

Looking ahead to a battle against the world number three side, Crutchley said: “We know we’ve got to play our best hockey from now on. Germany certainly haven’t played at their best here yet, but they are past masters at upping their game in the knock out phases.”

England Hockey Board Media release



Confident India eye Belgium scalp for a semifinal berth

BHUBANESWAR: Their morale lifted by a stunning win over the Netherlands, India would now eye a semifinal berth when they take on an ever-improving Belgium in the quarterfinal of the Champions Trophy on Thursday.

India did not have the best of starts in the elite eight-nation tournament as they slumped to 0-1 and 2-4 defeats against Olympic champions Germany and World Cup bronze-medallist Argentina respectively in their first two Pool B matches.

After losing to a late goal against the Germans in their tournament opener, India squandered the lead twice to slump to a 2-4 defeat against Argentina.

Their morale definitely took a beating after two defeats and just when they were being counted out, the Sardar Singh-led side produced an inspiring performance to shock the Netherlands 3-2 in their final league match and finish third in Pool B ahead of the mighty Germans.

After the splendid show against the Netherlands on Tuesday, India will definitely fancy their chances against the fourth-ranked Belgium.

But it would be easier said than done as Belgium and England looked like the teams to beat in the tournament and finished their pool engagements on an unbeaten note.

While England topped Pool A with seven points from two wins and a draw, the Red Lions finished second with five points by virtue of one win and two draws.

But knock-out rounds are a completely different ball game as one bad day in office can spoil the entire hard work of a team and Belgium would be completely aware of the fact.

Against all expectations, Sardar Singh and Co came up with a superlative display to register their first win over the Netherlands in 18 years in front of a packed Kalinga Stadium.

The win not only ended India's two-match losing streak, but also helped the hosts break their 18-year jinx against the mighty Dutch. India last defeated the Netherlands way back in 1996 in an Olympic qualifying tournament in Barcelona.

It is also India's first win over the Netherlands in the Champions Trophy after 1986 in Karachi.

The quarterfinal match would also provide India an opportunity to avenge their latest defeats against Belgium -- the 2-3 loss in this year's World Cup at the Hague and the 1-2 defeat at the Hockey World League at New Delhi in January.

Unlike their first two matches, the Indians looked far more coordinated and well-orgainsed on Tuesday. The hosts played what they are known for -- fast-paced, aggressive and attacking hockey -- and come on Thursday they would like to carry on in similar fashion.

"We played aggressive and attacking hockey against the Netherlands and we want to continue our style of play in the remaining games of the tournament," India's High Performance Director Roelant Oltmans had said.

Just like the previous two matches, the Indians created chances against the Netherlands yesterday but what was heartening was that they utilised the opportunities that came their way.

"The positive is that we scored thrice against a side which conceded just one goal against Germany in the pool stages," Oltmans said.

However, as Oltmans said there are areas to address ahead of the crucial knock-out match.

"We need to rectify some mistakes. We need to stop conceding goals after scoring one," Oltmans said.

Having said that Oltmans believe India has the potential to beat Belgium and progress to the last four round.

"I don't have the belief that we can Belgium I shouldn't have been here," he quipped.

But it would be easier said than done as Belgium and England are the two most in-form teams in the tournament.

Another factor which might affect or work in India's favour is the crowd support.

All in all, it is expected to be a cracker of a contest and if India can held on to their nerves, the home team can come out trumps on Thursday.

The Times of India



Scottish umpire in the final of the Champions Trophy


Sarah at the final with the two captians and fellow umpire. Photo credit: Grant Treeby / Treebyimages.com.au Hockey Australia

There was Scottish representation at the final of the FIH Champions Trophy at the weekend with Sarah Wilson being appointed for the final between commonwealth champions Australia against number three in the world Argentina.

Sarah Wilson a member Grove Menziehill hockey club, umpired the final of the Champions Trophy out in Argentina where the home nation took the title in a penalty shootout.

Despite only taking up umpiring just over six years ago Sarah has been going from strength to strength, she umpired the bronze medal match at Glasgow 2014 in front of a home crowd.

Not only did Sarah umpire the final, she was appointed for pool games, a quarter final and a semi-final. We want to congratulate her for her achievements and we couldn't be prouder.

If you too want to travel the world umpiring International tournaments, get involved now!

Scottish Hockey Union media release



Red hot Black Sticks cruise past Canada


Pictured: Striker James Coughlan in action, courtesy www.photosport.co.nz

The Black Sticks Men have put together a dominant performance to defeat Canada 4-0 in the second test at Saxton Field in Nelson.

It was a cohesive performance from the Kiwis, who were in control from start to finish and earned 10 penalty corners to nil throughout the game.

James Coughlan lit up the scoreboard midway through the first quarter with a stinging reverse shot from the edge of the circle.

Just minutes later Ryan Archibald extended the lead after a perfectly timed dive in front of the goalkeeper allowed him knock a cross into goal.

The Black Sticks weren’t about to turn down the pressure and built a three goal lead in the second quarter thanks to a scintillating reverse stick goal from Capital striker Stephen Jenness.

Joe Bartholomew then topped off the game in the third quarter with a powerful drag flick into the bottom right corner.

Head coach Colin Batch said it was a marked improvement from the opening test and they played much better as a team.

“It was a good effort from the guys to come out with good energy and intensity. We put Canada under a lot of pressure all around the ground,” he said.

“Full credit to our strikers also, the attacking half was an area we wanted to improve on after last night and we certainly did that today.

It was an extra special outing for Northland striker Shay Neal who played his 50th test for the Black Sticks, who now have two wins from two games in the four test series.

The Black Sticks have two rest days ahead of the next leg of their South Island tour with two tests at Marist Park at St. Bede’s College in Christchurch on Saturday and Sunday.

Both games get underway at 3.00pm with tickets still available online at www.dashtickets.co.nz

BLACK STICKS 4: (James Coughlan, Ryan Archibald, Stephen Jenness, Joe Bartholomew)
CANADA 0
Halftime: Black Sticks 3-0

Hockey New Zealand Media release



Black Sticks men down Canada convincingly to take 2-0 series lead

WAYNE MARTIN


ON THE RUN: Black Sticks midfielder George Muir controls the ball during his sides 4-0 win over Canada in the second test in Nelson. Photosport

The Black Sticks will head to Christchurch with an unbeatable series lead after scoring a decisive 4-0 win over Canada in their second men's hockey test tonight in Nelson.

New Zealand now lead the series 2-0 after the previous night's 2-1 win in the opening game of the four-test South Island series. The best the Canadians can hope for is to level the series with two consecutive wins in Christchurch on Saturday and Sunday.

Having conceded the opening goal in the previous night's first test, the Black Sticks made a much more positive start this time by scoring two goals in the first quarter. Striker James Coughlan opened their account after six minutes with a well-struck angled shot from just inside the circle.

Midfielder Ryan Archibald, playing only his second test back after a year's break, added a second just three minutes later from a goalmouth scramble to open up a handy 2-0 lead.

First test goalscoring hero Joe Bartholomew had missed an earlier penalty corner opportunity, although the Black Sticks applied plenty of early pressure as the defensive cracks began to appear.

The Blacks Sticks appeared to go 3-0 ahead early in the second quarter when Nic Woods hit the back of the net from a penalty corner variation, but the goal was disallowed due to obstruction.

They quickly made amends, Stephen Jenness converting from close range for a 3-0 lead after some clever defensive work by midfielder George Muir had forced a turnover.

Canada were fortunate to be only three goals down at the break after they survived a further two penalty corners and two missed field goal attempts by Central striker Nick Wilson as the Black Sticks maintained their dominance.

Drag flick specialist Bartholomew increased the margin to 4-0 from a penalty corner three minutes into the second half.

They remained scoreless for the rest of the half, due in part to some fine work in goal by Canadian goalkeeper Scott Tupper, but will take plenty of confidence with them into the remaining two tests.
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Black Sticks 4 (James Coughlan, Ryan Archibald, Stephen Jenness, Joe Bartholomew) Canada 0. Halftime: 3-0.

Stuff



Likely funding cuts threaten future for elite NZ hockey players

By Dylan Cleaver

A probable funding cut allied to a new round of collective bargaining is expected to bring simmering resentments between the country's elite hockey players and their national body to the boil.

The players are due to enter collective bargaining with Hockey New Zealand in 2015, a process that will focus on the changing high-performance requirements within the sport.

Hockey NZ's revenue is almost entirely dependent on Sport New Zealand handouts and club subscriptions, yet it has placed increasing demands on elite players that often exceed those in other professional sports.

Glen Sulzberger, executive manager of the Hockey Players' Association, said: "We are looking forward to sitting down with Hockey NZ and negotiating a new agreement given the changing landscape of the high-performance environment."

The Herald has learned there are several issues waiting to be aired and at the top of the agenda is what elite players see as pressure to move to Auckland to be nearer centralised training facilities.

The women in particular believe they are being made to train like a fulltime professional on just a fraction of the compensation an elite athlete requires.

Sulzberger did not want to discuss details of the negotiation but noted that it was becoming increasingly difficult for players to commit and stay involved in the sport.

The more centralised model is essentially stolen from Australia and it is perhaps not surprising that the most important high-performance positions - high-performance manager, men's and women's national coaches - in the country are held by Australians: Terry Evans, Colin Batch and Mark Hager respectively.

The difference is the Australian players are encouraged to build and consolidate their profiles and commercial opportunities and are paid the equivalent of the minimum wage, something that has not been feasible to this point in New Zealand.

These underlying tensions are one of the reasons a number of experienced players have called time on their international careers just 18 months out from an Olympic campaign.

A source said that several players were sick of being made to feel guilty about missing training camps because of work commitments.

There is also dissatisfaction from those who have shifted to Auckland and then find no Hockey NZ support once they arrive.

The flipside of that is the women's programme appears, on the field at least, to be in rude health. They may not have won a big tournament yet and still have a propensity to lose in the clutch, as was in evidence during their penalty shootout semifinal loss to Australia at this week's Champions Trophy in Argentina, but they are perennial challengers and will be expected to be near the podium in Rio.

According to the same source, few if any players have committed beyond Rio 2016, mainly because of financial constraints.

The issues facing the men's programme are different but no less challenging.

A seventh-place finish at the world cup at the Hague in June could see PEG funding and Sport NZ grants slashed, leaving Batch's programme existing hand-to-mouth.

In some respects this will make the decisions of the country's best players easier.

The lucrative northern European leagues and nascent Hockey India League give the men money-making options not available to the women.

What they also do is make our best players less likely to be available for cornerstone tournaments here and, possibly, some international campaigns.

The New Zealand Herald



2015 Indoor World Cup

Australian men's and women's indoor World Cup squads announced


Photo credit: Andrew Spence / Sydney Indoor Hockey Association

The Australian men’s and women’s indoor squads set to compete at the 2015 FIH Indoor World Cup in Leipzig, Germany, early next year have been announced.

The men’s and women’s indoor tournaments will be hosted by indoor enthusiasts and world ranked number one Germany from 4-9 February 2015. Returning to Leipzig, which hosted the first Indoor World Cup in 2003, the tournament is set to be a show-stopper in 2015.

Australia, placed in Pool A for both the men’s and women’s tournaments, will take on some of the world’s best indoor teams throughout the six days of competition.

The Australian women’s Indoor World Cup team has been selected from the recent Under 21 and Open Championships in Canberra, ACT.

Comprising a squad of 12, alongside six shadows, the women’s squad will be coached under the watchful eyes of Head Coach Stewart Fenton and Assistant Coaches John Trueman, Karen Seaman and Alex Lupton.

Women’s Pool A will showcase 2003 and 2011 Indoor World Cup Champions Germany, Austria, Ukraine, Canada and newcomers Belgium, alongside Australia in the green and gold.

Welcoming Belgium to the tournament for the first time, the Australian women will go face-to-face with the rapidly improving Belgians on day three of the tournament.



Anthony Potter, Head Coach of the Australian men’s Indoor World Cup squad, has selected a team with a good mix of experience and youth to contest the fourth Indoor Hockey World Cup.

Australia’s men’s squad has competed in all Indoor Hockey World Cup tournaments to date and are currently ranked ninth in the World.

Potter commented on his selected squad, “I’m confident that this group of players will make an impact at the World Cup, and a top six finish will be a key focus.

“The standard of the play at the Australian Championships was very high and I was pleasantly surprised to see the number of younger players participating. The selection of the final team was very difficult however, one notable point is that four of the 12 players selected currently play in Europe, showing the quality of players that we have.”

Featuring in Potter’s squad is recent Kookaburras debutant Flynn Ogilvie. Ogilvie from New South Wales will play in his first Indoor World Cup alongside his two brothers, Heath - who is set to play his third Indoor World Cup tournament - and Kurt.

Victorian Thomas Sinclair made a valuable impression on selectors after showcasing good quality hockey and finishing the Australian Championships as leading goal scorer.

On selection, Sinclair said, “It will be a very exciting experience to play against some of the best hockey nations in the world at the 2015 Indoor World Cup next year.”

The Australian men will face hosts Germany, who have dominated past tournaments having claimed the 2003, 2007 and 2011 Indoor World Cup titles. Austria, Czech Republic, Iran and Sweden will make up the remainder of Pool A.

The team has been involved in a three day camp in Canberra following the National Championships. The Australian men’s squad will begin their World Cup preparation in Antwerp mid-January next year.

For more information of the 2015 FIH Indoor World Cup, visit the official Indoor World Cup website (note: in German).

2015 Indoor World Cup
Australian Men’s Team & Shadows
Gary Backhus (ACT)
Simon Beaton (NSW)
Malcolm Beer (ACT)
Nigel Croke (NSW)
Matthew Hotchkis (ACT)
Paul MacKinnon (ACT)
Flynn Ogilvie (NSW)
Heath Ogilvie (NSW)
Kurt Ogilvie (NSW)
Seyi Onitiri (ACT)
Ben Rennie (WA)
Thomas Sinclair (VIC)
 
Shadows
Matthew Argent (QLD)
David Orr (WA)
Darren Parkes (WA)
Blake Sandford (NSW)
Adam Seccull (VIC)

Anthony Potter - Head Coach/Selector
Brent Deans - Manager/Selector
Graeme McLennan - Selector

2015 Indoor World Cup
Australian Women’s Team & Shadows
Tegan Boucher (VIC)
Kary Chau (VIC)
Clare Commerford (QLD)
Holly Evans (SA)
Ash Fey (QLD)
Kyah Gray (NSW)
Tamsin Lee (NSW)
Emma McLeish (NSW)
Kizzia Plumb (ACT)
Michaela Potts (NSW)
Aleisha Smith (NSW)
Shelley Watson (ACT)   
                                        
Shadows
Lauren Austen (WA)                                                   
Lisa Farrell (NSW)
Emily Riordan (TAS)                                                   
Emily Seccull (VIC)
Rebecca Sneskov (ACT)
Peter Sutherland (ACT)

Stewart Fenton – Head Coach/Selector
Karen Seaman – Asst Coach/Team Manager/Selector
John Trueman – Asst Coach/Selector
Alex Lupton - Asst Coach

Hockey Australia media release



Litmus test for pretenders

HAVING successfully negotiated through the quarter-finals of the TNB Cup, Tenaga and Maybank are now set to face tough hurdles.

Tenaga progressed to the semi-finals by defeating Sapura HC 8-5 on aggregate and face league Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil today.

Despite being labelled the underdogs, Tenaga coach Nor Saiful Zaini reiterated that his team aim to make it to the final.

However, Nor Saiful is well aware that it is easier said than done.

“KLHC are a very strong team and move the ball better than us. They have several talented players and we need to make sure that we don’t make any defensive errors. But anything can happen over two legs,” he said.

The coach also lamented the fact that his players will get a much shorter break compared to their opponents. KLHC earned automatic qualification to the semi-finals after finishing second in the Malaysian Hockey League.

“A two-day break period is too short for my players to recover as we also have some injuries to deal with. KLHC got a 10-day break and they will be better prepared for the match, which is unfair.

“I believe we should have at least been given one week to recover,” said Saiful.

Meanwhile, Maybank booked their spot in the semi-finals after edging Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) 5-4 on aggregate in the quarter-finals. Maybank lost 3-1 in the first leg but bounced back to secure an emphatic 4-1 win in the reverse fixture.

And Maybank could not have picked a better time to record their first victory this season.

But Wallace Tan’s side can ill afford to be in a celebratory mood as they now face league champions Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) at the Kuala Terengganu Municipal Stadium today.

“It will be a very tough match and the fact that we have to travel all the way to Terengganu is going to make it even harder for us,” said Tan.

“But after struggling with injuries to some key players for most of the season, I believe that my team have finally found the rhythm. So no matter what, we will do our best.”

Today — S-finals, 1st leg: THT v Maybank (Kuala Terengganu, 5pm); Tenaga v KLHC (Bukit Jalil Pitch II, 6pm).

New Straits Times



Success comes easy for Azlan

By S.Ramaguru



KUALA LUMPUR: National hockey skipper Azlan Misron has won titles with every team he has played with in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL).

In 2002, he began his MHL career by winning the Premier Division title with Tenaga Nasional.

The next year, he won the double – the league and overall titles – with Tenaga.

He then moved to Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (then known as Ernst and Young). After two barren years, he won the league title for seven seasons with the club. He also won four doubles with KLHC.

He joined the Terengganu hockey team last year. He went on to prove that he is indeed the man with the Midas touch – capturing the league title with Terengganu recently.

And, he is now on the verge of adding the overall title as well.

So, why has he switched clubs so often?

According to him, it’s “to seek new challenges”.

Hopefully, his need for challenges will spur him to steer Terengganu to the double this year.

“Terengganu had a bad start to the MHL last year as we only had local players and things didn’t go as planned,” said Azlan.

“This year, we are much stronger with the inclusion of quality local players and the five South Koreans.”

Terengganu won the Premier Divison by winning nine matches and losing just once – a 2-1 setback at the hands of KLHC in the first round.

The east coast team will play Maybank in the semi-finals, first leg of the TNB Cup (overall title) in Kuala Terengganu on Wednesday.

They are odds-on favourites to make the final for the first time but Azlan has warned his team-mates not to underestimate the bankers.

“We are playing well but the 10-day break we’ve enjoyed could come back to haunt us,” said Azlan.

“Maybank have had two matches (in the playoffs) to prepare ... we must be ready to hit the ground running. They (Maybank) have some good players and I’m sure they will be well-prepared.”

The Star of Malaysia



Grahanandan 'Nandy' Singh (1926  - 2014)


By Dil Bahra



India's 1948 Olympic Team. Nandy is standing 2nd from right.

India’s  double hockey Olympian, Grahanandan ‘Nandy’ Singh, died in New Delhi, India on 7  December 2014. He was aged 88.

Born  in Lyallpur (now Faisalabad in Pakistan) on 18 February 1926, Nandy represented  India at the London 1948 and Helsinki 1952 Olympic Games as a player and at Los  Angeles 1984 Olympic Games as India’s Hockey Team  Manager.

He  came into prominence in 1942 when he played for Government College, ahore in  the Punjab University Hockey Championships. He continued to represent the  College team till 1946 and played for the University in 1944, 1945 and  1946.

He  represented Punjab in the Nationals in 1944 and 1945 and Bengal in 1947 and  1948.

Nandy,  a centre forward, played for the Services from 1951 to 1955 and again in 1957  and 1958. He was the Services Captain in the National Championships 1958. He  also played for Indian Navy.

He  retired from the Navy as Commander and took up Golf in  retirement.

On  hearing the sad news, Balbir Singh Senior, India’s Triple Gold medallist and his  team mate at London and Helsinki Olympics, said “He was a good player and a good  person. The last time I met him was at a hockey tournament in Delhi in 2013”

Sikhs  in Hockey

 

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