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All the news for Friday 12 December 2014

India to face Pakistan in semi-finals, Australia take on Germany

Semi-finals are confirmed at the Hero Hockey Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar


Germany celebrate Moritz Furste's first half goal (Photo: FIH / Stanislas Brochier)

Australia v Germany and Pakistan v India are Saturday's semi-final encounters at the Hero Hockey Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar, while Argentina v England and the Netherlands v Belgium play off in the 5-8 classification round after a thrilling day's action. Pakistan stunned Pool B winners the Netherlands 4-2; the Kookaburras knocked out Argentina 4-2, whole Germany were 2-0 winners over England and India grabbed a convincing 4-2 win against Belgium.

QF 1: England v Germany 0-2 (0-1)

Germany advanced to a semi-final date with Australia following a hard fought 2-0 (1-0) win over England in the all-European battle, producing a defensive masterclass to upset the form guide. England had won their group while Germany ended Pool B in fourth place.

The Germans started the game in menacing fashion, winning five penalty corners in the opening ten minutes, the last of which came following some outrageous Tobias Hauke skills. Their set piece did not match the approach work, however, and England started to create chances of their own.

Tim Whiteman fired into the side-netting while Nick Catlin shot over from good openings and their link-up play was impressive in the build-up. But they were stung a minute before half-time when Germany won their sixth corner and Moritz Furste picked out the top corner

They duly put in a controlled performance to hold possession, probing the edge of the circle. England came back strong in the closing quarter, Adam Dixon’s shot on the turn drifting agonisingly across the face of goal while Ashley Jackson’s drag-flick was palmed away by Nicolas Jacobi.

Lukas Windfeder put in a stunning block, too, to deny Catlin from England’s second corner and their hopes were killed off with three minutes remaining when Christopher Ruhr held his nerve to finish coolly from close range.

QF 2: Australia v Argentina 4-2 (1-1)

World champions Australia secured their semi-final spot after wrestling down World Cup Bronze medallists Argentina 4-2 (1-1) in Thursday’s second quarter-final at the Hero Hockey Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar.

Simon Orchard gave Australia a fifth minute lead when he got a stick to Russell Ford’s hard right-wing cross, the ball just evading the clutches of Manuel Vivaldi.

Argentina equalised when Lucas Vila made a lovely run, ghosting around a few tackles before pulling the ball back. Facundo Callioni quickly flipped it to Matias Paredes to volley home a great goal a minute into the second quarter.

The third quarter saw Manuel Brunet putting the Leones ahead 2-1 after a great team move. However, Jeremy Hayward, adding his third goal in this tournament, levelled the score at 2-2 just two minutes later when his penalty corner drag-flick found its way into the net.

The Kookaburras eventually secured their semi-final tickets thanks to Daniel Beale  scoring from open play and Chris Ciriello firing home a penalty corner. Argentina’s Leones fought hard to get back but their effort did not pay off.

QF 3: Belgium v India 2-4 (2-2)

Host nation India marched into the semi-finals of the Hero Hockey Champions Trophy on home soil in Bhubaneswar thanks to a stunning 4-2 victory over Belgium. This quarter-final result gives India a semi-final against Pakistan who knocked out the Dutch earlier this day.

The last quarter-final of the day kicked off with a high intensity in the sold-out Kalinga Stadium of Bhubaneswar. The Red Lions had the better start in this encounter winning two early penalty corners. However, star flicker Tom Boon was denied on both occasions.

Soon after, Belgian keeper Vincent Vanasch got called into action when he parried the counter-attack of Dharamvir Singh. Felix Denayer eventually opened the scoring with a penalty corner goal flicking the third attempt low into the bottom of the goal. 

Sebastien Dockier doubled the lead in the second quarter when he finished off from Tanguy Cosyns’ pre-work. However, the hosts struck back in the same minute with Rupinder Singh firing home India’s first penalty corner.

The equaliser arrived three minutes before halftime thanks to SK Uthappa scoring from open play. The crowd in the Kalinga Stadium freaked out completely when Akashdeep Singh put India ahead 3-2. Dharamvir Singh then extended India’s lead with 11 minutes remaining. After a Belgian penalty corner shot was blocked, India was on the break and finished successfully to make it 4-2.

QF 4: Netherlands v Pakistan 2-4 (1-2)

Pakistan stunned Pool B winners the Netherlands 4-2 (2-1) as their perfectly executed counter-punching saw them put memories of a poor group stage firmly in the past with an excellent Hero Hockey Champions Trophy quarter-final win. It was their first win over the Dutch in the Champions Trophy in 12 attempts, a run dating back to 1998.

The Netherlands got off to a flying start with Jeroen Hertzberger powering home from mid-circle. His initial run had been half-stopped but squirted back into his path and he did the rest in the fifth minute.

Soon after, Muhammad Imran brilliantly saved a Mink van der Weerden drag-flick off the line as the Dutch dominated possession and territory. But Pakistan were playing a clever counter-attack game which began to yield dividends.

Muhammad Waqas created the equaliser with his right wing work unlocking the door for Muhammand Tousiq to scramble home early in the second quarter. Muhammad Rizwan Senior then drew a brilliant save from Jaap Stockman but 2-1 did arrive a minute before the break when Imran fired low past the Dutch goalkeeper.

The Netherlands had more control after the big break and got their reward 38 minutes in when Rogier Hofman’s driven cross from the right flank picked out Constantijn Jonker for a handy finish. But Pakistan still had an ace up their sleeve and, from their most sustained spell of pressure, went ahead for a second time from a clever corner move, laying the ball into the path of Muhammad Irfan to flick high into the net.

Then, when the Dutch fluffed a corner of their own, Pakistan countered to win another set piece which Irfan applied the killer touch.

FIH site

Bhubaneswar awaits classic semi-final showdowns

Hero Hockey Champions Trophy sees Germany taking on Australia with host nation India facing Pakistan

 
Kookaburra Jeremy Hayward has scored three penalty corner goals so far. (Photo: FIH / Koen Suyk)

The form guide was thrown out the window in Thursday’s Hero Hockey Champions Trophy quarter-finals as the four sides who finished in the bottom half of their pools advanced to the final four, showing the hugely competitive nature of the competition. It sets up two hugely enticing semi-finals in Bhubaneswar with the Olympic champions Germany taking on World Cup winners Australia while hosts India will face old rivals and tournament founders Pakistan in another classic match-up.

SF 1: Germany v Australia (17.15 hrs)
One of modern hockey’s most enduring fixtures, the two sides have not met since the 2012 Olympic Games semi-final in London when the Germans won out 4-2. Since then, meetings between the two nations have been rare while this will be their first Champions Trophy encounter since 2010, a tie Australia won 3-1.

Indeed, the Germans have not figured in the top four in the tournament since that edition in Mönchengladbach. Australia, however, have been a top four team since 2005 and are gunning for six titles in a row. Germany, though, hold the historical edge with 16 wins to the Kookaburras 14 from their 37 meetings in total.

Both teams have been employing new look panels with Markus Weise using seven of the 2013 Junior World Cup panel in this tournament, including a trio of debutants – Timur Oruz, Jonas Gomoll and Mathias Müller.

They had a good start in the group, beating India 1-0 before losing to the Netherlands 4-1 and Argentina 3-0. But they produced their best performance in the semi-final with 2012 player of the year Moritz Furste a key figure in beating England 2-0.

Weise believes his “young players deserve their semi-final against Australia” adding that he is “really happy to play Australia here because we haven’t met them in the most recent tournaments”.

His Kookaburra counterpart Graham Reid admits he has been impressed with Germany and is anticipating a fascinating battle of tactics. “The Germans structure is very good,” he said. “They hold the ball very well so we will try and unsettle them by getting the ball off them.

“We are both in a pretty similar position with new players coming in and we are looking forward to the game because we haven’t played Germany since the London Olympics; it will be a good test for our boys.”

Australia started the competition with a 3-1 loss to England before surrendering a three-goal lead against Belgium to draw 4-4. Since then, though, they have beaten Pakistan comfortably 3-0 and dismissed Argentina 4-2 in the quarter-final, coming from a goal behind in style.

SF2: India v Pakistan (19.30 hrs)
One of the great sporting rivalries, India and Pakistan showdown in the Champions Trophy for the 14th time on Saturday with the visitors to Bhubaneswar holding a narrow 7-6 lead from their prior meetings.

Pakistan are the lowest ranked team at number 11 in the world but, following three losses in the group stages, they showed their liking for the tournament format with a stunning 4-2 win over the Netherlands. Their corner routine was immaculate with Muhammad Irfan scoring twice while captain Muhammad Imran was a leading light.

At the most recent Champions Trophy in 2012 in Melbourne, the greenshirts also succeeded in winning their quarter-final and went on to win bronze, beating India 3-2 in that match.

Head coach Shanaz Shanaz Shaikh says that he is hopeful the side can meet more often in international fixtures and develop a mutually beneficial “friendly rivalry” to help develop the sport further in southern Asia and added that he is “really looking forward to the game”.

For India, their tournament progress started slowly, losing 1-0 to Germany and 4-2 to Argentina before exploding into life with a 3-2 win over the Netherlands. They followed up with a 4-2 win against Belgium – coming from two goals down – to set the huge crowd’s pulses racing.

While this has raised expectation, coach Roelant Oltmans says he is under no illusions about how hard the task will be against Pakistan.

“It’s absolutely not an easy game! The way Pakistan played [against the Netherlands] really impressed me. We played them two times in the Asian Games just a month and a half ago so we know tough a game it will. Don’t expect now just because we beat the Netherlands and Belgium that we will easily beat them. No way; it will be a very tough encounter.”

5-8 classification matches:
Belgium v The Netherlands (11.30 hrs), England v Argentina (13.45 hrs)
Following an impressive start to the competition, the Netherlands were stunned 4-2 by Pakistan in the semi-finals, meaning they miss out on a top four placing for the first time since 1986. Dutch captain Robert van der Horst said his side “got a lesson we have to deal with and make sure doesn’t happen again. We have to do better.”

They meet a Belgian side in their placement game who are playing in just their second Champions Trophy and are now looking to repeat their fifth place finish of two years ago. The Dutch won their only prior meeting in the competition 5-4. That first classification match takes place at 11.30hrs and will be followed up by the meeting of England and Argentina.

Bobby Crutchley’s England went through the group phase unbeaten before succumbing 2-0 to Germany in the quarter-finals. He is hopeful of having the services of David Condon and Chris Griffiths after they missed their last game. They have never met Argentina in the Champions Trophy before. The South American side won group games against India (4-2) and Germany (3-0) but found Australia too strong in their quarter-final game.

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

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#CT2014 #BestOfTheBest

FIH site

Spectacular recovery leads India into last four

To meet Pakistan; Australia to face off against Germany in the other semifinal

Y. B. Sarangi


CELEBRATION TIME: S.K. Uthappa's goal in the 27th minute brought India back into the match against Belgium on Thursday. Photo: Sandeep Saxena

Riding on an unbelievable turnaround in fortune, India recorded a second upset on-the-trot as it rallied from two goals down to outwit world no. 4 Belgium 4-2 and ensure a berth in the semifinals of the Champions Trophy hockey tournament at the Kalinga Stadium here on Thursday.

Exactly after a decade, India, which had beaten the same opponent to reach the semifinals of the 2012 Champions Trophy, qualified for the last four in consecutive editions.

The host will take on traditional rival Pakistan in a mouth-watering semifinal clash on Saturday. World Cup winner Australia will meet Olympic champion Germany in the other last-four engagement.

Change of fortune

On a day that witnessed the World Cup silver and bronze medallists go out of the race for podium, countries which generally performed below par in the pool stage, made a big impact in the first round of the knock-out stage.

Despite the domination of Belgium, India did well to hold the Red Lions 2-2 at the end of two quarters.

The Indian midfield proved effective early on to keep possession, but soon it conceded ground as the Belgian linkmen, led by its captain John-John Dohmen, exerted pressure and the forwards built tension around the Indian citadel.

The host, after blocking two penalty corners successfully, conceded the first goal when Felix Denayar rolled the third corner hard into the Indian post in the 12th minute.

Belgium doubled its lead after resumption as a super through ball was touched in by Sebastian Dockier to leave the host bemused.

Soon, Rupinderpal Singh eased nerves in the home camp by flicking the first corner high into the net.

Some solo efforts did not yield the desired result, but the Asian Games champion’s constant endeavour bore fruit when S.K. Uthappa deflected home a V.R. Raghunath cross from the left in the 27th minute.

Different shape

After the longer break, the home team returned in a different shape and made the optimum use of its right flank.

Dharamvir Singh worked his way up frequently and was responsible in getting India the lead. He manoeuvred his way into the Belgian circle to pass it on to S.V. Sunil. The right winger’s try was stopped by the Red Lions goalie, but an alert Akashdeep Singh tapped it in to give India the upper hand.

Belgium’s bid for a fightback through a penalty corner received a jolt as India made it 4-2 through a fine counter-attack. Nikkin Thimmiah rushed ahead with the ball to relay it on to Sardar.

The Indian captain maintained his poise while penetrating the rival circle and let Dharamvir complete the move in the 49th minute. He was rightly adjudged the ‘Man of the Match’.

Last edition's bronze medallist Pakistan stunned Netherlands 4-2, while defending champion Australia got the better of Argentina 4-2 to stay in title hunt. Germany, packed with youngsters, defeated a formidable England 2-0 to assure itself a slot in the semifinals after 2010.

Quarterfinal results:

Pakistan 4 (Muhammad Umar Bhutta 16, Muhammad Imran 30, Muhammad Irfan 51, 52) bt Netherlands 2 (Jeroen Hertzberger 6, Constantijn Jonker 39).

Australia 4 (Simon Orchard 6, Jeremy Hayward 37, Daniel Beale 42, Chris Ciriello 49) bt Argentina 2 (Matias Paredes 16, Manuel Brunet 35).

Germany 2 (Moritz Furste 30, Christopher Ruhr 58) bt England 0.

India 4 (Rupinderpal Singh 18, S.K. Uthappa 27, Akashdeep Singh 41, Dharamvir Singh 49) bt Belgium 2 (Felix Denayar 12, Sebastian Dockier 18).

The Hindu

India thrash Belgium 4-2; storm into the semis

Shashank Gupta

Bhubaneshwar: In a battle of nerves where India trailed 0-2 at one stage, the hosts beat 5th ranked Belgium 4-2 in last quarter finals of the day of Champions Trophy '14, at the Kalinga Stadium.

For the hosts the goals came from Rupinderpal (18th minute), S Uthappa (27th), Akashdeep (41st) and Dharamvir (49th), whereas Felix Denayer (12th), Sébastien Dockier (18th) found the net for the visitors.

9th ranked India now take on the previous version's Bronze medallist Pakistan in the semi-finals. For the second time in a row, India has made it to the final-four of Champions Trophy.

The match played at frantic pace, had action happening by the minute from both the teams but it was Belgium that looked in control for the first twenty minutes.

They earned two successive penalty corners in the 9th and the 10th minute but couldn't succeed on either of them. India managed to pick a counter while defending and, courtesy a wristy square pass from Nikkin, Dharamvir was set. He failed to clear the goalkeeper and India missed on sure-shot opportunity to score a goal.

Belgium pressed harder, and in the 12th minute, earned a penalty corner. Felix Denayer scored a low flick which went inches away from Sreejesh's left foot.

The 2013 EuroHockey Silver medallist found their momentum going in the second quarter as well. Three minutes into the second quarter, a whack from Tanguy Cosnys found the deflection from Sebastien Dockier. Belgium led 2-0.

But a determined India staged a spirited come-back. Moments later, Sunil earned a short corner for India. While executing the penalty corner, the clever Coorg-ite complicated matters for the Belgians when he ran down the circle blocking the view of Belgian custodian. Consequently, Rupinderpal's high drag-flick found no obstructions on the way.

After their first goal, Indians never let the Belgians regroup and looked in complete control of the game. Two minutes later, a bullish hit from Ramandeep got deflected from the cross-bars.

Akashdeep missed on scoring in the 26th minute but the Indians wouldn't have regretted that miss for long. Within a minute, a long cross ball from Raghunath found a deflection from SK Uthappa's stick. Trailing two goals at one stage, India bounced back in the game drawing parity at the score board 2-2.

Post lemon-break, Belgium got an opportunity to establish a lead yet again in the 38th minute. After Sreejesh saved one straight shot, the subsequent rebound was caught by Florent van Aubel. His shot from close range was heading for the target but, unluckily for the Belgians, ended up finding the foot of Tom Boon.

India bounced back three minutes later when Akashdeep managed to score in a scramble at the goalmouth. The elated crowd celebrated and, for the first time in the game in the 41st minute, India led 3-2.

In the 49th minute, India picked a counter-attack after defending a penalty corner against the Belgians. Raghunath connected the pass to the fleet-footed Nikkin on left, who in turn passed it to the Sardara in center-flank. The captain relayed it to Dharamvir who nudged the ball between the legs of Belgian keeper, Vincent Vanasch. India led 4-2 emphatically.

Thereafter, Belgians went on the offensive in search of a goal but their forwards lacked finishing. They missed a deflection on more than handful occasions. In the 54th minute, the 5th-ranked Europeans earned a penalty corner, their fifth in the game, but failed to stop the push cleanly.

In spite of India being down to ten players for five minutes in the final quarter after Rupinderpal got a yellow card, Belgium failed to exploit the opportunity to reduce the goal deficit.

A couple of days back, underdogs India had stunned 2nd ranked Netherlands in a league encounter. Today's win against Belgium is second on the trot. The home team now plays their arch-rivals Pakistan on Saturday at 1930hrs, local time.

Stick2Hockey.com

India beat Belgium; take on Pak in semis

Indervir Grewal


Sannuvanda Uthappa with teammate Chandanda Thimmaiah (L) celebrate after scoring a goal against Belgium in the quarterfinal match at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. AFP

Bhubaneswar - India finally made their chances count as they came from behind to beat Belgium 4-2 in their quarterfinal match on Thursday.

Rupinderpal Singh and S Uthappa drew India level with brilliant goals before Akashdeep Singh and Dharamvir Singh took India two steps closer to the semifinals.

It turned out to be a day of upsets as the top four teams from the pool stage were ousted. The Indians looked like they’d fail their supporters again as they went 2-0 down within the first 20 minutes. They looked nervous initially and were troubled by the long balls into the circle.

Belgium got three penalty corners during that stretch. The first two were saved but the third was converted by Felix Denayer in the 12th minute. The man in the post almost pulled off a great save but the ball got deflected off his stick into the goal.

India looked the most vulnerable during this period as Belgium sensed another goal. Six minutes later, the pressure showed as India lost the ball inside their own half, which resulted in the second goal. Even before the defenders could get back into the position, Sebastien Dockier deflected in what looked like a crisp through-ball.

However, India won their first and only penalty corner in the same minute, which Rupinder converted. India piled on the pressure and found the equaliser on their first real chance. Raghunath whipped in a cross. Uthappa dived in to deflect the ball past the goalkeeper.

The game then opened up and Belgium started making too many errors. They had their chances — five penalty corners — but the Indians were never really threatened. With Belgium pushing forward, space opened up for the Indian forwards. Akashdeep slapped in India’s third in his second attempt. He had to look back at the umpire to confirm that it was a goal because the screams of the crowd drowned the umpire’s whistle.

India face arch-rivals Pakistan in the semifinals

Pakistan made everything work when it mattered the most as they stunned The Netherlands 4-2 — their first win over the Dutch in the Champions Trophy since 1998. Pakistan, who lost all their pool matches, were at their counter-attacking best and made the most of the few chances they got. They received three penalty corners and converted all.

Captain Muhammad Imran scored from the first one to give Pakistan the lead. Muhammand Tousiq had equalised earlier after the Dutch had taken early lead through Jeroen Hertzberger in the 6th minute.

The Netherlands drew level through Constantijn Jonker but Muhammad Irfan then scored two goals in two minutes to assure a memorable win for his country.

Australia to face Germany

Australia fought back after being 2-1 down to win their quarterfinal against Argentina. Drag-flicker Jeremy Hayward converted a penalty corner to equalize in the 37th minute. The Aussies then changed gears and found two more goals through a Daniel Beale deflection and a Chris Ciriello penalty corner conversion.

Matias Paredes (16th) and Manuel Brunet (35th) scored for Argentina after Simon Orchard had given India the early lead in the 6th minute.

Australia will face Germany in the semifinals after the Olympic champs beat England 2-0. Germany, who finished last in their pool, was the better team today. They created better chances but it took them almost two quarters to find the first goal.

After wasting many penalty corner opportunities, Moritz Furste finally found the target, beating the England goalkeeper high to his left in the 30th minute. Christopher Ruhr then finished off the match in the 58th minute.

The Tribune

India rise to flatten Belgium, meet Pakistan in semifinals

Arnab Lall Seal

BHUBANESWAR: 'When you fall down, you gotta pick yourself back up'. This seems to be the Indian hockey team's motto these days. The critics dismissed them when they lost their first two matches but the 'men in blue' stayed strong, regrouped and hit back. They first defeated the world No. 2 Netherlands in the group stage and on Thursday, when the stakes got higher, India got the scalp of world No. 4 Belgium 4-2 in the quarterfinals at the Kalinga Stadium which truly rocked.

Cheered on by the capacity crowd, Sardar & Co came back from a two-goal deficit to stun the Belgians and set up a dream semifinal clash with Pakistan which will be played on Saturday. In the other semifinal Germany will take on Australia. Incidentally, the top two teams from both groups at the end of the group stage are now out of the tournament. Such is the strange new format but nobody in the sub-continent is complaining.

India began the match with a lot of confidence and took the attack to Belgium early in the first quarter. They had a great chance to score on the counter after Nikkin Thimmaiah played a beautiful through pass from the left flank towards the front of the goal. But Dharamvir Singh slipped, failed to get a touch and it was the Red Lions who took the lead the very next minute from a penalty corner.

It was their third penalty corner of the match and Felix Denayer made no mistake. To the dismay of the crowd, Sebastien Dockier made it 2-0 three minutes into the second quarter. Tanguy Cosnys pushed it hard from the top of the D and Dockier flicked it beautifully past goalkeeper PR Sreejesh.

However, India took it on the chin and fought back. Cheered on by the crowd, SV Sunil won India their first penalty corner of the match through a counter-attack and Rupinder Pal Singh got into the attack. Rupinder, who had scored in the last match against the Netherlands too, flicked it into the top-right corner of the net giving no chance to the goalkeeper.

The goal lifted India who played some of the best hockey they have in a very long time throughout the second quarter. That eventually got them the equalizer three minutes from the end of first half. VR Raghunath slapped it hard from the left flank into the D and S Uthappa did well to deflect it into the net.

Belgium tried hard to get back into the game in the third quarter but some tight defending by the hosts kept the score level. The Indians did not sit back and defend. Like the first half, they counter-attacked and took the lead for the first time in the match four minutes from the end of third quarter. This time it was Akashdeep Singh who sounded the board after Sunil's shot was blocked by the goalkeeper.

Their tails up, India went into the attack, taking advantage of the huge gaps in the Belgian defence and their fourth of the night came four minutes into the fourth quarter. Manpreet Singh stole the ball in India's half and passed it to Sardar. The skipper in turn gave it to Dharamvir who calmly put it through the legs of the custodian to bring the house down.

The Times of India

These tough matches will prepare us for Rio 2016: Oltmans

BHUBANESWAR: Having masterminded Belgium's ouster from the Champions Trophy hockey tournament with a perfect strategy, India's high performance director Roelant Oltmans is eyeing many such encounters before the team gets ready for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

India came back from a two-goal deficit to thrash Belgium 4-2 and entered the semifinals of the elite 8-nation tournament for the second successive edition.

"We have beaten higher teams earlier this year. But this win will give us confidence. The Olympics is 20-odd months away and so we need this type tough matches more," Oltmans told reporters after the terrific victory.

"We made a comeback from 0-2 down that shows the mental strength of the players," Oltmans applauded the efforts of Sardar Singh and Co.

"They are slowly understanding what international hockey is all about. They are understanding how to execute plans and be consistent," the legendary Dutchman said.

"Our execution was better today. Our performance in the first quarter was not so good but we showed mental strength to comeback and win the match. The players today solved the problems as a team," Oltmans added.

The coach said they took their pool matches as preparation for the crucial quarterfinal duel.

"Our pool matches were preparations for this match. I told boys this is our 'D Day' and the win over Holland put us in the right mode. I am proud of my boys," Oltmans signed off.

The Times of India

Dharamvir Singh: Confidence was the key for our success today



Trailing two goals to nil, India made a commendable comeback to seal a 4-2 win and rally into the semi-final. Taking lead for the first time after Akashdeep Singh netted the third goal in the 41st minute; it was Man of the Match Dharamvir Singh who hammered the fourth and final nail to deny Belgium a semi-final spot.

“When we were 2-0 down, we had decided to equalize the score in the first half itself. That would allow us to play a new game in the second half. It went according to our plan and we got the early goals,” Dharamvir told www.stick2hockey.com.

“Even we were on the trailing side, we never let the thinking come in our minds that we would lose. Instead, we held our heads high and looked forward to net goals.”

Riding on a high after the win against Netherlands in their last pool match, India was on the advantage right from the beginning of the match, making fewer mistakes. In fact, the India’s habit of conceding goals just after taking lead did not bother them in this match.

“We had won against a good team. The confidence of that win displayed in this match as well. There was a good combination between the forward-line and the mid field. So, the possession was more with us which helped us control their counter-attacks. We had also practiced our hits for a long time in our practice session.”

India will now face arch rivals Pakistan in the semi-final. India last met them during the final of the Asian Games which they won in the shoot-outs.

“We have a rest day. We will spend that looking at the videos of Pakistan’s game and eventually plan out a strategy. India versus Pakistan is an emotional match, but we will not play with emotions rather we will play according to our strategies.

Stick2Hockey.com

Pakistan, Australia in semifinals


Australia's Daniel Beale exults with his teamamtes after scoring against Argentina in the quaterfinal of the Champions Trophy hockey in Bhubaneswar on Thursday. Photo : Sandeep Saxena

World champions and holders Australia finally got their mojo back and defeated Argentina 4-2 to secure their place in the semifinals of the Hero Champions Trophy hockey tournament at the Kalinga Stadium, in Bhubaneswar on Thursday.

After a not-so-impressive outing where they won one, lost one and drew one game, the Kookaburras got their act together and dished out a much superior performance to down World Cup bronze medallist Argentina.

It took Australia six minutes to surge ahead as Simon Orchard got a stick to Russell Ford’s hard cross from the right flank.

Argentina equalised one minute into the second quarter through skipper Matias Paredes (16th), who volleyed home a great goal following a fine build-up between Lucas Vila and Facundo Callioni.

Five minutes into the second half, Argentina took the lead through Manuel Brunet’s (35th) field goal after a great move.

But Argentina’s lead lasted just two minutes as Jeremy Hayward scored his third goal of the tournament, with a fierce drag—flick from a penalty corner.

Australia then found the net twice in a span of 12 minutes to take control of the match.

Daniel Beale (42nd) first scored from an open play before Chris Ciriello fired home a penalty corner to give Australia a two—goal cushion.

Argentina tried hard to make a comeback thereafter but failed to breach the alert Australian defence.

In the semis on Saturday, Australia will play the winners of the quarterfinal between England and Germany to be held later in the day.

Earlier, putting their disappointing pool campaign behind, an inspired Pakistan notched up their first win over the Netherlands in 16 years, stunning the World Cup and Olympic silver medallist 4-2 to reach the semifinals.

The 4-2 win was Pakistan’s first win over the Dutch in the Champions Trophy in 12 attempts, a run dating back to 1998 edition of the tournament in Lahore.

After back-to-back wins in pool stages, the Netherlands slumped to their second straight defeat in the tournament and that too against a lower-ranked side. The Dutch had earlier lost 2-3 against India in their final pool match on Tuesday.

Surprisingly, Pakistan, who returned winless from the pool engagements, looked a completely different side today as they dominated the mighty Dutch for major part of the match.

The Netherlands, on the other hand, looked a pale shadow of themselves as they failed to take control of the match and lacked in discipline.

Pakistan also had an impressive record in penalty corners today as they converted three out of the four set pieces that came their way.

However, it was the Dutch who got off to a flying start when Jeroen Hertzberger powered home a field goal in the sixth minute.

Soon after, Pakistan skipper Muhammad Imran brilliantly saved a Mink van der Weerden drag-flick off the line to keep their lead intact.

Pakistan depended on counter-attacks on Thursday and their plan yielded dividends.

It was Muhammad Waqas who created an opening with his brilliant work in the right wing for Muhammad Umar Bhutta (16th) and the Pakistani forward made no mistake to draw level for his side early in the second quarter.

Muhammad Rizwan Senior then drew a brilliant save from Dutch custodian Jaap Stockman but Pakistan managed to take the lead five minutes from halftime when Imran scored with a low flick from a penalty corner.

The Netherlands levelled the scores four minutes into the second half through Constantijn Jonker (39th) who neatly finished Rogier Hofman’s driven cross from the right flank.

But Pakistan kept up the pressure on the Dutch goal and Muhammad Irfan pumped in two goals in quick succession in the last 10 minutes of the match to surprise their opponents.

Irfan’s both goals came from penalty corner variations.

He first restored Pakistan’s lead in the 51st before applying the killer touch a minute later.

Pakistan will now face the winners of the match between India and Belgium in the semifinals, while the Netherlands will play classification matches for fifth to eight positions.

Pakistan coach Shahnaz Sheikh is understandably a happy man and said they played their best hockey today after experimenting in the pool stages.

“Our tournament started on Thursday. We played our real game. What experimentations we had to do we did in the pool matches,” Sheikh told reporters after the win.

“Before departure from Pakistan I said our target is a top four finish.”

Asked who he would like to face as opponent between India and Belgium in the semis, the Pakistan coach said, “Obviously, we want to play against India because this will help in reviving India-Pakistan hockey.”

The Netherlands coach Max Caldas was critical of his team’s display.

“We were disappointing. We lacked discipline. It didn’t look like we are ready to win the game,” he said.

The Hindu

Pak posts famous 4-2 win over Netherlands

s2h team


Photo courtesy PHF

Warming up to the occasion, Pakistan bounced back to reckoning in the Bhubaneswar Champions trophy, drubbing World CUp silver medallist Netherlands 4-2 in the first quarterfinal.

Thus Pakistan, like in Melbourne two years ago, booked its semifinal berth.

Pak took 2-1 lead at half time in the first quarter final in the sultry noon, with goals from Umar Bhutta and Imran Mohd.

Pakistan converted both the penalty corners it got in the fourth quarter, to end the contest on a high note (4-2).

Irfan Mohd latched on to a laborious indirect penalty corner drill to give Pakistan again lead (3-2) in the 51st minute before he struck another thorugh the third and last penalty corner (4-2).

In the third quarter Constantijn Jonker bounced on to a long pass to neutralize the lead (2-2).

When Joren Hertzberger stunned Imran Shah and other six defenders as early as 5th minuter with a reverse shot (1-0), as half a dozen Pakistan players stood rooted and ball watched, a rout seemed to be in store, but thankfully it was not.

Though Pakistan made first inroad in the rival's D very late, whenever it did subsequently, it mattered

After successfully defending a seventh minute penalty corner, Pakistan equalized through Umar Bhutta, who bounced on to a gentle rebound from already falled Jaap Stockmann (1-1).

Two minutes before the half time, captain Imran Mohad had no difficulty to convert team's first penalty corner. His straight drive struck Japp and then bounced into the net (2-1).

Captain Imran Mohd was declared Man of the Match.

Stick2Hockey.com

Sailing into the semis: Pakistan win by double the Dutch’s score

By Nabil Tahir


CONTRARY TO EXPECTATIONS: Pakistan, ranked 11th in the world, displayed flashes of the inherent brilliance that characterised the Greenshirts in the past as they beat second-ranked Holland. PHOTO: AFP

KARACHI: Pakistan surprised Pool B winners Netherlands with a 4-2 win, as some perfectly executed counter-punching saw the Greenshirts put the memories of a poor group stage firmly behind to win their Hero Hockey Champions Trophy quarter-final in Bhubaneswar, India.

Earlier in the game, it was the Netherlands who got off to a flying start with Jeroen Hertzberger powering home from mid-circle to score in the sixth minute. Muhammad Umar Bhutta equalised with a spectacular field goal in the 16th minute to give confidence to the team.

Muhammad Rizwan Sr then drew a brilliant save from Jaap Stockman, but 2-1 arrived a minute before the break when captain Muhammad Imran fired low past the Dutch goalkeeper in the 30th minute through a penalty corner.

The Dutch team had more control after the big break and got their reward 38 minutes in when Constantijn Jonker equalised. But Pakistan still had an ace up their sleeve and, from their most sustained spell of pressure, went ahead for a second time from a clever corner move, laying the ball into the path of Muhammad Irfan to flick high into the net in the 51st minute.

Right in the next minute, the Netherlands gave a corner of their own which Pakistan utilised to win another set piece with Irfan applying the killer touch in the 52nd minute to win the game.

Imran, who received the man-of-the-match award for his brilliant performance, said it was a lucky day for Pakistan, who had finished bottom of Pool A. “Holland have been the best team until now in the tournament and were the toppers of their pool,” Imran told The Express Tribune from India.

“We did not miss any chances today and the young players in our team displayed fabulous precision. After losing all the pool matches, striking back in the quarter-final has given the team a much-needed boost and is a good sign for us.”

‘We played the Asian way’

Head coach Shahnaz Sheikh revealed that the team changed its game plan for the last-eight match.

“We went back to Asian style hockey, which means classical play,” said Sheikh. “Now we will study the game play of our semi-final opponents in order to put forward a similar performance in the next round.”

Meanwhile, former Olympians and Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) management hailed Pakistan’s victory and hoped the win will convince the government to come forward and support the national game.

PHF Secretary Rana Mujahid said the win against the Dutch had not only increased the players’ confidence but also raised hopes that hockey was on the road to progress.

“The players played for their country ignoring all negative thoughts, for which they deserved a big applaud,” he added.

In other matches, Australia defeated Argentina 4-2 in their quarter-final and will face Germany in the semi-finals, while India defeated Belgium with a similar scoreline in their last-eight match.

The Express Tribune

Pakistan stun Holland to reach Champions Trophy semifinals

BHUBANESWAR: Putting their disappointing pool campaign behind, an inspired Pakistan notched up their first win over the Netherlands in 16 years, stunning the World Cup and Olympic silver medallist 4-2 to reach the semifinals of Champions Trophy tournament on Thursday.

The 4-2 win was Pakistan's first win over the Dutch in the Champions Trophy in 12 attempts, a run dating back to 1998 edition of the tournament in Lahore.

After back-to-back wins in pool stages, the Netherlands slumped to their second straight defeat in the tournament and that too against a lower-ranked side. The Dutch had earlier lost 2-3 against India in their final pool match on Tuesday.

Surprisingly, Pakistan, who returned winless from the pool engagements, looked a completely different side today as they dominated the mighty Dutch for major part of the match.

The Netherlands, on the other hand, looked a pale shadow of themselves as they failed to take control of the match and lacked in discipline.

Pakistan also had an impressive record in penalty corners today as they converted three out of the four set pieces that came their way.

However, it was the Dutch who got off to a flying start when Jeroen Hertzberger powered home a field goal in the sixth minute.

Soon after, Pakistan skipper Muhammad Imran brilliantly saved a Mink van der Weerden drag-flick off the line to keep their lead intact.

Pakistan depended on counter-attacks today and their plan yielded dividends.

It was Muhammad Waqas who created an opening with his brilliant work in the right wing for Muhammad Umar Bhutta (16th) and the Pakistani forward made no mistake to draw level for his side early in the second quarter.

Muhammad Rizwan Senior then drew a brilliant save from Dutch custodian Jaap Stockman but Pakistan managed to take the lead five minutes from halftime when Imran scored with a low flick from a penalty corner.

The Netherlands leveled the scores four minutes into the second half through Constantijn Jonker (39th) who neatly finished Rogier Hofman's driven cross from the right flank.

But Pakistan kept up the pressure on the Dutch goal and Muhammad Irfan pumped in two goals in quick succession in the last 10 minutes of the match to surprise their opponents.

Irfan's both goals came from penalty corner variations. He first restored Pakistan's lead in the 51st before applying the killer touch a minute later.

Pakistan will now face the winners of the match between India and Belgium in the semifinals, while the Netherlands will play classification matches for fifth to eight positions.

Pakistan coach Shahnaz Sheikh is understandably a happy man and said they played their best hockey today after experimenting in the pool stages.

"Our tournament started today. We played our real game today. What experimentations we had to do we did in the pool matches," Sheikh told reporters after the win.

"Before departure from Pakistan I said our target is a top four finish."

Asked who he would like to face as opponent between India and Belgium in the semis, the Pakistan coach said: "Obviously, we want to play against India because this will help in reviving India-Pakistan hockey."

The Netherlands coach Max Caldas was critical of his team's display today.

"We were disappointing. We lacked discipline. It didn't look like we are ready to win the game," he said.

The Times of India

Pakistan stun Netherlands to face India in semifinals



BHUBANESWAR: Without a point in the pool stage, Pakistan’s spirited display of hockey - led by Muhammad Irfan’s brace in the second half - stunned title favourites and 2012 Olympic silver-medallists 4-2 in the first quarterfinal of the FIH Men’s Champions Trophy here on Thursday. Breathtaking hockey at the Kalinga Stadium followed ecstatic scenes on and off the pitch as India came from behind to beat world No. 4 Belgium 4-2 to set up a date with arch-rivals Pakistan in the semifinals. It was Indian resilience that came to the fore as after initial hiccups they looked like playing for an outright victory instead of going through the agony of another penalty shootout like the Asian Games final. And they did it from 0-2 down.

No one gave the three-time champions a chance in hell or heaven to beat the Dutch who topped Pool B and were unbeaten so far in the tournament. But Pakistan proved once again how dangerously they can blow hot and cold. The game was locked 2-2 going into the last 10 minutes of the fourth quarter. That’s when Irfan’s two penalty-corner strikes in two minutes (51st and 52nd) took the game away from the Netherlands as the Dutchmen held their heads in hand after the final whistle. The game began with the Orange shirts dominating proceedings as the action was restricted to the Pakistan half, and it did result in a field goal in the 6th minute off Jeroen Hertzberger’s stick. It took Pakistan a while to come back in the game, which they did through Muhammad Bhutta’s strike in the 16th minute and then took the lead in the final minute before half-time as skipper Muhammad Imran made his presence felt with a stupendous field effort.

The Dutch outfit regrouped upon their return to the field and once again locked the game at 2-2 when Constantinjn Janker sounded the board. Pakistan lifted their game from that point on and launched a series of counter-attacks that brought about two penalty corners, which were converted by Irfan to slam the door on Netherlands, who will now play in the 5th-8th place playoffs. “We were pretty match confident of beating the Netherlands as we were preparing for this match. The tournament actually started today as results of the pool stage didn’t matter,” Pakistan coach Sheikh Shahnaz said. “So we were not bothered about our three straight losses in Pool A.” “I told my boys that India beat Netherlands, so there’s no reason why we couldn’t do that since we had beaten this Indian team in the league fixture at the Asian Games. The loss in the final at Incheon didn’t count as the match was decided on penalties,” he added. The semifinals will be played on Dec 13.

The Daily Times

We lost twice on our own errors

Tazeen Qureshy

The World Cup silver medalist and depending champions Netherlands faced a humiliation of sort when they lost to hitherto out of form Pakistan at a good score of 2-4.

The defeat at the hands of Pakistan which led to their early exit from the champions Trophy will haunt the Netherlands for quite some time. But, this is more disappointing for their coach Max Caldas, who took over the reins after the World Cup.

After the match, the coach talked www.stick2hockey.com about his stint with the team and what went wrong.

You have taken over as the coach of the Netherlands team recently. Is it a difficult job to manage a star team?
No, not exactly. It is not difficult to manage. The goal of any tournament is improvement. We were here in the tournament to see where we stand. I think hockey-wise, we are improving, but we are letting ourselves down mentally. It needs to be addressed very fast.

Netherlands was the best team of the tournament until it lost two back to back matches against India and Pakistan. What went wrong in the last two games?
We didn’t have the rotations in the matches. We need to be very disciplined to win a game, we were not disciplined. We played twice on our own errors. We were not very good on the pitch.

The format of the tournament is such that every team qualifies in the quarter-finals. Do you think it cost you a bit?
No, format is a format. You need to be very good everyday and we were not very good today.

What are your aspirations for the team? Where do you want see the Netherlands team in the future?
Our main focus is to win the gold in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Every tournament is a preparation for that. Today was a nice lesson for us.

Stick2Hockey.com

Green-shirts clicked when it mattered most, says Islah

Anwar Zuberi

KARACHI: Chief selector Islahuddin Siddiqui applauded Pakistan hockey team’s performance against world No 2 Netherlands that paved their way to sneak into Champions Trophy semi-finals in the Indian city of Bhubaneswar on Thursday.

“After a dismal start [as the team lost all its three Pool ‘A’ matches], the team clicked where it mattered,” Islah, who captained the Pakistan team that won the inaugural Champions Trophy at Lahore way back in 1978, told Dawn.

Pakistan, he said, was the most inexperienced team competing at the event in the aftermath of their failure to qualify for this year’s World Cup.

“It’s a dilemma that the nation that has once ruled the world of hockey missed the World Cup,” he said.

Defending the team selection, he said the selectors have picked the best available talent and not ignored any deserving player.

He attributed Pakistan’s failure to take the chances that came their way as the main factor behind losing three games in a row. Pakistan missed at least two to three chances in their defeats to Belgium, England and Australia, while umpire disallowed a goal by Waqas Sharif against the Dutch.

The former Olympian added: “It’s unfortunate that the national team went to India by generating funds which was unheard of in the history of the sport.”

Islah said he understands the nation is eagerly looking forward to see the green-shirts making waves globally but it can only be possible with the financial support of government.

“It’s the need of the hour that the government should dole out sufficient funds into the coffers of Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) to keep the game going,” he remarked.

The chief selector said that in the absence of jobs and monetary assistance, it would be unwise to expect a player to deliver.

Complimenting Shahnaz Shaikh, he said the national team’s manager-cum-chief coach had said his team would finish among the top four before leaving for India.

“It’s time the team should forget the past defeats and prepare for taking the challenge in semi-final,” he added.

“The PHF has set a four-year plan for raising a strong winning outfit and the players, both seniors as well as juniors, will have to prove their mettle.”

Dawn

Ex-Olympians laud green shirts’ victory against Holland

LAHORE - Former Olympians lauded Pakistan’s victory against the Netherlands in the Champions Trophy event being played in India and hoped that it would not only open new avenues for the development and progress of the national game but also convince the government and sponsors to come forward to support it.

Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) secretary Rana Mujahid said though he was sad with Pakistan’s three straight defeats in the Champions Trophy but the win against Netherlands, a European team, had not only enhanced the players’ confidence but also raised hopes that the game of hockey was on the road to progress.

He said the boys had not played against a European team in last one and half year which was a huge gap and the win against the Netherlands had enhanced their confidence. Rana added that the players played for their country ignoring all negative thoughts for which they deserved a big applaud.

Chief selector Islahuddin Siddiqui said the players were demoralised because of three back-to-back defeats but the win against Netherlands, which stood second in the last edition, was a moral boosting victory and it would help them in the semifinal. Islah said the present team was the best available talent in the country and he thanked Almighty Allah for giving mental strength to the boys to bounce back in a spirited way at a right time. “The credit goes to the boys who proved their love for the country and played as a team to beat their superior opponents,” the chief selector said.

Olympian Samiullah Khan said nobody had expected green-shirts to suffer three straight defeats in the Champions Trophy; particularly the defeat against England had saddened hockey fans at home. “There was a huge challenge and task before them and to bounce back against a superior European team in the quarterfinal was a marvelous success of team work. “The boys played against a European side after a long gap but still they demonstrated their skill and art in a match, which was played amid do and die situation,” he said.

Olympian Anjum Saeed said the victory against Netherlands had proved that the present management of the PHF, under its president Olympian Akhtar Rasool Chaudhry and secretary Rana Mujahid, is striving hard to put the game of hockey on the right track. He appealed to the potential sponsors to come forward to support the national game and assured them that with their generous encouragement the players would bring more positive results in the international hockey.

Olympian Iftikhar Syed also said the present day hockey had become an expensive game which can’t be flourished without government support. He added that the victory was enough to convince the government and the sponsors to come forward to support the national game. “With this victory we are hopeful that the boys would bring back their lost glory in the international hockey,” he hoped.

The Nation

Pakistan defended like lions: Dutch captain

BHUBANESWAR: Netherlands captain Robert van der Horst was all praise for Pakistan's solid defence saying the Asian country "defended like lions" in their 4-2 win over the Dutch in the Champions Trophy quarterfinal on Thursday.

Horst said his team did not play its best game and did not threaten the opposition goal much.

"I believe we didn't play our best game. Pakistan gave us a hard job, they defended like lions. They conceded less goals than we did because they defended harder than we attacked," said Horst.

Horst stated that they gave away too many easy penalty corners to Pakistan, and it was not acceptable for the team to lose back-to-back matches.

"We got too many easy penalty corners against us. We lost as a result of ourselves, this is not good. I don't think the Netherlands should lose two games in succession to India and Pakistan, this is not the way Holland should play," he added.

He also said that they had learnt a lesson from Thursday's match and would like to make sure that the mistakes were not repeated again.

"Today we got a lesson we have to deal with and we need to make sure it doesn't happen again. It's very disappointing, we have to do better next time," said the 30-year old.

The Times of India

Kookas reach semis

Victory over Argentina sees Kookaburras through to final four



The Kookaburras remain in contention to win a sixth successive Champions Trophy title this weekend after sealing their place in Saturday’s semi finals with a 4-2 win over Argentina in the must-win quarter final.

Simon Orchard’s 50th goal for Australia gave the Kookaburras the perfect start, although they had to work for the result after falling behind shortly after half time. Argentina captain Matias Paredes levelled the scores immediately after quarter time and Manuel Brunet put Los Leones ahead five minutes into the second half.

But Australia were behind for just two minutes before Jeremy Hayward rifled a penalty corner home for 2-2.

Daniel Beale then swept home to put the Kookaburras back in front and Chris Ciriello doubled the advantage with a trademark penalty corner flick low into the bottom corner with just over ten minutes remaining.

The Kookaburras will face the winner of the quarter final between European rivals England and Germany while Pakistan, who shocked World Cup silver medallists, the Netherlands, 4-2, will face either Belgium or India in the second semi final.

Speaking after the match, Kookaburras Head Coach Graham Reid said, “It was a good result. We got some good returns today; we got an early goal and a good start but we let it slide a bit in the second quarter. It was a good learning experience to go behind early in the third quarter then get even and get back in front.

“I’m pleased but not satisfied. Our objective coming here was to progress and develop. There were some good signs today from a couple of the young guys. We’re developing leadership within the group and a few people showed leadership today, not just from the captain and the senior players but all the way through.”

With a word for Simon Orchard, for whom it was his 50th international goal, Reid said, “He’s unconventional from a goal scoring perspective. He usually likes his tomas.”

Orchard’s near post deflection from Russell Ford’s cross from the right brought up the New South Welshman’s half century of goals in the green and gold and was the perfect start for Australia. Despite the best efforts of Juan Vivaldi, the deflection looped off the goalkeeper and across the line.

Flynn Ogilvie then tested the Argentine goalkeeper – a rival of Andrew Charter’s for the International Goalkeeper of the Year award – before Tyler Lovell blocked a deflection from his own defender, Fergus Kavanagh.

Early in the second quarter there was very little substitute goalkeeper Charter could do as Argentina levelled. Lucas Vila cut back to Facundo Callioni who squeezed off a shot to the back post where the unmarked Matias Paredes knocked home.

Two penalty corners came and went for the Kookaburras before half time but it was the South Americans who would score next. Soon after the break, Brunet sent the ball into an unguarded net after Argentina broke through the Kookaburras back line, but the lead lasted barely two minutes. Jeremy Hayward – a nominee for the International Rising Star award – sent a penalty corner flick flying between goalkeeper and post defender, sparking the Territorian’s emphatic celebrations.

Queenslander Daniel Beale saw an effort saved before finding the net for 3-2 with a sweep shot after good work by Ogilvie at the top of the circle. Two more penalty corners came and went while at the other end Andrew Charter made himself big to prevent Argentina from equalising.

It was to prove an important save as less than 60 seconds later Australia won a penalty corner and Chris Ciriello made sure of the result with a low flick under the stick of the goal line defender for 4-2.

The exact schedule for the semi finals will be confirmed following the conclusion of the quarter final round overnight Thursday.

MEN’S CHAMPIONS TROPHY
Bhubaneswar, India

KOOKABURRAS 4 (1)
Simon Orchard 6 (FG)
Jeremy Hayward 37 (PC)
Daniel Beale 42 (FG)
Chris Ciriello 49 (PC)

ARGENTINA 2 (1)
Matias Paredes 16 (PC)
Manuel Brunet 35 (FG)

Quarter Final Results
Netherlands 2-4 Pakistan
Argentina 2-4 Australia
England 0-2 Germany
Belgium 2-4 India
           
Next Fixtures - Saturday 13 December
5-8th Playoffs: Netherlands v [Loser of Belgium v India]
5-8th Playoffs: Argentina v [Loser of England v Germany]
Semi Final 1: Australia v [Winner of England v Germany]
Semi Final 2: Pakistan v [Winner of Belgium v India]    
                                                                                                                                        
Kookaburras Squad
Athlete (Hometown, State) caps/goals
Started
Chris Ciriello (Melbourne, VIC) 153/98
Matthew Dawson (Central Coast, NSW) 8/0
Tim Deavin (Launceston, TAS) 98/4
Russell Ford (Melbourne, VIC) 156/72
Matt Gohdes (Rockhampton, QLD) 108/31
Jeremy Hayward (Darwin, NT) 25/10
Fergus Kavanagh (Geraldton, WA) 195/14
Tyler Lovell (GK) (Perth, WA) 34/0
Eddie Ockenden (capt) (Hobart, TAS) 229/57
Glenn Simpson (Melbourne, VIC) 116/21
Jake Whetton (Brisbane, QLD) 76/32
Tristan White (Wollongong, NSW) 42/3
    
Used Substitute
Daniel Beale (Brisbane, QLD) 42/8
Nick Budgeon (Hobart, TAS) 25/11
Andrew Charter (GK ) (Canberra, ACT) 82/0
Tom Craig (Lane Cove, NSW) 7/1
Flynn Ogilvie (Wollongong, NSW) 8/1
Simon Orchard (Maitland, NSW) 161/50

Hockey Australia media release

England fall to Germany in crucial Quarter Final


Ashley Jackson flicks for goal in the CT2014 match with Germany.

After topping Pool A, the Quarter Final stage of the 2014 Champions Trophy ended in bitter disappointment for England as they fell to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of the world number three side Germany. Playing with two fewer outfield players following a bout of sickness in the squad, England conceded two goals in the closing moments of the second and fourth quarters; Captain Moritz Fürste and Christopher Rühr scoring a goal each to take their side into the Semi Finals. England will now face Argentina on Saturday at 0600 [subject to FIH scheduling] as they battle it out in the fifth to eighth classification matches.

Earlier in the day Australia booked their place in the Semi Finals with a 4-2 victory over Argentina and in the first game of the day Pakistan pulled off the shock of the tournament beating Pool B winners and world number two side the Netherlands 4-2 to claim their top four place.

Germany forced a series of penalty corners in the opening quarter of the match but a combination of good defending from Dan Fox and some outstanding goalkeeping from FIH Goalkeeper of the Year nominee George Pinner kept the scores level as they denied Moritz Fürste on four separate occasions. England’s best chances came from a Sam Ward deflection which flashed just wide of the post and a Nick Catlin reverse stick strike that flew over the bar when the Holcombe man might have had more time than he realised.

England started brightly in the second quarter. Catlin and skipper Barry Middleton swapped passes and opened up the German defence but they were unable to get the shot away. Catlin had another reverse stick effort deflected over the bar but it was Germany who went into the break in the ascendancy. Fürste finally got the better of Pinner with a rocket penalty corner into the roof of the net to make it 1-0.

The third quarter was nip and tuck as the two sides battled for the all-important next goal. Jackson couldn’t quite set up Ward in the opening exchanges and at the other end Pinner was called upon to keep out Florian Fuchs and former East Grinstead player, Mats Grambusch also went close. The half ended with a yellow card for Timur Oruz for a foul on Jackson, meaning the Germans would start the final 15 minutes a man down.

England went all out in the final quarter to rescue the game but Nicolas Jacobi stood firm to glove away a Jackson penalty corner with Mark Gleghorne unable to get the rebound under control. The same two players went head to head again with another penalty corner but with Jackson this time going low, Jacobi was up to the job once again, getting a foot to the ball to keep it out. With two minutes left on the clock, Germany sealed the win. Grambusch found some space in the circle and cut it back across goal where Christopher Rühr pounced to lift the ball over Pinner to send Germany into the semi-finals.

Speaking after the match England Team Manager Andy Halliday explained the reason for England being two outfield players down during the game: “David Condon and Chris Griffiths have both been suffering from sickness over the last 24 hours and neither were able to leave the hotel today. It’s extremely frustrating because we have been meticulous in taking every precaution to try and prevent illness throughout the trip.”

England Head Coach Bobby Crutchley

On the result and the performance: “We’re very disappointed with the result, I thought we lacked our normal high intensity out there today. Maybe playing with two fewer players affected that, however we are not looking to make excuses for the overall outcome. We controlled possession for good periods of the game, but came up against a resolute German defence and a team that always threaten on the counter attack. We still created corner opportunities and chances, but today were unable to convert them into goals.”

Looking ahead to Argentina: “We now need to regroup and with a rest day tomorrow we can recover and recharge our batteries and hopefully be back up to full strength for Saturday’s game against Argentina where we will be looking to reverse the score line from our defeat back in June at the World Cup. They are a side who are always strong on the counter attack and they defend with numbers behind the ball.”

England will be back in action against Argentina on Saturday at 0600 [subject to FIH scheduling]

ENGLAND 0 (0)

GERMANY 2 (1)
Moritz Fürste 30 (PC)
Christopher Rühr 58 (FG)

England Hockey Board Media release

England hampered by Germany as India set up Pakistan clash

Bobby Crutchley's side fall short of Champions Trophy semi-finals as Germans set up Australia clash, with hosts India set for crunch battle with rivals Pakistan

By Rod Gilmour

Germany’s uncanny ability to grow stronger in tournament hockey proved England’s undoing on Thursday night after a methodical 2-0 victory set up a semi-final with Australia at the Champions Trophy in India.

A stout defensive display from the Olympic champions, a penalty corner fizzer from captain Moritz Fürste and a late breakaway goal from Christopher Rühr, world hockey’s young player of the year in 2013, scuppered England’s chances.

Bobby Crutchley’s side, missing David Condon and Chris Griffiths through illness, will now play for the 5th-8th places, firstly against Argentina, in Bhubaneswar – a rapid turnaround in fortunes after England had entered the quarter-finals with the best form and plenty of goals under the belt.

"We’re very disappointed with the result, I thought we lacked our normal high intensity out there today," admitted Crutchley. "Maybe playing with two fewer players affected that, however we are not looking to make excuses for the overall outcome.

"We controlled possession for good periods of the game, but came up against a resolute German defence and a team that always threaten on the counter attack."

England stymied Germany’s five early penalty corners – Dan Fox notable for his quick running from the posts to force Fürste into changing tactics – and were largely on the back foot in the opening exchanges.

England’s best chance fell to Nick Catlin in the first quarter after neat inter changing, but the headband-clad Holcombe midfielder blazed over.

Crutchley urged his side to go “high tempo” at the end of the first quarter. But Germany took hold of Crutchley’s words and were rewarded in the dying seconds of the half when Fürste struck home a penetrating penalty corner at the sixth attempt with England down to 10 men.

In the last quarter, Germany lost a player of their own for a push on Ashley Jackson and England garnered momentum.

Adam Dixon went close in a goalmouth melee, Jackson had further chances from penalty corner situations, while a bizarre stoppage with 10 minutes left hardly helped their chances when Catlin, having asked for a video review when a decision on a deliberate German foot wasn’t given in midfield, was given a two-minute green card, much to his chagrin.

As timed ticked and England, still very much in the game and bossing possession, looked to take off goalkeeper George Pinner, allowing for an extra outfield player, Germany countered and an unmarked Rühr lifted high into net with three minutes left. It just wasn’t England’s day.

Meanwhile, Pakistan upset the odds with a 4-2 win over the Netherlands in their quarter-final.

The Dutch had last failed to reach the last four of this event in 1986, but Pakistan managed to overturn their Pool form – beaten 8-2 by England – to set up a semi-final with India in what will be a 7,000 sell out at the Kalinga Stadium.

The hosts also beat Belgium 4-2, coming from 2-1 down to keep their hopes alive of an unlikely berth in Sunday's final with a confident display against the world No 4 side.

After overseeing India recently to their first Asian Games gold in over 15 years, Terry Walsh had quit as coach in the build-up to the Champions Trophy.

The Telegraph

Germany down England 2-0 to enter Champions Trophy semifinal

BHUBANESWAR: Olympic champions Germany produced a perfect game to beat England 2-0 in an all-European battle en route their semifinal berth in the Champions Trophy tournament on Thursday.

At the Kalinga Stadium, the Germans, who finished at the bottom in the pool stages, produce defensive master-class to tame the high-flying Englishmen, who impressed in the opening round and topped Pool A.

The Germans scored a goal each in the second and fourth quarters through Moritz Furste (30th minute) and Christopher Ruhr (58th) to register the victory.

Germany will now take on world champions Australia in the semifinals on Saturday, while England will face Argentina for 5-8 places classification matches.

The Germans started the game in attacking fashion, winning as many as five penalty corners in the opening 10 minutes but wasted all.

England slowly and steadily started to mount raids on the opposition citadel but they failed to break the rock-solid German defence.

Germany finally broke the deadlock just at the stroke of halftime from their sixth penalty corner with skipper Furste finding the top corner of the net with a fierce drag-flick.

After the change of ends, the Germans continued in the same defensive vein and depended more on counter-attacks to score goal.

Germany started to control the match by playing possession hockey in the last two quarters.

England, however, forged a strong comeback in the closing quarter but Adam Dixon's shot on the turn went agonisingly across the face of goal.

England also secured two penalty corners but on both occasion Ashley Jackson was denied by an alert German goalie Nicolas Jacobi.

Two minutes from time, any hopes of England's comeback was dashed Christopher Ruhr coolly finished off a move from close range.

The Times of India

Pic of the Day



If any newspaper/media outlet or National Association would like photos from the Men's Champions Trophy, please contact Vino John of a2zfotographics who is an excellent freelance Hockey photo journalist and who will be at Bhubaneswar.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. www.a2zfotographics.com

Indian players less superstitious, says FIH survey

The international hockey governing body, FIH, has conducted what it claims 'The World’s Largest Hockey survey' here in Bhubneswar and it has revealed that the Indian elite players are not very superstitious, with only 11% admitting to having any form of pre-game lucky rituals compared to 23% across all elite international players

198 players competing in this year’s Hockey Champions Trophy took part in the survey.

As only expected Indian players take up hockey late, compared to their counterparts across the globe. The survey finds that on average India’s players took up the sport later than their international counterparts, they start playing aged 11, whereas the international average was 8.

Interestingly, the Belgian team that will engage Indian in the quarterfinal today, is the youngest aged just 5.

Other important findings of the survey include:

How the players got into hockey
•65% got into hockey because of their families
•15% said it was thanks to encouragement from their friends
•20% were inspired by the exploits of their favourite elite players

Social media engagement
•When asked about the social media channels they favoured, 24% of Indian players claimed to use Twitter, but a higher 78% are on Facebook
•Only 2% of Indian players claimed to use social media hourly, compared to 20% of all players in the survey

If not on the hockey pitch
The survey asked what players would do if they weren’t hockey players.
•Football was the most popular sport for 65% of Indian hockey players at school, followed by cricket on 22%
•The Indian players had some interesting suggestions for alternative professions they thought they would do, if not on the hockey pitch. These included; a few businessmen, a farmer, a goldsmith, and a Bollywood actor

Stick2Hockey.com

Fiji to play in World Hockey League in Singapore

Rashneel Kumar

THE Fiji men's and women's teams have qualified for the World Hockey League Series Round One which will be held in Singapore and India, respectively.

The Fiji men's side thrashed Papua New Guinea 8-2 to confirm its spot in the international meet and also qualify for the Oceania Pacific Cup final.

In the final to be played tomorrow at the National Hockey Centre in Laucala, the Shaun Corrie-coached side will face the unbeaten New Zealand Presidents XI.

Corrie was pleased with the World Hockey League Series Round One qualification adding they were looking forward to a better performance in the tournament next year.

Fiji has already experienced the competition in the World Hockey League Series Round One after making its debut in the tournament in India last year.

"Last time when we took part in the tournament, each player had to pay $3000 for the trip to India," Corrie said.

"Most of these players are still students and some are still new in their profession.

"There is a financial burden on us but we hope to get some support for next year's World Hockey League Series Round One in Singapore."

The Fiji men's side is yet to win the Oceania Pacific Championship and Corrie is keen to guide the team to a historic win this weekend.

He said the New Zealand Presidents XI, to which the national side lost in the preliminary rounds, would be a strong challenge but they would not give up without a fight.

Meanwhile, the Alison Southey-coached Fiji women's side defeated PNG 3-1 to claim the spot in the World Hockey League Series Round One.

However, the win was not enough for the side to defend its Oceania Pacific Championship title.

The women's final will be between Australia Country and New Zealand Presidents XI while Fiji will feature in the bronze playoff.

The Fiji Times

Hockey’s defeats and victories of 2014

Wesley Botton


FILE PICTURE: Marsha Cox and Dirkie Chamberlain of South Africa celebrate during Womens International Hockey match. (Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images)

South African hockey has produced some tight contests in 2014, but even more significant has been the wide margin between some teams in domestic and international matches.

Here are the most convincing victories and defeats of the year:

February 22

In their first Test of the season, the SA men’s team are handed a crushing 6-0 defeat by Argentina in Mar del Plata. While they improve gradually throughout the tour, the South Africans go on to lose the five-match series 4-0.

March 17

The national men’s squad fall in a 7-0 loss to world champions Australia in the round robin phase of the Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia. They settle for last place in the six-team tournament.

July 10

In another convincing defeat, the SA men are handed a 7-0 hiding by England in the round robin stage of the Investec London Cup in England. The South Africans bounce back to beat Scotland 3-0 in the bronze medal match.


Men’s hockey. South Africa vs Australia. Australia won 6 – 0. Picture: Wessel Oosthuizen / SASPA.

July 12

The national women’s team thump Wales 8-2 in their last round robin match at the Investec Cup, on their way to securing the silver medal.

July 24

Getting their Commonwealth Games campaign off to a cracking start, the SA women’s side romp to a 16-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago in their opening match in Glasgow. It is the widest winning margin by any team in the tournament.

July 28

The national men’s squad are crushed by Australia again, this time losing 6-0 in a pool match at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. It is their biggest lost of the tournament as they settle for last place in their group.


Nicolene Terblance of SA’s women’s hockey team. South Africa beat India 3 – 2. Picture: Wessel Oosthuizen / SASPA.

August 1

Brought back down to Earth, the SA women are beaten 7-1 by Australia in the Commonwealth Games semifinals. They go on to lose 5-2 against New Zealand in the bronze medal play-off.

August 19

Southern Gauteng coast to an 11-0 whitewash over Eastern Province in the group stages of the SA Women’s Interprovincial tournament in Pietermaritzburg. Three days later, KZN Raiders hand the Eastern Cape outfit a 10-1 hiding in the cross-pool play-offs.

The Citizen

Black Sticks rue loss that cost them $250,000

MARK GEENTY


COSTLY DEFEAT: Black Sticks veteran Phil Burrows cuts a dejected figure after the semi-final loss to India at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Getty Images

Finishing one spot outside the top six at this year's Hockey World Cup effectively cost the Black Sticks men $250,000 in Olympic qualification funding.

While Hockey New Zealand chief executive Malcolm Harris saw it coming, yesterday's High Performance Sport NZ announcement of a drop to $750,000 for 2015 wasn't any easier to take.

"We were a penalty shootout or a post away from a top-five finish. We were so close.

"It was an expensive seventh," Harris said.

The Black Sticks men, who also missed a Commonwealth Games bronze medal on a penalty shootout against England in Glasgow in August, were the biggest losers from yesterday, with triathlon ($150,000) and swimming ($100,000) others to take a cut for an important Olympic buildup year.

Ironically, the men's hockey team improved their world ranking to sixth but one of their key performance indicators (KPIs) for 2014 was a top-six finish at the World Cup in the Netherlands in June, which they missed after a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands, who made the final.

Now focus switches to one of the world league tournaments, in Argentina in June, where a top-three will qualify them for Rio. It looms as their best chance of getting through.

"There's some quality programmes we could have put in place that may not now happen," Harris said.

Should they qualify for Rio, they can go back to HPSNZ for an increase at the end of next year.

The Black Sticks women remained static at $1.3m after a strong year.

Triathlon ($1.25m) and swimming ($1.4m) were both under the microscope but didn't receive significant cuts.

Tri NZ chief executive Craig Waugh said that they had budgeted for a small decrease, having reached seven of their eight KPIs, with a medal-less Glasgow the big miss. Swimming NZ was relieved to have surety of funding for the next two years to Rio.

Meanwhile, it was smooth sailing at Yachting NZ's Auckland headquarters as it celebrated another $200,000 increase for the next two years, taking it to $3.4m as a tier one sport.

Chief executive David Abercrombie said that it had justified this year's additional $400,000 to support coaching, and the extra $200,000 would be split between high performance and talent identification for Tokyo 2020.

He said a minimum of two medals in Rio was its target, as women's 470 crew Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie defend their title and men's 49er duo Peter Burling and Blair Tuke look to go one place better.

"We've qualified 10 classes already which is part of why we're being supported," Abercrombie said.

"We've got seven classes in the world's top-10; all of them on a good day are capable of medalling."

Other tier one sports, rowing ($315,000) and cycling ($300,000), received predictable boosts. Cycling had a massive year, dominating at the Commonwealth Games.

High performance manager Mark Elliott said the extra funding would allow them to send more riders and support staff to key international events.

"The additional investment will also allow us to complete our capital expenditure for equipment to ensure we can compete on world class bikes," Elliott said.

Stuff

Tenaga out to finish job

By Jugjet Singh

ALL-LOCAL outfit Tenaga Nasional are enjoying a rare moment under the sun as they enter the TNB Cup semi-finals, return leg on level terms with favourites Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC).

Maybank Tigers, meanwhile, finally bared their teeth when they beat league champions Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) 3-2 and are looking dangerous going into the return leg today.

Maybank were a toothless side in the league as they only had five draws and five losses to show, but the knock-out has brought out the best in them.

Maybank, trailing UniKL 3-1 in the semi-final playoff stage, upset the formbook to win the return 4-1 to advance 5-4 aggregate into the semi-finals. This was followed by the upset of the season when they beat THT at their own turf in Kuala Terengganu, a venue where they were hammered 6-1 by coach Sarjit Singh’s million-ringgit outfit.

However, the story of the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) is not about the semi-finalists with all four teams still alive going into the second leg, but Tenaga’s blooding of youth.

Tenaga, who are the only team fielding an all-local side, have 15 Under-24 players who played with confidence to help their team hold four-time consecutive double champions KLHC to a 1-1 draw in the first leg.

Overall, the utility giants have the highest number of young players, as they only relied on five seniors to hold the fort.

“We will be playing KLHC for the fourth time on Friday, and it looks like my young brigade have finally found their footing. They not only helped keep alive the club’s aspirations of playing in the final, but their maturity will also help the country in the long run.

“We had this in mind when we declined the management’s suggestion to hire foreign players before the league started. Tthe argument was that if we give away slots in the club to foreign imports, we will not achieve our ambition of nurturing talented players for the country,” said Tenaga coach Nor Saiful Zaini, a former national skipper.

In their three encounters against KLHC, Tenaga lost the Charity Shield 5-3, second round 3-1 and drew the semis 1-1.

“We have managed to close the gap on KLHC after three matches, and hopefully, we will walk away with a win tomorrow (today),” said Nor Saiful.

But there is gloom in the club and also bad news for the national team’s preparations for the World League Round Two in Singapore on Jan 17-25 as prolific striker Shahril Saabah picked up a shoulder injury and will be out for at least two weeks.

As for KLHC, coach K. Dharmaraj rued the 10-day rest: “I think the rest we had while waiting for our semi-final opponents cooled down my team, while Tenaga played two games to keep their momentum intact. The Tenaga youth have also shown tremendous progress and it will not be easy in the return leg."

TODAY — Semi-finals, return leg: Maybank (3) v Terengganu HT (2) (Bukit Jalil Pitch II, 6pm); Kuala Lumpur HC (1) v Tenaga (1) (Bukit Jalil Pitch II, 8pm).

Note: First leg scores in parenthesis.

New Straits Times

Hot favourites Terengganu and KLHC under pressure

By S. Ramaguru


Skipper Hafifihafiz Hanafi (left) agrees that Maybank had better be prepared for a backlash.

KUALA LUMPUR: It’s crunch time in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL).

And the favourites – Terengganu and Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) – are beginning to feel the pressure ahead of their semi-final, return-leg ties against Maybank and Tenaga Nasional on Friday respectively.

Premier Division champions Terengganu are in bigger trouble, having lost to former champions Maybank 3-2 in the first leg at home last week.

It was only the Tigers’ second win in the league – and it couldn’t have come at a more opportune time as a ticket to the TNB Cup final awaits them.

The other semi-final is still a wide open affair, with defending champions and five-time double winners KLHC drawing 1-1 with Tenaga in the first leg.

Terengganu and KLHC had 10 days’ rest before the first-leg semi-finals. Obviously, that was of no help.

Now, they go into the second leg with added pressure and a final berth slipping away from them.

Having completely dominated the preliminary rounds, these two teams do have the necessary qualities to overcome the deficits.

Terengganu still boast the best team in the MHL and cannot be written off yet.

Faizal Saari, who has netted 11 goals thus far, can be dangerous when on song.

Terengganu also have other players – like Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin, Mohamed Firhan Azhaaari, Jang Jong-hyun, Seo Seong-ho and Fitiri Saari – to get the goals.

With such star quality, the blip in Kuala Terengganu was probably a one-off thing.

Having reigned in the Premier Division, they are determined to make the final and bag the double.

And Maybank had better be prepared for a backlash.

Even Maybank skipper Hafifihafiz Hanafi agrees.

“It will be very tough ... they will be fired up and we can expect a more open game in the second leg,” he said.

“We have to do our part as well and not sit on the one-goal lead. Our defence has to be solid and our forwards must make good use of the chances like we did in the first leg. We have shown they can be beaten. We have to stay focused.”

The Star of Malaysia

Tenaga’s Shahril to miss KLHC clash due to injury

By Aftar Singh


Mohd Shahril Saabah (right) is out after injuring his shoulder in the Malaysia Hockey League first-leg match on Wednesday.

KUALA LUMPUR: You always need your best men for crucial matches.

Unfortunately for Tenaga Nasional, they won’t have the services of national forward Mohd Shahril Saabah when they take on overall defending champions Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) semi-final return-leg clash at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Friday.

Shahril is out after injuring his shoulder in the return leg quarter-final match on Sunday. Tenaga had to come back from a goal down to hold fancied KLHC to a 1-1 draw.

But Tenaga, fielding an all-local line-up, are not perturbed.

Tenaga coach Nor Saiful Zaini said he doesn’t want to risk fielding the experienced Shahril in the return leg for fear he might aggravate his injury.

“For me, his commitment to the national team is more important than playing in the domestic league.

“I want him to recover fully and feature in next month’s World League Second Round in Singapore, which is the qualifying tournament for the 2016 Rio de Janiero Olympics,” said the ex-international.

He was clearly happy with the fighting spirit shown by his players, especially since Tenaga had lost their two league matches against KLHC 5-3 and 4-3.

“We know that KLHC have foreign players in their midst and they will be going all out against us in the return leg,” said Nor Saiful.

“We will be prepared ... with a different strategy. We’ll play a close-marking game and make full use of our chances.

“We have nothing to lose, The pressure is on them ... the defending champions.”

He is probably right.

KLHC coach K. Dharmaraj was a worried man after watching his team’s limp first-leg performance.

“The 10-day break affected our team’s rhythm and tempo. My players made errors in the first leg and we have to buck up for the return leg,” said Dharmaraj.

“We could have lost to Tenaga in the first leg.

“I also hope that Nabil (Fiqri Mohd Nor), who is nursing a hamstring injury, will be able to play tomorrow to strengthen our midfield.”

KLHC will also be relying on penalty corner specialist Mohd Razie Abdul Rahim to deliver the goals. The national defender has netted 12 goals so far.

The Star of Malaysia

Lower Morvant, Eshe’s top primary schools indoor hockey

Lower Morvant Government Primary (boys) and Eshe’s Learning Centre (girls) were crowned champions when the Primary School Division of the T&T Hockey Board National Indoor Schools Championship served off at the Woodbrook Youth Facility, Hamilton-Holder Street, Woodbrook, in Trinidad & Tobago on Wednesday.

In the boys’ decider, Lower Morvant Government withstood the challenge from the tournament’s leading scorer (nine goals) and “Most Valuable Player” award recipient Daniel Mc Kie to edge Eshe’s 3-2.

Earlier in the semifinals, Lower Morvant won 3-1 via the penalty shoot-out against a stubborn Diego Martin Boys RC line after an entertaining 3-3 draw while Eshe’s crushed Vos Government 5-0.

Vos Government managed to shrug off the disappointing semifinal display by taking third spot, 3-2 on penalty shoot-out after a 2-2 draw with Diego Martin.

And in the girls competition, Eshe’s inspired by top scorers with four goals each, N’Janella Duncan and Seraiah Nesbitt blanked Diego Martin RC ‘A’ 2-0. Duncan also copped the MVP accolade.

In the round-robin phase, Eshe’s played unbeaten beating the same Diego Martin ‘A’ 2-0 twice and drawing 0-0 in its other two matches with Diego Martin ‘B’

Wednesday’s Primary School National Indoor Hockey results:

Boys:

Group A:

Vos Government 2 vs Holistic 2

Lower Morvant 4 vs Vos Government 1

Lower Morvant 6 vs Holistic 0

Group B:

Sacred Heart 0 vs St Joseph Boys 0

Eshe’s 2 vs Sacred Heart 0

D/Martin RC 3 vs Sacred Heart 0

D/Martin RC 3 vs St Joseph Boys 0

Eshe’s 0 vs St Joseph’s Boys 0

Eshe’s 2 vs D/Martin RC 0

Semifinals:

Lower Morvant 3 vs D/Martin Boys 3 - Lower Morvant won 3-1 on penalty shoot-out

Eshe’s 5 vs Vos Government 0

Third place:

Vos Government 2 vs D/Martin Boys RC 2 - Vos Government won 3-2 on penalty shoot-out

Final:

Lower Morvant 3 vs Eshe’s 2

Individual awards:

Most Goals: Daniel Mc Kie (Eshe’s) - nine goals

Most Valuable Player: Daniel Mc Kie (Eshe’s)

Girls round-robin results:

D/Martin RC ‘A’ bt D/Martin RC ‘B’ 2-0

D/Martin RC ‘A’ bt D/Martin RC ‘B’ 2-0

Eshe’s bt D/Martin RC ‘A’ 2-0

Eshe’s bt D/Martin RC ‘A’ 2-0

Eshe’s 0 vs D/Martin RC ‘B’ 0

Eshe’s 0 vs D/Martin RC ‘B’ 0

Final:

Eshe’s 2 vs D/Martin RC ‘A’ 0

Individual awards:

Most Goals: N’Janella Duncan & Seraiah Nesbitt (Eshe’s) - four goals

Most Valuable Player: N’Janella Duncan (Eshe’s)

The Trinidad Guardian