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All the news for  Thursday 22 August 2019

Belfius EuroHockey Championship (Women) 2019 - Day 6
Antwerp, Belgium

Results

21 Aug 2019     ENG v BLR (Pool B)     4 - 3
21 Aug 2019     IRL v GER (Pool B)         1 - 1
21 Aug 2019     NED v RUS (Pool A)     14 - 0
21 Aug 2019     BEL v ESP (Pool A)         0 - 1

22 August is a rest day

Final Pool standings

Pool A

Pool B

FIH Match Centre

England's women through to semi-finals of EuroHockey Championships


England celebrate in the EuroHockey Championships

England's women progressed to the semi-finals of the EuroHockey Championships with a narrow victory over an extremely plucky Belarus side.

England were below par but got the job done in Antwerp and will now play in Friday's semi-finals.

Lily Owsley opened the scoring before Izzy Petter got her first England goal, but Belarus fought back to draw level at 2-2. Laura Unsworth extended England's lead but again Belarus struck back, only for Hannah Martin to score the winner on 56 minutes.

Having picked up a win over Ireland and a draw with Germany in their previous games, England had done the bulk of their work before today's match and battled to another three points in Antwerp.

With either Netherlands, Spain or hosts Belgium awaiting on Friday, they will be looking to raise their game as they face higher-ranked opponents in the knockout phase.

England captain Hollie Pearne-Webb said, "They were much better today than they had been in the previous games so we’ll give them credit for that. We knew it wasn’t going to be an easy game today, we knew they were going to be very different opposition compared to those we’ve played in the past and we knew it would be a fight - but we made it a lot more difficult for ourselves.

"Our basics weren’t on it. We’d put in a bobbly pass or put it where we didn’t want it and they were really pushed out on us which made it difficult. We need to look at that, our tempo and try and insert our game on an opposition when it’s a very different style of play. The positive from today was that we got the win, got through to the semis. Stage one of the tournament is now done for us and we will review that game going into the semi-final.

"Now we’ll look back to the first half of the Germany game and want to replicate something like that. As a team we know we’ve got a good performance and a step up in us. Whoever we draw in the semi-finals we know it’s going to be a really, really tough game. It’s really important we stick to our game plan, stay really calm and know we’re always in it. We’re really looking forward to the semi-finals now."

Full report

Inside the first few moments it was Belarus who should have taken the lead, Krestsina Papkova hitting the post after excellent work from Sviatlana Bahushevich. Having not scored in the tournament so far, they were inches away from opening the scoring but could only hit the upright from close range.

Without being totally fluid, England then began to settle and Lily Owsley turned home the loose ball from their first penalty corner of the game. Then right at the end of the quarter 19-year-old Izzy Petter got her very first England goal with a neat finish from Hannah Martin's pass.

Belarus were maintaining a foothold in the game, and Karyna Syddykava scored her nation's first goal in the tournament with a very well-struck penalty corner down to Maddie Hinch's left.

To Belarus' great credit, they took advantage of significant space in England's final third and drew level thanks to a well-hit effort from captain Nastassia Syrayezhka. But the lead did not last long, Laura Unsworth turning home a rebound from a corner just a minute after the Belarussian equaliser. Soon afterwards Martin hit the outside of the post with a deflection from an Ansley corner.

Papkova again came close to scoring with a neat touch but was denied by Hinch. Down the other end Owsley drove forwards well and found Petter but the forward's effort was off target.

In the final quarter Belarus continued to pose a threat, and scored an excellent equaliser, breaking away from an England corner; Natalia Shtsin producing a very good diving finish.

England were shocked into life and Martin scored neatly from a Sarah Evans pass to restore England's lead with four minutes remaining.

Upon the final whistle there was a sense of relief from the England camp, who got the job done but will have wanted more from their performance. Credit must go to Belarus, who should take great heart from their display. With higher-ranked opponents up next in the semi-final, England will be looking for an improved performance as the tournament becomes even more competitive.

England 4
Owsley (10', PC)
Petter (15', FG)
Unsworth (23, PC)
Martin (56', FG)

Belarus 3
Syddykava (16', PC)
Syrayezhka (22', FG)
Shtsin (53', FG)

England: Hinch (GK), Unsworth, Toman, Ansley, Pearne-Webb (C), McCallin, Evans, Rayer, Owsley, Martin, Howard
Subs (used): Defroand, Petty, Townsend, Hunter, Balsdon, Petter
Sub (unused): Tennant (GK)

England Hockey Board Media release

England qualify for semis after narrow Belarus win

England's women have qualified for the semi-finals of the EuroHockey Championships after labouring to a 4-3 victory over Belarus in Antwerp.

Lily Owsley opened the scoring in the ninth minute and Isabelle Petter doubled England's lead with her first international goal.

Belarus fought back to level twice but England snatched victory late on.

The winner of the tournament will qualify for Tokyo 2020.

England captain Hollie Pearne-Webb said: "They [Belarus] were much better today than they had been in their previous two games.

"We knew it would be a fight but we made it a lot more difficult than it needed to be today.

"Some of our basics were not on it, we need to look at our tempo and the only positive is that we got the win and we are through to the semis.

"We will need a massive step up from today and will look at the first half against Germany as how we can play."

Belarus, who had not scored in their previous two games in Belgium and had conceded 24 goals, including a 13-0 defeat by Germany, really tested a poor England in the first half.

Mark Hager's side improved in the second half but Belarus, ranked 18 places below England in the world, equalised to make it 3-3 with eight minutes to go.

Hannah Martin then swept home in the 56th minute to secure the win.

The result means England, who beat Ireland 2-1 in their opening match on Sunday and followed that up with a 1-1 draw with Germany on Monday, finish top of Pool B with seven points.

If England win the event, it would mean Great Britain - who won gold at Rio 2016 - would be certain of defending the Olympic title in Tokyo.

BBC Sport

Ireland  v Germany, Women's Euro Hockey Champs Match Report



An exciting match for many reasons as the Irish Women finished with a level score against World Ranked Number 5 Germany this afternoon in Antwerp. Unfortunately, a win was required to progress to the semi-finals of the competition.

Speaking after the match, Head Coach Sean Dancer said “Obviously it’s very disappointing for us to lose a must win game, but for me that was a good scenario – a quarter final situation.

All credit to the girls, we got a draw, but unfortunately we needed a draw and weren’t quite good enough”.

Germany took the lead eight minutes into the opening quarter with a shot from Maertens finding the back of the net. Despite Germany dominating possession, Ireland were relentless and continued to press them. The equaliser came in the final minute of the opening quarter, when a penalty corner for Ireland rebounded off German Keeper Sonntag and Katie Mullan managed to secure a pass to a well-placed Sarah Hawkshaw to bring it home.

Germany’s Hannah Gablac made her presence felt in the second quarter but Ireland’s defence remained strong. A penalty corner to Germany save Grote flick for the goal but McFerran got her pad to it nicely to keep the score level. Ireland were lucky later in the quarter when McFerran rightly stepped to defend one side of the goal. Although Elisa Grave managed to position herself dangerously the other side, her attempt from inches out hit the post.

Ireland had a few opportunities leading up to half-time. Gillian Pinder had a shot saved by Sonntag, with Deirdre Duke securing the rebound, unfortunately sending it wide. While Lena Tice continued to frustrate German attempts in the Irish circle.

Irish defence was very strong in the third quarter, fending off a number of attacks by Germany. While McFerran was strong again as Rebecca Grote managed to take a shot from a German penalty corner. Meanwhile her counter-part Sonntag continued to prevent Ireland taking a lead, with shots from Daly and two penalty corners for Ireland both well saved.

The final quarter was marked by much excitement. Sonntag was on form again as Chloe Watkins hit a beautiful shot into the circle to find Daly who’s shot was saved. Germany proceeded to get a run shortly afterwards, entering the Irish circle and forcing McFerran out to defend. The ball crossed the line however the video umpire was called upon to confirm the goal before it was granted, making the tension in the stadium palpable.

No goal was given, with the video umpire stating the whistle had blown before the ball crossed the line, with the sides remaining level. Germany went on to secure a string of penalty corners shortly after, ending in them being granted a penalty shot. Nike Lorenz stepped up to take it but Ayeisha McFerran was never in doubt saving it comfortably.

Ireland chose to take McFerran off with 3 minutes left on the clock to increase outfield numbers. Despite Katie Mullan getting a nice run up the pitch, passing to Evans who found O'Flanagan, German Keeper Sonntag prevented another goal forcing the ball wide. German player Lorenz received a yellow card with less than 3 minutes remaining, bringing Germany down to 10 players, however they managed to hang on without conceding a goal, with the final hooter signalling a 1-1 full time score.

The Irish Women played well and will take lots of positives from the match against Germany in the long-term, however they now move to Pool C to play the third place finisher of Pool A who have yet to be decided. The match will take place at 14:45 Irish time on Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the Irish Men’s squad will face off against England tomorrow afternoon at 14:45 Irish time.

Women’s Pool B: Ireland 1 (S Hawkshaw), Germany 1 (P Maertens).

Ireland: A McFerran, K Mullan, S McCay, E Tice, B Barr, C Watkins, L Colvin, S Hawkshaw, A O’Flanagan, Z Wilson, D Duke
Subs: R Upton, N Evans, G Pinder, N Daly, H Matthews, E Murphy, A Meeke

Germany: A Wortmann, N Lorenz, S Oruz, H Gablac, A Schroder, E Grave, J Muller-Wieland, J Sonntag, P Maertens, V Huse, H Granitzki,
Subs: K Horn, L Micheel, N Kubalski, S Zimmermann, F Hauke, C Pieper, R Grote

Irish Hockey Association media release

Green Army tantalisingly close to first ever Euro semi


Shirley McCay tackles Anne Schroder. Pic: Frank Uijlenbroek / World Sport Pics

Ireland’s women fell tantalisingly short of a first European Championships semi-final berth with their 1-1 draw against Germany not quite enough to see them through in Antwerp.

Like the men a day before, only a win against the Germans would see them through. Six previous meetings between the countries on this stage had seen the Germans run up six hammerings, most recently a 5-1 outcome in 2017.

Steeled by World Cup silver, however, the Green Army is a different animal these days, harrassing and out-playing at times a side who had never missed out on a medal in this competition.

Indeed, each of their scorelines were the best in Ireland’s Euro history against their three opponents, showing the shift in momentum.

But – like against England on Sunday – it was not quite enough to secure the all-important result.

All the goals came in the first quarter with Sarah Hawkshaw cancelling out a Pia Maertens goal but it was nowhere near the end of the action.

Ireland threw everything forward in search of a winner but they rode their luck, too, with Germany missing a penalty stroke and seeing a goal disallowed. In the end, die Danas got the result that mattered.

 “Game-wise, we did really well,” coach Sean Dancer said of the performance. “We created enough opportunities to win the game, probably gave Germany a bit too much and got lucky. But it highlighted, under pressure, in the big games we need to have better skill execution in the final third including goalscoring ability.

“Every game is won or lost in both circles. Today, it was pleasing the defence really stepped up and had to step up. Germany attack well and have a good penalty corner.

“From an attacking point of view, they just need to back themselves – I want them to start thinking ‘I’m gonna score’. Some of them think about passing before shooting.”

The equation before the game saw Germany needing a draw or better while Ireland could only go through with a victory. And it was the Germans who strengthened their position in an impressive opening phase, capped by Pia Maertens’ awesome run and strike for 1-0, firing high into the net at high velocity.

But for big interventions from Ali Meeke and Roisin Upton, Germany could have had even more joy while Ayeisha McFerran kept out a couple of corners.

From Ireland’s first corner, they equalised – a real melee in front of the goal with Katie Mullan and Hawkshaw digging out the ball from under Julia Sonntag’s pads.

The Green Army goal led a charmed life in the 22nd minute when Elisa Grave contrived to hit both posts in the one move before Beth Barr eventually cleared. Sonntag brilliantly saved from Nicci Daly’s volley for 1-1 at half-time.

The third quarter was free-flowing and end-to-end with both sides winning penalty corners. Sonntag again denied Daly with a sharp save and McFerran brilliantly tipped away a Rebecca Grote push.

Ireland carried the fight with Daly and Sonntag’s personal duel won again by the goalie. Germany then had a goal denied, the umpire’s whistle going just before the ball crossed the goal line. Then they had their stroke when the ball hit a body on the line. McFerran saved from Nike Lorenz.

The final chance fell to Anna O’Flanagan but Sonntag completed a great game when she burst off the line to save with her helmet.

“Really disappointed,” was Shirley McCay’s reaction. “Similar to the England game, we dominated in patches and were just not able to convert our chances. We rode our luck and sometimes you think luck might be on your side.

“We’ve got to remember this feeling and take it into the rest of the tournament because we have a couple of tough matches to come.”

That was a reference to the upcoming relegation pool games. Nonetheless, the three performances show there is a sea-change in Irish ambitions at this level.

“There’s been a real change in our attitude and expectations. With that, it brings extra pressure but it’s something we want to thrive on. It’s disappointing to get four points from a really tough group and not get through.”

The women will carry through three points courtesy of their 11-0 win over Belarus. The men, meanwhile, begin their relegation pool campaign with a date with England at 2.45pm (Irish time) on Thursday.

Belfius EuroHockey Championship

Women’s Pool B: Ireland 1 (S Hawkshaw) Germany 1 (P Maertens)

Ireland: A McFerran, K Mullan, S McCay, L Tice, B Barr, C Watkins, L Colvin, S Hawkshaw, A O’Flanagan, Z Wilson, D Duke
Subs: R Upton, G Pinder, N Daly, H Matthews, A Meeke, N Evans, L Murphy

Germany: J Sonntag, A Wortmann, N Lorenz, S Oruz, H Gablac, A Schroder, E Grave, J Muller-Wieland, P Maertens, V Huse, H Granitzki
Subs: K Horn, L Micheel, S Zimmerman, F Hauke, C Pieper, R Grote, N Kubalski

Umpires: H Harrison (ENG), L Delforge (BEL)

Belfius EuroHockey Championships (Irish time; Wilrijkse Plein, Antwerp)

Thursday, August 22

Men’s Pool C: Ireland v England, 2.45pm

The Hook

Ireland miss out on semi-finals after 1-1 draw with Germany

Ireland missed out on a semi-final berth at the European Championships following a 1-1 draw against Germany.

Sean Dancer's side needed a win to qualify, while the point is enough to send Germany through to the last four.

Pia Maertens put Germany ahead midway through the first period before Sarah Hawkshaw levelled.

Ireland will now turn their attentions to the four-team relegation group where they will seek to save their top tier status.

Having lost their opening fixture against England, Ireland's 11-0 win over Belarus kept them in contention for a semi-final spot.

However Germany, still undefeated after three games, join England in the last four while Ireland join Belarus, Russia and one of Belgium, Spain or the Netherlands in the relegation group.

After falling behind to Maertens' opener, Ireland grew into the game and once again found success through a penalty corner, with Hawkshaw poking the ball home at close range following an initial save.

The second half was an end-to-end affair, with Ireland successfully defending nine penalty corners before goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerrin brilliantly saved Nike Lorenz's penalty flick to keep the game alive late in the final quarter.

However Ireland could not find the all-important winner as their ended their Pool B campaign with four points from three games.

BBC Sport

Ireland miss out on place in women's European Hockey semi-finals

Will O'Callaghan



Ireland have missed out on a place in the semi-finals at the women's European Hockey Championships, following a one-all draw with Germany in their final pool game in Antwerp.

Sean Dancer's side needed a win to progress into the last-four and the draw was enough to send the fifth ranked Germans through.

Germany dominated the early exchanges and took the lead in the eighth minute when Pia Maertens fired past Ayeisha McFerran.

Ireland drew level just a minute before half-time with Sarah Hawkshaw finishing from close range from Katie Mullan's pass.

McFerran, Ireland's World Cup penalty saving hero in London, once again showed her stopping skills in the second-half.

But Ireland were unable to find a winner in a frantic final quarter of the game and they now drop into the relegation section of the tournament.

“Obviously it’s very disappointing for us to lose a must win game, but for me that was a good scenario – a quarter final situation," Dancer said after the game.

"All credit to the girls, we got a draw, but unfortunately we needed a draw and weren’t quite good enough”.

Ireland: A McFerran, K Mullan, S McCay, E Tice, B Barr, C Watkins, L Colvin, S Hawkshaw, A O’Flanagan, Z Wilson, D Duke
Subs: R Upton, N Evans, G Pinder, N Daly, H Matthews, E Murphy, A Meeke

Germany: A Wortmann, N Lorenz, S Oruz, H Gablac, A Schroder, E Grave, J Muller-Wieland, J Sonntag, P Maertens, V Huse, H Granitzki,
Subs: K Horn, L Micheel, N Kubalski, S Zimmermann, F Hauke, C Pieper, R Grote

Off the Ball

Ireland women make strides despite EuroHockey 2019 Pool exit

By The Hockey Paper


Ireland will look for riposte on next Euro stages PIC WORLDSPORTPICS

Gillian Pinder believes that Ireland women are making strides once more on the world scene – despite a narrow failure to reach the EuroHockey Championship semi-finals.

Pia Maerten’s eighth-minute opener was cancelled out by Sarah Hawkshaw’s strike at the end of the first quarter in an entertaining, energy-sapping clash here.

Ireland’s dream to reach a first Euro last four was kept alive by a disallowed goal and Ayeisha McFerran’s reactionary glove save from a penalty stroke.

Yet Ireland couldn’t find the all-important winner as Nicci Daly was denied three times by Julia Sonntag, Germany’s stand out goalkeeper.

Anna O’Flanagan’s lifted shot then hit Sonntag’s helmet at the death after a wonderful move into the circle.

However, this result did usher in a best set of results at European level against their three Pool opposition.

Pinder said: ‘We fought back so well when they went a goal ahead of us.

‘When Ayeisha made that super save off the penalty flick, I thought it might our day. We had chances against a side of that quality that we had to take.

‘We are still making huge strides forward from the last Europeans two years ago. We are so much closer and teams really have to take us seriously.’

Ireland’s draw also confirmed their participation in the Olympic qualifiers in late October, where the men will also contest the lottery of the two-legged play-off matches.

For now, the women will aim to stave off Euro relegation over the next two matches.

Coach Sean Dancer said: ‘From an attacking point of view, they just need to back themselves – I want them to start thinking ‘I’m gonna score’. Some of them think about passing before shooting.’

The experienced Shirley McCay added: ‘There’s been a real change in our attitude and expectations. With that, it brings extra pressure but it’s something we want to thrive on. It’s disappointing to get four points from a really tough group and not get through.’

We will have full reports, colour and analysis in our September issue. Subscribe now!

The Hockey Paper

Belfius EuroHockey Championship (Men) 2019 - Semi-finals
Antwerp, Belgium

Fixtures (GMT +2)

22 Aug 2019 13:30     WAL v SCO (Pool C)
22 Aug 2019 15:45     ENG v IRL (Pool C)
22 Aug 2019 18:00     NED v ESP (Semi Final 2)
22 Aug 2019 20:30     BEL v GER (Semi Final 1)

Live streaming via http://www.eurohockeytv.org

Pool C Standings

FIH Match Centre

EuroHockey relegation will be a’dog fight’ says Ireland’s Conor Harte

By The Hockey Paper


Ireland lost out to Germany in Pool B PIC: WORLDSPORTPICS

Defender Conor Harte says Ireland men will be ready for a ‘Celtic dog fight’ in their fight to maintain their EuroHockey top-tier status.

A 5-0 defeat to Germany left Ireland to contest the relegation play-offs in a ‘home nations’ clash featuring England, Scotland and Wales over the coming days.

‘It’s almost a Celtic Cup from years ago and every team is scrapping for their lives,’ said Harte. ‘It’s a dog fight there but no better group to want a dog fight to go after it.’

Defeat also confirmed their participation in the pressure-cooker environment of the Olympic play-offs in the autumn.

However Ireland will be buoyed by this performance, matching Germany for large swathes of their final Pool match.

And Harte admitted that Ireland made Germany lacklustre at times, before leaking three goals in the final five minutes.

‘It’s all about the next game and learning what we can from what was good today – because it was good.

‘They didn’t know what to do with some of our build-up, especially with their zone defence. There are positives to take.’

Eugene Magee added: ‘It’s completely different teams now. Wales are a force to be reckoned with, a good strong side, and England pull out the performances when they need to. But we will put our name in the hat and hope for the best.’

We will have full reports, colour and analysis in our September issue. Subscribe now!

The Hockey Paper

England have shown intensity, says coach Danny Kerry

By The Hockey Paper


England fell short of the Euro semi-finals PIC: WORLDSPORTPICS

England coach Danny Kerry says his side have shown “purpose and intensity” as they aim to find late form at the EuroHockey Championships and stave off the threat of relegation.

England will go head-to-head with Ireland, Scotland and Wales for fifth place in a ‘home nations’ style tournament which will likely be a less attractive, more physical affair given most players know each other.

Despite failing to reach the Euros last four for the first time in 12 years, Kerry remained upbeat ahead of the second phase here.

“We had a ridiculous amount of shots and circle possession against Wales and we played with plenty of intensity,” he said.

“Wales physically killed themselves trying to match us and then have struggled and we didn’t put them to the sword.

“Belgium statistically was an even game and the first time since I’ve been involved that we matched them. And Spain was always going to be a tight and anxious game. We have played with purpose and intensity.”

England lost their defensive shape at key moments against Spain and then were unable to unlock the Spanish in the final third as they went for the win which would have seen them through.

But England have looked stilted here, devoid of the rhythm shown by the other main rivals for the title.

The Welsh opening draw clearly impacted England, who looked flat last weekend. And Adam Dixon, the captain, was hoping for some “ruthless edge” to their play, starting against Ireland on Thursday.

We will have full reports, colour and analysis in our September issue. Subscribe now!

The Hockey Paper

EuroHockey Championships 2019: Team ratings, who’s a title contender?

By The Hockey Paper


Belgium have shown title credentials PIC World Sport Pics/ KOEN SUYK

The Pool stages over, The Hockey Paper ranks the men’s and women’s teams ahead of the Championship and Relegation matches

MEN

Holland
Authoritative in seeing off Ireland, clinical in heavyweight win over Germany and yet to hit top strides. 6/10

Belgium
So far untested, but so far as impressive – at times unstoppable – as world champions can be, as a nation expects. 8/10

Germany
Not quite the force of old, but quietly showing some solid form as tournament specialists. Dangerous. 7/10

Spain
Recovered from heavy result against Belgium to deserve their place in semis with streetwise style – as part-timers. 7/10

England
Shocked by opening Welsh draw, recovered to show mettle against Belgium but not good enough against Spain. 3/10

Scotland
Hammered in opener, stormed back superbly to almost defeat Ireland, lack of contact time contributed to final defeat. Potential looms. 4/10

Ireland
Disappointing Pool campaign. Not nearly the level they have attained in rankings rise – and they look distracted here. 3/10

Wales
Full of heart, won plenty of fans with England performance – as part-timers too – and left all on the line against Belgium. 6/10



WOMEN

England
Good value for their win against the Irish, stilted otherwise, but their tournament will hope to start in last four. 5/10

Germany
Still to find commanding rhythm, slightly brittle in midfield, but entering business end as dangerous candidates for glory. 6/10

Holland
Surprised with two opening draws, still not clear what form they are in – despite goal-fest over Russia. 6/10

Belgium
Fine opening result against the Dutch, but in an ever-so-tight Pool couldn’t find resolve to beat Spain with final flourish. 6/10

Spain
Assured, players know their role, quick on the counter, tight in defence and another run continues in major championship against funding drain. 8/10

Ireland
Slowly finding their (attacking) feet under new coach, costly defeat to England, but signs look increasingly good. 5/10

Belarus
Found life heavy going during first two losses, but credit for huge turnaround against England. If only they were fitter. 4/10

Russia
Competitive against Spain and Belgium, overwhelmed by the Dutch. 3/10

We will have full reports, colour and analysis in our September issue. Subscribe now!

The Hockey Paper

Ready Steady Tokyo Hockey (Women)
Tokyo (JPN)

Final results

21 Aug 2019     CHN v AUS (3 / 4)     1 - 3
21 Aug 2019    IND v JPN (Final)     2 - 1

FIH Match Centre

India eves beat Japan 2-1 to win Olympic Test event


Lalremsiami (l) celebrates with Monika after scoring a goal.   -  SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The Indian women hockey team won the Olympic Test event with Navjot Kaur and Lalremsiami leading the side to a 2-1 win over Japan in the final on Wednesday.

Navjot Kaur (11th minute) opened the scoring to put India ahead but the lead was neutralised within a minute as Minami Shimizu (12’) scored for the hosts. Lalremsiami (33’) struck the winning goal for India.

India dominated the first 10 minutes, and finally managed to find the breakthrough when forward Navjot kept her nerves under pressure and produced a fine finish in front of the goal.

However, the next minute saw Japan strike back immediately with a well-crafted field goal which was put into the back of the net by Shimizu to make it 1-1.

The second quarter saw both the teams focus on their defensive structure and tread carefully in the attacking third.

India had a few chances in the first few minutes, with the likes of Vandana Katariya and Navjot combining well on the attacking front, but could not produce a goal-scoring opportunity.

Japan also tried to create some opportunities of their own, with goal-scorer Shimizu coming close to scoring her second of the match, but India defended well.

It was an aggressive start from the Indian team after the half-time break as they won themselves a penalty corner in the 33rd minute.

India’s prolific drag-flicker Gurjit Kaur stepped up to take the execution, but her shot was saved by the Japanese Goalkeeper Megumi Kageyama.

However, the rebound fell to India’s young forward Lalremsiami, who did not make a mistake in putting the ball into the back of the net to make it 2-1 for India.

It was a huge blow to the hosts who were finding it difficult to cope up with India’s rhythm, but after some tough battles in the midfield, the Japanese team earned themselves back-to-back penalty corners in the 42nd minute.

However, India’s defense was up to the task, and made sure that they protected their lead. India also had a penalty corner in the 45th minute, but could not extend their lead.

The first chance of the last quarter came India’s way but Kageyama made a diving save. Japan too got back-to-back penalty corners but Indian Goalkeeper Savita made a great save on the second attempt to make sure that India saw out a 2-1 win.

Sportstar

Double delight for Indian hockey

Men wallop New Zealand to land title; women get past host Japan


Job well done! India players celebrate after winning the final match against Japan.  Photo Credit: Kiyoshi Ota

The Indian men’s and women’s hockey team won the Olympic Test event here on Wednesday. While the men defeated New Zealand 5-0, the women’s team put it past Japan 2-1 with goals from Navjot Kaur and Lalremsiami.

The men’s team thus avenged the loss it endured in it’s round robin clash.

Captain Harmanpreet Singh (7th minute) set the ball rolling before Shamsher Singh (18), Nilakanta Sharma (22), Gursahibjit Singh (26) and Mandeep Singh (27) scored for India at the Oi Hockey Stadium here.

India had lost 1-2 to New Zealand earlier in round robin league-stage.

“We played very well. We managed to make the most of our opportunities at the start of the game,” Harmanpreet said after the triumph.

“I think the final was always going to be tough, we lost to New Zealand earlier. But we had been having practice sessions after that and worked on our mistakes,” he added.


Strike: Indian team celebrates the first goal scored by Navjot Kaur. 
 
Both teams began the match on a cautious note staying mostly in the mid-field. India won a penalty corner in the seventh minute, but couldn’t capitalise on it. However, skipper Harmanpreet didn’t miss out on a re-awarded penalty corner. He executed a perfect dragflick to put India in the lead.

The Indian team continued to hold possession and put pressure on the New Zealand defence and ended the first quarter at 1-0.

Shamsher increased the lead for India through a penalty corner in the 18th minute. New Zealand managed to make only two circle entries in the second quarter even as the Indian team scored three more goals. Nilakanta found the back of the net in the 22nd minute before Gursahibjit and Mandeep scored in quick succession.

Vivek Prasad intercepted the ball brilliantly to assist a goal for Gursahibjit and Mandeep converted a penalty corner just before the half-time whistle.

After an action-packed first half, the intensity dropped from both sides. New Zealand tried to make a few inroads in the third quarter as they took a shot in the 37th minute which went wide of the post. Jarmanpreet Singh saved a penalty corner in the next minute.

In the last quarter, India held on to the lead not allowing New Zealand any chance.

Lalremsiami’s winner

Against Japan, Navjot Kaur (11th minute) opened the scoring to but the lead was neutralised within a minute as Minami Shimizu (12) scored for the hosts. Lalremsiami (33) then struck the winning goal for India.


In the right spot: Shamsher Singh makes most of the chance to increase India’s lead. Photo Credit: Kiyoshi Ota
 
India dominated the first 10 minutes, and finally managed to find the breakthrough when Forward Navjot kept her nerves under pressure and produced a fine finish in front of the goal.

However, the next minute saw Japan strike back immediately with a well-crafted field goal which was put into the back of the net by Shimizu to make it 1-1.

The second quarter saw both the teams focus on the defence. India had a few chances in the first few minutes, with Vandana Katariya and Navjot combining well on the attacking front, but could not produce a goal-scoring opportunity.

India started aggressively after the half-time break and won a penalty corner in the 33rd minute. India’s prolific drag-flicker Gurjit Kaur stepped up to take the execution, but her shot was saved by the Japanese Goalkeeper Megumi Kageyama.

However, the rebound fell to India’s young Forward Lalremsiami, who put the ball into the back of the net.

The results:

Men: India 5 (Harmanpreet Singh,7, Shamsher Singh, 18, Nilakanta Sharma, 22, Gursahibjit Singh, 26, Mandeep Singh, 27) bt New Zealand 0.

Women: India 2 (Navjot Kaur, 11, Lalremsiami, 33) bt Japan 1 (Minami Shimizu, 12).

The Hindu

TOKYO FINALS: Grand double crown for India

s2h Team

Both Indian men and women won their final today in contrasting style today at Tokyo in the Ready Steady Tokyo Olympic Test Event 4-Nations. Men walloped New Zealand 5-0 while their distaff side had overcome stiff challenge of Asian Champions Japan 2-1. Though Japan girls cancel out early goal of Navjot Kaur, third minute into the third quarter, Lalremsiami posted second lead which remained untested till the hooter. Its after South Asian Federation Games in Hyderabad, both genders have won the titles in a multi-nation contest.

A couple of days ago, India took a second minute lead against New Zealand only to lose 1-2 in the round robin match, their heart-breaking losing goal coming seconds before hooter through Sam Lane's stick. Perhaps learning their lessons, the young Indian team saw to it today that their same rival in the OTE final do not score even a solitary goal. The Indian team on 'test' achieved this by posing an intimidating 5-0 lead at half-time which turned out to be the final score too. Harmanpreet Singh's experimental outfit has outdone themselves by clinching the title on the first tournament held on the Oi Hockey Stadium, which will host the Olympic hockey event a year from now.

By winning three of the four matches handsomely including the final today, India has established its preeminent position in a limited sense.

Harmapnpreet Singh gave early opening for India in the first quarter before Shamsher Singh expanded it shortly after the start of second quarter. The much expected Olympic Test Event final between the Asian giant India and Pro-league team New Zealand started brightly for the former who lost to the same rival in the round robin encounter. With four goals in the productive second quarter, India lead New Zealand 5-0 at half time. One of the highest score in any final for India at half time.

Resilent striker Nilakanta Sharma punched the fragile Kiwis' citadel in the 22nd minute whereas talented start Gursahibjit added another one (4-0) in the 26th minute.

Mandeep Singh bounced on to a penalty corner rebound in the 27th minute to give India 5-0 lead at that time, which also remained the lemon time score.

In fact India struck three goals in the space of five minutes from Nilakanta's goal in the 22nd minute.

Its a rare feat for India where its both men's and women's team have entered the final. Yesterday on the last day of the league matches, Indian girls drew China to make it to the final after Indian men took their appointed place by pilloring Japan 6-3.

Earlier in the day, Japan retrieved enormous prestige in the bronze medal match, defeating Malaysia 6-1

India alone scored as many as 18 goals out of the 45 the tournament witnessed. Mandeep Singh with six goals is the topper.

Stick2Hockey.com

Stats Speak: Double Distinction of India in Tokyo

By B.G.Joshi (Sehore-Bhopal, India)

In Ready Steady Tokyo Hockey Final Indian men and women became victorious.  Indian women beat hosts Japan by 2-1 in thrilling match, where as Indian men’s conquered Kiwis by 5-0.

This is sixth time that both the men and women hockey team of India have won a tournament.

Previously they won Asia Cup (2003, 2017), Asian Champions trophy (2016), Afro Asian Games (2003)  and Hockey Series Final(June 2019).

Statistical highlights are:

India (IND) versus New Zealand (NZL) in men’s hockey

 India (IND) versus Japan (JPN) in women’s hockey

 FIeldhockey.com

Post match reaction after win over China

Nic Kerber



Head Coach Paul Gaudoin and goal scorer Kalindi Commerford gave their reflections on the tournament after the Hockeyroos’ 3-1 win over China.

Commerford, Rosie Malone and Renee Taylor all found the back of the goal in open play in the Hockeyroos’ best performance since arriving in the Japanese capital.

The deserved result rounded off the Hockeyroos’ Tokyo Test Event campaign, which saw the team play four matches in five days and finish third in the standings.

The team will return home on Friday as attention now turns to the Oceania Cup, which acts the Olympic qualifiers, to be held in Rockhampton from 5-8 September.

Despite the hiccup at the end the team was sound defensively and scored three goals, all from open play. Great way to finish the tournament.

Paul Gaudoin (PG): “It was a much better performance and was pleasing to get some scoreboard pressure early as well. Certainly it was our best performance for the week. It has been really good learning of what the environment is going to be like. Perhaps we started to adapt better and get used to things as the week went on, but certainly I thought we had a fair bit of control of the game and they didn’t have too many chances. We let China off the hook at the end with some lapses in concentration, but apart from five to eight minutes it was a very good performance by the collective.”

How would you rate the success of the Hockeyroos’ tournament overall?

PG: “The teams we played against are very good teams and it was a very tight competition. It’s always going to be close between the top 12 teams in the world, we’re seeing that in Europe and the top teams in Asia are here with us. It’s pretty clear that you’ve got to be on in every game to get the result that you want.”

Over the past week have you noticed a number of players put their names up to be in contention for the Oceania Cup?

PG: “I think players have put their hand up. It’s going to be a difficult selection process with the opportunities here and with those who are training back in Perth. Information on how they are going and history and performances will all be taken into account.”

Throughout the tournament the focus has obviously been on each game but in the corner of yours and the players’ minds has there been that eye towards the Oceania Cup to make sure you’re in the best possible position for that?

PG: “I think so. At the end of the day when you play for Australia you want to win every match but we certainly came up here with the objective of giving people the opportunity to perform, to experience the Olympic environment so we’re better prepared hopefully for next year, and also working on some things that we’re going to have to do for the Olympic qualifiers in terms of our tactics.

Congratulations on the win. How would you sum up the tournament?

Kalindi Commerford (KC): “The tournament for us performance wise was probably a little bit disappointing. I think the games when we had the stats in our favour we lost, but to get a win today and play how we know we can play was nice. Overall, it was good to come to Tokyo and get an insight into the temperature and also the science behind the heat to get an idea of how each individual reacts to the heat and what strategies people will need hopefully when we come back next year for the Olympics. Furthermore, it’s pretty rare to get exposure to the Olympic pitch a year out – that’s quite good intel moving forward in terms of what pitches we might train on in the build up to adapt.”

You were on the score sheet again to make it two goals in two games. It must be good for your own confidence?

KC: “I was playing in different lines across the tournament and in the first game I started as striker and got some shots away but they didn’t come off, so it was good to get to the key goal scoring position and put them away…it’s a bit of encouragement to keep getting there.”

Being able to score three goals from open play today is a promising sign, particularly against a team like China who are very well organised defensively?

KC: “I don’t think there is much between the top 15 countries in the world so in international hockey everything is close. So to dominate a game from the start like we did is really pleasing, and it is also more experience playing in a medal match, so it’s a different ball game when you get to the medal matches. It comes down to whoever shows up, and the more practise we have playing these games, the more we will perform in the future when it comes to them.”

Coming back home, there is not really any down time because it’s full swing into preparing for the Oceania Cup. Has that been in the corner of yours and the girls’ minds while you were playing in this Test Event?

KC: “For sure. Of course we want to win but I think this test event was mainly about getting an idea of what we can expect in a year’s time, and when we were playing, we were always relating it back to the Kiwis because that has been our main objective all year.”

How much are you looking forward to the Olympic qualifiers coming up?

KC: “Our training block since we came back from our break after the Pro League has been solely focussed on beating New Zealand. If we can implement strategies, have really specific and purposeful training, it will be good to take that onto the field in Rockhampton.”

Match Details

China 1 (Jiaqi Li 57’)

Hockeyroos 3 (Commerford 11’, Malone 16’, R.Taylor 34’)
@ Oi Stadium, Tokyo, Japan

Hockey Australia media release

MHC expect quick rebound after Speedy Tigers’ setback in Tokyo

By K. RAJAN

SERDANG: The Malaysian Hockey Confederation president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal is not pleased with the national team’s performance at the Tokyo Four-Nation tournament in Japan.

The Speedy Tigers were the whipping boys when they lost all their matches – to India (6-0), Japan (3-1) and New Zealand (3-1). They also lost the third-fourth placing match 6-1 to Japan at the Oi Hockey Stadium yesterday.

Subahan, however, is still optimistic that coach Roelant Oltmans will turn their fortunes around and make the cut for the Olympic Games next year.

“I’m not happy with the recent results as we started well in our tour of Europe earlier this month but faltered towards the end.

“For the Japan tourney, we played with five to six youngsters, ” said Subahan after closing the Universiti Putra Malaysia’s (UPM) Three Pulse programme here yesterday.

“We wanted to expose them to high-level competitions but I’ve told Oltmans there will be no more trials or experiments after this.”

The team will next travel to South Korea in September before naming the squad for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics qualifying playoffs in November.

Meanwhile, UPM’s Sports Academy director Prof Datuk Dr S. Shamala said the Three Pulse programme, which was held in partnership with the Selangor Hockey Association, will help develop the sport at grassroots level.

The programme touched on the importance of three aspects of coaching – sports management, nutrition and psychology – and was attended by 51 grassroots coaches from Selangor.

“With this three aspects, we hope we can produce quality players for the country. We will follow up with the coaches to assess the effectiveness of the programme, ” said Shamala who is also the MHC deputy president.

“We also hope we can engage other states in the future.”

The Star of Malaysia

FIH pleased with Tokyo 2020 readiness



Tokyo, Japan: The usual “Test event” for the 2020 Olympic hockey tournaments took place in Tokyo from 17 to 21 August, therefore in similar climatic conditions as during the Olympic Games in about a year’s time.

The main purpose of this event was to test the operations which will be put in place next year as well as the facilities. One of the greatest learnings is that the brand-new Oi Hockey Stadium brilliantly passed the test, precisely, earning unanimous praise from teams and officials.

FIH CEO Thierry Weil said: “The Oi Hockey Stadium is a remarkable facility to boost the development of hockey in Japan. I invite all hockey fans to come and see matches in this venue and I urge them to invite their families and friends to come as well and share their passion.”

On the sports side, eight teams had been invited to participate in this event. The highest- ranked team, India (FIH World Rankings #5), won the Final of the Men’s tournament, beating New Zealand (5-0) after having lost (1-2) to the Oceanian team in the group stage.

India’s coach Graham Reid said: “It was a good opportunity for us to play in a semi-final and a Final. Indeed, we called yesterday’s match a semi-final because that’s what it was. So, it’s a good practice for that sort of games.”

Japan grabbed the third spot after defeating Malaysia (6-1) in the Bronze Medal match.

India’s happiness doubled a few hours later when the Indian Women’s team also took the first spot of the event after a success against Japan on the same score as during the group stage (2-1).

“For us, this event was very important to prepare for the FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers and getting every match better. I think we did that. We reached a very good level in the last two matches. I’m happy about that,” said India’s coach Sjoerd Marijne.

The Hockeyroos registered their first win of the tournament in the Bronze Medal match against China (3-1).

Due to the nature of the Test event, there were no rankings points at stake.

“It has not only been a great tournament with eight fantastic teams but also a perfect opportunity to test the pre-tournament and match protocols and to see what set-up will be in place for the technical team at Tokyo 2020”, commented Tammy Standley and Christian Deckenbrock, both FIH Technical Delegates for this event.

FIH also took advantage of the Test event to launch its official campaign ahead of the hockey Olympic tournaments named “Gift of Hockey”, which is inspired by the concept of omotenashi - Japanese hospitality -, a cornerstone of Japan’s culture.

FIH Executive Board Member, IOC Commission Member and Asian Hockey Federation CEO Tayyab Ikram said: “We are very satisfied with the operations put in place by TOCOG for this event. Of course, some areas require some improvement – which is very normal at this stage of the process - but nothing which is causing us any major concern. This is very encouraging for next year’s Olympic tournaments. Now, it is of paramount importance that the Japanese community takes the opportunity of the Olympic Games to bring hockey in Japan into a new dimension.”

The qualifications for the 2020 Olympic hockey tournaments, which will be staged in Japan’s capital city from 25 July to 7 August next year and involve twelve Men’s and twelve Women’s teams from all over the world, are ongoing. Here’s an overview of the current qualification status:

-        Continental championships

The winners of the continental championships grab a berth to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

    Asia: Japan won the Women’s and the Men’s Asian Games last year in Jakarta, Indonesia, as well as having already “qualified” as hosts
    Pan America: Argentina’s Men and Women won the Pan American Games earlier this month in Lima, Peru
    Africa: South Africa – both Men and Women – won the African Hockey Road To Tokyo events which ended last week on home turf, in Stellenbosch
    Europe: the Eurohockey championships are currently underway in Antwerp, Belgium. The finals will be on 24 August (Men) and 25 August (Women)
    Oceania: the Oceania Cup will take place in Rockhampton, Australia (5-8 September)

-        FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers

The fourteen FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers (seven for Men and seven for Women) will each feature two nations playing two back-to-back matches, with nations drawn to play each other based on their rankings at the end of the 2018 / 2019 Continental Championships. The matches will be hosted by the higher ranked of the two competing nations. They are scheduled for end October and early November 2019.

The FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers will involve the following teams:

Men

    Canada, France, India, Ireland, Malaysia* (all qualified through the FIH Series Finals)
    Australia, Belgium, Netherlands, Great Britain* (all qualified through the FIH Pro League)
    The remaining spots will go to the best ranked nations in the FIH World Rankings (as at the end of the 2018 / 2019 round of Continental Championships) not already qualified (via the FIH Pro League or FIH Series Finals)

Women

    Canada, India, Ireland, Korea, Spain* (all qualified through the FIH Series Finals)
    Netherlands, Australia, Germany* (all qualified through the FIH Pro League)
    The remaining spots will go to the best ranked nations in the FIH World Rankings (as at the end of the 2018 / 2019 round of Continental Championships) not already qualified (via the FIH Pro League or FIH Series Finals)

*Note: should one or more of these teams win their Continental Championship later on and therefore qualify directly for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, then this/these additional spot(s) for the FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers will go to the best ranked nations in the FIH World Rankings (as at the end of the 2018 / 2019 round of Continental Championships) not already qualified (via the FIH Pro League or FIH Series Finals)

It is worth noting that the final participation in the Olympic Games for any team must be approved and confirmed beforehand by their respective National Olympic Committee.

The draw to determine the matches of FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers will be held on 9 September.

#Tokyo2020    
#RoadToTokyo
#GiftOfHockey

FIH site

Unanimous praise for Oi Hockey Stadium



While India won the Men’s and Women’s tournaments, there was another “winner” at the Ready Steady Tokyo hockey Test event which was successfully completed today: the Oi Hockey Stadium.

The brand-new venue delivered by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has received unanimous positive comments from the stakeholders involved in the event. Here are a few of them:

India (Women) player Monika: “The turf is so fast, so beautiful. We like to play on this field. And the crowd is nice; when we are going for the attack, they are cheering up, whether Japan or India of whichever team is playing.”

Japan (Men) captain Manabu Yamashita: “As a Japanese player, I’m proud of this stadium, which is big and beautiful. This venue is a great opportunity to grow our sport in Japan because, after the Olympic Games, we will be able to host many tournaments here.”

India (Men) Coach Graham Reid: “We’re really impressed with the stadium, how modern and big it is. It’s a fantastic facility. To me, it’s world-class. Everything is beautifully done. And in the middle of the environment, that’s great.”

Umpire Aleisha Neumann (Australia): “This is an exciting venue. Players are loving it. And the South Pitch is just as exciting to look at!”

FIH CEO Thierry Weil: “The Oi Hockey Stadium is a remarkable facility to boost the development of hockey in Japan. I invite all hockey fans to come and see matches in this venue and I urge them to invite their families and friends to come as well and share their passion.”

FIH Executive Board Member, IOC Commission Member and Asian Hockey Federation CEO Tayyab Ikram: “Hockey has found a new home. I’m very thankful to the Japanese authorities – in particular the Tokyo Metropolitan Government - for having delivered such an outstanding hockey stadium which will remain as a great legacy for Japanese hockey after the Games, in particular for the hockey communities of Tokyo, Shinagawa and Ota.”

Yoki Sakamoto, Director-General, Japan Hockey Association: “We want to do our best to make Oi the home of Japanese hockey for the hockey family.”

Both pitches, with their capacities of 10,000 and 5,000 seats respectively at the Olympic Games, are located in a leafy park in the waterfront area of Tokyo Bay.

Designed to meet the aspirations of the world’s best players, the turf - Poligras Tokyo GT 11-43 EL 10 - is the most environmentally friendly and sustainable hockey turf yet produced by FIH Official Supplier, Polytan. 

The 2020 Olympic hockey tournaments will be staged in Japan’s capital city from 25 July to 7 August next year.

#Tokyo2020   
#RoadToTokyo
#GiftOfHockey

FIH site

Tokyo 2020 hockey test event earns unanimous praise from FIH

By Daniel Etchells

India won both the men’s and women’s finals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic hockey test event, but it is the International Hockey Federation's (FIH) verdict on the venue that will please the organisers most.

The main purpose of the event was to test the operations being put in place for next year, as well as the facilities.

The FIH claims one of the greatest learnings is that the newly-built Oi Hockey Stadium "brilliantly passed the test" and earned unanimous praise from teams and officials.

"The Oi Hockey Stadium is a remarkable facility to boost the development of hockey in Japan," FIH chief executive Thierry Weil said.

"I invite all hockey fans to come and see matches in this venue and urge them to invite families and friends to come and share their passion."

Due to the nature of the test event, there were no ranking points at stake.

"It has not only been a great tournament with eight fantastic teams but also a perfect opportunity to test pre-tournament and match protocols, and to see what set-up will be in place for the technical team at Tokyo 2020," Tammy Standley and Christian Deckenbrock, both FIH technical delegates for the event, said.

The FIH also launched its official "Gift of Hockey" campaign, inspired by the concept of omotenashi (Japanese hospitality), a cornerstone of Japan’s culture.

"We are very satisfied with the operations put in place by TOCOG (Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games) for this event," said Tayyab Ikram, a FIH Executive Board member, an International Olympic Committee Commission member and chief executive of the Asian Hockey Federation.

"Of course, some areas require some improvement – which is very normal at this stage of the process – but nothing which is causing us any major concern.

"This is very encouraging for next year's Olympic tournaments.

"Now, it is of paramount importance that the Japanese community takes the opportunity of the Olympic Games to bring hockey in Japan into a new dimension."

On the pitch, the men’s final saw India avenge their pool-stage loss against New Zealand by beating the Kiwis 5-0.

The goals came courtesy of Harmanpreet Singh, Singh Shamsher, Nilakanta Sharma, Gursahibjit Singh and Mandeep Singh.

"It was a good opportunity for us to play in a semi-final and a final," India’s coach Graham Reid said.

"Indeed, we called yesterday’s match (a 6-3 win over Japan in the pool stage) a semi-final because that’s what it was.

"So it’s a good practice for those sort of games."

Hosts Japan finished third after defeating Malaysia 6-1 in the bronze medal match.

India’s happiness doubled a few hours later when their women’s team overcame Japan 2-1, thanks to goals from Navjot Kaur and Lalremsiami.

Minami Shimizu scored for Japan to cancel out Kaur’s opener but it was not to be for the home nation, who lost to India by the same scoreline as they did in the pool stage.

"For us, this event was very important to prepare for the FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers and getting every match better," India’s coach Sjoerd Marijne said.

"I think we did that.

"We reached a very good level in the last two matches."

Australia’s first and only win of the competition was enough to secure the bronze medal, beating China 3-1 in the third-place playoff.

Inside the Games

SA hockey holding thumbs Sascoc aren’t party-poopers again


The SA team discussing tactics during the South Africa v Germany match during the Hockey World League Semi-Finals 2017 Johannesburg at Wits Education Campus Astroturf on July 18, 2017 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Christiaan Kotze/Gallo Images)

Both the men and women’s national teams have qualified for next year’s Olympics. It turns out that doesn’t mean they’ll be there.

The national men’s and women’s hockey sides have secured qualification for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics , but that alone might not be enough to see them given the green light by Sascoc to represent Team South Africa.

Both national teams secured their paths to Tokyo by winning the African Hockey Road to Tokyo 2020 series in Stellenbosch over the weekend – a continental tournament that doubled up as an Olympic qualifier – but Sascoc still has the power to dash their hopes.

It is a situation that is looking increasingly familiar, with Sascoc having omitted hockey from their Olympic team for Rio 2016 despite both sides having secured qualification.

While the qualification criteria from an Olympic and FIH perspective has been met, Sascoc has their own set of criteria that looks at how the sides fare internationally in determining whether they will be realistic medal contenders at the Olympics.

The Sascoc criteria reads as follows:

GENERAL ELIGIBILITY AND SELECTION CRITERIA FOR  MULTI-CODED GAMES (2018 – 2024)

Continental Qualification

3.1.1. Continental Championships/ Qualification Events shall be considered and agreed to between Sascoc and the NF with minimum requirements as set out by the IF;

3.1.2. Additional criteria will be set by Sascoc considering the following:

3.1.2.1. Competitiveness of the sport on the African Continent;

3.1.2.2. Number of countries participating in that sport;

3.1.2.3. International rankings of individual athletes/ Teams;

3.1.2.4. Most recent results of individuals or teams in the particular sport;

3.1.2.5. Performance History of the athlete/ Team.

There is also separate criteria specifically aimed at the hockey sides, and that reads: Sascoc will consider selection of the Team if qualification is:

1.1 Continental qualification will only be considered if the Team wins the continental qualification event and has attained a Top 2 finish at the Hockey Series Final OR

1.2 Attained directly through the FIH Olympic Qualification Event;

1.3 Deadline for qualification will be 4 November 2019.

The long and short of it is that Sascoc has the final say on whether or not the national hockey sides go to the Olympics.

“We are not going to take athletes who cannot hold their own on the international stage,” Sascoc High Performance Commission Chairperson Debbie Alexander told said.

“We want to take the best of the best to the Olympics.”

The men’s side is currently ranked 14th in the world while the women are 16th , while both are currently comfortably on top of the African rankings.

The men’s side, meanwhile, did finish second at an FIH Series Finals event, though, when they won silver in Bhubaneswar.

That is part of the Sascoc criteria, strengthening SA Hockey’s case to get the men to Tokyo.

The women’s side finished 4th in Valencia.

The final decision, though, still lies with Sascoc themselves and if they deem that the world ranking and global standing of the side is not up to scratch, then they can say ‘no’.

Marissa Langeni , CEO of SA Hockey, believes it would not be fair, particularly with regards to the men’s team.

“Now that the team have qualified through the FIH process we will be further engaging Sascoc on the way forward,” Langeni said.

“We have obviously submitted to the policy as to their requirements and we await to hear their feedback.

“We have met the FIH criteria and, specifically in the men’s, we’ve met the additional criteria set by Sascoc.

“As per the agreement, there is a Clause 8 in all of the contracts, which states that Sascoc still reserves the rights in confirming the composition of Team SA.

“It’s still exclusively in the hands of Sascoc.”

Langeni confirmed that SA Hockey would be engaging with Sascoc at every possible level to try and secure a ticket to Tokyo.

“The opportunity to attend an Olympic Games is massive for South African hockey on the world stage,” Langeni said.

“Over the years both teams have shown that they have the competitiveness to play on the world stage.

“It would be detrimental to our sport if any of our teams were not given that opportunity and given the fact the we missed out in 2016, it would not bode well.

“I’m hopeful that Sascoc will do the right thing and that, given that the men have met the criteria, they will consider them for being part of Team SA.”

Langeni added that SA Hockey was “exploring one more avenue” with regards to the women’s side and their chances of earning Team SA Sascoc selection for Tokyo, but that it was an “internal” process at this stage.

The Citizen

Men’s and Ladies’ Over 50s and 55s Squads fly the flag for Scotland in Krefeld at the 2019 IMHA European Cup



From the 8th until the 17th of August 2019, the Men’s and Ladies’ O50s and O55s Masters squads competed in Krefeld, Germany at the 2019 IMHA European Cup.

Over the 9-day tournament, the squads flew the flag for Scotland, competing alongside the best of European Masters Hockey. The tournament saw both great successes and near-misses on medals for Scotland’s O50s and O55s Masters Squads, with all teams finishing strongly in their respective standings.

There were some significant wins and great performance highlights:

Men’s O50s

In their play-off, Scotland put two past Wales to secure 5th place in the official standings. Scotland’s Rob Jansen opened the scoring in the first quarter; Christopher Flight found the goal in the 4th to firmly secure the win for Scotland.

All fixtures and results:

8.8.19 | Scotland v. France | 1-0
10.8.19 | Scotland v. Netherlands | 3-3
12.8.19 | Wales v. Scotland | 1-0
13.8.19  | Germany v. Scotland | 2-0
15.8.19 | Italy v. Scotland (cross-over match) | 0-1
16.8.19 | Scotland v. Wales (5thv.6th)| 2-0
 
Men’s O55s

In a 2-1 defeat against the Netherlands, Scotland narrowly missed a bronze medal in this year’s European Cup. Scotland’s Peter Fowlie opened the scoring in the 2nd quarter but the Netherland’s Edwin Verhoef scored two in the 3rd to put the Dutch side ahead. The Men’s O55 Squad finished in a strong 4th place position.

All fixtures and results:

10.8.19 | England v. Scotland | 3-0
12.8.19 | Scotland v. France | 2-1
14.8.19 | Scotland v. Italy | 1-0
16.8.19 | Scotland v. Germany (Semi-Final) | 1-3
17.8.19 | Netherlands v. Scotland (Bronze Medal Match) | 2-1

Ladies’ O50s

Scotland narrowly missed out on a 3rd place finish after a 0-1 defeat to Ireland in the Women’s O50s Bronze Medal Match, with Ireland’s Kathy Shaw scoring in the first quarter. After some great wins throughout the tournament, the Ladies’ O50 Squad finished in a strong 4th place in the official standings.

All fixtures and results:

9.8.19 | Scotland v. France | 5-0
11.8.19 | Scotland v. Ireland | 0-0
12.8.19 | Germany v. Scotland | 1-2
14.8.19 | Scotland v. Wales (Quarter Final) | 2-0
15.8.19 | Scotland v. England (Semi-Final) | 0-3
17.8.19 | Scotland v. Ireland (Bronze Medal Match) | 0-1
 
Ladies’ O55s

After a spectacular 58th-minute goal from Judith Martin which clinched Scotland’s nail-biting Semi-Final against the Netherlands, the Ladies’ O55s competed alongside England for glory in the Final of the IMHA European Cup.

Two late goals from the English side in the 4th quarter meant that Scotland sealed a fabulous silver medal to see out the tournament.

All fixtures and results:

8.8.19 | Scotland v. Global Dutchies | 7-0
10.8.19 | Scotland v. Ireland | 2-0
11.8.19 | Germany v. Scotland | 0-3
13.8.19 | Scotland v. Alliance (Quarter Final) | 5-0
15.8.19 | Netherlands v. Scotland (Semi-Final) | 1-2
17.8.19 | Scotland v. England (Final) | 0-2

Scottish Hockey Union media release

Dar Academy Eases Past MEP 4-0

By Ijaz Chaudhry

Boxtel, Holland - MEP fielded its first men's team against Dar Hockey Academy of Pakistan.

Side included a number of former junior Dutch internationals.

A close contest was expected. But the Dar HA surprised everyone.

They rattled the experienced MEP with the pace and intricate moves. Most of the raids came from the right side.

First half was all Dar HA.

Four goals were scored;two through brilliant individual efforts. Wasim Akram showing superb close control along the right goal line foxed a couple of defenders and pushed the ball into the goal.

Adeel Latif went on a jinking run through the MEP defence and sounded the board from the top of the circle.

Ali Aziz and M.Adnan (off a penalty stroke) were the other scorers.

In the second half, Dar HA apparently took foot off the gas. The reserves were also played. Still, the visitors from Lahore had more of the exchanges and created chances without adding to the tally. As in most of the matches, penalty corners conversion was poor; all the five PCs wasted.

Hosts who rarely entered the opponent's circle in the first half had their moments.

They earned two penalty corners and also had a couple of open play opportunities butfailed to open the account.

Next, Dar HA travels to Belgium to play their national champions KHC Dragons at Antwerp.

SCORERS: Ali Aziz, Wasim Akram, Adeel Latif, M.Adnan

Tour Record: Played Five. Won Five

Ijaz Chaudhry writes on hockey & other sports. For more about him and his work, visit: www.sportscorrespondent.info

FIeldhockey.com

Punjab CM Amarinder Singh seeks Bharat Ratna for hockey legend Balbir Singh Sr.

Balbir Singh Sr. was a member of three Olympic gold medal winning teams - at London (1948), Helsinki (1952) and Melbourne (1956).


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Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking Bharat Ratna - the highest civilian award of the country - for ailing triple Olympic hockey gold medallist Balbir Singh Senior.

"Wrote to PM Narendra Modiji, requesting to award Bharat Ratna to Shri Balbir Singh (Sr) for his outstanding performance in hockey," Amarinder Singh tweeted on Thursday.

He also tagged the letter which he wrote to the Prime Minister on Wednesday.

The Chief Minister last month visited Balbir Singh (Sr) at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) here to present him the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award for excellence in sports.

He also released an amount of Rs 5 lakh for his treatment.

Balbir Singh (Sr), 94, was a member of three Olympic gold medal winning teams - at London (1948), Helsinki (1952) and Melbourne (1956). He was also the captain of the Indian hockey team at Melbourne and the flag-bearer of the Indian Olympic contingent.

He was the manager of the 1975 World Cup winning team.

India Today

Work begins on $1.3M hockey surface

Nigel Simon


SPORTT Company CEO Jason Willams, left, and SPORTT Company Chairman Douglas Camacho, right, and SPORTT board of director Hayden Mitchell inspect the old hockey turf at the National Hockey Center, Tacarigua, on Wednesday. NICOLE DRAYTON

The lo­cal hock­ey fra­ter­ni­ty can look for­ward a spank­ing new $1,356,000.00 As­tro­Turf sur­face, it's first in 12 years for the start of the 2020 T&T Hock­ey Board sea­son next Feb­ru­ary.

This af­ter Dou­glas Ca­ma­cho, chair­man of the Sport Com­pa­ny of T&T (SporTT) con­firmed the ar­rival of the turf from Ger­man sup­pli­er Poly­tan, and the com­mence­ment of the re­lay­ing of the sur­face.

The lo­cal Out­door Hock­ey sea­son flicked off on March 24 but was forced to an abrupt end on May 3 on the re­quest of the Wa­ter and Sewage Au­thor­i­ty (WASA) due to the low wa­ter sup­ply across the coun­try.

This af­ter WASA banned the out­door wa­ter­ing of sport­ing fields due to the harsh dry sea­son and as such the out­door field at the Na­tion­al Hock­ey Cen­tre in Tacarigua could not be main­tained for the sea­son.

Since then clubs were giv­en a Ju­ly 3 dead­line by the T&THB Com­pe­ti­tions Com­mit­tee to sub­mit pro­pos­als with re­gards the stalled T&T Hock­ey Board Out­door sea­son.

Con­tact­ed yes­ter­day Garth Bap­tiste, the head of the T&HB Com­pe­ti­tion Com­mit­tee said no of­fi­cial de­ci­sion has been tak­en on the rest of the 2019 Out­door sea­son, but with the Na­tion­al In­door Cham­pi­onships set to flick off next month, it is very like­ly that the 2019 Out­door sea­son will be called off at their next meet­ing.

At the meet­ing with the rep­re­sen­ta­tives of the lo­cal clubs in June Bap­tiste had in­formed the clubs that should the T&THB de­cide to aban­don the cur­rent Out­door Sea­son, there will be an op­tion to pro­ceed with Na­tion­al In­door from Sep­tem­ber 2019, which is the more than like­ly sce­nario.

The clubs had sug­gest­ed that the league re­sume from Sep­tem­ber and run to De­cem­ber 2019 with the games al­ready played be­ing ap­plied, while the Na­tion­al In­door sea­son should be can­celled.

How­ev­er, the new sur­face will not be com­plete­ly re­layed un­til the end of Sep­tem­ber, and with T&T’s qual­i­fi­ca­tion to the Pan Am In­door Cham­pi­onship sched­uled for March 2020, the need to com­mence the Na­tion­al In­door Cham­pi­onships fol­lowed by na­tion­al team prepa­ra­tions took pri­or­i­ty.

Speak­ing at the Tacarigua venue yes­ter­day, Ca­ma­cho said the ac­tu­al lay­ing of the sur­face process may not take as long as it may seem.

He added, "If we man­age to get nice weath­er through­out as we have been hav­ing in re­cent days, I an­tic­i­pate it will take about four weeks to re­lay the sur­face.

He added, "We de­lib­er­ate­ly arrange for the sur­face to be re­layed dur­ing this time as we are go­ing in­to the lo­cal in­door sea­son

Asked what caused a four-year de­lay in se­cur­ing the new hock­ey sur­face, Ca­ma­cho said sev­er­al fac­tors were be­hind it, and it was was very frus­trat­ing to the Sport Com­pa­ny of T&T, know­ing that every­thing was in place.

"Even­tu­al­ly, we got the mon­ey out to the sup­pli­ers in Chile, Poly­tan man­u­fac­tured the turf which took a cou­ple of months, they shipped it which took close to two months, and now it's here and should be ready with­in five weeks.

With re­gards to the dura­bil­i­ty of the sur­face, Ca­ma­cho, a hock­ey play­er him­self said he an­tic­i­pates the war­ran­ty would be for sev­en years, while the cur­rent ac­tu­al turf has been go­ing on 12 years.

The Trinidad Guardian