News for 22 September 2020
All the news for Tuesday 22 September 2020
FIH Hockey Pro League to make return after six months with Germany hosting Belgium
By Michael Pavitt
Belgium head into the ties top of the men's standings ©Getty Images
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) Hockey Pro League will make its return after an enforced six-month break tomorrow, with Germany set to host Belgium in back-to-back matches.
Around a third of the season had been completed before the coronavirus pandemic brought it to a halt, with the last matches played on March 7.
The campaign has been extended to June 2021 to cater for the delay.
Düsseldorf is set to provide the venue for the return of the competitions, with men's and women's matches taking place between Germany and Belgium.
The men match will take place at 3.30pm tomorrow local time, with the women’s following at 6pm.
Both matches will then be repeated on Wednesday (September 23) as a part of a double-header.
Belgium currently top the men’s standings on 14 points, with four wins, one shootout triumph and one defeat in their six matches.
Australia lie second on the same points tally, having played two matches more.
Germany have only played two matches to date, recording a 5-1 victory and a shootout success against Spain.
Belgium are fifth in the women’s standings on six points from four matches, while Germany are yet to play any of their fixtures in the competition.
FIH President Narinder Batra has welcomed the return of international hockey competition.
"Personally, I’m so happy that international hockey is resuming," he said.
"Like all hockey fans, for sure, I’ve been missing it tremendously.
"You see, the FIH Hockey Pro League brings you 'hockey at its best'.
"It’s been a huge loss and I can’t wait for the first matches between the men’s and women’s teams of Germany and Belgium to start.
"The FIH Hockey Pro League is a key promotion driver for our sport and therefore it is essential to have it back.
"It gives fans the opportunity to watch fantastic hockey on a very regular basis, either at the stadium -when it’s possible – or through our broadcast partners or on the Watch.Hockey app.
"It enables teams to play very competitive matches regularly as well.
"It also gives global exposure to our commercial partners, so, definitely, it’s really important that the Pro League is re-starting."
The games are being played behind closed doors at the Düsseldorfer Hockey Club 1905 and in adherence to the safety guidelines of the competing governing bodies and local authorities.
There will also be no pre-match handshakes or flag-bearing, but there will be athlete and staff testing within the respective team bubbles.
All participants, including the appointed officials, must have presented a negative coronavirus test within 48 hours of the first match.
The Netherlands are expected to host Britain in back-to-back matches on October 27 and 29.
Inside the Games
How to follow the return of the FIH Hockey Pro League
GB Women Line Up 2020 FIHPL
Following a break of more than six months due to Covid-19, the FIH Hockey Pro League finally returns this week.
Find out all you need to know about the return of Hockey At Its Best.
Who is playing and how can I watch?
The first games after the resumption of the league will see Belgium’s men and women travel to Germany.
This will be Die Danas’ first matches of the season, while Belgium’s women currently sit fifth in the table on six points. They meet for the first time at 14:30 BST on Tuesday 22 September in a game that will be live on BT Sport 2. The second game will start at the same time on Wednesday 23 September, this time live on BT Sport 1.
Reigning world champions and last year’s runners-up, Belgium’s men currently sit top of this year’s table having picked up 14 points from their opening six matches. They will be sternly tested by Germany’s men though, who are unbeaten after two games. Their first clash will be shown live on BT Sport 2 at 17:00 BST on Tuesday 22 September before they go head-to-head again at the same time on Wednesday 23 September, this time on BT Sport 1.
Tue 22 Sep: Germany v Belgium (Women) – 14:30, BT Sport 2
Tue 22 Sep: Germany v Belgium (Men) – 17:00, BT Sport 2
Wed 23 Sep: Germany v Belgium (Women) – 14:30, BT Sport 1
Wed 23 Sep: Germany v Belgium (Men) – 17:00, BT Sport 1
When are GB next back in action?
Having last played in early February, Great Britain’s men and women are set to resume their campaigns in late October when they travel to The Netherlands for matches on 27-29 October. That is followed by a double header away to Belgium on 31 October and 1 November.
That will be followed by a visit from Germany on the weekend of 14-15 November for matches that are almost certainly set to be played behind closed doors.
Next May will then see a hockey extravaganza with women’s teams from China, Argentina and USA and the Indian, Argentinean and Spanish men’s teams set to take on our athletes across three action-packed weekends. For more information, click here.
27 Oct: Netherlands v GB (Women) – 15:30
27 Oct: Netherlands v GB (Men) – 18:00
29 Oct: Netherlands v GB (Women) – 15:30
29 Oct: Netherlands v GB (Men) – 18:00
31 Oct: Belgium v GB (Women) – 13:00
31 Oct: Belgium v GB (Men) – 15:30
1 Nov: Belgium v GB (Women) – 11:30
1 Nov: Belgium v GB (Men) – 15:30
14 Nov: GB v Germany (Men) – 12:00
14 Nov: GB v Germany (Women) – 14:30
15 Nov: GB v Germany (Men) – 12:00
15 Nov: GB v Germany (Women) – 14:30
Great Britain Hockey media release
You can also also download the appropriate Watch Hockey app from hte links on the left though coverage may be geoblocked
2021 Masters World Cup Update
Following a consultation with the Masters community, Hockey New Zealand has made the necessary decision that all the New Zealand Masters teams will be withdrawn from the 2021 World Cups.
While it is disappointing to come to this conclusion, with the uncertainty around travel restrictions and safety due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we have needed to look after all our players, coaches and management.
Since the survey was released, Hockey Australia Masters have advised they will not be taking part in the scheduled 2021 Trans-Tasman Challenge.
The decision around not attending the World Cups and Hockey Australia deciding not to attend the Trans-Tasman Challenge means that there is potentially no international hockey for our community in 2021.
We are actively looking at options to fill the void to ensure competitive teams across all ages at the 2022 World Masters Hockey World Cups.
We look forward to engaging with our entire community as this process develops.
Hockey New Zealand Media release
I’ve never felt so stressed, says Mandeep on COVID recovery period
Mandeep Singh was the first player to be admitted in the hospital for Covid-19 in Bengaluru. Since then all the six players have recovered and started their individual training sessions. - Biswaranjan Rout
Being a professional athlete, Indian men’s hockey team striker Mandeep Singh has been through many tough situations during his career, but by his own admission the time spent while recovering from COVID-19 has been the most “stressful” one.
Mandeep is one of the six men hockey players, including skipper Manpreet Singh, who had tested positive for COVID-19 at the team’s training base here last month after they arrived for the national camp.
READ: Hockey India struggles with coaching staff crunch
In fact, Mandeep was the first player to be admitted in the hospital here. Since then all the six players have recovered and started their individual training sessions.
“I think we had read and heard so much about the pandemic being a deadly disease, the first few days were stressful and anxious after testing positive for the virus.
“Although I have been in some of the most difficult match-situations as a professional hockey player, I had never felt this stressed,” Mandeep said in a Hockey India release.
“I was never taken away in an ambulance, never been seriously injured either. So, this phase was a new experience for me. After recovering, they (Hockey India) even gave us an option to return home to take a break if we felt like it but we wanted to stay back and rejoin the rest of the group,” said the forward, who scored maximum goals for India in 2019 season.
The 25-year-old hailed the team management for their help and support during their recovery phase from the deadly virus.
“We have a very good trainer in Robin Arkel and he knows exactly how much to push us. We are taking only 50-60 per cent of the regular work load at the moment and have just one session per day,” Mandeep said.
“Chief coach Graham Reid is also constantly monitoring how we feel during a session. It feels good to be back with the rest of the group and I feel relieved to be fine and recovered fully.”
With FIH Hockey Pro League restarting from Tuesday, Mandeep said it’s feels great to witness the resumption of sporting activities around the world.
Sportstar
Chris Ciriello quits as analytical coach of Indian men's hockey team
Bengaluru: Following weeks of speculation on his return, Indian men's hockey team's analytical coach, Chris Ciriello, has put in his papers over the weekend.
WatDucks win seven-goal thriller in Belgian men’s league
Waterloo Ducks won the big men’s Belgian Honor Division showdown on Saturday in a cracking advertisement for the league with the visitors succeeding 4-3.
Victor Charlet put the WatDucks – the 2019 EHL champions – in front with a rocket penalty corner after a series of three set pieces, setting the ball rolling.
Charlet then launched a pitch-length overhead pass to Louis Capelle behind the Leo defence and he smashed home on the volley for 2-0.
Lewis Eaton got one back when he slid home a reverse-stick shot from a corner rebound but the two goal advantage was restored within a couple of minutes via Gaëtan Dykmans.
Gauthier Boccard seemingly put the Ducks out of reach with another emphatic penalty corner for a 4-1 lead but Leo made things interesting with a couple of Tom Boon penalty corners reducing the gap to the narrowest margin. The Brabançons however, held on for their second success of the season from two games played.
At the top, three sides still have a perfect record. Orée crushed Namur 11-0; KHC Leuven were too good for Old Club on a 6-3 scoreline while La Gantoise produced the other crucial win, defeating Racing Club de Bruxelles 2-1.
That trio share the lead while Leo and the WatDucks are three points behind. Elsewhere, Dragons got their first win of the campaign with a 3-2 defeat away to Beerschot with Nicolas Della Torre scoring a hat trick.
Euro Hockey League media release
Johor get Shello shelling
By Jugjet Singh
Shello Silverius.
Shello Silverius scored a hat-trick to help Sabah beat Johor 5-0 and take his team into the quarter-finals from Group B of the Razak Cup yesterday.
And the irony of it is that Shello also scored a hat-trick in the semi-finals last year to take Johor into the final.
Sabah did not field a team last year, and Johor took in four of their players and won a silver medal.
But with a full Sabah-born squad, including Shello and three more national juniors, they were in menacing form to demolish the southern side.
"It's a wonderful feeling playing for my own state in the Razak Cup and helping them to enter the knockout stage.
"We are not celebrating just yet, because there are three more matches to play and we want to keep playing in the higher and not lower bracket," said Shello who captained the national juniors at the Sultan of Johor Cup last year.
Shello and 80 per cent of his teammates will be eligible for the Malaysia Games next year, and they are the early favourites, going by their form against Johor.
"That (Malaysia Games) is our ultimate target and that is why we have fielded 15 and 16 years olds as well in the Razak Cup," said team manager Avtar Singh.
Alves Cristiano James and Andywalfian Jeffynus are 15 while Waxry El Devynz and Azfar Mustaming are 16.
Shello scored in the 25th, 28th and 41st minutes while Muhajir Abdu Rauf (32nd) and 16-year-old Azfar Mustaming (58th) scored the other goals.
RESULTS — Men, Group B: Sabah 5 Johor 0, Selangor 2 Perak 2;
Group D: Kuala Lumpur 5 Kedah 0, Pahang 2 Negri 0.
Women, Group A: Perak 0 Selangor 4, Penang 2 Terengganu 2;
Group B: Kuala Lumpur 4 Sarawak 0, Melaka 0 Pahang 4.
New Straits Times
KLHA chief denies misusing special passes
By Jugjet Singh
Datuk Seri Megat D. Shahriman.
Kuala Lumpur HA president Datuk Seri Megat D. Shahriman is willing to cooperate in an investigation that he broke Covid-19 SOP during the ongoing Razak Cup tournament.
But he is adamant that he did not misuse the special passes given to teams for his family's entry into the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
On Saturday when Kuala Lumpur played against Negri Sembilan, Megat was seen without his special pass provided for the tournament.
And he was with his family, including a child.
"I agree (that he did not follow the SOP) and I will give the MHC (Malaysian Hockey Confederation) my full cooperation in their investigations.
"However, I would like to stress that there were no security guards or tournament officials to stop me and my family from entering the stadium to watch KL play against Negri on Sept 19.
"If I had been stopped at the gates, I would have no problem following instructions from the security guards or tournament officials.
"After I was allowed into the stadium (back gate), my belief was that I was making a legitimate entry with my family.
"Moreover, no tournament official approached my family and me to ask us to leave the stadium grounds for breaching the SOP until the end of the match.
"I only found out about it in the press," added Megat.
Megat will face the MHC Disciplinary Board on Saturday for another matter, protocol breach, in making statements to the press and sponsors regarding the Malaysia Hockey League's late payment of prize money.
On the 10 accreditation cards given to each team to allow their officials to enter the stadium, Megat denied he misused it.
"I would like to deny that I misused the accreditation passes provided to teams for the use of my family members."
MHC competitions committee chairman Datuk Seri Anil Jeet Singh said investigations on Megat is ongoing.
"We have started investigating the matter and are looking at the stadium CCTV to verify what really happened.
"If we have enough evidence, we will make a police report by Tuesday because this is a serious breach in Covid-19 SOP and could have cost us the tournament itself.
"We have received strict guidelines from the government for a licence to run Razak Cup, and that's why teams are playing at empty stadiums (pitch I and II).
"Children are also strictly not allowed. We had read out the rules during the managers' meeting before the tournament and every team official should know about it," said Anil.
New Straits Times
Premier Division hockey returns: History for Oxted, Surbiton double up
Nick Bandurak celebrates a last-gasp winner PIC: ANDY MAIR
As fresh rivals, East Grinstead is only 13 miles away but it’s been 23 long years since Oxted began the long road to the Premier Division.
The newly-promoted club played gallantly on Sunday but went down 2-1 to East Grinstead, led by their new coach Tim Deakin and assistant David Beckett.
Simon Dobson, Oxted’s chairman, said: “It was most certainly both a proud and historic day for our club. The whole process of getting our club to Premier League started 23 years ago but it wasn’t until I arrived for the game that it all actually sunk in.
“I was greeted by some of those very people that started this journey all those years ago, including some of our junior players who are aspiring to play at this level – they were all there to support the team and that was such a humbling experience for me personally. It really goes to show how much this means to us as a club.”
A local rivalry to open up for Oxted and East Grinstead PIC: DEBBIE CHRISTOPHER
Luke Emmett’s fourth-minute open play goal and Louis Gittens’ well taken PC goal were enough to secure the points at Saint Hill, before Tim Guise Brown notched Oxted’s historic first top flight goal with a drilled PC – what else with a surname like that – to make for an entertaining finish.
Dobson added: “All we ever ask of the team is to play with pride and recognise the opportunity, which I think our lads did. They played with passion and heart for the whole game and as a spectator, there was always a feeling that they were in with a chance to get a result but it wasn’t to be and credit to EG.”
Century man
Holcombe’s Nick Bandurak racked up his 100th National League goal on his way to netting a hat-trick, including a last gasp winner as Old Georgians went down 3-2 at Holcombe Park. Bandurak is certainly knocking on the GB door with his form.
Holcombe led 2-0 but OGs fought back thanks to Ashley Jackson’s 44th minute penalty stroke and Sam Ward’s PC goal nine minutes later. Bandurak won the game with a PC goal himself as Holcombe’s new goalkeeper and recent GB addition, Ollie Payne, produced a superb display.
Surbiton and on
Defending champs Surbiton romped to another big scoring win, beating Brooklands Manchester University 8-1 at Sugden Road, thanks to a five star performance from PC specialist, Luke Taylor.
Stat attack
Brooklands men scored in 16 of their 18 league games in 2019-20, only failing to score against Surbiton. They reversed their fortunes on Sunday as Peter Flanagan scored their only goal.
Hampstead & Westminster were winners on the road PIC: ANDREW SMITH
They came close but University of Exeter’s winless run continued against Hampstead & Westminster in the men’s Premier Division; the Londoners have now won all nine meetings.
Clifton women’s only home win over East Grinstead remains their first meeting five years ago, following a 2-1 defeat on the opening day.
Wimbledon women are back in the top division for the first time since 1992-93 – and top the table after a 4-0 win over Swnasea. In their first match in late 2006, Swansea beat Wimbledon 5-2 in Wales.
Surbiton double up
Defending champions Surbiton had double reason to celebrate as they finally received their league championship trophy and medals after a 3-0 home win over Buckingham. Lottie Ross, returning to Surbiton after playing for Beeston and the University of Nottingham, scored twice from open play.
Unbeaten ways continued for East Grinstead women PIC: PETER SMITH
East Grinstead are now unbeaten in 16 regular season league games following their win at Clifton. Tess Howard gave EG the lead on the quarter-hour but Clifton held out until the 61st minute when Sophie Bray netted.
Holcombe saw a mass exodus of players in the summer and GB international Izzy Petter earned Loughborough Students during a 1-0 win.
What’s new this season?
There will be two phases to each Premier Division. Phase 1 will see the 11 teams play each opponent once. Phase 2 will see the top six teams after play their five opponents once with the top three teams at the end of Phase 1 earning the third home game. The team finishing top of the top six table will be champions with the other five teams ranked in order.
The lower five teams will play the other four teams home and away (eight matches) with two bye dates as there will be ten rounds of matches in total. The teams in the lower six table will be ranked from seventh to eleventh.
The Premier Division is set to revert back to 10 teams for 2021-22 but this will be reviewed next year. If the reversion goes ahead, the teams ranked tenth and eleventh will be relegated and the ninth placed team will play the loser of the Division One North/ South playoff. The winner of the Division One North/ South playoff will be promoted.
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The Hockey Paper
Torrans and Meeke combine again for JP final victory
Sarah Torrans and Ali Meeke provided the magical combination for a second successive week to unlock the door to Jacqui Potter Cup success, winning the final 1-0 on home Beaufort turf on Saturday.
Whether Meeke’s rising reverse was destined directly for the top corner or required Torrans high deflection, it was a beautiful goal to light up an evenly contested final with precious little between the sides.
“It was a great win; it’s always nice to play in finals but it’s even nicer to win,” Loreto coach Paul Fitzpatrick told Dublin City FM’s Declan Hughes following the tie before reflecting on the “surreal aftermath.
“You didn’t know exactly how to react afterwards. Of course, the girls celebrated at the final whistle but there was no families or supporters to run to. The presentation was fine in the context that no one was really watching but, after that, given the current restrictions, there was nowhere to go to celebrate for a team meal – it was quite different!
“The Jacqui Potter is a great competition to win, delighted to be in the final – it was a very good game, tight enough for large parts but we came out on top which is all that matters.”
His side started on top with strong efforts with Grace Donald’s reverse the pick of them which was denied by Louise Pert.
Pembroke responded well, drawing the best of Liz Murphy on two occasions to smother well and then she stayed on her feet to keep out a one-on-one chance.
Hannah Matthews instigated the goal, taking a free quickly to Meeke – the game’s star turn – peeling left at the top of the D to eke out the space she needed to shoot. It was rising at a serious velocity to where Torrans, partially looking like she was taking evasive aciton, got her stick high to guide the ball down and in.
Three of the Leinster adult finals were cancelled due to Covid-19 concerns; Old Alex did win the Division 7/8 title 1-0 against Railway Union while Portrane undid UCD 9-0 in Donabate.
Elsewhere, Pembroke’s Under-16s won the Junior Jacqui Potter Cup with Ciara Moroney getting the only goal of the contest. On Friday, Old Alex won the Under-16 Plate with a 4-1 win at Monkstown.
Jacqui Potter Cup final: Loreto 1 (S Torrans) Pembroke 0
Loreto: L Murphy, A Meeke, K Crotty, S Evans, L Mulcahy, S O’Brien, M Jennings, G McLoughlin, R McLoughlin, I Bowen, S Torrans, G Donald, C Hamill, H Matthews, A Taaffee, A Lyons
Pembroke: L Pert, L McGuire, E Paul, H O’Donnell, M Horan, A-K Trevor, G Pinder, O Macken, R Scott, E Beatty, A Beatty, A Naughton, A Ward, E Horan, S Dix, R O’Brien
Umpires: G Garrett, S MacAllister
Leinster Jacqui Potter Cup final: Loreto 1 (S Torrans) Pembroke 0
Leinster Div 3/4 Cup final: Kilkenny v Corinthian II – postponed
Leinster Div 5/6 Cup final: Enniscorthy v Rathgar II – postponed
Leinster Div 7/8 Cup final: Railway Union IV 0 Old Alexandra IV 1
Leinster Div 9/10 Cup final: Portrane 9 UCD VI 0
Leinster Div 11/13 Cup final: Botanic IV v Carlow – postponed
Leinster Junior Jacqui Potter Under-16 Cup final: Pembroke 1 (C Moroney) Railway Union 0
The Hook
WA to host all stars hockey clash featuring Kookaburras, Hockeyroos and local talent
Nick Taylor
Tyler Lovell, Jemma Buckley, Ric Charlesworth, Steph Kershaw and Brandon Gibbs are excited about the Hockey WA initiative. Credit: Simon Santi/The West Australian
Hockey WA has launched an ambitious program to provide competition for their high performance and development players.
The showpiece will be a one-off, all-star challenge, with Hockey Australia releasing players from the men’s and women’s national squads.
Bragging rights will be at stake in the all-stars matches on October 11 that will take the form of North v South clashes.
They will feature Kookaburras, Hockeyroos and players from the national development squad, WAIS scholarship crew, Perth Thundersticks and State under-21 and under-18 squads.
It is a chance for WA to host an international-standard sporting event for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began.
Another innovation is the Ric Charlesworth Classic tournament with 120 local players in four men’s and four women’s teams playing over three rounds and finals.
HWA said the games would provide a platform for athletes, coaches, and officials to show their potential and give coaches an opportunity to see up-and-coming local players.
A masters all-stars match will also be played between the Perth-based Hotspurs playing a representative side before the all-stars challenge.
“As with most elite national competitions in 2020, hockey has been impacted due to COVID,” HWA chief executive Stu Gilsenan said.
“The Hockey WA all-stars challenge will see the very best male and female players come together for a day of top class hockey.
“The best players from our northern-based clubs playing off against their southern counterparts is a wonderful platform for our elite players including the Kookaburras and Hockeyroos. It will prove to be a truly fitting occasion for our hockey-loving public to come down to Perth Hockey Stadium to see some high-quality action.
“The Ric Charlesworth Classic is also an opportunity to provide our State’s elite talent with competition.”
WA hockey legend Charlesworth said: “I applaud Hockey WA for creating this initiative in a year when our talented aspirational players and coaches have not had the chance to represent their State due to COVID-19.
“The opportunity to compete against one another is crucial in the development of our WA talent and I hope the sporting public get on board.”
The West Australian
Departmental hockey and reforms should go side by side: Asif Bajwa
Muhammad Asif Khan
KARACHI: The Secretary of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), Asif Bajwa has fully endorsed the guidelines of the Prime Minister Imran Khan, for the betterment of the national sport.
Talking to a group of journalists, during a visit of the Abdul Sattar Hockey stadium on Monday, Asif however added that in view of the ground realities in Pakistan, financial support, in the form of employment is imperative to entice youngsters towards hockey.
“Prime Minister, who has been a world class sportsperson himself, has a viewpoint which is great. He has conviction that sports would not flourish until public ownership. We are already on track and would have launched our own hockey league similar to cricket had Covid-19 cricket not struck,” said Asif.
“Unlike cricket, hockey is an amateur sport, an Olympic discipline. Unless financial needs are not taken care of, nobody will choose hockey as a career sport,” he observed “We are formally requesting the PM that along with structural reforms, the departments should also be allowed to continue side by side with regional hockey league etc,” the PHF secretary said.
The former Olympian said that the PHF is close to an agreement for a hockey league on the basis of PM’s guidelines “Since the Covid-19 situation is getting better, therefore the PHF is looking forward to resuming activities in view of government’s directives.”
Dawn
Bajwa orders repair of turfs at hockey stadium
KARACHI: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) secretary Olympian Asif Bajwa visited Abdul Sattar Edhi hockey stadium on Monday to examine its condition.
The stadium was damaged by the heavy rains that the city received last month. The PHF secretary examined the condition of both blue and green turfs and directed the officials concerned to get it repaired within 15 days.
Talking to media on this occasion, Bajwa said that PHF would write a letter to FIH, informing them that Covid-19 situation in Pakistan is much better than in other parts of the world, so international hockey events can be organised here.
He said that PHF would seek permission for revival of international hockey competitions in the country. Bajwa vowed that PHF would improve the condition of both turfs and these would be in better shape soon for practice and matches.
He said that both turfs would be leveled and pressed and pasted to the floor again by the experts. It has to be mentioned that these turfs are not old, having been laid by the Sindh government a few years back.
Bajwa said that PHF wanted that the second phase of the National Junior hockey team’s training camp be held in Karachi at Abdul Sattar stadium and PHF wanted the repair work to be completed as soon as possible. He said that the national junior hockey team’s training camp would be held here in the last week of October.
On the question of 5-a-side tournament in Karachi, he said that PHF had made up its mind that the event would be organised in Karachi in September-October period. But the devastating rains in Karachi foiled that plan and he felt that it was not possible to organise the event in Karachi.
But he was quick to add that it could be held if the situation improved quickly. He said that in October, PHF would finally decide that when and where the 5-a- side tournament would be organised.
About activating the domestic hockey activities in all four provinces, he said the PHF had requested all provincial governments for the guidelines regarding Covid-19, and was waiting for their responses.
He further said that PHF wanted to establish four academies in all four provinces where fresh, talented players would be groomed. One such academy would also be established in Islamabad, he said.
The PHF secretary regretted that Karachi, considered one of the biggest hockey nurseries in the world and which and produced such legends as Olympian Abdul Waheed Khan, Islahuddin, Munawar-uz-Zaman, Hasan Sardar, Hanif Khan, Mansoor Ahmed, and Sohail Abbas, was not contributing anything now.
He added that since forward Haseem Khan, no player has made his place from Karachi in the national hockey team. Bajwa said that PHF wanted that the differences among the Karachi Hockey Association (KHA) officials should end and that all of them should work together. He added that PHF would provide guidelines and resolve the issues between the KHA officials.
The News International
UNC Field Hockey defeats Wake Forest 3-1 in season opener
By Ike Bryant
Midfielder Yentl Leemans (18) looks down the field during Sunday's ACC championship game against Wake Forest. UNC won 7-2. Jack Garside
46-0? Let’s make that 47. The North Carolina Field Hockey team continued its now-three-year-long winning streak in the 2020 season opener on Sunday with a strong defensive 3-1 victory over conference rival Wake Forest at Kentner Stadium in Winston-Salem.
What happened?
The game started slowly, with the first goal not being scored until the second quarter, on a penalty play from Cassie Sumfest, the Tar Heels' first goal of the season. Wake Forest evened the score 1-1 under four minutes later, but UNC took the lead again near the end of the second quarter off a goal from Erin Matson.
North Carolina extended the lead to two in the third quarter with a goal from Meredith Shoulder in the third quarter, the final goal of the game, before UNC held on through the fourth quarter to win the match and extend the team's winning streak to 47.
Coach Karen Shelton expressed her pleasure with the team’s performance, but made it clear she was only focused on the games and not the winning streak.
“This is a brand new year with a brand new team,” Shelton said. “Our focus is to simply grow. Both of these teams went into this game blind, neither team knowing much about the other. We had last year to go on, and players graduate and new players come in, so we were both vastly different teams.”
Who stood out?
Senior standout Matson, as well as juniors Sumfest and Sholder all scored one goal, with Matson scoring the 54th goal in her collegiate career, making her the 10th highest goal scorer in North Carolina Field Hockey history.
Matson also tacked an assist onto her day’s stat line, accompanied by sophomore Madison Orobono and junior Abby Pitcairn who each helped assist the other two goals.
When was it decided?
The bout was close throughout, but Matson scored the game winning goal 11 seconds before halftime on a penalty corner. Sholder, along with the Tar Heels’ stellar defense, was able to ice the game in the second half.
“When you get a goal late in the half it’s a boost for the team that scores and a bit deflating for the team that’s scored upon,” Shelton said. A huge goal, great to see [Matson] stick one when it counted.
“We were also really pleased to see the other two goal scores. Meredith Sholder, who is coming off an injury from last year, she was out for the entire season, she gets a goal in the game. Same for Cassie Sumfest, she was rehabbing a knee injury, was out for the entire year, and comes back and gets a goal. Really happy for all three of those kids to get a goal in our first game.”
Why does it matter?
North Carolina starts their shortened season with a much-needed win against a difficult team to boost them to first overall in the ACC standings.
With only nine total games in the regular season and all of them being against ACC teams, UNC will need to play at the top of their game to uphold their win streak and status as one of the nation’s top teams.
“I’m very happy, but there’s a lot of ways we can improve," Shelton said. "We had a lot of careless turnovers, some fundamental mistakes that cost us, ways that we can play better in the middle of the field. We’ll look at the video tape and hopefully take a step. I think it was a great opener with lots to improve on, but we’re thrilled to get the win at Wake Forest."
When do they play next?
UNC’s next game will be Friday, Oct. 2 at Louisville, and the Tar Heels will soon after return to the Triangle for a matchup on Sunday, Oct. 4 at Duke. The two away games in a three-day span should prove to be a challenge for the Heels.
The Daily Tar Heel
Award of Merit - Wendy Pritchard (nee Butcher)
Wendy Pritchard is one of Australia’s greatest ever female hockey players and an inaugural member of the Hockey Australia Hall of Fame.
She started playing hockey at the age of 10 in Busselton, Western Australia. At 16 she represented WA at her first Australian Senior Championships and was then subsequently selected for Australia in the same year, unheard of then and today.
Wendy has been involved with hockey for over 50 years, from coaching school girls to managing the Hockeyroos. In 1993 Wendy was asked by then national coach, Ric Charlesworth to manage the Hockeyroos and that association produced arguably Australia’s greatest ever female sporting team. As Manager, Wendy was involved with the team that won two World Cup Gold Medals in 1994 and 1998 and Olympic Gold in 1996 and 2000.
Travelling the world to international hockey tournaments, coupled with working with Ric Charlesworth, is always challenging but Wendy was able to build and mould an efficiency between Ric, the team and the off field staff that enabled the Hockeyroos to perform at their best, especially in the major tournaments. She built a great trust with Ric that facilitated ultimate performance.
Retiring from managerial duties after the Sydney Olympics, Wendy continued her involvement in hockey being asked by Hockey WA to join the committee to select players for the WA Hockey Hall of Champions, a position she continues to hold today. Wendy’s depth of knowledge of WA female players has been a decided asset to this committee.
Wendy was asked by former HA President David Hatt to join the Hockey Australia Hall of Fame Committee and her great knowledge of Australian players, spread over 50 years as a player and later as an official, is invaluable. Her contacts in the hockey community are extensive and provide the Awards committee with great depth of knowledge upon which decisions are based.
Wendy has other commitments to hockey including helping HWA compile their historical records of women’s hockey in WA, as well as being on the committee for the Western Australian Hall of Champions for all sports.
Wendy's Award of Merit was ratitifed in 2019.
What she said…
“I am especially proud to be receiving Hockey Australia’s Award of Merit. I am grateful of the acknowledgement and recognition from HA for my contribution to hockey. The voluntary work done by many, many people around Australia is amazing and to be among other recipients of this award is humbling.” Wendy Pritchard
From those in the know…
“Wendy Pritchard has made a wonderful contribution to hockey in Australia. Wendy was first selected to play for her state and her country in 1965 at the age of 16. Wendy was a brilliant right half at state and international level. Her game was characterised by sublime ball skills and fierce determination. She went on to play 43 games for Australia until her last appearance in 1979.
In 1993 Wendy was appointed as Manager of the Hockeyroos. By 2000 she had been a key figure in the unprecedented success of a team which is arguably the finest in Australian sporting history. Subsequently Wendy has worked tirelessly in hockey to ensure that the women’s game and its legacies will be preserved and protected through her meticulous research and record keeping.” David Hatt (former Hockey Australia President)
Hockey Timeline
Player
Western Australia
1965-1980 Western Australia Women’s Team
Australia
1965-1973 Women’s National Team
Manager
Australia
1993-2000 Manager Women’s National Team
Administrator
2000-present Hockey WA Hall of Champions Selection Committee member
Hockey Australia Hall of Fame Selection Committee member
Western Australia Hall of Champions Committee member
Awards
2002 Western Australia Hall of Champions inductee
2008 Hockey Australia Hall of Fame inductee
Hockey Australia media release