Welcome to the Fieldhockey.com Archives

Daily Hockey news updated @ 10:00 GMT

News for 12 April 2015

All the news for Sunday 12 April 2015


Malaysia beats Canada 4-1

By Jugjet Singh


Malaysian player and Canadian player Jagdish Gill in action during the 24th edition of the Azlan Shah Cup. Pix by L Manimaran

THE 24th Edition of the Azlan Shah Cup will be an all-Oceania final for the first time, when world champions Australia meet their neighbours New Zealand in Ipoh Sunday.

New Zealand held South Korea to a 3-3 draw in a thriller Saturday, and the Kiwis qualified with three wins, one draw and one defeat.

And Malaysia knew they were doomed to play in the fifth-sixth bracket after the first match between India and Australia produced an upset. India beat Australia 4-2 with a hat-trick from Chandanda Thimmaiah (23rd, 32nd, 69th) while V. Raghunath (first) scored the other.

Australia's goals were scored by Daniel Beale (14th) and Matt Gohdes (53rd).

"We treated this match like a semi-finals, ahead of tomorrow's (Sunday) final but things did not go as planned. But you're bound to have a bad match in any tournament, and I'm glad it was today and not in the final," said Australian coach Graham Reid.

Kookaburras captain Mark Knowles reached a milestone of 250 caps yesterday. He's a three-time Olympian with one gold and two bronze medals under his belt. He also helped Australia win two World Cups, and was the 2014 International Player of the Year.

As for Malaysia, their match against Canada yesterday was purely academic as both sides will meet again today for the fifth-sixth classification. Malaysia beat Canada 4-1 yesterday with goals from Haziq Samsul (fifth, 43rd), Nabil Fiqri (sixth) and Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin (38th).

The Canada consolation was scored by Matthew Sarmento (40th).

RESULTS: Australia 2 India 4, South Korea 3 New Zealand 3, Malaysia 4 Canada 1.

SUNDAY: Final -- Australia v New Zealand (8.45pm); Third-Fourth: India v South Korea (6.10pm); Fifth-Sixth: Malaysia v Canada (3.40pm).

New Straits Times



Malaysia defeat Canada for second win

By S. Ramaguru


Marhan Jalil dribbling away from Canada's Iain Smithe (in red) in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh. - RONNIE CHIN / The Star

IPOH: Malaysia picked up their second win in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup – but it was a hollow one.

Malaysia defeated Canada 4-1 at the Azlan Shah Stadium on Saturday and the two teams will meet again in the fifth-placing playoff.

Malaysia’s hopes of qualifying for the third-placing playoff had gone up in smoke earlier after India defeated Australia 4-2.

But credit to Malaysia for wrapping up their preliminary round campaign on a winning note. Malaysia had defeated India 3-2 on Thursday.

“We knew that an Indian win would affect our result. We went about our job and the main thing was to win. We’ll play Canada again and, hopefully, win again. It was a good effort by the players,” said national coach Tai Beng Hai.

“It’s tough playing back-to-back matches but we hope to be ready for it.”

Malaysia took the lead with two goals in a one-minute spell in the first quarter.

Mohd Haziq Shamsul scored in the fifth minute for his second goal of the tournament before Nabil Fiqri Mohd Nor added the second with a field goal a minute later.

Tengku Ahmad Tajudin then made it 3-0 in the 38th minute from close range but two minutes later Mathew Sarmento replied for Canada off a penalty corner set piece.

Mohd Haziq then made it 4-1 with his second goal of the game in the 43rd minute after being put through by Mohd Firhan Azhaari.

Canada ended the tournament without a win and scoring just five goals.

The Star of Malaysia



An all-Oceania show in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup final

by S. Ramaguru

IPOH: The 24th edition of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup will see a first – an all-Oceania final between Australia and New Zealand.

World champions Australia have won the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup eight times while the Kiwis have only lifted it once – in 2012, in their first-ever final appearance.

New Zealand, who lost to Australia 3-1 in the preliminary rounds, qualified for the final after a 3-3 draw with South Korea in their last game at the Azlan Shah Stadium on Saturday.

The Kiwis needed a draw but found themselves with a fight on their hands from the speedy Koreans.

Goals from Ryan Archibald (fourth minute), Nick Haig (41st) and Simon Child (44th) did the trick for the Kiwis. The Koreans replied through Nam Hyun-woo (11th, 31st) and Lee Nam-yong (45th).

Asian Games gold medallists India stunned world champions Australia 4-2 in an earlier match to qualify for the third-placing playoff.

India will take on South Korea for the bronze medal.

India, who recently defeated Australia during their three-match tour, were in good form and dominated play.

India struck barely a minute into play – off their first penalty corner, which V.R. Raghunath scored with a direct drag flick.

Daniel Beale equalised for Australia in the 14th minute with a field goal.

Then came Indian forward Nikin Thimmiah’s moment of glory as he became the second man to score a hat-trick in the tournament, with goals in the 23rd, 32nd and 60th minutes while Australia got their second goal through Matt Ghodes (53rd).

India coach Paul van Ass was a relieved man after seeing his team chalk up a memorable win, having taken up the coaching reigns barely a couple of weeks ago.

“I’m happy that we beat the world number one team. Compliments to the boys who fought hard for 60 minutes,” he said.

“India’s style of play does not suit the Aussies. It’s good for us. But let us not make a big thing of it.”

Australia coach Graham Reid admitted that his team did not play their game.

“We simply did not hold the ball enough and we turned it over too often. We did not respond quick enough for most of the match,” he said.

“Mentally, we were not there. We wanted to treat this match as the semi-finals and prepare for the final tomorrow. Unfortunately, it did not work out well.”

The Star of Malaysia



Black Sticks through to Azlan Shah Cup final



The Black Sticks Men will meet Australia in tomorrow’s Sultan Azlan Shah Cup final after a thrilling 3-3 draw with Korea.

Going into the match the Kiwis needed either a win or draw to assure a berth in the final, finishing second on the table at the conclusion of round robin play.

The Black Sticks, who won the title in 2012, now have the chance to bring home gold in what will be the first ever all-Oceania final in the tournament’s history at 12:30am Monday morning (NZ time), with live coverage on SKY Sport 3.

Head coach Colin Batch said it was pleasing to come through with the result under pressure from Korea.

“They were a really good challenge for us, we know they’re a good side from previous experience and they showed that again today,” he said.

“We’re now looking forward to playing Australia again, experience in big finals like this is exactly what we want in terms of our ongoing development and in the build-up to World League Round 3.”

Goalkeeper Devon Manchester said he’s looking forward to a rematch against the Kookaburras, who beat New Zealand 3-1 earlier at the tournament.

“We’ve got genuine belief and a good feeling within this group right now that we can win the final,” he said.

“Australia will come out firing, but so will we. We’ve made a lot of improvements since we played them last and we just need to play our game and not have any bad patches."

The Black Sticks were first to score in just the fourth minute when Simon Child’s pin-point pass across the circle found a sliding Ryan Archibald who knocked the ball home.

Korea responded late in the quarter with some good pressure leading to a penalty corner where Nam Hyun-Woo flicked past Manchester in goal.

The Kiwis earned a stroke midway through the second period when Blair Hilton’s shot hit a defender’s foot with an open goal behind him, but Nick Haig’s attempt went wide of the post.

Korea took the lead in the opening minutes of the second half, with Hyun-Woo scoring his second goal with another penalty corner flick.

New Zealand equalised yet again with a penalty corner in the 41st minute when Haig put the ball straight down the middle and through the legs of the keeper.

The Black Sticks then took a 3-2 lead with a mistake in the circle from Korea falling for Child who hammered a reverse shot into the side of the goal.

But once again the Koreans replied straight away with their sixth penalty corner of the game, Lee Nam Yong deflecting in from on the post.

As time wound down the Black Sticks lifted on defence and repelled some desperate attempts from Korea in the final 10 minutes.

The result sees New Zealand through to the final while Korea will play off against India for the bronze medal.

BLACK STICKS 3: (Ryan Archibald, Nick Haig, Simon Child)
KOREA 3: (Nam Hyun-Woo x2, Lee Nam Yong)
Halftime: 1-1

Hockey New Zealand Media release



Black Sticks men qualify for final


The Black Sticks' Simon Child. Photo / Getty Images

The New Zealand men's hockey team has kept alive its chances of a second Sultan Azlan Shah Cup title.

The Black Sticks secured a 3-all draw with Korea in their final pool game, enough to qualify for tomorrow morning's final against Australia.

Black Sticks striker Nick Wilson said they did well to hold on against the Koreans.

"We're happy to go through and there's still plenty to work on," he said. "We're going to have to step it up against Australia tomorrow because they're going to bring their A game and it's always a tough match against them."

New Zealand won the title in 2012.

The New Zealand Herald



Black Sticks men through to Sultan Azlan Shah Cup final


Ryan Archibald opened the scoring for the Black Sticks in their 3-3 draw with South Korea. Photosport

The Black Sticks Men will meet Australia in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup final after a thrilling 3-3 draw with South Korea.

Going into the match, the Kiwis needed to either win or draw to assure a berth in the final, finishing second on the table at the conclusion of round robin play.

The Black Sticks, who won the title in 2012, now have the chance to bring home gold in what will be the first ever all-Oceania final in the tournament's history at 12:30am Monday NZT (live on Sky Sport 3).

Head coach Colin Batch said it was pleasing to come through with the result under pressure from South Korea.

"They were a really good challenge for us, we know they're a good side from previous experience and they showed that again today," he said.

"We're now looking forward to playing Australia again, experience in big finals like this is exactly what we want in terms of our ongoing development and in the build-up to World League Round 3."

Goalkeeper Devon Manchester said he's looking forward to a rematch against the Kookaburras, who beat New Zealand 3-1 earlier at the tournament.

"We've got genuine belief and a good feeling within this group right now that we can win the final," he said.

"Australia will come out firing, but so will we. We've made a lot of improvements since we played them last and we just need to play our game and not have any bad patches."

The Black Sticks were first to score in just the fourth minute when Simon Child's pin-point pass across the circle found a sliding Ryan Archibald who knocked the ball home.

South Korea responded late in the quarter with some good pressure leading to a penalty corner where Nam Hyun-Woo flicked past Manchester in goal.

The Kiwis earned a stroke midway through the second period when Blair Hilton's shot hit a defender's foot with an open goal behind him, but Nick Haig's attempt went wide of the post.

South Korea took the lead in the opening minutes of the second half, with Hyun-Woo scoring his second goal with another penalty corner flick.

New Zealand equalised yet again with a penalty corner in the 41st minute when Haig put the ball straight down the middle and through the legs of the keeper.

The Black Sticks then took a 3-2 lead with a mistake in the circle from South Korea falling for Child who hammered a reverse shot into the side of the goal.

But once again the Koreans replied straight away with their sixth penalty corner of the game, Lee Nam Yong deflecting in from on the post.

As time wound down the Black Sticks lifted on defence and repelled some desperate attempts from South Korea in the final 10 minutes.

South Korea will play off against India for the bronze medal.

Black Sticks 3 (Ryan Archibald, Nick Haig, Simon Child) South Korea 3 (Nam Hyun-Woo x2, Lee Nam Yong). HT: 1-1

Stuff



New Zealand draw with Korea to set up title clash against Australia

IPOH (Malaysia): New Zealand on Saturday eked out a hard-fought 3-3 draw against Korea to seal their place in the final of the 24th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament, while hosts Malaysia beat a lowly Canada in an inconsequential league match here.

A draw was enough for the Black Sticks to qualify for Sunday's final against world champions Australia, and they just about managed to secure one against the Koreans, who needed an outright win at the Azlan Shah Stadium to progress to the summit clash.

New Zealand took the lead as early as in the fourth minute of the match through a field goal from Ryan Archibald before Korea equalized through a penalty corner conversion by Nam Hyunwoo (11th minute).

Korea then surged ahead in the 32nd minute with another penalty corner conversion by Hyunwoo.

The Black Sticks, however, struck twice late into the fourth quarter to take a 3-2 lead. First Nick Haig (41st minute) converted a penalty corner and then skipper Simon Child scored from a field effort to enjoy a slender advantage.

But New Zealand's joy was short-lived as Lee Namyoung (45th) converted a short corner just before the end of the third quarter to level the scores for Korea.

Thereafter, the Koreans pressed hard for the winner but New Zealand's defence just did enough to hold their opponents.

Meanwhile, in the last match of the day, Malaysia proved too strong for Canada as the home team scored four field goals to give the crowd something to cheer about.

For Malaysia, Hafziq Samsul (5th, 43rd) scored twice while Nabil Noor (6th), Tengku Ahmad (38th) found the net once each. Canada's lone goal came from a penalty corner by Mathew Sarmento in the 40th minute.

Both the teams will again lock horns on Sunday to avoid the wooden-spoon in the six-nation tournament.

The Times of India



Stat Speak: Kiwis in Title clash

By B.G.Joshi

Sehore-Bhopal, India - Besides continental Oceania Cup, New Zealand will appear in final match only on 5th occasion in 93 years (debut 1922) of International Hockey.

Following finals had played by Black Sticks:

Year Venue Tourney Opponent Score Result
1976 Montreal Olympics Australia 1-0 Won
2002 Manchester Commonwealth Australia 2-5 Lost
2012 Ipoh Azlan Shah Cup Argentina 1-0 Won
2014 New Delhi World League Netherlands 2-7 Lost
2015 Ipoh Azlan Shah Cup Australia ? ?


In Oceania Cup-winner will get automatic berth in Olympics/World Cup, Kookaburras always had upper hand on all 9 occasions viz-Hobart 1991,Auckland 1995,Brisbane 1999,Wellington 2003,Suva 2005,Buderim 2007,Invercargill 2009,Hobart 2011 and Stanford 2013.

Fieldhockey.com



Canadians face host Malaysians for fifth at Azlan Shah Cup

Canada will face tournament host Malaysia Sunday morning in the fifth place match at the 2015 Azlan Shah Cup.

The two teams played Saturday morning in the final round robin match and the host team came out on top 4-1. Canada's lone goal was scored by Vancouver's Matthew Sarmento.

Canada and Malaysia have seen a lot of each other over the last year, dating back to last year's edition of the Azlan Shah Cup, when Malaysia beat Canada 3-1 in the round robin.

A month later the two teams met again at the Champions Challenge in Kuantan, Malaysia and played twice.

First, in the round robin, Malaysia edged the Canadian 4-3. They met again with higher stakes in the tournament semi-final. It was an even match, with Malaysia getting out to a 2-0 lead before two goals from Canadian captain Scott Tupper tied the match.

The match needed a shootout to determine the victor. In the end, it was Adam Froese who scored in sudden death shots to give Canada the victory, the spot in the final, and its best finish ever at the Champions Challenge.

In the summer of 2014, Canada and Malaysia met for a final time last year at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. Malaysia was able to exact some revenge winning 2-0.

Both teams are headed to the World League Semi-Finals this summer, but have qualified in separate events. The next time they could face each other, after Sunday's Azlan Shah Cup fifth place match, would be the World League Finals if both were to qualify.

Sunday's match gets going at 12:40am PT/3:40am ET.

Field Hockey Canada media release



Kookas suffer India loss

Australian men suffer first defeat at Azlan Shah Cup since May 2010


Photo credit: Sportsmediagroup.com.au

The world number one Kookaburras suffered their first defeat of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup campaign going down 4-2 to a Nikkin Thimmaiah-inspired India in their fifth and final round-robin match on Saturday.

Captain Mark Knowles would have hoped for a positive result in his 250th appearance for Australia but early goals in the first and third quarters did for the Kookaburras, who were level, 1-1, at the first break through Daniel Beale’s equaliser shortly before quarter time.

Having fallen two goals down in the third quarter, Matt Gohdes gave Australia hope of a comeback seven minutes from time but Nikkin’s hat-trick goal in the final minute completed the result.

Australia’s men had already qualified for Sunday’s final against New Zealand before the defeat, which marked their first loss at the annual Sultan Azlan Shah Cup tournament since May 2010, when they also went down to the Indians, 4-3. 

Kookaburras coach Graham Reid said in the post-match press conference, “We didn’t hold the ball. Every time we had possession of the ball we would turn it over. India started very well and kept the pressure on us. We didn’t respond well enough, weren’t quick enough. By quarter time we were getting beaten to the ball the whole time. When you do that it’s very difficult to win.

“I thought our second half was better, we created some opportunities but again our structure with the ball is something that we need to look at.”

Adding to those comments, Reid told Hockey.org.au, “It was not a good performance today; we had a poor first half especially. We tried to treat it like a semi-final but they can be difficult games when there’s nothing riding on it and you’re already in the final.

“We talked before the match about holding the ball, keeping possession, but we just didn’t do that. We turned the ball over too many times.

“Once you let a team like India into the game it’s difficult to change the flow of it. I thought that in the second half we came back reasonably ok but there were too many easy goals. We’re not happy with our penalty corner attack. We’ll get out in the morning a do some more work on that.”

After going behind to Raghunath Vokkaliga’s powerful penalty corner in the first minute, Australia battled back through Beale’s cool finish inside the near post as he converted Trent Mitton’s pass inside.

Midway through the second period, Nikkin netted the first of a hat-trick of goals when India turned over possession inside the Kookaburras circle, the forward slotting home unopposed at the back post. And he doubled his tally and India’s advantage two minutes into the second half, sweeping home a cross from the right at close range.

Throughout the match, both Australian goalkeepers - Tristan Clemons and Leon Hayward - pulled off a number of saves to keep the score down while their Indian counterpart Sreejesh denied Nick Budgeon from a penalty corner.

Gohdes looked to have sparked a revival when he deflected home Budgeon’s penetrating pass at the back post but the Kookaburras could not find the equaliser despite Trent Mitton coming close twice late on.

With Australia throwing everything forward in the final minute Nikkin broke clear to round Leon Hayward at the top of the circle before firing high into the goal for 4-2.

The Kookaburras will face New Zealand in Sunday’s final after the Kiwis drew 3-3 with Korea to seal second place in the standings. The final takes place at 22:40 AEST / 20:40 AWST on Sunday. 
                                 
Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
Match 5 v India

KOOKABURRAS: 2 (1)
Daniel Beale 14 (FG)
Matt Gohdes 53 (FG)
 
INDIA: 4 (2)
Raghunath Vokkaliga 1 (PC)
Chandanda (Nikkin) Thimmaiah 23, 32, 60 (FG, FG, FG)
                                                                                                    
Kookaburras squad v India
Name (Hometown/State) Caps/Goals
Started
Daniel Beale (Brisbane, QLD) 49/9
Nick Budgeon (Hobart, TAS) 33/12
Tristan Clemons (GK) (Ferndale, WA) 15/0
Tim Cross (Eaglemont, VIC) 5/1
Matthew Dawson (Central Coast, NSW) 15/0
Jamie Dwyer (Rockhampton, QLD) 326/213
Matt Gohdes (Rockhampton, QLD) 115/33
Mark Knowles (C) (Rockhampton, QLD) 250/21
Glenn Simpson (Melbourne, VIC) 123/22
Tristan White (Wollongong, NSW) 49/3
Dylan Wotherspoon (Murwillumbah, QLD) 9/3

Used Substitute
Jeremy Hayward (Darwin, NT) 32/11
Leon Hayward (GK) (Darwin, NT) 5/0
Trent Mitton (Perth, WA) 67/20
Eddie Ockenden (Hobart, TAS) 236/60
Jake Whetton (Brisbane, QLD) 83/34
Aran Zalewski (Margaret River, WA) 51/4
                                  
Did Not Play
Glenn Turner (Goulburn, NSW) 114/79
                                                                   
Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Standings
1. Australia (12 points, 5 games)
2. New Zealand (10 points, 5 games)
3. Korea (8 points, 5 games)
4. India (7 points, 5 games)
5. Malaysia (6 points, 5 games)
6. Canada (0 points, 5 games)

Kookaburras’ Sultan Azlan Shah remaining fixtures
Sunday 12 April – Final 10:40pm AEST
                                                                                                                    
Sultan Azlan Shah competing teams
Australia (World ranking #1)
Canada (#15)
Korea (#8)
India (#9)
Malaysia (#12)
New Zealand (#7)

Hockey Australia media release



India stun world champs Australia


India vs Australia match in progress. Hockey India

Young striker Nikkin Thimmaiah scored a hat-trick as India produced their best performance of the tournament to stun world champions and title holders Australia 4-2 today and secure a place in the third and fourth place play-off at the Azlan Shah Cup.
Already out of title race, India played without pressure and at last came up with a complete performance that had Australia on the backfoot for most part of the match.

The win also gave India’s new chief coach Paul van Ass his best moment of a short career with the Indian team. India scored a goal each in all the four quarters through VR Raghunath (1st minute), Nikkin (23rd, 32nd, 60th), while Australia’s goals came from the sticks of Daniel Beale (14th) and Matt Gohdes (53rd).

By virtue of this win, India finished their league engagements with seven points from five games and will now face either Korea or New Zealand in the third-fourth place classification match tomorrow. The Kookaburras struggled for ball possession throughout the match and their defence crumbled when put under pressure by the Indian forwards.

Barring the two soft goals which they conceded, there was no blemish in India’s performance today.

After four games, the Indians at last showed class and made a promising start to the match against a side which is way above them in current world hockey. India were by far the better side on display in the entire 60 minutes as they dominated the proceedings against all expectations.

The Indians were off to a great start as they earned two penalty corners in succession. With the very first move of the match Raghunath converted the second set-piece with a booming flick to give the side an early lead.

The Indians continued in the same vein and had another great chance in the 10th minute which was wasted by Satbir Singh who scooped over with only the approaching Australia goalkeeper Tristan Clemons to beat.

The Tribune



Nikkin stars as India stun defending champs Aussie

Tazeen Qureshy



Nikkin Thimmaiah scored a hat-trick as India stunned world and defending champions Australia to seal their spot for the bronze medal play-off on Sunday. They will now either face South Korea or New Zealand for the bronze medal on Sunday.

Nikkin displayed sheer brilliance on field, creating opportunities while his deflection hit the net thrice in 23rd, 32nd and 60th minute.

Unlike the previous group matches, India, put pressure right from the beginning, earning two back to back penalty corners in the first minute itself. V.R. Raghunath delivered up to the standard as he flicked it on the top right, completely beating the goalkeeper.

Australia, however, managed the equalizer in the same quarter itself after Daniel Beale slightly pushed the ball towards goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh’s left, who tried to block his angle.

With four minutes to go for the first quarter, India failed to take the lead after Nikkin couldn’t convert Gurbaj’s pass.

In the second quarter, unmarked Nikkin got his first goal after standing on the extreme left of the goalkeeper, deflected S.K. Uthappa’s cross from top of the D. In the 32nd minute, Nikkin scored his second in a similar fashion, this time off a move set by Manpreet Singh.

In the fourth quarter, Australia went on the attacking spree and after several attempts pulled one goal down in the 53rd minute after Matt Godhes deflected a cross off Nicholas Budgeon.

However, star of the day Nikkin Thimmaiah, in a one-one situation, sealed India’s win after hammering his third goal, fourth for the team in the 60th minute.

India will now play South Korea for the bronze medal playoff on Sunday.

Stick2Hockey.com



Boys fought from first minute says coach

Tazeen Qureshy

The Indian team finished its pool matches in style after they defeated world and defending champions Australia 4-2 in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia on Saturday. And coach Paul van Ass is a happy man, after tasting the first major success after taking over as the coach of the Indian team last month.

“It is always nice to beat world number one. I have to give a big compliment to the boys. They fought from minute one today to minute 60,” said Paul van Ass after India’s match.

India put up an impressive show right from the start when V.R. Raghunath scored the first goal off the penalty corner in the first minute itself. But, it was Nikkin Thimmaiah who stole the show, with his hattrick in the 23rd, 32nd and 60th minute.

“He (Nikkin) was effective not only in scoring goals but what I liked about him is that he worked hard throughout the tournament. He played well and was rewarded with the opportunities,” the coach said.

After this win against Australia, India had bettered their record. They had last won against the Australia in a test series held last year in Australia. However, in the bronze medal play- off in the Champions Trophy, India had lost to the world champions. “I do believe the way India played doesn’t suit Australia. I think today we just played a good game, we controlled and we scored,” he added.

India will next play with South Korea in the bronze medal play-off on Sunday as the match between South Korea and New Zealand ended up in a 3-3 draw.

“We have a big game tomorrow. I have to see what is left (in the players) tomorrow in terms of energy. I hope the boys can handle two tough games in a row.”

Stick2Hockey.com



India 'can play hockey', says coach Paul van Ass


India beat Australia 4-2 in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup on Saturday

The 4-2 win over world champions Australia in the Azlan Shah Cup here was India's new chief coach Paul van Ass' first big win since taking over the charge a month back

The 4-2 win over world champions Australia in the Azlan Shah Cup was India chief coach Paul van Ass' first big win since taking over the charge a month back and he said Saturday's result showed the world that the Sardar Singh-led side 'can play hockey'.

Van Ass was in no mood to get overboard with this win but said what he liked about his wards performance today was their 'fighting spirit'. "Let's not make big analysis out of this win. The energy was good and I liked that. We can play hockey we showed that," the Dutchman told when asked whether he consider this win as his best result with the team.

"Yeah, of course at last it was a complete performance. We had a win against the No.1 side in the world which is always nice. So, it is a big compliment for the boys. They fought from first minute till the 60th minute. I liked it, I liked the intensity," a visibly relieved Van Ass said after snapping defending champion Australia's winning run in the tournament.

"Today we just played a good game. We controlled the game well, we scored goals what more can you want," he added. Striker Nikkin Thimmaiah scored a hat-trick as India produced a spirited performance, their best in the tournament, to stun Australia and secure their place in Sunday's third-fourth place play-off match.

India scored a goal each in all the four quarters through VR Raghunath (1st minute), Nikkin (23rd, 32nd, 60th), while Australia's goals came from the sticks of Daniel Beale (14th) and Matt Gohdes (53rd). By virtue of this win, India, who were already out of the title race coming into Saturday's match, finished their league engagements with seven points from five games and will now face Korea in the third-fourth place classification match.

"I still do think the first two matches we played really well. The only poor game was against Malaysia, especially the first two quarters. There we lost it," Van Ass said, analysing India's performance so far in this tournament. "I think we should have got more points from our first two matches," he signed off.

DNA



Black Sticks Women secure late draw in opener


Black Sticks celebrate after the equaliser. Credit: Hamish Burson

The Black Sticks Women have scrambled to secure a 2-2 draw against Japan in their opening game of the Hawke’s Bay Cup tonight in Hastings.

After trailing 0-2 at the end of the third quarter, the Black Sticks have Rachel McCann and Pippa Hayward to thank for finding the back of the net.

“It wasn’t looking too good there, until the last quarter and then we put some pressure on and started converting our chances,” said head coach Mark Hager.

“I think the number one thing to focus on is our basics – we will look at the video footage. For example, I think our positioning in the circle wasn’t quite right and that is something that can be improved,” said Hager.

Hager agrees that tomorrow’s game against Argentina won’t be any easier and that his game plan will be different to the pre-tournament tests they played against the South-Americans in Gisborne.

Throughout tonight’s game the Kiwis had their chances, they were awarded a series of penalty corners just before the half time break but all attempts ended up on the keeper’s pads. 

Japan’s game plan focussed on very structured defensive lines, extremely quick counter-attack and skilful aerial passes which created great attacking opportunities.

Japan were the first to score through a penalty corner scored by Shihori Oikawa in the 24th minute.

The visitors came out firing immediately after the half-time break, and were awarded two penalty corners in the first two minutes of the half with Hazuki Nagai scoring from a direct drag flick low to the keeper’s right.

Things started to go the Kiwis way when McCann got a nice touch in the 50th minute to get New Zealand on the board, followed by Hayward scoring from a goalmouth scramble two minutes before the final hooter.

In earlier games today, China beat India 2-1 thanks to goals from China’s Mengu Wang and Qian Yu. India, ranked six spots behind China, were determined in defence but it was only Anuradha Thokchom that found the back of the net.

The second match of the day was between two of the more fancied teams in the tournament  - USA and Australia - and with the full time score locked at 1-1 it highlighted just how close the two sides are.  Melissa Gonzalez scored a penalty corner in the second quarter and then Australian Emily Smith crashed home an equaliser in the 42nd minute.

The third match of the day was between Argentina and Korea and despite Korea being resolute on defence, it was South American Martina Cavallero who scored from two penalty corners to give her side a first-up win.

RESULTS
Game four: Black Sticks vs Japan
Full time: 2-2
Half time: 0-1 (lead to Japan)
Japanese goal scorers: Shihori Oikawa, Hazuki Nagai 
New Zealand goal scorers: Rachel McCann, Pippa Hayward

Game three: Argentina vs Korea
Full time: 2-0 (Argentina win)
Argentina goal scorer: Martina Cavallero x2

Game two: Australia vs USA
Full time: 1-1
USA goal scorer: Melissa Gonzalez
Australian goal scorer: Emily Smith

Game one: India vs China
Full time: 2-1 (China win)
India goal scorers: Anuradha Thockchom
China goal scorers: Mengu Wang, Qian Yu

For more information, go to www.hockeyfestival.nz

Hockey New Zealand Media release



Black Sticks drag back two goals for draw


Anita Punt of the Black Sticks. Photo / Greg Bowker

New Zealand's women scored two goals in the final quarter to secure a draw with Japan in their opening game of the Hawke's Bay Cup last night in Hastings.

After trailing 2-0 at the end of the third quarter, the Black Sticks have Rachel McCann and Pippa Hayward to thank for finding the back of the net.

"It wasn't looking too good there, until the last quarter, and then we put some pressure on and started converting our chances," said coach Mark Hager. "I think the No1 thing to focus on is our basics."

Hager said his side's game against Argentina wouldn't be any easier and that his game plan will be different to the pre-tournament tests in Gisborne.

The Black Sticks had their chances throughout last night's game and were awarded a series of penalty corners just before the halftime break, only for every attempt to end up on the keeper's pads.

Japan's game plan focused on very structured defensive lines, extremely quick counter-attack and skilful aerial passes to create great opportunities, allowing them to open the scoring through a penalty corner from Shihori Oikawa in the 24th minute.

And the visitors came out firing immediately after the halftime break, awarded two penalty corners in the first two minutes and seeing Hazuki Nagai score from a direct drag flick low to the keeper's right.

Things started to go New Zealand's way when McCann got a nice touch in the 50th minute to get her side on the board and, with two minutes to play, Hayward snatched a share of the spoils from a goalmouth scramble.

In earlier games, two of the tournament's more fancied teams United States and Australia drew 1-1. Argentina beat Korea 2-0 thanks to a couple of penalty corner goals, while China broke down a determined India defence to win 2-1.

The New Zealand Herald



Black Sticks women held to 2-2 draw by Japan in their Hawke's Bay Cup opener


New Zealand's Ella Gunson drives forward during her side's 2-2 draw with Japan in Hastings on Saturday night. Photosport

The Black Sticks women scrambled to secure a 2-2 draw against Japan in their opening game of the Hawke's Bay Cup on Saturday night in Hastings.

After trailing 2-0 at the end of the third quarter, the Black Sticks have Rachel McCann and Pippa Hayward to thank for finding the back of the net.

"It wasn't looking too good there, until the last quarter and then we put some pressure on and started converting our chances," said head coach Mark Hager.

"I think the No 1 thing to focus on is our basics – we will look at the video footage. For example, I think our positioning in the circle wasn't quite right and that is something that can be improved."

Hager feels that Sunday's game against Argentina won't be any easier and his game plan will be different to the pre-tournament tests they played against the South Americans in Gisborne.

Throughout Saturday's game the Kiwis had their chances. They were awarded a series of penalty corners just before the halftime break but all their attempts ended up on the Japanese goalkeeper's pads.

Japan's game plan focused on structured defensive lines, extremely quick counter-attacks and skilful aerial passes, which created great attacking opportunities.

Japan were the first to score through a penalty corner scored by Shihori Oikawa in the 24th minute.

The visitors came out firing immediately after halftime and were awarded two penalty corners in the first two minutes of the half with Hazuki Nagai scoring from a direct drag flick low to the 'keeper's right.

Things started to go the Kiwis' way when McCann got a nice touch in the 50th minute to get New Zealand on the board. Hayward then scored from a goalmouth scramble two minutes before the final hooter.

In earlier games on Saturday, China beat India 2-1, thanks to goals from China's Mengu Wang and Qian Yu.

India, ranked six spots behind China, were determined in defence but it was only Anuradha Thokchom that found the back of the net.

The second match was between two of the more fancied teams in the tournament  - USA and Australia - and with the fulltime score locked at 1-1 it highlighted just how close the two sides are.

Melissa Gonzalez scored a penalty corner in the second quarter before Australian Emily Smith crashed home an equaliser in the 42nd minute.

The third match was between Argentina and Korea and despite the Asians being resolute on defence, it was South American Martina Cavallero who scored from two penalty corners.

Stuff



Smith scores equaliser

Emily Smith helps the Hockeyroos to a 1-1 draw with the USA



The Hockeyroos settled for a 1-1 draw with the USA in their first match of the Hawke’s Bay Cup after Emily Smith’s equaliser wasn’t enough for the girls in green and gold to finish atop of their opponents. 

Neither team were able to break through their opponent’s robust defence in the first quarter of the match. Despite each being awarded a penalty corner, Australia and the USA were unable to convert their attacking opportunities.

Nearly halfway through the second quarter, the USA broke through the Australian defence at the 22nd minute mark, netting their first goal off the back of a penalty corner. Melissa Gonzalez stepped up to the top of the circle, flicking the ball past Hockeyroos goalkeeper Rachael Lynch and pushing the USA in front, 1-0.

Five minutes later, the USA created themselves another opportunity at a potential goal after the ball became stuck under the Australian goalkeeper’s pads and a penalty stroke was awarded. With the Australian goalkeeper in her element, Lynch successfully denied the USA of their second goal and the score remained 1-0.

Three minutes before the third quarter siren, Hockeyroos forward Emily Smith, well positioned in the Australian attacking circle, netted an equalising goal which ultimately gained the Hockeyroos a 1-1 draw with the USA.

It was a key milestone match for Victorian Georgia Nanscawen, who made her 150th appearance in the Hockeyroos' bodysuit and became the youngest Australian female player to have reached 150 caps in a playing career.

After the match, Hockeyroos Head Coach Adam Commens commented, “Our second half was encouraging, we finished the game with good intensity and we created a majority of the opportunities towards the end of the match. Today’s performance is closer to where I want the team to be.

“Coming off the back of the China series, we have made some steps forward which is a good sign. There were some excellent pieces of play, however, there were also too many miss-traps and mishandles for my liking.”

After playing China at the recent International Challenge in Sydney, the Hockeyroos are set to face them again on Sunday in their second pool match of the tournament.

“We know China well and we also know what’s successful playing against them. It’s about closing down the time that they have on the ball and making sure we are diligent with the strategies that we have, if we can do that, we will hopefully be able to create ourselves more opportunities tomorrow.”

The Hockeyroos’ second match of the Hawke’s Bay Cup will be against China on Sunday 12 April, 1:30pm AEST / 11:30am AWST. Sunday's match against China will be live streamed online via the Hawke's Bay Festival official website.

Match One - Hawke's Bay Cup

Hockeyroos: 1 (0)
Emily Smith 42 (FG)

USA: 1 (1)
Melissa Gonzalez 22 (PC)

Hockeyroos Squad
Athlete (Hometown, State) caps/goals
Started
Teneal Attard (Mackay, QLD) 201/10
Madonna Blyth (Brisbane, QLD) 296/65
Edwina Bone (Evatt, ACT) 66/2
Kate Jenner (Tamworth, NSW) 110/1
Jodie Kenny (Wamuran, QLD) 132/75
Rachael Lynch (Melbourne, VIC) 120/0
Karri McMahon (Berri, SA) 62/6
Georgia Nanscawen (Melbourne, VIC) 150/30
Ashleigh Nelson (Wagin, WA) 170/63
Kathryn Slattery (South Stirling, WA) 10/3
Emily Smith (Crookwell, NSW) 112/47
                              
Used Substitute
Jane Claxton (Adelaide, SA) 55/5
Kirstin Dwyer (Mackay, QLD) 68/2
Georgina Morgan (Armidale, NSW) 7/0
Georgie Parker (Berri, SA) 73/23
Brooke Peris (Darwin, NT) 48/8
Mariah Williams (Parkes, NSW) 9/2

Unused Substitute
Ashlee Wells (Morwell, VIC) 45/0

Hawke’s Bay Festival, 11-19 April 2015
Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
Sunday 12 April, 1:30pm AEST – Hockeyroos v China
Tuesday 14 April, 5:30pm AEST – Hockeyroos v India
Thursday 16 April, Quarter Finals
Saturday 18 April, Semi Finals
Sunday 19 April, Finals and classification matches

Hawke’s Bay Festival Competing Teams and Rankings
Australia (World ranking #2)
Argentina (#3)
New Zealand (#4)
China (#5)
USA (#8)
Korea (#9)
Japan (#10)
India (#13)

Hockey Australia media release



Team USA and Australia Fortify a Draw at 8 Nations Tournament

Two of the more fancied teams at the Hawke’s Bay Cup Hockey tournament in Hastings New Zealand showed that they are truly a match for each other.

Both Team USA, FIH World Ranked 5, and Australia, FIH World Ranked 2, produced goalmouth action and some stern defence before fishing the match at 1-1.

The USA opened the match strongly, forcing Australia to do most of the defending and only permitting sporadic raids into their attacking end.

The USA was first to create a chance in the second 15 when striker Jill Witmer (Lancaster, Pa.) just failed to connect with a strongly hit cross to the far post. Shortly after the USA were left rueing one that got away when Captain Lauren Crandall (Doylestown, Pa.) had a penalty stroke saved by Australian keeper Rachael Lynch.

The opening goal came after 22 minutes when Melissa Gonzalez (Mohegan Lake, N.Y.) found the back of the net for the USA after a penalty corner.

The USA launched a number of promising attack attempts as the half wound down but Australia finished the quarter with a sustained period in the offensive end but couldn’t get a goal back.

Australia began the second half strongly, forcing a number of saves from USA's defense. Chances were created at both ends before Emily Smith crashed home an equalizer in the 42nd minute. The teams were locked together at full time.

Team USA meets India today at 9:30 P.M. EST. ** Watch the game streamed live by clicking here. **

Hawke’s Bay Festival of Hockey

SFHA media release



India lose 1-2 to China in Hawke's Bay Cup

NEW DELHI: India went down fighting in their opening match, losing 1-2 to China in the Hawke's Bay Cup tournament in Hastings, New Zealand on Saturday.

Anuradha Thokochom (31st minute) scored the first goal of the match to give India the lead, but China soon struck back with Mengyu Wang (34th) and Qian Yu (38th) netting the ball to run away with the game.

Both the teams, in their bid to not allow easy goals to each other, ensured that their defence was strong, restricting the forwards to capitalize on the opportunities.

The two sides tried to create the initial pressure but the defenders proved to be more than handful. This resulted in a dry run in the first two quarters and the first half ended 0-0.

The real action was witnessed in the third quarter when India opened their account.

Immediately into the second half, India broke the shackles and scored the first goal of the Hawke's Bay Cup in 31st minutes when Thokochom ensured she slammed the ball past the goalkeeper, stunning the opponents.

The lead, however, was short-lived as China bounced back and equalized just three minutes later. China, who were attacking the D of India, earned a penalty corner and they capitalized on it with Wang scoring the goal.

India launched a counter attack but China struck again in the 38th minute with Yu scoring a field goal.

The rest of the session saw the Indian women attacking and trying to score the equalizer but they failed to do so.

India continued to attack in the last quarter also, maintaining a good ball possession but were unable to score the equalizer.

India will play their next match against USA on Sunday.

The Times of India



Crandall up for 8 Nations' Robyn Mactaggart Award

A new award was announced for the 8 Nations Tournament and Captain Lauren Crandall is among many players on the list after the first day of the competition.

The Robyn Mactaggart Medal will be presented at the end of the 8 Nations Tournament to the person who is voted the best and fairest player during the competition.

“The Robyn Mactaggart Medal will be presented to the player who is awarded the highest number of best and fairest points over the entire Hawke’s Bay Cup competition,” said David Nancarrow, Hawke’s Bay Sports Events and Education Consortium Event Director. “The Hawke’s Bay Cup has attrached eight international teams and a panel of three independent hockey connoisseurs will make the best and fairest assessment at the end of each match.”

In order to be eligible for this award, players must not receive more than two yellow cards or a red card during the tournament. This ensures that the medal will be a suitable reward for the player who has performed at a consistently high level over the tournament, while not incurring the displease of the umpires on too many occasions.

After the first day of the 8 Nations Tournament, Lauren Crandall (Doylestown, Pa.) is tied in first place with eight points with Argentina’s Florencia Habif. Click here to check the updated points for the medal after each day of competition.

About the Robyn Mactaggart Medal:
The medal has been named in honor of Robyn Mactaggart who had an immense involvement in field hockey as a player, coach, parent and supporter of the game. She passed away after a long illness in November 2012 at the age of 44. The Robyn Mactaggart medal will be hand crafted in sterling silver and has been designed by Monique Therese in Havelock North. A running points tally for the best and fairest player of the tournament will be posted on the Festival of Hockey website at the end of each days play.

Hawke’s Bay Festival of Hockey

USFHA media release



Final day at the 2015 Affiliates Tournament


Pictured above: NZ Maori Men all smiles after their tournament win. Credit: Hamish Burson

The NZ Maori have taken out the Derek Wilshere trophy after a day of mixed emotions at the 2015 Hockey New Zealand Affiliates finals day.

The 3rd/4th playoffs were played on Friday night, with Hawke’s Bay finishing 3rd in the Women’s competition thanks to a 5-3 victory over Hong Kong, and the National Senior Tournament XI defeating the NZ Indians 5-1 to finish third.

The Women were up first at 9:30am, and the game did not disappoint. The National Senior Tournament XI, unbeaten all week, scored first thanks to a slick penalty corner variation with Megan Winsloe finishing it off with a well placed sweep hit. The NZ Maori were not to be deterred, forcing the way back into the game and earning themselves a Penalty Corner which Claudia Hanham converted with a vicious flick low to the right of National Senior Tournament XI Goalkeeper Paige Hickling.

It looked as though the scores would stay locked at 1-1 at halftime until some individual brilliance from Pip Lunn. Defeating three players inside the 25, and making the final pass whilst laid out on the turf, Lunn managed to set up Hannah Mowat for a typical strikers finish to see the National Senior Tournament XI lead 2-1 at halftime. The National Senior Tournament XI pushed further ahead straight after half time through that lady once again Pip Lunn, this time finishing herself after more great lead up work. Despite the best efforts of the NZ Maori, this is how the score stayed at full time, with the National Senior Tournament XI taking out the Margaret Hiha Trophy for 2015.

The Men, after a rousing Haka from the NZ Maori, were up next. The local Hawke’s Bay side were keen to defend their title but knew they were in for a tough battle from the NZ Maori. The NZ Maori struck first, with Te Huatahi Edmonds tapping in from close range. The score stayed at 1-0 until half time, despite numerous chances for both teams.

The second half produced more of the same skillful, tight hockey. However, halfway through the second half, Hawke’s Bay drew level thanks to a cracking field goal from Ryan Cosgrove. The entire crowd were expecting a shoot out at this point, until up stepped Alex Hanham, arguably the player of the tournament. With 10 minutes to go, he found himself with the ball just outside the circle, proceeded to dribble around three players and unleash a thunderbolt on his reverse to give his side the lead.

Hawke’s Bay fought hard, but it was not to be, NZ Maori holding on for a 2-1 win and the Dave Craven Trophy for 2015.The NZ Maori were also awarded the Derek Wilshere trophy for the best performed Affiliate across both genders.

DAILY RESULTS – 10th/11th APRIL

WOMEN

3RD/4TH PLAYOFF

Hawke’s Bay 5 (Tinesha Carey 3, Sarah Shennan, Tori Avison) vs Hong Kong 3 (Charlotte Rees, Leigh Cumings, Olivia Chiu)

FINAL

NST XI 3 (Megan Winsloe, Hannah Mowat, Pip Lunn) vs NZ Maori 1 (Claudia Hanham)

MEN

3RD/4TH PLAYOFF

NST XI 5 (Rob Bhuler 3, Daniel Stone, Myles Houlahan) vs NZ Indians 1 (Gurwinder Singh Sandhu)

FINAL

NZ Maori 2 (Te Huatahi Edmonds, Alex Hanham) vs Hawke’s Bay 1 (Ryan Cosgrove)


The Women's National Senior Tournament XI pose for a post match pic. Credit: Hamish Burson

Click here for all the results and final points table

Hockey New Zealand Media release



Wimbledon set for Championship showdown


Blake Govers Wimbledon

In only their second season in the Premier division, Wimbledon overcame a resilient Surbiton to book their place in the NOW: Pensions Men's Hockey League Championship Final. Goals from Blake Govers and Steve Ebbers proved to be the difference in the last game of the day.

The early exchanges of the match were even, each side creating chances and testing the goalkeepers as both David Kettle for Surbiton and James Bailey in the Wimbledon goal had to be on their toes. As the game progressed, Wimbledon started creating the better chances, putting Surbiton under increasing pressure. Kettle was called upon to save from Mikey Hoare and Ben Hawes from penalty corners, but the Sugden road defence stood firm.

It took until the final quarter of the game before the deadlock was broken, as Govers dragged a low shot past Kettle. Govers was soon in the centre of the action once again as he very nearly took another chance, but the Surbiton defence scrambled to clear. Wimbledon's confidence and momentum continued to grow, with Alastair Brogdon crafting a fine chance, and at the death, Steve Ebbers finished off a strong run with a deft flick into the Surbiton goal.

The 2-0 win sets up a final for Wimbledon tomorrow against East Grinstead, and Surbiton face Beeston in a third/fourth playoff.

England and Wimbledon's Alastair Brogdon reflected on what was a tough encounter: “We had a decent number of chances in the first half but Surbiton kept it pretty tight and their goalkeeper made some good saves. We had a few penalty corners to stop from them but we knew if we carried on working hard and creating chances that something would come. Blake scored a great flick and the momento came from there and we managed to get that all important second goal. It’s going to be tough against East Grinstead tomorrow, but the main thing for us is to recover and do everything we can to be well prepared. They had a great win today over Beeston but we’ve beaten them before this season so hopefully we can do it again.”  

Great Britain and Surbiton's Chris Grasswick felt his side could have performed better “We're very disappointed, we just weren’t good enough from the start really. We had a few chances but couldn’t capitalise and fair play to Wimbledon, they played well. We’ve had a great season and were just pipped to the top but when it comes down to it, we’ve got to do better in the big games. We’ll be going out 100% tomorrow against Beeston as nobody wants to finish last.”

Advance tickets are available for tomorrow's fixtures until midnight tonight. Tickets will also be available to purchase on the door at an increased price of £22.50 for adults and £8 for U18s.

Surbiton 0 (0)

Wimbledon 2 (0)
Blake Govers 57 (PC)
Stephen Ebbers 69 (FG)

The schedule of play for tomorrow is as follows:

10.45: Team Bath Buccaneers (West) v Holcombe (East)
       NOW: Pensions Men's Hockey League Play-Offs
10.45: Bowdon (North) v Canterbury (Prem)
       NOW: Pensions Men's Hockey League Play-Offs
13.00: Beeston v Surbiton
       NOW: Pensions Men's Hockey League Championship 3rd v 4th Play-Off
15.15: East Grinstead v Wimbledon
       NOW: Pensions Men's Hockey League Championship Final

England Hockey Board Media release



EG claim Championship Final spot


East Grinstead Niall Stott against Beeston

In the first semi final of the day league toppers East Grinstead took on fourth place finishers and last year’s champions Beeston. The Nottinghamshire side have struggled with injuries all season, but with a full strength squad on show this weekend it was sure to be a close encounter.

East Grinstead had the best of the early chances and Beeston needed Jamie Cachia at his best in goal to save from Ashley Jackson after the England and GB midfielder fired a penalty corner at Scotland’s number one. After sustaining the opening pressure, Beeston pushed forward and were rewarded in the 13th minute when Tim Whiteman found the roof of the net from the tightest of angles to make it 1-0.

The second quarter was an even affair with neither side managing to break their opponent’s defence down. Cachia was the man on form as he saved twice more from Jackson’s drag flicks and as the sides headed in for half time it was the Bees with the slender advantage.

East Grinstead came out the blocks quickly in the third quarter and three goals in the space of three minutes turned the tie on its head. Firstly, Tony Wilson was able to slot a bouncing ball home from close range before Chris Griffiths and then Mark Pearn wrote their names on the score sheet.

In the final quarter East Grinstead continued to dominate with Simon Faulkner and Joe Naughalty adding to the tally. Faulkner’s goal was the pick of the game, as he carved his way through the Beeston defence, before firing the ball high past a helpless Cachia. 

The 5 -1 victory means East Grinstead have booked themselves a place in tomorrow’s final and will be battling it out against the winners of semi-final two – Wimbledon vs. Surbiton. 

East Grinstead captain Niall Stott was pleased with his sides second half turn around: "It was a convincing win. We had lots more chance than Beeston, and we felt like we could score a lot more. We weren't quite on top of our penalty corner routine today, but the important thing is that we got the result - a big result. Beeston have beaten us a lot at this stage in the past, so it was really nice to get the win today. Whoever we end up playing in the final tomorrow, we'll do our preparation and we'll be pumped up for it."

Captain Adam Dixon commented on Beeston's overall performance: "It wasn't a performance that deserved victory today from us unfortunately. EG defended well, soaked up a lot of pressure. I felt like we controlled the game in the first half - we got the goal, but EG stuck at it. Fair play to them, they fully deserved the win today. We struggled to break them down, they were organised, they had a game plan and they stuck to it."

East Grinstead 5 (0)
Tony Wilson 45 (FG)
Chris Griffiths 46 (FG)
Mark Pearn 48 (FG)
Simon Faulkner 55 (FG)
Joe Naughalty 64 (FG)

Beeston 1 (1)
Tim Whiteman 13 (FG)

Advance tickets are available for tomorrow's fixtures until midnight tonight. Tickets will also be available to purchase on the door at an increased price of £22.50 for adults and £8 for U18s.

England Hockey Board Media release



Canterbury and Holcombe share the spoils


Canterbury v Holcombe in Play Offs

The opening Play-Off fixture of the NOW: Pensions Men’s Hockey League finals weekend saw Conference East winners Holcombe take on a Canterbury side fighting to stay in the top division. After an even start, it was Holcombe who struck first through the East League’s top goal scorer Gareth Andrew. The number seven pounced on a loose ball in the circle, firing into the roof of the net. Their slender lead only lasted seven minutes though as the Kent side drew level from a penalty corner. Wei Adams rifled an unstoppable shot past the out-stretched left glove of George Pinner to leave the half time score finely poised at 1 – 1. 

In the second half, both sides had opportunities to take the lead but neither were able to capitalise. Stephen Vehrle-Smith had Holcombe’s best chance, stealing the ball from a Canterbury stick and driving into the circle, only to fire his shot narrowly wide of the far post. In a tense final 15 minutes, Canterbury dominated, winning four penalty corners in quick succession, but between them Craig Boyne and Kwan Browne were unable to find the net.

 A goal-less second half meant the final score remained at 1 – 1, leaving it all to play for tomorrow. Both sides will start the day on four points as Holcombe face Team Bath Buccaneers and Canterbury play Bowdon in the final fixtures of the Round Robin.

After the game Canterbury captain Tom Richford reflected on missed opportunities: "I thought it was quite a good game altogether but we're quite disappointed that we didn't take the three points. I thought we were the better team overall and had the better chances. If we'd converted some of our penalty corners like we normally do then that would have made the difference for us. I thought Aaron Hudson at the back had a very strong game defensively, and Craig Boyne gave us intensity up front."

Goal scorer Gareth Andrew was pleased with Holcombe's performance: "We started strong, and that's what Jules [Hall, the Holcombe Coach] tries to get across to us, to start the match strong and fast and we were rewarded by going 1-0 up. It's small margins at this level, and we need to take our chances. I'm pleased to get the goal, and I hope I can get on the score sheet in the next match. Team Bath won the West Conference so it's going to be a tough game."

Canterbury 1 (1)
Wei Adams, 15, PC

Holcombe 1 (1)
Gareth Andrew, 8, PC

NOW: Pensions Men’s Promotion Play-Offs standings after two matches

Position Team GP W D L GD Points
1 Canterbury 2 1 1 0 6 4
2 Holcombe 2 1 1 0 1 4
3 Team Bath Buccaneers 2 1 0 1 -4 3
4 Bowdon 2 0 0 2 -3 0


England Hockey Board Media release



Team Bath Buccaneers sink Bowdon in Promotion Play-Offs


Team Bath against Bowdon promotion play offs

A dominant first-half performance from Team Bath Buccaneers was enough to give them the points, as both teams searched for their first win of the Promotion Play-Offs.

Bath opened their account early through Tim Davenport, squeezing a low drag-flick past Rob Turner in the Bowdon goal. The Manchester team got an equaliser quickly afterwards with an almost exact replica of the Bath opener, Mike Shaw levelling the scores. However, it was Bath who went on to dominate for the remainder of the half, with Davenport netting a second before James Corry and Nic Reiger each converted excellent chances, to give Bath a 4 - 1 lead heading into the break.

A determined Bowdon came out fighting in the second half and their persistent pressure was soon rewarded. Shaw hammered home his second drag-flick of the game, no less than they deserved, halving the deficit to 4-2.

Despite Bowdon's efforts, it was Team Bath Buccaneers who took the spoils, with Matt Boote finishing off a well-worked penalty corner routine to reassert a three goal lead for the West country side, meaning a late goal from Dave Egerton was nothing more than a consolation for Bowdon.

Bath Buccaneers captain and goal scorer Tim Davenport was pleased with his team’s performance: “We’re delighted to get a win after our performance two weeks ago. We didn’t really play at all against Canterbury - we were a team caught in the headlights and we all wanted to come here today to show everyone that we are capable of playing. I’m really pleased with the performance and it puts us in a good position for tomorrow’s match against Holcombe. If we put in a performance like we did today then we should run them quite close.”

Speaking after the game, Bowdon captain Simon Egerton was understandably disappointed: “We didn’t start very well but managed to pull it back to 1 – 1. It’s one of those games though where if you’re unable to match the intensity then you’re going to fall behind and we found ourselves 4 – 1 down.  We valiantly tried to get back into the game in the second half but it was just a bit too much of an ask against a team that’s obviously just won their league. We’re devastated but we look forward to tomorrow against Canterbury and will play with pride. We don’t want to make it easy for anyone, we want to be professional, particularly as we’ve got some great travelling support with us.”
Bowdon are no longer in contention for promotion but it's all still up for grabs for the other three teams with Holcombe and Canterbury on four points and Team Bath Buccaneers on three.

Bowdon 3 (1)
Shaw 12, 54 (PC, PC)
Egerton 69 (FG)

Team Bath Buccaneers 5 (4)
Davenport 7, 19 (PC, PC)
Corry 24 (FG)
Reiger 29 (FG)
Boote 64 (PC)

NOW: Pensions Men’s Promotion Play-Offs standings after two matches

Position Team GP W D L GD Points
1 Canterbury 2 1 1 0 6 4
2 Holcombe 2 1 1 0 1 4
3 Team Bath Buccaneers 2 1 0 1 -4 3
4 Bowdon 2 0 0 2 -3 0


England Hockey Board Media release



IHL Semi-Finals Mens reports

Stephen Findlater



Three in-a-row chasing Monkstown produced an incredible comeback against Three Rock Rovers to set up an Irish Hockey League final date with Banbridge – themselves chasing a rare quintuple – on Sunday.
 
Town survived a huge scare as Gareth Watkins struck twice in the 63rd minute to salvage a 4-4 draw against Three Rock Rovers before eventually prevailing in a shoot-out.
 
They were trailing 4-2 deep into the closing quarter before a stunning double saw them turn the tide. Town subsequently scored all four of their shoot-outs, teenager Jazze Henry scoring the pivotal one, while Rovers missed twice to send the sky-blues through.
 
Earlier on, Three Rock got off to a flying start as Garry Ringwood applied a delicious chipped finish over the sliding David Fitzgerald to make it 1-0 in the fifth minute.
 
Monkstown, though, swapped the lead by the break as Richard Sykes and Gareth Watkins netted in the second quarter to make it 2-1.
 
Ali Haughton equalised within moments of the start of the second half and two Joe Brennan penalty strokes pushed Rovers into a great position at 4-2 going into the final quarter.
 
Monkstown, though, fought back with two inside the 63rd minute. The first was from the penalty spot before he applied another beautiful lobbed finish to make it 4-4, both when Rovers were down to ten men.
 
No further goals accrued, leading to the shoot-out in which Monkstown produced the perfect series to see them through to the final once again.
 
They will meet Banbridge in the final after they beat Pembroke 2-1. Matthew Bell won the battle of the corners as he shot home two drag-flicks to see Banbridge keep alive their incredible drive for five titles.
 
Bell’s low slung flick in the 14th minute put Bann in front from the third penalty corner as they had the best of the opening exchanges but Pembroke produced a fine 20-minute spell to have the ascendancy either side of half-time.
 
Pembroke’s equalised just before three-quarter time via Harry Spain with a carbon-copy of Bell’s first goal, hitting the bottom right corner with a lot of power.
 
But Bann steadied their nerves and pushed on in the final quarter, winning another penalty corner. This time, Bell went high to find the net
 
The Co Down side have already won the Irish Senior Cup and Ulster Premier League as well as the Anderson and Kirk Cups but this will probably be their biggest ask yet at 4pm on Sunday at Grange Road in the final.
 
They do so safe in the knowledge that they and Banbridge have qualified for European berths for the 2015/16 by virtue of their results.
 
Men's Irish Hockey League semi-final results: Banbridge 2 (M Bell 2) Pembroke 1 (H Spain); Three Rock Rovers 4 (J Brennan 2, G Ringwood, A Haughton) Monkstown 4 (G Watkins 3, R Sykes), Monkstown win 4-2 in a shoot-out
 
Final (Sunday): Banbridge vs Monkstown, 4pm, Grange Road

Irish Hockey Association media release



IHL Semi Final Womens Reports

Stephen Findlater



Pegasus and Loreto will battle it out for the women’s Irish Hockey League title as they shaded incredibly close ties with UCD and Hermes, respectively.
 
In the first semi-final, Vanessa Surgeoner’s 62nd minute penalty corner strike saw Pegasus end UCD’s reign as Irish Hockey League champions, scoring a 2-1 win.
 
She fired home direct from the top with a powerful hit for the game’s decisive moment while goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran’s fine game ensured the Ulster club stayed clear.
 
Suzanne Ferris made it 1-0 to Pegasus on the half hour when she swept home first time from a right wing cross. UCD replied quickly when Emily Beatty was felled in the circle, allowing Katie Mullan to pot from the penalty spot for 1-1 at half-time.
 
Surgeoner then won it in the second half from a rare break-out in the third quarter to keep alive their chances of a second title having won the crown in 2011.
 
2009 champions Loreto moved a step closer to a second title as Niamh Small’s 57th minute goal proved enough to see off Hermes in the second semi-final, winning 1-0.
 
It was created by Lena Tice and Lizzie Colvin, working the opening for the latter smash in the crash ball which took a couple of ricochets with Small getting the the key touch to wrong-foot the excellent Emma Gray.
 
The Beaufort side had the best of the early chances with Nikki McConnell going closest, pinging the underside of the bar with an upright reverse-stick effort.
 
Gray saved brilliantly from Jessica McGirr’s deflected corner but Small eventually broke the deadlock with 13 minutes to go. After that, Hermes went into all-out attack mode and had two massive chances to level things but Loreto clung on to salvage the result.
 
Women’s Irish Hockey League
Semi-final results: Pegasus 2 (S Ferris, V Surgeoner) UCD 1 (K Mullan); Loreto 1 (N Small) Hermes 0
Final (Sunday, Grange Road): Pegasus vs  Loreto, 1.30pm

Irish Hockey Association media release



First PHF audit then funding, hints finance minister Dar

Kashif Abbasi

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday hinted that the government would not release fund for the Pakistan Hockey Fede­ration without holding its audit.

The PHF has been claiming that the government is all set to release grant of Rs350 million to it.

However, the finance minister, while talking to the media at the Islamabad Club Polo Ground, said releasing fund for the PHF was not a problem for the government but they would hold its audit first.

He added that there would be no compromise on transparency.

When asked when the government would release fund, Dar said: “There are some issues of audit and transparency, but hopefully the matter of funding will be resolved soon.”

Apparently, the minister was hinting at the fund which had been released to the PHF during the last seven years.

The government believes that the PHF committed massive embe­z­­z­l­ement of fund which was meant for promotion of the national game.

Recently, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervaiz Rashid had also said that sufficient funding had been provided to the PHF in the past than any other federation but the money was not utilized properly.

On the other hand, a few days back, the PHF, which after holding a meeting at the Parliament House during its joint session, had claimed that the government was about to release Rs350 million for it as a special package.

But, the finance minister’s talk and body language on Saturday showed that the government was trying to evolve a mechanism for conducting complete audit of the PHF before doling out more money to it.

Dawn



Wapda make hockey semi-finals

LAHORE: Wapda and Asia Ghee Mills moved into the semi-finals of the 10th Nishan-e-Haider Hockey Tournament at the Dring Stadium in Bahawalpur on Saturday.

In the league fixtures, Wapda defeated Flying Horse Club 5-0 in a one-sided match while the game between Asia Ghee Mills and Port Qasim ended in a 2-2 draw. But on goal average, the former reached the knockout stage.

Olympian Umar Bhutta netted two field goals in the 13th and 51st minutes for Wapda with international Tasawwar Abbas instrumental in both goals. Zubair Riaz scored in the 41st minute while Salman added another in the 48th minute before Fareed Ahmed fired the final goal in the 53rd minute.

Port Qasim were playing in must-win situation, but they could only secure a draw against Asia Ghee Mills, for whom Kamran Maqsood and Amir Shahzad scored one goal each in the 16th and 28th minute, respectively. For Port Qasim Rizwan (5th) and Rizwan (38th) were the scorers.

Dawn



Wapda, Asia Ghee Mills in Nishan-e-Haider Hockey semis

LAHORE  - Wapda and Asia Ghee Mills Saturday entered the semifinals of the 10th Nishan-e-Haider Hockey Tournament at the Dring Stadium here on Saturday.

According to Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) spokesman, in the league stage, Wapda defeated Flying Horse Club 5-0 in a one-sided match while Asia Ghee Mills and Port Qasim ended the game at 2-2 but on goal average former booked its place in the semis.

Wapda faced some resistance from the Flying Horse Club comprising local lads who demonstrated guts to press their superior opponents in the second and third quarters.

Though their defense was fairly strong with the inclusion of Mohammed Imran, national team captain, and their forwards also made few good moves but they lacked in finishing.

Even Imran failed to convert two penalty corners.

From WAPDA Olympian Umar Bhutta scored two field goals in the 13th and 51st minutes respectively.

International Tasawar Abbas was instrumental in both goals.

Zubair Riaz scored a field goal in the 41st minute.

In the 48th minute Umar Bhutta and Irfan Zubair Riaz launched an attack and in the D area Salman’s flicked the ball into the goal post.

Fareed Ahmed deflected the ball on a cross from Imran in the 53rd minute.

Port Qasim had no option but to win their match against Asia Ghee Mills to book their berth in the semis.

They played brilliantly and went all out throughout the match and fought hard to press their opponents.

They took lead in the 5th minute through Rizwan who netted a field goal.
Port Qasim were leading by a goal till the end of the first quarter.

Their forwards displayed brilliant dribbling and passing in the last three quarts but failed to finish their attacks successfully.

In the last minutes of the match they even got a penalty corner but could not convert it.

Zahid scored a field goal in the 38th minute.

From Asian Ghee Kamran Maqsood and Amir Shahzad scored a field goal each in the 16th and 28th minutes respectively.

Two matches on Sunday would decide the last two teams to play the semifinals.

Today’s Fixtures: PIA (Whites) vs Bahawalpur, Pakistan Railways vs Pakistan Steel Mills.

The Nation



Brave Spartans bring down poor Falcons in opener at City Park

By BRIAN YONGA


USIU’s Rachel Njogu shields the ball from Rachel Mazera of Daystar University during their women’s hockey league match at City Park Stadium on April 11, 2015. PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU |

United States International University - Africa (USIU-A) Spartans thrashed Daystar Falcons 7-0 in the opening match of the 2015 Kenya Hockey Union women’s league on Saturday at City Park Stadium.

A brace each from Kenyan international Lorraine Nondi, Jackline Munene and Stephanie Mwega gave USIU a perfect start to the season. Emily Buyaki also got her name in the score sheet to give Daystar University a horrible return to the league.

Daystar last played in the league nine years ago and their return was not a pleasant one as Spartans gave them a taste of what awaits them this season.

It took them only 11 minutes to score the first goal of the new season as Munene scored a field goal, firing past Falcons keeper Alice Wanjiru.

Spartans continued threatening and added two more goals before the breather with Munene adding her second of the match before Nondi scored the third to give her team a 3-0 lead at the break.

IMPRESSIVE

Nondi was impressive in the second-half, setting up two goals and scoring another to cap a brilliant display. She first set up Stephanie Mwega to fire home before getting her name in the score sheet after beating two defenders to fire to the bottom corner.

Falcons tried but simply could not keep up with the pace of their opponents. Spartans’ dominance was underlined by the 10 penalty corners they got in the match while Falcons had none but failed to test the opponents keeper.

Mwega scored the final goal a minute to time with a fine goal, chipping the ball past Wanjiru to the delight of the fans. Spartans coach, James Mwangi, praised his team for a remarkable performance, noting that they had followed instructions and executed them well.

“We have not played competitive hockey in a long time but the girls played well and gelled well. We are still trying to get the right formation that will work for us this season but we are glad we got the win,” Mwangi said.

His opposite counterpart, Moses Kagochi of Daystar, said his team needs more matches and exposure in order to compete with the top teams. He expressed delight in the team’s performance.

“We have not played in the league for a season and we are building a team that will get better in the future,” he said. In another match, Impala beat Daystar University 4-2 in the national men’s league. The league continues on Sunday.

Daily Nation

Fieldhockey.com uses cookies to assist with navigating between pages. Please leave the site if you disagree with this policy.
Copyright remains with the credited source or author