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News for 10 August 2015

All the news for Monday 10 August 2015


Green Machine come up just short in 3-2 loss to Netherlands

After a disappointing 5-0 loss to the Netherlands on Friday Ireland put in a notably improved performance today as they fell just short in a 3-2 loss to the world number 2.

The Green Machine got off to the ideal start as Shane O’Donoghue scored from a penalty corner in the opening 5 minutes. There were few chances for either side in the opening quarter, though Ireland had a goal disallowed after the ball deflected off an Irish foot. However, it was the Dutch who struck next as the ball was fired into the roof of the net from a reverse stick shot to draw the score level at 1-1.  The remainder of the half saw both teams with near-equal possession and both sides scored in the final 3 minutes of the half. Mitch Darling scoring in the top corner for Ireland after Bruton evaded the defence to set up his teammate.

Two minutes into the second half the Dutch claimed the lead from a rebounded shot after a penalty corner to make it 3-2 to the home side. The second half, similar to the first, was very back and forth with both teams turning over possession frequently. The game finished 3-2 to the Netherlands but was a marked improvement on the first test and great preparation for the fast-approaching Euro’s in London (August 21st- 30th).

Speaking after the match coach Craig Fulton said “ It was a better performance from the team today. We were in the game right till the last minute which is pleasing and an improvement from the first match. We still need to improve in a few areas but it has a been a positive weekend playing against the world number 2”.

Ireland 2 (O’Donoghue, Darling)
Netherlands 3

Team: Harte, Jackson, Gormley, Cargo, Sothern, Caruth, Shimmins, O’Donoghue, M Bell, Carlisle, Robson, Fitzgerald, Good, Bruton, Gleghorne, Darling, Loughrey, O Magee

Irish Hockey Association media release



India-Spain series starts today

New Delhi: Sardar Singh's India will play Spain in a 3-match series, the opening encounter of which will commence today at Sant Cugat del Valles. This match is third match of the ongoing Europe tour after India won a 2-match series against France last week end. India will be eyeing to win its three matches against Spain and keep their winning campaign intact.

Prior to this, both the teams showcased a challenging performance in The Netherlands at the Hockey World Cup 2014 where they settled for a 1-1 draw and also met in the Hockey World League Semi- Finals 2013 where India lost to Spain by 4-2 when both were playing for the 5th position in the tournament.

It was also a respectable draw at the last World Cup in The Hague.

Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh will be at his best while guarding the net for his side. While, Gurjinder Singh will be looked out for his drag-flicking skills as he has to his credit of earning a wonderful brace which helped the team clinch the series with France, recently, India will also be aiming at all the departments delivering in the upcoming 3 match series.

Roelant Oltmans said, “The team is very confident post the recent win against France. I have seen a significant improvement in the boys and they have immensely worked on their strategies and tactics by rectifying their mistakes committed in the last matches. Our defence is a huge strength for us and I hope we start the campaign on a winning note tomorrow.”

Commenting on the team’s preparation for the upcoming clash, Captain Sardar Singh said, “The team is now more motivated after clinching the series against France. The aim will be to put pressure on Spain from the onset and work on all departments beginning with defence, ball possession and attacking strategy. I hope we continue the winning streak and confront the opponents confidently tomorrow to come out as winners.” India will play against Spain on 10th August 2015 at 22:30 IST at Sant Cugat del Valles.

Stick2Hockey.com



Tougher test awaits Indian hockey team in Spain

SANT CUGAT DEL VALLES (Spain): After a cruise against France, a tougher test awaits the Indian men's hockey team when it takes on Spain in a three-match series starting here on Monday.

Both India and Spain put up a challenging performance in The Netherlands at the 2014 World Cup where they settled for a 1-1 draw. They had also met in the 2013 World League Semi-Finals where India had gone down 2-4 against the men from Spain in a position match.

While Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh will be guarding the net, Gurjinder Singh will be looked out for his drag-flicking skills after his brace which helped the team clinch the series in France.

Speaking ahead of the Spanish battle, chief coach Roelant Oltmans said: "The team is confident post the recent win against France. I have seen a significant improvement in the boys and they have immensely worked on their strategies and tactics by rectifying their mistakes committed in the last matches. Our defence is a huge strength for us and I hope we start the campaign on a winning note tomorrow."

Captain Sardar Singh added: "The aim will be to put pressure on Spain from the onset and work on all departments beginning with defence, ball possession and attacking strategy. I hope we continue the winning streak and confront the opponents confidently tomorrow."

India are ranked eighth in the FIH rankings and Spain 10th.

The Times of India



Indian hockey team faces Spain

Sant Cugat del Valles (Spain): After winning the series against France 2-0, the Indian men's hockey team will take on Spain in the first of their three-match series of their European Tour.

The Roelant Oltmans-coached side defeated Spain 2-0 and 4-1 in the first two matches and would like to continue the good work against the hosts.

"The team is very confident post the recent win against France. I have seen a significant improvement in the boys and they have immensely worked on their strategies and tactics by rectifying their mistakes committed in the last matches," Oltmans, who doubles up as the Hockey India (HI) high performance director, said in a release on Sunday.

"Our defence is a huge strength for us and I hope we start the campaign on a winning note tomorrow," the Dutchman added.

In the last two matches between the two sides, India have not had satisfactory results. Spain held India 1-1 in a league match of the 2014 World Cup. They also met in the 2013 Hockey World League (HWL) Semifinals where India lost 2-4 in the fifth place classification contest.

This time, Indian goalkeeper and vice-captain PR Sreejesh needs to be at his best, while Gurjinder Singh will be looked out for his drag-flicking skills.

Spain are known for their strong defensive structure and skipper Sardar Singh, SK Uthappa and Chinglensana Singh will have to win the midfield battle for India.

"The team is now more motivated after clinching the series against France. The aim will be to put pressure on Spain from the start and work on all departments beginning with defence, ball possession and attacking strategy," centre-half Sardar elaborated on his strategy ahead of the game.

"I hope we continue the winning streak and confront the opponents confidently tomorrow to come out as winners."

The Tribune



Terengganu hit five past Tenaga in Malaysia Hockey League

By S. Ramaguru


Sapura's Harmeet Singh (right) tries to block Maybank's Mohd Toseeq at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil. - FAIHAN GHANI / The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: Double champions Terengganu are back at their best.

The east coast side finally lived up to expectations to end high-riding Tenaga Nasional’s unbeaten run with a 5-0 win in the Premier Division of the Malaysia Hockey League at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

Victory took Terengganu to third place in the six-team league on six points. Tenaga, who were the leaders before the start of the match with six points, dropped to fourth on an inferior goal difference.

Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) took over at the top of the standings with seven points after a 1-0 win over winless Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL). They have a better goal difference than second-placed Sapura, who edged Maybank 2-1.

Terengganu had a great start against Tenaga with Ismail Abu scoring a field goal after only six minutes. And just as the first quarter came to an end, national forward Mohamed Firhan Ashaari added the second goal.

Faizal Saari then scored a brace in the 45th and 48th minutes. Jose Leandro Tolini added the fifth in the 60th minute to give Terengganu their second win of the season.

Former champions KLHC maintained their unbeaten run, thanks to a penalty corner conversion by former national junior skipper Mohamed Noor Faeez in the 26th minute.

Earlier, Sapura maintained their good start with a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Maybank.

Maybank scored a field goal through Shafiq Zain after nine minutes. Sapura had to wait until the 38th minute before getting the equaliser through Dangerous Lee.

In the last quarter, Sapura had four penalty corners and they finally sounded the board in the 54th minute. Pakistani Abdul Haseem Khan was quick to slot home a rebound for the winner.

Said Sapura coach Tai Beng Hai: “It’s a great start for us, going three matches unbeaten. The main thing now is to maintain our form and improve further. We have better options and the foreign players have also settled down well.”

Maybank coach S. Vellapan was unhappy with the numerous unforced errors committed by his team.

“It was a good effort but we made too many mistakes late in the game. It is disappointing for us to lose three matches in a row. We have to find a way to stem the slide and get back into the frame. Our goalkeeper (Mohamed Imran Butt) had a great game and saved us on numerous occasions. We have got to improve,” said Vellapan.

The Star of Malaysia



HIL:Kalinga retains its famous five faces for future HIL

Kalinga Lancers, an Odhisha based Hockey India League Franchise, retains its known trio for the next two seasons.

The Kalinga Lancers will start the third HIL campaign with their three key players as the Bhubaneswar-based franchisee has decided to retain young Indian players - Lalit Upadhyay (forward), Devindar Walimiki (forward) and Gurjinder Singh (defender).

Kalinga also retains young Australian talents - striker Aran Zalewski and goalkeeper Andrew Charter - for upcoming two seasons, paying USD 50,000 & 40,000 per season respectively.

For Kalinga Lancers, the drag-flicker specialist Gurjinder (USD 50,000) proved to be the key asset as he has a successful record in converting penalty corners in HIL. In the 2015 HIL, he was the fourth highest goal-scorer in the league and top scorer for his team with five goals, all through penalty corner conversions. His teammate Lalit, who scored two spectacular goals in last season, played a key role in mobilising the forward line and helped his team to create attacks.

Devinder is a rising star, and proved to be an excellent all rounder, and has made a name for himself at the Antwerp HWL SFs recetnly.

Australia’s goalie Andrew Charter is a crucial cog in the Kalinga wheels, who saved many matches for his team. He displayed his best performance at his home match against the defending champions Delhi Waveriders, where he foiled many attacks from the opponents and was awarded Man-of-the-Match for his excellent show.

His fellow countryman Aran Zalewski is also developing into a new star of the team with his consistent performance and talents. He scored the winning goal against Delhi Waveriders at their away match in New Delhi and earned the Man-of-the-Match Award for his brilliant attacking skills.

In the last two seasons, Kalinga Lancers played with young players and they have showed commendable passion to fight against experienced teams and high-class players. In their first season in 2014, the young team finished last with two wins against the defending champions Ranchi Rhinos and Mumbai Magicians. In 2015 HIL, Kalinga Lancers started their campaign with a spectacular 6-3 win over Ranchi Rays and defeated Delhi Waveriders to finish fifth in the points-table.

Kalinga Lancers spokesperson Ms. Rina Mohapatra stated, “Being a young team and joining the League in the 2014 Season, we didnt have an opportunity to take part in the first auction. However, the young Kalinga Lancers players showed high-class talent and stunned everyone in the hockey fraternity with their passion. They played extremely well and we managed to beat top teams in League. This is the reason we have retained the core group of players, such as Lalit Upadhyay, Devindar Sunil Walimiki and Gurjinder Singh, who are now the poster boys of the team and hockey fans in Odisha love their game. The Australian duo of Aran Zalewski and Andrew Charter are also great assets for the team and their experience will help us in the upcoming season. We are expecting to get some good players in the HIL 2015 Auction that will strength out team and take us to the finals in the 2016 HIL.”

On Kalinga Lancers’ retaining decision, Lalit Upadhyay said,“It’s a great feeling that the Team Management has trust in my abilities and retained me for the upcoming seasons. Their decision has boosted my morale and given me confidence to play better for my team in the HIL. Having Devindar, Gurjinder, Zalewski and Charter in the team is also a good feeling as I enjoy playing with them. They are great team-players and their experience will surely help the team to achieve more. We are also thankful to the Odisha crowd who always stood by our side and supported us whole-heartedly. We look forward to showcasing better hockey performance and giving the fans plenty of winning moments in the 2016 HIL.”

Retained Players

1. INDIAN

Name                    Amount          Position
Devindar Walmiki  USD 30,000     Forward
Lalit Upadhyay      USD 35,000      Forward
Gurjinder Singh     USD 50,000      Defender

2. FOREIGN

Name                      Amount          Position                      Country
Aran Zalewski        USD 50,000     Defender/Midfielder    Australia
Andrew Charter     USD 40,000     Goalkeeper                 Australia

Stick2Hockey.com



Kalinga Lancers retain three Indian players for HIL


Kalinga Lancers have decided to retain the Indian troika of forwards Lalit Upadhyay, Devindar Sunil Walimiki and defender Gurjinder Singh for the coming two seasons of the Hockey India League.

Kalinga Lancers have decided to retain the Indian troika of forwards Lalit Upadhyay, Devindar Sunil Walimiki and defender Gurjinder Singh for the coming two seasons of the Hockey India League.

The Bhubaneswar-based franchisee has also retained young Australian talents — striker Aran Zalewski and goalkeeper Andrew Charter — for upcoming two seasons.

For Kalinga Lancers, the drag-flicker specialist Gurjinder proved to be a key player for his successful record in converting penalty corners in HIL.

In the 2015 HIL, he was the fourth highest goal-scorer in the league and top scorer for his team with five goals, all through penalty corner conversions. His teammate Lalit, who scored two spectacular goals last season, played a key role in mobilising the forward line and helped his team to create attacks.

Australia’s goalkeeper Andrew Charter is another important member of Kalinga Lancers, who saved many matches for his team.

He displayed his best performance at his home match against the defending champions Delhi Waveriders, where he foiled many attacks from the opponents and was awarded Man-of-the-Match for his excellent show.

His fellow countryman Aran Zalewski is also developing into a new star of the team with his consistent performance and talents. He scored the winning goal against Delhi Waveriders at their away match in New Delhi and earned the Man-of-the-Match Award for his brilliant attacking skills.

Kalinga Lancers finished last with two wins against the defending champions Ranchi Rhinos and Mumbai Magicians in the opening season. This year, Kalinga Lancers started their campaign with a spectacular 6-3 win over Ranchi Rays and defeated Delhi Waveriders to finish fifth in the points-table.

The Hindu



Delhi Waveriders retain six players for 2016, 2017 HIL; releases Sardar


In a surprise move, former champions Delhi Waveriders (DWR) have released its captain Sardar Singh while retaining six players, including strikers Yuvraj Walmiki and Simon Child for the 2016 and 2017 editions of the Hockey India

Ahead of the fourth edition of HIL next year, each franchisee has been given an option to retain up to three Indian and three international players, while releasing the rest of the squad who will go under the hammer in the 2015 auction.

The three foreign players who have been retained by the Delhi franchisee are star forward Child, defender Steven Edwards and Tristan while besides Walmiki, Talwinder Singh, and Surender Kumar are the Indian players who have managed to hold to their places in the side.

In the last three seasons, the Waveriders played with star-studded players, including Sardar Singh, Rupinder Pal Singh, Australia’s Jason Wilson and Matt Ghodes, New Zealand’s Andrew Hayward and South Africa’s Lloyd Norris Jones.

But surprisingly, the Waveriders have released all these players, including India captain and star midfielder Sardar.

The Waveriders, instead, preferred to retain promising Indian players Talwinder and Surender who captured the limelight through their brilliant play last season.

While Surender was a huge support to the back line, Talwinder and Yuvraj were commended for their performance upfront and the way they complemented Child in his efforts to create opportunities.

Child has been a key member of the Delhi team since their first season and leads the attack from the front. In the 2015 HIL, he scored the maximum goals for his team and was at the sixth position in the goal—scoring list with four goals.

In the previous season also, Child had scored the same number of goals and had helped his team to win the title. His fellow countryman Edwards also with the team since the first edition, added huge value to the team.

The Waveriders won the second season of the league by beating favourites Jaypee Punjab Warriors. However, they performed below-par in this year’s HIL.

“We have retained six players from our existing squad after much deliberation. We will build our team afresh and the players we have retained will lead the team towards new goals in the upcoming HIL 2016,” said Amar Sinha, the Executive Director of Wave’s Group who are the owners of Waveriders team.

“Simon Child, Tristan White and Steven Edwards are very experienced players and having them in the team will help young players to shape-up according to the team’s strategy.

The young and super talented Indian players Yuvraj, Surender and Talwinder are sure to look forward to for their upbeat game on the astroturf,” he said in a statement.

Hindu



Northern Gold women book spot in premier hockey final



Stratford's Harina Rupapera, right, stretches to control the ball during a premier women's hockey match against New Plymouth Girls' High School in New Plymouth last Saturday. The game finished 1-1. Robert Charles/Fairfax NZ

Northern Gold booked a spot in the Taranaki premier women's hockey final when they drew 2-2 with Hawera in Stratford last Saturday.

Hawera needed the win to have any chance of making the final for 2015.

A knee injury to key defender Nikita Kolose-Webby meant she didn't play and farming commitments saw midfielders Trish Ross and Yvonne Werder late, meaning Hawera started the crucial game with only nine players. 

Northern, with two extra players for the first 20 minutes, dominated possession, with Holly Pearson creating a number of opportunities. But strong defensive play by goalkeeper Dinah King and defender Hannah Boniface kept Hawera in the game.

Northern led 2-0 at halftime, with some positional changes working for Hawera after the break. Boniface moved to striker and combined well with Ross and Alisa Ravji to cause chaos in the Northern defence. They were were awarded a number of penalty corners and eventually Ross scored from one. Then Capree Wineera spotted striker Aimee Harrison waiting on the post who made no mistake in deflecting the ball into an open goal.

Hawera pushed hard for the winning goal but the Northern defence held and the two sides finished level at 2-2.

In the other premier women's game, New Plymouth Girls' High School drew 1-1 with Stratford.

The draw guaranteed Stratford a spot in the Taranaki premier women's final along with Northern Gold.

In a weird start to the premier men's match between Hawera and Northern Gold in Stratford, umpire Alister Thomas controversially awarded a five-minute suspension to Hawera captain and player-coach Kane Hughes as he deemed Hawera not ready to oppose Northern who were waiting on the field to start the game. 

Northern should have been able to capitalise on this as as they had a full-strength team and were confident of easily accounting for a Hawera team that has struggled to field a full squad in the last three weeks.  However, the card seemed to do the opposite as Hawera got fired up with the decision and Rhys Wineera decided to take the Northern team on in a number of stunning solo runs the city side struggled to contain. 

Even with Hughes back on the field, Wineera continued to dominate and was eventually rewarded with a great reverse stick strike to give Hawera a 1-0 lead. Northern hit back with a goal to level the scores just before halftime.

Campbell Bower switched to midfield after the break and he created a number of chances for Northern and they were eventually rewarded with a goal. Hughes equalised for Hawera, then Bower showed his experience to score followed quickly by another to give Northern a 4-2 lead.

Hawera closed the gap to one through a well-worked deceptive penalty corner, with Ross Hepburn scoring but Northern held on to win 4-3. 

Hawera are currently fighting a decision to record a default (and four points) against them when their game three weeks ago against Northern Gold was cancelled due to weather and Hawera could not field a team in a game rescheduled mid afternoon on the following Sunday.  In the other premier men's match, Stratford scored a scrappy 3-2 win over New Plymouth Boys' High School.

Nine cards were handed out to players during the game and both teams will need to tidy up their acts if they are to remain title contenders.

In the women's championship, Stratford B Women had a good 6-0 win over Apex in Stratford.

In the men's third division, Te Kiri Rovers met beat Boys' High second XI 4-0 after leading 2-0 at halftime. Ray Brewer bagged a double, while Tane Morgan and Andrew Corkill got one each. 

In a doubleheader weekend, Stratford Avon played Francis Douglas Memorial College first XI in Stratford last Saturday with the young school side winning 5-2. Jacob Campbell scored a hat-trick and Cody Rothwell a double, while Glen Jackson scored twice for Avon.

In a catch up game in New Plymouth on Sunday, Stratford Avon turned the tables and beat the school side 6-0. Taylor scored a double, as did Neil Sanford, while Josh Hook and Doug Russ both scored one.

In the men's championship grade, Stratford Broadway picked up a win over Northern Masters in New Plymouth.

Stuff



Team USA Star Runs Field Hockey Clinic in Berkeley Heights

By ANNA PITINGOLO


Katie O’Donnell, a star of the United States National Women’s Field Hockey Team, held a field hockey clinic in Berkeley Heights.  Credits: Anna Pitingolo

BERKELEY HEIGHTS, NJ -  It started off with two girls with the same name, and turned into the opportunity of a lifetime.

Kate O’Donnell, a rising junior at Governor Livingston High School, reached out to Katie O’Donnell, a star of the United States National Women’s Field Hockey Team, asking if she would consider having one of her clinics in Berkeley Heights. When the latter O’Donnell got the message from her namesake, there was no way she could say no.

“Kate O’Donnell reached out to me via my website and asked if we would come and work camp out here,” Katie O’Donnell said. “When the opportunity arises we definitely make an effort to go to anyone who really wants us to be there and this Berkeley Heights team really wanted us here so we’re happy to come and do our camp.”

Fresh off a gold medal performance at the Pan-American Games, Katie O’Donnell was excited to be back on the field interacting with up and coming field hockey players. She received help with the three-day camp from her fiancé, 2008 South African Olympian and National Field Hockey Team member Marvin Bam.

The clinics and camps are a way to not only help these young athletes improve their game, but also to garner interest for the sport around the country. As mentioned on her website, “in other countries, kids pick up their first stick at the age of three or four. The US has a lot of catching up to do.”

“In general, my major goal is to improve hockey, so to come here and to teach them the skills that I’m actually learning on the national team level only develops hockey in our entire country,” Katie O’Donnell said. “When these girls grow up the pipeline, they’re already learning things so they can continue to build. So if I can share my bit of knowledge now, and they can use it in games and practice, they’re only going to grow.”

Katie O’Donnell made the USA national team in 2005 at the age of 16, becoming the youngest member of team. Since then, she has become the most decorated field hockey athlete in the nation. Her impressive list of accolades includes winning the NCAA National Championship as a member of the University of Maryland field hockey team in 2008 and being named the 2010 Women’s Sports Foundation’s Sportswoman of the Year.

As the sport of field hockey continues to grow, Katie O’Donnell finds it more and more important to interact with young players and pass on her love for the sport. Not only that, but she recognizes how she now serves as a role model for them to look up to.

“I’m becoming friends with these girls, so that connection is so important. They may set a goal from here and if it’s to be like me or to be on the national team, if I’m helping them set a goal and I’m becoming friends with these girls, and they can point me out of a group of 10 people, then I’ve done my part in helping grow the game in our country.”

Team USA just recently qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics, so while Katie O’Donnell will be away training with the national team, Kate O’Donnell and some of the GL field hockey team will be running a clinic of their own the week of August 10th for girls in grades 2-8.

Tap into Berkley Heights

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