News for 16 October 2015
All the news for Friday 16 October 2015
India book final place
by Satwant Dhaliwal
India has booked a place in the finals of the Sultan of Johor Cup following a hard earned 2-1 win over Malaysia at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium.
With 9 points from 4 matches India took charge of the standings, displacing Great Britain who were held to a 4-4 draw by Australia in an earlier match. India needs only 1 point from their final match against Australia to ensure themselves of a third consecutive appearance in the finals.
“I want to congratulate the Malaysian team for fighting so hard, they really put up a good fight against us.” said Indian coach Harendra Singh.
“But I also must congratulate all my boys who have improved greatly throughout their time here and did very well today.”
“I’m very pleased with the performance of the whole team, we relied on the coach’s advice and fixed the problems we had in our previous matches so today we just simply played good hockey.” added Indian team captain Harjeet Singh.
India went on the offensive from the first whistle and earned their first penalty corner in the 3rd minute. Harmanpreet Singh however sent his effort wide of the Malaysian goal much to the relief of the Malaysian goalkeeper Ridzwan Azmi.
Malaysia were pressed back into deep defence and India took control of the game hardly allowing the home team any forays into their semicircle.
Shahril Saabah came close to breaking the deadlock in the 23rd minute but pulled his shot wide of the goalpost.
Two penalty corner conversion goals from Harmanpreet Singh in the 41st and 57th minutes gave India a 2-0 lead before Shahril Saabah managed to pull one back in the 68th minute.
However, Malaysia failed to pull off an escape and succumbed to their second defeat of the tournament having lost 4-2 to Great Britain on the opening day.
“There was a lack of confidence with the team today because our tactics didn’t work out.” said Malaysian coach Arul Selvaraj.
“India plays a lot of long balls so our tactic was to intercept and counter but we ended up allowing them to pick up the long balls and stay in control plus we didn’t create enough penalty corners which are our main scoring weapon.”
“Ultimately, it was a good experience and we learned a lot, we can take this match forward and grow from it. We’re definitely proud of putting up a solid fight against India.”
Official Sultan of Johor Cup site
Last minute goal denies Great Britain a win
by Satwant Dhaliwal
It was heartbreak for Britain as they were denied a spot in the final when Australia equalised in the dying seconds to hold them to a 4-4 draw in the Sultan of Johor Cup at the Taman Daya Stadium.
Great Britain opened scoring in the 8th minute through a goal by Jack Clee before Luke Taylor converted a penalty corner in the 27th minute to make it 2-0 for GB.
It was Luke Taylor’s sixth goal of the tournament.
Australia pulled a goal back through a Ryan Proctor penalty corner conversion in the 31st minute.
Britain then regained their two goal cushion just before the end of the first half as Luke Taylor once again scored from a penalty corner in the 35th minute.
The Australian fight back started in the 55th minute when Frazer Gerrard scored from a penalty corner and 10 minutes later the equalizer came from Stephen Gale.
Great Britain managed to regain the upper hand with a goal by Jack Waller in the 67th minute putting the score at 4-3 in favour of Britain.
There was only two minutes remaining on the clock when Australia removed their goalkeeper and brought in a kicking back. The move worked as they won a penalty corner, and Andrew Scanlon nailed the equaliser by placing the ball between goalkeeper Chris Wyver's pads.
“It was satisfying to come back from being 2 points down in the first half and managing to snatch a draw in the end.” said Australian assistant coach Ben Bishop.
“But we’re not fully satisfied with our performance as we’ve noticed a few areas we need to work on such as our penalty corner defence and how we don’t manage to capitalize on our chances.”
“We’re building throughout the tournament, it’s a working progress but I have faith that the team will get there in the end and live up fully to their potential.”
Official Sultan of Johor Cup site
Maico impresses with hat trick
by Satwant Dhaliwal
Argentina put themselves in contention for a podium finish at the Sultan of Johor Cup when they defeated Pakistan 3-1 at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium.
In the opening 10 minutes, play was largely centred around the middle of the pitch with both teams not making much of a headway in terms of goal chances.
Following on, the game was played in a steady rhythm and the teams found it difficult to get a firm footing on the heavy ground.
“I’m very happy and proud of the team.” said Argentinian coach, Mariano Ronconi.
“But it’s not the win that makes me happy, it’s the team’s performance.”
“They really did well today and surpassed all expectations.”
Argentina took the lead of their 1st penalty corner in the 22nd minute via a goal by team captain Maico Casella and 5 minutes later he doubled their lead when he converted another penalty corner into a goal.
Pakistan were awarded 3 penalty corners consecutively in the 31st, 32nd and 33rd minutes but could not get a decent shot at the goal.
Maico Casella secured Argentina’s victory with his hat trick in the 37th minute.
Pakistan managed to pull a goal back in the 68th minute through Muhammad Qasim but they clearly did not have the depth to trouble the Argentinian defence.
“The team was a bit disjointed today as compared to previous matches so they ended up not playing as well as expected.” said Pakistan team manager Brig. Khalid Farani.
“We missed some good opportunities and Argentina managed to convert all their penalty corners which ended up affecting the morale of the team.”
“We’ll be aiming to regroup and do better tomorrow so that we can show the spectators some good hockey playing when we take on Malaysia.”
Official Sultan of Johor Cup site
India edge Malaysia 2-1 for final slot
By Jugjet Singh
INDIA qualified for the final of the Sultan of Johor Cup when they edged Malaysia 2-1 at the Taman Daya Stadium in Johor Baru Thursday.
With nine points, India are assured of a top-two finish and a chance to defend their title. Argentina and Britain, who square off today, might decide the other finalists.
Malaysia must now beat Pakistan on Saturday if they want to play in the bronze playoff.
"We had the chances to finish off this game, but could not perfect our finishing. Also we gave away too many penalty corers and we can't afford this in the Junior Asia Cup," said Malaysian coach Arul Selvaraj.
India are in Malaysia's group in the Junior Asia Cup in Kuantan next month, which offers the semi-finalists a chance to play in the New Delhi World Cup next year.
"We had a good look at India today (yesterday) and this will be an invaluable experience when we play them again in Kuantan," said Arul.
Malaysia held India at arms length in the first half, as there was almost perfect stopping and passing, and the only thing lacking was shots at goal.
India won two penalty corners, early in the match, but good running and an alert goalkeeper Ridzwan Azmi denied them an early lead.
As the Malaysian boys trooped into the dressing room, the capacity crowd gave them a rousing cheer for winning the fitness and sprints part of the match.
Mistakes crept into the Malaysian game in the second half, as the defenders gave away easy penalty corners to put pressure on themselves.
A total of eight penalty corners were given away, and Harmanpreet Singh scored in the 41st and 56th for a comfortable lead.
Malaysia put up a fight in the last five minutes, and Shahril Saabah scored his fifth penalty corner goal of the tournament for a 1-2 ending.
In another match, it was heart-break for Britain as they were denied a spot in the final when Australia equalised in the final minutes to hold them to a 4-4 draw.
The score was 4-3 in favour of Britain, and there was only two minutes remaining on the clock when Australia removed their goalkeeper and brought in a kicking back.
The move worked as they won a penalty corner, and Andrew Scanlon nailed the equaliser by placing the ball between goalkeeper Ashleigh Thomas' pads.
Britain got their goals off Jack Clee (8th), Luke Taylor (27th, 35th) and Jack Waller (67th). The Australian goals were scored by Ryan Proctor (31st), Frazer Gerrard (55th), Stephen Gale (65th) and Scanlon (70th).
RESULTS: Pakistan 1 Argentina 3, Britain 4 Australia 4, India 2 Malaysia 1.
FRIDAY: REST DAY
SATURDAY: Argentina v Britain (4.35pm), Australia v India (6.3pm), Malaysia v Pakistan (8.35pm).
STANDINGS
P W D L F A Pts
INDIA 4 3 0 1 13 8 9
BRITAIN 4 2 2 0 12 9 8
ARGENTINA 4 2 1 1 8 6 7
AUSTRALIA 4 1 1 2 12 10 4
MALAYSIA 4 1 1 2 8 10 4
PAKISTAN 4 0 1 3 4 14 1
Jugjet's World of Field Hockey
Malaysia miss Sultan of Johor Cup final
by S. Ramaguru
Malaysia's Shahril Saabah was sent tumbling by India's Varun Kumar in the Sultan of Johor Cup match at Taman Daya Stadium. - ABDUL RAHMAN EMBONG / The Star
JOHOR BARU: Malaysia’s hopes of a final berth in the Sultan of Johor Cup went up in smoke when they lost 1-2 to India at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium.
With the win, India are now through to the fourth straight final. They were runners-up to Germany in 2012 and champions in 2013 and last year.
The win over Malaysia gave India nine points to surge to the top of the six-team Under-21 tournament. Britain dropped to second on eight points after being surprisingly held to a 4-4 draw by Australia.
Britain now face Argentina, who are third on seven points after a 3-1 win over Pakistan 3-1, for the other spot in Sunday’s final.
Malaysia went into Thursday’s match full of confidence after notching a 3-2 win over Australia on Wednesday.
But the Indians were in no charitable mood as they dominated play from the get-go. They had seven penalty corners with Hermanpreet Singh on target twice to record their third win.
Malaysia coach A. Arulselvaraj was disappointed with the loss as he felt the team could have done better.
“We had chances but we did not pressure them hard enough. They had better of the exchanges and more penalty corners. We played well at some point but generally we were not sharp enough,” he said.
Malaysia did well to repel all the Indian attack to troop off the field 0-0 at half-time.
But five minutes into the second period, India finally managed to break the deadlock. From a penalty corner, Hermanpreet flicked in a direct attempt to beat Malaysia goalkeeper Mohamed Ridzwan Azmi.
The Indians continued to dominate play and found the target again through their seventh penalty corner in the 57th minute. Hermanpreet was the scorer again.
Malaysia’s best chance came in the 63rd minute when they earned a penalty corner. But Mohamed Shahril Saabah’s attempt was saved on the line by India skipper Harjeet Singh.
But Shahril was not to be denied in the 68th minute when he fired home Malaysia’s second penalty corner. But it was all Malaysia could do as they dropped to fifth in the table on four points.
Earlier, Britain were on course for a place in the final after Jack Waller gave them a 4-3 lead in the 67th minute. But the Australians fought back to gain a point through a last-gasp penalty corner goal in the 70th minute through Andrew Scanlons.
Britain scored their earlier goals through Jack Clee (eighth) and Luke Taylor (27th and 35th minutes) while Ryan Proctor (31st), Fraser Gerrard (55) and Stephen Gale (65) netted for Australia.
In the other match, Argentina recorded their second win when they beat winless Pakistan 3-1.
Argentina skipper Maico Casella was the hero, scoring a hat-trick in the 22nd, 27th and 37th minute. Pakistan’s consolation came through Muhammad Qasim in the 68th minute.
“I’m very happy and proud of the team,” said Argentina coach Mariano Ronconi.
“But it’s not the win that makes me happy, it’s the team’s performance. They really did well today and surpassed all expectations,” he added.
Pakistan team manager Brig Khalid Farani was disappointed to lose their third match in the tournament.
“The team were a bit disjointed today compared to previous matches. We also missed some good opportunities. Argentina managed to convert all their penalty corners and it affected the morale of our team,” he said.
The Star of Malaysia
Indian delight over the hosts
s2h Team
Johor Bahru (Malaysia): Indian notched up a thrilling win over the hosts Malaysia in its fourth match, thus winning the third which helped it knock the finals' door.
Harmanpreet Singh struck a brace of goals in the team edge past Malaysia 2-1 on Thursday.
The Indian colts dominated the match from the first minute and penalty corner specialist Harmanpreet Singh’s two conversions in helped his team to earn three more points. With 9 points, defending champion India Junior Men Team now leads the points-table, ahead of Great Britain (8 pts) and Argentina (7 pts).
The first half started with India’s aggressive attacks on Malaysia from all sides. The forward-line managed to put pressure on the opponents from the first minute. Forwards Arman Qureshi, Sumit Kumar, Gurjant Singh, Parvinder Singh and Ajay Yadav played the ball in the Malaysian half and continuously created new game-plans to breach the opponent’s defence line. Arman, Sumit and Gurjant kept the defenders busy with their short passes and tried hard to penetrate the ball in the goal-box. After a series of attacks, India earned two penalty corners in a short span but both were saved by Malaysian goal-keeper Ridzwan Azmi. Ridzwan hold the goal-posts with the help of his team-mates and successfully restricted India’s fierce attacks. The first-half finished goalless at 0-0 score-line.
Skipper Harjeet Singh led the midfielders pack, consisting of Santa Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Simranjeet Singh and Manpreet, and attacked the opponents from both right and left flanks. In the 41st minute, India earned a crucial penalty corner and drag-flicker Harmanpreet converted it successfully into the first goal of the match.
Conceding a goal, the Malaysians counter-attacked in the next moment and earned a penalty corner, which was perfectly thwarted by Indian custodian Suraj Karkera. Indians charged back with their speedy attacks and earned two more penalty corners. They missed the first opportunity but Harmanpreet converted the second penalty corner into a goal and helped his team to lead the match by 2-0 in the 56th minute. After the goal, both the teams fought harder as Indians were trying to score more where as Malaysians played harder to open their account. The neck-to-neck battle went on till the last moments of the game and in the 68th minute, Malaysia managed to earn a penalty corner, which was converted into their lone goal by Shahril Saabah. Indians held the game till the final whistle and won their fourth league match by 2-1.
India will face Australia in their fifth league match of the 5th Sultan of Johor Cup at 4:05 pm on 17th October 2015.
Stick2Hockey.com
India beat Malaysia 2-1 in Sultan of Johor Cup hockey
JOHOR BAHRU (Malaysia): The India junior men's hockey team continued its winning form as it edged past hosts Malaysia 2-1 in their fourth league match of the Sultan of Johor Cup on Thursday.
India earlier defeated Argentina. On Thursday, they dominated the match and penalty corner specialist Harmanpreet Singh's (41st, 56th minute) two conversions helped India to earn three more points. Malaysia scored in the 68th minute.
With 9 points, defending champions India now lead the points-table, ahead of Great Britain (8) and Argentina (7).
India's forward-line managed to put pressure on the opponents from the very first minute. Forwards Arman Qureshi, Sumit Kumar, Gurjant Singh, Parvinder Singh and Ajay Yadav were always a threat. Arman, Sumit and Gurjant kept the defenders busy with their short passes and tried hard to penetrate the goal-box.
After a series of attacks, India earned two penalty corners in a short span but both were saved by Malaysian goal-keeper Ridzwan Azmi. The first-half finished goalless.
India's midfield was more intense after half-time and tried to penetrate into the Malaysian circle with their long passes. Skipper Harjeet Singh led the midfielders pack, consisting of Santa Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Simranjeet Singh and Manpreet, and attacked the opponents from both the flanks.
In the 41st minute, India earned a crucial penalty corner and drag-flicker Harmanpreet converted it successfully into the first goal of the match. Conceding a goal, the Malaysians counter-attacked and earned a penalty corner, which was perfectly thwarted by Indian custodian Suraj Karkera.
Indians charged back and earned two more penalty corners. Harmanpreet converted the second penalty corner ro make it 2-0 in the 56th minute.
Both teams tried to score and in the 68th minute Malaysia managed to earn a penalty corner, which was converted into their lone goal by Shahril Saabah.
The Times of India
Harmanpreet brace helps India beat Malaysia 2-1
Harmanpreet Singh celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against Malaysia on Thursday. Hockey India
Johor Bahru: Harmanpreet Singh scored a brace as India edged past Malaysia in their fourth match of the 5th Sultan of Johor Cup here today.
In a low-scoring game, drag-flicker Harmanpreet’s twin strikes helped the defending champions beat the hosts 2-1 and climb to the top of the table with 9 points.
The first half saw very few scoring chances for both the teams. India earned two penalty corners in a short span but could not find a way past Malaysian goalkeeper Ridzwan Azmi.
In the 41st minute, India earned another penalty corner and Harmanpreet converted this time. A couple of minutes later, the Malaysians earned a penalty corner after a counter-attack but the effort was thwarted by Indian custodian Suraj Karkera.
India earned two more penalty corners — after missing the first, Harmanpreet converted the second to double India’s lead in the 56th minute.
Malaysia, egged on by the home crowd, tried desperately to find a way back into the match. But the Indian defence stood solid.
It was only in the 68th minute that Malaysia managed to find a goal. Shahril Saabah converted a penalty corner but it was too late for Malaysia to make a comeback.
“I want to congratulate the Malaysian team for fighting so hard,” said India coach Harendra Singh. “But I must congratulate all my boys who have improved greatly throughout their time here and did very well today.”
India need only one point from their final match, against Australia on Saturday, to ensure themselves of an appearance in the final for the third consecutive year.
The Tribune
Sultan of Johor Cup: Pakistan go down 3-1 to Argentina
KARACHI: Pakistan junior hockey team lost 3-1 against Argentina just a day after holding Great Britain to a goalless draw in the ongoing Sultan of Johor Cup in Johor Bahru, Malaysia on Thursday.
The young Greenshirts had beaten Argentina 1-0 in a practice match before the tournament began, but were unable to replicate the same performance in their fourth encounter of the tournament.
Both teams began the game on an equal footing, but in the 21st minute, the Argentinians were awarded a penalty corner which was successfully converted by Maico Casella, who scored again in a similar manner just five minutes later to give his side a 2-0 lead.
Read: Sultan of Johor Cup Pakistan draw 0-0 against Great Britain
Pakistan were awarded three penalty corners in the 31st, 32nd and 33rd minutes, but failed to convert any.
Casella wrought his magic once more and completed his hat-trick in the 37th minute to increase Argentina’s lead to 3-0. Pakistan finally scored a consolation in the last two minutes through Muhammad Qasim to finish the game 3-1.
Pakistan captain Dilber Hussain said both matches against Argentina were intense but the South Americans were the better side when it mattered. “This is a difficult tournament for us,” Hussain told The Express Tribune. “We’re up against some of the best teams in the world and all of them are more experienced than us.”
He added that the team will try to win the last match against hosts Malaysia to finish fifth in the six-nation tournament.
The Express Tribune
Racing extend perfect run in France
Racing Club de France made it five wins from five thanks to a 2-0 win over Le Touquet, keeping their five point lead at the head of the table in tact.
They opened with an early goal from Henri Pignerol after a beautiful interchange down the left from Jean-Laurent Kieffer and Simon Martin-Brisac.
From there, Racing kept attacking but could not break through further despite a number of penalty corners. Le Touquet picked up their tempo and looked more dangerous in the second half with Henri Cavenaille and Aristide Coisne key to their play.
Goalkeeper Corentin Saunier was vigilant to stop their attacks and kept a clean sheet for a third game in a row and the game was killed off when Kieffer scored a reverse-shot after a good run from Jules Francotte.
Saint Germain and Lille did not play because of the EHL, giving Lyon the chance to go second on their own. They duly did so with a 5-0 win over Wattignies.
Lancelot Baumgarten, Matteo Perrin, Guillaume Audoye, Elliot Celier and Thomas Balay all scored for what is now the best attack in the league with 18 goals from five outings.
Paris Jean Bouin and CA Montrouge drew 1-1 in the other game of the weekend, meaning both sides missed out on the chance of overtaking Saint Germain in their absence.
Euro Hockey League media release
Weekend College Games
USA Field Hockey highlights some of the top college games in Division I, II and III each week.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16
DI: No. 4 Duke vs No.3 UNC
Although Duke and UNC are best known for their basketball rivalry, the two schools are competitive in all sports. A game between these two schools is always a game to watch. Heading into the game, Duke’s record is 10-3 with two Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) wins. Not to mention, Duke has won their last six games. Heading into the game, UNC is 11-1 with their only loss to No. 1 Syracuse. Without a doubt, this game could be a close one.
DIII: Rochester vs RPI
The game between Rochester and RPI should be a good game. RPI will be looking for a second conference win while Rochester will be looking for a third conference win. When looking at the teams results, it is important to remember RPI has already played the top two teams in the Liberty League. The game should be a close one with tough competition as RPI narrowly lost to No. 15 Mary Washington. Head to the game if you are in the New York area.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17
DI: Harvard vs Cornell
Harvard and Cornell sit at number 3 and 4 respectively in their conference rankings. Both schools have won two conference games and lost one. Harvard’s big game of the season was a 1-0 win over in-state opponent, Northeastern. Cornell on the other hand was able to capitalize against College of the Holy Cross with a 5-1 win, while Harvard fell against Holy Cross.
DII: Newberry vs No. 10 Limestone
The match-up between Newberry and Limestone will be the second match-up between the two schools this season. During the first game, Limestone dominated Newberry. Although Limestone has dropped a few games, they still remain a top competitor in Division II with a 0-1 loss to No.1 Millersville. It is also important to know that Newberry was able to secure a 2-0 win against No. 5 Bloomsburg. Could this be the season Newberry finds multiple upsets or will Limestone continue to dominate the series?
DIII: MIT vs Smith
MIT currently sits second in the conference standings while Smith is at number four. However, Smith has already competed against the top opponents in the league, Babson and Wellesley, while MIT has only competed against the lower portion of the conference so far this season. The game should be a gritty one with both teams looking to gain more momentum heading into the post season.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18
DI: No. 12 Stanford vs California
Stanford taking on California is the top rivalry game in California. Both teams have had big wins this season with Stanford defeating Duke for the first time ever and as well as Cal beating Penn State for the first time ever. Other big wins for Stanford have been against Northwestern, Indiana and Iowa. Big wins for California have been against Indiana and Stanford, the first time they met this season. Could Stanford come back firing or will Cal find the win again?
DII& DIII: No. 2 West Chester vs No. 8 Ursinus
We're gearing up to see a great cross-division match between West Chester and Ursinus. West Chester has cemented their dominance in Division II this season only three losses to top five teams. Ursinus has also established their prowess in Division III field hockey this season with a 10-2 record. Ursinus has only lost to No. 5 Franklin & Marshall and No. 6 William Smith College. If you want to see the difference between division or lack thereof, this is the game to watch.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 19
DIII: No. 18 Catholic vs No. 13 Christopher Newport University
These two top Division III field hockey schools will be bringing their A game. So far this season CNU has only suffered a loss to Lynchburg College and No. 16 Tufts University. Catholic heads into the game with an 8-3 record but with a couple of great wins against No. 17 Messiah and No. 5 Salisbury. Without a doubt this will be a great game to watch.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21
DII: No. 3 East Stroudsburg vs No. 4 Shippensburg
The game between East Stroudsburg and Shippensburg should be a top Division II game to watch. East Stroudsburg could easily win the Division II title this season after showing their power by knocking off No. 1 Millersville. So far this season, East Stroudsburg is the only school who has been able to defeat Millersville. However, Shippensburg will definitely give East Stroudsburg a run for their money after losing to Millersville in overtime.
USFHA media release
Every Game has a meaning in Rosario
The eight women’s taking part in the Argentina Hockey World League Final will be represented by the best players in the world - hockey heroes and rising stars.
With all of the teams taking part in Rosario already qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, competition will be intense.
Every single game has its own history, with rivals going head to head throughout the competition as each and every one of them strive to win the coveted Hockey World League title.
The opening day will play host to one of the hottest rivalries in world hockey when reigning Olympic, World and Hockey World League champions Netherlands begin their title defence against Germany on Saturday 5 December.
Australia will be looking to avenge their penalty shootout loss to hosts Argentina in the Champions Trophy 2014 final as both teams go head to head on 6 December. Australia, ranked number two in the world, will once again have to endure the passionate support of world number three ranked Argentina in the Estadio Mundialista de hockey.
An Olympic gold medal game rematch between Netherlands and Argentina will not be possible until the quarter-finals, as would a rerun of the 2014 Hockey World Cup final and 2013 World League Final between Netherlands and Australia. Netherlands find themselves in Pool A while Argentina and Australia are in Pool B.
8 December will see the Netherlands take on Korea, with both teams playing out an extremely tight final in June's Hockey World League Semi-Final in Antwerp Belgium, which the Dutch won 2-1.
In addition to renewed rivalries, there will be many extra incentives for teams taking part in Rosario.
In addition to winning the Hockey World League title, the winners will receive an automatic qualification spot for the Champions Trophy taking place next June in London, England.
FIH World Ranking points will also be awarded depending on the teams final standings in Rosario, which will effect each team's World Ranking position. This could prove crucial when it comes to qualification for forthcoming international hockey events.
It will also be one of the last opportunities for teams to compete against one another before they meet again in Rio next August.
Not only will it give teams a chance to discover their opponents strengths and weaknesses, it also provides athletes with another opportunity to showcase their skills to their own coaches who will be monitoring player performances ahead of Olympic squad selections over the coming months.
With so many great rivalries and so much on the line, fans can expect to experience displays of exceptional skill and outstanding physical fitness, with non-stop action and plenty of goals.
It is certainly shaping up to be a fantastic event and the world is invited. Keep up to date with all the latest information on FIH.ch.
FIH site
Malaysia eyeing Masters hockey title
by Aftar Singh
Sultan Ahmad Shah Veteran Hockey Association president Tan Sri Mustafa Mansur (second, left) receiving the mock cheque from AmBank senior vice president and head of group corporate communications and marketing Syed Anuar Syed Ali (second, right) for the Grand Masters Hockey Asia Cup and Pacific Rim International Masters tournament. Looking on are former players Datuk Mohd Zaki Mokhtar (right) and Datuk Poon Fook Loke (left). - LOW BOON TAT / The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia, powered by five former World Cuppers, want to win the third edition of the Grand Masters Hockey Asia Cup at the Pantai Stadium here from Oct 26-Nov 1.
The five former greats featuring for Malaysia are Datuk Poon Fook Loke, M. Mahendran, R. Pathmarajah, Mohinder Singh and Avtar Singh Gill.
Besides Malaysia, the other competing teams in the 60 and above round-robin tournament are defending champions Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea.
Coach James Murthy believes Malaysia are capable of lifting the title for the second time.
Malaysia won the inaugural tournament in Singapore in 2011. They finished third in Hong Kong two years ago in the biennial tournament.
“We have been training since June and we have enough depth in every department to give a strong challenge for the title.
“We will be playing two friendlies against club sides 30-50 and Jolly Lads this weekend in Ipoh,” said James, a former international.
The 29th edition of the Pacific Rim International Masters (60 and above) will also be held simultaneously at the Pantai Stadium. Six teams – Australia A, Australia B, England, Scotland, Egypt and Alliance (combination of players from other countries) – will be involved.
The winners of the Grand Masters Asia Cup will then play against the champions of the Pacific Rim International Masters for the Pacific Rim Sultan Ahmad Shah Cup. Both the tournaments are sponsored by AmBank.
The Star of Malaysia
St John's, Ira Intl triumph in VHA inter-school hockey meet
Suhas Nayse
NAGPUR: St John's High School boys and Ira International School girls triumphed in the VHA Inter-School Hockey tournament which concluded at the VHA ground on Thursday.
In the girls' summit clash, Ira International rode on the solitary goal from Prerna Bodke to pip title favourites Swaminarayan 1-0. The all-important goal came in the 15th minute of play.
In a thrilling boys final, St John's halted the dream run of Vimaltai Tidke Convent with a 3-1 win to emerge champions.
In the third place match, St Francis de Sales defeated St Joseph's Jaitala 2-1.
Individual awards
Girls: Best GK: Shreya Singh (Ira International; best defender: Ritu Biswas (Ira International); best half: Aayushi Joshi (Swaminarayan); best forward: Isha Bhattad (Swaminarayan); woman of the final: Varsha Tripathi (Ira International); best player from runner-up team: Oshin Bansod (Swaminarayan); player of the tournament: Prerna Bodke.
Boys: Best GK: Devansh Kanojiya (St John's), best defender: Raj Somalwar (St John's); best half: Yash Bhivgade (VTC); best forward: Altamas Khan (St John's); man of the final: Hashim Raza (St John's); man of the tournament: Kaustubh Baradiya (VTC); best player from runner-up team: Runeet Dhende (VTC).
RESULTS
Hardline boys final: SFS 2 (Sandesh Menghani 2nd), Tanay Dube (14th) bt St Joseph's, Jaitala 1 (Aniruddha Nitnaware (11th) 1.
Girls final: Ira International 1 (Prerna Bodke 15th) bt Swaminarayan 0.
Boys final: St John's HS 3 (Hashim Raza 10th, 29th (PC), Sahil Mamdiwar (49th) bt VT Convent 1 (Aditya Mariche 46th).
Champion teams
Girls: Ira International: Shreya Singh (GK), Ritu Biswas (Captain), Rutika Gaurkar, Varsha Tripathi, Himanshi Gawande, Shaili Gowardhan, Alka Upadhye, Anushka Bansule, Sameera Kamble, Sachi Kamble, Ishika Mandal, Sushma Yadav, Bharti Yadav, Sharvari Kumbhare, Prerna Bodke, Vaisnavi Gulhane, Simran Bhatti, Rani Ilme. Manager: Shahid Bux.
Boys: St John's HS: Sahil Tambe (GK), Mannu Kumar, Kunal Thakur, Aniket Dharmadi, Hashim Raza (Captain), Altamas Khan, Vinay Katariya, Sahil Mamdiwar, Devanshu Kanojiya, Mohd Sahil, Shrevesh Dhawankar, Brijesh Marshettiwar, Taranjyot Singh, Abid Sheikh, Shubham Gahghate. Coach: Tony Samuel.
The Times of India