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News for 13 January 2020

All the news for Monday13 January 2020


Den Bosch stars shine in double wins over China



Den Bosch’s star striker Frédérique Matla was named player of the match in the Netherlands’ second game of the weekend against China, starting their Pro League title defence with back-to-back victories.

On Saturday, the Dutch swept by the Asian side 3-0 with Ginella Zerbo netting twice with her SCHC club mate Laurien Leurink getting the other.

On Sunday, HC Oranje-Rood’s Laura Nunnink’s  speculative backhand strike somehow squeezing between the legs of China goalkeeper Ye Jiao just five minutes in.

Marloes Keetels – a team mate of Matla’s at Den Bosch – took the Dutch lead to 2-0 midway through the second quarter before China’s Peng Yang reduced the deficit on the stroke of half time, rifling home a wonderful backhand strike to give her team hope.

However, close range finishes from Lidewij Welten, another player set for the EHL FINAL8 with Den Bosch, and Matla put the result beyond all doubt before China’s Chen Ye netted a late consolation goal.

Speaking after the match, Matla said: “I’m really happy because we haven’t had the longest preparation. We are really glad that we started this year with two wins. We still have to sharpen it up because we have to show that we are the best – we want to show that to the world.”

The next women’s Pro League action sees the Netherlands travel to the USA in two weeks time for a double-header while Belgium start their campaign in Australia.

In the men’s competition, the competition gets underway next Saturday when the Netherlands face India at the Kalinga Stadium who are making their debut. The next week, Germany face Spain and Australia host Belgium.

Euro Hockey League media release



2020 Test matches POL v RSA (W)

09 Jan 2020     POL v RSA     2 - 0
10 Jan 2020    POL v RSA     1 - 1
10 Jan 2020     POL v RSA     4 - 3
11 Jan 2020     POL v RSA     1 - 3
12 Jan 2020     POL v RSA     1 - 3

FIH Match Centre



SPAR South Africa keep series alive with victory in Poznan



The fourth test of the Indoor Hockey Test series between Poland and South Africa moved to Poznan in front of a packed crowd as the hosts looked to seal the series. SPAR South Africa were looking to keep the series alive ahead of the final test in Rogowo on Sunday.

The South Africans had showed improvements in the second and third test against a country they have never beaten before but were left to rue missed opportunities. Today the Africans were determined to take the opportunity to make a statement for the world of indoor hockey to pay attention to.

The game was live streamed, the only match of the series, so with the thought of their friends, fans and family watching at home the South Africans started with the intensity that makes them dangerous. Amy Greaves effected a turnover and stormed forward, she fed the ball to Cindy Hack who found Robyn Johnson open in the D. Johnson picked up the ball with her back to goal had a lot to do, but her turn and space creation gave her the opportunity which she buried for her 20th International Indoor goal.

South Africa did not slow down and got the second that their dominance deserved on the break of the interval. South Africa pressured the Polish defence, who probably should have done better, and when the ball popped out in the D, Cindy Hack was never gonna miss. 2-0.

Oriana Bratkowska breathed life back into the Polish challenge with a goal in the 16th minute when she converted from a penalty corner. But that was the last of the scoring until the final quarter.

With Poland pushing for an equaliser the SPAR South Africa Women produced the best play of the game. Jess Lardant played the textbook 1-2 with her captain Cindy Hack before producing a sublime square ball for Kayla de Wall to finish and keep the series alive.

The series headed to Rogowo for the final game on Sunday with Poland leading 2-1.

SPAR South Africa vs. Poland Indoor Hockey Series (Times are in Poland)

1st Test – 9 January – Poland 2-0 SPAR South Africa
2nd Test – 10 January – Poland 1-1 SPAR South Africa
3rd Test – 10 January – Poland 4-3 SPAR South Africa
4th Test – 11 January – Poland 1-3 SPAR South Africa
5th Test – 12 January – 15:00

SA Hockey Association media release



SPAR South Africa share series after superb final test



In the space of 12 months the SPAR South African women’s team have drawn a series with the world number five, beaten the world number 7 twice and now shared a series away from home with the World number 6. This result comes on the back of a superb and swashbuckling performance in a 3-1 win in the final test match of the series.

It wasn’t all easy going for the African’s who found themselves trailing to a Monika Polewczak goal in the 12th minute but managed to restore parity when Edith Molikoe scored her first of the series just three minutes later. SPAR South Africa then took the lead in the third quarter when Edith’s fellow 19-year-old Kayla de Waal added to her collection of International Indoor Hockey goals.

With Poland desperately trying to get the goal that would seal the series the South Africans were resolute in defence with Kara Botes, Jamie Southgate, Jess O’Connor and Jess Lardant being incredibly impressive throughout the game. With that defensive stability the stage was set for one more goal for the South Africans. The goal came from the captain and it was a milestone goal. The goal for Hack was her 100th International Indoor Hockey in just her 105th test match.

The final score was a 3-1 win for the South Africans meaning that the series was shared and the 16th ranked South Africans added another remarkable feather into their cap.

Cindy Hack was awarded the South African MVP while Kara Botes, Cindy Hack, Kayla de Waal and Robyn Johnson all scored two goals in the series for the South Africans.

It was a memorable series for the South Africans with Jess O’Connor and Lennie Botha reaching their 100th caps, a shared series and magic moments. Special thanks to Tayla Sportswear for the kit and of course to SPAR who have made everything possible for the South African Women’s Indoor Hockey team over the past 7 years.

The South Africans will now look towards the African Cup scheduled to take place around June this year with a likely home series to take place before that. All eyes will soon start switching to FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup 2021.

SPAR South Africa vs. Poland Indoor Hockey Series

1st Test – 9 January – Poland 2-0 SPAR South Africa
2nd Test – 10 January – Poland 1-1 SPAR South Africa
3rd Test – 10 January – Poland 4-3 SPAR South Africa
4th Test – 11 January – Poland 1-3 SPAR South Africa
5th Test – 12 January – Poland 1-3 SPAR South Africa

SA Hockey Association media release



Canada edges win over Scotland in another exciting indoor match



Canada were the 6-5 victors at Bells Sports Centre but they were pushed all the way by Scotland in a close match to finish the three-match series. Scotland won 10-2 following a 5-5 draw the previous day in the international indoor hockey trilogy.

The first chance of the game went to Scotland after some lovely play by Stephen Dick found Cammy Golden arriving on goal, but he was denied by the pads of the goalkeeper.

Canada then sprung forward and opened the scoring when they unlocked the Scottish defence with a slick diagonal pass, before the ball was forced home by Tyler Branca to make it 1-0.

Scotland looked composed despite going behind and dominated the play. They almost equalised quickly when a lovely spin and pass found Andrew McConnell but his shot just evaded the far post.

Canada went 2-0 up early in the second quarter; again some slick cross court passing opened the Scots up and Lyle Fernandez provided the finish.

The response from Scotland was instant and an Adam MacKenzie drag flick found the top right corner to make it 2-1.

That same top corner was the target again when Dan Coultas nearly equalised but his backhand flick swung just wide of the mark.

The second half was as fiercely competitive as the first. Coultas nearly scored early doors after some more inventive play by Dick, but the keeper was out quick to block the effort.

There was a yellow card for Mackenzie and the Canadians went on the prowl. They then Jagpred Singh increased their advantage when he slammed the ball low against the backboard for 3-1.

Still a man down, Joe McConnell struck the outside of the post for Scotland from a tight angle after some lovely build-up down the right.

Right at the end of the third Canada scored again when a penalty corner took a couple of wicked deflections and crawled over the line for 4-1.

Scotland came out strong in the final quarter and Coultas was denied an early goal after the keeper dived at full length to save his shot low at the right post.

Gordon Amour then got a deserved goal for Scotland when Golden picked him out arriving at the far post for a well-worked tap-in. 4-2.

Another yellow card was shown to Scotland and Canada set out to capitalise. Fernandez struck again with a drag flick to make it 5-2 and seemingly put the game out of reach for Scotland. It went 6-2 soon after when the ball was forced over the line despite a valiant effort to keep it out.

The Scots wouldn’t go down without a fight however and Coultas struck one back when he slammed a powerful drag flick into the net for 6-3.

Scotland threw everything at the Canadian goal for the final few minutes and struck again through Dick, a low and hard strike against the backboard for 6-4.

Dick then scored again when he somehow managed to thread the ball through the goalkeeper’s legs from a tight angle. 6-5, and the comeback was on.

Despite the effort Canada held on for the win in another exciting indoor match at Bells.

Scottish Hockey Union media release



Surbiton lead the way into Men's Finals


Photo by Garry Bowden.

Surbiton will go into the Finals as favourites to win the England Hockey Jaffa Super 6s Men's Indoor Championship after topping the table at the end of the group stages this weekend.

Having secured two wins on Saturday the table toppers went into Sunday full of confidence and produced two excellent performances, winning 13-2 against Canterbury before beating Bowdon 14-4 later in the day.

GB ace Alan Forsyth netted 16 times over the weekend to top the competition goal scoring charts and help Surbiton book their place in the Finals at the Copper Box Arena on February 2.

East Grinstead finished second in the table to cement their place in the final four.

They secured three wins from their four games over the weekend to finish three points behind Surbiton at the top of the table.

On Saturday the Sussex side won 4-3 against Reading and 7-3 versus Bowdon before picking up a 4-1 win against Sevenoaks on Sunday.

Holcombe also secured their place in the finals after securing two wins and a draw from their four games over the weekend.

They drew 4-4 with Hampstead & Westminster and lost 5-4 to Surbiton on Saturday, but the Kent side went on to pick up six points on Sunday with a 5-3 victory against Wimbledon and a 6-4 win against Reading respectively.

Wimbledon were the final side to secure their place in the finals after securing two victories over the weekend.

On Saturday they produced an excellent display to win 13-2 against Bowdon, with Ed Horler netting seven times in the process.

Sunday saw Wimbledon slump to a 5-3 defeat at the hands of Holcombe before securing a 3-2 victory against Reading in the penultimate game of the day to secure their place in the finals on goal difference.

Elsewhere, Sevenoaks missed out on a place in the final four on goal difference after securing two wins from their four games over the weekend.

They won 5-2 against Wimbledon but suffered a 7-3 loss to Surbiton on Saturday.

Then on Sunday they lost 4-1 against East Grinstead but won 6-5 against Hampstead and Westminster.

Jaffa Super 6s Championships Premier Division

Results (Sat, 11 Jan 2020): Sevenoaks 3, Surbiton 7; Holcombe 4, Hampstead & Westminster 4; Canterbury 4, Reading 6; East Grinstead 7, Bowdon 3; Wimbledon 2, Sevenoaks 5; Surbiton 5, Holcombe 4; Hampstead & Westminster 8, Canterbury 1; Reading 3, East Grinstead 4; Bowdon 2, Wimbledon 13.

Results (Sun, 12 Jan 2020): Canterbury 2, Surbiton 13; Holcombe 5, Wimbledon 3; Sevenoaks 1, East Grinstead 4; Bowdon 5, Canterbury 0; Reading 4, Holcombe 6; Hampstead & Westminster 5, Sevenoaks 6; Surbiton 14, Bowdon 4; Wimbledon 3, Reading 2; East Grinstead 3, Hampstead & Westminster 5.

League table:
Surbiton…21pts
East Grinstead…18
Holcombe…16
Wimbledon…15
Sevenoaks… 15
Hampstead & Westminster…13
Reading…4
Bowdon…4
Canterbury…0

Full results, statistics and goal scorer information is available here - https://englandhockey.altiusrt.com/

England Hockey Board Media release



Walton goals help Bowdon Hightown reach Jaffa Super 6s Finals


Photo by Garry Bowden.

Four more goals from Sally Walton helped Bowdon Hightown secure their place in the England Hockey Jaffa Super 6s Finals next month, and ensured the experienced international ended the group stages top of the goalscoring table.

The 38-year-old has 21 goals across Bowdon Hightown’s eight group stage matches, which culminated in a 4-0 win over Sutton Coldfield as well as a crucial 4-3 victory over table-toppers East Grinstead.

Things didn’t start well for Bowdon Hightown though, with a 2-2 draw with Surbiton being followed by a 6-1 loss to Slough on Saturday.

But they hit back on Sunday with two wins to book their place at the Copper Box Arena in London for the Finals on February 2.

East Grinstead top the table despite the loss to Bowdon. They drew 2-2 with Buckingham in Saturday’s first match before hammering Clifton 7-0 later in the day. And Sunday’s 8-1 win over Sutton Coldfield guaranteed their spot in the top four.

Despite the loss to East Grinstead, Sutton Coldfield will join them in the finals after finishing third.

They beat Holcombe 4-2 and Leicester 3-2 on Saturday, which gave them enough points to finish third despite losses to East Grinstead and Bowdon Hightown on Sunday.

The fourth and final place in the Jaffa Super 6s Finals next month was taken by Buckingham in the dramatic last match of the day.

They drew 2-2 with Slough to keep hold of fourth spot as their rivals desperately went in search of a win which would’ve seen them leapfrog Buckingham into the last finals place.

Earlier in the weekend Buckingham had drawn with table-topping East Grinstead, beaten Surbiton 7-5 and overcome Holcombe 8-2.

Slough had given themselves every chance of scraping into the top four with a draw against Leicester and wins over Bowdon Hightown and Holcombe, but just came up short.

Jaffa Super 6s Championships Premier Division

Results (Sat, 11 Jan 2020): Holcombe 7, Clifton 1; East Grinstead 2, Buckingham 2; Surbiton 2, Bowdon Hightown 2; Slough 2, Leicester 2; Sutton Coldfield 4, Holcombe 2; Clifton 0, East Grinstead 7; Buckingham 7, Surbiton 5; Bowdon Hightown 1, Slough 6; Leicester 2, Sutton Coldfield 3.

Results (Sun, 12 Jan 2020): Surbiton 7, Clifton 3; East Grinstead 8, Sutton Coldfield 1; Holcombe 1, Slough 3; Leicester 7, Surbiton 1; Bowdon Hightown 4, East Grinstead 3; Buckingham 8, Holcombe 2; Clifton 1, Leicester 5; Sutton Coldfield 0, Bowdon Hightown 4; Slough 2, Buckingham 2.

League table:
East Grinstead…19pts
Bowdon Hightown…19
Sutton Coldfield…16
Buckingham…15
Slough…14
Holcombe…9
Leicester…7
Surbiton…4
Clifton Robinsons…0

Full results, statistics and goal scorer information from all divisions can be viewed here - https://englandhockey.altiusrt.com/

England Hockey Board Media release



Pembroke’s magic eight minute spell; Rathgar win seven-goal thriller


Pembroke’s Rachel Scott scored twice late on against Muckross. Pic: Adrian Boehm

Pembroke won the big D4 derby in the Jacqui Potter Cup as most of the favoured sides advanced; Rathgar won seven-goal thriller against Avoca in men's Division One

Pembroke struck three times in the last eight minutes to win the big Jacqui Potter Cup second round derby against Muckross, prevailing 5-2 for a deceptive final scoreline in the squally rain.

Hayley O’Donnell and Ava Beatty helped Pembroke into a 2-1 lead at half-time with Susie Cannon getting the Muckross reply with goalkeeper Kate O’Donnell making some key saves.

The Marlborough Road hosts tied things up in Q3 when Sophie Barnwell’s strike got a touch from Jane O’Brien, setting up a big final phase.

Orla Macken – as so often this season – popped up with a key goal, striking from a penalty corner off the post for 3-2 and time running out. Rachel Scott cracked in another from the top of the circle to make the game safe and then added another for good measure at the end.

UCD were made to work all the way by Division Two side Pembroke II but a first half Nina Heisterkamp effort earned them a 1-0 win and a place in the quarter-finals.

Railway Union also had a big test on their hands against Glenanne but Jenny Long earned them a 1-0 success to keep alive their title retention hopes.

The other two EYHL sides had fewer worries, Loreto easing by Old Alex II 3-0 and Old Alex’s firsts saw off Avoca 4-0.

Railway Union II are a dangerous proposition in the quarter-final draw after they beat Genesis 3-0 with the Joyce twins Isobel (two) and Cecelia (one) accounted for their goals. With a wealth of top level experience and medals in their line-up, they have the ability to cause plenty of problems.

Indeed, their Sunday 1-1 draw with Pembroke II was the first goal they had conceded all season across 13 games and three competitions. Corinthian continued their winning ways with a 4-0 away win at Rathgar.

Naas and Three Rock Rovers’ second round tie was called off after 10 minutes due to a water-logged pitch.

In men’s Leinster Division One, Stuart Malcolm played a pivotal role as Rathgar won a 4-3 dust-up against Avoca in the first league game of 2020, closing the gap on third place.

Gar were without Alan White, Andy Malcolm and Jonny Orr but did welcome back John Willoughby, Stuart Cinnamond and Steven Roberts amid a series of changes.

Malcolm gave them lead the from a short corner which deflected in off an Avoca defender. The response came within five minutes from another set piece, Richard Couse continuing where he left off before Christmas, catching out Matt Breton with a drag-flick.

Malcolm restored the lead from another drag to the bottom right-hand corner only for Couse to equalise for a second time. He produced some slick skills on the baseline to slide the ball in on his reverse, 2-2.

The hosts, though, took the lead for a third time from another corner, Malcolm turning provider this time, finding Tom Kemsley at the back post. Rathgar extended the lead to 4-2 in the third quarter when the ball broke to John Willoughby in the circle and he beat a couple of defenders before slipping the ball past the Avoca keeper.

With seven minutes to go, Malcolm thought he had his hat-trick after he reversed in from a short corner although it was judged to be too high when it was touched by the goalkeeper on to the back board.

Avoca made it a tight finish pulling the score back to 4-3 with four minutes to play from an Oisin O’Halloran sweep from the top of the circle.

Women

Jacqui Potter Cup – Round 2: Rathgar 0 Corinthian 4 (L McGrane, L Pomeroy, C Arubulo, C Vincent); Old Alex 4 (I Dunlop, E Russell, H McDermott, S Robinson) Avoca 0; Pembroke II 0 UCD 1 (N Heisterkamp); Railway Union 1 (J Long) Glenanne 0; Railway Union II 3 (I Joyce 2, C Joyce) Genesis 0; Loreto 3 (A Taaffe, M Jennings, S Evans) Old Alex II 0; Muckross 2 (J O’Brien, S Cannon) Pembroke 5 (R Scott 2, H O’Donnell, O Macken, A Beatty)

Postponed: Naas v Three Rock Rovers – waterlogged pitch

Men

Leinster Division 1: Rathgar 4 (S Malcolm 2, T Kemsley, J Willoughby) Avoca 3 (R Couse 2, O O’Halloran)

The Hook



Thunderbolts coach snubs media

By Jugjet Singh

TNB Thunderbolts were hammered 5-0 by Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) in yesterday’s Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) match with the former’s coach declining to comment on his team’s performance in Bukit Jalil.

Thunderbolts coach Nor Azlan Bakar brushed aside efforts to interview him by saying: “I have nothing to say about this match... just interview the winning side.”

His THT counterpart, K. Dharmaraj, however, was more courteous although he was not very happy with his team’s display.

“A 5-0 win, but it is not enough. I expected more from my players following the 3-2 defeat to Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) on Friday.

“This is because goals might come into the picture at the end of the day to decide the champions,” said Dharmaraj.

South Korean Jang Jong Hyun netted a hat-trick in the eighth, 13th and 24th minutes.

Faizal Saari (40th) and Abid Sufian Mat Ruslee (60th) completed the rout.

Thunderbolts team manager M. Kaliswaran was more open about the match.

“We played badly. The boys played better against Tenaga Nasional (lost 3-1) on Friday.

“I believe it is because we had played Tenaga many times (in friendlies) before the MHL and my players were more comfortable with them.

“This was our first match against THT this year, and I believe my team will be better prepared for them in the return leg,” said Kaliswaran.

RESULTS — Men: TNB Thunderbolts 0 THT 5, NurInsafi 1 Tenaga Nasional 6, Maybank 4 UiTM 1, HockAdemy 1 UniKL 3.

New Straits Times



Jong-hyun makes amends by netting a hattrick against Thunderbolts

By T. AVINESHWARAN


Three-goal hero: Terengganu’s Jang Jong-hyun (left) posing with assistant coach Seo Jong-ho after the match against Thunderbolts.

KUALA LUMPUR: Terengganu’s Jang Jong-hyun has turned his anger into motivation to enjoy a goals galore in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL).

Jong-hyun scored a hattrick as Terengganu pulled off a sensational 5-0 win over TNB Thunderbolts at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

On Friday, he was mad at himself after firing blanks in the match against Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) and his team eventually lost 2-3.

But yesterday, Jong-hyun, known for his drag flicking prowess, was on fire as he scored all three goals through penalty corners in the eighth, 13th and 24th minutes.

The other goals were scored by Faizal Saari (40th) and Mohd Abid Sufian Mat Ruslee (60th).

Jong-hyun was happy to finally come good for his team.

“It was really stressful when I did not get a goal against UniKL. Today, I scored three times, I’m happy, ” said Jong-hyun, who is hellbent on winning the top scorer’s award for the second year in a row.

Last season, he scored 22 goals and did not mince his words when asked about his aim for 2020.

“In every match, my aim is to help my team win through scoring goals. I may be a centreback, but I know what my penalty corners can do.

“I aim to be the top scorer and I hope to get more penalty corner opportunities to make that happen, ” he said.

His highest-scoring season was in 2017 when he scored a whopping 28 goals.

When asked what was the secret behind the success rate of his penalty corners, Jang said: “I would imagine different situations during training and get my teammates involved too. From there, I will plan my flicks, whether to hit low or high, bottom corner or top corner.”

“Also, you need strong mental strength to get these flicks right. Focus is needed if you want to be the best in any kind of situations.”

Having worked under three different coaches – Sarjit Singh, I. Vickneswaran and K. Dharmaraj – since he joined Terengganu in 2016, Jang said he does not want to compare their coaching styles because his duty is to execute their plans.

“I do not like to compare because my job is to play and execute their plans. I play to entertain the fans and score the goals.”

“All three are popular coaches in Malaysia, so it’s hard to compare.”

Meanwhile, Dharmaraj said they could have scored more.

“Jang is an ace drag-flicker. We can see his quality in training. He could have scored more if we had created more penalty corner opportunities, ” said Dharmaraj.

In the other matches, Maybank beat UiTM 4-1 to record their first win in the league in the second pitch of the National Hockey Stadium, while Tenaga Nasional showed no mercy as they thrashed Nur Insafi 6-1 at the Sungai Petani Hockey Stadium.

The Star of Malaysia



Peshawar, Malakand win hockey matches in Inter Board Gala

ISLAMABAD - Peshawar Board, Malakand Board and Faisalabad Board on Sunday won their matches in hockey competitions on the second day of the Pakistan Inter Board Boys Gala 2020 being held at Pakistan Sports Complex.

Talking to The Nation on Sunday, PSB Director Media M Azam Dar said in hockey event at Naseer Bunda Hockey Stadium, Peshawar thrashed Abbottabad 7-1 in the first match, Malakand routed Sahiwal 3-0 in the second, Faisalabad hammered Rawalpindi 4-0 in the third and Bahawalpur thumped Larkana 3-0 in the fourth match.

The Nation

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