News for 11 July 2016
All the news for Monday 11 July 2016
Canadian men cap off Summer Games Sendoff with blowout win
Shaheed Devji
PHOTO: Canadian forward Matthew Guest (left) battles with a United States player during Canada’s 8-1 win on July 10, 2016 (By: Blair Shier)
Canada’s men’s field hockey team finished the Summer Games Sendoff presented by London Drugs with an 8-1 win Sunday in Surrey, British Columbia.
With the win, Canada completes the four-game sweep of the United States, outscoring the Americans 24-7.
Keegan Pereira scored four goals and was named the London Drugs Man of the Match for the second time in series. Pereira ends the series with 7 goals and ties fellow Canadian Gordon Johnston for the series lead in goals.
Pereira opened the scoring in the 5th minute of play after following a strong cross-field pass from Adam Froese with a quick play to get free in the U.S. circle and beat goalkeeper Brandon Karess.
The United States pushed back immediately, earning their first corner of the game minutes after Canada opened the scoring, but William Holt’s drag flick was stopped by keeper David Carter, who started all four games for Canada.
The Americans did end up tying the game in the 12th minute on a goal off the counter-attack from Amandeep Khokhar.
But the tie was short lived.
In the 16th minute, Johnston picked up his first of two penalty corner goals after Pereira earned the attempt.
After re-taking the lead, Canada didn’t look back.
Richard Hildreth closed out the first half with a goal, and then Pereira himself scored three goals – one while wearing only one shoe – in a four minute span in the third quarter to put Canada up 6-1.
Fourth quarter goals from Johnston and Froese, on a dash up from the backline, finished the attack for the Canadians.
The Canadian men now head to Vancouver Island for a mini training tour and clinics with youth, before returning to Vancouver for their final week and a half of preparation before leaving for Rio.
Canada opens the 2016 Olympic Games on August 6th against Germany.
SUMMARY:
Goals – Canada
5′ – Pereira (FG)
16′ – Johnston (PC)
30′ – Hildreth (FG)
39′ – Pereira (FG)
41′ – Pereira (FG)
42′ – Pereira (FG)
48′ – Johnston (PC)
60′ – Froese (FG)
Goals – United States
12′ – Khokhar (FG)
Field Hockey Canada media release
India defeat Dinamo Storitel 3-2 in junior hockey meet
YEKATERINBURG (Russia): India's junior hockey team came back strongly in its second game against Russian club Dinamo Storitel in the EurAsia Cup to record a 3-2 victory in an entertaining game on Sunday.
For India, Gurjant Singh (30th minute), drag-flicker Varun Kumar (53rd) and Parvinder Singh (60th) scored.
In a surprisingly slow-paced first half, India dominated the possession but didn't manage to convert the possession into goals till late in the game.
Dinamo, despite being under pressure, managed to win two consecutive penalty corners but India's defence did its best to keep the scores level.
Soon after, with minutes to half time, Gurjant scored the opener for India to take them into half time with a 1-0 lead.
Dinamo hit back soon after the restart, via a penalty corner hit from Semen Matkovsky in the 45th minute and then took a shocking lead with a second goal in the 46th minute via L Mikhail.
India though kept their heads and continued playing their possession based style, and soon enough had the equaliser, Varun scoring in the 53rd minute via a penalty corner.
With a minute of the game left to play, Parvinder scored to give India the lead and a second win on the trot in the EurAsia Cup.
In the first match, India defeated Dinamo 3-1 on Saturday.
The Times of India
Change of guard: Sreejesh to lead hockey team in Olympics?
Harpreet Kaur Lamba
Sardar Singh and P.R. Sreejesh
In what is a sign of things to come in Indian hockey, goalkeeper Sreejesh P.R., it is learnt, is likely to be handed captaincy duties for the Rio Olympics ahead of regular skipper Sardar Singh.
Though a skipper doesn’t have the most important role to play in hockey, with the coach being responsible for strategies, rolling substitution and calling the shots, leading the side in the Olympics is a huge glory for any player.
The signs were imminent in the recent tournaments in London and Valencia, where India put up contrasting results.
The young, sprightly and experimental squad finished on the podium at the prestigious Champions Trophy under Sreejesh, who led by example. It was their best finish in the 38-year history of the tournament, and what stood out was a young India ready to fight despite the odds against them.
India matched every team in fitness, skills and even in their ability to fight. Sreejesh too enjoyed good form.
One expected equally good results, if not better, as India fielded their full squad in the the six-nation tournament at Valencia, Spain, a week later. Sardar - one of the most talented and skilled player in world hockey today - was back as skipper as were senior defender Rupinderpal Singh and striker Ramandeep Singh.
And even though there were a few niggles and injuries, there was a sharp dip in the performance, and even body language. They returned home with only one win - that too against first-time Olympic qualifiers Ireland - and two draws and two losses.
Says a member of the think-tank, "A change of the guard was needed. This decision has been taken after a lot of discussions and deliberations and keeping in mind the team’s best interest.
"Sardar seemed off-colour in Spain, and perhaps he can perform better without the extra burden of captaincy."
It is important to mention that off-field issues too have surrounded Sardar, who has led the team since 2013. There are allegations of rape and domestic violence against him from a British girl of Indian origin, also a hockey player, even though no official complaint has been registered yet.
Besides, what seems to have gone in Sreejesh’s favour is his ability to lead the team with confidence, placing belief in youngsters and channelizing the team with a positive mindset.
Says a player, "The very first thing he did after being named the captain for the Champions Trophy was call a meeting of all the players in Bengaluru.
"Each one of us were designated roles and told how important we were to the team’s success. The juniors too were asked to express themselves freely. It helped in creating a positive environment and had a lasting impact."
The Asian Age
Birendra Lakra set to miss Rio Olympics
Birendra Lakra.
Captain Sardar Singh is likely to be switched between middle and forward lines to support an inexperienced attack line.
Despite a race against time to be fit, talented defender Birendra Lakra is all set to miss the bus to Rio.
Lakra, who stepped on the turf last month for the first time in four months since his knee surgery, is yet to achieve the level of match fitness desired for the Olympics.
The 25-year-old suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in his right knee during Ranchi Rays’s Hockey India League match against Dabang Mumbai in February and was operated upon in the first week of March.
“He worked his heart out and even played all the matches at the six-nation tournament in Valencia but some elements in terms of his match fitness are still missing. He won’t be going to the Olympics,” sources in the team management confirmed. An ACL tear normally takes four-five months to heal before an athlete can start practising.
Staff members added that though there was still a chance of his being able to attain peak form in the coming three weeks before the Games kick off, the fact that the final squad had to be picked this week hampered the choice.
All praise, but…
“The coaches and selectors are all praise for his efforts in doing what many thought was clearly impossible. But they did not want to risk either his rehabilitation or the team’s chances. They took the decision purely on the basis of the situation at the moment,” sources said.
Lakra has returned home for the time being and team sources said though he was obviously disappointed, he had been mentally prepared for this decision.
In his absence, there would be increased pressure on the lone goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh, who shared a good understanding with Lakra in defence. He is likely to be replaced by Surender Kumar, who impressed with his tackling in both the Champions Trophy and the six-nation competition.
Youngster Harmanpreet Singh, named the most promising young player at the Champions Trophy, is also likely to make the cut as the third drag-flicker in the team, along with seasoned V.R. Raghunath and Rupinder Pal Singh, to shore up the defence.
Captain Sardar Singh is likely to be switched between middle and forward lines to support an inexperienced attack line.
The Hindu
Allegations against be baseless: Ritu Rani
Gagan K. Teja
The sudden decision by the Indian hockey team management to drop captain Ritu Rani from the Olympics squad has left the ace player high and dry. Rani, who is lost for words in trying to explain this, said she is extremely hurt by the allegations levelled against her by the team coach, Neil Hawgood.
Rani has allegedly been dropped due to her “attitude, lack of commitment and poor performance” in the past few international tournaments. However, Rani termed the allegations baseless, claiming that there were no concrete grounds for dropping her.
“Ever since I started playing, I have thought of nothing else but hockey and questioning my commitment towards the game is extremely painful to me. Till date I have never questioned the decision of the coach and selectors but making such allegations is highly disrespectful for any player.”
She added that she was angered mainly because of the reasons given by the coach, since she shares very cordial relations with her teammates. “I have been playing for India for over a decade now and there has never been an incident of indiscipline reported against me. I deserved to be in the team and the development is highly upsetting,” she added.
It had been reported that the team management was not aware that Rani had got engaged last month. This, an official suggested, meant that her primary focus was not on the sport.
Her fiancée Harsh Sharma urged her teammates to come out in support of Rani. He said Rani was being targeted just because she is non-expressive and chooses to stay silent over all issues. “Rani was dropped from two previous tournaments by her coach, and he explained that he needed her for the Olympics and didn’t want to tire her,” he added. “He said that she had been playing for three years continuously and it would be good if she took adequate rest before the Olympics. And now he is questioning her focus and commitment, which is very strange.”
Rani did not leave the national camp on her own, the duo clarified. They said Rani had been asked by the coach to go home as she had been dropped from the squad. When she wanted to know the reason, he only said that she “lacked focus”, according to Rani.
“Getting engaged is not a crime and she doesn’t even talk to me during her practice hours. What more can they ask from a player?” wondered Sharma.
The Tribune
Wananchi keep pace at top
Derrick Akuwa’s side are currently leading the table on 13 points.
By Kasozi Balikuddembe
Leaders Wananchi held the reigns over Rockets in the men’s division as the second round of the Ugandan National Hockey League kicked off on Saturday at Lugogo.
William Oketcha scored the game’s only goal in the 29th minute as the defending champions maintained a steady run at the top of the log in spite of the narrow victory.
Derrick Akuwa’s side are currently leading the table on 13 points as they look to add more silverware with the latest being the Weatherhead Open they won two weeks ago.
In the women’s division, it was a goalless draw between bottom-placed Weatherhead Jaguars and Deliverance Church.
National Hockey League results
Men
Wananchi 1 Rockets 0
Women
Deliverance Church 0 Weatherhead 0
The New Vision
Wanderers beat Nust in Hockey Premier League
by Helge Schutz
Shaun Junius of Wanderers on the attack against Nust.
WANDERERS' men and women's Premier League teams came out on top in two contrasting matches against Nust (Namibia University of Science and Technology) in the Bank Windhoek Field Hockey League on Saturday.
Wanderers' women beat Nust 1-0 to move to the top of the Women's Premier League log, while Wanderers' men thrashed Nust 12-0 to record their first victory of the season.
In the women's match, Juanne Engelbrecht scored the only goal of the match after 10 minutes of the first half.
Nust provided stiff resistance but could not find the net and Wanderers held on for the victory.
The victory put Wanderers on top of the log on seven points after three matches - just ahead of Unam (also on seven) on goal difference.
Saints are third on four points, while DTS, Nust and Windhoek Old Boys (WOB) must all still open their account.
Wanderers' men meanwhile thrashed Nust 12-0 after leading 4-0 at halftime.
Stefan du Preez opened the scoring after only two minutes, and by halftime Wanderers were already leading 4-0.
The one-way traffic continued after the break and had it not been for some fine saves by Nust goalkeeper Trevor Norich, the score could have been much higher.
Jesko Hoffmann was Wanderers' top scorer with four goals, while Stefan du Preez and Jan Izak de Villiers scored a brace each.
Their other goals were scored by Tiaan Muller, Hendrik van der Walt, Tiaan Erlank and Ruan Oosthuizen.
It was Wanderers' first win of the season which sees them moving up to fourth position on the log on four points.
DTS lead the log on 12 points from three matches, while Unam are second on five and WOB third on four points. Saints (one) and Nust (zero) bring up the rear.
The Namibian
National coaches barred from MHL involvement
by S. Ramaguru
National coach Stephen van Huizen is one of seven coaches barred from taking charge of teams in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL). - Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR: Seven coaches from the national set-up have been barred from helming teams at next month’s Malaysia Hockey League (MHL).
The seven are Stephen van Huizen (national men’s team coach), Lim Chiow Chuan (assistant national men’s team coach), Tai Beng Hai (1MAS coordinator), K. Dharmaraj (women’s national team coach), K. Gobinathan (women’s development team coach), Lailin Abu Hassan (assistant national women’s team coach) and Wallace Tan (men’s development team coach).
Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) coaching committee chairman Datuk Ow Soon Kooi said barring the coaches was a collective decision.
“We want our coaches to concentrate on their national duties. They can now watch the MHL matches without any hindrance. It’s difficult for them to coach the club sides and carry out their national duties like picking and assessing the players.
“Now, the other coaches are given a chance to prove themselves. It will give us a bigger coaching pool in the future,” said Soon Kooi, who is also an MHC vice-president.
Several Premier Division teams like Maybank and Tenaga Nasional have already hired new coaches.
Saiful Azli Abdul Rahman will take charge of the Tigers while M. Kalisweran is the Tenaga coach.
Sapura, who had Stephen and Beng Hai at the helm for the last few years, will have Yahya Atan as their coach.
Former champions Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) are also affected by MHC’s move. They have to replace Dharmaraj and Chiow Chuan and Singaporean Harun Rashid is tipped to get the job.
Out of the six Premier Division sides, only Terengganu and Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) will have the same coaches.
Sarjit Singh will get the chance to go for a third double with Terengganu after leading the east coast side to the league and overall titles for the last two seasons.
As for UniKL, they have retained A. Arulselvaraj.
The MHL will kick off with the Division One and Women’s League on Aug 5. The Premier Division will start on Aug 15.
The Star of Malaysia
Fiji hockey to discus funds for overseas tour
Mere Naleba
WHILE the Fiji's men's and women's teams have qualified for round 2 of the World Hockey League series, the decision on how much funds they will need to be able to send across the two teams is still not clear.
Fiji Hockey Federation's Dr Robin Mitchell said how the federation would get the funds to send the two teams to Bangladesh and Kuala Lumpur would be made after their annual general meeting which is scheduled to be held on the July 24. The women's team will travel to Kuala Lumpur while the men's team will travel to Bangladesh in January to be part of the round 2 of the World Series.
Dr Mitchell said the airfare was not a problem but it was the accommodation and meals for the 36 players and a management team that may consist of 12 people in total. Dr Mitchell said he would be able to make further comments after the AGM.
The Fiji Times
Hockey Club of Pakistan" renamed "Abdul Sattar Edhi Hockey Stadium
President Pakistan Hockey Federation, Brig (R) Khalid Sajjad Khokhar feels honoured to announce the renaming of "Hockey Club of Pakistan" (Stadium in Karachi) as "Abdul Sattar Edhi Hockey Stadium".
Maulana Edhi was a great humanitarian, philanthropist and a keen social activist. He masterminded Pakistan's biggest charitable organisation single handedly and ran it entirely with private donations making it the biggest Ambulance service in the world.
His success story is an inspiration for Pakistan Hockey especially in present times when our country's national game is in dire straits. PHF believes that renaming of Hockey's biggest facility in Abdul Sattar Edhi's home town in his name would be the most appropriate way to pay tribute to our great national hero.
PHF Media release
Worksop Ladies fundraise for life long member
Worksop Ladies
Last year, Worksop Ladies Hockey Club were devastated to receive the news that Caroline (Caz) Butcher had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. It is her dream to play on the Olympic Park so the club entered two teams to East London Hockey Fest on Tour so she could play at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre.
Sadly Caroline's condition worsened earlier in the week and was unable to travel down but the team came down and made sure they had a great time as Caz would have wanted.
Outgoing club captain Jane Cartwright said;
“The day has been brilliant and we are gutted Caz can’t be with us today. Sadly her condition has worsened but we saw Caz on Monday and she is still really thrilled we were coming down even without her. Loads of pictures are going back up to her keeping her informed of the day. We are not winning much but we are enjoying ourselves!
“Caroline’s gift was set up by Caz as a way to help others who aren’t as lucky as Caz financially. The fundraising is to help people in Sheffield who aren’t so financially stable who have been diagnosed with cancer. People can apply to help pay for school uniform for their kids or transport to the hospital.”
Caz has been with the club for almost three decades and at the age of just 37 she is one of the clubs longest serving players.
Worksop Ladies is a big believer in the spirit of the “Hockey Family” and Caz has been a massive part in developing that culture in the club throughout the years, making sure that her husband and 2 children are as hockey mad as she is.
After joining Worksop Ladies Hockey Club as a junior, Caz came through the ranks and joined the ladies section at the age of thirteen. Caz became a firm favourite at the club and her talents took her on to captain the 1st team in one of Worksop Ladies’ most successful eras, culminating in Worksop Ladies reaching the final of the Investec Women’s Trophy (formerly the Women’s Plate) in the season 1999-2000; their second appearance in 5 years!
Last season (2015-16) Worksop entered the over Women’s O35’s Masters Trophy in the hope that they could get Caz all the way to Lee Valley and provide a fitting swansong for her to walk out on that hallowed turf. Unfortunately, they only made it to the 4th round, with a determined Caz making a cameo appearance along the way.
The club used the weekend as an opportunity to publicise the Foundation she set up following her diagnosis. Caroline’s Gift Foundation will enable local families to apply for financial support with hospital transport, childcare, cleaning and housework or other costs preventing sufferers - and their loved ones - from being at their best; from enjoying their 'good days' together.
Visit Caroline’s Gift at http://carolinesgift.co.uk on the web or on Facebook at Caroline's Gift
England Hockey Board Media release