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News for 16 January 2017

All the news for Monday 16 January 2017


Italy and Wales riding high at Hockey World League Round 2

Comfortable Pool A victories for Italians and Welsh on second day of action at women’s event in Kuala Lumpur



European contenders Italy and Wales shrugged off the respective challenges from Thailand and Singapore in Pool A of the Women Hockey World League Round 2 at the Tun Razak Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday (15 January).

World No 15 Italy, who defeated Wales 3-0 on Saturday, lived up to their favourites tag here by brushing aside Thailand 5-0.

Jasbeer Singh, playing in her 51st international match, fired the Italians ahead in the ninth minute followed by Marcela Casale (27th), Valentina Braconi (34th) and Maria Garraffo (40th) scoring from open play whilst Agata Wybieralska extended the lead in the 51st minute from a penalty corner to ensure a memorable night.

Wales dazzled spectators and even their opponents Singapore by posting a 7-0 victory. The result ensured the Welsh, placed number 32 in the Hero FIH World Rankings, increase their chances of a top two finish in the pool behind Italy.

The match began in slow fashion and it was only a matter of time the Welsh upped the ante to score the first goal via a penalty corner in the eighth minute through Natasha Marke-Jones and Lisa Daley increased the advantage six minutes later from open play as Wales took a 2-0 lead going into the interval.

Singapore returned in the second half with an exchange of goalkeepers – Felissa Lai substituted Yu Tong Liu but nothing much really changed though the Singaporeans had their chances upfront but could not make any breakthrough but Wales was far more dominant in the hunt for goals.

Lisa notched her second for Wales in the 31st minute; Phoebe Richards (45th) increased it to 4-0 whilst team captain Abi Welsford (51st), a second for Richards (58th) and Sarah Jones completed the rout against the Singaporeans.

An elated Wales coach Kevin Johnson said: “There was a lot of positive energy from the players in the match against Singapore after going down to the Italians earlier. It was a great comeback for us and we are headed back in the competition. Our target has been to finish in top two in our pool and we now look towards playing Thailand in the last pool match on Tuesday. We just have to get better than this against the Thais.”

Singapore’s Australian coach David Viner was quite disappointed with the result but contended that they were playing against a superior side both tactically and physically.

“I thought we did well to contain Wales with just two goals in the first half and also had some opportunities to score. Certainly we lacked the depth but the players did their best. We have a very young squad and it was a good exposure against a European side,” he said.

The action returns on Monday (16 January) with two matches from Pool B. Host nation Malaysia play Ireland’s Green Army while Hong Kong take on Kazakhstan.

Malaysia’s Tigress defeated Hong Kong 9-0 and Ireland humbled Kazakhstan 12-0 in Saturday’s Day 1 action.

Report provided by the Malaysia Hockey Confederation

Results
Pool A: Wales 7, Singapore 0; Italy 5, Thailand 0.

Fixtures – Monday (16 Jan, 2017)
Pool B: Kazakhstan v Hong Kong (6.15pm); Malaysia v Ireland (8.30pm).

FIH site



Dharmaraj not worried his players are the underdogs

by S. Ramaguru

KUALA LUMPUR: The odds are stacked against Malaysia, but national coach K. Dharmaraj is unfazed by today’s Group B clash with Ireland in the World Hockey League Round Two at the Tun Razak Stadium.

Malaysia have lost six times in seven international meetings with Ireland. Ireland were also 3-0 winners over Malaysia in a friendly before the start of this tournament.

Dharmaraj is not unduly worried about past records. He wants his team to give a good account of themselves.

World No. 21 Malaysia kicked off their campaign with a 9-0 win over Hong Kong on Saturday with Nuraini Rashid scoring a hat-trick.

“What I’m pleased about is that we are scoring. But we need to be sharper, especially against the better-ranked teams.

“Ireland are seeded and the favourites. Our players must strive harder and also learn from the experience as we move on in this tournament,” said Dharmaraj.

Ireland, ranked 16th in the world, also got off to a winning start, whipping Kazakhstan 12-0 on Saturday. Anna O’Flanagan was the top scorer with four goals while Nicola Evans contributed three.

The format of the tournament will see all eight teams make the knockout stage. The teams are now jostling for positions to get a better draw in the quarter-finals.

“The result in the quarter-finals is more important. Right now, our focus is to make sure we are ready for that challenge,” said Dharmaraj.

Ireland coach Graham Shaw is certainly not taking Malaysia for granted.

“It will be tough as Malaysia has home ground advantage. The humid conditions could be a factor in the game. Our hope is to finish among the top two,” said Shaw.

Only the top two teams will qualify for the World League Semi-Finals in Brussels, Belgium, from June 21-July 2 and in Johannesburg, South Africa, from July 8-22.

The Star of Malaysia



Scotland men defeated by late Russian winner


Scotland Men Seniors

Scotland’s senior men were defeated 2-1 by a late fortunate goal in their first of three test matches against Russia in Barcelona. The games are part of the team’s preparations for competing at World League 2 held in Belfast in March.

The Russians are six places above the Scots in the world rankings and had the advantage of training and playing games in Spain for over a week.

The game was end-to-end with both sides creating chances and asking probing questions of the other. Scotland came close to taking the lead through chances for Ben Cosgrove and Alan Forsyth, both denied by the Russian keeper, then some good saves by David Forrester also kept the Russians at bay.

It was Scotland who drew first blood, and the advantage was given to the Scots on the cusp of the interval through Wei Adams from a penalty corner. Scotland won a penalty corner from some scrappy play in the Russian D. The first attempt was run down, and from the retake Adams sailed a drag flick high into the net to make it 1-0.

The action was frantic from the restart before Russia equalised ten minutes into the second half – they exploited a poor piece of Scottish play to work an opening, which resulted in a far post tap-in to make it 1-1.

The game continued to be an even contest, then Alan Forsyth had a chance to put the Blue Sticks back in front, under pressure he snatched a shot in the circle but the Russians survived.

Towards the end of the contest tiredness set in and Scotland took the foot of the gas in the final quarter, and it was enough to allow Russia to snatch the victory at the death through a lucky goal. The ball was lumped into the circle and with sticks flying, somehow it ended up looping over Forrester and into the back of the net. The ball could have gone anywhere but fortune didn’t favour the Scots and it landed in the goal to make it 2-1.

Scotland men’s Head Coach Derek Forsyth said: “I felt we controlled the first half and had several chances to add to our goal tally, but Russia were the sharper side in the second period. I’m disappointed to have lost the match but I’m pleased with the performance and the effort of the players. We arrived yesterday and Russia have been here for a week, so it was a good team performance under the circumstances.

“There are things we can build on for the next game and I’m looking to tomorrow’s match. My aim is for our performances to improve over the three games."

Scottish Hockey Union media release



Poland are the winners of the EuroHockey Indoor Junior Championships



After 20 games and 155 goals Poland are the EuroHockey Indoor Junior Champions!

We started the day with the Pool C games and with Switzerland and Czech Republic tied on equal points, but Swiss ahead on goal difference, a draw would save them from relegation. For Czech Republic only a win would keep them in this Division. In the Croatia v Portugal game, Croatia would be fighting for the 5th place ranking that a win would guarantee. Portugal, finding the Championship division too tough with it’s young team will be playing in Championship II in 2019, even a win would not save them from that fate.In the medal games Russia dominated the bronze medal game winning by a margin of 6 goals and in the Final game it was Poland who pipped Austria to the podium in a tactically brilliant game.

Pool C: Czech Republic v Switzerland 2-2 (0-1)

In an extremely lively and hard fought game, both teams had chances to go ahead in the first half. An incredible off the line reverse stick save from Switzerland was the best chance of the half for Czech. Switzerland were the first on the scoresheet via a well rehearsed corner, finished comfortably as the ball was switched to Monard in the 17th minute. Czech responded in the second half with a great finish from Uhlir, a move that started well within the Czech defence. The score remained level until the last 2 minutes when Switzerland went ahead again as Schwehr tapped in. However the action wasn’t quite finished and with seconds on the clock Zuna levelled for Czech, but it was too little to save Czech from relegation to Championships II in 2019. Switzerland secured their slot in the Championships finishing the tournament on a high with 4 points in Pool C and a better goal difference than Czech.

Pool C: Croatia v Portugal 8-3 (3-1)

A much stronger Croatian team beat the hosts Portugal in the final Pool C game of the Championships. Croatia, already with 6 points in the bag, were assured of their place in the 2019 Championships.

Croatia set out their intentions for the game with an explosive start and earned a pc in the 2nd minute that Fujs rocketed home as he has done all event. They doubled their score in the 4th minute via Ilinovic. Portugal, unfazed, put some excellent passes together for Wenzel to slot one home in the 10th minute to bring the score back to 2-1. However the reply from Croatia was a 3rd goal before the half.

In the second half Croatia dominated and went ahead to 7-1 before Portugal, via Wenzel again scored with some great personal skill on the turn outsmarting the Croatian keeper. The final score of 8-3 was a fair reflection of the game and skills of Croatia who were unlucky not to be playing for a medal place having just missed out on a semi-final place due to goal difference.

Bronze Medal Game: Russia v Belarus 7 – 1 (4 – 1)

In a repeat of the Bronze medal game in Torun in 2015, Russia dominated from the start to claim, once again the Bronze medal at the EuroHockey Indoor Junior Championships.

A game dominated by the Russia attack saw them go 1-0 ahead with Belarus responding in the 10th minute to level the score. Straight from the restart, Arstanbekov slipped the ball under the keeper to restore his side’s advantage 2-1. 2 more goals saw them 4-1 ahead at the break. Belarus were never allowed to take control of this game as Russia once again dominated the second half, scuppering any attacks coming from the Belarussians. A power play attempted by Belarus ended in them conceding 2 more goals, with some noteworthy individual skills from Russia’s Sergy EPESHKIN. The final score of 7-1 secured another bronze medal for the Russians, the Belarussians once again denied a medal at this level.

Final Austria v Poland 4 – 5 (1 – 2)

An explosive start to the Final as Poland set out to take control of the attacking of the game. They were rewarded with 2 goals, one reply from Austria, who played with incredible maturity and patience.

The second half opened as Steyrer slotted home a corner to bring the game level in the 24th minute. And Austria in fact went ahead as Binder scored from an impossibly tight angle in the 26th minute. Poland held their nerve and were patient with their passes, being rewarded in the 29th minute as Mazany someone lost his marker and scored a neat deflection to take the score to 3-3. A direct strike from Pawlak from a PC with 7 mins to go and Poland were ahead again. Captain Pawlak scored again in the 38th minute as the Austrian keeper was drawn away from his goal. The score was now 3-5, Austria did score again (4-5) using the power player to great advantage, but as the clock ticked down Poland held possession and the right to be named Champions of Europe.

Final Ranking:
Team Code Final Standing
Poland POL 1 Champions
Austria AUT 2
Russia RUS 3
Belarus BLR 4
Croatia CRO 5
Switzerland SUI 6
Czech Republic CZE 7 Relegated in 2019
Portugal POR 8 Relegated in 2019

Top Scorer:
Sergey Lepeshkin, Russia

Best Player:
Sergey Lepeshkin, Russia

Best Goalkeeper:
Dawid Wróbel, Poland

EuroHockey media release



Turkey and Italy are promoted to the EuroHockey Indoor Junior Championships 2019

   

Following 21 games of play it’s Turkey and Italy who finish 1st and 2nd in the EuroHockey Indoor Junior Championships and earn their slot in the 2019 Championship division.

Results for the day:

Slovakia v Wales 2-1 (1-1)
Italy v Ukraine 12-1 (3-1)
Slovenia v Norway 0-1 (5-1)
Turkey v Wales 1-1 (4-3)
Slovakia v Ukraine 8-3 (4-1)
Norway v Italy 0-16 (0-8)
Turkey v Slovenia 3-2 (1-1)

Round-up:

Match 15: Slovakia v Wales

Both teams needed to win to keep their promotion hopes alive. Wales started the game patiently with a strong passing game, as they have done all tournament. Slovakia pressed high and had good chances on the counter attack. 1-1 at half time meant we were in for a fiercely competitive second half. Slovakia started strong and their physicality and passing speed meant they got the lead they deserved. Wales fought hard right to the end but the final result was 2-1 to Slovakia, keeping their promotion chances alive, but for Wales, they can no longer achieve promotion.

Match 16: Italy v Ukraine

Another important match, with Ukraine needing a win to stay alive in the competition. Ukraine took the lead but missed an open goal later in the half. This was punished by some great Italian play and they led 3-1 at half time. Ukraine played some of the second half with a kicking back, which played to the Italians advantage. A yellow card did not help the Ukraines cause. 12-1 was the final score and Italy are very much alive in the promotion race.

Match 17: Slovenia v Norway

Great game for the home team on a winnable game againt similar opposition. Slovenia were one nil down at half time and came back to score five whapping goals in the second half to win the game. Nejc Potokar scored a hat-trick and got the crowd on his side. Those were the first points for the home team Slovenia, leaving them with a tough game against Turkey in the afternoon.

Match 18: Turkey v Wales

A really tight game to decide who would get the last spot for promotion. It was a close game from start to end, only one all at half time. Hywel Jones scored twice for Wales quickly in the second half to put Wales three one ahead. Within the next three minutes Ferhat Ugur managed to score twice to put Turkey level with Wales at three three. Eight minutes left on the clock the game continued to be close but Turkey managed to squeeze one more goal in and won the game 4-3. This secures the promotion for Turkey in to the A division with one more game left to play.

Match 19: Slovakia v Ukraine

This is the match which decided if Slovakia could get the bronze medal. Unfourunately number 6 for Ukraine Bogdan Kovalenko missed this game because of receiving a yellow card in the previous two games. After a tight first 15 minutes Slovakia scored twice quickly to get a two goal lead. Ukraine scored once but Slovakia scored twice again and it was 4-1 at the half time. Slovakia continued to dominate, winning the game 8-3 and securing the bronze medal.

Match 20: Norway v Italy

The final game for both teams resulted in the complete domination of the Italian side. At half time it was 0-8 already and the same score in the second half with no reply from Norway meant Italy won the game comfortably 16-0. Simone Pagliara scored four goals in this game which made sure he won the top goal scorer of the competition. The Italian captain Luca Valentino also won the best player of the tournament, which was voted for by the other teams.

Match 21: Turkey v Slovenia

The last match of the day and the tournament was between the Turkish team and the home team. The Slovenian team showed a different attitude and surprised everyone with their offensive play. They scored after five minutes of game and shocked the favourites  who had to put a lot of effort  to equalize. The home team scored again with the help of their supporters. However, the Turkish players showed why they are on the top of the table and put the ball in the Slovenian net two more times. The final result 3-2, put the Turkish team on top of the table and Slovenia can be happy with the performance of their players regardless losing the final match.

Final Ranking:
Team     Code     Final Standing
Turkey     TUR     1
Italy     ITA     2
Slovakia     SVK     3
Wales     WAL     4
Ukraine     UKR     5
Slovenia     SLO     6
Norway     NOR     7

EuroHockey media release



Champions again

Kenya girls retain Africa hockey title as Police men’s team fall to Egyptians to finish second

By Elizabeth Mburugu


Telkom Kenya players celebrate after winning Africa Cup Championship ladies trophy after a one week Tournament at City Park, Nairobi, Kenya yesterday. ON 15/01/2017 PHOTO: JENIPHER WACHIE

Continental hockey queens Telkom Orange extended their reign after winning an unprecedented ninth Africa Cup for Club Championships title.

Telkom Orange trounced perennial rivals Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) 2-0 in the women’s final played at yesterday at City Park Stadium.

Experience earned Orange the coveted trophy as goals from prolific striker Jackline Mwangi and veteran defender Terry Juma gave them the well deserved win.

This was Telkom Orange’s fifth title in a row having dominated the games since the 2012 event held in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

A delighted Telkom Orange coach Jos Openda said his players had fought a good fight and deserved the crown. He revealed that their winning strategy was to keep GRA lethal striker Elizabeth Opuku in control.

“We knew that their strength is in their forward Opuku and planned well on how to keep her in check.

“That distablised their game plan as they failed in attack while we utilised our chances,” Openda said.

He added: “We wanted to win at home and impress our fans and the ladies can take pride for another piece of history made.”

Telkom Orange were also champions 2006, 2009.

Orange began their goal hunt with earnest creating their first chance after seven minutes when Mwangi was put through on goal but her shot was saved by GRA goalkeeper Grace Mensah.

A minute later, Audrey Omaido missed a sitter with only Mensah to beat as the Kenyan international shot wide to the relief of the GRA keeper.

The home girls eventually took the lead in the 12th minute as Mwangi deflected in Betsy Ommalla’s shot after Audrey Omaido’s short corner.

GRA, hoping to win their first ever continental title regained their footing and settled well in the match gaining their shot corner in the 24th minute. Telkom Orange keeper Cynthia Onyango was equal to the task saving Vivian Narkour’s shot.

Two minutes later GRA’s Opoku exhibited her dribbling prowess going past four Telkom Orange defenders, but was unable to finish the job.

Omaido had another chance a minute to the break, but was unable to beat Mensah.

Telkom Orange intensified their hunt after the break and Lilian Aura came close to adding a second three minutes into the second half, but her shot missed the goal by inches.

After many failed attempts Juma finally got it right converting a penalty corner in the 44th minute.

GRA suffered a major blow after dependable attacker Opoku went off injured in the 55th minute.

Onyango pulled off another save and Telkom Orange held out to claim their fifth straight win.

Eastern Company of Egypt retained the men’s title after they edged out Kenya Police 3-2 in penalty shootouts after the teams tied 0-0 in regulation time.

Kenya Police missed a host of chances to win the match in normal time and were made to rue the misses as Eastern once again proved clincal in the shootout.

Police captain Brian Saina said: “We controlled the match and should have made the chances count and at this stage you get punished for missing such,” he said.

George Mutira, Moses Chepaliti and Vincent Odindo all missed chances to win it for Police in normal time. In the shootout, Willis Okeyo and George Mutira scored for Police before Calvins Kanu, Robert Masibo and Richard Birir all missed theirs.

Aboutaleb Mahmoud, Ahmed Amr and Ibrahim Amr scored for Eastern as Abdelaziz Mohamed missed his.

“We lost to them in preliminary stages and went back to the drawing board because we were not ready to fall to them again and lose our title. We corrected our mistakes and I’m glad the results favoured us,” Eastern captain Ebrahim Salman said.

The Standard Online



Telkom edge out Ghana Revenue Authority to clinch ninth title

By BRIAN YONGA


Telkom Orange players celebrate a goal during a past match. PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU |  NATION MEDIA GROUP

Telkom Orange won a record ninth Africa Cup of Club Championship title on Sunday after they beat Ghana Revenue Authority 2-0 in the women's final at City Park Stadium, Nairobi.

Goals from Betsy Ommala and Terry Juma gave Orange a comfortable win in the encounter giving them their fifth successive title.

Orange coach Jos Openda was pleased with the result noting that his charges fought had to get the result.

"We were able to keep their main striker at bay and this made them weak on attack and we took the chances we created," Openda said.

Daily Nation



Butali Warriors finish third at Africa Championship

By Elizabeth Mburugu


Kenya Butali players celebrate their 4-2 win against Ghana Police during the Africa Cup Championship at City Park, Nairobi on 08/01/2017 PHOTO: JENIPHER WACHIE

Butali Sugar Warriors overpowered Ghana Police in the men’s third place playoffs of the Africa Cup for Club Champions to settle for bronze.

The Kenyan men trounced the Ghanaian law enforcers 3-0 at City Park Stadium, yesterday..

Two first half goals from Joost Rijksen and Frank Wanangwe and one from Vincent Odhiambo secured a podium finish for the homeboys.

Butali stand-in coach Meshack Senge told Feverpitch a third-place finish was commendable.

“The team can be proud of their performance. We take a lot of positives from the result as well as the negatives with the aim of improving in the next edition,” Senge said.

Butali dominated the match from the first whistle and went ahead in the fifth minute after Dutchman Rijksen finished off Barnabas Odhiambo’s short corner.

The goal spurred Butali and Zack Aura should have doubled the lead in the 10th minute but his short went wide.

Wanangwe hit the board in the 20th minute to give the sugar men a 2-0 lead.

Ghana Police rarely created notable chances as Butali took a comfortable lead at the break. The match was done and dusted in the 54th minute as Vincent Odhiambo scored a brilliant field goal firing past Police keeper Benjamin Acquah.

In the women’s third place playoffs, it was a Nigerian affair with Kada Queens rallying from two goals down to snatch the bronze. Despite trailing two down by the 16th minute Kada put up a spirited fight scoring trough Moogiate Aghalelosa, Roseline Ovoh, Beauty Irame and Faith Ikiriko for a 4-2 win. Heartland’s and Nigeria long serving captain Justina Onyedum scored a brace.

The Standard Online



Dundee Wanderers back on top Scottish Women’s Indoor National League 1

Normal service has resumed to the women`s indoor first division, Dundee Wanderers` back-to-back wins over Grove Menzieshill and then Edinburgh University has put the champions back into pole position.

The encounter between the Tayside rivals was not the best, Grove Menzieshill went into a 1-0 lead by the interval through Sue Hamilton after poor defending by Wanderers.

Two goals in three minutes by Wanderers in the second half finally took the points - Amy Snell scored after a solo run, then Vikki Bunce converted from the spot.

In contrast Wanderers tussle with surprise league leaders Edinburgh University turned out to be a cracker, the Dundonians finally taking the honours 8-6 after a ding-dong affair.

Wanderers looked to have the contest sewn up by the interval with a 5-1 advantage. The goals flowed from Emily Dark, Julie Bryce, Bunce, Kate Mulholland and Snell, with Becky Dru getting the students’ only counter. Kirsty Abraham and Bunce exchanged goals to advance the score to 6-2.

But that seemed to signal Edinburgh`s spirited comeback, it was started by Sophie Maunder, then captain Susan Graham scored a quick-fire hat-trick in six minutes to tie the scores at six apiece with three minutes left.

The anticipated shock failed to materialise, Snell put Wanderers 7-6 ahead with a solo goal and finally Bunce converted a penalty corner for her own hat-trick and the three points.

The students recovered their composure to see off Bon-Accord 11-3 and confirm their second place on goal difference from Western. In the resulting goal avalanche Dru scored four times, Louise Campbell got a hat-trick and there was a double for Abraham.

Milne Craig Western had to come from behind to see off Wildcats 4-2 in their opening encounter. Alex Stuart and Catriona Booth had given the Wildcats an early two goal lead but a double by teenager Kayleigh Justice and others from Lexi Sabatelli and Millie Steiger sent the points in the direction of Western.

Western then had a bit of trouble disposing of CALA, with two minutes remaining the scores were tied at 4-4. Up stepped Justice again to convert a late penalty corner for the three points and that secured third place in the table for Western.

Grove Menzieshill recovered some of their composure to beat Inverleith 7-1 in their second outing, here there were two goals each for Sue Hamilton and Leigh Fawcett.

The Dundonians followed up that victory with a 6-1 win over CALA, there were six individual scorers, and they finished in fourth place.

In the lower reaches Aberdeen Bon-Accord advanced their cause with a 5-3 win over CALA Edinburgh, they led 5-1 at one point with Ruth Cox scoring a brace, but allowed the Capital side to score two further consolations.

Wildcats moved up to fifth place with a narrow 3-2 win over Inverleith. The contest was tied at 2-2 with two minutes left; two strikes by Rona Stewart were cancelled out by CALA`s Rachel Campbell and Carly Bisset, but the winner came from Catriona Booth for the Wildcats.

Scottish Hockey Union media release



Irish EY Hockey League Weekend Round Up


Photo credit: Rowland White/Presseye 

Banbridge fought off Cork C of I 3-2 on Sunday courtesy of a late Eugene Magee penalty corner to return to the top of the men’s EY Hockey League table alongside Lisnagarvey. He struck with seven minutes to go to claim the win for the Co Down side who trailed 1-0 at half-time to a Julian Dale goal. Two strikes from Jonny McKee swapped the lead by the 54th minute before CI equalised again but Magee’s goal settled matters.

Three Rock Rovers eased to a 6-1 win over a UCD side who welcomed back Greg Chambers and captain Jeremy Duncan but were still shy six regular players. Luke Madeley scored twice in the opening quarter before Mitch Darling’s second half hat trick extended the lead out to 5-0. Ben Campbell got one back but Madeley was on hand to close out the rout.

There were also two hat tricks at Comber Road as Neal Glassey and Matthew Nelson ran up three each for Lisnagarvey in their 8-2 win over Railway Union. They led 4-0 at half-time with Glassey on the mark three times. The second half saw the lead extended to five before Mark English got one back. Two more from Nelson and one from Andy Williamson countered another English goal. For Garvey, Timmy Cockram also returned for the first time since taking a prolonged break in the wake of the Rio Olympics.

Monkstown’s game with Instonians was postponed due to the sad passing of Peter Tipping, a club man with Town whose family had a 70-year connection with the club. 

On Saturday, Banbridge’s game with Glenanne was called off due to a frozen pitch in Havelock Park. 

In the women’s EY Hockey League, Pegasus moved from seventh to fifth with a dramatic win over Belfast Harlequins. Vanessa Surgeoner’s goal proved the difference in the 54th minute as she got on the end of Hannah Craig’s cross from a quickly taken free. Stephanie Thompson had given Pegs the lead before Katie Larmour scored a brilliant solo goal to tie the game up at 1-1 at half-time. 

EY Hockey League – day 11 results
Saturday: Lisnagarvey 8 (N Glassey 3, M Nelson 3, J Lorimer, A Williamson) Railway Union 2 (M English 2); Pembroke 0 Cork C of I 2 (J Jermyn 2); Three Rock Rovers 6 (M Darling 3, L Madeley 3) UCD 1 (B Campbell)Sunday: Banbridge 3 (J McKee 2, E Magee) Cork C of I 2 (J Dale, S Sweetnam)
Postponed: Monkstown v Instonians; Banbridge vs Glenanne – postponed due to frost

Day 11 – extended match reports

Pembroke 0 Cork C of I 2 (J Jermyn 2)

John Jermyn’s pair of goals in the latter stages of the first half saw Cork C of I land their seventh win of the EY Hockey League, recording a reasonably comfortable win. Again, Pembroke were without a series of front-line players with Olympians Alan Sothern (shoulder) and Kirk Shimmins (away) out of action along with the recently capped Keith O’Hare (exams) and Patrick Good (sick). And they were on the back foot in a scrappy opening but kept out two Jermyn penalty corners with Mark Ingram making two top saves. C of I pushed on further in the second quarter and went ahead in the 23rd minute when Jermyn right home down Ingram’s left hand side with a drag-flick. It was almost two within a minute as CI intercepted a loose pass but Julian Dale’s lob-shot landed flush on the front of the crossbar. But a fourth corner was won soon after which Jermyn fired hard onto the body of Scott Furlong on the baseline. A stroke was awarded which Jermyn scored for his 16th goal of the campaign. The third quarter was sluggish with C of I holding the initiative with Pembroke making brief forays forward. The visitors had one further corner but, despite reduced numbers, the hosts kept out the chance. It remained that way until the final whistle despite sin-bins for former Pembroke man David Harvey and Alex Burns. Despite their absence, the hosts could not create the chances to get back into the tie.  

Three Rock Rovers 6 (M Darling 3, L Madeley 3) UCD 1 (B Campbell)

Hat tricks from Mitch Darling and Luke Madeley saw Three Rock Rovers move up a couple of places in the men’s EYHL table overnight, moving ahead of Banbridge and Monkstown who did not play on the day. UCD, for their part, were still down six players from their regular side due to a skiing holiday and suffered in the early stages. Luke Madeley scoring a very early drag-flick to set the ball rolling and added another from a corner, this one not quite so smooth but the defender took the ball on himself once again to fire home. The hosts were controlling much of the play in the first half and saw another couple of corners repelled by Conor Quinn. Jeremy Duncan returned for UCD and did create some danger with his smart skills, meaning Jamie Carr was busier in the second quarter as the students found greater counter-attacking openings. But the game was killed off the in the second half in quick time. Ben Walker produced a lovely through pass to Darling who rolled home a very neat finish on his backhand for 3-0. The Olympian added another within a minute when he picked up a rebound from his own shot and while it was not the cleanest of strikes, it too found the bottom corner. He walked in the fifth goal from a huge overload before the third quarter was out, Quinn left with three attackers closing in on him. Ben Campbell pulled one back for UCD in the last quarter but Madeley countered that with a low bullet of his own for a comfortable victory.

Lisnagarvey 8 (N Glassey 3, M Nelson 3, J Lorimer, A Williamson) Railway Union 2 (M English 2)

Hat tricks from Neal Glassey and Matthew Nelson powered Lisnagarvey to a big win over struggling Railway Union to strengthen their place in the playoff places.  They started strong and were rewarded with an early  goal in the fifth minute when Neal Glassey scored following a decisive break through the middle from Jonny Bell.  The second quarter saw Garvey score a further three goals. The first was from a corner in the 20th minute won by Matthew Nelson who was also on hand to deflect the switch past the Railway keeper.A further snap shot was well saved by the Railway keeper Stephen O’Keeffe who despite the eventual scoreline was having an excellent match. Garvey's third goal came in the 30th minute when Glassey made a clever turn within the circle and rifled a reverse stick shot. Glassey then completed his hat-trick on the stroke of half-timeThey went further ahead from a James Lorimer corner drag-flick before Ralway got one back in the 50th minute through Mark English. A futher three goals arrived in the closing quarter with Nelson completing his treble with goals in the 60th and the 63rd minute. Andy Williamson completed their tally before English got a consolation goal at the death.For Garvey, they were also bolstered by the first appearance of the season for Timmy Cockram following a prolonged break post the Rio Olympics.

Sunday: Banbridge 3 (J McKee 2, E Magee) Cork C of I 2 (J Dale, S Sweetnam)

Eugene Magee’s late corner goal saw Banbridge land a vital win to see his side return to a share of the lead in the men’s EY Hockey League, coming from a goal down to defeat Cork C of I at Havelock Park.They did so without the services of Matthew Bell, Fraser Mills, Jamie Wright, Drew Carlisle and Gareth Lennox as they avoided back to back defeats. Julian Dale had given C of I the lead on the stroke of half-time from a corner.But Jonny McKee soon swapped the lead around when he equalised from a corner. McKee made it 2-1 in the first minute of the final quarter when Eugene Magee stole possession and passed forward for the striker to score on his reverse.C of I equalised soon after Stephen Sweetnam turned in a high cross  but, with six minutes left on the clock, Magee popped up with the vital goal to ensure Bann move up to 23 points, level with Lisnagarvey and with a game in hand. The Cork side stay third after their weekend efforts. 

Women’s EY Hockey League

Belfast Harlequins 1 (K Larmour) Pegasus 2 (S Thompson, V Surgeoner)

Vanessa Surgeoner’s hotly contested 54th minute goal saw Pegasus claim the spoils from their back match at Belfast Harlequins, lifting them from seventh to fifth place.Pegasus started the game brightly and, in the third minute, Rachel McMillan forced a good save from the Harlequins keeper Jade Lamont. They soon took the lead from a corner with Stephanie Thompson scoring on the rebound following an initial shot from Hannah Craig which was well saved. They won three further corners with Hannah Grieve going very close to a second goal but Quins fought back. In the 24th minute, Katie Larmour drew Harlequins level with a superb solo run.  Larmour ran almost half the length of the pitch, easily rounding two defenders and the keeper before tapping home into the open net. And it remained 1-1 at the break, mainly due to Rachel Johnston making a fantastic goal line clearance. Lamont made a string of further saves in the third quarter to keep Harlequins in the mix, the pick of them from Alex Speers following Craig’s cross. But the game was won when Pegs were awarded a free-hit which Quin contested.  Pegasus did not hang around and Taite Doherty took it quickly, crossing for a Surgeoner deflection to make it 2-1. Quins continued to battle hard to the final whistle and won their first penalty corner of the game in the 65th minute but the routine misfired.

Irish Hockey Association media release



UniKL continue to surprise with second victory

KUALA LUMPUR: Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) are the surprise early leaders of the Premier Division in the Malaysia Hockey League.

Yesterday, they edged Tenaga Nasional 1-0 at the Kuala Lumpur Hockey Stadium for their second straight win to lead the eight-team league with six points.

UniKL have a superior goal difference over second-placed May­bank, who are also on six points after a 4-0 win over Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI) at the Bukit Serendit Hockey Stadium in Malacca.

Malaysian Farizul Afiq was the unlikely hero for UniKL, scoring past Tenaga goalkeeper S. Kumar in the 49th minute. UniKL had started their campaign on Friday with an emphatic 5-0 win over SSTMI.

http://www.thestar.com.my/sport/hockey/2017/01/16/unikl-continue-to-surprise-with-second-victory/~/media/d4e75ab1643d4d4baf4d00bab56ac515.ashx?h=464&w=500

UniKL coach A. Arulselvaraj was full of praise for his team.

“It was a hard match and Tenaga played better than us. But we were patient in the match and managed to get the winner,” he said.

UniKL used both their goalkeepers and they performed exceptionally well. Former national junior Khairulnizam Ibrahim covered the first half while Argentine goalkeeper Thomas Santiago was equally effective in the second period.

“We had some close calls but credit to both keepers. Now, I have a headache to decide between these two keepers,” said Arulselvaraj.

Maybank, who finished runners-up in the Tan Sri P. Alagendra Knockout Trophy, continued their fine form by whipping winless SSTMI 4-0.

South Korean Nam Hyun-won was on target twice from penalty corners in the 37th and 53rd minutes. Compatriot Jang Yoon-hyuk (ninth minute) and former national player Hafifihafiz Hanafi (33rd) netted the other goals.

Defending double champions Terengganu, who drew 2-2 with Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club in their opening match, finally got off the blocks with a 9-0 demolition of newcomers UiTM-KPT with Faizal Saari scored a hat-trick in the 26th, 34th and 43rd minutes.

The Star of Malaysia



Indian hockey is back to top once again: Ashley Jackson

NEW DELHI: Impressed by the resurgence in Indian hockey, British midfielder Ashley Jackson said the country seems to be back among the top with its recent performances.

"I think it's safe to say with the senior team's performances over the past four years and the junior team now becoming World Champions under the leadership of coach Harendra Singh, Indian hockey is back to the top of the table once again," Jackson said.

"I have spent four-five years playing alongside Manpreet (Singh), Biru (Birendra Lakra) and Kothajit (Singh) who have all grown as players each year. It's also fun to see how some of the younger guys like Mandeep (Singh) and Simranjeet (Singh) are getting on with their game," he added.

Jackson has been one of the most successful captains in the Hockey India League with his team Ranchi Rays winning the event on two occasions.

This year too he is optimistic his team will set its sights high.

"I think our expectations are always high because of what we achieved in the past, even last season we had a very successful league campaign finishing 1st by 8 points but came up short in the Semi Finals on shootouts," explained 29-year-old Jackson, who debuted for Great Britain in 2007.

"We will set our sights high for this season as I'm sure everyone else will, if we are playing with smiles on our faces then that doesn't look good for all the other teams. We have a great group in Ranchi Rays so it's always fun," stated an excited Jackson ahead of his arrival in Mumbai where he will join his team Ranchi Rays for the week-long camp.

The Ranchi-based franchise owned by cricketer MS Dhoni will begin its campaign on January 21 against Dabang Mumbai.

Apart from hockey, Jackson is an ardent fan of cricket.

That he is part of a franchise owned by India's most successful cricket captain MS Dhoni is only an added advantage to his love for the sport.

"MS Dhoni is a pioneer of the modern game as we know it today, the first of the modern era of cricket, really taking a shot, making it to the next level where it is less about text book technique that they once taught us for hours and hours back home," says the Englishman who has played fair bit of cricket and football during his childhood days.

"Dhoni is someone who gets the job done no matter how it looks and entertaining along the way. Having said that I'm a conventional cricketer from back home so I'd settle down to watch Joe Root bat the first three days of a test match any day," he admitted.

The Times of India



Cardiff’s Kyriakides joins GB centralised programme



Cardiff & Met’s Dan Kyriakides has become of the first three Welsh international players to receive a call-up to the Great Britain senior programme since 2012.

He has been named in the GB squad – which will be fully released this week – along with women’s internationals Sarah Jones and goalkeeper Rose Thomas.

Kyriakides was part of the Cardiff side that claimed a first win for a Welsh side in the Euro Hockey League last October when they saw off SG Amsicora.

The Welsh trio have been recognised as high potential players and will now train two days a week with the Great Britain centralised training programme at the home of British hockey and centre of excellence, Bisham Abbey.

Head of Performance Dan Clements, who oversees the Wales performance pathway, described the news as a well-earned reward for the players and the Welsh set-up more widely:

“We are really pleased for Dan, Rose and Sarah after they received news of their selection. After such a positive year for both GB Hockey and our Welsh Senior teams, this is just reward for their hard work as individuals, as well as the playing group and management as a collective.”

The trio were chosen following an assessment period that ended in December and the ensuing invitation means they will gain experience alongside Britain’s best players.

Their inclusion in the senior programme will also see them subject to regular reviews as they look to progress in the centralised programme to a full-time basis during the Tokyo 2020 or 2024 cycle.

Clements continued: “Their selection is great recognition for them as players and it clearly highlights their potential, with Tokyo or 2024 obviously being their long-term ambitions.”

Euro Hockey League media release



Hockey championship for regions to have 60 teams

By Syed Intikhab Ali

KARACHI: The Pakistan national hockey championship for regions will be held in the last week of March with 60 teams from across the country participating, ‘The News’ has learnt.

Informed sources said that PHF director development and domestic Naveed Alam is busy in the preparation of the championship.

Recently the PHF organised National Championship only for departments, claiming that it wanted to raise the standard of the championship.

PHF had announced that for regional teams a separate championship would be held so that local players who could not find a place in the departmental teams might demonstrate their skills.

Qualifying rounds will be played in Islamabad, Sukkur and Bahawalpur.

The sources said three teams each would represent Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur, Bannu and Abbottabad because there was abundance of hockey talent.

Alam told ‘The News’ that PHF was trying to organise the main rounds of the championship as per the wish of sponsors “because we want to give a handsome amount in prize money to attract local players and popularise the national game once again in the country.

“This championship will be a big breakthrough in domestic hockey and those who say hockey has finished will be silenced.

“PHF worked hard during the last one year at the grassroots and activated hockey at district, division and club levels. The result is that hockey is spreading fast once again and those divisions which had been dormant for many years are now ready to form two teams.”

Alam said that PHF had allowed the regions to include three departmental players each to strengthen their squads.

He added that the event was being organised with the help of regional associations, provincial governments and districts’ administration.

The News International



7th Sub Junior Women National C’ship: Hockey Jharkhand crush Hockey Andhra Pradesh 15-2



Ramanathapuram (Tamil Nadu): Hockey Jharkhand on Sunday showed class with their incredible 15-2 win against Hockey Andhra Pradesh in their Pool C encounter on Day 5 of the ongoing 5 of the Hockey India 7th Sub Junior National Hockey Championship 2017 (Women) ‘A’ Division.

With their stunning performance, it appeared that Hockey Jharkhand were on a mission to win as they scored goals in quick succession with their first goal coming in as early as the 4th minute of the match.

Goals were scored in the 8th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 17th, 18th and 20th, 27th, 32nd and 35th minute. Hockey Jharkhand went into first half with an unbeatable 11-1 lead with Deepika Soreng scoring as many as five goals in the first half.

She was backed by Sangita Kumari who scored four goals in the first half. Going into the second half, the duo continued their form with Soreng scoring in the 48th and 62nd minute while Kumari scored in the 55th and 68th minute to ensure their team earned three points.

Hockey Odisha continued their winning streak with yet another impressive performance against Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu which they won 3-0. While Neha Lakra and Abinsimukti Surin gave the team an early lead with their goals in the 13th and 21st minute, Bimla Barwa scored in the 64th minute to take Hockey Odisha to a comfortable win.

In another match, Hockey Gangpur-Odisha beat Hockey Marashtra 7-1. Namrata Jasmin Bara was the star performer for Hockey Gangpur-Odisha with her three scintillating goals in the 21st, 22nd and 37th minute.

Jyothi Chhatri scored two goals in the 41st and 54th minute while Manisha Oram and Sunita Xaxa scored a goal each in the 34th and 59th minute to take home three points. For Hockey Maharashtra, Akshata Dhekale was the lone goal scorer as she converted a penalty corner in the 64th minute.

Hockey Chandigarh, on the other hand, lost to Uttar Pradesh Hockey 2-5 in a hard-fought match. Though in the first half Hockey Chandigarh did well to restrict Uttar Pradesh Hockey to a 0-1 lead and later equalized the score to 1-1 with their 37th minute goal via Akshita Yadav, they failed to put up a good defensive play in the second half which resulted in Uttar Pradesh Hockey scoring as many as four goals.

While Yogita Bora scored two goals in the 57th and 69th minute for Uttar Pradesh Hockey, Sapna Devi (9′), Simran Singh (50′), Mumtaz Khan (54′) scored a goal each to help their team win.

In the last match played on Saturday, Uttar Pradesh Hockey beat Hockey Mizoram 5-1. Yogita Bora (54′ and 56′) and Mumtaz Khan (40′ and 49′) were the ones to score for Uttar Pradesh Hockey with two goals each while Sapna Devi opened the score for Uttar Pradesh Hockey with her 11th minute goal. Hockey Mizoram’s only saving grace came in the 65th minute with a field goal by Lalvenhim.

The Siasat Daily



Under 13’s Australian Indoor Carnival Concludes

ACT's Aiden Dooley scores a hat trick on final day

Holly MacNeil



Wollongong, NSW – The U13’s Australian Indoor Carnival came to a close in Wollongong today, with four girls teams and six boys teams taking part in the final day of competition. A highlight from the day was a spectacular hat trick from the ACT’s Aiden Dooley.

In the girls competition, the QLD Fire took on the QLD Flare, with the former QLD team coming out victorious with a 2 – 0 result thanks to goals from Claire Colwill and Hannah Sanders Cullum. As an added bonus for the team, not only did they top the standings, they also came away with the ‘Play the Whistle’ award for the great spirit in which they played throughout the carnival.

Meanwhile the NSW girls team took on the VIC team, with Victoria defeating the home side 2 – 0 with goals from Claudia Beamish and Matisse Daniel; giving them third place in the final standings.

In the boys competition, NSW took on the QLD Spurs with a 4 – nil result in NSW’s favour. The four goal scorers for NSW were Samuel Wright-Smith, Ryan Taggart, Rohan Lawrence and Nicholas O’Connor.

The QLD Shots took on VIC in a high scoring game, with VIC coming away with the 5 – 2 win. Angus Hendry and Oliver Marshall both scored doubles for VIC with Hugo Lane rounding out the tally. It was Patrick Sheedy and Kipp Thrupp who came through to Score for the QLD Shots.

The ACT took on SA, with the ACT dominating 3 – nil thanks to a hat trick from Aiden Dooley; two of Dooley's goals scored just a minute apart.

In the final boys match, NSW took on VIC with the final 4 – 2 score going in NSW’s favour.It was Tyler Gaddes who scored a double for NSW, along with goals from Ryan Taggart and Nicholas O’Connor. VIC also had a double score courtesy of Oliver Marshall.

It was SA who came away with the Play the Whistle Award for fair play throughout the Carnival, while it was NSW who topped the overall standings.

Now that the under 13’s Carnival has come to a close, the U18’s Australian Indoor Championships is next to take place, beginning in Wollongong on Tuesday.

Supported by Destination Wollongong, Illawarra South Coast Hockey Association, the University of Wollongong and Hockey NSW, the Indoor Festival of Hockey is a three-week extravaganza of indoor hockey, showcasing the best players in the country at Open, Under 21, Under 18, Under 15 and Under 13 level.

Now in the second year of an initial two-year agreement, more than 1000 participants, spectators and volunteers will be involved over the next three weeks.

Anyone visiting Wollongong for the Indoor Festival of Hockey over the next three weeks is encouraged to visit the Visit Wollongong website for information and ideas of what to see and do.

Hockey Australia thanks all of its partners and the outstanding team of volunteers and officials for their great work at the Indoor Festival of Hockey.

Final standings –  Girls U13 Australian Indoor Carnival

1. QLD Fire
2. QLD Flare
3. VIC
4. NSW
5. ACT

Award Winners - Girls U13 Australian Indoor Carnival
Play the Whistle: QLD Fire

Final Standings – Boys U13 Australian Indoor Carnival

1. NSW
2. VIC
3. QLD Spurs
4. ACT
5. QLD Shots
6. SA

Award Winners - Boys U13 Australian Indoor Carnival
Play the Whistle: SA

Hockey Australia media release

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