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News for 12 May 2017

All the news for Friday 12 May 2017


Pakistan Seniors came from behind to beat Whites 3-1

In the first tie of the three match series between Pakistan Seniors and Pakistan Whites, the seniors had to bring out all their experience to win 3-1.

At Lahore's National Hockey Stadium, the match started at a slow pace with very few meaningful moves.

Finally, match's first penalty corner came the Whites way in the 28th minute. Promising Mubashar Ali put it in the right upper corner of the net.

The Seniors tried to fight back and made frantic efforts to find the target in the third quarter. They had a few good opportunities but the Whites' custodian and defenders stood well.

It stayed 1-0 for the Whites when the third quarter ended.

However, in the last quarter, the Seniors rallied well. The equaliser arrived in the 50th minute. Off Seniors' first PC, Abubakr, with a deceptive flat push sounded the board. The Senior team, which has been selected to appear in the Hockey World League semifinal round  in London next month, converted the next two PCs as well. First, Irfan Jr gave the finishing touch after a number of deflections within the circle. The final goal was also an indirect PC conversion; Umar Bhutta was the scorer.

Next match between the two sides is scheduled at Mardan on May 13.

PHF Media release



Haseem to lead Pakistan at FIH World Hockey League



LAHORE: Aiming for the direct qualification to the next year’s Hockey World Cup, the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Wednesday named a strong squad for the FIH World Hockey League, which holds the status of World Cup qualifiers. Four-time world champions Pakistan faces immense pressure to qualify for the mega-event of field hockey after missing qualification to the previous World Cup in 2014. Abdul Haseem Khan has been named the captain of Pakistan outfit while Umar Bhutta will be his deputy. Pakistan will play the World Hockey League in London from June 15th to 25th, however, qualification to the World Cup will be known only after results of Johannesburg semi-final and all continental championships.

Pakistan have been placed in pool B along with Canada, India, Netherlands and Scotland in the ten-team competition in London. The pool A comprises of Argentina, China, England, Korea and Malaysia. Pakistan’s squad include two goalkeepers Amjad Ali and Mazhar Abbas along with seven halfbacks Nawaz Ashfaq, Aleem Bilal, Abubakar Mahmood, Mohammad Rizwan Junior, Atif Mushtaq, Tasawur Abbas and Ammad Shakeel Butt.

Nine forwards included in Pakistan’s squad for the event are Umar Bhutta, Irfan Junior, Arsalan Qadir, Ali Shan, Mohammad Dilber, Ejaz Ahmed, Haseem Khan, Azfar Yaqoob and Umair Sarfraz.

Pakistan will launch their campaign with the match against Netherlands on the opening day of the tournament. Pakistan will take on archrivals India on Sunday, 18th June after taking on Canada on 16th of June. On 19th June, Pakistan will take on Scotland, before quarter finals knock-outs starting from 22nd of June.

The Daily Times



Foreign exposure useful, says Indian women's hockey captain Rani

Indian women's hockey team's captain Rani Rampal says the squad members are getting a lot of foreign exposure which is helping the side improve its performance.

"We are getting lots of foreign exposure and it is helping in improving our performance. Right now we are focusing on (the) New Zealand tour and then the target will be to give our best in (the FIH) World League semifinals in July," Rani told PTI in an email interaction.

The Indian women are to play a five-match hockey Test Series in New Zealand after a successful outing in West Vancouver, Canada where they won the Women's Hockey World League Round 2 and qualified for the Women's Hockey World League Semi Final to be played in Johannesburg.

"New Zealand tour will be a good preparatory tour for us ahead of the World League semi final and this exposure will help us improve and also understand our weak points," she had said before the team's departure.

She said as the team leader, one of her responsibilities was motivating youngsters.

"As a team leader you always have to interact and coordinate with everyone on the field and motivate youngsters to play well," said the Haryana-born player.

Asked to identify the stand-out player in Canada, Rani did not specifically name a player and attributed it to team work.

"Each individual player played well as per the strategy made by our coaches and team coordination also played an important role in the victory (in the Hockey World League Round 2)," said Rani, who plays as a forward.

The Times of India



Green Machine Fixtures Ahead Of World League Revealed



Hockey Ireland has today announced a 3-match series that will see the Green Machine take on Pakistan in Lisnagarvey Hockey Club as part of their preparation for World League in Johannesburg.

The last time the two sides met an Alan Sothern drag flick gave the Green Machine a vital 1-0 win at World League in Antwerp, a result that played a vital role in booking that all important place to Rio. Pakistan, a hockey powerhouse, sit 4 places below Ireland in the rankings but will be stern test for the men in green and provide an exciting match series for home fans.

Prior to welcoming Pakistan, the team face England in Bisham Abbey in two training matches, further great experience for the side given England recently beat Australia to win the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.

Ireland’s preparation goes up a gear further throughout June as their final matches before World League see them travel to Germany for the Hamburg Masters. There they will meet Spain, Austria and Olympic bronze medallists Germany in the round-robin tournament.

Speaking about the sides upcoming fixtures, Head Coach Craig Fulton said “We have a good build up in preparation to World League and are looking forward to starting our training camp this weekend and playing our first matches at the end of the month. We’re very pleased to be welcoming Pakistan to Belfast for a 3-match series at the beginning of June. It will be great to play in front of a home crowd and play against a skilled team who are gearing up for their own World League campaign in London.

Prior to that we have 2 matches against England which will be a good test for our young side. Concluding our preparation for World League at the Hamburg Masters is ideal as we play against 3 teams with different styles of play”.

Fixtures:

IRELAND VS ENGLAND IN BISHAM ABBEY (not capped)

    Saturday 27th May 2pm
    Sunday 28th May 1pm

IRELAND VS PAKISTAN IN LISNAGARVEY HOCKEY CLUB

    Thursday 1st June
    Saturday 3rd June
    Sunday 4th June

*Times tbc

HAMBURG MASTERS

    Thursday 22nd June v Spain 16.45
    Friday 23rd June v Austria 16.45
    Sunday 25th June v Germany 12.30

Irish Hockey Association media release



Whitelock, McAleese take top awards


Photos: Karl Periam, Frontside

Vantage Black Sticks veterans Kayla Whitelock and Shea McAleese have taken supreme honours at the annual Hockey New Zealand awards dinner.

The awards recognised high performance athletes as well as various members of the community for their outstanding contributions to hockey during the 2016 calendar year.

Former Vantage Black Sticks captain Kayla Whitelock, now retired, was named Women’s Player of the Year while experienced midfielder/defender Shea McAleese took out Men’s Player of the Year.

Midlands midfielder Nic Woods won Men’s Under 21 Player of the Year while Southern’s Tessa Jopp accepted Women’s Under 21 Player of the Year.

The Players’ Player of the Year was selected by other squad members to acknowledge contributions both on and off the turf, with Blair Tarrant and Kayla Whitelock taking out the awards.

Along with community awards, the evening was highlighted by the acceptance presentation to David Appleby who was voted in as a Life Member of Hockey New Zealand at last year’s AGM.

Hockey New Zealand icon Ramesh Patel was voted in as a Life Member at this year’s AGM and will formally accept his award next year.

As part of the awards, the Hari family accepted a Gold Service award for 20+ years’ service to the sport on behalf of their father Govan who recently passed away.

LIFE MEMBERSHIP

David Appleby
Ramesh Patel (voted in at AGM)

HIGH PERFORMANCE AWARDS

Women’s Player of the Year – Kayla Whitelock
Men’s Player of the Year – Shea McAleese
Women’s Under 21 Player of the Year – Tessa Jopp
Men’s Under 21 Player of the Year – Nic Woods
Women’s Players’ Player of the Year – Kayla Whitelock
Men’s Players’ Player of the Year – Blair Tarrant

COMMUNITY AWARDS

Administrator of the Year – Caroline Bigham
Volunteer of the Year – Ngaio Haenga
Community Coach of the Year – Graham Findlay
Community Umpire of the Year – Marion Ellis
High Performance Coach of the Year – Simon Brill
Men’s Umpire of the Year – Simon Taylor
Women’s Umpire of the Year – Kelly Hudson

BRONZE SERVICE AWARDS

Karen Leighton
Kevin Randles
Neil Watson

SILVER SERVICE AWARDS

Lindsay Annear
Simon Norton

GOLD SERVICE AWARDS

Govan Hari (presented posthumously to the Hari family)
Bob Morrison
Donna Keaney
Grant Litchfield
Janis Rae
Wallace Rae
Marie Fry
Marilyn Downey

Hockey New Zealand Media release



Pukke gearing up to host second leg of Varsity Hockey


Charne Maddocks of PUKKE slide a backhand shot while Nicole LE Fleur of Maties attempts to save it during a penalty shoot out after both teas failed to score during the match in the 2017 VARSITY HOCKEY, Monday 8 May 2017 Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch, Western Cape. Photo by: HALDEN KROG/SASPA

The fifth season of Varsity Hockey got underway this past weekend in Stellenbosch at the Maties Astro turf. Proudly sponsored by Samsung, FNB and Mugg & Bean; this year’s Varsity Hockey sees the women do battle for the coveted title. The ladies from the University of Stellenbosch (Maties) are the only unbeaten side heading into the second leg at the North West University (NWU-Pukke).

Pukke captain Jessica de Bruyn-Smith welcomes the pressure of playing in front of their home crowd.

“Teams often feel more pressurised to perform on home soil, but for us it’s something we look forward to,” says de Bruyn-Smith.

Ahead of their final match against Maties in Stellenbosch on Sunday, Pukke were unbeaten following wins against UP-Tuks, defending champions UJ and an opening round victory over Wits. The side from Potchefstroom conceded only four goals in their first three matches. De Bruyn-Smith says that they will approach every game differently and not adopt the same strategy for the remaining round-robin matches.

“We will have a different game-plan for each opposition, but we will have to be more aggressive when we get within striking distance. I feel we have been too nice and need to be more goal-hungry.”

The Maties top the current log on 12 points, three points clear of second placed University of Pretoria (UP-Tuks). Ahead of the final match on Monday 8 May, Maties and Pukke were the only unbeaten sides. If anything can be deducted from the first round of matches, these two sides are the strongest title contenders, along with UP-Tuks who have conceded just one goal in four matches, scoring 35. The Round Four match ended goalless after the fourth and final chukka and a winner was decided in a penalty shootout, between Maties and NWU-Pukke which Maties won, 3-2, to remain the only unbeaten side.

A few formidable combinations and brilliant interplay for Maties proved to be the difference as link Georgia Grobler, forward Tarryn Glasby, midfielder Sandisiwe Tabata and goalkeeper Nicole La Fleur secured a comfortable head start for Maties heading into the Potchefstroom leg. Grobler and Glasby collectively dispatched eight balls in the back of the net. A composed La Fleur ensured that the team from Stellenbosch kept their winning streak alive after she denied the clinical Pukke strikers during the penalty shootout. While both teams are beaming with confidence as they head for Potch, they aren’t naive to ride on the past weekend’s success.

Pukke will face Madibaz on Friday at 18h45, UKZN on Saturday and Kovsies on Sunday while log leaders Maties kick off against UP-Tuks on Friday, Wits at 15h15 on Saturday and UKZN on Sunday.

Varsity Sports media release



UJ hockey girls aim to bounce back in Potch

Acknowledging there is strong competition, University of Johannesburg hockey manager Elize le Roux said their women’s team were ready to keep on fighting in the Varsity Hockey tournament this weekend.

Despite some close results, the defending champions could win only one of four matches in the opening weekend in Stellenbosch and they will be striving for a change of fortunes in the second phase of the competition, which starts in Potchefstroom tomorrow.

There will be three more rounds of matches before the play-offs take place on Monday, with the final being contested on May 22.

While UJ are somewhat off the pace, six points behind fourth-placed NWU-Pukke, Le Roux said they had had a chance to reflect on their performances.

“This year the competition is very strong,” she said. “Due the format of the competition the break gives you a chance for reflection and time to regroup.

“There are possibly four clear teams so far showing top-four status, but this can change at any stage due to the nature of sport.”

The unbeaten Maties team lead the log on 12 points, followed by UP-Tuks, Wits and NWU-Pukke on nine points apiece. UJ, NMMU-Madibaz and Free State are all grouped on three points.

UJ will be up against Wits, UP-Tuks and Madibaz this weekend.

Despite the defeats, Le Roux said the spirit in the camp remained positive.

“We have some new staff and players so we have been working further on the players’ belief in the processes we are putting forward. We want to create a belief in the brand and in what we want to achieve.”

She added they knew it would be tough but still felt they had a chance of qualifying for the top four.

“We don’t want to give away anything in terms of our strategy, but we are ready to make a big effort.”

The UJ hockey manager said the standard of women’s hockey had risen because players were being increasingly exposed to tournaments such as Varsity Hockey and the Premier Hockey League.

“Playing the sport at every level gives you so much more exposure and players pick up invaluable game time,” she added.

“Hockey is a growing sport so these sorts of competitions increase the chances for the girls to develop in a competitive environment.”

Varsity Sports media release



Sabah: We are not afraid of BJSS Thunderbolts

By Jugjet Singh


BJSS Thunderbolts players celebrate after beating Politeknik Malaysia in Division One of the JHL.

SABAH Sports School (SSMS Resilient) are not afraid of facing Junior Hockey League (JHL) 2016 Overall champions Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) Thunderbolts in the TNB Cup quarter-finals Friday.

SSMS Resilient emerged as Division Two League champions without dropping a single point in six matches, and then won the Overall title by beating SSTMI Juniors 3-1 in the final.

Resilient coach Sharil Izam knows that his charges will most likely face an uphill battle against BJSS Thunderbolts, but he is the least worried.

"MY players have yet to lose a match in Division Two, but that does not mean we are a very strong side. The quarter-finals will be a real challenge as we will be playing against a team which is of a higher standard -- but we are not afraid of them and are up to the challenge," said Sharil.

In the six League matches, resilient scored 45 goals and let in 11. And in the Overall knock-out, they beat MBMB Warriors and PHA-USM and then knocked out SSTMI Juniors with ease.

The player to watch is Muhajir Abdu Rauf who top-scored in Division Two with a total of 19 goals -- 15 field, one penalty corner and three penalty strokes.

Nasrul Syahkir, with 10 field goals, is the other Resilient Top Gun.

"We drafted four players from the recent Under-16 tournament into the JHL side, and they did not disappoint," said Sharil who has been coaching the side for the last five years.

Sabah finished fourth in the National Under-16.

"This team has been together for five years and have started to show some promise. We were unlucky in the Under-16, but showed good form in the JHL to gain promotion into Division One next season.

"So, even though BJSS are the raging favourites, we have nothing to lose and will fight for every inch of the pitch to qualify for the semi-finals," said Sharil.

BJSS, on the other hand, have had a tough season in Division One and could only finish third in the League.

The BJSS players to watch are Amirul Mirza (10 goals) and Ramdan Arifin (eight goals) -- the second and third top-scorers.

FRIDAY -- Division One Quarter-finals: PJCC Tigers v Anderson Thunderbolts (Pandamaran Stadium, 5pm), MSP-Thunderbolts v SSTMI Juniors (Kuantan, 5pm), SSTMI Thunderbolts v Johor Juniors (SSTMI, 5pm), BJSS Thunderbolts v SSMS Resilient (KLHA, 5pm).

SUNDAY -- Women's semi-finals: SSTMI v MSN Kedah (KLHA, 4pm), PSHA-USM v KLSS-Wipers (KLHA, 6pm).

Jugjet's World of Field Hockey



Let's help Michael

By S.S. Dhaliwal


Michael Yan

A fund raising event has been planned this Saturday, May 13 at the Sungai Ujong Club, initiated by The Malay Mail as part of their CSR effort.

Micheal Yan has been the backbone for Negri Sembilan Hockey for over the past four decades.

I got to know Michael up close and personal when I first umpired in the Negri league in 1979.

But even before that I had seen him in action on the famous NS Padang as he played in the league for Pakat ( Telekom’s ), NS Club, Rangers and later on went on to play for Old Paulians and Sungai Ujong Club.

Michael was the coach when Seremban Municipal Council first made a foray into Hockey as he took charge of the team for five years from 1986 to 1991.
MPS participated in the Malaysian Hockey League in 1987 and some of the nations budding youngsters at that time in the likes of Eric Zachariah, K Dharmaraj, Lee Sen Hock, Led Sien Lam, Brian Jayhan Siva were amongst those who benefitted from his coaching.

A draughtsman by profession, Michael took over his father’s business in Rahang and when I joined MPS in 1981, our relationship grew as Michael and some close friends would meet up every Friday for lunch.

We developed a relationship of mutual respect and he looked upon me as a younger Brother , even citing me as an adopted Yan during his son’s wedding speech.

Many may not know this, but Michael was instrumental in assisting the renovations of the Mantin Sikh Temple in 1987.

The premises risked demolition by the local authority for constructing a dining hall that was in the process of construction but did not seek approval of the local authority.

Micheal stepped in, drew the plans, got the necessary approvals and each Wednesday we would take a drive to Mantin and monitor the progress.

And upon completion, Michael used the entire fees due to him and donated it back to the Gurudwara Mantin.

His devotion to helping religious places of worship did not end there, as Michael designed the plans for the Tampin Sikh Temple as well.

A devout Christian , Michael has no boundaries when it came to religion.

We often lamented the need to do something for Hockey in NS and it was only two years ago in the inaugural hall of fame of NSHA that I had mentioned that NS last won the Razak Cup in 1977 and if they failed by 2016, then this year I would team up with Michael, Lawrence van Huizen and William Fidelis to try rob win it.

Micheal lived sports – from hockey, badminton, cricket, tennis and golf. Michael is truly an all rounder, his ability phenomenal in whatever sports he decided to play.

One joke that I always shared with Michael was how he was the captain of the national team that lost the 1973 Sea Games Gold Medal to Singapore, but in true Michael style he used to say – ” We wanted to create history in our own way.” he joked.

Today Michael is fighting for his life, and he needs our help to get through this battle.

The veteran of many wars with scars to prove it, needs our prayers and our financial help to get through this difficult period.

A fund raising event has been planned this Saturday, May 13 at the Sungai Ujong Club, initiated by The Malay Mail as part of their CSR effort.

The details can be found in the poster above and I plead with sports lovers, be it those who knew Michael or not to contribute to this noble effort and every cent counts as we try assist Michael get back to his feet.

I pray that the sports fraternity would get together to give our “prince of NS sports” the due recognition by contributing to this fund raising.

You can either come in person or contact those listed to hand over your contribution.

Lets get Michael up on his feet.

Together we can do the impossible,

And in your prayers, please do seek the assistance of God to grant Michael a good recovery.

We all miss that smile Michael, so fight my Friend, and as you said while on the fairway , ” haddi” the ball. ( meaning hitbwill all your might)
So fight Michael with all you have.

Jugjet's World of Field Hockey



FIH and Star Sports advance plans for long-term hockey coverage


 FIH delegates held positive talks with Stars Sports earlier this week Photo: FIH

Earlier this week, FIH President Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra, CEO Jason McCracken and TV & Broadcast Director Andy Oram held constructive discussions with Senior Executives from FIH Official Media Partner Star Sports ahead of what will be a hugely exciting period for the sport of hockey.

Top of the discussions were the new agreement between FIH and Star Sports for the Indian territory up until 2022. With the Hockey World Cups taking place next year, the men's in Bhubaneswar, India, and the new global Home and Away League launching in 2019, the sport maintains a valuable asset for the broadcaster in a country where hockey remains one of the most popular sports.

As host broadcaster for international hockey events held in India, Star Sports remain a key FIH partner. Having worked together closely for several years, both organisations or looking forward to building on the positive relationship developed through a mutual passion for hockey.

Speaking about these meetings, FIH President Dr Nardiner Dhruv Batra, said: "Star Sports are crucial to helping us achieve our main aim of our 10-year Hockey Revolution strategy - to make hockey a global game that inspires the next generation. They have been an important contributor to the growth of hockey in recent years, not only in India but across the world. Star Sports have advanced the quality of broadcast production of hockey, giving fans a much greater insight and understanding of our game, which is subsequently attracting new fans into our sport."

He continued: "We look forward to working with Star Sports to take hockey to the next level, which will be evident throughout their coverage of our upcoming events, with a significant emphasis on the Hockey World Cups and new global Home and Away League."

For more information about Star Sports, click here.


Above (L-R): FIH CEO Jason McCracken; Star Sports Managing Director Mr Sanjay Gupta; FIH President Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra; FIH TV & Broadcast Director Andy Oram.


Above (L-R): FIH CEO Jason McCracken; Stars Sports Head of Acquisitions Chaitanya Diwan; FIH President Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra; FIH TV & Broadcast Director Andy Oram.

FIH site

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