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News for 12 June 2017

All the news for Monday 12 June 2017


Danson hits landmark in England vs Netherlands classic


Alex Danson 100 goals

Alex Danson’s 100th international goal was the catalyst for a brilliant England comeback as they finished level with The Netherlands at the end of a superb game in London.

The hotly anticipated rematch ended with two goals apiece, but this time it was the visitors who emerged victorious following an epic shootout.

Danson’s landmark goal shortly before the end of the third quarter halved the Dutch deficit after Laura Nunnink and Laurien Leurink gave the world number one side a two-goal lead at half-time.

Sophie Bray then levelled the scores with eight minutes left to take the game to penalties, with the visitors exacting their revenge by winning 4-3 as both sides once again put on a spectacular showcase.

Coming off the back of a tough fixture against Argentina yesterday, England found themselves behind in just the third minute as Nunnink turned home a superb cross from Frederique Matla.

England dominated possession thereafter but their opponents struck on the counter attack in the 15th minute as Leurink slapped a wicked shot past Maddie Hinch after a powerful run.

Never a side to be deterred England continued to press, although they were forced to rely upon Hinch on a few occasions as she produced some outstanding saves to keep their opponents out.

They then managed to break through a compact Dutch defence in the 42nd minute as Danson squeezed a shot underneath Josine Koning after great work down the right from Susannah Townsend.

Now with the momentum and a fantastic crowd roaring them on it seemed inevitable England would equalise and that they duly did as a diving Bray nudged Townsend’s breathtaking cross into the Dutch goal in the 52nd minute.

The drama didn’t end there though as Hinch produced two more cracking saves from penalty corners to ensure the tie ended level, taking it to a shootout.

Danson - England’s captain for the summer - then led from the front as she scored the first penalty to give her side the early advantage.

However she also had a penalty stroke well saved by Anne Veenendaal as the Dutch moved into a 2-1 lead with one player each left to take a penalty.

With the hopes of a boisterous capacity crowd resting on her shoulders, Rio hero Hollie Webb stepped up and calmly rounded Veenendaal to level the scores before Hinch saved from Leurink to take it to sudden death.

Both sides then scored and missed one apiece before Webb thought she had scored the winner, only for it to be ruled out after the ball was deemed to have touched her foot.

Matla then found a way past Hinch with a shot that proved to be the winner as Nicola White’s penalty stroke following a foul on Sophie Bray was well saved by Veenendall.

Overall, it was a magnificent advert for the sport, on and off the pitch. With goals galore, drama, hundreds of kids on the pitch after the game and much more besides, there were countless reasons to come away from Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre with a smile.

England 2 (0)
Alex Danson, 42 (FG)
Sophie Bray, 52 (FG)

Netherlands 2 (2)
Laura Nunnink, 3 (FG)
Laurien Leurink, 15 (FG)

Netherlands win 4-3 on penalties.

Penalty    1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8
England    O    X    X    X    O    O    X    X
Netherlands    X    O    O    X    X    O    X    O

England squad: Maddie Hinch (GK), Zoe Shipperley, Laura Unsworth, Sarah Haycroft, Anna Toman, Hannah Martin, Susannah Townsend, Joie Leigh, Alex Danson (c), Emily Defroand, Sophie Bray, Hollie Webb, Ellie Watton, Shona McCallin, Lily Owsley, Nicola White, Grace Balsdon
Sub (unused): Amy Tennant

England Hockey Board Media release



Lily Owsley interview: England hockey star sets sights on Holland's No.1 spot

LILY OWSLEY is excited for the next wave of English hockey and thinks the women’s team is poised to knock Holland off their perch just a year on from achieving Olympic success with Great Britain.

By Bruce Archer


Lily Owsley helped Great Britain secure gold in Rio last summer

England face the Dutch today almost a year on from Great Britain’s dramatic Olympic success in Rio.

It was one of the iconic moment in Brazil last year as Maddie Hinch’s heroics in goal secured a penalty shoot-out win in the gold medal match against Holland.

A lot has changed since then with a number of players - most predominantly Kate Richardson-Walsh - hanging up their sticks.

But Owsley thinks the new players can take England to the next level and finally topple Holland as the no.1 side in the world.

England face Holland in the Investec Internationals at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park having lost to Argentina yesterday.

But today’s match brings more significance being against the world’s number one side and the team that GB beat to earn gold in Rio.

With the core of the GB side coming from England it marks something of a grudge match but Owsley believes the new-look squad is on the right path.


Lily Owsley received an MBE following the Olympics success


Lily Owsley with Prince Charles receiving her honour

“We were always going to have to start again,” she told Express Sport. “That’s the nature of our program.

“We kind of restart every four years, because after the Olympics there’s new trials, new retirements so that’s just how it goes.

“We’ve had some big losses, Kate in particular, which is going to be hard, but the talent and hunger of the new ones is immense, there’s so much talent and raw natural ability in this group.

“It’s young and inexperienced but I think it has so much potential.”

Owsley has gone from the baby of the group to one of the more experienced - despite still being just 22 - and she’s now joined by a number players who she came through the youth ranks with.

And, having enjoyed the success of last summer, is keen to take England to top spot in the rankings.

“Holland are still world number one, but we’re getting very, very close,” she said.


Lily Owlsey and her team-mates at the London Stadium

"I would love to be part of the team that’s number one ranked in the world that shows that you haven’t just done it over one tournament "

“We’ve bridged a big gap after the Olympics and Europeans and we’ve had the better of them over the last few years but their history and consistency makes it seriously tough to knock them off that top spot.

“For me that’s the huge aim, I would love to be part of the team that’s number one ranked in the world that shows that you haven’t just done it over one tournament, you haven’t just got a couple of lucky wins, that shows that you are consistently the best team.

“For me that would be the ultimate achievement and we’re really close. Technically they’re still favourites but we’re both very different teams.”

English hockey has taken giant strides since last summer with 10,000 new players joining clubs since Rio and BT Sport taking on the broadcast rights to become the ‘home of UK and Irish international hockey’ for two years.

“We had visions for last year: create history, which we did by winning in Rio, inspire the future, which was all about putting hockey on map and making hockey a sport that matters, and it’s definitely happened,” Owsley said.

“Since the Olympics it’s been amazing - still people are talking about it.  And I think it’s just the start, I think it’s going to keep going and we’re going to be a big part in that and trying to keep pushing it.

“Ultimately if you’ve got international success that’s what people get behind and that’s our job.”


Lily Owsley meets Usain Bolt during the Olympics

Owsley says the reaction to last summer was ‘like a bombshell’ with the players under a social media ban until after being awarded their gold medals.

They had no idea the exposure and recognition they were receiving and it was beyond anything from their wildest dreams.

In the aftermath they’ve had invites to parties, premieres and sporting events, they’ve been on Jonathan Ross, they’ve been awarded MBEs. Owsley’s met her heroes - Serena Williams and Usain Bolt - and they’ve become house-hold names.

“We hadn’t given it two thoughts what it might be like after,” she said.

“All that mattered was winning and taking it game by game. We were on a social ban during the games so we had no idea of the impact it was having and then honestly it was like a bombshell that exploded when we went back online and got home.

“It went a bit mental. Everyone loved it. It’s the first time hockey’s been appreciated and it really mattered and people were so excited about it and that was amazing and some people like Kate, absolute legends in sport not just hockey, got the recognition they deserved.

“It was unbelievable. It was not something we thought would happen or even hoped for, but it’s still going on and on and we’re getting invited to these things and I’m thinking ‘why am I invited to that’.”

Daily Express



Black Sticks draw with Spain in second test


Goal scorer Sam Harrison in action for the Black Sticks. Photo: www.photosport.nz

The Vantage Black Sticks Women have drawn 1-1 with hosts Spain in the second of four tests in Barcelona.

It was an improved performance following Sunday’s narrow loss, with the Kiwis acclimatising better to the hot conditions.

Spain opened strongly once again and lit up the score board in the 15th minute through a Berta Bonastre goal.

New Zealand lifted following the goal and equalised five minutes out from halftime through Samantha Harrison’s field goal.

The Black Sticks played an improved second half and caused Spain some headaches on defence but weren’t able to find a winning goal.

Assistant coach Sean Dancer said it was pleasing to see a noticeable improvement following game one.

“It was good to see our girls work harder today and lift the level of our play,” he said.

“It’s still not the standard we know is required but we are moving in the right direction. Spain have developed into a top level team and we are looking forward to the challenge of the next game to level the series.”

The Vantage Black Sticks tackle Spain in the third test at 6am Wednesday morning (NZT).

The four test series is part of New Zealand’s build-up for the FIH World League Semi Final in Brussels from 21 June – 2 July.

VANTAGE BLACK STICKS 1: (Samantha Harrison)
SPAIN 1: (Berta Bonastre)
Halftime: 1-1

Hockey New Zealand Media release



‘Game-changing’ Hockey Pro League teams announced for 2019



The International Hockey Federation (FIH) confirmed today the teams that will participate in a new unique global international team-sport league – the Hockey Pro League.

The new league, which is due to launch in January 2019, will see the nine best men’s and women’s teams from around the world play each other both at home and away every year, across a total of 144 one-off matches. The fixtures will take place in national stadiums, week in, week out, from January to June. 

The women’s event will be contested between Argentina, Australia, China, England/Great Britain, Germany, India, Netherlands, New Zealand and USA. The men’s teams were confirmed as Argentina, Australia, Belgium, England/Great Britain, Germany, India, Netherlands, New Zealand and Pakistan, the latter playing their home matches in Scotland.

The announcement follows an extremely competitive candidate evaluation process which saw 13 men’s and 12 women’s applications submitted by National Associations. Teams that did not make the final selection for the men’s League were Ireland, Malaysia and Spain, whilst those not chosen for the women’s League were Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Japan and Spain women.

The confirmation of teams follows approval from the FIH Executive Board. Their decision was based on recommendations from the FIH Event Portfolio Implementation Panel (EPIP) who were tasked with assessing each of the candidate applications against defined participation criteria.

The name was selected as it captured the entertainment-focused nature of the League. Using the word ‘Pro’, this highly positive and upbeat message indicates it will feature the very best in the sport - ‘the pros’. It is also indicative of the increased professionalism that fans will start to see coming into the League.

Speaking about this news, FIH CEO Jason McCracken said: “We are delighted to announce the official name and teams who will participate in this game-changing new competition. Whilst World Tours and single venue International Leagues are played regularly, this is arguably the first of its kind, with national teams playing one-off matches both home and away in venues across the world over six months each year. The Hockey Pro League has been four years in the making and follows an excessive consultation and evaluation process.”

He continued: “We strongly believe that this new competition will fuel the growth of our sport for many years to come, significantly increasing revenues for hockey. As a result it will become a professional sport, making it a career choice for athletes who will be given the opportunity to perform in big, bold, packed and loud venues both in their homeland and overseas. It will also allow fans to engage with more world-class hockey more often, whether on TV or live at their national venue. We now look forward to working on delivering a truly exceptional League whilst also ensuring we raise the standard and profile of our other international competitions across all levels of the sport.”

FIH President, Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra added: “The Hockey Pro League represents the first major milestone for the Hockey Revolution. It embodies everything our 10-year strategy aims to achieve – making hockey a global game that inspires the next generation. Whilst only nine teams have been selected for each League, the quality of information and enthusiasm shown by those who missed out indicate that our sport is developing in an extremely positive way, which clearly shows that hockey has an exciting future ahead.”

News about broadcast partners, schedules and other exciting announcements, plus further background information about the Hockey Pro League will be published on FIH.ch over the coming months as well as via FIH Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Hockey Pro League FAQ

FIH site

Note: The all important Question of where is the money originally going to come from or how players are going to take 6 months off work or studies is not answered in the Q&A



FIH's Hockey Pro League to kick off in January 2019; top officials hopeful of sport's growth through tournament

Lausanne (Switzerland): Nine men's and women's teams from around the world would compete against each other both home and away basis every year in the Hockey Pro League – to be launched by the FIH in January 2019.

The men's teams were confirmed as Argentina, Australia, Belgium, England/Great Britain, Germany, India, Netherlands, New Zealand and Pakistan, the latter playing their home matches in Scotland

The women's event will be contested between Argentina, Australia, China, England/Great Britain, Germany, India, Netherlands, New Zealand and USA.

The teams that did not make the final selection for the men's League were Ireland, Malaysia and Spain, whilst those not chosen for the women's League were Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Japan and Spain women.

"The announcement follows an extremely competitive candidate evaluation process which saw 13 men's and 12 women's applications submitted by National Associations," FIH said in a release.

"The confirmation of teams follows approval from the FIH Executive Board. Their decision was based on recommendations from the FIH Event Portfolio Implementation Panel (EPIP) who were tasked with assessing each of the candidate applications against defined participation criteria," the release added.

FIH CEO Jason McCracken said, "We are delighted to announce the official name and teams who will participate in this game-changing new competition. Whilst World Tours and single venue International Leagues are played regularly, this is arguably the first of its kind.The Hockey Pro League has been four years in the making and follows an excessive consultation and evaluation process."

"We strongly believe that this new competition will fuel the growth of our sport for many years to come, significantly increasing revenues for hockey. As a result it will become a professional sport, making it a career choice for athletes who will be given the opportunity to perform in big, bold, packed and loud venues both in their homeland and overseas."

FIH President, Narinder Dhruv Batra added, "The Hockey Pro League represents the first major milestone for the Hockey Revolution. It embodies everything our 10-year strategy aims to achieve - making hockey a global game that inspires the next generation."

FIrstpost



Men's & women's teams join Hockey Pro League

England and Great Britain Hockey are delighted to announce that both our men's and women's teams have been confirmed in the new worldwide Hockey Pro League.

The new league, which is due to launch in January 2019, will see the nine best men’s and nine best women’s teams from around the world play each other home and away every year, across a total of 144 games. The fixtures will take place in national stadiums, week in, week out, from January to June.

In another huge boost for the sport on these shores, Glasgow will play host to Pakistan's men in this League, bringing yet more world class hockey to Great Britain.

As the Hockey Pro League will provide teams with a way of qualifying for the Olympics, both the England men’s and women’s teams will become Great Britain in the two years prior to the Olympic Games.

Winners of the 2017 Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Cup (playing as Great Britain) and bronze medalists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, England's men are a team that has huge ambitions to get into podium positions at major hockey events. Currently ranked seventh in the FIH Hero World Rankings, at both the Hockey World Cup in 2014 and the EuroHockey Nations in 2015, England finished fourth.

England's women won the Unibet EuroHockey Championships in 2015 and a silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Playing as Great Britain, they won gold at the Rio Olympics and moved to second in the world rankings as a result.

The confirmation of teams follows approval from the FIH Executive Board. Their decision was based on recommendations from the FIH Event Portfolio Implementation Panel (EPIP) who were tasked with assessing each of the candidate applications against defined partici-pation criteria.

Speaking about this news, FIH CEO Jason McCracken said: “We are delighted to announce the official name and teams who will participate in this game-changing new competition. Whilst world tours and single venue international leagues are played regularly, this is arguably the first of its kind, with national teams playing one-off matches both home and away in venues across the world over six months each year. The Hockey Pro League has been four years in the making and follows an excessive consultation and evaluation process.”

He continued: “We strongly believe that this new competition will fuel the growth of our sport for many years to come, significantly increasing revenues for hockey. As a result it will make hockey a career choice for athletes who will regularly be given the opportunity to perform in big, bold, packed and loud venues both in their homeland and overseas. It will also allow fans to engage with more world-class hockey more often, whether on TV or live at their national venue. We now look forward to working on delivering a truly exceptional League whilst also ensuring we raise the standard and profile of our other international competitions across all levels of the sport.”

FIH President, Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra added: “The Hockey Pro League represents the first major milestone for the Hockey Revolution. It embodies everything our 10-year strategy aims to achieve – making hockey a global game that inspires the next generation. Whilst only nine teams have been selected for each League, the quality of information and enthusiasm shown by those who missed out indicates that our sport is developing in an extremely positive way, which clearly shows that hockey has an exciting future ahead.”

England and Great Britain men's head coach Bobby Crutchley said: "This is great news for hockey in our country and I’m delighted both of our teams have been included. Playing in front of packed crowds on home turf is what will drive the sport forward.”

Danny Kerry, head coach of England and Great Britain's women said: "I'm absolutely delighted. In terms of moving the sport forward, this absolutely had to happen. Now I look forward to seeing the dates, and how it will all work."

News about broadcast partners, schedules and other exciting news, plus further background information about the Hockey Pro League, will be published on FIH.ch over the coming months as well as via FIH Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

England Hockey Board Media release



USA Wins Selection into Elite FIH Hockey Pro League

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Field Hockey is thrilled to announce its selection as a member of the inaugural Hockey Pro League. The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has chosen the U.S. Women’s National Team to be one of nine participants in the women’s FIH Hockey Pro League, which is due to begin in 2019. The announcement was made in a live televised event, streamed globally on the FIH YouTube channel from Lausanne, Switzerland on Sunday morning.

The Hockey Pro League is the elite annual competition in field hockey featuring the top nine male and female nations playing each other once at home and once away in a regular season stretching from February through June. The top four nations will compete in playoffs to determine the champion. The vision for the competition is groundbreaking in global sport providing an international league which offers consistency for broadcasters and spectators. The nine inaugural participants in each league are set for the initial four years. The ambition for the league is to firmly place field hockey as a regularly televised spectator sport with a goal of significantly increasing the appeal and grow popularity for the sport.

“This is a huge moment for field hockey in the United States, we are on the top table and have the opportunity to grow our game on television and have thousands of spectators cheer on Team USA,” commented Simon Hoskins, USA Field Hockey’s Executive Director. “Being chosen as a founding nation is testament to the major progress on and off the field by USA Field Hockey over the past four years and I commend all those whose contribution has made this possible. Having a season format, allows us to attract broadcasters and market tickets for these big one off matches. The work is ahead of us now as we seek to attract so many more people to our sport and sharing what great sporting entertainment international hockey can be.”

Following an extensive application process where the top-16 world ranked National Associations completed questionnaires based on aspects of hosting and participation capabilities, USA was selected alongside Argentina, Australia, China, England, Germany, India, New Zealand and The Netherlands to participate in the FIH Hockey Pro League. Crucial aspects about financial sustainability, commercial vision, legal compliance, proposed venues, event delivery and presentation were assessed. USA will play each opponent once at home, and will travel and play once in each country. League points will be awarded with the top four nations progressing to playoffs. USA intend to host the majority of home games at Spooky Nook Sports, the Home of Hockey, in Lancaster, Pa. and will also look to showcase the U.S. Women’s National Team around the country.

As a game-changing competition that is central to the FIH’s 10-year Hockey Revolution Strategy, the Hockey Pro League will also offer many benefits to constituents and members of USA Field Hockey. Stemming from the likes of many other professional sport organizations in the United States, this League will add field hockey to the list of spectator sports ensured by nationwide and global broadcast coverage. This offers an extended learning opportunity for middle school, high school, club and college teams to watch high-caliber and top international competition year-round.

“We are excited to be part of the Hockey Pro League and compete with the top teams in the world,” said Janneke Schopman, USWNT Head Coach. “Our goal is to continue to improve and grow as a team on the international stage, this league will give us the much-needed level of competition on a consistent basis. Playing these games will bring the highest level of international hockey to the United States and we are excited to show ourselves to our fans!”

The financial model for the Hockey Pro League is to generate a step change in broadcast, commercial and ticketing resources developed in field hockey. Over time the goal is to provide an environment where international hockey is self-funded and not reliant on funding from other sources including government subsidies or youth programming. With success over time, and similar to other sports with a participation tradition who have embraced a televised spectator sport, the goal is to develop extensive resources that can be used to grow the game within each country and by the International Hockey Federation to grow the sport in developing hockey nations. 

USFHA media release



Glasgow to host Pakistan FiH Hockey Pro League matches



Scottish Hockey is delighted to announce that Pakistan men will play their home matches of the International Hockey Federation’s (FiH) new game-changing Hockey Pro League at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre.

The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) was looking for a neutral venue with a track record of delivering world-class hockey events for their home matches, and found Glasgow as the ideal location. The Glasgow National Hockey Centre, a 2014 Commonwealth Games legacy venue, will now host Pakistan’s home matches in the FiH Hockey Pro League from 2019 until 2023.

The men’s FiH Hockey Pro League will feature Pakistan, England/GB, Australia, India, Argentina, Belgium, Germany, New Zealand, and the Netherlands, and will run from January until June each year from 2019 for a minimum of four years. The competition is a new initiative where the World’s top teams play each other in a series of televised globally home and away matches, leading to Olympic and World Cup qualification.

Entry for the top teams in the world was evaluated around meeting the three main objectives of the new FiH event portfolio – to generate a massive change in TV and media coverage for hockey; create big, bold, packed and loud events, and make a step change to increase future revenues for the sport.

Pakistan will also play five matches annually against Scotland men at venues across Scotland as part of the agreement. There will also be the opportunity for visiting teams to play competitive matches against Scotland as part of their preparation for matches against Pakistan.

The opportunity to host more world-class hockey in Glasgow is a major boost for the profile of hockey in Scotland, and of Scotland as an outstanding host for top hockey events.



We look forward to welcoming Pakistan, along with the likes of England and GB in an Olympic year to Glasgow. England qualifies for the FiH Hockey Pro League as the nominated country and on the run-up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, GB will compete in the FiH Pro League, offering the opportunity for Scottish athletes to play in the competition.

Scottish Hockey and the PHF will also work together on community projects in Scotland to develop hockey within the Scottish-Pakistani community. This will offer a significant boost in growing the sport in Scotland at a grassroots level.

There will also be opportunities for Scotland’s umpires and officials to take part in matches across Scotland, officiating some of the best international teams in the world.

David Sweetman, CEO of Scottish Hockey, said: “We are delighted to host Pakistan in Glasgow for the FiH Hockey Pro League. We have a great desire to bring the biggest hockey events to Scotland and it’s with great pleasure that we’ll stage yet another world-class competition at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre.

“This is a game-changer for hockey in Scotland and benefits each area of our strategic plan. There are enormous performance benefits for Scotland’s players, umpires and officials as part of this, and huge potential for growing hockey in Scotland. We’re looking forward to the very exciting years ahead for the sport in Scotland.”



Scottish Hockey Union media release



India and Pakistan to meet in London after half century of first meet

By  Shahid Khan

India against Pakistan is a rivalry that every hockey enthusiast including the 'neutrals' looks forward to most.


The next encounter between these two rivals will take place in the Men Hockey World League Semi-Final at the Olympic Park, London on 18th June 2017.



Crowd support for a team in any sporting event can sometimes pan out to be a major factor in deciding the final outcome. And when arch rivals India and Pakistan lock horns in any sport, supporters of both countries go an 'extra mile' in rooting for their respective teams.



It is therefore not surprising that this match is the one which is producing the most interest at the mega event starting next week.



It was in London that India won its first post-independence honour by winning the gold medal at the 1948 Olympics Games. Pakistan made their maiden appearance in the same event and although these partitioned countries did not meet then, Pakistan finished in 4th position - this was the launching  of another hockey giant.



The first encounter between these nations took place 8 years after partition in the final of the Melbourne Olympic Games in 1956. A penalty corner conversion by Randbir S Gentle secured gold medal for India.



Such was the dominance of these two subcontinent teams that they went on to contest the next two Olympic Games final as well and they could only be separated in all these matches by a single goal.

Pakistan won its first gold medal at the Rome Olympics in 1960 through a Naseer Bunda strike and India regained the Olympic title four years later in Tokyo.



The first encounter of this mouth-watering contest to take place on these shores was at the 'Pre Olympic London Tournament' in 1967.



The hallowed turf of Lords cricket ground was the venue of the historic occasion with players pavilion providing a magnificent backdrop to the match. It was a time where there was no World Cup or Champions Trophy in the sport and only tournaments being the Olympic Games at international level and Asian Games at regional level.



India were the holders of the Olympic and Asian Games titles and Pakistan silver medallists at both tournaments. Such was the interest in the match that not only did it attract a full house at Lords, it was also televised live on BBC - an unprecedented occurrence for the sport at the time.



Greenshirts  recorded a hard fought victory here in a team which included such stars as Khalid Mahmood (captain), Waheed Khan and Jehangir Butt whilst their opponents had such stalwarts as V. Peter, Bilbir Singh (Railways) and Jagjit Singh in their line-up.



It was a lapse of almost two decades before this fixture could be witnessed live on these shores. The face of the sport had totally changed and 6th World Cup, London in 1986 was to be the first major tournament to be played on an artificial surface. The obstruction rule had been changed, side 'hit in' had replaced 'roll in', 'chop aerial hit' was introduced to name only a few changes.



Expectation of the respective countries supporters as usual was very high. Pakistan arrived at the tournament as World Cup holders and had enjoyed a glorious period in the intervening period - they had won the World Cup three times (1971, 1978 & 1982) and the Olympic Games in 1968 and 1984. India on the other hand had also won the World Cup once in 1975 and Olympic Games in 1980.


However both teams disappointed their ardent supporters hugely. Pakistan despite the inclusion of such stars players as Hassan Sardar, Kalimullah and Ayaz Mahmood won only a single group match. India on the other hand lost both their matches for minor places.
  
Thus the former giants of the sport were pitted to face each other in the ignominy of deciding the last position in the tournament. Pakistan avoided the wooden spoon by winning 3-2.


Ironically, India's magical forward Mohammed Shahid was declared the 'player of the tournament'. 

The next edition of this encounter next week sees India in the ascendency and are ranked 6th in the world. The team which has seasoned players regularly playing in the successful IHL league and have toured Europe in their build up where they played against higher ranked teams - Germany and Belgium. 

Pakistan have missed out from both the last Olympic Games and World Cup and their build up to the tournament which also doubles up as the World Cup qualifier has been low key. They lost a three match series 2-0 against Ireland.

Controversially they have not included Rashid Mahmmod and Rizwan Senior, star players who have been playing the highly rated EHL.

The form book for such games does not matter as the Indian coach Rolent Oltmans, previously the Pakistan coach says ‘it’s the team that can handle its nerve better on the day that will come on top’.

Fieldhockey Exclusive



The battle for survival

Ijaz Chaudhry


Pakistan will be in the fray for FIH Hockey World League

The FIH Hockey World League Semi-final round in London is scheduled from June 15-25. The competition has an added importance. It doubles up as the qualifier for the 2018 World Cup. Pakistan will be in the fray, hoping to make it to the World Cup, having missed out the last time in 2014 — for the first time ever. They also failed to qualify for the 2016 Olympics; another dubious first.

The FIH Hockey World League is an international competition organised by the International Hockey Federation (FIH). It was introduced in 2012-13. The current edition of 2016-17 is only the third one.

The competition, which is held after every two years, also serves as the qualifier for the Hockey World Cup (men and women’s) and the Olympics.

Both men and women’s tournament have four rounds. For each edition the FIH decides the number of events and teams for each round.

Even the smallest hockey-playing nations have the opportunity to write their own chapter in hockey’s history books.

The number of Round 1 events varies in each cycle depending on the number of participating national teams. Teams are grouped regionally, although European teams are split in several tournaments. By grouping teams regionally, the travel costs are minimised.

The remaining rounds have teams selected with no regional restrictions.

The top teams receive a bye to a Round 2 or Semifinal event depending on the FIH World Rankings at the time of seeking entries.

For instance, in the ongoing 2016-17 HWL, Pakistan have been given a bye directly to the Semi-final round.

Qualification system for Hockey World Cup 2018

The Hockey World Cup 2018 will consist of 16 teams.

The following teams are eligible to play in the Hockey World Cup 2018



1.1

Host Nation – India 1 team: the host nation of the Hockey World Cup 2018 (automatic qualification).

1.2

Continental Qualification: 5 teams

The five (5) continental champions, the winners of: Africa, 11th Africa Cup for Nations (August 2017); America, 5th Pan American Cup (August 2017); Asia, 10th Asia Cup (2017- dates to be finalised); Europe, 16th EuroHockey Nations Championship (August 2017); Oceania, 10th Men’s Oceania Cup (2017).

1.3

Hockey World League: 10/11 teams

a) The 10 highest placed teams in the two Semi Final tournaments of the Hockey World League 2017 (which have not qualified under 1.1 and 1.2.)

b) If India are also the winners of the 10th Asia Cup, the 11th highest placed team in the Hockey World League Semi-Finals 2017, which has not qualified under 1.1 and 1.2.

c) In a and b, where the last place available is shared between teams that finish in the same position in the two different Hockey World League Semi-Final Events, the team to qualify will be the one which has the highest FIH World Ranking at the time of the completion of the latter of the two HWL Semi-Finals.

Pakistan will figure in the first of the two 2017 HWL Semi-Finals in London, from June 15-25. The other Semi-Final will be played in Johannesburg, South Africa, from July 9-23.

HWL Semifinal in Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre, on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London:

Pool A: Argentina, England, South Korea, Malaysia and China.

Pool B: Netherlands, India, Canada, Pakistan and Scotland.

Pakistan’s Pool Matches: vs Netherlands (June 15), vs Canada (June 16), vs India (June 18), vs Scotland (June 19).

Quarter-Finals and 9th/10th place match: June 22.

Semi-Finals and matches for 5th-8th place: June 24.

Final and 3rd/4th, 5th/6th & 7th/8th place matches: June 25.

India-Pakistan rivalry in hockey is arguably more intense than it is in cricket. Although the two former hockey powers have been out of the reckoning for a long time, Pakistan-India hockey match is still a draw card for hockey lovers all over the world.

Sunday, June 18, has been labeled as the Super Sunday as the hosts England take on the Olympic champions Argentina after the Pakistan-India clash. All this has lured Hero MotoCorp to be the title sponsors of the event. It will be ‘Men’s Hero Hockey World League Semi-Final, London 2017’.

Pakistan team has been preparing hard for the HWL Semi-Final. The national team toured Down Under in March during which they played bilateral series in New Zealand and Australia. In New Zealand, the 13th ranked Green-shirts defeated the eighth-ranked hosts 2-1 in the five-test series.

Pakistan lost all the four tests against World champions Australia, but their performance improved with every match: 1-6, 0-3, 0-2 and 3-5.

In the first week of June, Pakistan played three tests against the 9th- ranked Ireland at latter’s backyard. Pakistan failed to win a single match but all the tests were close contests.

The first test was a 2-2 draw. Ireland won the last two matches by the identical score of 3-2.

It should be a well-tuned Pakistan side at the HWL Semi-Final in London.

The importance of World Cup qualification can’t be over emphasised for the national game’s future in the country.

The News International

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