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News for 13 June 2017

All the news for Tuesday 13 June 2017


India at HWL semi-final

NEW DELHI: The 2017 Hockey World League (HWL) semi-finals in London get underway from June 15, with Manpreet Singh's Indian team opening its campaign on Thursday against Scotland.

India are grouped in Pool B with Canada, Scotland, Netherlands and Pakistan. After the Scotland opener, Manpreet's men face Canada on June 17, Pakistan on June 18 and World No 4 Netherlands on June 20.

India's coach Roelant Oltmans has targeted nothing less than a bronze medal, while Manpreet recently stated that finishing second is the minimum goal.

Most recently, India finished the Three Nations Invitational Tournament in Dusseldorf, Germany with one won, a draw and two defeats. Prior to that, the team returned home with a bronze medal at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.

Here is India's schedule for the HWL semi-finals:



INDIA SQUAD:

Goalkeepers: Akash Chikte, Vikas Dahiya

Defenders: Pardeep Mor, Kothajit Singh, Surender Kumar, Rupinder Pal Singh, Harmanpreet Singh

Midfielders: Chinglensana Singh, SK Uthappa, Satbir Singh, Sardar Singh, Manpreet Singh, Harjeet Singh

Forwards: Ramandeep Singh, SV Sunil, Talwinder Singh, Mandeep Singh, Akashdeep Singh.

The Times of India



John Smythe to hit 50 match mark in London despite living with Crohn’s disease

Shaheed Devji



When Canada’s men step on the field for the first time at the World League Semi-Final in London on Friday, midfielder John Smythe will be doing so for the fiftieth time.

As far as hockey accomplishments go, 50 caps is a good one. But for Smythe, reaching the milestone is even more impressive than normal considering there was a point not so long ago when Smythe thought he wouldn’t even play one senior match.

Smythe’s uncertainty about hockey stemmed from uncertainty around his health.

In the heart of his junior cycle, Smythe was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (UC), a disease that results in inflammation and ulcers of the colon and often comes along with severe abdominal pain and weight loss, and makes it almost impossible to play hockey.

The disease – at its worst – can also result in death.

“If you were my son, I would tell you to do the surgery, because you are literally bleeding to death right now,” is what he was told by his team of doctors in 2007.

“They said ‘we’re going to remove probably 95% of your colon and you should be somewhat cured,’” Smythe says of his first course of treatment. “And effectively if you don’t have a colon, then you can’t have ulcerative colitis.”

Despite the thought that his UC was cured after the colon removal in October 2007, his battle with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) was far from over.

“Problems persisted on for 2-3 years after that and they decided that it was probably Crohn’s now, and then finally they diagnosed me with Crohn’s.”

Crohn’s is also a type of IBD that affects any part of the gastrointestinal tract from the mouth down.

It comes with similar symptoms as UC, and for Smythe it also came with the caveat that his international hockey career was on hold – or maybe over – before it really even got started.

WATCH – John Smythe on Living With Crohn’s:

But with tireless work from his doctors, a never-say-die attitude, inspiration from his brother Iain – who also plays for the Men’s National Team – and an olive branch from a provincial coach, Smythe was able to get a handle on his disease and give hockey another go.

“One day, Kinder (Gill) was working for FHBC and he called me up and asked me if I wanted to come to a tryout and I said I have nothing to lose, I might as well go for it.”

And in 2013 – six years after his diagnosis – Smythe made his Senior National Team debut in 2013 in Chile.

And while life as an athlete is far from normal – “I can’t eat anything before morning trainings, so now I don’t have much energy to go on. Because we train so early, it’s just going to digest when I’m in the middle of training” – he has learned to deal with.

Medication helps him cope, and despite ongoing hiccups like this past March at World League Round 2 in Trinidad and Tobago, where Smythe says he “took a hit” to his system and “was puking before almost every game,” he is in the best playing shape of his life, evidenced by his inclusion in Canada’s World League Semi-Final team.

“I don’t think of it as a big burden anymore. It’s part of me, and it makes me who I am.”

And as he prepares to step on the field for Canada for the fiftieth time, he offers words of wisdom for athletes who may not see a future for themselves in sport.

“If you love something so much – like I love field hockey – just continue to play. Even if it’s for fun. You never know if you’re going to get past those flare ups and start getting into a stable diet and medication…and then finally get in to a position where you’re able to go for a National Team. So just continue to do what you love, and things will get better.”

Smythe and Canada’s men’s field hockey team face Pakistan at the World League Semi-Final on Friday, June 16.

A word of thanks from John Smythe:

“I wanted to mention that I am incredibly blessed to have such an amazing support system. I wouldn’t be close to where I am today without the support of my friends, family, coaches, teammates and incredible medical team. Most notably, to my skillful team of surgeons lead by Dr Terry Phang, and my incredible Gastroenterologist Dr Robert Enns who continuously finds a way to make my dreams come true. And lastly, I have to say a huge thank you to my biggest support system; my parents. My parents have been unbelievably caring, and supportive throughout the worst times and without them I may not have bounced back to where I am. I can truly say that I wouldn’t be getting my 50th cap without their love and support. “

Field Hockey Canada media release



Hockey pro league will benefit Black Sticks, says coach Darren Smith

OLIVIA CALDWELL


Black Sticks stalwart Shea McAleese is relieved his side has been included in the new Pro League. VASILY FEDOSENKO/REUTERS

Black Sticks men's coach Darren Smith is thrilled with the announcement of a "game-changing" hockey pro league to reach New Zealand shores in 2019.

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has confirmed that both the Black Sticks men and women will be part of the league which will feature the top nine international teams only.

Smith said the tournament would be beneficial for the game in New Zealand and will only strengthen the two national sides.


Kirsten Pearce celebrates during the Black Sticks series against India earlier this year, which proved to be a white wash. PHOTOSPORT

"It's really fantastic," he said. "New Zealand Hockey have gone through a very thorough process and this will give hockey a real boost here, there is going to be plenty of good teams in there."

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 games.

This means the Black Sticks men and women will play eight matches at home against the likes of top tier nations Australia, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain.


New Zealand versus Australia is guaranteed to be an annual fixture at home in the new pro league kicking off in 2019. JOHN COWPLAND/PHOTOSPORT

"These are the top teams in the world so to get these top fixtures annually can only be positive for the Black Sticks."

Smith expected that the matches would attract bigger crowds, bigger sponsors and bigger revenue for New Zealand Hockey, which in turn would help fund the teams' busy tour schedule and the sport nationwide.

"I would expect a New Zealand versus Holland match is going to be a pretty big event, with a jam-packed stadium. It will create some real interest. We have eight home games so we want to pack these stadiums out and really take it to Belgium, Germany and these international sides."


The Indian series early in the year didn't challenge the Black Sticks women at all. PHOTOSPORT

He said although this would help strengthen the nine sides involved, those teams that miss out could go backwards.

New Zealand would be guaranteed a spot in the league for the first four years, Smith understood.

Black Sticks stalwart Shea McAleese was relieved his side was included in the pro league schedule.

"It's a bit of a relief to get into it, it was heavily contested and in missing out we could have been thrown into the international wilderness, we deserve it."

McAleese compared the pro league to that of the All Blacks home and away schedule each year where they would play the big test matches in the southern hemisphere during their season, and head to the northern hemisphere for the off-season.

He said the pro league would remove any confusion over the current world series, which is often hard to understand.

"Basically this will work on a performance and review system. The current system is flawed. It's a bit like Super Rugby at the moment - people don't actually get it."

He agreed with Smith that the pro league would be great for the Black Sticks as it had always been hard attracting top-tier teams from the northern hemisphere to New Zealand.

"One of the biggest hurdles we have is trying to get the competition we need down here. We often end up meeting halfway and playing the Asian nations, so we kind of miss the ball on European style hockey."

He said the pro league would test the Black Sticks out initially, but they would improve as the seasons went by.

"Hopefully we will be supported by the new Zealand public."

The Black Sticks men have performed consistently over the past few years to maintain a place in the top 10 nations in the world. The same can be said for the Black Sticks women.

The Black Sticks men are in Auckland training before leaving to play Belgium and then to South Africa for the semifinal of the world series which kicks off on July 9 against France.

The men's Pro League:
Argentina, Australia, Belgium, England/Great Britain, Germany, India, Netherlands, New Zealand and Pakistan

Women's Pro League:
Argentina, Australia, China, England/Great Britain, Germany, India, Netherlands, New Zealand and the United States

Stuff



Pakistan to take part in Hockey Pro League


Must do more: PHF Secretary Shahbaz Ahmed feels more needs to be done to revive interest in hockey and the league will help. PHOTO: AFP

KARACHI: The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has confirmed that 13th-ranked Pakistan will participate in the Hockey Pro League — a league that was supposed to feature the nine best teams from around the world.

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

Pakistan take on Argentina, Australia, Belgium, England/Great Britain, Germany, India, Netherlands and New Zealand.

The Greenshirts have agreed a co-hosting partnership with Scottish Hockey and will play their home matches in Glasgow due to security concerns back home.

The confirmation of the teams follows approval from the FIH Executive Board, whose decision was based on recommendations from the FIH Event Portfolio Implementation Panel (EPIP) tasked with assessing each of the candidate’s applications.

PHF secretary praises league initiative

Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Secretary Shahbaz Ahmed revealed that PHF’s request to hold home matches in Scotland has been approved by the FIH.

“With a large Pakistani community in Scotland, the stadium is expected to be packed with passionate supporters,” he said. “This means Pakistan will now be able to host top hockey-playing nations such as Australia, Argentina, Netherlands and Germany, but the government will need to support hockey.”

Ahmed feels the pros of playing in Scotland far outweigh the cons. “If we look at the benefits we can reap from this, then the expenditures are nothing,” he said. “At some stage, we need to take that step to revive hockey in Pakistan. The younger generations are no longer interested in choosing professional careers in hockey and that needs to change.”

The Express Tribune



7th Senior National Hockey C'ship-Himachal thrash Tripura 24-0

Hockey Himachal consolidated their position at the top of the table in Pool E as they defeated Tripura Hockey 24-0 of the ongoing Hockey India 7th Senior National Hockey Championship 2017 (Men) ?B? Division on Monday.

Sumeet Pal Singh (1?, 11?, 17?, 24?, 35?, 45?, 49?, 51?, 53?) and Kamal Chand (5?, 6?, 24?, 26?, 30?, 44?, 47?, 56?) combined to scored 17 goals between them in a clinical performance on the pitch.

In the opening game of the day from Pool F, Assam Hockey beat Hockey Gujarat 9-1. Hat tricks by Puneet Kumar (21?, 30?, 31?), Suvarn Khandakar (45?, 48?, 51?) and a brace by Salman Khan (42?, 47?) gave them a comfortable victory and the three points.

In Pool D, Central Secretariat beat Manipur Hockey 3-1. Goals for Central Secretariat were scored by Felix Baa (30?), Vinayak Bijwad (38?) and Jayesh Jadhav (40?). Manipur Hockey?s goal was scored by Ningombam Jenjen Singh in the 36th minute.

In Pool D, Hockey Madhya Bharat beat Goans Hockey 5-2. Goals by Prabal Pandey (25?, 50?), Vaibhav Chourasiya (34?), Susheel Gupta (48?) and Jagmohan Kushwah (58?) sealed a first victory of the tournament for Hockey Madhya Bharat.

In Pool G, Hockey Puducherry out-fought Punjab National Bank to take a narrow 1-0 victory. In a feisty encounter, where cards were more in supply than goals, Hockey Puducherry came through with flying colours.

The team defended stoutly and scored via a R Ragu PC conversion in the 57th minute to take their third consecutive victory of the tournament and guarantee themselves a place in the next round.

In Pool E, Bengal Hockey Association beat Hockey Bihar 4-1. Goals for Bengal Hockey Association were scored by Gurdeep Singh (12?), Mohammad Shariq (28?), Saurabh Kumar Singh (34?) and Rakesh Barman (58?). Hockey Bihar?s goal was scored by Jony Kumar in the 9th minute.

Dadra & Nagar Haveli Hockey Association beat Kerala Hockey 9-4 in an exciting Pool G encounter. Searching for their first points of the tournament, both teams made a quick start, and it was Dadra & Nagar Haveli Hockey Association who struck first, Mohit Singh Thakur scoring in the 2nd minute to give them the lead.

Thakur went on to score a hat trick in the game (2?, 24?, 33?) as they took their first victory of the tournament. Jinoy Varghese scored a brace for Kerala Hockey (22?, 59?) in the match.

In Pool H, Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu kept their perfect record intact with a classy 5-1 victory over Sashastra Seema Bal. Goals from G Saravanakumar (8?), G Gnanavel (16?, 45?), T Raghuram (25?) and S Manoj (55?) handed them a comfortable victory. Arif Ansari scored Sashastra Seema Bal?s only goal in the 35th minute.

In Pool H, Chhattisgarh Hockey beat Hockey Jammu & Kashmir 5-0. Hockey Jammu & kashmir rode on a brace each by Mohd Ajaz Qureshi (22?, 40?) and Ravi Pareek (32?, 48?) as well as a goal by Mohd Atique Quraishi (45?) to take a well deserved victory.

In Pool F, Hockey Madhya Pradesh edged out Hockey Bengaluru 2-1 in a highly competitive encounter. Prakash Singh Rawat opened the scoring in the game with a goal in the 2nd minute.

It was a lead that Hockey Madhya Pradesh held on to and took into half time. In the third quarter, Hockey Bengaluru finally found the equalizer, Deepak Bejiwad converting a PC in the 39th minute to draw them level.

With time ticking by, neither team was willing to commit men forward to find the winner, but in the last looming minutes of the game, Meet Singh Thakur scored the goal that would give Hockey Madhya Pradesh the three points.

DNA



Enterprising USIU close in on leaders Orange

By BRIAN YONGA


USIU captain Beatrice Mbugua (left) leads teammates in celebrating their first goal against Amira sailors during their Kenya Hockey Union women's Premier League match against Amira Sailors at City Park Stadium on June 3, 2017. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLLO |  NATION MEDIA GROUP

United States International University of Africa (USIU-A) Spartans have positioned themselves as Telkom Orange’s main challengers for this season’s Kenya Hockey Union women’s Premier League title.

An impressive 9-0 drubbing of Multimedia University on Saturday put the Spartans three points behind the champions who lead on 24 points. Infact, the students’ only loss this season was at the hands of Orange, a 10-0 thumping on March 26 this year.

Spartans responded brilliantly from the huge loss to go on a six-game winning streak and they are now right back in title hunt.

Last season’s runners-up Strathmore University Scorpions and Amira Sailors were viewed as Orange’s main challengers for a record for a 20th league crown, but Spartans have certainly crashed the party and cannot be wished away.

Having played eight matches, same as Orange, the John Kabuu-led students are getting better with each match but their coach believes any talk of the title is premature.

“We are on a good run and the players are displaying some nice performances. We harbours ambitions of winning the title but our main target this season is a top two finish,” Kabuu told Nation Sport on Monday.

“We are taking a game at a time and we are focused on improving our performances with each game and we shall where it gets us at the end of the season,” he added.

Spartans’ good run has been attributed to strong displays by internationals Rhoda Kuria, Sandara Vodoti and skipper Beatrice Mbugua.

Kuria and Mbugua scored hatricks against Multimedia with Vodoti scoring twice.

Spartans opened a five-point gap over third placed Scorpions (16), who were not in action this weekend with Amira Sailors and Jkuat occupying fourth and fifth places with 14 and 12 points respectively.

In men’s Premier League, second-placed Greensharks missed a chance to close the gap on leaders Kenya Police after their 3-1 loss to champions Strathmore University. Sharks are on 23 points, eight behind Police, who were not in action at the weekend.

Butali are in third with 22 points, same as Wazalendo who routed Western Jaguars 5-3 but stay fourth due to an inferior goal difference.

Champions Strathmore won their first match since March 20 this year, easing the pressure on their coach Meshack Senge.

The students move up two places to eighth spot on 10 points in the log. There were also maiden wins for bottom-placed Technical University of Kenya (TUK) as well as Parklands. TUK, however remain bottom on four points, two behind 14th placed Parklands.

Daily Nation



Uganda's Weatherhead win hockey title

By Kasozi Balikuddembe

The club which was also celebrating 20 years, came up big against Kampala in a riveting final that was decided on penalties (4-2).

There is no turning back for Weatherhead after clinching their maiden Men’s title in the Weatherhead Open Sunday at the National Hockey Stadium in Lugogo.

The club which was also celebrating 20 years, came up big against Kampala in a riveting final that was decided on penalties (4-2).

No doubt the victory has nursed some wounded egos following a poor show in the Easter Tournament where they came last.

“Winning this particular tournament is a sign of great come back energy and the players have learned to follow a winning strategy,” said Vincent Kasasa, the coach player for Weatherhead.

Lawrence Robin, Francis Ddumba, Vincent Kasasa and Peter Elolu scored the penalties for Weatherhead who are now turning their charges on the National League that starts next weekend.

On the otherhand Samuel Wakhisi and Timothy Ntumba registered Kampala’s two scores as they settled for second best in a tournament that had few school entries.

Weatherhead looked headed for a double with the women’s side progressing to the final before eventually losing out narrowly to National League defending Champions Wananchi with Mildred Amia saving the matters for the former in a 1-0 encounter.

Meanwhile Kololo SS and Kawempe Muslim took the girls and boys trophies after ranking highest in the round robin stage with Derrick Ongom and Annet Munduru emerging MVPS in the Boys nad Girls categories.

Interestingly Vincent Kasaa and Ciddy Alum both from weatherhead collected the most number of goals 8 and 7 respectively.

The three day tournament was bankrolled by MAHD Advertising and Kampala Cement.

Weatherhead Open

Selected results

Men

Weatherhead 0 Kampala 0 (4-2)

Women

Wananchi 1 Weatherhead 0

New Vision



Hockey India name 33 core probables for junior women's camp

The core group features players from Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy, who won the Hockey India 7th Junior Women National Hockey Championship 2017,

New Delhi, Jun 13 In its pursuit to improve the standard of women's hockey, Hockey India today named 33 core probables for the junior women's national camp to be held at sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Bengaluru.

The core probables were picked after an intense selection trials conducted under the watchful eyes Hockey India High Performance Director, David John.

The core group will be trained by Indian junior women's team coach Baljeet Singh Saini.

Saini, who represented India at two successive Olympic Games - 1996 in atlanta and 2000 in sydney, has previously worked with the junior women's squad in 2016 and under his tutelage the U-18 Indian women's team had won a bronze medal at the U-18 Asia Cup held in December last year.

The core group has been selected on the basis of speed, agility, skill and basic understanding of the game.

The vision behind organising the national camp, which will continue till July 3, is to develop a core group of players who will aim to qualify for the prestigious 2020 junior women's World Cup.

The core group features players from Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy, who won the Hockey India 7th Junior Women National Hockey Championship 2017, runners-up Hockey Haryana, Hockey Bhopal, Hockey Him, Hockey Chandigarh, Hockey Odisha, Hockey Uttarakhand, Hockey Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh Hockey, Association of Indian Universities, Sports Authority of India, Hockey Gangpur-Odisha and Hockey Mizoram.

"We have analysed all the 38 players who were at the national Camp since May 24, and Hockey India's selection committee has further pruned down the core probables to 33 who will carry on their training. This core group will be provided with a support staff including scientific advisor, video analyst, physiotherapist and a masseuse just like we have for our senior team programs," said John.

"We have long-term goals for this group and with our vision set on the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games and the 2020 junior World Cup, these 33 core probables will go through a development process that will prepare them for the challenges at the international level.

"This is a very talented group and I expect some of these girls to push for a place in the senior women's team in the coming months," he added.

Junior women core group:

Goalkeepers: Khushboo (Hockey Bhopal), Bichu Devi Kharibam (Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy), Chanchal (Hockey Chandigarh).

Defenders: Priyanka (Hockey Haryana), Salima Tete (Hockey Jharkhand), Asmita Barla (Hockey Odisha), Alka Dung Dung (Sports Authority of India), Umra (Hockey Him), Gagandeep Kaur (Hockey Haryana), Antim (Hockey Him), Manisha Chauhan (Hockey Uttarakhand), Ishika Choudhary (Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy), Supriya Mundu (Hockey Jharkhand).

Midfielders: Mahima Chaudhary (Hockey Haryana), Suman Devi Thoudam (Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy), Sunita Yadav (Uttar Pradesh Hockey), Mariana Kujur (Hockey Odisha), Jyoti (Association of Indian Universities), Manju Chorsiya (Hockey Him), Baljeet Kaur (Hockey Punjab), Sadhna Senger (Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy), Jiwan Kishori Toppo (Hockey Gangpur- Odisha), Primanjali Toppo (Hockey Gangpur-Odisha).

Forwards: Sangita Kumari (Hockey Jharkhand), Lalremsiami (Sports Authority of India), Deepika Soreng (Hockey Jharkhand), Mumtaz Khan (Uttar Pradesh Hockey), Lalrindiki (Hockey Mizoram), Amrinder Kaur (Hockey Haryana), Janhabi Pradhan (Hockey Gangpur Odisha), Yogita Bora (Uttar Pradesh Hockey), Amritpal Kaur (Hockey Chandigarh), Reet (Hockey Haryana).

Outlook India



India hockey captain PR Sreejesh becomes father to a baby boy


PR Sreejesh with his daughter Anusree. (Source: Instagram)

India hockey captain and goalkeeper PR Sreejesh shared his joy with the world on Monday as he announced the news of him becoming a father to a baby boy.



Sreejesh shared a beautiful picture of his baby’s tiny hands in his to announce the good news. He also informed his supporters that both the mother Aneeshya and the baby are healthy, thanking fans for their prayers and support.

The goalkeeper wrote as the caption of the image, “Aneeshya and I have been blessed with a baby boy . Both mother and son are doing well. Thank you for all your prayers and support #newmember”

Sreejesh was ruled out of three Nations Invitational Tournament as well as England’s World League semifinal due to a knee injury during the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.

The 29-year-old sustained a knee injury during the round robin contest against Australia. Sreejesh suffered the injury in the first quarter of India’s eventual 1-3 defeat to Australia when the opposition player clattered into him while trying to slide in a cross into the area past the keeper.

In the absence of Sreejesh, India suffered a loss against Germany by 2-0 at the three Nations Invitational Tournament in their last match. Despite a good start for India who received a penalty corner in the 2nd minute itself, they failed to break the strong German defence. India finished the competition with just four points.

Indian Express

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