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News for 15 June 2017

All the news for Thursday 15 June 2017


Black Sticks settle for draw with Spain


Kirsten Pearce opened the scoring. Photo: www.photosport.nz

The Vantage Black Sticks Women have closed out their four test series against Spain with a 3-3 draw in Barcelona.

It was the most complete game of the series from a New Zealand perspective, showcasing some flowing hockey with the Black Sticks dominating patches of play.

Striker Kirsten Pearce opened the scoring with a 10th minute field goal before Spain struck back early in the second quarter through Beatriz Perez to take the match into halftime locked up at 1-1.

The hosts snatched a 2-1 lead in the 36th minute before two quick-fire goals from Jordan Grant and Pippa Hayward nosed the Kiwis back in front with one quarter left to play.

But Spain managed to find an equaliser eight minutes from fulltime to see the score finish in a stalemate.

Capital's Kelsey Smith celebrated her 50th international during the match.

Black Sticks assistant coach Sean Dancer said while the final result was disappointing, it was a good way to finish the series.

“It was good to see see the girls flowing well with the ball early in the game and we created enough to win the game but were unable to make more of our opportunities,” he said.

“We have learnt a lot from our series here and are now looking forward to getting to Belgium and preparing for our first game at the World League Semi Final.”

The series has been part of New Zealand’s build-up for the FIH World League Semi Final in Brussels from 21 June – 2 July, which doubles as a qualifier for the 2018 Hockey World Cup.

The Black Sticks open their World League tournament in a rematch against Spain on Thursday 22 June at 6am (NZT). All New Zealand games will be broadcast live on SKY Sport.

VANTAGE BLACK STICKS 3: (Kirsten Pearce, Jordan Grant, Pippa Hayward)
SPAIN 3: (Beatriz Perez, Rocio Ybarra, Carola Salvatella)
Halftime: 1-1

Hockey New Zealand Media release



Black Sticks women close out series against Spain with draw


Kelsey Smith celebrated her 50th cap. GETTY IMAGES

The Black Sticks women have finished their four-test series against Spain without a win.

The final test in Barcelona on Thursday (NZ time) ended in a 3-3 draw to take the Kiwis' record to two draws and two losses in the series.

It was the most complete game of the series from a New Zealand perspective, showcasing some flowing hockey with the Black Sticks dominating patches of play. Striker Kirsten Pearce opened the scoring with a 10th minute field goal.

Spain struck back early in the second quarter through Beatriz Perez to take the match into halftime locked at 1-1.

The hosts snatched the lead early in the second half, but two quick goals to Jordan Grant and Pippa Hayward had the Kiwis back in front with one quarter left to play.

They held out until eight minutes to go, when Carola Salvatella found Spain another equaliser to ensure they remained unbeaten in the series.

Black Sticks assistant coach Sean Dancer said while the final result was disappointing, it was a good way to finish the series.

"It was good to see see the girls flowing well with the ball early in the game and we created enough to win the game but were unable to make more of our opportunities," he said.

"We have learnt a lot from our series here and are now looking forward to getting to Belgium and preparing for our first game at the World League Semi Final."

The series has been part of New Zealand's build-up for the FIH World League Semi Final in Brussels from June 21 to July 2, which doubles as a qualifier for the 2018 Hockey World Cup.

The Black Sticks open their World League tournament in a rematch against Spain on June 22 at 6am (NZT).

AT A GLANCE

Black Sticks 3 (Kirsten Pearce, Jordan Grant, Pippa Hayward) Spain 3 (Beatriz Perez, Rocio Ybarra, Carola Salvatella). HT: 1-1

Stuff



World League features wealth of top EHL talent



Players who contested this year’s EHL abound in the squads of Argentina, England, the Netherlands and Scotland as they ready themselves for the first Hockey World League semi-final in London where five World Cup tickets will be formally confirmed.

Olympic champions head up Pool A with Real Club de Polo trio Pedro Ibarra (pictured), Lucas Vila and Matias Rey joined in the panel by Mannheimer’s drag-flick king Gonzalo Peillat and Oranje-Rood’s magician Agustin Mazzilli.

They will be the fancied side in a group that also features China, Malaysia, Korea and the hosts England. For the English side, four of the Wimbledon squad that reached the FINAL4 are included, namely joint captains Ian Sloan and Phil Roper along with Michael Hoare and Henry Weir while there are a trio of Holcombe players.

In Pool B, the Netherlands are the highest ranked in a group that also features Pakistan, India, Scotland and Canada. The Dutch feature a new look side with several players contesting their first world ranking event.

Oranje-Rood trio Bob de Voogd, Pirmin Blaak and Mink van der Weerden are back in action two weeks after their EHL silver medal. Kampong’s Bjorn Kellerman, Robbert Kemperman and Sander de Wijn and Amsterdam’s Billy Bakker, Valentin Verga and Mirco Pruyser along with Polo’s Sander Baart also feature.

Scotland are the lowest ranked side in the last 20 sides left in the World League process but will hope they can cause a couple of shocks in their group to reach the quarter-finals.

Wimbledon’s Gordon McIntyre will among their leaders along with Surbiton’s Alan Forsyth who helped the London club reach next season’s EHL. He is one of four players from the club in the Scottish side – William Marshall, Chris Grassick and Nick Parkes the others. Lee Morton was in the Kelburne side that played in ROUND1 but has since moved to play in the English league.

For each nation, the first target is to finish in the top four of their group which earns them a quarter-final place. Win that quarter-final and a ticket to the 2018 World Cup is assured.

Lose their quarter and they will go into the fifth to eighth place playoffs. Fifth is assured a World Cup spot too while, depending on how the continental championships go, sixth and seventh also might be enough.

The action gets underway on Thursday, June 15.

Euro Hockey League media release



Malaysia bank on Stephen again to get them to the big stage

by Aftar Singh



KUALA LUMPUR: The last time Malaysia qualified for the Olympics – in Sydney 2000 – Stephen van Huizen (pic) was the national coach.

Guess who is the man in charge as Malaysia compete in the World Hockey League Semi-Finals in London in an attempt to qualify for next year’s World Cup in India?

Yes, it’s none other than Stephen himself.

So can he guide Malaysia to the World Cup in Bhubaneswar, India?

We’ll find out soon enough as the 11-day World Hockey League Semi-Finals begin today, with 10 teams divided into two groups.

Group A comprises Malaysia, Argentina, England, South Korea and China and Group B consists of Holland, Belgium, India, Canada and Scotland.

Malaysia must finish in the top four in their group and qualify for the quarter-finals. That will assure Malaysia a place in next year’s 16-team World Cup.

World No. 14 Malaysia face the prospect of playing two tough opening matches in less than 20 hours at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in London.

They will open their Group A campaign against world No. 1 and Olympic champions Argentina tomorrow at 8pm (3am Saturday Malaysian time).

The following day, they will be up against host and world No. 7 England at 4pm (11pm Saturday Malaysian time).

Malaysia last played against Argentina in the Champions Challenge I in South Africa and lost 5-2 in a group match.

England edged Malaysia 1-0 in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh in April.

Malaysia will face South Korea on Monday before wrapping up their group fixtures against China on Tuesday.

The quarter-finals are on June 22, the semi-finals on June 24 and the final on June 25.

Stephen is confident that his men are ready for the crunch.

“We have acclimatised to the weather and adjusted to the pitch conditions here. We have to get positive results against two of the toughest teams in our first two outings,” he said.

“Whatever the outcome against Argentina, we have to be ready almost immediately when we face England.

“It’s always tough playing the opening match. It will be a bonus if we can get a point from favourites Argentina.

“We also expect a strong challenge from England. Once those two matches are over, we will know what we need to achieve in the last two matches.

“All the teams are well-prepared, but I have faith in my players.”

The Star of Malaysia



Pakistan face Netherlands in opener today 

LAHORE: Pakistan hockey team will face the Netherlands in their opening game of the World Hockey League Semi-finals on Thursday in London.

Head coach Khawaja Junaid Ahmad said Wednesday that the team had worked diligently to rectify the mistakes made in the recent test series against Ireland.

“Many weak areas, both in attack and defence, were identified after the test series against Ireland and the team has been working hard on them,” Junaid said.

“They boys have trained really well. We also hold a video session daily where we analyse the mistakes made during the previous day’s practice.”

Pakistan, following their opener against the Dutch side, will face India on June 18, and Junaid is confident of his team’s chances in both those fixtures.

“We will take a match-by-match approach,” he said. “If we win the opening match that will really boost the boys’ confidence for the big one against the arch-rivals.”

While the Indo-Pak match is important, Junaid says their main aim is to secure World Cup qualification.

“Although the match against India will be followed around the world, we have to keep our focus on qualifying for the World Cup,” he said. “We have to take each and every match seriously as last time our team failed to qualify for the World Cup.”

The World Hockey League Semi-finals features 20 teams, 10 of whom will qualify for the 2018 Hockey World Cup, which will be held in India later this year.

The Daily Times



Chance for India to assess its progress

Though he has fielded a strong team, coach Oltmans will be concerned about the backline


Key men: India will look up to Mandeep Singh, left, and defender Harmanpreet Singh in the HWL semifinal.   | Photo Credit: AP

Back on the world stage following a series of consistent shows, an ever-improving India will strive to unsettle some top teams in the Hockey World League semifinal, where it faces Scotland in its campaign opener here on Thursday.

Now India is looked upon as a power to reckon with in world hockey and has moved up to sixth in the international rankings.

And the HWL semifinal will provide India a chance to prove to the world that it certainly deserves a place among the elite of world hockey.

It should be a cakewalk for India in the opening encounter as it plays against a side which is ranked 23rd in the world at the Lee Valley’s Hockey and Tennis Centre in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park here.

For India, the HWL semifinal is a chance to assess its progress and implement new tactics against top teams as being the host, it is guaranteed a place in the HWL Final to be held later this year and the 2018 World Cup.

India has fielded a relatively strong team for the tournament and will be led by midfielder Manpreet Singh in the absence of regular skipper P.R. Sreejesh, who is injured.

Strong midfield

With the likes of Manpreet, Sardar Singh, and vice-captain Chinglensana Singh, the Indians boast of a strong midfield. India’s forwardline too looks lethal and consists of experienced players such as Ramandeep Singh, S.V. Sunil, Talwinder Singh, Mandeep Singh and Akashdeep Singh.

But it is the backline, which would be a cause of concern for coach Roelant Oltmans and the Dutchman will rely on Kothajit Singh and Harmanpreet Singh to share the burden in the absence of Rupinderpal Singh, who suffered a last-minute hamstring injury.

Twin blow

If Sreejesh’s absence was not enough, India was dealt a twin blow in the form of injuries to Rupinder and midfielder S.K. Uthappa on the eve of the match.

In the other Pool B match of the day, Pakistan will take on the Netherlands. In Pool A, World No. 1 Argentina will play Korea in the tournament opener while England will face China.

The Hindu



India look to start with a bang against Scotland


Manpreet Singh will captain India in the absence of the injured PR Sreejesh. file

London: Back on the world stage following a series of consistent shows, India will strive to unsettle some top teams in the Hockey World League Semifinal, where they face lowly Scotland in their campaign opener here on Thursday.

India having scaled up to sixth position in the international rankings, the Semifinal will provide them a chance to prove to the world that they deserve a place among the elite of world hockey. It should be a cakewalk for India in their opening encounter as they play against a side ranked 23rd in the world.

India are placed in Pool B alongside world No. 4 Netherlands, Canada, Pakistan and Scotland, while Pool A features Olympics champions Argentina, hosts England, Korea, China and Malaysia.

India will play Canada on June 17, followed by the much-anticipated clash against Pakistan (June 18) and Netherlands (June 20).

India were dealt a twin blow as Rupinderpal Singh and SK Uthappa were ruled out of the tournament. While Rupinder will miss the tournament because of a hamstring injury, Uthappa will return home to attend to a family emergency.

India vs Scotland
Live on Star Sports, 6.30pm

The Tribune



Good goal conversion will be a must at HWL Semis: Oltmans

LONDON: India coach Roelant Oltmans feels ensuring an exceptionally good conversion rate of goal-scoring opportunities will hold the key to his team's fortunes in the Hero Hockey World League Semi-Final starting on Thursday.

India will open their campaign against Scotland on Thursday.

The lead up to the opening encounter saw the Indian team led by midfielder Manpreet Singh win the practice match against England 3-1 on Tuesday with a successful dragflick by Harmanpreet Singh and a double goal by striker Mandeep Singh.

"To win this kind of tournaments we have to get a higher percentage of goals out of our opportunities and concede less unnecessary goals," Oltmans said.

"If we can manage this aspect of the game then anything is possible to achieve for this team," emphasized the coach.

The last time India played in London, the team created history by winning a silver medal at the FIH Champions Trophy.

However, with ace dragflicker Rupinder Pal Singh and SK Uthappa ruled out of the tournament, India will bank heavily on the young Harmanpreet Singh to convert short corners.

"With a strong Core Group who have been working together since February this year, we have several options of strong players," stated Oltmans.

While Uthappa, who returned home for a family emergency, will be replaced by Sumit, defender Jasjit Singh Kular has been called in place of Rupinder Pal Singh who is being rested due to a minor injury.

India will look to notch up a winning start against Scotland followed by their second match to be played against Canada on June 17.

The team's real challenge will be to get past an unpredictable Pakistan on June 18 before they face World No. 4 The Netherlands on June 20.

"You always want to start well in the Pool Stage. Playing a Tournament like the Hero Hockey World League Semi Final (Men) is always challenging with a number of strong teams in the competition," Oltmans said.

"The Pools are equally strong too but based on the ranking in our Pool, we have to get a good start against Scotland," he added.

The Times of India



India's Rupinder Pal Singh, SK Uthappa ruled out of tournament


File image of Indian players congratulating Rupinder Pal Singh after he scored.  Twitter/ @HockeyIndia

London: India's ace drag-flicker and defender Rupinder Pal Singh, and midfielder SK Uthappa have been ruled out of the Hero Hockey World League Semi Final, commencing in London on Thursday.

While Rupinder will be unavailable for the tournament due to a hamstring injury, Uthappa had to return home to attend to a family emergency.

India is scheduled to take on Scotland in their first match on Thursday.

Rupinder will be replaced by defender Jasjit Singh Kular, who also doubles up as a drag-flicker for the team.

Kular, who was a part of the 33-member core group that trained in SAI Bengaluru, has played 46 international matches for India with five goals against his name.

In place of Uthappa, Sumit, who made his senior team debut at the 26th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup tournament, will come in.

Sumit had a successful 2016 with the junior team, which won the Junior men's World Cup.

"With a strong core group who have been working together since February 2017, we have several options and I don't see this as a setback for us at all," said coach Roelant Oltmans ahead of India's first encounter.

Firstpost



Defensive woes, waning old guard biggest challenge for injury-hit India

Sreejesh’s absence had already hurt India’s resources to guard their goal, and Rupinder’s injury will seriously dent the team’s chances in London.

Jaspreet Sahni


Credit: Hockey India

From Ipoh to London, the shift in India’s squad is very clear. The testing approach at Sultan Azlan Shah Cup is slowly moving to an established one. With only tried-and-tested youngsters and a forced change under the post, India landed first in Germany and are now in the English capital for the FIH Hockey World League (HWL) semifinals.

Top grade hockey returns to the 2012 Olympic venue, the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, where India – albeit assured of a place in the HWL Finals as hosts later this year – will try to finish as high as possible in their continuous endeavour to break into the top three of FIH rankings.

The three debutants who played in Ipoh gave way to the experienced SK Uthappa, Satbir Singh and Ramandeep Singh. However, Uthappa unfortunately had to return home due to some family emergency. A replacement was not sought for the three-nation invitational in Düsseldorf. However, midfielder Sumit, who made his senior team debut at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, has been called up in his place for the HWL semis.

Defender Rupinder Pal Singh is sidelined by a hamstring injury and will sit out of the HWL semis. Rupinder will be replaced by defender Jasjit Singh Kular, who also doubles up as a dragflicker for the team.

The most telling change, however, will be seen in the Indian post with PR Sreejesh still unavailable after the injury he suffered in Ipoh. He has been replaced by Vikas Dahiya, with Akash Chikte the other goalkeeper in the squad.

Midfielder Manpreet Singh will continue to lead in Sreejesh’s absence, with Chinglensana Singh elevated as his deputy.

Ahead of the HWL, the squad tested its machinery against the likes of Rio Olympics silver medalists Belgium and hosts Germany in Düsseldorf. Hockey India (HI) couldn’t have prepared a better European itinerary for its squad, with four internationals against two teams ranked higher. But a lone win from these four games left a few questions unanswered, which opponents like the Netherlands in India’s pool will try to expose.

Can India shore up its defence?

Sreejesh’s absence had already hurt India’s resources to guard their goal, and now Rupinder’s injury will seriously dent the team’s chances in London.

Rupinder, along with Kothajit Singh, had been assigned the responsibility of shepherding India’s defence that showed a few cracks in Düsseldorf, often conceding under last-quarter pressure to either lose or draw from winning positions.

However, Rupinder’s fellow dragflicker Harmanpreet Singh has grown from his days in the junior Indian team. He played well in Ipoh and carried that form to Dusseldorf.

Surender Kumar and Pardeep Mor have shown a lot of promise and their selection is a reward for their consistency, but they still need to learn how to deal with pressure in the dying minutes, which is where Surender’s soft error cost India the game against Germany in the three-nation invitational.

But a defensive wall in the absence of its top three players – Sreejesh, Rupinder and VR Raghunath –who has made himself unavailable, will wear a completely fresh look. However, Manpreet wants to focus only on the resources at hand.

“Both the goalkeepers (Akash and Vikas) played on rotation basis (in Germany) to gain more match practice, and I’m sure their performance here will help them build their confidence,” Manpreet told The Field.
How much have the veterans left in them?

In focus will also be old guards Sardar Singh, SV Sunil and Akashdeep Singh.

Sardar, who has been played as a withdrawn centre-half recently, is trying to pull out all stops in an effort to prolong his career. His fitness is 10/10, but with form swinging like a pendulum and his impression as an impact player on the wane, the HWL semis could well be a selection trial for him to be part of the Asia Cup and HWL finals later this year.

Sunil is on similar ground, as his control on the ball and goals off his stick continue to be a flash in the pan – a fact admitted by coach Roelant Oltmans. “In the past he lost possession too often from my point of view or his final pass was not good, but he is improving,” Oltmans said.

Striker Akashdeep has appeared a spent force since the start of the international season, though he had a fruitful Hockey India League for the Uttar Pradesh Wizards. With just one goal and many missed chances at Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, he has been lucky to retain his spot for this Europe tour, but another shoddy performance in London may force the selectors to look beyond him for the remainder of the season.

Star Watch

Mandeep Singh will once again be central to India’s chance in the striking circle. His knack of creating space out of nowhere and convert half-chances has served the team well – the latest example being his five goals at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, including a hat-trick to save embarrassment against Japan.

But in a big tournament like this, India can’t just rely on just one man in the frontline. Sunil and Akash will need to step up and marshal the forward-line, which also includes Ramandeep and Talwinder Singh.

Eyes on India vs Pakistan

India will open its campaign against Scotland on Thursday, with Canada being the other minnows in Pool B. But the most awaited date is June 18, when India take on Pakistan in perhaps the match of the tournament.

The two teams haven’t played each other since India beat Pakistan in the final of the Asian Champions Trophy last October.

India’s other big date will be the Netherlands, who they take on in their last pool match on June 20.

Pool A comprises hosts England and Olympic champions Argentina as the favourites to progress. And the presence of South Korea, Malaysia and China in that group makes it five Asian nations participating in the event.

Scroll.in



Australian Men’s National Development Squad tour to Europe

Holly MacNeil



The men’s national development squad will take a team of 20 athletes over to Europe at the end of July to tour Moers, Germany and Eindhoven, Holland for two weeks.

The team will be led on the tour by National Junior Coach, Ben Bishop and assisted by Kookaburras Assistant Coach, Anthony Potter.

The tour will enable up and coming athletes to further develop their skills and their experience at an international level as they compete against the development teams of the Germany and the Netherlands, whose senior teams are ranked number three and four in the world, respectively.

Hockey Australia High Performance Director Toni Cumpston said: “The tour to Europe aims to give our national development squad the opportunity to compete against two countries who are highly ranked within hockey.

“It will also allow our national coaches to oversee the progression of these young athletes as they look to achieve their ultimate goal of being selected to the Kookaburras on the road to Tokyo 2020.”

The team will depart for Germany on July 28, 2017.

The full team travelling to Europe includes:
Athlete (Hometown, State)
Robert Bell (Brisbane, QLD)
Matthew Bird (Coolbellup, WA)
Scott Boyde (Chandler, QLD)
Tim Brand (Chatswood, NSW)
James Day (Crace, ACT)
Johan Durst (Canterbury, VIC)
Frazer Gerrard (Cottesloe, WA)
Max Hendry (Camberwell, VIC)
Tim Howard (Wakerley, QLD)
Sam Liles (Tamworth, NSW)
Kurt Lovett (Parkes, NSW)
Kurt Mackey (Lauderdale, TAS)
Hugh Pembroke (Burbank, QLD)
Ryan Proctor (Engadine, NSW)
Jayshan Randhawa (Eltham, VIC)
Lachlan Sharp (Lithgow, NSW)
Josh Simmonds (Ringwood North, VIC)
Ash Thomas (Baulkam Hills, NSW)
Jack Welch (Hobart, TAS)
Corey Weyer (Biggera Waters, QLD)

Hockey Australia media release



Australian Women’s development squad to tour Japan

Holly MacNeil



A team of 20 athletes has been announced to take part in a national women’s development squad tour of Japan this August.

The tour will be led by Hockeyroos assistant coach Nicole Arrold, and will see the squad head to Hiroshima, Japan for a two-week tour.

The tour aims to give developing athletes the opportunity to gain invaluable experience through ongoing skill development as well as gaining exposure to hockey at an international level.

Hockey Australia High Performance Director Toni Cumpston said: “The tour of our national development squad to Japan is a great opportunity for athletes who could potentially be in our national senior squad for the Toyko 2020 Olympics rise to the occasion and be inspired by playing hockey in the country of the next games.

“It’s a fantastic chance for them to gain playing experience at an international level, something that is extremely important as they look to vie for selection to the Hockeyroos squad, on the road to Tokyo.”

The team will depart for Hiroshima on Monday August 7.

The full team travelling to Japan includes:
Athlete (Hometown, State)
Murphy Allendorf (Mount Gravatt, QLD) *plays for NSW
Kristina Bates (Port Melbourne, VIC)
Lily Brazel (Newington, VIC) *plays for VIC
Kalindi Commerford (Canberra, ACT)
Savannah Fitzpatrick (Cabarita Beach, NSW)*plays for QLD
Kyra Flynn (Hillarys, WA)
Laura Gray (Goulburn, ACT)
Greta Hayes (Maroubra, NSW)
Rene Hunter (Wentworth Point, NSW)
Kazzia Lammon (Brisbane, QLD)
Ambrosia Malone (Molendinar, QLD)
Kaitlin Nobbs (Newington, NSW)
Hayley Padget (Hurstbridge, VIC)
Mikaela Patterson (Blackbutt, NSW)
Meg Pearce (South Yarra, VIC)
Aleisha Power (Clackline, WA)
Penny Squibb (Tambellip, WA)
Michaela Spano (Toorak Creek, SA)
Grace Stewart (Gerrigong, NSW)
Sophie Taylor (Camberwell, VIC)

Hockey Australia media release



Canadian Kathleen Leahy back on the field after speedy recovery from torn ACL

Kori Sidaway



“Things are looking good,” for Kathleen Leahy, who has returned to training following a severe knee injury that has kept her sidelined for the past six and a half months.

In heartbreaking timing, Leahy tore her ACL on October 17th, 2016, right before the CIS National Championship. Ten days later she had surgery to repair the torn ligament, and six and half months later she’s on track for the Pan Am Cup in August.

“Six and half months is really quick for an ACL injury and there’s no possible way I could have done it without the huge amount of support to get through those bad days,” Leahy says. “I could not have asked for a better support team.”

In addition to a solid support network of trainers, teammates, and friends and family, Leahy says her ability to bounce back so quickly from such a serious injury “comes down to discipline.”

That discipline extended not only towards her healing regiment, but towards her national teammates as well.

Although injured, Leahy was never far from the turf. She was cheering from her wheelchair at CIS Nationals and has made sure she’s been there for her comrades on the National Team to help in any capacity she could.

“I was hoping for my reintegration to be as smooth as possible,” she explains.  “I didn’t want to miss a beat coming back. I wanted to be around for all the tactical and team stuff.”

Unfortunately, this isn’t Leahy’s first run-in with with knee injuries. So, to her, being back on the field feels less like a fresh start, and more like a bump in the road that she is trained to navigate.

“I think it’s all part of the process,” she says. “I mean my university career was quite rocky – I tore two ACL’s during that – so that’s not exactly what you want, but it all helped me. If I didn’t have my university experience, I wouldn’t be here.”

Leahy is now practicing with the Women’s National Team and hopes to return to one hundred percent soon, with the Pan Am Cup right around the corner.

“We’re still a few months out from the Pan Am Cup, so it’s nice starting back on the field now and have a bit of time to prepare, and really settle in.”

Field Hockey Canada media release



VR Raghunath, Devinder Walmiki help PSPB reach national hockey semis


Action from the quarterfinal between Central Industrial Security Force (in orange) and Hockey Madhya Pradesh (in blue) in the Hockey India National Championships in Lucknow on Wednesday.(Hockey India)

Olympians VR Raghunath and Devinder Walmiki fired a goal each to help Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) brush aside Hockey Unity of Tamil Nadu 2-0 to make it to the semi-finals of the National Hockey Championships.

Despite being ignored for the India squad for the men’s Hockey World League (HWL) Semi-Final, starting Thursday at London, both VR Raghunath and Devinder Walmiki haven’t lost their focus for the game.

On Wednesday, the two Olympians fired a goal each to help Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) brush aside Hockey Unity of Tamil Nadu 2-0 to make it to the semi-finals of the 7th Senior National Men’s B Division Championship here.

Now on Friday in the first semi-final, PSPB take on Central Secretariat, who notched up a 4-2 win against Hockey Himachal in the second quarterfinal, while in the second semi-final, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) meet Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). The final is slated for Saturday.

Though a star-studded PSPB dominated the proceedings with former Olympian Devesh Chauhan manning the goal post, Tamil Nadu men too came up with some stunning display of defence at the Padamshree Mohd Shahid Astro Turf Stadium.

After a goalless first quarter, midfielder Walmiki raided Tamil Nadu’s goalpost from the left-side and darted the ball with an angular shot in the 20th minute (1-0).

The goal, however, alerted the Tamil Nadu men, who pressed hard to restore parity, launching a foray of attacks, but in vain. And minutes before the end of the third quarter, Raghunath converted a penalty corner into goal to round off the tally (2-0) in the 39th minute.

Despite conceding a goal in the first quarter, Central Secretariat bounced back superbly to score three consecutive goals before striking the fourth one in the last quarter.

Ajitesh Roy (15th), Felix Baa (24th), Jayesh Jadhav (31st) and Vinayak Bijwad (53rd) struck for the winners whereas Sumeet Pal Singh (13th) and Naurvi Ram (45th) shared two goals between them for Himachal.

In the third quarterfinal of the day, it turned out to be an easy one for the CRPF who knocked out Hockey Puducherry 3-1 while dominating the first two quarters.

Ignacius Toppo struck in the ninth and 28th minutes to give 2-0 lead to the side early in the game whereas Wasiullah Khan scoring the third one a minute before the end of the third quarter. However, V Veerathamizhan netted the consolation goal for the losers in the 53rd minute.

In the last quarterfinal, CISF, after facing tough resistance from Hockey Madhya Pradesh, scored a thrilling solitary goal win. Adnan Wasim struck the all-important goal in the 34th minute after dodging a bunch of rival defenders.

The A division matches, comprising 20 teams, start from Thursday.

Hindustan Times



7th Senior National Hockey C'ship-CRPF beats Hockey Puducherry 3-1 to

Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) defeated Hockey Puducherry 3-1 in the quarter-finals of the ongoing Hockey India 7th Senior National Hockey Championship 2017 (Men) ?B? Division here on Wednesday.

Central Reserve Police Force exerted their authority on the game from the starting hooter, and dominated their opposition. Goals by Ignacius Toppo (9?, 28?) and Md. Wasiullah Khan (29?) put them three to the good leading into half time.

Despite Hockey Puducherry pushing up the tempo in the 3rd quarter, and consistently pushing Central Reserve Police on the back-foot, it was difficult to get back in the game. They scored a goal in the final quarter via V Veerathamizan in the 53rd minute, but in the end it was too little too late as Central Reserve Police Force progressed to the next round.

In another game, Petroleum Sports Promotion Board beat Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu 2-0. Petroleum Sports Promotion Board have been in devastating form throughout the tournament, and came into the match having scored 47 goals in their four games. Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu had the meanest defence of the tournament, conceding just the one goal through their pool stages.

In the game though, Petroleum Sports Promotion Board proved too strong, controlling the early stages of the match, and dictating the play. In the 20th minute, Devindar Walmiki scored the opener, to give them the lead.

Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu were forced to play out of their shell in the second half, and in the 39th minute, VR Raghunath converted a PC to double Petroleum Sports Promotion Board?s lead. Despite a frantic final quarter, Petroleum Sports Promotion Board showed a lot of experience and calm to close the match and proceed to the semi finals.

Central Secretariat beat Hockey Himachal 4-2 in a free-wheeling high scoring second quarterfinal. Vinod Kumar put Hockey Himachal in front in the 13th minute, but the lead was short lived, Ajitesh Roy scoring the leveler in the final minute of the quarter. In the second quarter, Central Secretariat picked up the pace, and Felix Baa gave them their lead in the 24th minute. It was a lead they never let go of, as they extended it early in the third quarter via Jayesh Jadhav before Vinayak Bijwad truly sealed the game in the 53rd minute. Hockey Himachal scored via Naurvi Ram in the 45th minute, but in the end weren?t able to do enough as Central Secretariat took their place in the final four.

Central Industrial Security Force beat Hockey Madhya Pradesh 1-0 in the final match of the day. Both teams started the game cautiously, content with shuffling the game around in midfield and playing out of the defence.

The first two quarters didn't produce a single goal and the teams went into half time locked in a stalemate. Central Industrial Security Force came out of half time energized and duly took the lead via an Adnan Wasim goal in the 34th minute.

The goal proved to be the decider, Central Industrial Security Force keeping a clean sheet to progress to the semi finals.

DNA



Butali Sugar Warriors beat TUK in hockey league

By BRIAN YONGA


Butali Sugar players celebrates their first goal against Parkroad Badgers during their Kenya Hockey Union men's Premier League match on June 3, 2017 at City Park Stadium. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLLO |  NATION MEDIA GROUP

Former Kenya Hockey Union men's Premier league champions Butali Sugar Warriors cruised to a 4-0 win over debutantes Technical University of Kenya (TUK) in a md-week league match at the City Park Stadium, Nairobi.

Goals from Barnabas Odhiambo, Lawrence Okubasu, Seth Oburu and Emmanuel Simuyu gave the lakeside club the three points and also saw them move to second place, leapfrogging Greensharks.

Butali are now on 25 points, six behind leaders Kenya Police, who have played 11 matches to Butali’s nine. Butali coach Godfrey Wakachunga was pleased with his team’s exploits noting that they should have had more goals.

“We took time to settle but once we did, it was a vintage performance from the lads and we were able to control the match. We are almost near the top and the march continues,” Wakachunga said.

TUK remain in bottom with four points after their ninth loss of the season and their coach Eddy Odhiambo picked lessons from the match despite the loss.

“They are in their own class and have some very talented players. We managed to keep them out in the opening encounter but we got picked out due to inexperience,” he said.

Butali, who lost their title to Strathmore University Gladiators last year, started slowly creating very little in the opening encounter. However, they picked up the pace in the second quarter and began creating chances winning a couple of short corners.

The first goal arrived after 18 minutes when a well worked short corner by Brian Musasia found Odhiambo, who blasted the ball past TUK keeper Kelly Ingati.

Two minutes to the end of the second quarter, Butali broke swiftly and the beautiful move was completed by Okubasu to give Butali a healthy advantage going into halftime.

TUK threated briefly in the third quarter as Odhiambo made a substitution bringing on Lawrence Githinji and Dennis Mbithi.

The duo combined for a rare chance but Butali keeper Pius Ratoru saved brilliantly to protect his team’s two-goal lead.

Butali put the result beyond doubt with two more goals in the last quarter to complete a nice evening.

Daily Nation



Munir Dar - Pakistan’s imperious field hockey legend


Munir Dar (March 28, 1935 - June 01, 2011)

Olympian Munir Ahmad Dar was one of the finest hockey players of Pakistan. Born in March 1935, he won laurels in hockey for the country in 1950s and 1960s. Known as one of the finest full backs Pakistan has ever produced, Munir had the unique distinction of representing the country in the first ever appearance of Pakistan in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics where they won silver medal. Munir had made his debut at the 1956 Olympics where the 19 year old had his initial taste of international hockey in the very first final his country played at the biggest quadrennial sporting extravaganza of the world. The youngster surprised everyone with a mature display at the most important match of international hockey calendar. His timely and swift positioning, anticipation and tackling rendered the legendary Indian left-in Udham Singh ineffective. Munir had become an international star overnight. He had been the part of Pakistan team who won gold medal at the 1960 Olympics in Rome. He was again part of the silver medal Pakistan Olympic team who lost to India in the final of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He captained Pakistan team from 1965 to 1967.

Hockey was included for the first time in the Asian Games in the third edition, in 1958. With five teams in the fray, the hockey tournament was held in a single league format. Cometh 1958 Asian Games, Pakistan steamrolled the first three oppositions: Japan 5-0, South Korea 8-0, Malaysia 6-0.The result against Korea was very significant. In their previous match, the mighty India had barely squeezed past the plucky East Asians 2-1. Everyone expected a close match between Pakistan and Korea. However, the young full back Munir’s record breaking feat demolished the Koreans. The 21 years old converted no less than five ‘successive’ penalty corners. He thus became the first person to do this in international hockey. Munir’s ‘five’ against Koreans had more implications in the final standings of the 1958 Asiad. Pakistan and India contested the last league fixture. Both the teams had full points from the previous games. As expected, a fierce battle ensued. The two teams had their chances with Pakistan having the major share. Eventually the time ran out and the match ended as a scoreless draw. The gold and silver had to be decided on goal difference. India had beaten Japan 8-0 and Malaysia 6-0 but the results against Korea made the difference. The 2-1 win against them meant India’s goal difference stood at 15 with 16 for and one against. On the other hand Pakistan had scored 19 without conceding one. Thus Pakistan had its first ever title; for India it was the first time they failed to win a tournament since their international debut in 1928. In final calculations, it was youthful Munir’s five goals which made all the difference.

After assisting Pakistan in their historic gold medal victory at the 1960 Olympics, the 1962 Asian Games were the next stop for Munir. Pakistan retained the Asiad gold in an imperious manner winning all the matches convincingly including the all-important final against India 2-0. Munir Dar struck four penalty corners in the tourney. The 1966 Asiad at Bangkok was not only Munir’s third appearance at the biggest continental event but this time he also had the honour to captain the national side. Again, Pakistan and India met in the final. However, on this occasion Pakistan had to contend with the silver. Shankar Laxman, India’s greatest goal keeper, had the game of his life and saved a number of Pakistan attempts. Still, Munir had a wonderful tally of two golds and one silver in his three appearances at the Asian Games.

An outspoken and friendly figure, Munir till his last breath remained attached with the hockey and other sports. Besides hockey he has a great passion for horses and owned horses which were regularly participating in Lahore horse club races. His passion with horses got stronger and he was known as an authority on top horses of the country. He had a long association with the Pakistan Karate Federation and was its President for many years. He was also an executive committee member of Pakistan Rugby Union.

The Dar family is easily the most glorified Pakistani family at the Olympics. One member of the family has figured in each of the three Olympic gold medals won by the country: Munir in 1960, his brother Tanvir Dar in 1968 and Munir’s son Taqueer Dar in 1984. On the continental stage as well, the magnificent trio of full-backs who were also deadly on the penalty corners achieved great glories. Munir’s son Taqueer emerged on the scene in the early 1980s. His defensive skills and the penalty corner conversion style were reminiscent of his illustrious father. Taqueer’s international career didn’t last long (1983-85). Still, he achieved distinctions at both the global and continental levels. He was a member of the gold medal winning team of the 1984 Olympics team thus completing the remarkable family treble. On the Asian front, Taqueer’s sole appearance was at the second Asia Cup held at Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 1985, where Pakistan retained the title after a classic final against India. Munir died on June 1, 2011 at age 76 after a protracted illness.

The Daily Times

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