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All the news for Tuesday 18 July 2017

Men’s quarter-final line-up revealed on Day 10 in Johannesburg


Spain battled past New Zealand in an epic encounter on Day 10 in Johannesburg. Copyright: FIH / Getty Images

Johannesburg, South Africa: Australia and Germany were confirmed as the winners of their respective pools at the Hockey World League Semi-Final in Johannesburg, revealing the line-up for the competition quarter-finals.

At 11:15 South African Standard Time (UTC +2), Pool A winners Australia will take on Egypt, who finished fourth in Pool B before Pool A’s second ranked Spain face Ireland, who finished third in Pool B, at 13:30. Pool B winners Germany go head-to-head with Pool A’s fourth placed team France at 15:45, with Pool B runners-up Belgium playing Pool A’s third place finishers New Zealand at 1800.

In Pool A, Australia’s Kookaburras defeated bottom of the table Japan 7-2 to confirm their place at the top of the standings, with Spain, New Zealand and France finishing in second, third and fourth respectively. The battle between Spain and New Zealand went the way of the Red Sticks, who claimed a remarkable 4-3 victory over the Black Sticks to take second place in the pool. New Zealand finished ahead of France purely on goals scored, with the two sides completing the pool phase level on points and goal-difference.

Australia (FIH Hero World Ranking: 2) opened the scoring just 12 seconds into their match against Japan (WR: 16), with Mark Knowles making no mistake from the penalty spot after Trent Mitton was brought down on-route to goal. The world champions turned the screw with a further three goals ahead of half time as Jake Whetton netted a double before Dylan Wotherspoon made it 4-0 at the break. Aran Zalewski and Tom Wickham made it 6-0, with Japan scoring goals either side of the third quarter break through penalty corners from Shota Yamada and Hirotaka Zendana. Australia added gloss on proceedings when Jeremy Hayward bagged a penalty corner to complete the scoring.

“We said that if we won all of our pool games we would have been happy, but we knew that the quarter-final was our main aim”, said Australia captain Mark Knowles. “The coach [Colin Batch] is a bit disappointed with the performance today. I think the only good thing we did was to start really well, which is what you have to do against these sides.”

The final match of Pool A was one of the most entertaining of the event so far, with Spain (WR: 10) eventually taking all three points against New Zealand (WR: 8) in a contest that seemed to constantly shift in momentum. Spain established a 2-0 lead through Josep Romeu and Enrique Gonzalez, but a brilliant, brave tactical move from Black Sticks Head Coach Darren Smith saw his goalkeeper replaced with a kicking back midway through the third quarter, a decision turned the match on its head. New Zealand played for 15 minutes without a goalkeeper and scored three times, with Shea McAleese, Nic Woods and Kane Russell taking the score to 3-2 before goalkeeper Devon Manchester returned to the action. Remarkably, Spain also gambled by removing shot-stopper Quico Cortes and got their reward, grabbing a superb volleyed equaliser from Alvaro Iglesias with three minutes remaining. New Zealand’s gamble to remove their goalkeeper for a second time backfired, as Pau Quemada robbed a defender before walking the ball into an unguarded net.

“We suffered a little bit in the third quarter, when they played really well and we were not creating anything”, said Quemada post match. “We brought on the kicking back and it changed everything. It was definitely the game of the kicking back.”

In Pool B, Germany sealed first place with a 2-0 win against Ireland, who finished the pool phase in third place. Belgium completed their Pool B campaign with a comfortable 9-1 victory over hosts South Africa, a result which ended South African hopes of a place in the quarter-finals, with Egypt taking the fourth and final qualification spot.

Germany (WR: 3) were made to work hard for all three points by Ireland’s Green Machine (WR: 9), who made life difficult for Die Honamas throughout. Tom Grambusch’s scored a penalty corner drag-flick near the end of the first quarter, but were made to wait until ten minutes from the end of the match before adding a second thanks to an open play strike from Martin Zwicker.

“I’m delighted that we won and finished top of the group”, said Germany captain Mats Grambusch. “A few weeks ago we lost 4-2 against Ireland in Hamburg, so we knew it was going to be tough. They are a good opponent and very hard to beat.”

South Africa (WR: 15) came into their match against Rio 2016 Olympic silver medallists Belgium (WR: 5) knowing that only a win would be enough for them to overtake Egypt into the fourth quarter-final qualification position. Sadly, that dream was ended a Red Lions team that were almost untouchable at times, opening up a 7-0 lead before half time with Alexander Hendrickx, Nicolas de Kerpel, Thomas Briels (2), Sebastien Dockier, Loick Luypaert and Cedric Charlier the scorers. Dockier scored Belgium’s eighth just after half time before Matthew Guise-Brown netted for South Africa, but it was the Red Lions who had the final word when Gauthier Boccard added a ninth late on.

On Tuesday 18th July, the quarter-finals of the women’s competition will take place, with a place at both the Women’s Hockey World League Final Auckland and the Hockey Women’s World Cup London 2018 on the table for the winners. At 11:15 South African Standard Time (UTC +2), USA (2nd Pool B) face Japan (3rd Pool A) with Argentina (1st Pool B) playing Ireland (4th Pool A) at 13:30. England (1st Pool A) take on India (4th Pool B) at 15:45 before Germany (2nd Pool A) meet hosts South Africa (3rd Pool B) at 18:00.

Men’s Quarter-Final line-up
Matches to be played Wednesday 19 July 2017. All times South Africa Standard Time (UTC +2)
11:15: Australia (1st Pool A) v Egypt (4th Pool B)
13:30: Spain (2nd Pool A) v Ireland (3rd Pool B)
15:45: Germany (1st Pool B) v France (4th Pool A)
18:00: Belgium (2nd Pool B) v New Zealand (3rd Pool A)

FIH site

Nightmare for SA Men

by Ken Borland

Everything went wrong for South Africa’s men’s side in a nightmare first half in which they conceded seven goals, before they regrouped and eventually lost 9-1 to Belgium in their Hockey World League match at the Wits Astro on Monday night.

While South Africa were undeniably poor, flatfooted and always half-a-yard off the pace of the game, credit must also go to Belgium for a dazzling first half in which everything they touched turned to gold, thanks to some ruthless finishing.

The home side, except for 18-year-old Dayaan Cassiem, waging a lone battle as he ran impressively up front, showed little of the fight that had characterised their women’s side in their memorable win over the USA the night before.

The first 20 minutes were bad enough for South Africa as they found themselves 3-0 down, Belgium scoring through an Alexander Hendrickx short-corner goal, Nicolas de Kerpel one-timing a loose ball into the roof of the net for a wonder-goal, and then captain Thomas Briels scrambling in the third.

Except it would get worse as Belgium then piled on four goals in the last five minutes of the first half. Simon Gougnard was allowed to waltz along the baseline before passing to a totally unmarked Briels to score the fourth; Sebastien Dockier also just ran away from his marker to get a good pass from Gauthier Boccard and slam a reverse-sticks rocket in; and Loick Luypaert’s fluffed short-corner drag-flick then somehow eluded goalkeeper Rassie Pieterse and post-man Tim Drummond; before Cedric Charlier, the driver of much of Belgium’s attacking play, got on the end of an overhead from Augustin Meurmans, showed good skill dribbling into the circle and then shot home between the goalkeeper’s legs.

South Africa coach Fabian Gregory said the mentality of the shellshocked team for the second half was just to make it a contest, which they succeeded in doing.

“In the first half we made unforced errors, our basic skills were non-existent and we could not keep the ball, and you cannot do that against a world-class team like Belgium, they punished us every time, but I was disappointed by some of the soft goals we let in.

“The second half was the type of hockey I expect from the team after a really disappointing first half. It was about how much we could compete, we said we were starting again at 0-0 and we will try and salvage something from the game,” Gregory said afterwards.

The second half did not start well for the hosts though as Jethro Eustice made a good tackle in the circle but the ball went back towards his own goal, and Matthew Guise-Brown slipped in trying to clear it and Dockier was presented with an easy goal.

But South Africa were on the scoreboard two minutes later as Guise-Brown fired a superb short-corner drag-flick into the top-right corner and they had a handful of other good chances in the second half.

It was Belgium who would have the final say, however, as more soft defending by South Africa in the 59th minute saw them just stand off and allow Boccard to run into the circle and fire the ball into goal past Richard Curtis, who replaced Pieterse for the second half and impressed.

Gregory said he was particularly unhappy that his team did not stick to the strategy that had been decided beforehand.

“If I’m brutally honest, the team did not execute tactically what we asked for, the application of that strategy was terrible and that’s why we did not cope well with the Belgian press.”

South Africa will now play a promotion/relegation game against Japan on Friday and will be desperate to stay up in the elite Hockey World League.

Germany, Belgium, Ireland and Egypt will go through to the quarterfinals from Pool B, to play France, New Zealand, Spain and Australia respectively.

Results: Germany 2 (Tom Grambusch, Martin Zwicker) Ireland 0; Australia 7 (Mark Knowles, Jake Whetton 2, Dylan Wotherspoon, Aran Zalewski, Tom Wickham, Jeremy Hayward) Japan 2 (Shota Yamada, Hirotaka Zendana); Spain 4 (Josep Romeu, Enrique Gonzalez, Alvaro Iglesias, Pau Quemada) New Zealand 3 (Shea McAleese, Nic Woods, Kane Russell); Belgium 9 (Alexander Hendrickx, Nicolas de Kerpel, Thomas Briels 2, Sebastien Dockier 2, Loick Luypaert, Cedric Charlier, Gauthier Boccard) South Africa 1 (Matthew Guise-Brown).

Tuesday’s fixtures (women’s quarterfinals): 11.15 USA v Japan; 1.30 Argentina v Ireland; 3.45 England v India; 6pm Germany v South Africa.

KenBorland.com

SA annihilated by brilliant Belgium

by Karien Jonckheere


Austin Smith © Backpagepix

Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing blared over the loudspeakers at the Wits Astro in Johannesburg on Monday night.

But at 7-0 down to Belgium at half time, it was difficult to believe that the South African men’s team would come back in their must-win final group game of the Hockey World League.

Taking on the Olympic silver medallists in this critical match was always going to be a tough task.

While they had a far better second half, the South Africans simply couldn’t match the skill and execution of the Belgians, eventually going down 9-1.

As a result they will miss out on the tournament quarterfinals and will play for ninth and 10th place against Japan on Friday.

Had they just taken the easy route – with a victory over continental rivals Egypt on Saturday, it could have been a very different scenario.

But a 2-1 loss to the Egyptians meant they had to beat Belgium to make it through to the quarterfinals.

Unlike the SA women’s team, who pulled off an unlikely victory over the USA in their must-win match on Sunday to book a spot in the quarters, the SA men just couldn’t overcome a team ranked 10 places above them in the world.

In fact, they didn’t look like they were up for the fight in that fateful first half.

Belgium made it look easy as they slotted goal after goal past the SA defence. And while the second half was a far better one defensively, it wasn’t enough.

Matt Guise-Brown scored SA’s solitary goal – off a penalty corner in the third quarter.

“In the first half it’s almost as if our basic skills were non-existent,” lamented SA coach Fabian Gregory afterwards.

“We couldn’t trap the ball, we couldn’t keep the ball, we got dispossessed in one-on-ones and every time we made errors they punished us. I think our defence in the D was poor – we let in some soft goals, which I am disappointed with.

“All credit to Belgium though. They punished us when we made mistakes. That’s the value of a world class team and that’s exactly what they are.

“The second half was the type of performance I expect from this group of players so I was really disappointed that we didn’t deliver that second-half performance in the first half. But at 7-0 down after the first half the game was over, which was difficult. We just tried to salvage something out of the game from there to give us a bit of confidence for our last game,” added Gregory.

Captain Tim Drummond added: “It’s extremely disappointing but I’m proud of how the guys came back in the third and fourth chukka. We know they’re a world class side – Olympic silver medallists. It’s great to play against opposition of that calibre but we’ve got a lot to learn.”

Meanwhile, in other matches played at the Wits Astro on Monday, a goal after just 12 seconds was a sign of things to come for the Australians who went on to defeat Japan 7-2 in their final pool game.

That saw them finishing well clear at the top of Pool A. Japan, meanwhile, finished on the bottom of the pool and will play in the playoff for ninth and 10th place against the home team.

In the other Pool A match of the day, Spain took a 2-0 lead against New Zealand before the Kiwis came back to equalise at 2-2 and then take a 3-2 lead. But two more goals within the final three minutes from the Spanish saw them winning 4-3 and finishing second in the pool.

Germany finished top of Pool B after they beat Ireland 2-0 in their final group match.

As a result, the Germans will play France in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Australia will take on Egypt, Spain will face Ireland and Belgium will play New Zealand.

Supersport

Brutal Belgium dashes SA hopes

A clinical display from the Rio silver medallist dashed any hope the South African national men’s hockey team had to qualify for the quarterfinals of the FIH Hockey World League Semi-finals.

Belgium won the last group match of the tournament by beating South Africa 9-1.

Belgium started the scoreboard action after only three minutes when Alexander Hendrickx scored from a penalty corner. The second goal came from field play when Nicolas De Keppel scored.

At halftime the game already turned into a nightmare for the South Africans with five more goals scored in the second chukka. Belgium was leading by 7-0 and still 30 minutes to play. Thomas Briels (2), Sebastien Dockier, Loick Luypaert and Cedric Charlier all got on the scorecard.

Mere minutes into the third chukka Dockier scored again. With just a minute left Belgium scored again to rub the salt in the South African wounds.

Like in all previous games South Africa had some solid build-ups, but never succeeded in scoring from these phases and presses. Plays in the circle from the South African strikers were disappointing.

Matt Guise-Brown finally broke the deadlock for the home team by scoring from a penalty corner. Finally after some 35 minutes the players and supporters had something to smile about.

Belgium won silver at the Rio Olympic Games last year and is currently 5th on the world rankings. South Africa is 15th.

South Africa will now play for 9th place in the tournament.

South Africa’s women team will play against Germany in the quarterfinal on Tuesday at 18:00.

All matches in the Hockey World League Semi-Final are played at the Wits Hockey Astro in Johannesburg. Twenty of the world’s best men and women’s national teams will take part in these Hockey World Cup 2018 qualifiers from 8 - 23 July.

Tickets for the event can be purchased online at http://hockeyworldleague.nutickets.co.za/HWL

SA Hockey Association media release

Kookaburras through to Quarter Finals at World League

Defeat Japan 7 - 2

Holly MacNeil



The Kookaburras played Japan tonight in their final pool game of the World League Semi-Finals, winning their fourth match 7 – 2.

Twelve seconds into the game and the Kookaburras were in the lead; a tackle on Trent Mitton giving Australia a penalty stroke opportunity which captain Mark Knowles took, flicking the ball into the net for a penalty stroke goal.

Australia had a good two chances at penalty corners only a minute later but this time goalkeeper Suguru Shimmoto was on point and the net was well defended. Jake Whetton turned it around for Australia by scoring a field goal five minutes in with a reverse flick from directly in front of the net eluding Shimmoto.

Kenta Tanaka had Japan’s first real shot on goal in the final minute of the first quarter however the ball went slightly wide and Australian keeper Andrew Charter was well placed to cover the net.

In the 26th minute of play Tom Wickham passed to Jake Whetton who worked the ball along the goal line before easily flicking it into the left of the net. Two minutes later and Whetton made a pass to Dylan Wotherspoon from the middle of the pitch, before Wotherspoon sprinted the ball down to the Australian circle shooting the ball past Shimmoto and increasing Australia’s lead to 4 – nil.

Aran Zalewski was the first to score coming back from the half time break; flicking the ball from the top of the circle before it hit the left-hand post of goal and deflected into the net. Six minutes later and Tom Wickham was the next Australian to score, knocking a field goal into the net easily and giving Australia a 6 – 0 lead.

Japan were up for their first penalty corner opportunity 42 minutes into the game, with Shota Yamada scoring a penalty corner goal after it deflected into goal from goalkeeper Tyler Lovell’s helmet.

With ten minutes to go in the game Japan were up for a second shot at a penalty corner goal. A set piece play resulted in a powerful drag flick from Hirotaka Zendana nailing the goal and taking the score to AUS 6 – 2 JPN.

Jeremy Hayward scored Australia’s first penalty corner goal of the game with three minutes to go in the match courtesy of a powerful drag flick from the top of the D. The resulting goal leaving the final score at AUS 7 – 2 JPN.

Kookaburras head coach Colin Batch said: “We started very well, put pressure on Japan and scored two goals early on which set the tone for the game which was a really good start for us.

“Japan came through and scored a couple of goals towards the end of the match so we need to tighten up a little bit, but overall it was a pretty good game. It looks like we’ll play Egypt in the quarter final but it will depend on the outcome of South Africa’s game against Belgium tonight.”

The Kookaburras next play in the quarter finals on Wednesday 19 July. Details on the time and team they will play will be determined at the conclusion of the pool rounds this evening. Tune into the game Live on Fox Sports Australia.

KOOKABURRAS 7 (4)
Mark Knowles 1 (PS)
Jake Whetton FG, FG (5, 26)
Dylan Wotherspoon FG (28)
Aran Zalewski 34 (FG)
Tom Wickham 40 (FG)
Jeremy Hayward 57 (PC)

JAPAN 2 (0)
Shota Yamada 42 (PC)
Hirotaka Zendana 51 (PC) 

Kookaburras Match Schedule
Wednesday, 19 July: Quarter Finals TBC

Kookaburras squad v Japan
Athlete (Hometown/State)
Daniel Beale (Brisbane, QLD) 100/16
Andrew Charter (Canberra, ACT) 131/0
Tom Craig (Lane Cove, NSW) 37/13
Matt Dawson (Killarney Vale, NSW) 75/10
Jeremy Edwards (Hobart, TAS) 21/2
Aaron Kleinschmidt (Melbourne, VIC) 22/6
Trent Mitton (Perth, WA) 115/50
Jake Whetton (Brisbane, QLD) 127/51
Tristan White (Wollongong, NSW) 89/6
Tom Wickham (Morgan, SA) *plays for WA 15/3
Aran Zalewski (Margaret River, WA) 110/16

Used Substitutes
Kiran Arunasalam (Doncaster East, VIC) 8/1
Jeremy Hayward (Darwin, NT) 82/27
Mark Knowles (Rockhampton, QLD) 299/27
Tyler Lovell (Perth, WA) 88/0
Dylan Wotherspoon (Murwillumbah, NSW) *plays for QLD 39/10

Unused Substitutes
Matt Swann (Mackay, QLD) 154/6
Josh Pollard (Melbourne, VIC) 21/3

Hockey Australia media release

NZ put all on the line against Spain


Photo: FIH/Getty Images

The Vantage Black Sticks Men have been edged 4-3 by Spain in their final pool match at the Hockey World League Semi Final in Johannesburg.

The Kiwis channelled all their efforts into hunting three points for a win to finish second in Pool A, but ultimately paid the price for having the goalkeeper on the sideline in the final minutes.

Spain ran out to a 2-0 lead with goals from Josep Romeu and Enrique Gonzalez in the 23rd and 35th minutes before New Zealand responded in stunning style.

The Black Sticks substituted goalkeeper Devon Manchester for an extra field player late in the third quarter in a move which instantly paid off when Shea McAleese deflected a penalty corner shot into the roof of the net.

New Zealand equalised in the 54th minute thanks to a drag flick from Nic Woods before taking a 3-2 lead just one minute later through Kane Russell’s penalty corner shot.

Manchester returned to goal for two minutes before Spain levelled once more and the Kiwis opted to put the kicking back in play again to try and force a win.

But Spain sunk the Black Sticks’ hopes in the final 30 seconds of the match when Pau Quemada capitalised on a defensive error and shot into an open goal.

The result sees the Kiwis finish third in Pool A with a cross-over quarter final looming against Belgium at 4:00am on Thursday morning (NZT).

Head coach Darren Smith said his side put it all on the line for three points but unfortunately couldn’t quite get there.

“We were a bit slow early on but I thought we played well in the second half and showed some real intent and determination,” he said.

“We took a calculated risk with the goalkeeper off the field but it allowed us to hold the ball well in the defensive midfield and then create some good attacking pressure and score three goals.

“It’s a disappointing final result for us but we are certainly up for our next challenge and we know we will have to be on our game no matter who we come up against.”

Forward Marcus Child celebrated a milestone with his 100th international cap in the match.

VANTAGE BLACK STICKS 3: (Shea McAleese, Nic Woods, Kane Russell)
SPAIN 4: (Josep Romeu, Enrique Gonzalez, Alvaro Iglesias, Pau Quemada)
Halftime: Spain 1-0

Hockey New Zealand Media release

Quemada wins “game of the kicking backs” for Spain


©: Rodrigo Jaramillo/world Sport Pics

Pau Quemada scored a bizarre last minute goal to hand Spain a third win of their Hockey World League campaign to earn a quarter-final date against Ireland.

They looked in control of their tie against New Zealand at 2-0 up via Josep Romeu and Enrique Gonzalez but the Blacksticks went for a kicking back in the third quarter to kickstart a mad-cap phase of the game.

New Zealand scored three times while Sergi Enrique was in the sin-bin for a green and then a yellow card with corners from Shea McAleese, Nic Woods and Kane Russell for a 3-2 lead with five minutes to go.

Spain then went to a kicking back and got level via Alvaro Iglesias’s sharp reactions. New Zealand again removed their goalkeeper but it back-fired this time as Quemada followed up to tackle the last defender who slipped, potting into an open goal for 4-3.

“We suffered a little bit in the third quarter, when they played really well and we were not creating anything”, said Quemada post match. “We brought on the kicking back and it changed everything. It was definitely the game of the kicking back!”

In Pool B, Germany sealed first place with a 2-0 win against Ireland, who finished the pool phase in third place. Belgium completed their Pool B campaign with a comfortable 9-1 victory over hosts South Africa, a result which ended South African hopes of a place in the quarter-finals, with Egypt taking the fourth and final qualification spot.

Germany were made to work hard for all three points by Ireland’s Green Machine who made life difficult for Die Honamas throughout. Tom Grambusch’s scored a penalty corner drag-flick near the end of the first quarter, but were made to wait until ten minutes from the end of the match before adding a second thanks to an open play strike from Martin Zwicker.

“I’m delighted that we won and finished top of the group”, said Germany captain Mats Grambusch. “A few weeks ago we lost 4-2 against Ireland in Hamburg, so we knew it was going to be tough. They are a good opponent and very hard to beat.”

Germany go through to France; Belgium’s hammering of South Africa means they end second in their group and they face New Zealand while Australia will take on Egypt.

Euro Hockey League media release

Black Sticks men's aggressive tactic pays off, then backfires in loss to Spain


Pau Quemada scored the winning goal for Spain in the 60th minute after stealing possession from New Zealand's Nick Ross.JAN KRUGER/GETTY IMAGES

Already guaranteed a place in the quarterfinals and down two goals to Spain, the Black Sticks men pulled their goalie.

Using Shea McAleese as a 'kicking back' in place of goalkeeper Devon Manchester for more than 15 minutes, New Zealand scored three goals from penalty corners to take a lead, only to see the tactic come back to bite them in a 4-3 loss to close out pool play at the FIH Hockey World League Semifinal in Johannesburg on Monday (Tuesday NZ Time).

Looking to finish as high in Pool A as possible - behind unbeaten Australia - the Black Sticks would have ended second if their 3-2 lead early in the fourth quarter held up, however they dropped to third after allowing two goals in the final three minutes. After finishing tied with France on four points with 1-1-2 records, New Zealand took third having scored 10 goals to nine.

A quarterfinal match against Belgium most likely awaits on Wednesday (Thursday NZT).

After goals from Josep Romeu in the 23rd minute and Enrique Gonzalez in the 35th minute, New Zealand brought on the extra field player and it paid off.

McAleese deflected in New Zealand's first goal from a Nic Woods penalty corner shot in the 43rd minute. Spain's Sergi Enrique was yellow-carded in the 54th minute and from the ensuing penalty corner, Woods was credited with the game-tying goal after his shot took a deflection off the stick of a Spanish defender.

A minute later, Kane Russell put the Black Sticks ahead with a well-executed penalty corner variation with Woods.

With the lead, Manchester return to the defensive circle as Spain pulled their goalkeeper for an extra field player and were rewarded with a game-tying goal in the 57th minute through Alvaro Iglesias.

New Zealand again yanked Manchester as they searched for a game-winner but some pressure from Spain's forward forced Nick Ross to mishandle the ball and into a turnover, allowing Pau Quemada to dribble in the easiest of goals with just 30 seconds remaining.

In their earlier matches, the Black Sticks drew with France 3-3, defeated Japan 3-1 and lost to Australia 2-1.

Spain 4 (Josep Romeu, Enrique Gonzalez, Alvaro Iglesias, Pau Quemada) New Zealand 3 (Shea McAleese, Nic Woods, Kane Russell). 1Q: 0-0, HT: 1-0, 3Q: 2-1

Stuff

Black Sticks to battle Belgium in quarter finals


Photo: FIH/Getty Images

It’s been confirmed the Vantage Black Sticks Men will go head to head with Belgium in the quarter finals at the Hockey World League in Johannesburg.

After finishing third in Pool A, New Zealand face Belgium at 4:00am on Thursday morning (NZT), with live coverage on SKY Sport.

Hockey World League, Johannesburg

Quarter Finals Match Schedule (all in New Zealand time)

Wednesday 19th July, 9:15pm
Australia (1st Pool A) vs Egypt (4th Pool B)

Wednesday 19th July, 11:30pm
Spain (2nd Pool A) vs Ireland (3rd Pool B)

Thursday 20th July, 1:45am
Germany (1st Pool B) vs France (4th Pool A)

Thursday 20th July, 4:00am
Belgium (2nd Pool B) vs Vantage Black Sticks (3rd Pool A)

Hockey New Zealand Media release

Green Machine To Face Spain In Quarter Finals



There was very little to separate the Green Machine from world number 3 Germany in the sides final pool game of Hockey World League. The result means Ireland will face Spain in the quarter finals.

Ireland arguably started the stronger of the sides with Paul Gleghorne throwing pin-point aerial passes across pitch to evade the dogged German defence. Matthew Bell earned his sides first penalty corner after only 3 minutes but the variation didn’t fool the Germans. Germany took the lead in the 12th minute when a crash ball in hit an Irish foot and Tom Grambusch sent a hard drag flick past Johnny Bell at the post. The Green Machine had 2 further PC’s in quick succession but a slight bobble at the top of the circle saw the ball rarely trapped cleanly and Ireland saw no return from their 4 PC’s despite Shane O’Donoghue’s best efforts. David Harte made some fine saves against Moritz Trompertz and Niklas Wellen to keep the score at 1-0 going into the half.

The close contest became a tactical battle in the third quarter with neither side having any real chances or circle penetrations. The stats further elude to the closeness of the game with the Green Machine edging the possession with 51% while Germany had 27 circle penetrations to Ireland’s 22. Eugene Magee and John Jackson seemed to evade defenders at will at times but credit must go to the German defence who were resolute in the circle. The game was put to bed by Zwicker from close range when advantage was played following an Irish foot after a superb run into the circle by Timm Herzbruch.

The Green Machine are next in action on Wednesday (July 19th) in the quarter final against Spain. Fixture to be shown live on BT Sport.

Ireland women’s hockey team compete against world number 3 Argentina in their quarter final tomorrow (12:30pm Irish time), shown live on BT Sport. A win would guarantee Ireland a World Cup spot, a loss would put the Green Army in the 5th-8th playoffs with 5th place still guaranteeing a World Cup place.

Hockey World League Semi Finals Johannesburg

Ireland 0
Germany 2 (T Grambusch, Zwicker)

Ireland: D Harte, J Jackson, M Bell, C Cargo, A Sothern, E Magee, S O’Donoghue, J McKee, P Gleghorne, C Harte, S Cole

Subs: J Carr, J Bell (Captain), M Nelson, N Glassey, S Murray, J Duncan, S Loughrey

Germany: M Appel, M Muller, L Windfeder, M Grambusch (Captain), M Trompertz, T Herzbruch, JP Rabente, T Grambusch, M Miltkau, B Furk, N Wellen

Subs: J Gomoll, C Ruhr, D-E Linnekogel, M Zwicker, T Walter, J Meyer, F Weinke

Irish Hockey Association media release

Stakes set to rise against Spain after men’s HWL group stages


Ireland’s Neal Glassey in possession. Pic: FIH/Getty

Craig Fulton’s Irish men’s team will face a date with Spain in their first chance at landing a 2018 World Cup spot as the preliminary phase of the Hockey World League ended with a 2-0 loss to Germany in Johannesburg.

That tie will take place on Wednesday when the stakes of the tournament ramps up significantly and the coach feels his side is in decent shape after wins over South Africa and Egypt.

“I was really happy with out performance today; we pressed the Germans well and created some nice chances in the first half,” he said after the tie.

“Obviously we are not happy to have lost the game but we are in a good place finishing the group stages.”

Barring a four-goal win, Ireland’s destiny looked set for third place in the group and that outcome never looked likely in an intense defensive battle.

As such, penalty corners were key with Germany scoring the one that they earned via Tom Grambusch picking a low line into the right of the backboard from the top of the circle.

Ireland, meanwhile, had four corners but struggled with the grain of the pitch which saw the ball skip up nastily in front of the trapper. It meant Shane O’Donoghue was not able to get a clean shot off while a switch move to negate the issue also went awry.

The Olympic bronze medalists had the edge of the remainder of the first half with Moritz Trompertz shooting just over while Niklas Wellen drew a good stop from David Harte. The Irish goalkeeper and captain was returning to action after following concussion protocols to take his spot between the posts.


Stephen Cole attempts to get away from Jan-Philipp Rabente and Marco Miltkau. Pic: FIH/Getty

The second half proved even tighter than the close-knit first with no shot of note coming in the third quarter while there was just one a piece in the closing 15 minutes. Jeremy Duncan was denied by Mark Appel’s face-guard at close quarters, the Kilkenny man not quite getting enough lift on his shot.

Germany’s only chance, though, was converted by Martin Zwicker as he made the best of a good umpiring advantage to flick in off the top of Harte’s shoulder. With Germany assured of top spot in the group and Ireland out of range of second place, it made for a tepid closing 10 minutes.

And so, with wins over South Africa and Egypt, Ireland complete the group to their pre-tournament ranking. Spain, as a quarter-final opponent, does not represent the worst opponent – a side ranked lower than Ireland who were beaten 4-1 last month at the Hamburg Masters though they impressed in patches against both New Zealand and Australia.


Jonny Bell battles for the ball. Pic: FIH/Getty

Attention turns to the Irish women on Tuesday and a huge task against the world number three side Argentina in the same quarter-final scenario. They are in action at 12.30pm (Irish time) in Johannesburg.

Upset the odds and they will qualify directly for the World Cup for the first time since 2002; lose and they will go into the fifth to eighth place playoffs where they could also earn a ticket.

Hockey World League Semi-Final
Ireland 0 Germany 2 (T Grambusch, M Zwicker)

Ireland: D Harte, J Jackson, M Bell, C Cargo, A Sothern, E Magee, S O’Donoghue, J McKee, P Gleghorne, C Harte, S Cole
Subs: J Bell, M Nelson, N Glassey, S Murray, J Duncan, S Loughrey, J Carr

Germany: M Appel, M Muller, L Windfeder, M Grambusch, M Trompertz, T Herzbruch, J-P Rabente, T Grambusch, M Miltkau, B Furk, N Wellen
Subs: J Gomoll, C Ruhr, D-E Linnekogel, M Zwicker, J Meyer, T Walter, F Weinke

The Hook

Guatemala, #Hockey5 Super Champion

Ma. Josefina Chávez Díaz



Once again, hockey unites all the region. This time, from hockey 5’s hand, this new format in which five nations dared to play and had as a result Guatemala’s women’s and men’s as Champions.

Guatemala’s women's and men's team were the winners of  the Central American Hockey 5 Championship that was played in Managua from July the 14th to the 16th. In their last game they tied 2 to 2 against Panama and celebrated by goals difference. Guatemala’s men team won 4-1 against Panama.

All teams, some with more preparation, others with less, showed their best version at this event.

Panama, Guatemala and Costa Rica, more experienced in this format, showed the hours of training prior to the tournament in each match.

Others, with less years of work, like Honduras or Nicaragua, improved their game with each match.

That was the end of a great tournament which had the support of the The Pan American Federation before and during the event. Nicaragua is preparing to host the Central American Games in December.

Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala and Nicaragua promised to meet again by the end of the year, when hockey brings them back together.

Pan American Hockey Federation media release

Men’s National Team named for 2017 Pan American Cup in Lancaster, USA

Kori Sidaway


The Men’s National Team singing the Canadian anthem before their 6-0 win over Pakistan at the World League Semi Finals in London, England (June, 2017). PHOTO: Yan Huckendubler

The Men’s National Program has named the team that will represent Canada at the 2017 Pan American Cup in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, from August 4-12.

The 2017 Pan American Cup will see the men’s squad take on five other nations, with the continental champion earning qualification for the 2018 FIH Men’s World Cup.

Having already earned a 2018 World Cup qualification at World League 3 in London, England, the team heads into this year’s Pan American Cup with the same focus, but with some new faces. Of the 18 athletes selected, 14 competed together this past June in the World League Semi Final. A well earned break has been handed to some of the team’s veterans (Freose, Kindler, Garcia & Pearson) while offering the next generation of players the opportunity to stake their case for future selection.

“Qualifying gives the opportunity to rest some athletes and look at others to develop and broaden the program,” says Men’s National Interim Head Coach Paul Bundy.

One of such athletes is goalkeeper Iqwinder Gill of the Men’s Junior Team. Gill is coming off a hot year at the Junior level to make his international debut with the Men’s National Team. Gill will be joined by fellow rookies Harbir Sidhu and Brad Logan who will all look to this tournament to gain experience and bolster their international resumes.

For Logan, who dropped everything in his hometown of Pietermaritzburg, South Africa to come train and play for Canada’s Mens Team, making the Pan Am squad means a lot. “I’ve worked very hard for this, and gave up a lot for it, so it’s nice to finally get some rewards off all this hard work.” Logan added “I’ve earned my spot, so I’m ready to give it a good crack.”

While the rookies are looking to play their first few international matches, they have veterans like David Carter (Vancouver, BC; 149) and Iain Smythe (Vancouver, BC; 147) leading the way – both who are positioned to reach their 150th game played for Canada within the tournament.

Smythe and Carter are joined by a number of other National Team veterans – all with more than 100 international matches for Canada under their belt – Gordon Johston (Vancouver, BC; 116), Keegan Pereira (Ajax, ON; 121), Richard Hildreth (Vancouver, BC; 161), Taylor Curran (North Vancouver, BC; 134) and Team Captain Scott Tupper (Vancouver, BC; 258).

The team faces the United States and Brazil in warm-up matches before opening pool play against Trinidad & Tobago on August 4th at 9am PT/12pm ET. Pool play continues as the men take on Brazil before facing Mexico in final pool play.

Canada’s full 2017 Pan American Cup schedule, results and recaps can be found here.

Men’s National Team for the 2017 Pan American Cup

Field Hockey Canada media release

Malaysia to finalise squad after friendlies with Singapore

by S. Ramaguru

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will use the two-match series against Singapore this weekend to finalise their men’s indoor hockey team for next month’s Kuala Lumpur SEA Games.

“Singapore asked us for a two-match series in Kuala Lumpur and we have agreed to their request. We will play the matches this Saturday and Sunday,” said national coach Mohamed Amin Rahim.

Former Malaysian international Reduan Ponirin is the Singapore coach.

Amin added: “I’ll name our final 12-man team after the two matches. We have 18 players now and need to trim down to focus on our final preparations.”

To beef up the team, Amin has called up three national outdoor hockey players – goalkeeper Hairi Abdul Rahman, defender Mohamed Najmi Jazlan and midfielder Syed Shafiq Syed Cholan – for the Games.

Najmi, a penalty corner specialist, was a member of the team that played in the recent World Hockey League Semi-Final in London. Malaysia finished fourth to qualify for the 2018 World Cup Finals.

“We are depending on Najmi for the penalty corners. He has good technique and power in his flicks. I’m sure he will be an asset to the team,” said Amin.

Indoor hockey is being staged for the first time with six teams – Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines and Vietnam – in the fray.

The Star of Malaysia

England U18 Boys edged out in shootout drama


England U18 Boys, July 2017

England Under-18 Boys were narrowly edged out in their opening game of the Six Nations Tournament in Nottingham, losing in a shootout to Belgium after the scores had been tied after 60 minutes.

After a tense first half Matthew Ramshaw had given England the lead with a 45th minute field goal, only for Belgium to level with five minutes remaining through an Emily Esquelin field goal and then go on to win 5-3 in the shootout.

Head Coach Jody Paul said: “We played them a couple of times ten days ago in Belgium and won one and lost one, so I think this was a fair result. It was good to see the guys come out and play a strong game and it should set us up well for the rest of the tournament.”

Captain Oliver Payne played well in goal, making several great saves which kept England in the match on two or three occasions.

Ramshaw took his goal well from the top of the D after breaking down the middle, while Belgium’s goal was also well taken with Esquelin firing home with superb speed over Payne’s shoulder.

Gareth Griffiths, Rohan Bhuhi and Ben Stevenson scored England’s first three efforts in the shootout, but when their fourth was missed, Belgium clinched the win with their fifth shootout goal giving them an unassailable lead.

England Under-18 boys are next in action at 1730 on Tuesday, when they take on Spain.

England Under-18 Boys (0) 1
Matthew Ramshaw – 45 (FG)

Belgium Under-18 Boys (0) 1
Emile Esquelin – 55 (FG)

Belgium win shootout 5-3

England Hockey Board Media release

Narrow loss for England U18 Girls


Freya Bull England U18 Girls July 17 2017

A second half strike from Freya Bull (pictured) was not enough for England Under-18 Girls, who narrowly lost out 2-1 to Ireland in the opening match of the Six Nations Tournament at Terrassa in Spain on Monday morning.

Head Coach Sarah Kelleher was disappointed with her side’s performance, which comes after encouraging performances against both Belgium and Germany in recent weeks.

“It was a tough start against a good Irish side,” she said. “The girls didn’t perform to their full potential, but it was a good learning experience which will stand to them as they go forward to the next game.”

Ireland took the lead on 26 minutes from open play, the umpire having played good advantage after an England foot touched the ball in the D. Siosra O’Brien scored the goal, shooting home after a cross from the back line.

England drew level on 40 minutes, with Freya Bull finding the net with a straight strike from a penalty corner.

But just two minutes later Ireland were back in front, with Grace McLoughlin scoring from a penalty stroke after a bad tackle in a congested D.

England got steadily better as the game went on, and pressed Ireland well in the later stages, but they couldn’t convert their chances into goals.

The Under-18 Girls are next in action on Tuesday evening.

England Under-18 Girls (0) 1
Freya Bull 40 (PC)

Ireland Under-18 Girls (1) 2
Siosra O’Brien 26 (FG)
Grace McLoughlin 42 (PS)

England Hockey Board Media release

Dramatic opening clash for England U16 Boys


England U16 Boys, July 2017

A battling performance from England Under-16 Boys wasn’t quite enough to make a winning start to the Six Nations Tournament at the Nottingham Hockey Centre on Monday.

Level at 1-1 at half time, England found themselves behind and as the clock ticked over they went to a kicking back, pulling one goal back in the dying seconds to set up a thrilling finale.

But they couldn’t get an equaliser, and afterwards Head Coach Mark Bateman said: “I’m happy with the competitive nature of the game, we’ve made good progress from the matches we played against Belgium last week.

“But we will have to take more of our set piece opportunities in the future to convert our good possession into better outcomes.”

Belgium opened the scoring through Oscar Berton who found the net from open play after just ten minutes, but early in the second quarter England pulled back level through Ollie Harper from an 18th minute penalty corner.

The flick was taken by Alex Pendle but it came off the post, and Harper pounced on the loose ball to score.

Belgium hit back with Jeremy Wilbers scoring from a 33rd minute penalty corner.

With two minutes left Berton scored again for Belgium, and with the end looming England took their goalkeeper off and went in search of late goals.

In the final minute they halved the deficit with Matthew Bellin scoring after a great run down the left from Louis Wrenn, but they ran out of time to get an equaliser.

England Under-16 Boys are next in action on Tuesday afternoon, when they will be aiming to bounce back against Spain.

England Under-16 Boys (1) 2
Ollie Harper 18 (PC)
Matthew Bellin 60 (FG)

Belgium Under-16 Boys (1) 3
Oscar Berton 10, 58 (FG, FG)
Jeremy Wilbers 33 (PC)

England Hockey Board Media release

Opening day draw for England U16 Girls

England Under-16 Girls dominated possession and created plenty of chances, but they couldn’t convert them into goals and had to settle for a 0-0 draw with Ireland in the opening match of the Six Nations Tournament at Terrassa in Spain on Monday morning.

A strong defensive performance from Ireland – particularly from their goalkeeper – kept them in the game on several occasions as England pressed for a way through. And with Ireland looking dangerous on the counter-attack, England’s defence was also tested on several occasions.

Some tight defence meant that England didn’t concede any penalty corners to their rivals, while they had three penalty corners at the other end of the pitch.

Head Coach John Bell said: “It was a positive start to the tournament, but if we are going to score goals we need to convert our chances and be more ruthless in front of goal.”

England Under-16 Girls now face an early day off on Tuesday, and aren’t in action until Wednesday evening when they play hosts Spain.

Although that will give them some respite from the heat in Spain, it will present its own challenges keeping the team focused with a long break without a match.

England Under-16 Girls (0) 0
Ireland Under-16 Girls (0) 0

England Hockey Board Media release

McLoughlin strokes Ireland to opening win over England

Grace McLoughlin's second half stroke saw the Irish Under-18 girls start their Six Nations campaign in style; the U-16 girls drew against England while the boys had tough outings against Spain

U-18 girls: Ireland 2 (S O’Brien, G McLoughlin) England 1 (F Bull)

Grace McLoughlin’s penalty stroke in the 42nd minute saw Ireland beat England in Terrassa to get their Six Nations tournament up and running on the front foot.

Ireland had taken the lead in the first half when Siofra O’Brien profited from a good advantage after an English foot in the circle, shooting home after a cross from the back line.

England – coached by former Irish international Sarah Kelleher – fought back to level on 40 minutes via Freya Bull with a straight strike from a corner.

But parity lasted just two minutes as a bad tackle in a congested circle led to the stroke that McLoughlin scored for the winner.

Tuesday: Ireland v Belgium, 11am

U-18 Boys: Ireland 1 (P Lynch) Spain 4

Ireland started their tournament in good style and took the through Peter Lynch in the sixth minute with a superb counter attack goal in Nottingham. The game was even throughout the next two quarters with Spain leading the corner count.

Spain got back level and punished Ireland during the last quarter when three yellow cards were shown, reducing the greens to nine players for a nine minute period. During that time, the Spanish scored two corners and a good finish from close in to take the game away from Ireland.

Tuesday: Ireland v Netherlands, 11.30am

U-16 Girls: Ireland 0 England 0

Ireland started off their campaign with a highly competitive scoreless draw with England in CD Terrassa. As the game grew, Ireland held their own for large periods and were very composed.

England had more chances but couldn’t break through a determined and resilient Irish defence with goalkeeper Ellie McLoughlin pulling off a couple of fine saves in a superb Irish performance. Indeed, there were chances on the counter-attack with English tested at times, too.

Coach Ali McNeill said afterwards: “I’m very happy with the performance and the strides the squad have made; I’m delighted with the first point of the competition.”

Wednesday: Ireland v Belgium, 11am

U-16 Boys: Ireland 0 Spain 5

Spain proved too strong for the Irish Under-16 boys, building a 3-0 lead early in the third quarter before adding another couple of goals in the closing seven minutes.

Tuesday: Ireland v Netherlands, 4pm

The Hook

Strathmore, Sharks bounce back in hockey leagues

By BRIAN YONGA


Gilly Okumu of Strathmore University Scorpions (left) vies for the ball with Ann Mwangi of JKUAT during their Kenya Hockey Union women's Premier League match at City Park stadium on July 16, 2017. PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU |  NATION MEDIA GROUP

Greensharks and Strathmore University Scorpions reclaimed second spot in their respective men and women’s Kenya Hockey Union leagues after round of matches played at the weekend.

However, men’s champions Strathmore University Gladiators lost their sixth game of the season, dropping to the 13th place in the standings.

Greensharks, who are eying a top two finish this season, claimed a hard fought 2-0 win over Kenyatta University (KU) Vultures to relegate Butali Sugar Warriors to third. Victor Osiche and Chris Muchwanju scored to give the Sharks the three points moving them 30 points from 14 matches, seven behind league leaders Kenya Police.

SECOND LEG BECKONS

It was Sharks last match of the first leg and the team’s coach Ben Owaga admits he is satisfied so far with the team’s display.

“Second position at the end of our last first leg match is a good achievement, the challenge will be to maintain the same form in the second leg which will be tougher,” Owaga said on Monday.

Butali, who were not in action this weekend, are a point back in third place. Wazalendo are in fourth place after a mixed weekend. They beat Parkroad Badgers 2-1 on Saturday before they lost 5-0 to the 2012 champions Sikh Union Nairobi.

Wazalendo are on 25 points, four ahead of fifth placed Sikh Union. Champions Strathmore’s season continues to fall apart after they went down 2-3 to Kenya College of Accountancy University (KCAU).

The defeat left Meshack Senge’s charges a massive 24 points behind leaders Police. Senge all but in threw in the towel about his team’s chances of defending the title.

“It is gigantic battle, we have lost so much ground and results are no impressive. We need to show more character and fighting spirit in the league,” Senge noted. The university side are just three points off the relegation zone.

Parklands continue to rise up the standings after chalking up their fourth win of the season. They lie in eighth place with 15points after their 4-1 over bottom-placed Technical University of Kenya (TUK).

In the women’s topflight, the Scorpions knocked USIU from second spot after a 3-1 win over JKUAT on Sunday.

Scorpions had to rally from Sylvia Mukami’s shock goal for JKUAT as Virginia Wanyee, Gilly Okumu and Ruth Odhiambo replied for the Madaraka-based institution.

Scorpions are on 23 points, four behind leaders Telkom. Vikings are up to sixth after they beat visiting Mombasa Sports Club 3-0 at City Park Stadium.

Daily Nation

Wananchi thrash Simba 5-1

They have picked the rhythm now despite a relatively low start to the five team contest

By Kasozi Balikuddembe

Defending champions Wananchi condemned Simba to 5-1 loss Sunday at Lugogo in Kampala, Uganda to climb second in the men’s National League table as first round action continued.

They have picked the rhythm now despite a relatively low start to the five team contest where they uncharacteristically lost two games against Kampala and Vincent Kasasa’s Weatherhead earlier.

Playing catchup, they made it two in two at the weekend courtesy of Thomas Opio’s scintillating performance, scoring a double in what seemed like an easy ride for the headstrong team. Jerome Owori, Emma Baguma and William Oketcha registered a goal each in another Wananchi redemptive victory.

Kampala meanwhile, extended their lead at the top of the log to 12 points, three above Wananchi. Though they struggled to secure maximum points in a 1-0 close game against Rockets on Saturday. Ashiraf Tumwesigye broke the deadlock in the 58th minute.

In the Women’s category, Kampala registered their first win of the tournament after going 3 games without a point. Goals from Melissa Namuleme, Sandra Namusoke and Judith Mirembe made the difference in Kampala’s redemptive victory on Saturday.

Wananchi’s 7-2 triumph against Deliverance Church ensured they extended their lead on top with 9 points, three above second placed Weatherhead. Josefien De Ridder scored a hattrick, Teopista Anyango, Lucy Auro and Doreen Asiimwe also pulled one apiece. Lucky Akello and Jackie Akello got the two consolation goals for Deliverance Church.

Weatherhead on the otherhand have played a game less and certainly they have an opportunity of closing in on Wananchi when they play their next game.

Next stop; National hockey field at the coming weekend for another round of action!

National Hockey League

Results

Men

Wananchi 5 Simba 1
Kampala 1 Rockets 0

Women

Wananchi 7 Deliverance Church 2
Kampala 3 Rhino 0

The New Visio