News for 15 August 2017
All the news for Tuesday 15 August 2017
Rabo Super Series: Indian men's hockey team beat Netherlands 2-1
(Twitter (@TheHockeyIndia))
Gurjant Singh and Mandeep Singh scored for India while Saander de Wijn got one goal for the home side.
Gurjant Singh and Mandeep Singh scored a goal apiece as a resolute Indian men's hockey team overcome world No. 4 Netherlands 2-1 in an exciting encounter in the Rabo Super Series.
The Indian team, led by Manpreet Singh, featured nine players from the junior team, but still beat an experienced Netherlands squad to win the three-match series. India had come back from a goal down to stun Netherlands 4-3 on Sunday.
India straightaway sought to put pressure on the home team and the positive intent worked as they drew first blood through a penalty corner awarded in the fourth minute.
Varun Kumar attempted the drag flick which was padded away by the Dutch keeper but Gurjant was quick to pick up the rebound and work his reverse stick magic to put the ball high up into the net and score his first international goal for the men's side.
India continued the strong attack as they made forays into the striking circle. Armaan Qureshi made a great attempt to take India's lead to 2-0 with a shot on goal but it went slightly wide.
Though the Dutch tried to make amends when they won a penalty corner in the early minutes of the second quarter, the flick was brilliantly saved by India goalkeeper Akash Chikte.
That didn't deter the Dutch side who attempted a full press and even put India under pressure by winning three more PCs, but they could not make the opportunities count with Chikte staying up to the challenge.
With a 1-0 lead, the third quarter saw Netherlands make desperate attempts to come back into the game but India absorbed the pressure well, only to execute a stronger defensive structure that kept the Dutch from scoring.
The final 15 minutes saw India increase their intensity in attack with Gurjant winning a PC, but it was saved.
The following minute saw Sumit win a PC for India, and this time they tried a different variation that worked like magic with striker Mandeep deflecting into the goal to double India's lead to 2-0.
Soon after, the Dutch won a PC but debutant goalkeeper Suraj Karkera was up to the task to defend. With final three minutes remaining, Dutch forwards made three strong shots on goal but an alert Karkera kept them from converting. However, Saander de Wijn through a PC scored in the 58th minute but that didn't stop India from walking away with a 2-1 win.
"I think we played well in all departments to win against the Netherlands. They are a very experienced team with more than eight players with over 100 International Caps. So, to beat them we had to come up with something special.
"I am very happy with the way the entire team performed as one unit especially the players making their debut. They showed no sign of nervousness and played with a lot of confidence," said an elated skipper Manpreet after the series win.
DNA
HISTORY: Indian hockey as India at 70
K Arumugam
India celebrates 71st anniversary of its political independence today. Its image then was poor. Considering its extremely stratified society, Partition, recurring famines, all round poor literacy rate, social unrest and omnipresent loot (dacoity, mostly unleashed by the Kingdoms who had to relinquish their power to elected ones), most predicted doomsday for India. Stats supports their stand. But the world’s largest democracy, not a sham kind but true in letter and spirit, grew from chrysalis of darkness to the world’s fastest growing economy.
Literacy Rate: 17% in 1947. Now 73%
Life expectancy: 32 years. Now: 68.34 Years
Per capita income: Rs.247 per year. Now: 1,03,219 per year
The growth is amazing: Self sufficiency in food grains, advances in science and technology especially space, Information Technology and atomic energy.
If India is a growth story what is the story of hockey? Is it part of the grand growth story or otherwise?
Here it is important to trace major milestones that made or mar our field hockey in the last 70 years.
LEGACY ERA: Otherwise Tata Era. Partition of Indian sub-continent witnessed migration of hockey talent from both borders. It is difficult to say which one benefitted more. Hindsight points to India. Contrary to widely believed notion, Indian hockey benefitted from Partition. Thus, it deprived Pakistan of its talent such as Balbir Singh Sr. (triple Olympic gold medallist), Keshav Dutt (twice Olympic gold medallist) to quote a few while retaining remaining core of Anglo-Indians. Significantly, Hockey was run on pure amateur lines in this era. Fitness, skills, livelihood are individual players concern. Still, there were difficult times to send teams to Olympics. Benevolence of industrial biggie in Naval Tata helped India to continue its show at Olympics which it last played 16 years ago in Berlin. That time Princes and Kings donated for hockey’s Hitler story. The Tata legacy continued for about a decade after Independence in which India won three Olympic titles (1948, 1952, 1956), to make it a total SIX. It was remarkable, as China would win its first Olympic Gold in 1984! The adminos did every trick to mobilize funds which included Sunday Rolls, mortgage of personal properties, year-long donation / charity campaigns, over-subscription from State units etc.
TRANSFORMATION ERA: Otherwise Ashwini Kumar era: For the first time in the late 50s, Govt of India entered the sports scene with forming a policy making body, All India Sports Council, for which Naval Tata was requested to head. This helped an undivided Punjab (Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh were together) Police Officer Ashwini Kumar to head the historic Indian Hockey Federation. His leadership coincided with hockey getting into the Asian Games fold (1958). His ascension also marked a trend of Police dominating the hockey administration, which proved in the later stages a questionable one, if not unproductive and unprofessional. Ashwini Kumar being close to the then PMs -- Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi -- and also Patiala clan which controlled the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), could get tours cleared on govt costs. Thus, hockey moved from public funding era to Govt dependent one. Further, Government was prevailed, or made to believe, that unless it offers permanent jobs to sports persons, sports cannot grow. PIC: Tata and Ashwini Kumar.
Instead of rooting for infrastructure and sporting culture, sports’ focus was thus diverted to individual achievers. It took ugly turns as decades went by. Further, this is how sports was prevented from becoming a way of life in our society, instead became a way of livelihood. However, hockey is the chief beneficiary of such policy formulation. For almost four decades, hockey offered huge employment opportunities compared to any other sporting discipline. Army, Air Force, Navy, Indian Railways, Provincial Police, Postal, Banks and even Airlines had formed their own teams. Ashwini Kumar ruled hockey for almost one and half decade. Indian hockey teams never returned without medals at Olympics, World Cup or Asian Games in that spell.
ERA of FALSEHOOD: The three decades from the mid 1970s is conspicuous for rigid mentality and false propaganda. People who mattered in hockey, refused to accept dawn of modern hockey. Indian thinking in the 70s and through next two decades was shaped by our medallist-players’ ill-conceived opinions, decisions taken based thereon. These legends who lived in their own, self-glorified world could not see the changes taking place in the game world over, and even if they could see, were clueless as to how to go about it. Change of playing field from grass to turf, mushrooming of tournaments (which necessitated fitness of players), changes in the playing techniques and tactics where defence played big role, so also penalty corners and its super executioners, were considered ‘White Ploys’ and every defeat was accordingly analyzed. They accepted defeat, and thus never allowed victory. This blinded both the bureaucracy and the IHF, who had to go by the media driven former player’s opinion. Thus, real issues got diverted, India went on to lose its grip on the international stage quickly. India finished last in the World Cup within ten years after winning it. Indians fared very badly in the 1978 and 1981-82 World Cups which were also played on grass, but still the Indians attributed all the defeats to turf. The need was to learn from others, to import foreign coaches, but it was considered anti-national in this era of Falsehood. Former players, not always holy cows, but with vexed interests, continued to have their say. Thus, after every major defeat, two things would definitely occur: a new department starting hockey team and a sitting coach sacked. Ultimately, every former player of repute in India has come a former national coach too! These were the hall marks of regimes led by MAM Ramasamy, IM Mahajan and RN Prasad (1975 to 1993).
WAY FORWARD BUT WAYWARD ERA: Otherwise KPS Gill Era. Early 90s saw Indian economy liberalized. Around same time, public opinion propelled the then super cop KPS Gill to steer Indian hockey to glory. For the first time, tours were undertaken even without Govt funding. Efforts were made to bring corporate funding with fair amount of success. Novelty was ushered in in the form of Premier Hockey League (PHL). However, this era of just-short-of-two-decades is known for its solid work on junior hockey. Indian juniors were all over the world touring -- and making marks. India went on to play the finals of the two successive Jr World Cups after winning all age group titles at home Continent. These dwarfed the Asian Games gold tht came after 32 years in 1998. However, the IHF ignored the domestic hockey: even mandatory National Championships were not held. As we saw early, Indian hockey survived because of its job market potential. Govt Departments required medal or participation in the Nationals for any job. It affected hockey fraternity due the IHF’s disinterest in Nationals. Job seekers found a short cut, hid in Junior colours. Things went such a pass that substantial chunk of players would remain juniors till they land in a job! Yes, age manipulation reached alarming proportion. This grew like cancer which is eating away the essence of contemporary hockey too. What started as a crisis management has become now a well institutionalized crime about which everyone turns blind, as show must go on is the attitude.
ERA of AFFLUENCE: Otherwise HIL Era (Hockey India League). Like in the early 70s, the late 2000s saw protracted battle for the IHF mantle after India failed to qualify for the Olympics in 2008 Qualifier. Simply put, it costs the existence of the 80-year old IHF itself. A new dispensation called Hockey India, promoted by the Indian Olympic Association with the blessings of Federation Internationale de Hockey (FIH), came into being.
Narinder Dhruv Batra was its face after either parallel state units were formed or old ones changed it constitution, and elections were held. The issue was settled almost six years after the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) ruled in HI’s favour. The FIH, which saw huge potential in Indian hockey to improve its global profile, despite change in the top post (Els van Breda Vriesman to Leondro Negre), came out in a big way to boost Indian hockey. Major tournaments were allotted to India. Simultaneously, India was hosting the Commonwealth Games. Government of India opened its purse in creating hockey infrastructure and also for training purposes. The training budget increased to 700 Cr from 70! Indian hockey players were put on hotels during training, buses allotted to fetch them to stadiums, kits and allowances came aplenty. Govt also promoted import of foreign brains. Hockey India, even as it was fighting its rival on one side, went on mission mode.
It did not bog down by the history, invited bids from globe’s top coaches and support staff, and went by what the imported brains wanted. Technical people were sent as manager. Team selection on every tour paved way for Core Group Concept. Therefore the issue of dropping players very much reduced, though controversies occurred here and there. Nationals were held on time. Domestic structure streamlined. Every win was monetarily rewarded. Players cared, and felt being cared. Besides, League was the demand of time. The IHF was the first National Federation in India to put on board a League, the PHL much before ICL and IPL. Therefore, its challenger HI needed to put on board a better proposition, and it was what later turned out to be a global stunner, Hockey India League. For a short, the WSH, a rival League, got national level players’ nod. For the first time National Federation (HI) signed contract with players to counter it on long term. Players till then were taken for granted. Money therefore has to be there, and it was there in the HI’s scheme of things. The FIH allotted a window for HIL. In the hockey world, Player Auctions were held for the first time: India’s and the world’s best got unimaginable bids even crossing USD 100,000 per season. India hosted Jr World Cup twice, HWL Finals twice, Champions Trophy and Sr World Cup once, every one of them title-sponsored by an Indian corporate. From the watershed 2010 World Cup to now, India was the unofficial hub of world hockey.
Does Era of Influence await India? This is the million dollar question, but a logical corollary. The novelty and the professionalism that went with the epoch making HIL helped Batra to win the FIH election handsomely. He is the first Indian to head an international federation. Certainly he is an influential figure. However, the real influence will have to come from the players, they need to win medals at major tournaments for that to happen. So far their feat did not match the efforts that had gone behind. Unless Indian national team start winning, big market may elude hockey without which India cannot assert influence anymore. At present, a veil of secrecy pervade in HI’s manoeuvres. India opted out of Pro League, halted the HIL. Whether are they some master strokes or strains of wear and tear could not be made out. But, the hockey world eagerly await what India is upto, and the Pro League can be successful without it? Isn’t the first sign of Influence?
Stick2Hockey.com
Walsh’s quadruple bolsters Over-50s run as Over-55s defeat Netherlands in Tilburg
Big wins for the Irish Over-50s and 55s women saw them bolster their Euro Masters campaigns as the group stages hot up in Tilburg; reports and round-up from day four of the competitions
Cathy Walsh – right, pictured with Annie Lawlor and Kathy Shaw – scored four times today in the Irish Over-50s win
Ireland’s Over-50s women continued their good start to the European Masters with a convincing 6-1 win over Wales on a hot morning in Tilburg with Cathy Walsh running up four goals.
They took the lead within five minutes when good combination play between Julie Shaw and Walsh resulted in the latter calmly lifting the ball over the keeper. Although Ireland settled well, it was Wales who won the first penalty corner and from their third consecutive corner they were awarded a penalty stroke that Judith Livesey slotted past Pamela Chittick into the bottom corner to level the scores.
Ireland regrouped quick and nudged ahead a again through Walsh when Julie Doak ran across the back line and found Walsh again in the perfect place to fire home.
Before half time Ireland continued to press and a measured run from Roly Burke transferred play to Walsh who this time turned provider for Kathy Shaw to deflect home, leaving the half time score 3-1.
The second half followed a similar pattern with Wales squeezing the Ireland defence and with the midfield and forwards working hard to create scoring opportunities. However, it was the fourth quarter before Ireland added to their tally.
Maura O’Neill crossed the ball to Jane Salter whose first time pass found Walsh who again created space to complete her hat-trick. Doak was again instrumental in creating the scoring opportunities and provided the opportunity for Walsh to convert her fourth with a fine solo run on the right.
Ireland rounded off the scoring and a fine victory when Maria Whelan played a cross field pass to Julie Doak who smoothly deflected the ball into the path of Annie Lawlor who swept into the circle and blasted her shot high to the keepers left.
Perhaps the result of the day saw Ireland’s Over-55s women beat the Netherlands with goals from Tricia Lane, Deirdre Buttanshaw and Maggie Hunter as they won 3-1 to move second in their table.
At Over-45s level, Ireland had another home nations derby as they Ireland faced England in game three of the W45s competition, the latter being extremely motivated following their recent defeat to the Irish in Dublin.
England employed a very high press and made it very difficult for the Irish defence to find the runners down the channels.
The back four held out several England attacks and Mary Harkin in goal was outstanding as she was called into action many times during the opening 15 minutes.
Just before the end of the first quarter, a fantastic save by Harkin in a one-on-one with an English forward was deemed a foul and a hotly debated penalty stroke awarded.
Sarah Embery stepped up to convert and give England the lead. Ireland responded, but had mixed success in attack.
Fast reactions by Clodagh McMoreland-Lynch who smashed a ball into the circle for Ashling Schutte to deflect home an equaliser had the scores level at half time.
Ireland were still in the game despite the best efforts of England to find a winner. The defence fought a rearguard action but were unable to prevent a second England goal in the 47th minute by Sally Gibson.
Again, Ireland responded to find a equaliser, but in the final stages of the game conceded a third to Gibson to leave the final score at 3-1. Ireland are still in contention for a top 2 finish and next face The Netherlands on Tuesday morning.
The Irish 55s were the other women’s side in action with a 1-0 loss to England leaving them in second place in their five team group.
On the men’s side, the Over-40s lost 7-1 to England to finish third in their four team group. They will face Germany in their quarter-final on Thursday.
The Over-45s had a similar outcome, losing 4-0 to England to remain third in their group. They face basement side France in their last match of the initial phase.
Harrold de Jong scored the Over-55s goal in a 1-1 draw against Italy to get the side off the mark in their seven team pool.
Women Over-40s
Standings: 1. Ireland 6pts (+12) 2. England 6pts (+10) 3. Azzure (Italy) 0pts (-11) 4. Wales 0pts (-11)
Women Over 45s: Ireland 1 (A Schutte) England 3
Standings: 1. Netherlands 9pts (+8) 2. Ireland 6pts (+5) 3. England 6pts (+4) 4. Wales 3pts (0) 5. Spain 3pts (-7) 6. France 0pts (-10)
Women’s Over-50s: Ireland 6 (C Walsh 4, K Shaw, A Lawlor) Wales 1
Standings: 1. Ireland 4pt (+5) 2. England 4pt (+1) 3. Netherlands 3pts (+2) 4. Wales 3pts (-3) 5. Australia 1pt (-2) 6. Scotland 1pt (-3)
Women’s Over-55s: Ireland 3 (M Hunter, T Lane, D Buttanshaw) Netherlands 1
Standings: 1. England (2) 6pts (+4) 2. Ireland (3) 6pts (+2) 3. Netherlands (3) 2pts (-2) 4. Scotland (2) 1pt (-1) 5. Wales (2) 1pt (-3)
Men’s Over-40s: Ireland 1 (A McVicar) England 7
Standings: 1. Spain 9pts (+7) 2. England 6pts (+16) 3. Ireland 3pts (-2) 4. Italy 0pts (-21)
Men’s Over-45s: England 4 Ireland 0
Standings: 1. England (3) 9pts (+12) 2. Germany (2) 6pts (41) 3. Ireland (3) 3pts (-4) 4. Wales (2) 0pts (-5) 5. France (2) 0pts (-7)
Men’s Over-50s
Standings: 1. Netherlands (2) 6pts (+6) 2. England (2) 4pts (+5) 3. Spain (3) 3pts (-1) 4. Ireland (2) 3pts (-3) 5. Wales (3) 1pt (-7)
Men’s Over-55s: Ireland 1 (H de Jong) Italy 1
Standings: 1. England (4) 12pts (+17) 2. Germany (3) 9pts (+13) 3. Netherlands (3) 9pts (+9) 4. Wales (3) 3pts (-10) 5. Italy (3) 1pt (-10) 6. Ireland (4) 1pt (-14) 7. Scotland (4) 0pts (-5)
The Hook
Vietnam believe they stand a chance to bag a medal
by S. Ramaguru
VIETNAM is not a well-known hockey playing nation.
To date, the Vietnamese took part in only one SEA Games – in Myanmar in 2013 – and failed to win any of their men’s field hockey matches.
They are back for the Aug 19-30 Kuala Lumpur Games, this time competing in the men’s indoor hockey.
And the Vietnamese believe they have a fighting chance to bag a medal since indoor hockey is making its debut in the Games.
Vietnam have former Singapore international James Chew, who is also an Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) hockey ambassador, as their coach.
Despite the Vietnamese’s lack of international experience, James is optimistic his team will do well.
“The game has been played in Vietnam for over 10 years. I believe we have a competitive team. We formed the national indoor hockey team back in 2013. We converted nine of the outdoor hockey players from the 2013 Myanmar Games squad into indoor hockey players,” said James.
Six teams are in the fray. Besides hosts Malaysia and Vietnam, the others are Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines.
Vietnam will play their opening match against Indonesia on Aug 21. They will also play Malaysia on the same day.
Malaysia coach Mohamed Amin Rahim has warned his charges not to take Vietnam for granted.
“The Vietnamese are an unknown quantity.
“They are capable of springing some surprises.
“Indoor hockey is new to us and we don’t have a good history in the sport either.
“The one thing we have going for us is that our players are all well-versed in hockey skills and should be able to mount a strong challenge,” said Amin, a former Malaysian outdoor hockey international.
The Star of Malaysia
Danson on England's 'fortress' in London
Crowd at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre
With Pure Hockey Gold heading to London for the Hockey Women’s World Cup next summer, Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre on Olympic Park will once again be rocking!
The venue’s history is quickly growing with many happy memories and victories here, with many players describing it as a fortress ahead of the biggest Hockey event ever to be held in the United Kingdom.
Thousands will once again fill the stands building an atmosphere that England’s players believe will be a massive advantage as they contest the World Cup on home soil. Are you ready to play your part?
Describing playing in London, current women’s captain Alex Danson said: “Playing in London is electric. It really has become our home, our fortress, our place to defend any titles that we may have and try to win all games we play there.”
Helping create this electric atmosphere and backing the squad means you can play your part in London next summer, something Danson believes is always crucial when playing at home.
“When people come to watch you in London, that noise, you can’t underestimate how much that gives us how much it makes you proud to play your sport and that desire to win on your home turf.
“The World Cup next year is going to be a tournament that everyone will remember for a very long time.”
“I believe we put on some of the best hockey events the world sees. It’s one that this team is building towards and we will be working very hard to make sure we will be the best we can be.”
England Hockey Board Media release
Maddie Hinch's gold dust
Almost a year has passed since that historic night in Rio when Great Britain’s women made history in spectacular fashion, winning Olympic gold for the very first time.
As if you need reminding, goalkeeper Maddie Hinch played a key role as she helped her team be crowned Olympic champions in a nail biting shootout. I was sat in the GB Hockey office watching the twitter explode with tweets from JK Rowling through to ‘what can’t Maddie Hinch stop?’ trending! It was a very surreal moment watching the love pour in for our women’s team, for our sport.
She has put goalkeeping on the map. Previously not many people wanted to pad up and ‘stand around’ in goal but that has changed. Since Rio 10,000 more people have joined hockey clubs up and down the country, with many clubs also finding people wanting to play in goal. The days of running around trying to convince your one goalkeeper to play three matches over the weekend are seemingly gone. Or at least people are more happy to volunteer than before!
“It seems things have gone a bit goalkeeper mad with people wanting to put the pads on – which has never been the case! It is normally a position that I know schools and clubs have struggled to fill and now they can’t get enough sets of gear for the demand!” the FIH World’s Best Goalkeeper smiles.
“It’s incredibly strange, for people to say they want to put the pads on off the back of Rio and what the team did and the role I had to play. It is massive. For a goalie that Olympic final doesn’t always go like that but it did.”
Over the past weekend 240 goalkeepers attended Maddie Hinch’s MH1 goalkeeping camp in St Albans. From as young as eight to as old as sixty! The first thing I hear when I step out of my car on arrival is her voice, cheering on others, giving bits of advice, just loving being on a hockey pitch like you and I do.
Maddie is an athlete in demand; she has 34 thousand followers on instagram and is an ambassador, alongside Alex Danson for women’s title sponsors Investec. Despite her hectic schedule and full diary of commitments, these camps are something Maddie has dreamed about for years;
“It was so cool, to see it all come to life, it has been my dream to deliver something like this ever since I have become England No1. I wanted to give back to the hockey world. A lot of work has been put in and my management team and Fortitude really made it possible. When I arrived it was an army of goal keepers – just incredible!”
“It is a very athletic position and requires you to be active in your kit; this is what we are trying to show here. The adults were knackered yesterday; they couldn’t get their heads around how tired they were. We are not just that person who stands there in goal anymore!”
I was in awe of how many keepers were in one place, something I had never seen before! I had a quick catch up with a few of the attendees; Sunday’s session was for teenagers, so not your most talkative bunch.
As I chatted to a group I noticed people had come from across the country to attend, from the depths of Cornwall all the way up to Birmingham. But they all had one thing in common; they were all grinning from ear to ear. Well once the helmets were off!
“I love taking people out and not letting people score any goals past me.” Something you wouldn’t normally hear a 14 year old girl say. However it wasn’t just girls in attendance, there was roughly a 50/50 split across genders; something hockey as a sport is very proud of.
Of course I brought up Rio when chatting with the mini keepers and they all burst into life, wanting to share where they were, how they felt, how proud they were to be a goalkeeper.
“I was on holiday and we watching it – it was amazing to see. I was telling everyone to be quiet!”
“I thought I could be like that one day, how she handles shootouts is so good. She comes across like there is no pressure; it just shows how much effort she puts into it and how much they wanted it.”
“After you save a goal it is a really good feeling and you feel really proud of yourself – and it’s great to have your team support you when you save.”
This is the legacy the team set out to create: To inspire a generation. This is something they are achieving and Maddie has certainly inspired plenty to put on the pads.
England Hockey Board Media release
Passmore and Caren Name U21 Squads For Europeans
U21 Women
David Passmore, head coach of Ireland’s U21 Women, has today announced his squad of 18 for the upcoming Eurohockey Junior Championships in Valencia. Ireland has a tough Group as they sit alongside England, France and Germany in Pool B. Passmore has a talented young side at his disposal with serval of the squad already capped at senior international level. An envious list of fixtures against some of Europe’s top sides has provided ideal preparation as they’ve faced England, Belgium, Spain and Scotland in recent months.
The side have a tough task ahead of them but Passmore is confident in his charges, he said “The whole U21 group of 30+ have worked really hard over the past 7-8 months and the final selection for Valencia was highly competitive. We’ve made steady progress over the past six weeks and the match performances have improved through the matches against Spain and Belgium.
The U21 Europeans is a tough tournament and our pool is a challenging one with all three teams having competed in the Junior World Cup last November. England have a very settled squad and Germany boast a number of senior players whilst fourteen of the French squad played in last week’s senior Europeans in Cardiff that will give them continuity. That said we have a tight knit group and I am confident that we can cause an upset our two. Our aim is to better Ireland’s previous best place finish of 6th place."
Squad:
#, Name, Club
1. Emma Buckley (GK), Cork Harlequins
2. Michelle Carey, Railway Union
3. Edel Nyland, Longwood University, USA
4. Ellen Curran, Hermes-Monkstown
5. Sorcha Clarke, UCD
6. Taite Doherty, Pegasus
7. Erin Getty (Vice Captain), Randalstown
8. Tori Hastings, Queens University
9. Suzie Kelly, Hermes-Monkstown
10. Ruth Maguire (Co-Capt), Pegasus
11. Hannah McLoughlin, Loreto
12. Jessica McMaster, Queens University
13. Elizabeth Murphy (GK), Hermes-Monkstown
14. Alex Ogilby, Clifton HC, England
15. Sarah Patton, UCD
16. Abbie Russell, UCD
17. Sarah Torrans, Loreto
18. Sara Twomey (Co-Capt), UCD
Fixtures:
August 28th 11:15 Ireland vs England
August 29th 15:30 Ireland vs France
August 31st 9:00 Ireland vs Germany
Full schedule can be found here http://eurohockey.org/competitions-calendar/
U21 Men
Jonny Caren has announced his U21 men’s squad for the Eurohockey Junior Championships in Valencia (August 28th – 3rd September). Ireland sit in Pool B with Austria, Belgium and Germany, with Belgium and Germany finishing second and third respectively in last year’s Junior World Cup in India. Caren has the services of the ever reliable Jamie Carr in goal, recently returned from World League with the senior men’s squad. While Luke Madeley and Keith O’Hare’s drag flicking will surely be an obvious attacking threat, along with the pace and 3D skills of Cork Church of Ireland player Julian Dale.
Speaking about the squad, head coach Caren said “We have been together as a large panel over the past 9 months and this group have worked tirelessly on their preparation. We now find 7 of the panel either involved in the senior European Championships or unfortunately injured but the main focus for this group was to ensure we had an extremely tight knit team that worked well together on and off the pitch. Our main focus for this tournament is to ensure our top flight status to enable Junior World Cup qualification chance next time around”.
Squad:
#, Name, Club
1. CARR, JAMIE, Three Rock Rovers
2. COLE, GEOFF, Monkstown
3. CROOKSHANKS, MATTHEW, Annadale
4. DALE, JULIAN, Cork C of I
5. EMPEY, CONOR, Three Rock Rovers
6. GETTY, RYAN, Lisnagarvey
7. GRACE, SAM, UCC
8. MADELEY, LUKE, Three Rock Rovers
9. MARSHALL, KYLE, Banbridge
10. MAWHINEEY, DAVID, YMCA
11. McKIBBIN, PETER, Lisnagarvey
12. MORRIS, FRED, Almere
13. MULLINS, JOHN, Clontarf
14. NELSON, DANIEL, Lisnagarvey
15. O’HARE, KEITH, Pembroke
16. SAMUELS, MARK, Three Rock Rovers
17. WOLFE, SIMON, Cork C of I
18. GK to be confirmed
Fixtures:
August 28th 9:00 Ireland vs Germany
August 30th 9:00 Ireland vs Austria
August 31st 11:15 Ireland vs Belgium
Full schedule can be found here http://eurohockey.org/competitions-calendar/
Irish Hockey Association media release
Australian Women’s National Junior Squad announced
24 athletes selected
Holly MacNeil
The 2017 National Junior Squad has now been announced with 24 out of a possible 27 athletes selected to the team.
With the next junior World Cup not scheduled until 2020, the focus of the national junior squad will be to help athletes to progress through the ranks from the junior squad to the national development squad, followed by the Hockey Australia High Performance Program.
Athletes have been selected to the national junior squad following thorough assessment over the course of 2016 and 2017 at the under 18 and under 21 Australian Championships, and at camp activities.
Hockey Australia’s National Talent Pathway Manager, Michael Crooks said: “We have selected 24 athletes who we believe will be the next generation of high performance hockey athletes in Australia.
“Changes to this squad may be made once the development squad and high performance program squads are re-set following on from the Australian Hockey League.”
2017 Women’s National Junior Squad
Athlete (Hometown, State)
Siena Archer (Como, WA)
Hannah Astbury (West End, QLD)
Olivia Colasurdo (East Keilor, VIC)
Talei Forrest (Ocley, ACT)
Morgan Gallagher (Brisbane, QLD)
Annie Gibbs (Waterford, WA)
Rebecca Greiner (Bundaberg, QLD)
Rachel Guy (Berwick, VIC)
Nicola Hammond (Plenty, VIC)
Rene Hunter (Wentworth Point, NSW)
Erin Lidbetter (Virginia, NT)
Morgan Mathison (Mermaid Waters, QLD)
Phillippa Morgan (Nedlands, WA)
Candyce Peacock (Palmyra, WA)
Courtney Schonell (Narellan, NSW)
Maddison Smith (Marrara, NSW)
Karri Somerville (Kensington, WA)
Michaela Spano (Toorak Gardens, SA)
Shanea Tonkin (Darch, WA)
Aisling Utri (Moonee Ponds, VIC)
Jessica Watterson (The Lagoon, NSW)
Brittney Wilkinson (Gordon Park, QLD)
Abigail Wilson (South Bowenfels, NSW)
Leah Welstead (Taperoo, SA)
Hockey Australia media release
Champs start well in Westmere hockey schools tourney
Pravin Narain
DEFENDING champion of the Tuckers Fiji Secondary Schools Hockey U19 Westmere Trophy St Joseph's Secondary School started its title defence well beating Suva Grammar School 9-0 in their first match in Labasa yesterday.
Fiji Secondary Schools Hockey Association president Immanuel Prasad said: "The tournament started well despite late start. All the schools are showcasing their skills in the tournament," he said.
"We cannot predict who could be the winner at this stage.
"The St Joseph's Secondary School is showing a good performance, but they are given tough competition from the other teams."
Prasad said international accredited officials were officiating at the tournament.
"We have officials from the Fiji Hockey Federation who are looking for talented players and they would be taken for a trial for the Youth Olympic Games qualification," he said.
"We are going to focus on the under-16 players to mould them towards better hockey players."
The tournament ends tomorrow.
Results:
U19 boys Bhasin Cup: Natabua 0-0 Ba Provincial Freebird Institute, Natabua High 1-0 Marist Brothers, Ba Provincial 0-0 St John's College, Marist Brothers 0-1 St John's College, Xavier College 0-0 Tilak High, Suva Grammar 1-0 Lelean Memorial
U19 Westmere Trophy: Gospel High 0-0 ACS, Levuka Public 2-0 Gospel, ACS 0-1 SSKMC, Xavier College 1-0 Levuka Public, St Joseph's Secondary 9-0 SGS, St John's College 1-0 St Thomas High
U16 girls Melaia Sandy's Cup: SSKMC 2-0 ACS, Tilak High 1-1 St Thomas, St Joseph's Secondary 1-0 Suva Grammar School, Xavier College 1-0 Levuka Public, Xavier 3-1 Lelean Memorial
U16 boys Noal Gibson Cup: Levuka Public 1-0 Lelean Memorial, St John's College 0-0 Marist Brothers High, St Thomas 1-0 Xavier College.
The Fiji Times