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News for 07 December 2019

All the news for Saturday 7 December 2019


3 Nations Invitational Tournament - Canberra (AUS)
Under 21 Womens Outdoor

7 Dec 2019     IND v NZL (RR)     4 - 1

Pool standings

Rank Team Played Wins Draws Losses Goals For Goals Against Goal Difference Points
1 India 3 2 1 0 7 2 5 7
2 Australia 3 1 1 1 5 5 0 4
3 New Zealand 4 1 0 3 5 10 -5  

FIH Match Centre



SEA Games 2019 (Men) - Day 3
Laguna (PHI)

6 Dec 2019     SGP v MAS (RR)     0 - 6 (0 - 5)
6 Dec 2019     PHI v MYA (RR)     1 - 3 (0 - 2)

7 Dec 2019 14:15     THA v MAS (RR)     0 - 2 (0 - 1)

Pool standings

Rank Team Played Wins Draws Losses Goals For Goals Against Goal Difference Points
1 Malaysia 3 3 0 0 14 0 14 9
2 Thailand 3 2 0 1 9 3 6 6
3 Singapore 2 1 0 1 4 7 -3 3
4 Myanmar 3 1 0 2 4 11 -7 3
5 Philippines 3 0 0 3 2 12 -10 0

FIH Match Centre



SEA Games 2019 (Women) - Day 3
Laguna (PHI)

6 Dec 2019     CAM v THA (RR)     1 - 6 (0 - 4)
6 Dec 2019     SGP v PHI (RR)     1 - 0 (1 - 0)

Pool standings

Rank Team Played Wins Draws Losses Goals For Goals Against Goal Difference Points
1 Malaysia 2 2 0 0 18 0 18 6
2 Thailand 2 2 0 0 11 1 10 6
3 Singapore 3 1 1 1 4 6 -2 4
4 Cambodia 2 0 1 1 4 9 -5 1
5 Philippines 3 0 0 3 0 21 -21 0

FIH Match Centre



Men's Junior AHF Cup 2019 - Day 2
Muscat (OMA)

6 Dec 2019     SGP v TPE (Pool B)     1 - 2
6 Dec 2019     CHN v IRI (Pool A)     3 - 1

Pool standings

Rank Team Played Wins Draws Losses Goals For Goals Against Goal Difference Points
1 China 1 1 0 0 3 1 2 3
2 Sri Lanka 1 0 1 0 2 2 0 1
2 Uzbekistan 1 0 1 0 2 2 0 1
4 Thailand 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1
5 Iran 2 0 1 1 2 4 -2 1

FIH Match Centre



FIH Hockey Stars Awards: Who were the best players in 2019? Have your say!



Lausanne, Switzerland: The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has invited all players from any category, fans, media and National Associations in the world to vote for the 2019 FIH Player of the Year, FIH Goalkeeper of the Year and FIH Rising Star of the Year, Men and Women.

The vote is open until 17 January 2020. The winners of all 2019 FIH Hockey Stars Awards, which also include the FIH Coach of the Year, will be announced in February 2020.

Votes from National Associations – which will include some international athletes and coaches votes - will count for 50% of the overall result, while fans and players (25%) as well as media (25%) will make the other half of the votes.

    Fans and players can cast their vote here/
    Media can cast their vote here

List of Awards

    FIH Player of the Year - Man and Woman
    FIH Goalkeeper of the Year - Man and Woman
    FIH Rising Star of the Year - Man and Woman (U-23 players)
    FIH Coach of the Year - Man and Woman (as determined by an FIH panel)

Nominees (for the FIH Player of the Year, the FIH Goalkeeper of the Year and the FIH Rising Star of the Year Awards):

WOMEN

FIH Player of the Year:
Carla Rebecchi (ARG), Janne Müller-Wieland (GER), Eva de Goede (NED), Frédérique Matla (NED), Stacey Michelsen (NZL), Olivia Merry (NZL)

FIH Goalkeeper of the Year:
Rachael Lynch (AUS), Maria Ruiz (ESP), Mathilde Petriaux (FRA), Ayeisha McFerran (IRL), Megumi Kageyama (JPN)

FIH Rising Star of the Year:
Julieta Jankunas (ARG), Zhong Jiaqi (CHN), Nike Lorenz (GER), Lalremsiami (IND), Frédérique Matla (NED)

MEN

FIH Player of the Year:
Eddie Ockenden (AUS), Aran Zalewski (AUS), Lucas Vila (ARG), Arthur Van Doren (BEL), Victor Wegnez (BEL), Manpreet Singh (IND)

FIH Goalkeeper of the Year:
Tyler Lovell (AUS), Vincent Vanasch (BEL), David Carter (CAN), Quico Cortes (ESP), Victor Aly (GER)

FIH Rising Star of the Year:
Maico Casella (ARG), Blake Govers (AUS), Zachary Wallace (GBR), Vivek Prasad (IND), Jonas de Geus (NED)

#HockeyStarsAwards

FIH site



Australia lead nominations for FIH Hockey Stars Awards

By The Hockey Paper


Victor Wegnez celebrates for Belgium in Antwerp this summer PIC: World Sport Pics

Australia lead the way with five nominations in this year’s FIH Hockey Stars Awards.

The Kookaburras have two nominations in the men’s player of the year, Eddie Ockenden and Aran Zalewski, who will be up against Victor Wegnez, of Belgium, who was one of the stand outs in their Euro Hockey title win.

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has invited all players from any category, fans, media and National Associations in the world to vote for the 2019 FIH Player of the Year, FIH Goalkeeper of the Year and FIH Rising Star of the Year, Men and Women.

The vote is open until 17 January, with the winners of all 2019 FIH Hockey Stars Awards, which also include the FIH Coach of the Year, announced in February 2020.

Votes from national associations will count for 50% of the overall result, while fans and players (25%) as well as media (25%) will make the other half of the votes.

WOMEN

FIH Player of the Year:
Carla Rebecchi (ARG), Janne Müller-Wieland (GER), Eva de Goede (NED), Frédérique Matla (NED), Stacey Michelsen (NZL), Olivia Merry (NZL)

FIH Goalkeeper of the Year:
Rachael Lynch (AUS), Maria Ruiz (ESP), Mathilde Petriaux (FRA), Ayeisha McFerran (IRL), Megumi Kageyama (JPN)

FIH Rising Star of the Year:
Julieta Jankunas (ARG), Zhong Jiaqi (CHN), Nike Lorenz (GER), Lalremsiami (IND), Frédérique Matla (NED)

MEN

FIH Player of the Year:
Eddie Ockenden (AUS), Aran Zalewski (AUS), Lucas Vila (ARG), Arthur Van Doren (BEL), Victor Wegnez (BEL), Manpreet Singh (IND)

FIH Goalkeeper of the Year:
Tyler Lovell (AUS), Vincent Vanasch (BEL), David Carter (CAN), Quico Cortes (ESP), Victor Aly (GER)

FIH Rising Star of the Year:
Maico Casella (ARG), Blake Govers (AUS), Zachary Wallace (GBR), Vivek Prasad (IND), Jonas de Geus (NED)

Fans and players can cast their vote here

The Hockey Paper



Array of EHL FINAL8 cast named on FIH Stars shortlists

A wealth of talent destined to play in the Euro Hockey League FINAL8 next Easter have been included on the FIH Stars shortlists released earlier today.

In the running for the women’s Player of the Year are UHC Hamburg defender Janne Müller-Wieland, AH&BC Amsterdam midfielder Eva de Goede – the current holder of the award – and Den Bosch striker Frédérique Matla.

Matla also gets the nod on the rising stars list of five players while the goalkeeping shortlist has Club de Campo’s Maria Ruiz, one of the stars of August’s European Championships.

For the men’s award, HC Bloemendaal’s Arthur van Doren – winner in 2018 and 2019 – and Mannheimer HC’s Lucas Vila are in the running for the player of the year.

On the goalkeeping front, Club Egara’s Quico Cortes and Rot-Weiss Köln’s Victor Aly will be hoping to take the title away from Belgian legend Vincent Vanasch.

The Rising Star features Surbiton’s Zach Wallace, SV Kampong’s Jonas de Geus and Maico Casella who played in the EHL KO16 with HGC in October.

The vote is open until 17 January 2020. The winners of all 2019 FIH Hockey Stars Awards, which also include the FIH Coach of the Year, will be announced in February 2020.

Votes from National Associations – which will include some international athletes and coaches votes – will count for 50% of the overall result, while fans and players (25%) as well as media (25%) will make the other half of the votes.

Fans and players can cast their vote here

uro Hockey League media release



Manpreet, Lalremsiami, Vivek nominated for 2019 FIH awards

Vivek Prasad, Lalremsiami in race for Rising Star award


Manpreet Singh

Indian men’s hockey captain Manpreet Singh has been nominated for the Player of the Year award by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).

Two other Indian players, Vivek Prasad and Lalremsiami, were also nominated for the men’s and women’s FIH Rising Star of the Year Award, respectively.
The 27-year-old Manpreet, a veteran of 242 international caps, led the Indian team to a Tokyo Olympics berth this year. He is the midfield pivot of the Indian team. Under his captaincy, India beat Russia 11-3 on aggregate in Bhubaneswar last month to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.

The 19-year-old Prasad, a midfielder, led the Indian team in the Youth Olympics last year where the country won a silver medal. He was also named the best young player at the FIH Series Finals this year.


Lalremsiami

Lalremsiami, a forward with the Indian women’s team, was part of the Asian Games silver-winning team. She is also 19 years old.

Australians Eddie Ockenden and Aran Zalewski, Argentina’s Lucas Vila and Belgians Arthur Van Doren and Victor Wegnez were the other five nominees for the prestigious FIH Player of the Year award.

Ockenden, a 32-year-old veteran of 340 matches, and Zalewski led the Australian team in their country’s multi-player captaincy policy. Both were part of the FIH Pro League 2019 gold winning-team. Zalewski was named the best player of the tournament. Vila was a part of the Argentina team that won the gold in 2016 Rio Olympics and 2019 Pan American Games.

 The Belgian duo of Van Doren and Wegnez played major roles in their country’s 2018 World Cup title win and 2019 FIH Pro League runners-up finish.

National associations, players, fans and journalists across the world can vote for the award. The voting process is open until January 17, 2020. The names of the winners will be announced in February 2020.

The Tribune



Wallace shortlisted for 2019 FIH Rising Star of the Year award


Wallace Celebrates 2019 FIHPL

After his first full year of international hockey, Zach Wallace has been shortlisted for the 2019 FIH Rising Star of the Year award.

Having made his debut against Belgium back in October 2018, Zach played a total of 25 international matches (18 GB, 7 England) this year.

This included featuring in every single FIH Pro League fixture – scoring three goals along the way – and helping Great Britain qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games in early November.

He also made his senior EuroHockey Championship debut with England just weeks after helping the U21s secure an impressive European silver, scoring three times.

Despite not turning 20 until this year, Zach has already become a key component of Danny Kerry’s international teams and has bamboozled defenders all year with his pace and skill.

He is one of five players in the running for the men’s award alongside Maico Casella (Argentina), Blake Govers (Australia), Vivek Prasad (India) and Jonas de Geus (Netherlands).

You can vote for Zach until 17 January 2020 by clicking here.

Great Britain Hockey media release



Pro League buzz “massive for the sport”, says Great Britain men’s forward Griffiths



The second season of the FIH Hockey Pro League gets underway in January 2020 after a hugely successful first edition. We caught up with the coaches and players from the participating teams as they prepare for the new-look FIH Hockey Pro League season to get underway. In the following interview, Great Britain men’s forward Chris Griffiths looks ahead to forthcoming season and what the Pro League means to him and his team.

Great Britain (FIH World ranking: 7) finished the 2019 FIH Hockey Pro League season in fourth position. Their 2020 campaign starts with an away fixture against Australia (WR:1) on 1 February 2020.

What did the side learn from the first season of the FIH Hockey Pro League?

Chris Griffiths: “I learnt that hockey is expanding, you could see that from every game we played as there were good crowds there. There was a lot of excitement and buzz around it. You only really get that normally when there are big tournaments, so to have that consistently, I think is massive for the sport. I think it is something that can only get better, particularly with the Pro League being so consistent over the course of four or five months. I think it is something that us as players love, and the fans are really engaging with it, which is excellent.”

What are the team’s ambitions for this second season?

Chris Griffiths: “It’s a good question, and my answers might differ slightly to the coaches! I think as a player you want to build on the performances each game as they come, building up towards the [Tokyo 2020] Olympics. Having said that, it is an Olympic year, so it is a good opportunity to really put our mark out there, to show teams what we are about leading into the Olympics.”   

What are your thoughts on the new FIH Hockey Pro League format that will be introduced in the second season?

Chris Griffiths: “As hockey players you become used to playing back-to-back games. It is something that will happen at the Olympics, which I think is eight games in 14 days. It is something that happens in every tournament you play in, you have back-to-back fixtures, particularly in semi-final and final. It’s something we’ll be used to, but there probably will be some slight changes, with one or two players coming in for the second game just to add a bit more energy and a bit of extra legs. But I don’t think it’s something that a lot of people will be too worried about.” 

What fixture are you most looking forward to?

Chris Griffiths: “For me, Australia away. I love playing Australia, it is always a really good battle. We didn’t do so well away last [edition], but that was our second Pro League game. Since then we’ve had some good battles with them, something we are all looking forward to. It will be quite early on, so something the guys will be focussing in on over Christmas. It will be at the forefront of everyone’s minds.”

What was your #MyProLeagueMoment moment of the first season?

Chris Griffiths: “My Pro League moment last season was definitely the game at Twickenham, playing in front of 11,000 people at the Stoop. We had a lot riding on it as well, so a few results had to go our way, but we knew if we beat New Zealand on that day we would qualify for the Grand Final. That added some extra sweetness to it, knowing that we’d qualified for the Grand Final in front of a record crowd in this country since the [London 2012] Olympics was a pretty special moment.”

What message have you got for the fans to get them along to watch the matches in the second season?

Chris Griffiths: “I would like to invite all of ‘the Pride’ to come down to Lee Valley and the Stoop to watch us play in the Pro League. It is a very exciting opportunity for us as players, and something you’ll definitely love as the crowd, so please come down and support us.”

#FIHProLeague
#HockeyInvites

Official FIH Pro League Site



Surbiton aiming to continue unbeaten streak before winter break

By The Hockey Paper


Surbiton men have been in stellar form PIC: Surbiton HC Twitter

Surbiton HC head into the final round of outdoor matches before the winter break aiming to remain unbeaten across the men’s and women’s Premier Division.

Surbiton men are 11 from 11, with a goal difference of 45, while Surbiton women have won 10 from 11 games.

Surbiton men host second bottom University of Exeter on Saturday, while Brett Garrard’s women’s side travel to Beeston.

“The league is very competitive and every side is capable of getting a result on any given day, even against the top teams,” said Beeston team manager Chris Glover. “So it was not really a surprise to us that Birmingham managed to get a point out of Surbiton.

“Surbiton are a fantastic side with a multitude of talented international players and what they are so good at it is getting the results even when they are not at their fluent best.

East Grinstead could move up to second if they beat Holcombe and Hampstead & Westminster lose, with Sophie Bray – 13 goals in 12 games – already making inroads to her final tally last season.

Currently second and third, Wimbledon and Old Georgians face off on Saturday as the Men’s Hockey League Premier Division as the league heads into the winter break.

Both teams failed to win last weekend and will want to get back to winning ways in their final matches of 2019 and strengthen their places in the top four.

Wimbledon drew 3-3 with Old Georgians earlier in the season and their first team coach Karl Stagno said: “We learned from that match that we need to defend better; we gifted them too many soft goals after having controlled the game.

“We have a couple of injuries,” added Stagno. “And we always have to check if the GB boys are fit enough to play after their training at Bisham.”

FIXTURES

Investec Women’s Hockey League (Sat, 7 December 2019):

Investec Premier Division
Buckingham v Bowdon Hightown 12:00
Loughborough Students v Clifton Robinsons 14:00
Beeston v Surbiton 14:00
Univ of Birmingham v Hampstead & Westminster 14:15
East Grinstead v Holcombe 16:30

Men’s Hockey League (Sat, 7 December 2019):

Premier Division

Surbiton v Univ of Exeter 16:30
Wimbledon v Old Georgians 18:00
East Grinstead v Holcombe 18:30

The Hockey Paper



C of I looking to show their mettle in huge cup test at Lisnagarvey

It's Irish Senior Cup quarter-final day for the men on Saturday while there are Leinster Division One and indoor league ties also on the agenda


Cork C of I’s David Lynch. Pic: Adrian Boehm

Two unbeaten records lock horns at Comber Road in the Irish Senior Cup quarter-finals as Cork C of I hope they can do some damage at high-flying Lisnagarvey and show they can mix it at the top level.

Since relegation from the EYHL, the Garryduff side have widened their panel markedly with Mark Collins, Rob Sweetnam and Eoin Finnegan joining the club while Adam O’Callaghan and Phil Sweetnam returned.

They have since won all their games in Munster and EYHL Division 2 but Garvey represent a very different test, the Hillsborough side laying waste to pretty much everyone they have met bar Glenanne last weekend.

Even in that draw, their ability to comeback from 4-0 down to draw shows a reservoir of determination and C of I coach Denis Pritchard is well aware of the quality his side will face.

“This is a really big challenge,” he said. “They are the best team in the country at the moment and are playing a really nice style with their youngsters improving all the time. It will show us where we are in terms of how close we are to EY Division One level.

“It will be an eye-opener and reality check for some of the guys [after the Munster League] but no one will really give us much of a chance going up there. But, then again, there’s a few sides in Division One who go up there without much of a chance so why would they for a Division 2 side!

“There are always susprises in cup hockey and, last weekend, they almost fell to a bit of a surprise against Glenanne. Every team can have an off day.”

Talking about his squad, he feels it is one with far greater depth this year.

“The young players have been huge for us. Kevin O’Dea is playing some spectacular stuff and the extra numbers give us so much more energy and flexibility. Had we this kind of squad around last season, I reckon we would have got those few extra results we needed to stay up.”

John Jermyn returned to action last weekend but they do have doubts over Rob Sweetnam, who sustained five stitches from a blow to the hand, and Phil Byrne.

Elsewhere, UCD host Three Rock hoping to emulate their 3-1 win from the opening day of the season. The students got off to an impressive start to the season but have not won a tie in normal time since October. Erratic Rovers are coming off two league wins in a row and have not lost a knock-out tie in Ireland since 2017.

Cookstown host Pembroke at Steelweld Park in a repeat of the 2009 final. For the Ulster Premier side’s Mark Crooks, they see it as an opportunity to get one over a side from the EYHL.

“We’ve been going well and scoring plenty of goals, so there’s nothing to prevent us from really giving it a proper lash,” he told the Belfast Telegraph.

“There was very little between us and Pembroke in the IHL last season. They beat us at our place and we got the win at Serpentine Avenue back in March.

“This is a huge opportunity for us, a home draw is a massive advantage in the Irish Senior Cup and we should go into the match confident given how we’ve played for large parts of this season.”

Glenanne meet Monkstown for the second time this season with the latter winning 4-1 first time around.


Clontarf’s Luke Hayden. Pic: Deryck Vincent

In Leinster Division One, Clontarf rejoined Railway Union at the top of the table on Tuesday night with a 6-1 win over Dublin University with coach David Bane lining out, scoring one and setting up another.

On the same night, Avoca’s tie with Rathgar was frozen out. Two days later, Trinity bounced back to get off the mark with a 7-0 win over Weston, Liam Bean scoring a hat trick to lift the students off the bottom and into eighth place.

On Saturday, Avoca host Railway hoping to turn the tide after a chastening 6-1 loss in EYHL Division 2 a month ago. The Blackrock side have six points to make up on the leaders but have a game in hand.

Portrane and Rathgar have had productive campaigns to date and a winner from that tie will be, at least, in the top four. Dublin North welcome Bray.

Monkstown reached the Mills Cup semi-final in midweek with a 4-1 win over Railway Union, Davy Carson and Sam Hohn scoring first quarter goals to set them on their way.

Sunday sees the opening day of the Leinster men’s indoor league gets underway with eight games in action at St Columba’s College. Pool A features reigning champions Three Rock Rovers, Kilkenny, Avoca, Monkstown and Railway Union while Pool B has Railway Union B, Clontarf, Glenanne, Corinthian and YMCA.

Men’s weekend fixtures (Saturday unless stated)

Irish Senior Cup quarter-finals: Cookstown v Pembroke Wanderers, Steelweld Park, 2.45pm; Glenanne v Monkstown, St Andrews College, 2pm; Lisnagarvey v Cork C of I, Comber Road; UCD v Three Rock Rovers, Belfield, 1.30pm        

Leinster Division 1

Tuesday: Clontarf 6 (K Mullins, K Murray, L Hayden, S Beattie, D Bane, D Keuter) Dublin University 1 (R O’Hanlon)

Thursday: Dublin University 7 (L Bean 3, T Cole 2, B Arrowsmith, G Arrowsmith) Weston 0

Saturday: Avoca v Railway Union, Newpark, 1pm;  Dublin North v Bray, National Sports Campus, 2pm; Portrane v Rathgar, Donabate LC, 1pm

Postponed: Rathgar v Avoca – frost

Mills Cup quarter-final: Monkstown 4 (D Carson 2, S Hohn, A Rooney) Railway Union 1 (D Curley

Munster Peard Cup semi final: Bandon v Ashton, Bandon GS, 10.30am

Leinster Indoor League (all at St Columba’s College)

Sunday: Railway Union v Monkstown, 12.15pm; YMCA v Corinthian, 12.55pm; Avoca v Railway Union, 1.35pm; Glenanne v YMCA, 2.15pm; Clontarf v Corinthian, 2.55pm; Avoca v Kilkenny, 3.35pm; Clontarf v Railway Union B, 4.15pm; Three Rock Rovers v Kilkenny, 4.55pm

The Hook



Pembroke’s title credentials put to the test by reigning champs Pegasus


Leah McGuire has been a big addition at Pembroke. Pic: Adrian Boehm

Pembroke’s growing reputation as a side that can do big damage in the EY Hockey League face a big test on the road as they go to Queen’s on Saturday to face fellow leaders Pegasus.

The Dublin side travel with a slight advantage on goal difference after four wins from five outings to date and plenty of confidence. They welcomed Gillian Pinder back for the first time last weekend to link up with the likes of fellow internationals Leah McGuire, Aisling Naughton, Sinead Loughran and Emily Beatty making for a side packed with pace.

Young goalkeeper Aoife Glennon has backed up a defence which has conceded the least in the league to date while there are plenty of 20-somethings in the panel – like Eanna Horan, Hayley O’Donnell, Orla Macken and Amy-Kate Trevor – who have bags of experience.

Pegasus, meanwhile, are a side managing their transition well with Kerri McDonald and Ruth Maguire stepping up as big leaders. They missed Michelle Harvey (ankle injury), Lucy McKee and Taite Doherty last weekend but, in Alex Speers, Shirley McCay and Pamela Glass, they have some perfect performers to inspire youngsters like Molly Dougan, Charlotte Beggs and Niamh McIvor.

It makes for a fascinating contest in this tightest of leagues where there still has been just one game separated by more than two goals.

Muckross host UCD with the former set to be without Anna O’Flanagan for the game against her former club along with Sophie Barnwell who is South Africa with the Irish indoor team. It takes a little bit of edge off their front line that has netted 11 times this term, equal best with the two leaders.

Miles Warren’s side, meanwhile, will be without Orla Patton due to the indoor. The students are one point ahead of Muckross after five rounds of matches.

Cork Harlequins welcome Old Alex to Farmers’ Cross with the hosts hoping to land their first win of the season after two draws from five games. Alex are in fourth place with three wins and looking to keep up the pressure on the leaders.

Catholic Institute’s tie with Loreto and Railway Union’s game against Belfast Harlequins are both off due to the Irish women’s indoor team’s tour in South Africa.

The side will play four times in Cape Town with potentially large crowds of up to 4,000 young fans at the Pro Series Indoor festival. The ties will be streamed on Digitv.co.za with commentary from Tyron Barnard.

Elsewhere, Ayeisha McFerran has been nominated for the FIH Goalkeeper of the Year for a second time running following another super set of performances for Ireland.

The Larne woman most recently made a string of shoot-out saves in the Green Army’s victory over Canada to qualify for the Olympic Games for the first time, garnering back-to-back clean sheets in normal time.


Click image to cast your vote

She also put in strong performances in June’s World Series event in Banbridge and August’s EuroHockey Championships in Antwerp, conceding on average just a goal a game.

It earned her a move to the professional ranks in the Netherlands with SV Kampong, competing in world hockey’s best women’s club national league.

She is included on the shortlist alongside Spain’s Maria Ruiz – named best goalkeeper at the Euros – France’s Mathilde Petriaux, Japan’s Megumi Kageyama and Australia’s Rachael Lynch. None of them have won the award before.

EYHL Division 2 has its last round of fixtures before the winter break with Pool A featuring two huge ties. Corinthian’s perfect record will be put to the test on the road at Lurgan where a win for the Ulster side would throw the group wide open.

Should the reds win, though, they will carry at least a four-point lead into the New Year and over six points to the sides outside of the playoff places. The other tie features second place Trinity up against Cork C of I at Santry Avenue.

In Pool B, one game is on the card as Monkstown go to UCC without the services of Chloe Watkins. Both sides are on eight points and so the winner will be second in the group over the Christmas break.

Queen’s against Greenfields is postponed until February 22 due to a trio of indoor internationals in the former’s camp.

Three Leinster Division One matches are on Saturday. In-form Naas have designs on fourth place if they can get the better of Glenanne at Caragh Road – it took the Kildare side five games to get their first win but they have since scored 12 goals in three victories.


UCD’s Niamh Carey and Pegasus’s Kerri McDonald. Pic: Adrian Boehm

The Glens, though, are also in decent form with seven points out of nine and sit one place above Naas, making this an interesting content.

Seventh meets sixth when Clontarf host Genesis while Rathgar come up against Avoca who are gunning for their first win since October. A number of their games have gone by the wayside for a variety of reasons.

Saturday 7th December 2019

Women

Indoor international test match: South Africa v Ireland, Cape Town Velodrome, 5pm (Irish time)

** All the matches in Cape Town are being streamed LIVE on the following website: https://digitv.co.za/#/

EYHL Division 1: Cork Harlequins v Old Alex, Farmers’ Cross, 1.05pm; Muckross v UCD, Muckross Park, 3.15pm; Pegasus v Pembroke Wanderers, Malone, 2.30pm

EYHL Division 2

Pool A: Lurgan v Corinthian, Lurgan JHS, 2.30pm; Trinity v Cork C of I, Santry Avenue, 2pm
Pool B: UCC v Monkstown, Mardyke, 2pm   

Leinster Division 1: Clontarf v Genesis, Mount Temple, 2.30pm; Naas v Glenanne, Caragh Road, 1pm; Rathgar v Avoca, The High School, 3.30pm

Examiner Cup – Round 3: Bandon v Belvedere, Bandon GS, 12.30pm

Sunday 8th December 2019

Women

Indoor international test match: South Africa v Ireland, Cape Town Velodrome, 5pm (Irish time)

The Hook



Mombasa face must-win matches with eyes on promotion

By AGNES MAKHANDIA


Butali Sugar Warriors' Vincent Odhiambo (right) battles for the ball with Parkroad Badgers' Brian Shilton during their Kenya Hockey Union men's Premier League match on June 3, 2017 at City Park Stadium. PHOTO | FILE |  NATION MEDIA GROUP

Kenya Hockey Union men’s Super League side, Mombasa Sports Club have fate in their own hands as they battle Impala and Kisumu Youngster this weekend at City Park Stadium seeking to grab the remaining promotion slot to the top tier.

The already promoted Parkroad Badgers who have 45 points with one match at hand will play for pride when they welcome Kisumu on Saturday.

The coastal side has 37 points from 20 matches and victory in both ties will see them move joint second with Kenya College of Accountancy University who have completed their matches but have inferior goal difference.

MSC captain Mariano Emadau said they have to win the two clashes.

"We beat both teams during the first leg and we will be keen to replicate that. We are aware there are teams who are planning to spoil the party but we are focused on getting six points and moving to the top tier," said Emadau.

Kisumu player cum team manager Brian Otieno said they are out for a strong finish.

“It will be a tough match and therefore we will give it the seriousness it deserves. We play Super league champions on Saturday before we battle MSC on Sunday. We hope to collect maximum points ahead of our last match against Multimedia next weekend,” said Otieno.

Other matches on the card on Saturday will see United States International University of Africa (USIU-A) play Sailors in the men's Premier League.

Both teams are tied on 23 points from 17 matches and occupy sixth and seventh position respectively on the standings.

FIXTURES

Saturday (all matches at City Park)

Sailors v USIU- 10am
UoN v MKU- 12pm
KU v MMU- 2pm
Impala v MSC- 4pm
Parkroad Badgers v Kisumu Youngsters- 6pm

Sunday

UoN v Karate Axiom- 9am
Kisumu Youngstars v MSC- 11am
Wolverines v Nakuru- 1pm
Oranje Leonas v Vikings- 3pm
Wazalendo Masters v MMU- 5pm

Daily Nation



A letter from the Red Caribou

Men’s National Team pens open letter to community



Dear Friends, Family and Supporters Worldwide,

Wow. What an exciting few months it’s been. After losing in the Gold-Medal Game at Pan Ams, we knew we only had one shot left to qualify for Tokyo. We knew it wouldn’t be easy and this new qualification system was different for all of us, but being the higher-ranked team meant that we would be able to play these games here in Canada. We all recognized how important the home-field advantage would be, but no one quite understood how much of a difference our home crowd would make. Many of us still can’t quite believe what actually happened and we often find ourselves looking through the photos to relive the glory.

The weather showed up for us on that fateful weekend in October, and so did you. The crowd was buzzing, the drinks were flowing and the chants were heard all around the pitch. Months of  hard work and preparation had gone into this series, but being able to play it here in West Vancouver made it that much more special. As a team, we can’t thank our supporters enough. Whether you were one of the ~2000 people cheering in the crowd each day or you were watching at home, we truly couldn’t have done this without you! A special thank you also goes to the photographers around the pitch and to the CBC for capturing the event so well.

Please stay tuned as we have a busy year ahead of us with lots of exciting things planned! We appreciate your continued support by following us on social media and in the community. Now it’s time for the hard work to really start with only 232 days until the Olympics start!

Sincerely,

The Red Caribou

2019-1026-M-CAN_IRL-388a2

Field Hockey Canada media release



A letter from the Canadian Wolfpack

Women’s National Team pens letter to Canadian hockey community



A letter to all of YOU:⁣ – as published on FHC_WNT Instagram (Nov 27, 2019)⁣

In the past 3 years we have fought, sacrificed, taken leaps of faith, moved continents and hit hurdle after hurdle, all for the shared passion and dream of competing at an Olympic Games. Every single person in our program bought in, gave 110%, and left everything out on the field. Unfortunately, in sport, there always has to be a winner and a loser, and sometimes you can do everything right, and still not get the desired result.⁣

On November 3rd, our overtime shootout loss against Ireland left us with a feeling that cannot be described with words. Weeks later, we still aren’t over it and it may take a long time for us to get back to feeling normal again. The reality is, this was the closest we have come to achieving our Olympic dream in over a decade, and because of that, the loss has hit us the hardest.⁣

However, that feeling of loss is not the only thing that will stay with us. Nothing can take away the journey we have been through together, the things we accomplished, and how in the span of two years we have put Canadian women’s field hockey into the minds of the most revered hockey countries, as a team that belongs among them. We can be proud of what we have done, and the foundation that we have laid for the women who will follow. ⁣

Lastly, something that will stay with us forever, more so than the hurt, is YOU, our supporters, fans and followers. We wouldn’t have been able to even come close to our dream without the support (emotional, financial, informational) from the people around us- near and far -first time fans or long-time supporters. Thank you to all of you for lifting our group up and believing in us.⁣

Together as a collective we are united, proud, relentless and fearless – we are the Canadian Wolfpack.

Field Hockey Canada media release



Scotland women win Team of the Year at the Sunday Mail sportscotland Awards



It was an amazing night for hockey as the Scotland Women’s National Hockey Team won Team of the Year at the prestigious Sunday Mail and sportscotland Scottish Sports Awards. The awards were held at a jam-packed with sporting names Doubletree Hilton in Glasgow on 5 December.

Scotland captain Kaz Cuthbert collected the award with teammates Sarah Jamieson; Millie Steiger; Kate Holmes; Louise Campbell; Becky Ward; and with Assistant Coach Chris Duncan and Team Manager Elsie Walker.

It’s the team’s third Team of the Year award after recent success at the Scottish Women in Sport Awards (SWIS) 2019 and at the Scottish Hockey Awards 2019.

It has been a phenomenal year for the Scotland women’s team; they won Women’s EuroHockey Championship II in Glasgow in emphatic fashion securing promotion to the top division of European hockey. The Scots won every game at the tournament in front of a passionate home crowd and lifted the trophy after an excellent 2-1 victory over Italy in the final.

It was also a year in which the team beat World Cup silver medallists Ireland in Stormont as part of preparations for the Euros. There are also three athletes competing in the Great Britain women’s squad: Sarah Robertson, Amy Costello and Charlotte Watson showing the level of talent within the Scotland squad.

Scotland women’s Vice Captain Becky Ward said, “It’s absolutely amazing, I’m delighted for the whole squad – it’s been amazing summer and it’s great to finish it off with a night like this. The home Europeans was just such a great experience and the whole year has been fantastic. I’m looking forward to seeing how the squad develops going forward, it’s a really exciting time. I’d like to thank sportscotland, Scottish Hockey and our sponsors Boho and Graham’s for all the support.”

Scottish Hockey’s CEO David Sweetman said, “This is a fantastic success for hockey, and I’d like to congratulate the Scotland women’s team and staff on winning such a prestigious award. The recognition is fantastic for the sport and demonstrates how great an achievement the squad’s successes have been over the last year.

“Women’s EuroHockey Championship II was an amazing tournament in Glasgow with the biggest crowds since Glasgow 2014. Scotland winning the tournament was really special and it’s great to see this recognised in the awards the team has been winning.”

Scottish Hockey Union media release



GB Hockey win UK Coaching's Transforming Coaching Award



GB Hockey has won the 2019 UK Coaching 'Transforming Coaching Award' for the Coach Development Offer run this year.

They have made it their mission to unleash the power of coaching by providing coaches with innovative support. Underpinning all their work is an evaluation framework that gives the governing body the insight it needs to continuously improve its development offer and relationship with coaches.

By having a sustainable coaching system, GB Hockey – over the last 12 months – has been able to commit to a partnership with all the Home Country Sports Councils, which is driving a culture shift in how hockey coach development is delivered across Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

It has also embedded a network of full-time and part-time coach developers, who have delivered nearly 700 days of support and development to coaches; organised over 20 communities of practice for over 500 coaches; provided individual coach developer support to over 140 talent and performance coaches; had 2,800 coaches access its online learning platform ‘Hockey Hub’ on average once a week; worked with 20 partners across clubs, schools and counties to provide bespoke learning and support to 400 coaches; and piloted a hockey-specific athlete-to-coach programme in partnership with UK Sport.

Great Britain Hockey media releas

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