News for 01 February 2016
All the news for Monday 1 February 2016
Kalinga Lancers beat Dabang Mumbai 6-4
Mumbai: Thirteenth match of Coal India Hockey India League ended with fourth loss for Mumbai in the tournament. Kalinga Lancers beat Dabang Mumbai by a score of 6-4. The win in the match for Kalinga Lancers have taken them to the second spot in the points table with 17 points.
The match started on an attacking note with the Dabang Mumbai team eager to earn their first win of the tournament. They managed higher circle penetrations and put their rivals Kalinga Lancers on the back foot initially. The Kalinga Lancers defense held strong for the first quarter till they got their first opportunity with 20 minutes on the clock in the form of a penalty corner. The penalty corner was successfully converted by Gurjinder Singh to give the visitors their first goal.
The pressing nature of the defense of the home team created gaps in the defense which was used for gaining advantage by tactical play in the midfield by the visitors. 28 minutes into the half Kalinga Lancers got the second penalty corner which was deflected by Adam Dixon to give the visitors their second goal. The first half ended with the score at 0-2 in favour of the visitors.
Kalinga Lancers continued their midfield tactical play in the third quarter. Three minutes into the quarter Lalit Upadhyay took advantage of the weak defense of Dabang Mumbai to score a field goal and give the visiting team a lead of 0-4. Dabang Mumbai’s attacking intent finally paid off in the 41st minute with a field goal from star forward Florian Fuchs to close the score gap at 2-4.
Mumbai kept on pressing hard and were rewarded with another field goal from the stick of Gurjant Singh to level the scores at 4-4 in the initial moments of the 4th quarter. Both team then pressed ahead to try and score the winner. Moritz Fuerste with his exceptional passing from his own half found unmarked Quirijn Caspers in the 55th minute who rammed home another goal passed David Harte to seal their win.
Man of the Match award of INR 50,000 - Aran Zalewski from Kalinga Lancers
Coal India Goal of the Match of INR 50,000 - Lalit Upadhyay from Kalinga Lancers
Hero Emerging Player of the Match Award of INR 25,000 - Gurjinder Singh from Kalinga Lancer
Most Entertaining Player of the Match - Matthew Swann from Dabang Mumbai
The next match will be played between Uttar Pradesh Wizards and Delhi Waveriders on 1st February at Shivaji Stadium in Delhi.
Stick2Hockey.com
Quirjn body-blow knocks out Mumbai's fight-back
Nandakumar Marar
Dabang Mumbai’s best showing, in terms of a fight-back, was not enough to get over the line against a confident Kalinga Lancers in the CIL Hockey India League 2016 at the Mahindra here on Sunday.
The home team roared back from four goals down to draw level in an inspired third quarter, but was then outnumbered on a counter-attack. Gaspar Quirjn’s clinical finish in the 55th minute sealed a 6-4 victory for the visitors and handed Mumbai its fourth loss in-a-row. With three wins after five games, Lancers move into second spot on the table.
Earlier the visitors took the lead much against the run of play via two penalty corner strikes from Gurjinder Singh and Adam Dixie. Lalit Upadhyay then dived in to tap a thrilling field goal, reading the pass from Glenn Turner and reacting in a flash.
Mumbai clawed back from this four-goal deficit via field goals from Florian Fuchs and Gurjant Singh. Fuchs almost got his second but the ball hit the side netting and then watched in horror at Lancers striking the body-blow.
Moritz Fuerste, the German controlling the Lancers’ flow of play, spotted teammate Gaspar up front with a shortage of blue shirts around him. The Lancers captain sized up the situation in a flash and transferred the ball to his striker with a long, powerful hit.
Gaspar tapped on the run, swerved clear of his marker, spotted the onrushing goalkeeper and calmly slotted home as Mumbai slumped from the high of catching up at 4-4 to 6-4 down.
Mark Hager, the Kalinga Lancers coach, felt his team was lucky to catch its opponent by surprise. “Mumbai played well in the first half, but we got the goals. They came back and at 4-4 the game could have gone either way. HIL teams are so close, anything can happen.”
The result:
Kalinga Lancers 6 (Gurjinder Singh, Adam Dixie, Lalit Upadhyay 2FG, Gaspar Quirjn 2FG) bt Dabang Mumbai 4 (Florian Fuchs 2FG, Gurjant Singh 2FG).
The Hindu
Mumbai beaten by Lancers, slump to fourth successive loss in HIL
Kalinga Lancers (white) players celebrate a goal against Dabang Mumbai. (PTI Photo)
MUMBAI: Dabang Mumbai suffered their fourth consecutive loss of the Hockey India League (HIL) as they went down 4-6 to a dominant Kalinga Lancers at the Mahindra Hockey Stadium on Sunday.
With the win, Lancers were in third spot with 17 points from five games, having won three and lost two while Mumbai were at the bottom of the table with four points from as many games.
The match started at a fierce competitive level, with both teams leaving no chance to score but some quality defence in both ends saw neither teams taking the lead in the first quarter. The home team got a chance in the very quarter to go ahead via a penalty corner in the 10th minute but the chance went missed.
The second quarter started with a flurry of attacks from the visiting side who were well rewarded for their attacking play in the first five minutes of the second quarter with Gurjinder Singh giving the visitors a 1-0 lead via penalty corner.
Lancers brought more trouble for the home side as a penalty corner earned in the 25th minute was successfully converted by Adam Dixon to make it 2-0 in favour of home side.
Trailing 0-2 in their second home game, Mumbai went into the half time break with lot to deliver in the third and fourth quarters.
Just a minute into the third quarter, Mumbai got a chance to open their scoring via penalty corner but that was not to be.
Instead three minutes later in the 32nd minute, things became worse for the hosts as Lalit Upadhyay earned a superb field goal to make it 4-0 in the visitors' favour. Glenn Turner sent a perfect diagonal shot and Lalit who had come into the field after a green card dived to connect it to right of the Mumbai goalkeeper.
A field goal is counted as two in the current edition of the league.
The home side came back well in the 41st minute as Florian Fuchs scored a field goal from the centre between the legs of the goalie to make it 2-4.
From there on both sides went into the final break ahead of the fourth quarter with Lancers leading 4-2.
Coming into the final quarter, Mumbai were in full attacking mode and it paid off well as Gurjant Singh scored a field goal in the 48th minute to level things up 4-4.
With five minutes left from the final whistle, the visitors capitalised on some poor defending from Mumbai as Quirijn Caspers scored a field goal to make it 6-4 in their favour.
From there on, Lancers held on well to register stunning win.
Mumbai next face Ranchi Rays on February 3 in their third home match, while Lancers will take on Delhi Waveriders on February 5 in Bhubaneshwar.
The Times of India
Coach D'Souza's Total Hockey Paying Dividends
By Shayan Acharya
NEW DELHI: At one corner of the Shivaji Stadium, Cedric D’ Souza was standing quietly. As Delhi Waveriders players were busy fine-tuning their weak links ahead of their Hockey India League (HIL) game against the Uttar Pradesh Wizards, the chief coach was observing each and every step quietly.
Those who are familiar with the former India coach’s way of handling things know how excited he gets once the team takes the turf. So, such quietness was strange initially. But things slowly went in expected lines and D’Souza was shouting at the top of his voice, instructing his players on how to build pressure. “Think, rebound, think...,” he told Yuvraj Walmiki as the young forward failed to keep one on the stick.
He walked up to Yuvraj and explained his mistake. “Don’t forget your role. Think, think, think before every move,” he was heard saying.
In a few moments, Yuvraj was surrounded by Mandeep Singh and Parvinder Singh. D’Souza, as usual, once again walked up to them and asked them to take their respective positions, and started a trial game. Two minutes into it, D’Souza tackled Parvinder from behind, and then ran up to him to explain the reason behind the move. “Widen your legs, so that you can avoid such tough tackles. You can’t be so fragile,” the coach advised the ward.
And, as the tournament progresses, these are the small things that the senior coach is making his players understand. There are Indian players like Rupinder Pal Singh who know what it takes to turn things their way. But even then, D’Souza believes that playing a total game will be key to success in the long run. Ask him if retaining the core group has helped them, and D’Souza agrees. “You look at the structure of your team, and plan accordingly. Every team tries to find players who can mix into the structure. That has been a key issue, and we got what we wanted,” he tells Express.
The last few seasons haven’t been all that good for the Delhi outfit, but this time, they have started on a positive note. Sitting on second spot, even the players believe that D’Souza’s ‘total technique’ mantra has worked well for the team.
The Times of India
Canada in for Britain at Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey
by S. Ramaguru
KUALA LUMPUR: Canada have replaced Britain in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament.
The seven-nation tournament in Ipoh from April 6-16 will also see defending champions New Zealand, Australia, India, Pakistan, Japan and Malaysia in action.
Four of the teams – world No. 1 Australia, India, New Zealand and Canada – are using the tournament as their build-up to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in August.
For Malaysia, the tournament is the first major assignment for newly-appointed national coach Stephen van Huizen.
The Star of Malaysia
Browne blitz sinks Reading in feast of goals
Canterbury celebrate at super 6s
A devastating display of finishing from Canterbury set up a repeat of last year’s final against East Grinstead. Four unanswered goals in the first half put the Polo Farm outfit in a strong position and despite Reading throwing caution to the wind in the second half, Canterbury couldn’t be stopped.
Canterbury struck early on. Liam Foster did well to keep the ball alive and from the cut back Ivo Moreira was on hand to find the bottom corner to make it 1-0. Andy Watts had a good chance at the other end to level the scores but he couldn’t get the better of Diccon Stubbings who made the save.
Harry Jawanda made it 2-0 on five minutes. The No3 robbed Richard Springham just outside the circle and showed why he is the Kent side’s top scorer in this competition with a superb finish.
A lovely passing move involving Chris Newman, Andy Watts and Simon Mantell carved Canterbury open but Mantell couldn’t quite find the finish and the chance was gone. At the other end a strong run by Ross Gilham-Jones almost brought a third but his deft effort went just wide of the post. The Polo Farm outfit won a penalty corner. Tommy Alexander made a wonderful save to deny Liam Foster. Immediately, Reading won a corner of their own. They were unable to capitalise and the two-goal lead stayed intact. The two-goal lead became a three-goal lead on 15 minutes. Kwan Browne slotted in a trademark penalty corner to the delight of the Green and White fans who were out in force.
A mazy run from Newman set up Watts but he was denied by a sprawling save from Stubbings as Reading tried in vain to get themselves on the board before half time. There was still time for Jawanda to plunder his second before the interval after a lovely steal and assist from Browne, as Canterbury threatened to take the game away from Reading.
Reading started the second half with a kicking back in place of a goalkeeper, knowing they had to produce a special performance to rescue the game. The tactic paid off immediately as Dan Shingles reduced the arrears, beating Stubbings at his near post. The cushion was restored and then increased in a matter of moments, however as Gilham-Jones and Wei Adams scored quick-fire goals to make it 6-1. Richard Mantell who had taken on the kicking back duties made a superb save with his body but from the resultant penalty corner Browne made it 7-1 with his second. Reading pulled another one back with a well-worked goal from Tom Carson in which they made full use of the boards before slotting home.
Mantell continued to perform miracles in the Reading backline but he could do little to prevent Adams grabbing his second and Canterbury’s eighth. To their credit, the 'Ding kept going and pulled another back through Simon Mantell before Browne completed his hat-trick from a penalty corner at the other end.
Canterbury brought on substitute goalkeeper Rory Kerr for the final minutes but his first effort was to watch on as Watts fired an unstoppable strike past him. Simon Mantell added another and Watts struck again to bring Reading to within three, but it was too little, too late and Canterbury won an enthralling game.
Canterbury 9 (4)
Ivo Moreira 2 (FG)
Harry Jawanda 5, 19 (FG, FG)
Kwan Browne 15, 25, 37 (PC, PC, PC)
Ross Gilham-Jones 23 (FG)
Wei Adams 23, 35 (FG, FG)
Reading 6 (0)
Dan Shingles 22 (FG)
Tom Carson 29 (FG)
Simon Mantell 36, 39 (PC, FG)
Andy Watts 39, 40 (FG, FG)
England Hockey Board Media release
Condon keeps Grinstead on course for eight in a row
East Grinstead vs Sevenoaks Super6s
East Grinstead stayed on course for their eighth title in a row, running out 6-3 winners over Sevenoaks in an absorbing game. A double from Great Britain’s David Condon did the damage and despite some superb goalkeeping from both Richard Potton and Paddy Smith it was Grinstead’s ruthlessness in front of goal that won the day.
Nick Barker was first to threaten for Sevenoaks, the captain driving straight through the defence, only to be halted by Smith who rushed out to smother well. Michael Barker had a good chance saved again by Smith and despite Sevenoaks being in the ascendancy it was East Grinstead who took the lead. Rob Schilling popped up at the back post and slotted in to make it 1-0. Smith was called upon again almost immediately, making another good save as Sevenoaks searched for leveller.
The East Grinstead goalkeeper was fast-becoming the contest’s most influential figure, making a stunning stick save to deny Owain Dolan-Gray with five minutes to the break. A slick passing move from East Grinstead doubled their lead on 17 minutes, a flurry of first time passes carved Sevenoaks open and the England man Condon made no mistake.
Sevenoaks clawed their way back into the contest just before the break when Chris Barker smuggled the ball past Smith at the near post making sure it was all to play for in the second half.
Sevenoaks won a penalty corner inside the first minute of the half. George Torry, their top scorer stepped up and rifled an unstoppable flick into the roof of the net to tie it up. East Grinstead were reeling and within two minutes of drawing level Sevenoaks got their noses in front. Torry broke through the defence and found Duncan Parnis to tap in from close range. The crowd were on the edge of their seats and East Grinstead restored parity with a lovely pass from Jannis Schwebs expertly touched in by Ben Allberry.
The game took another dramatic twist as East Grinstead nudged themselves back in front through a good finish from Ross Stott and then two minutes later it was 5-3 thanks to a rocket penalty corner from Simon Faulkner.
With Sevenoaks pushing forwards for an equaliser, East Grinstead began to pick them off on the break. Richard Potton, the former EG goalkeeper performed heroics to keep them at bay but there was nothing he could do to keep out Condon’s second after 37 minutes which made the game safe for the holders. They make their way to the final once again hoping to pick up their eighth title in a row.
Sevenoaks 3 (1)
Chris Barker 20 (FG)
George Torry 22 (PC)
Duncan Parnis 24 (FG)
East Grinstead 6 (2)
Rob Schilling 8 (FG)
David Condon 17 37 (FG, FG)
Ben Allberry 26 (FG)
Ross Stott 29 (FG)
Simon Faulkner 31 (PC)
England Hockey Board Media release
Eight in a row for unstoppable East Grinstead
East Grinstead celebrate goal super 6s final
A two goal salvo from David Condon gave East Grinstead their eighth indoor title in a row after a 5-1 win over Canterbury. The Great Britain star struck a brace, as he did in the semi-final, adding to goals from Simon Faulkner, Ross Stott and Josh Coniglio. Canterbury struck back through Liam Foster but it was a case of déjà vu for the Kent side who lost out to Grinstead just as they did the previous year.
East Grinstead struck the first blow. They forced a penalty corner after four minutes and from a well-worked routine Simon Faulkner found the target via the crossbar with a bullet strike. Canterbury immediately forced a corner of their own but their intricate set piece broke down and East Grinstead cleared.
The Kent side didn't have to wait long for their leveller however. Ross Gilham-Jones went down the boards on the right and cut the ball back to Liam Foster who slammed it home. Canterbury began to exert pressure on the East Grinstead defence. A terrific piece of individual play from Harry Jawanda forced Paddy Smith into a superb sprawling save, keeping the scores level. Jawanda and Smith seemed to be having their own personal battle. The Canterbury No3 forced the England goalkeeper into action twice more in quick succession as the contest ramped up a notch.
East Grinstead were by no means in their shell and with 16 minutes on the clock Ross Stott broke free and lifted a lovely finish into the roof of the net. Canterbury squandered a penalty corner chance with two minutes of the half remaining and it was 2-1 to East Grinstead heading into the break.
Neither side was giving an inch in the second half. David Condon had a gilt-edged opportunity to extend the lead but his shot was saved by a diving Diccon Stubbings. However the England man was not denied for long, slotting in a lovely low finish in the 26th minute.
Smith excelled himself once again in the EG goal, seeing off a penalty corner from Foster. With the momentum seemingly swinging in favour of Canterbury, East Grinstead struck a devastating blow with a lovely individual goal from Josh Coniglio. Canterbury went for a time out and came back with no goalkeeper as they searched for a way back into the contest. The gamble backfired as Condon lifted the ball past the kicking back for his second and his team’s fourth.
Undeterred, the Kent side kept pushing forwards and Smith was alive to the situation once again, making a fine block to deny his old nemesis Jawanda. Canterbury used the extra outfield player well and were camped in the East Grinstead half. Some resolute defence kept them at bay as did the crossbar which was struck by a rocket from Kwan Browne. The clock ran down and East Grinstead celebrated an eighth win in a row to go alongside their women’s triumph earlier in the day.
East Grinstead 5 (2)
Simon Faulkner 4 (PC)
Ross Stott 16 (FG)
David Condon 26, 32 (FG, FG)
Josh Coniglio 31 (FG)
Canterbury 1 (1)
Liam Foster 7 (FG)
England Hockey Board Media release
Canterbury march onto final with first half blitz
Chamberlain celebrates for Canterbury
Canterbury marched on to this afternoon’s final with a strong display to see off University of Birmingham in the first semi-final. Goals from Anna Kolarova, Anna Baker, Dirkie Chamberlain and Susie Rowe did the damage and despite a strong showing from Birmingham in the second half the Kent side took the win.
Canterbury settled the quicker of the two sides and won an early penalty corner. Captain Grace Balsdon took the shot but was denied by a fine save by Jen Mashford diving to her right. They mixed up their routines on the next penalty corner as Anna Kolarova beat the goalkeeper with a fierce drag flick to open the scoring.
Birmingham created their first chance of the game shortly after but Erica Sanders was denied by Helen Fagg in the Canterbury goal. The Kent side hit back and Balsdon was unlucky to be kept out from another penalty corner by a spectacular goal line clearance from Tina Evans.
On ten minutes the Students levelled it up. Vanessa Hawkins found a pocket of space inside the circle and slotted the ball coolly through the goalkeeper’s legs. Parity lasted a matter of seconds as a long pass from Balsdon was tipped in by Anna Baker to make it 2-1.
It was 3-1 with just seven minutes to play in the half. A swift counterattack by the Polo Farm side freed Dirkie Chamberlain who calmly slid the ball past the goalkeeper to the delight of the Green and White Army.
Fagg preserved the two goal cushion with a splendid diving save across her goal and then it got even better for the Kent side when Susie Rowe ripped an unstoppable strike into the bottom corner to increase the lead. Despite some outstanding skills from Hannah Martin, Birmingham trailed 4-1 at the break.
Canterbury started brightly in the second half with Sarah Kerly’s pace causing the University plenty of problems but it was the Students who almost struck back. Sanders’ shot somehow struck the post and bounced out. They did claw one back in the 27th minute. A ball off the boards found its way to Alice Wills who deceived the goalkeeper with an exquisite finish to make it 4-2.
Mashford made a splendid stop to keep out Chamberlain as the game swung from end to end. Birmingham put Canterbury under immense pressure but the counterattack was always on. Rowe played a lovely diagonal pass to Jen Wilson who played it straight on to Kolarova. Her shot drew a good save from Mashford. Green cards for Balsdon and Chamberlain in quick succession reduced Canterbury to four players and Birmingham took off their goalkeeper in an attempt to capitalise. It almost paid off immediately as they hit the post for a second time. With Canterbury back up to a full compliment they almost scored but Rebecca Condie, in the kicking back role produced a heroic piece of defending to deny Kerly.
Despite their frenzied attempts on the Canterbury goal, Birmingham could find no way through and the Kent side progressed to the final.
Canterbury 4 (4)
Anna Kolarova 3 (PC)
Anna Baker 10 (FG)
Dirkie Chamberlain 14 (FG)
Susie Rowe 20 (FG)
University Of Birmingham 2 (1)
Vanessa Hawkins 10 (FG)
Alice Wills 27 (FG)
England Hockey Board Media release
Pheninckx rises from the ashes to fire Grinstead into the final
East Grinstead vs Bowdon Hightown Super 6s
A 24th minute strike from East Grinstead’s Malou Pheninckx was enough to give the Sussex side revenge for last year’s final defeat and more importantly, a place in today’s final against Canterbury.
In a tight encounter, the 24-year-old kept her cool in the circle to slot in what turned out to be the decisive goal.
The game started out as a cagey affair with both sides seemingly weighing up their opponents. East Grinstead threatened first with a penalty corner from Takara Haines that flashed just wide of the target.
With 11 minutes on the clock, East Grinstead forced another corner. Amy Tennant rushed from her line and blocked superbly, setting up a counter attack for Holly Hunt who won a penalty corner. Sally Walton took the shot but Becky Waters made a splendid save to keep it out. Haines blasted another penalty corner just wide as Grinstead pushed hard for the opener.
Hunt forced a good save from Waters after a good advantage from the umpires but despite plenty of endeavour from both sides it remained goalless at the break.
After the break Sian French cleared off the line from a penalty corner but with 24 minutes Malou Pheninckx kept calm to slot in the opener. It could have been even better for the Sussex team just moments later as they were awarded a penalty stroke. Joanna Davis stepped up but her effort flew wide of the target. A superb run by Haines almost brought a second but her shot flashed wide of the target. At the other end Tina Cullen did well to break free and forced a good save from Waters.
Bowdon continued to threaten but it was East Grinstead who carved out the better chances. Tennant made a smart stop to keep out Bara Kavanova’s penalty corner with just over six minutes left. Walton was denied by Waters in the East Grinstead goal as the defending champions threw everything forwards in search of the equaliser. A combination of fine goalkeeping and fine defending kept them at bay and earned East Grinstead a final place by the narrowest of margins.
East Grinstead 1 (0)
Malou Pheninckx 24 (FG)
Bowdon Hightown 0 (0)
England Hockey Board Media release
Pheninckx double hands East Grinstead the title
East Grinstead women celebrate Super6s victory
A brace from Malou Pheninckx handed East Grinstead women the Super 6s title in a dramtic final against Canterbury. The Dutch star struck in the first half and then in the final minute to help her side to a 3-1 win in a keenly contested clash with Canterbury.
Takara Haines added a penalty corner in the 35th minute and although Canterbury had parity thanks to Sarah Kerly’s goal it wasn’t enough.
The Kent side had the first clear chance of the match from a penalty corner. Grace Balsdon took the shot but Becky Waters, the former Canterbury goalkeeper was out like lightning to make the save. It was déjà vu moment later as the East Grinstead stopper somehow diverted Balsdon’s shot over the bar with her face mask.
With ten minutes on the clock the Sussex side got their noses in front. A lovely run from left to right from Malou Pheninckx opened up the space and the 24-year-old supplied a nice finish to break the deadlock. Grinstead almost went further ahead but Mel Clewlow kept her cool to clear off the line from Emma-Lee Smith whilst at the other end Waters denied Kerly with an excellent stop. Canterbury continued to knock at the door and Waters was at her imperious best once again to smother a chance for Lizzie Neal as the score remained 1-0 to East Grinstead at the interval.
Canterbury forced a penalty corner at the start of the second period and with Emma Lee Smith sent to half way for breaking early they moved the ball wide, Balsdon fired it across for Dirkie Chamberlain whose deflection hit the woodwork. The frame of the goal came to Canterbury’s rescue moments later as Davis’ shot hit the upright with Helen Fagg making a superb save to keep out the rebound from Pheninckx.
Time was ticking away but with nine minutes to play Canterbury got their equaliser. With the ball hitting a foot in the circle the umpire played a superb advantage allowing Sarah Kerly to snap up the loose ball to tie it up at 1-1.
East Grinstead rallied and re-took the lead from an excellent penalty corner from Takara Haines with five minutes to play. Canterbury withdrew their goalkeeper as a last throw of the dice. There was a moment of high drama almost immediately as the Kent side won a penalty corner. Once again the jet-heeled Waters arrived at the edge of the circle to block this time from Anna Kolarova. With Canterbury throwing it all forwards, East Grinstead made it safe with under a minute left as Pheninckx grabbed her second to clinch the title.
Canterbury 1 (0)
Sarah Kerly 31 (FG)
East Grinstead 3 (1)
Malou Pheninckx 10, 40 (FG, FG)
Takara Haines 35 (PC)
England Hockey Board Media release
No Hamburg side in German playoffs
The German national indoor championship finals will have a rare quality to them next week as no Hamburg team will play in the last playoffs for the first time in 13 years.
UHC Hamburg bowed out after a shoot out against Uhlenhorst Mülheim after a classic 5-5 encounter with Ferdinand Weinke scoring the crucial one-on-one to eventually prevail 2-1.
With Harvestehuder THC missing out on the playoffs in the group stage, Club an der Alster were the other northern league side to fall as they were undone 4-2 by Rot-Weiss Köln.
Marco Miltkau scored twice with Mats Grambusch and Florian Scholten also on the score sheet, transforming a 2-2 position into victory.
Berliner HC beat TSV Mannheim in a shoot-out while Mannheim HC saw off BW Berlin 3-0 to complete the final four line-up. Mülheim will play Mannheim in their semi-final next Saturday while Rot Weiss take on Berliner for a place in the final which takes place next Sunday.
Euro Hockey League media release
UniKL Young Guns shoot themselves in foot
By Jugjet Singh
UNIKL Young Guns shot themselves in the foot when they were held to a 2-2 draw by SSTMI Juniors in Division One of the Junior Hockey League yesterday.
It was an amazing score, as SSTMI Juniors only won their first point of the season after five matches. SSTMI Juniors also have let in 22 goals thus far and are at the bottom of the 10-team Division One standings.
UniKL, third on the standings on 10 points, will have to play much better in the remaining three matches if they want to play in the knock-out TNB Cup quarter-finals.
The top four teams in Division One and the-four in Division Two will play in the quarter-finals.
UniKL took the lead off Haziq Hisyamuddin in the 13th minute, but SSTMI Juniors equalised off Badrul Amin in the 16th minute. Zul Yadain gave UnKL the lead again in the 28th minute, but Fikri Amer stole the first point of the season for his team with a 60th minute strike.
UniKL coach I. Vickneswaran was dejected with his charges attitude: "I have prepared the team as best as possible for this match but my players never took the opportunities that came their way. They missed too many sitters and penalty corners and now we are in danger of missing the quarter-finals if they keep playing with the same attitude."
UniKL are a pale shadow of their double silver medal winning side last season, as have lost two matches and drawn one after six games.
This is a good lesson as SSTMI Juniors showed us that no team in Division One can be taken lightly. We were punished for thinking that they will give is three points on a platter.
"Instead, we lost two crucial points in this match while STMI Juniors had every reason to celebrate this win like they had won the League title itself," said Vickneswaran.
The JHL takes a two-week break before resuming on Feb 12.
RESULTS: Division One: BJSS Thunderbolts 2 SMKDBL Young Guns 1, UniKL Young Guns 2 SSTMI Jnrs 2.
Division Two: Group A: Perlis Young Lions Jnrs 0 MCKK 0, Azlan Shah Science 1 Kedah Jnrs 3, Matri 1 MSS Kedah 5; Group B: MSSWPKL 2 Anderson PHA 4, MISCF-UFL 2 Anderson Thunderbolts 4; Group C: MSNT-PHT 1 TBSS Tampin 7, Pahang Hockey Academy 1 Malacca High 1.
DIVISION ONE
P W D L F A Pts
SSTMI TNDER' 5 5 0 0 26 4 15
SSP-MSP-TNDER' 5 4 0 1 28 7 12
UNIKL YOUNG GUNS 6 3 1 2 14 15 10
BJSS TNDER' 4 3 0 1 11 5 9
OLAK TIGERS 6 3 0 3 14 19 9
POLITEKNIK 5 2 1 2 9 8 7
PJCC 5 2 0 3 7 11 6
SMKDBL YOUNG GUNS 6 1 1 4 10 16 4
NURINSAFI 5 0 2 3 6 21 2
SSTMI JRS 5 0 1 4 5 24 1
Jugjet's World of Field Hockey
Coach livid after UniKL fail to close gap in junior hockey league
by S. Ramaguru
UniKL's Fallah Hassan Shahrom Jamil (centre) dives for the ball in the Malaysian Junior Hockey League Division 1 match against SSTMI juniors in Bukit Jalil on Sunday. - IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/ The STAR
KUALA LUMPUR: Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) were held to a 2-2 draw by lowly SSTMI Juniors and the failure to get a win infuriated coach I. Vicknesweran.
UniKL, last year’s double runners-up, were expected to win the Division One match of the Malaysian Junior Hockey League at the National Hockey Stadium as SSTMI were bottom of the 10-team league without a single point in their previous four matches.
But to Vicknesweran’s displeasure, they failed to close the gap on leaders SSTMI-Thunderbolt and SSP-MSP-Thunderbolt. UniKL remained in third place with 10 points, five behind SSTMI-Thunderbolt. SSP-MSP-Thunderbolt are second with 12 points.
Vicknesweran hit out at his players for taking their opponents for granted.
“The attitude was all wrong. You cannot under-estimate any team,” said Vicknesweran.
“SSTMI Juniors showed better character and we missed so many chances. I have said it to the players many times that it does not matter whom you play. We always have to be at our level best. This is a good lesson,” he added.
UniKL started promisingly yesterday by taking a 13th-minute lead through a field goal scored by Wan Haziq Hisyamuddin.
But three minutes later SSTMI Juniors drew level, thanks to a penalty corner conversion by Muhammad Badrul Amin Mohamad.
There was no let-up in attack by UniKL as they regained the advantage in the 28th minute through Muhammad Zul Yadain Kasman for a 2-1 first-half lead.
The second half proved to be a tale of missed chances for UniKL. And they paid dearly for their profligacy when skipper Muhammad Fikri Amer Runnizar equalised for SSTMI Juniors with a penalty corner in the 60th minute.
In another Division One match, Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS)-Thunderbolt chalked up their third win in four matches. The former champions edged SMK Datuk Bentara Luar, last year’s Division Two champions, 2-1 to move to fourth place on nine points.
The Star of Malaysia
Saas looks after kid, so bahu can play hockey
LUCKNOW: Four years ago, when Taruna Chauhan had a son after a year of marriage, the hand that wielded a hockey stick had to rock the cradle. But, when this 24-year-old student of CCS University in Meerut was faced with the prospect of having to let go her passion, help came from unexpected quarters - her mother-in-law decided to take care of the child while she worked to regain her stamina and get back onto the playing ground.
Taruna, who stays in Meerut with her son and mother-in-law, is at present playing for the CCS University in the North Zone Women's Hockey Tournament at the Lucknow University here. "My husband lives in Saudi Arabia. So it was left to me to take care of my son, Tushant. I played hockey continuously for five years prior to my marriage. With the baby, there was a break. It was my mother-in-law because of whom I was able to practise both in the morning and evening. My husband too kept my motivation strong," said Taruna.
While it was her mother-in-law who gave her extraordinary support, Taruna said she was also the one who let her complete her education."She is uneducated herself. But she realized that I needed to study and play at the same time and offered to look after my son. She said she wanted to see me successful in both and would not let any problem come in between," said Taruna, who did not wish to share her mother-in-law's name.
The Times of India
Chandigarh Hockey Academy gets a fillip
Last year, 11 players of the Chandigarh Hockey Academy were part of the Chandigarh hockey team which won the junior title in the Hockey India B Division Hockey Tournament played in Jammu.
By: Nitin Sharma
Hockey players practicing at hockey stadium in sector 42 Chandigarh on Friday, January 29 2016. (Express photo by Sahil Walia)
Last month when Hockey India, the governing body of hockey in India, announced the inclusion of Chandigarh Hockey Academy as academy members of Hockey India, the news not only meant that the 20 trainees of the academy will get a chance to play in the Hockey India tournaments under their academy but also that the academy will be developed as a training centre.
“It has been the biggest news for the trainees of the academy. The fact that only two academies from the region were chosen by Hockey India makes this achievement more commendable for us. It will also mean that the academy can send its teams directly in the Hockey India tournaments. Apart from the exposure, players will also benefit from the training camps conducted by Hockey India coaches and the coaching clinics,” says Gurminder Singh, coach at the academy.
Last year, 11 players of the Chandigarh Hockey Academy were part of the Chandigarh hockey team which won the junior title in the Hockey India B Division Hockey Tournament played in Jammu. Hockey India has inducted academies from Bhopal, Mumbai and Rourkela in the past and the selection of Chandigarh Hockey Academy will mean that the players will get a chance to train along with players from these places. “The players will have a better chance to make it to the national camps. Representing their own academy and playing under the academy’s name will boost their confidence. Last year, Chandigarh team won the tournament as most of the players came from the academy itself,” says Sunita Malik, director (sports), Chandigarh.
For players like Sanjay Kumar and Maninder Singh, who scored more than 27 goals in the nationals in Jammu last year, this will also be an opportunity to impress the Hockey India selectors and get a chance to interact with players from other academies in India. “Even though we will graduate later this year from the academy, we are eager to play in as many tournaments as we can under our academy team. It is like a new recognition for players like us,” says Sanjay Kumar, who scored 15 goals in nationals in Jammu.
Chandigarh Hockey Academy has produced players like Dharamvir Singh, Rupinder Pal Singh, Gurjinder Singh, Harjeet Singh and Harjot Singh, all of whom are currently playing in the national senior hockey team. Having played more than 100 matches for the Indian team, Rupinder Pal Singh is the mainstay of the national side. “I wish this was the case when we played. But it is a big opportunity for the current players at the academy. Being recognised by Hockey India means a lot,” says Rupinder Pal Singh.
Indian Express