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All the news for Wednesday 23 March 2011

Canadian Senior Men's Europe Tour Team Announced

Congratulations to the following athletes named to the Canadian Men’s Senior National Team that will tour Europe from the 9th-26th of April 2011.

Field Hockey Canada media release

New logo for MJHL



The new logo for the MHF-Milo-NSC JUnior Hockey League was unveiled today at the Tun Razak Stadium. Present were Nestle Products Sports Sponsorship Manager Ng Ping Loong, MHF Vice President M. Gobinathan and MHF Secretary Maninderjit Singh.

Unofficial MJHL site

Milo pledge RM150,000 for the 24-team junior league


Proud moment: Milo sports marketing manager Ng Ping Loong (left) and MHF vice president M. Gobinathan unveiling the Malaysian Junior Hockey League 2011 logo at the Tun Razak Stadium yesterday. – CHAN TAK KONG / The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: Milo have pledged RM150,000 in cash for the Malaysian Junior Hockey League (MJHL).

Their sports marketing manager, Ng Ping Loong, said that they had been sponsors of the MJHL since 1995 and the amount forked out this year was the highest-ever for the Under-19 competition.

“I am happy with the number of teams competing this season. The participation has increased from nine in the inaugural league to 24 this time,” he said.

“We can expect to see more exciting and competitive matches. By having more teams in junior league, there will be big pool of players for selection for the Project 2013 squad.”

The new logo of the MJHL was launched yesterday at the Tun Razak Stadium here. Also present at the function were Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) vice-president M. Gobinathan and National Sports Council (NSC) representative Khaled Masron.

The total cost to organise the MJHL is RM500,000 and the rest of the money will come from the NSC and the MHF. And the total prize money for amounts to RM75,500.

The Division One champions will receive RM10,000, runners-up RM5,000 and third and fourth place teams RM3,000 and RM2,000 respectively.

The Division Two champions will pocket RM7,000, runners-up RM3,500, third place RM2,000 and fourth place RM1,000.

The overall champions will receive RM20,000 and the runners-up RM10,000.

The third and fourth place teams will take home RM7,000 and RM5,000 respectively.

Each participating team will be given a sponsorship grant of RM3,000.

The Star of Malaysia

Klang outfit make comeback to MJHL after securing sponsors

By AFTAR SINGH

KUALA LUMPUR: Former champions Old La Sallians Association of Klang (Olak) hope to make a comeback with a bang in the Malaysian Junior Hockey League (MJHL), which begins on Friday.

Olak, who did not play in the MJHL last year due to financial constraints, will feature in Division Two.

Olak manager Joseph de Silva thanked PKT Logistics Group Sdn Bhd managing director Datuk Michael B.Y. Tio for sponsoring RM50,000 in cash and kind to help the team make a return to competition.

“Many Olak members were unhappy that we did not put up a team last year. And they have also come forward to sponsor the team this year,” he said.

“With strong support from the members, our mission is to win the Division Two title and gain promotion to Division One next year.

“Except for last year, we Olak have played in the MJHL since its inception in 1995 and we won both the Division One and overall titles a few times.

“The team have been training for almost two months under coach Paul (Raj) for the challenges this season.”

Olak won the Division One title in 1997 and they were double champions in 1998 and 1999. They also won the overall title in 2000.”

Joseph added that most of the players in the team were from the Section 11 Secondary School in Shah Alam, which is a project school for hockey.

“We have also roped in four players from different states to strengthen the team in all departments,” he said.

Olak have hired defender Noor Ihsan Azman of Perlis, who will be the captain of the team. The others are goalkeeper Mohd Amer Haffiq Sharuddin of Penang and two Sarawak forwards Mohd Ridzuan Abdul Hamid and Micheal Plani Dahraman.

A total of 10 teams will play in Division One while 14 teams will feature in a two-group Division Two.

Olak are drawn in Group B with Tunku Besar Tampin, PFS-MI Juniors, MSSWP-KLHC, SMK Padang Midin (Terengganu), MSN Johor-PHJ-MSSJ and MSSPS-MSN Perlis.

Group A comprises MSS Penang, Politeknik KPT (Kedah), SMK Datuk Sheikh Ahmad (Perlis), BPSS-MWHA, Malacca High School, Matri Perlis and SMK Datuk Taha.

The Division One sides are Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), PHK-MSS Kelantan, SMK Anderson, Bukit Jalil Sports School Juniors, Bandar Penawar Sports School Juniors, Universiti Kuala Lumpur, Bandar Penawar SS-Thunderbolt, Bukit Jalil Sports School, Ipoh City Hall Juniors and MSS Pahang.

Olak will open their campaign against SMK Padang Midin at the Tun Razak Stadium on Friday.

Joseph said that they had to play away in Kuala Lumpur because the Pandamaran Stadium in Klang was not in good condition.

“We hope to get off to a winning start,” he said.

The top six teams in Division One and top two in Division Two will feature in the knockout stage. The final is slated for May 21.

The Star of Malaysia

MHF admit hiccup in revamp

K. Rajan

KUALA LUMPUR: There were minor hiccups in the revamped domestic leagues which caused the Razak Cup qualifying rounds to be delayed.

The Razak Cup is on May 27-July 3 while the Malaysia Junior Hockey League (MJHL) ends on May 21.

The national Under-21 tournament is on June 11-19 in Johor Baru.

This year's MJHL will see 24 teams competing compared with 22 last year.

There aren't enough umpires either to cope with two overlapping tournaments and that also contributed to the delay in the Razak Cup.

"It is just a teething problem as our domestic league is being revamped. We want a strong domestic league to build a strong national team," said Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) secretary Maninderjit Singh after the MJHL logo launch at Tun Razak Stadium yesterday.

"We were expecting only 18 teams for the MJHL. We want to ensure we have strong national Under-17 and Under-21 teams."

Maninderjit clarified some States have junior players in their Razak Cup side and as such it was best to avoid a clash of the two events.

Malay Mail

1MAS showing yield

K. Rajan

KUALA LUMPUR: Kuala Lumpur proved their superiority in the National Under-16 tournament by clinching their fourth consecutive title in style — without conceding a single goal — on Sunday.

Nevertheless, Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) development committee chairman Ken Pereira believes the 1MAS programme will bridge the gap between KL and the other teams.

"KL were way ahead but there was overall improvement by the other teams," said Ken.

"Since the launch of the 1MAS programme last September, the State teams have improved. The teams played better hockey compared with last year.

"Their game looked much more organised. There was also improvement in fitness and technique."

Ken added another programme similar to 1MAS would be launched middle of this year.

This will be for indoor hockey. It is expected to further boost the game at the grassroots.

Each State will be provided with one indoor centre.

"Indoor hockey focuses on developing strong fundamentals and we reckon that will have a spill-over effect on field hockey," added Ken.

Malay Mail

Fitness first

The national trainees will undergo a fitness test when they report to camp on March 25. And the results of the fitness test could well determine as to when the national team for the Azlan Shah Cup will be named.

In revealing this, national coach Tai Beng Hai said it was vital to gauge the fitness level before moving on to the tactical and match play preparation.

"We need to test the players first and we are looking at the last week of April in naming the final squad for the Azlan Shah," said Beng Hai.

"I need to hold discussions with Saiful and Stephen in determining the timing."

Beng Hai said that the team will be participating in a Four Nation Tournament in Japan this June before another Four Nation Invitational in Moscow.

For the Japan event, which is scheduled for early June, the other teams are Pakistan, China and hosts Japan.

Beng Hai said while the national players will be released for the Razak Cup proper, their release for the qualifiers seems unlikely as the national team will be in camp.

And talking about the MHL that will commence in September, Beng Hai did this to say;

"The players will need to national camp one day a week and I require a minimum four weeks before the Champions Challenge to prepare the team.

"Anything less then four weeks will mean the squad will not be well prepared hence trying to achieve the target will be difficult."

Malaysian Hockey blogspot

Sports minister asked to reveal fund allocation in past 3 years

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday directed the union ministry of sports and youth affairs to file an affidavit stating how much fund allocation was done since past three years for all sports excluding cricket.

A division bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice D G Karnik was hearing a public interest litigation filed by city-based NGO 'Association for Aided Justice' seeking for the Centre and state government to provide more facilities and infrastructure for sports other than cricket.

According to the petition, the government promotes only cricket in India and neglects every other sport including the national game hockey. Other sportspersons are not doing better despite having immense talent because basic facilities are not being provided to them, it states.

"India wakes and sleeps with cricket. When the cricket team won the T20 World Cup, the government gave them Rs21lakh but the Hockey teams were not even given appropriate funds when they went for the 7th Asian Hockey World Cup," the petitioner's lawyer Dipesh Siroya argued.

The PIL seeks for the government to take effective steps for promotion and recognition of other sports in India.

"India wakes and sleeps with cricket with every win celebrated as if we have won a civil war and every defeat treated as a natural catastrophe," the PIL reads.

The bench directed the union ministry to file their affidavit within three weeks.

DNA

Submit break-up of funds allotted to sports over 3 years: HC to state

A PIL filed in the Bombay High Court has sought directions to the Union Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs to formulate a scheme for promotion of sports other than cricket.

The PIL filed by Association of Aiding Justice (AAJ) stated that even hockey, the national sport of India, has “lost its charm” with the government doing precious little to promote other sports. “Other sportspersons are not doing better despite having immense talent because basic facilities are not provided to them,” the PIL states. It mentions that with Indians excelling in various sports in the Olympics, promotion of other sports will help the government discover untapped talent that can “do wonders at an international level” .

“India wakes and sleeps with cricket. When the cricket team won the T20 World Cup, the government gave them Rs 21 lakh, but the hockey team was not even given appropriate funds when it went for the 7th Asian Hockey World Cup,” Dipesh Siroya, advocate for AAJ argued.

The PIL states that it was rather unfortunate that hockey players were not given salaries and payments on time, demotivating them from pursuing the sport. “Other sportspersons are not doing better because of lack of facilities,” the PIL states.

The PIL urges the court to direct the government to appoint a committee to monitor the policy framed to promote and recognise other sports.

Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice D G Karnik have asked the government to submit a break-up of funds allotted to different sports by the ministry over the past three years and to file an affidavit in three weeks.

Indian Express

All India senior ‘Babu’ hockey from March 23

The 31st All India KD Singh ‘Babu’ Memorial Invitation Prize Money Hockey Tournament will be organised at Dhyanchand astro-turf stadium located at Sports College, Lucknow from March 23 to 29. The tournament is being organised by Regional Sports Office, Lucknow. In the last edition of the prestigious tournament, Punjab National Bank (PNB), Delhi were the winners while Namdhari XI were the runners-up.

Indian Express

Amanda Hooper Tribute

From Hockey New Zealand Board Member, Chris Maister

The tragic events of 22 February 2011 when Christchurch was hit by a 6.3 earthquake have been felt by every part of our community, not only in Christchurch but throughout New Zealand as a whole, and overseas.

We the hockey community lost a much loved member of our family when Amanda Hooper (nee Christie), lost her life in one of the two large commercial buildings that totally collapsed.

A proud Southland girl, on her arrival in Christchurch Amanda quickly made her mark in hockey and became a fiercely proud Cantabrian. Having left her beloved Southland with an enviable academic and sporting record to her name, Amanda applied the same disciplines to her life on arrival in Canterbury, both in work and hockey.

Above all else Mands was a positive, energetic, fun person to be around. Her limitless energy and enthusiasm for every part of life were examples to all who think they are busy, as she packed huge amounts into every day. Her room mates from hockey trips will confirm that Mands started each day around 5.30 am, unless someone else woke earlier to join her. She was always the first with her playing gear on and ready for action, be it for a practice session, or a test match.

From her dedicated membership of the Carlton Redcliffs hockey club, to the Canterbury Cats, and then the women’s Black Sticks, Mands applied the same level of loyalty and commitment. She was a proud wearer of whichever jersey she had on, and the same high level of athleticism was always displayed. When the ‘beep tests’, (fitness tests which are very familiar to those in representative teams), were staged, Mands was the first to step up and invariably the sole survivor as the rest of her team mates eventually pulled out having done all they could personally manage.

She had an insatiable thirst for work both in practise and on the field, and seemed to be able to subject herself to greater levels of pain and discomfort than could others. Indeed a note found in her hockey bag read, ‘The pain of discipline is better than the pain of defeat’. That really summed Amanda up. Added to this was a huge desire to always learn more about hockey. Practice for her was not a chore, but a clear path to improvement in her skills.

The Canterbury hockey family, along with many who made the trip from other parts of the country, (something she would have been so proud of), gathered last week with family and friends to farewell one of their favourite daughters. The tributes paid were wonderful, and the archway of hockey sticks she left us through was a clear reminder of the strength of our hockey family.

Amanda displayed personal attributes and qualities that unfortunately are becoming increasingly difficult to find. We all loved her for that, and for the neat friend she was to so many.

We are going to truly miss you Mands, but be assured we will always remember you with great respect and affection.

Our thoughts and love go to her husband Ritchy, her two gorgeous daughters, Aimee and Keily and the Christie and Hooper families.

Hockey New Zealand Media release

Updated Message from Tim Shannahan (CEO, Canterbury Hockey)

In the wake of the Christchurch earthquake on February 22 2011 and the devastation that has impacted so much of the city, the Canterbury Hockey Association offices have re-opened in a limited capacity. All staff remain safe, but the trauma of the events has taken its toll and various staff are working reduced hours as they take care of the personal needs of themselves, their families and friends.

The hockey community continues to hope for a positive outcome for members of the hockey community known to be in collapsed buildings throughout the city.

Advise remains that non-essential travel should be avoided and therefore all hockey facilities remain closed. However the intention is to re-open Nunweek Park this weekend to allow hockey players to play the sport they love and reconnect with their friends in hockey. A decision of when access can be gained to Marist Park at St. Bede’s College will be dependent on when the Ministry of Education declares the school suitable to re-open.

The two fields at Nunweek Park and the field at Marist Park at St. Bede’s College have come through relatively unaffected. However, Porritt Park has sustained further damage and various half-fields around the city at schools and hockey clubs have been significantly affected. Of the ten fields that it had been expected would be used for junior hockey this season, it is likely at least half will be unusable. This presents enormous problems for the Canterbury Hockey Association as it attempts to accommodate all players that wish to remain in hockey in 2011.

Thank you to all within the hockey community nationally that have offered support. Thank you also for the kind thoughts that have been expressed. At this time, when so much seems too hard, it is comforting to know that others are wanting to assist and see hockey in Canterbury recover and make it through this terrible ordeal.

Hockey New Zealand Media release

Bodkin sinks Malvern


Notre Dame’s Darnel Trancoso leaves Petrotrin duo, Justin Mc Lean and Donaldson Charles in his wake during their T&T Hockey Board Trinity Men’s Division clash at the National Hockey Centre, Tacarigua on Sunday. The match ended 2-2. Photo: Anthony Harris.

Joel Bodkin helped himself to a hat-trick and Akim Tossaint added a double as Paragon outgunned Stag Malvern 7-3 in their T&T Hockey Board Men’s Championship Division match at the National Hockey Centre, Tacarigua, on Sunday. But it was not as easy as the scoreline suggests for Paragon as it was Malvern who took the lead after only two minutes thanks to a Justin Clarke field goal. However, Bodkin then drew his team level in the 12th minute before Christopher Scipio made it 2-1 in the 15th minute for Paragon to lead 2-1 at the half. On the resumption, Paragon quickly put the match out of Malvern’s reach when Akim Toussaint fired in a quick double in the 47th and 53rd minute for a 4-1 advantage while Kiel Murray made it 5-1 in the 61st minute.

Malvern then got two rapid items from Joshua De Four (62nd) and veteran player, Anthony Marcano (65th) to reduce the deficit to 5-3. But any hopes of a Malvern revival soon faded as Bodkin added two more goals, in the 66th and 67th to complete his personal feat and the 7-3 triumph as Paragon improved to maximum six points from two matches to lead the table ahead Defence Force on goal-difference. The “Teteron Boys”, won for the second straight match, 3-1 over Notre Dame after losing their opener to Paragon.

Nicholas Wren converted a penalty in the 15th minute for Defence Force to lead 1-0 but within four minutes Romell Tam Wing got the Dames on level terms. Two minutes before the half though, Marcus James regained the lead for Defence Force while Niel Lashley added the other nine minute from full-time. Tonight, in the Veterans Division from 8 pm, Corona Fatima and Notre Dame face off in the Trinity category while tomorrow, Malvern and Defence Force meet.

Sunday’s T&THB results:

Boys U-19:

Shape 2 (Jordan Reynos 39th, Dillon Campbell Campbell 64th) vs Petrotrin 1 (Kern Chan Sue 28th).

Trinity Men’s Division:

Paragon 8 (Lawrence Thomas 16th, Glendon Superville 17th, 26th, Saleem Clapham 25th, 57th, Chester Sealey 28th, Lyndon Cummings 43rd, Keston Paul 69th) vs Malvern 2 (Jumuel Romeo 29th, 64th).Notre Dame 2 (Isiah Charles 60th, Darnel Trancoso 70th) vs Petrotrin 2 (Kern Chan Sue 19th, Shakiel Joseph 36th).

Men’s Championship:

Paragon 7 (Joel Bodkin 12th, 66th, 67th, Akim Toussaint 47th, 53rd, Christopher Scipio 15th, Kiel Murray 61st) vs Malvern 3 (Justin Clarke 2nd, Joshua De Four 62nd, Anthony Marcano 65th).Defence Force 3 (Nicholas Wren 15th pen, Marcus James 33rd, Neil Lashley 61st) vs Notre Dame 1 (Romell Tam Wing 19th).

The Trinidad Guardian

Golden Sticks Face CEPS in Men’s final



The resurgence of Golden Sticks of Ghana Commercial Bank after a not too good Africa Cup for Club Champions Competition last December continued when they chalked a 1-0 victory over rivals Exchequers of Bank of Ghana.

They however had to wait till seven minutes from the end of a fiercely contested match to snatch the winner through Fredrick Darko who beautifully connected from a move during open play. The win guaranteed Golden Sticks the maximum nine points in the round-robin stage and established them as favourites to lift the trophy. Exchequers’ misery continued as they failed to score and ended the round-robin stage with no point. They will do well to avoid the proverbial wooden spoon when they take on Trustees who bowed 0-1 to CEPS in the other men’s match.

Extinguishers of Ghana National Fire Service powered into the finals of the women’s category with a convincing 2-0 (Ramatu Abass-2 and Joamit Korwu-22) win over hapless police. They will face either CEPS or Reformers who lock horns on Wednesday to determine who advances to the finals.

In the senior’s competition, Multistix added to the misery of NDK Financiers with 2-0 bashing with goals from Daniel Djokoto (7th–PC) and Eddie Odametey (18th–FG). Multi outplayed NDK in all departments of the game top the standings with seven points and will face defending champions Citizens in the finals. Citizen could only manage a draw against a determined Veterans side that fought from a goal down to draw level during the dying embers of their clash.

Ghana Hockey Association media release

Natascha Keller receives prestigious German award



German record international Natascha Keller became the second hockey player in history to receive the prestigious 'Golden Ribbon of the Sports Press' on Saturday.

33-year-old 'Taschi' Keller, who started her international career at the age of 17, has since disputed more than 370 matches for her country, scored 179 goals, and amassed an impressive array of medals and titles: an Olympic gold medal in Athens, a bronze medal at the 1998 Utrecht World Cup, 2 Indoor World Cup gold medals in 2003 and 2011, alongside medals at European indoor and outdoor nations and club events and 7 German national league titles, as well as the 1999 FIH Player of the Year award and 4 nominations into the FIH All Star team between 2006 and 2010.

With her Olympic title, Natascha did her part to increase her family's fantastic collection of hockey medals and titles, which includes a unique string of Olympic medals: a 1936 Olympic silver medal won by Natascha's grandfather Erwin Keller, a 1972 Olympic gold medal won by her father Carsten Keller, a 1992 Olympic gold medal won by older brother Andreas, and another won by younger brother Florian at the 2008 Beijing tournament.

As for her future, Natscha has her eyes firmly set on this year's EuroHockey Nations Championships, to be held in August in her home country, which serve as a qualifier for the 2012 London Olympic Games. Should Taschi extend her career for another year after that, she would become the first German hockey player ever to have participated in 5 Olympic Games.

The Golden Ribbon of the Sports Press is the oldest sports award in Germany, and has been presented by the German sports press annually since 1927 to individuals in German sport in recognition of their achievements. Past recipients include five time Olympic gold medallist speed skater Claudia Pechstein, three time Olympic gold medallist luge athlete Georg Hackl, iconic figure skater Katharina Witt and famous football goalkeeper Oliver Kahn.

FIH site