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All the news for Thursday 7 July 2011

Calypso stickwomen sweep Guyana

Nigel Simon

Kristin Thompson and Arielle Du Quesnay fired in a pair of goals each as T&T senior hockey women’s team completed a three-match sweep of Guyana at the National Hockey Centre, Tacarigua. The local team won the final match, 6-1 on Sunday. Thompson opened the scoring in the ninth minute while Yesenia Luces (18th) and Du Quesnay (19th) added to the tally before Thompson added her second for a 4-0 cushion inside the first 20 minutes of play. Two minutes before the interval, though, Karensa Fernandes netted for the visitors, their first goal in three matches for a 4-1 deficit at the break.

In the second-half, T&T eased up on its opponent somewhat but still managed to add further items through Charlene Williams in the 61st minute and Du Quesnay, two minutes from the end for the five-goal victory.

The win capped off a good weekend for the Anthony Marcano-coached team which was using the series as part of their preparations for the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. The competition runs from October 19-28. The national women’s team is now set to depart T&T on Wednesday for Vancouver where it will face hosts Canada, Chile and Japan in a four-nation tournament, playing each team twice. The Pan American Games serves as a qualifier for next year’s London Olympics and will feature T&T in Group A alongside Argentina, Barbados and Canada while Group B comprises Chile, Cuba, Mexico and USA.

Results
July 1: T&T 7 (B Wynn 1st, 4th, 7th, A Du Quesnay 13th, 34th, C Wynn 27th, M Charles 62nd) vs Guyana 0.
July 2: T&T 4 (B Wynn 5th, 24th, 69th, K Thompson 13th) vs Guyana 0.
July 3: T&T 6 (K Thompson 9th, 20th, A Du Quesnay 19th, 68th, Y Luces 18th, C Williams 61st) vs Guyana 1 (K Fernandes 32nd).

Squad
T&T squad: Avion Ashton, Renee Charles, Mindy Charles, Yesenia Luces, Petal Derry (GK), Kristin Thompson, Stephanie Whiteman, Lindsay Williams, Blair Wynne, Fiona O’Brien, Brittney Hingh, Alanna Lewis, Dara Ransome, Jennifer Stephens (GK), Alicia Waithe, Charlene Williams, Curlyne Wynn, Kelli O’Brien. Technical staff: Anthony Marcano (coach), Natalie Nieves (assistant coach), Kemoy Clarke (manager).

The Trinidad Guardian

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Australia Schoolboys edge SA Under-18 in first hockey Test

JONATHAN COOK at St Alban’s in Pretoria

THE Australian Schoolboys hockey team beat South Africa U18 3-2 in the first of a three-match series after leading 2-1  at half-time at St Alban’s College in Pretoria Wednesday night.

Australia dominated the first half and were rewarded with two goals from penalty corners.  SA were pinned in their half and the Aussies robbed the home country of the ball in the second minute to set up their first PC, from which Shayne Smith snapped in the deflection(1-0).

After 14 minutes and a good period of SA play, outstanding Aussie midfielder Nick Hill broke away on a 30-metre run from which the second PC was earned, and James Knee volleyed in the rebound off Free State and SA goalkeeper Hendrik Kroukamp’s pads (2-0).

SA won their first PC soon after, but it was very disappointing for the vociferous home crowd that their top two drag-flickers were off the field on the sub’s bench at the time, a situation that can, but should never, happen with the five rolling substitutions allowed. Nevertheless, third-choice flicker and Western Province player Michael Mulder’s effort deserved a goal.

On half-time SA finally put together a flowing move that was finished off by Amathole-Border’s Cerezo Comerasamy after an assist by KZN Coastals captain Sumanth Sunkari (2-1).

Trailing 2-1 going into the second half against the world top men’s hockey nation, the South Africans gained in confidence, but despite the efforts of outstanding keeper Kroukamp, who kept SA in the game, Australia went 3-1 up thanks to Jadium Rees’s low corner flick.

SA captain and Western Province centre half Michael Watson rallied his troops and the home side had the best of the rest of the match as the Aussies became increasingly unsettled and incurred the umpires’ wrath.. Amathole-Border striker Ignatius Malgraff and Eastern Province captain Chad Cairncross came close, but a superb ball from KZN Inland’s Timothy Guise-Brown enabled Malgraff to smash into the net with seven minutes left (3-2).

SA strived mightily for the equaliser and though it was not to be, it was a heartening performance  that will stand them in good stead ahead of Thursday and Friday’s 7.30 pm Test matches at the same venue.

SA Hockey Association media release

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Kookaburras injury toll continues

Injuries have continued to hamper the Kookaburras as they begin their 12 month count down the 2012 London Olympics, with two more players ruled out of their upcoming month long tour of Europe due to injury.

Midfielder Tim Deavin and striker Kieran Govers have been sidelined with Deavin having a stress fracture and Govers a hamstring tear.

Joel Carroll has also been affected by injury, and will now only compete in the second half of the tour due to a hamstring injury.

These players will join a long list of casualties for the Kookaburras which includes several key players such as Des Abbott, four time world player of the year Jamie Dwyer and 2010 Kookaburras player of the year Graeme Begbie who are all recovering from long term injuries. Veteran striker Grant Schubert has also been sidelined for a substantial period with an achilles injury while penalty corner specialist Luke Doerner has recently undergone hip surgery.

A cautious approach has also been taken with Liam De Young and Rob Hammond to monitor recent hamstring injuries that are not considered serious.

Despite the long list of injuries Charlesworth says the Kookaburras preparation for the remainder of the year and towards the 2012 London Olympics is still well on track.

“Obviously none of these injuries are ideal and we would like to have every player available. However that isn’t the case so we will monitor each player carefully and take a cautious approach. Fortunately the first six months of this year has been quiet for us and the London Olympics is still some time away, so we want to take care of these injuries now.  I expect to have the majority of players, including the likes of Abbott, Dwyer and Begbie who have been sidelined for some time, back in the team within the coming months in plenty of time for the Champions Trophy in December,” said Charlesworth.

In positive news four young players will be given an opportunity to prove themselves against some world class teams, helping grow the depth of the Kookaburras squad which is already considered to be the strongest in world hockey.

WA’s Chris Bausor will make his international debut while Ian Burcher, Tim Bates and Matt Gohdes have also been called into the team for the European tour.

Charlesworth said this would give the Kookaburras a chance to further strengthen their depth, something that has been a key to the Kookaburras in recent years.

“At this stage we have many players who have only played 10-20 games. It is important that we continue to get games into these players so that if we continue to get injuries we will have players who can step right into that role and the team won’t be effected,” said Charlesworth.

The Kookaburras will play two test matches against Spain between July 14-16 before competing in a 4 Nations tournament in Monchengladbach, Germany against Germany, Spain and the Netherlands.

They will then travel to Paris to compete in a 5 Nations Challenge tournament between France, Korea, Argentina and Ireland.

Due to last years hectic schedule in which the Kookaburras became the first team in history to win the World Cup, Champions Trophy and Commonwealth Games in the one year, the Kookaburras schedule in 2011 has been quiet to date. However this European tour will begin a busy period for the Kookaburras which will include the Oceania Cup and International Super Series in October and then the Champions Trophy in India in December.

 

KOOKABURRAS EUROPEAN TOUR SQUAD – July 2011
2 Tests v Spain & 4-Nations, Germany			INSEP 5-Nations Challenge Paris
** - players to return after 4-Nations in Germany on 24 July			** - players to depart Perth on 20 July to join tour party
Nathan BURGERS	QLD		Nathan BURGERS	QLD
Andrew CHARTER	ACT		Andrew CHARTER	ACT
Chris CIRIELLO	VIC		Chris CIRIELLO	VIC
Fergus KAVANAGH	WA		Fergus KAVANAGH	WA
**   Ian BURCHER	WA		**   Joel CARROLL	NT
** Brent DANCER	WA		** Chris BAUSOR	WA
** Matthew SWANN	QLD		**   Glenn SIMPSON	WA
Mark KNOWLES	QLD		Mark KNOWLES	QLD
Matthew BUTTURINI	NSW		Matthew BUTTURINI	NSW
**   Kiel BROWN	WA		**   Tim BATES	VIC
Simon ORCHARD	NSW		Simon ORCHARD	NSW
Eddie OCKENDEN	TAS		Eddie OCKENDEN	TAS
Mark PATERSON	NSW		Mark PATERSON	NSW
Jonathon CHARLESWORTH	WA		Jonathon CHARLESWORTH	WA
Jacob WHETTON	QLD		Jacob WHETTON	QLD
**   Trent  MITTON	WA		**    Matt GOHDES	QLD
** Glenn TURNER	ACT		** Russell FORD	VIC
Jason WILSON	QLD		Jason WILSON	QLD

European Tour schedule:

Depart Perth – July 9th

Test v Spain – July 14th
Test v Spain – July 16th

4 Nations tournament, Monchengladbach

v Netherlands – July 21st
v Germany – July 23rd
v Spain – July 24th

5 Nations Challenge, Paris

v Ireland – July 27th
v Argentina – July 28th
v Korea – July 30th
v France – July 31st

Hockey Australia media release

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Deavin, Govers out of European tour

SYDNEY: Tim Deavin and Kieran Govers will miss Australia's tour of Europe this month further adding to the World Cup champions' injury toll, Hockey Australia said Thursday.

Deavin has a stress fracture and Govers a torn hamstring and exacerbates the Kookaburras' injury problems for the tour, which includes two internationals against Spain, the Four Nations tournament in Monchengladbach and the Five Nations Challenge in Paris.

The Kookaburras are already without key players, Des Abbott, four-time world player of the year Jamie Dwyer and 2010 Kookaburras player of the year Graeme Begbie, who are all recovering from long-term injuries.

Veteran striker Grant Schubert has also been sidelined for a substantial period with an Achilles injury while penalty corner specialist Luke Doerner has undergone hip surgery.

Despite the lengthy injury toll, coach Ric Charlesworth said Australia's preparation for the rest of the year and towards the 2012 London Olympics remained on track.

"Fortunately the first six months of this year has been quiet for us and the London Olympics is still some time away, so we want to take care of these injuries now," he said.

Charlesworth said he expected to have the majority of players, including Abbott, Dwyer and Begbie, back in the team in plenty of time for the Champions Trophy in India in December.

Last year the Kookaburras became the first international field hockey team to win the World Cup, Champions Trophy and Commonwealth Games gold medal in the one year.

The Times of India

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NZ's arrival as hockey power etched in bronze

SIMON PLUMB

Last-gasp heroine Charlotte Harrison and coach Mark Hager both say the Black Sticks' historic bronze at the Champions Trophy in Amsterdam was more important than the Commonwealth Games silver they won nine months ago.

In Delhi, Hager's side came within a whisker of gold, only penalty strokes all that could separate the Black Sticks from eventual winners Australia.

But having now found success at a competition containing all the world's top eight teams, Harrison and Hager say this one has forced the global hockey community to sit up and take notice of New Zealand.

Hager, who has reinvigorated the team over the past two years with an unwavering ethos for constant improvement, dubbed the Champions Trophy a "mini-Olympics".

Without doubt, the women's Black Sticks have proven they are a genuine medal shot for London next year.

"The Commonwealth Games is a great tournament, but you're never going to come up against Argentina, Germany, and those sorts of teams like you do at the Champions Trophy," Hager said when the team arrived at Auckland Airport yesterday.

"We've tested ourselves against the best in the world and come home with medals. That's fantastic for us."

Harrison, who scored the last-minute extra-time goal to beat Korea in the bronze-medal match, echoed her coach's sentiments almost word for word.

"In terms of an all-round achievement, this ranks higher than the Commonwealth Games," she said.

Stuff

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Black Sticks realistic despite medal win

The New Zealand women's hockey team know their bronze medal at the Champions Trophy this week has raised expectations about their prospects at the Olympic Games.

But coach Mark Hager sees the race to get on the podium in London next year as being wide open.

"You could throw a blanket over No 3 to 12 in the rankings," he said.

"It depends on who comes into a tournament with the right frame of mind, gets a bit of confidence, a little bit of luck. They're the ones who are going to win the medals."

During Hager's 2-1/2 years in the job, the Black Sticks have risen from outside the top 10 to their present ranking of No 6, their highest since the end of 2005 and above traditional rivals Australia.

Their bronze medal in Amsterdam, which followed their silver at the Delhi Commonwealth Games last October, was the best result by a New Zealand women's team in a major hockey tournament.

However, Hager had his feet on the ground, while also encouraging his charges to continue to aim high.

He felt they hadn't been at their best in the second half of the Champions Trophy, citing too many turnovers in the third-place playoff against South Korea, who weren't able to take full advantage.

Hager said there was still a big gap to the Netherlands and Argentina, who finished with gold and silver respectively.

"They're a level up from every other team, but we feel we getting a little bit closer."

What had particularly pleased him was how the younger members of his squad stood up, so it wasn't a case of waiting for seniors players such as co-captains Kayla Sharland and Emily Naylor, or striker Krystal Forgesson to come up with the goods.

"We had a real team performance, rather than an individual one this time," he said.

"All the young ones had to put in as well and it was fantastic they were able to do it."

Hager said the message to the squad when they first arrived in Europe was "no more hiding behind excuses, no more hiding behind we're a young team".

He was impressed with their positive spirit and how they raised the bar in terms of what they wanted to achieve.

"They love to have a go, they love to score goals, they're very competitive and they don't like losing," he said.

"I think in the past we've just accepted it and that's something a lot of girls have said to me, that they felt fifth's good enough or fourth's good enough.

"This group have had a bit of bit of success in medals. They've had a taste. They want to continue it, so hopefully we can."

The players now turn their attention to next month's national hockey league, after which a preliminary 25-strong Olympic squad will be announced.

A test series against the United States in San Diego will follow, before the Oceania Cup in Tasmania in October, the latter doubling as the regional qualifying event for the Olympics.

With two spots for London up for grabs in a three-way contest in Hobart, New Zealand and Australia look virtual certainties to get through ahead of Fiji.

The Black Sticks' next assignment after that is a return to the Champions Trophy, which will begin in Argentina in late January.

The New Zealand Herald

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Ranking jump a surprise from Black Sticks' bronze

By Terry Maddaford

Normally meticulous Black Sticks coach Mark Hager arrived home yesterday to admit "I did my sums wrong", but was more than happy with the outcome.

Hager left for the Champions Trophy fearing that, depending on results, the best his team could do was hold their own at seventh place in the rankings or, at worst, drop to eighth.

In the end, the points for snatching that dramatic bronze medal from the Koreans were enough for his team to leapfrog their great rivals Australia into an equal-high sixth on the just-released International Hockey Federation (FIH) rankings.

That equals their position at the end of 2005 and is a vast improvement from their slump to 11th after finishing 12th at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Hager is more than satisfied as the Black Sticks left Amsterdam the best-placed Commonwealth country with England (4th) and China (5th) now well within their sights.

But, as ever, Hager has his feet firmly on the ground.

"[The bronze medal] was good, especially for players like Kayla Sharland and Emily Naylor who have been part of the team for so long," said Hager, who obviously enjoyed his proudest moment in the two years he has had the team.

"But we still have a long way to go. The two best teams [the Dutch and Argentina] were in the final and the standard of that game showed that the gap between them and the rest is still there. Closing that has to remain our goal."

They will not have to wait long.

In a little over six months they will be back at a Champions Trophy. With the Olympics taking centre stage next year, the Champions Trophy will be played in Argentina from January 28.

As one of the top five at this year's tournament, New Zealand's participation, along with the Netherlands, Argentina, Korea and England is guaranteed.

Japan, as winner of the Champions Challenge, have also qualified.

Two wildcards have yet to be handed out.

Hager and most of the team arrived home yesterday. They will now prepare for the new-look, and crucial (in terms of ongoing selection) National Hockey League, which hits off on July 30 with much-rearranged teams.

Immediately after the NHL, Hager will name a 25-strong squad to prepare for next year's London Olympics. Many of that group will then play five tests in the United States in September as part of the preparation for the Oceania championships in Hobart from October 5-9 at which FIH ranking points will again be at stake.

"As far as I know, all the players will still be around for the Olympics," said Hager. "Obviously this group has the front running but we will always have an open mind on that."

Beyond that, the 2014 Commonwealth Games loom. Going on what they showed at the Champions Trophy, perhaps there will be a golden glint in Hager's, and his players', eyes by then.

The New Zealand Herald

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Sandeep Singh can win you games: Michael Jack Nobbs

By DNA Correspondent

Sandeep Singh received a lot of praise from India hockey coach Michael Jack Nobbs, who said that the drag flicker is one of the best in the world. He felt that the 25-year-old is not just a good player but also a “match-winner”.

“I have watched Sandeep in Europe and he can win you games. He is one of the best in the world,” said Nobbs on Wednesday. “I want to transform him into a better player. If he plays in a system that does not suit him, then we have to make changes.”

The coach said he would like to take his time before assessing any player. “I don’t want to pre-judge anyone at this point of time.”

Nobbs is going to have a rotation system and feels there should be two or three penalty corner and drag flick specialists. “I don’t know who the players will be as yet. I only know Sandeep Singh now but we need others too. And everyone will be given a chance,” he stated.

Nobbs would like to have drag flickers, who are good otherwise too, for obvious reasons. “We would develop them as flickers as well as all-rounders. I think Luke Doerner (Australian) started off as a great flicker and is now a good player too. Taeke Taekema (Dutch) wasn’t a good player when he started off, but he was a great drag flicker,” he said.

He added that he intends to discuss with former Indian penalty corner specialist Jugraj Singh and see how things work out. He also said he preferred specialists from India.

The former Australian player was of the opinion that speed is not everything when it comes to drag flicking. “You can flick too fast and lose control or you could lose speed. Speed needs to be controlled. We need to find out how fast they flick,” said the coach.

To assess their flicking speed, Nobbs is waiting to get the radar gun. Once the speed is known (which has to be within a certain range), they can see if excess speed is spoiling the action. Then, it can be corrected.

“As soon as we get the radar gun, we will assess the players and decide where to start from. We need to know where we are and have already done speed and strength testing,” Nobbs said.

DNA

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Nobbs wants drag-flickers to be all-rounders

BANGALORE: Drag-flickers or sound field players? Until now, the choice would have been obvious for India's penalty corner specialists but henceforth, the accent would be on both the roles, essayed with finesse.

In the past too coaches have called upon drag-flickers to look beyond their ability to rifle the ball in from the top of the circle but the results have been mixed, forcing the team to cover up for its blunders in the defence on more on one occasion.

Chief coach Michael Jack Nobbs saw the pitfalls of having too many players pigeonholed as mere drag-flickers when he said: "We would develop them as drag-flickers as well as all-rounders. Take Luke Doerner of Australia, for example. He started off as a great drag-flicker and is now a good player. Likewise, Holland's Taeke Taekema wasn't a good player when he started off, but he was a great drag-flicker."

Nobbs also pointed to Santi Freixa, who has excelled as both a drag-flicker and a goal-getter for Spain in recent times and said India would have to look at investing its proponents with multiple roles.

"It is good to know there are around six such players in the camp," said Nobbs, referring to Sandeep Singh, VR Raghunath, Diwakar Ram, Rupinderpal Singh and the others. "We would put in place a rotational system and we need 2-3 penalty corner and drag-flick specialists in a team. I don't know who they are yet. I only know Sandeep, who is probably one of the best in the world. We need to get a few others too."

With penalty corner coach Jugraj expected to land in a couple of days, Nobbs will discuss the talent at hand and the way forward.

However, he wasn't in favour of a foreign expert, at least for now. "I have to discuss with Jugraj and see how to work out. I don't have any foreign specialists in mind. I'd rather have people from here It is very important to keep things Indian at the moment."

According to Nobbs, the strength of drag-flicker is speed and control. "You can flick too fast and lose control or you could lose speed. There is a certain range of speed that needs to be controlled."

Nobbs will begin his assessment of India's drag-flickers once Sports Authority of India procures the equipment for him. He had discussed the issue during the meeting with SAI recently.

"We need to find out how fast they flick. We haven't gone to that assessment yet since the radar gun is yet to come. Only then will we know where to start from. A radar gun tells the speed a player is flicking at. If there is a problem with the action, then we can change that with bio-mechanics. That is the reason why bio-mechanics and physiology are important."

Nobbs was all praise for Sandeep and his art. "I have watched Sandeep in Europe. He wins games. He is one of the best in the World. My aim will be to transform him into a better player. I need to get him into our Indian system now. If he has played in a system which does not suit him, then we have to make changes. I don't want to pre-judge anyone at this point of time. And everyone will be given a chance."

On Sandeep's frailties as a defender, he said: "Everyone has good and bad points. We just have to make good points better and try and do our best with the bad ones."

The Times of India

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Top-of-the-world feeling: Goalkeeper Baljit Singh

By Vivek Phadnis

“I cried at times. Why me, I thought?” said Baljit Singh. One day, he was India’s top goalkeeper and the next, he was not sure if he would play hockey ever again.

Baljit felt shattered after an accident during training. While trying out a novel goalkeeping training method, the golf ball being used hit his right eye. At first, the doctors treating him had given up. But the 29-year-old did not consider it the end of the world. That was about two years ago. Today, he is back in the national camp here.

“After the injury, I really did not know what was pushing me. The doctors said I would not be able to play. Dreams of playing in the Commonwealth Games and World Cup were broken. But the life should go on. I did not want to think about the injury, but about what I could do ahead,” he said.

“The call to the national camp was a surprise. It was a top-of-the-world feeling for me. I am back with all my teammates. I am happy and so are the others. I will give it 100 per cent. It will be good if I make it to the team, but if not, this experience will surely help me,” he added.

Owing to the nature of the injury, many people had ruled him out. But, just like he would take on drag flicks during games, Baljit decided to take on life. Of course, his family was a big source of support.

“My family gave me the confidence. My teammates also helped and it took a lot of effort. My coach Ramesh Parameshwaran and my employers (Indian Oil) have been good to me. My employers said that if I could play, well and good. If not, I would have been asked to work in the office,” he said.

Slowly, he began to play domestic hockey. At first, he used to play for 10 minutes or so, then a half and then full matches. That was the confidence booster.

That confidence gained has helped him get this far. Probably no one would have guessed that Baljit would have made it back to the national camp. Now that he believes that he still has stuff left in him, he enters the field just like any other player and says he is ready to take on a challenge.

“The player inside me is still very much alive. When I block the ball etc., I know the angle to take because I have played for so long. I do not think about problems, and I did not want to talk about it also. Tiger Pataudi injured his eye but still continued to play,” he stated.

“I kept telling myself that I should be strong. I remained strong because of hockey. I did not break from inside, but continued to fight,” he remarked.

DNA

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Hockey team to train at MEG

The national hockey probables will train in batches on the artificial turf at Madras Engineers Group on Thursday, a routine they may tend to repeat during their schedule in Bangalore.

The shift to MEG is to essentially facilitate the cleaning of the Polytan pitch at Sports Authority of India, South Centre. Matches played for the past two days haven't exactly been pleasing with players finding the turf extremely slippery.

"We will have our first practice match at 7.30am," camp co-ordinator AB Subbaiah told TOI. "We intend to send three batches, including one in the evening."

Subbaiah said it would be a good change of scene for the players and hinted that a similar session may be planned at the Akkithimmanahalli ground too.

The Times of India

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Ganesh against no-captain theory

Aby Jose

BANGALORE: Former India hockey captain and coach MP Ganesh is against the 'no-captain' theory favoured by the current chief coach Michael Jack Nobbs, opining that the system would not do any good to the team.

Ganesh said the idea of a leadership group should not stand in the way of naming a captain.

"The 'no-captain' policy is foolish. It is the duty of the team management to identify a player with high leadership and motivational skills. The management cannot camouflage its failure to do so by naming a group," said Ganesh.

"I agree it was a mistake to name different captains in a short span in recent times, particularly with some being not captaincy material at all. One player simply didn't fit in with his body language, attitude and ball distribution. Also, you cannot be entrusted the captaincy job just because you always score the winning goals. A good captain chooses the best player for a set-piece, judges the situation well, is always alert about the pace of the game and mode of attack. A coach should not give instructions from the sidelines because if he can't teach them in the practice session, it is not going to work in an hour's time," reasoned Ganesh.

Ganesh referred to Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni as well. "Dhoni was identified as good captaincy material early on and senior players including Sachin Tendulkar supported him all through."

Conveying his best wishes to Nobbs, Ganesh said the Aussie should have a rethink on the captaincy issue. "He may take time for it, may be five to six months, but one person has to be identified as the leader of the pack," he said.

The Times of India

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Pakistan hockey looking to get up to speed with the modern game

KARACHI: Ever wonder how Australia became such a big hockey powerhouse and left kings Pakistan in their trails? Fitness, technology and efficient coaching methods are the keywords.

But realization is key and it seem Pakistan hockey chiefs have now decided to invest heavily on technology in a bid to bring their team at par with the world’s best sides ahead of next year’s Olympic Games in London.

The three-time Olympic champions Pakistan finished last in the recently concluded four-nation Rabo Trophy which featured European giants Germany, England and Netherlands. It was evidence of the fact that while the ‘greenshirts’ were still a top contender in Asia, there standing on the world stage still left a lot to be desired.

It is also clear that Pakistan possess the necessary skill, just not top-level fitness to comeback into games after being put to the test. A prime example to follow are former Asian Champions South Korea, who through fitness and exemplary speed have left Pakistan and India well behind.

Top Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) officials concede that their players certainly need to make huge strides if they are to entertain any hopes of a podium finish at the 2012 London Olympics.

“Our team certainly needs a lot of improvement before we start fancying our chances of winning the Olympic title,” Asif Bajwa, the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) secretary, told a local paper.

“What we desperately need at the moment is to increase the speed of our players,” said Bajwa, a former Olympian.

“It is of utmost importance because without that we won’t be able to beat top teams.”

To give a boost to the players, the federation has decided to invest in state-of-the-art equipment from Europe. According to the secretary, the technology is standard practice for most top teams but it will be new for the Pakistan setup.

“We will make it sure that our players have access to any kind of technology that is being used by other teams so that they prepare well for the Olympic Games. We are willing to spend on anything that can help boost our Olympic preparations.”

Dawn

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Pakistan hockey team’s camp in progress in Holland

Staff Report

LAHORE: A training camp of national senior hockey team is in progress in Amsterdam and players are learning finer points of the game under the able guidance of Dutch coach Michael Van Dan Hueval. The camp, which started from July 3, is a part of the greenshirts preparations to play matches against different teams while in Holland. “The Pakistan hockey team was scheduled to play some side matches against New Zealand on July 8, Belgium on July 10-11 and Netherlands on July 15-16. But now these matches have been rescheduled,” said Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) secretary general Mohammad Asif Bajwa here on Wednesday.

New dates of the matches:

July 6: Pakistan vs New Zealand

July 8: Pakistan vs Belgium

July 9: Pakistan vs Belgium

July 15: Pakistan vs Holland

July 16: Pakistan vs Holland.

The Daily Times

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U16 Boys Ireland 3 - 1 Wales

The U16 Boys got off to a good start in their tri-nations tournament in Paris. Two open play goals from Gareth Wilkinson and a penalty corner strike by James Lorimer secured a 3-1 win in their opening game against Wales. It should have been won by a greater margin and they will have an immediate chance to have another go, when they play Wales again tomorrow morning.

That will be their first match in what is a double header day. They play home side France and will hope to go into the final day with an advantage over their hosts.

U16 Boys: Ireland 6-0 Wales

Ireland's U16 Boys stormed past Wales today with 6 Goals in their Tri-Nations in Paris.

James Lorimer added to his tally with two from penalty corners, Gareth Wilkinson bagged another and there were debut goals for Mark Loughrey, Lee Cole and Mark Ryan.

Ireland's boys won't have much rest and they will face hosts, France later today.

Great results by the U16 Boys, keep up the good work.

U16 Boys: Ireland 2 -3 France.

The strain of two games in a day was a bit too much for the lads yesterday evening, They went down 3-2 to hosts France in a more physical match that they took some time to get into.

A debut goal from Luke Madeley and a fourth goal of the tournament from Gareth Wilkinson, showed they still know where the net is.

There were enough opportunities to put them in a confident mood when they play the decider, again against the hosts this evening. It's France's turn to play two games in a day and Ireland will hope Wales push them hard in this mornings match.

Irish Hockey Association media release

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SA U16 Boys IPT sees some comfortable victories

JONATHAN COOK, at St Albans in Pretoria

Southern Gauteng enjoyed a 4-2 win over EP on day 2 of the IPT with Keegan Kieck getting a brace.

Amathole’s midfielder Dylan Billingham continued his good form as Western Province were held to a 2-2 draw, a decent result for the East London lads as the Capetonians have caught the eye as champion materials this IPT.

Northerns enjoyed a 3-0 win over an SWD side who shocked Southern Gauteng into a 2-2 draw on Monday, the lads from George and districts clearly benefiting from the artificial surfaces coming into the province. Northerns goals were shared in a solid all-round performance that augurs well, for the home province.

Defending champions KZN Inland under coach Richard Robertson do not have the star performers like the likes of SA U18 player in the current series in Pretoria at St Albans against Australian Schoolboys, Tim Guise-Brown of Maritzburg College, but rather have a workmanlike side heavily reliant on team effort from a collective point of view and they will be heartened by their 6-0 demolition of a struggling East Gauteng who are always behind the eight-ball at a tournament of this calibre, what with their lack of readily available Astro facilities for their big school population and the distances they have to travel for competition against real quality schools.

Andrew Darroch, the defender with a no-nonsense, can-do attitude, is a find, Jorgen Wikstrom bagged two goals and is a talent, as is skilful forward Amkelwe Lethuka and the very young Tevin Kok, but the ability to gel as a unit, make decisions at pace and execute, the lack of urgency, is bringing their title chances down. The Inland goals were shared amongst five players with Michael Salgado bagging two.

Western Province, strong contenders, earned a crucial 3-2 win over the talented KZN Coastals outfit under coach Ant Dennisen. Coastals hearts were broken with the last-minute goal by Justin Prins that separated the sides. Dyane Naidoo netted twice for Coastals.

In other matches Boland, an impressive side in my mind considering their player numbers, beat North West 4-0 with the goals shared amongst four players; Amathole outplayed SWD 4-0, and South Gauteng continued their impressive tournament –as it should be considering their player numbers (what happened to their U18 side at IPT in Kearsney, finishing seventh is not good enough) with a 2-0 win over neighbours across the Jackie, Northerns.

In the B Section at Tuks, Inland B and Northerns B drew 1-1, Southerns B thumped Limpopo (who desperately need a turf) 5-1, Northern Cape ground out a 2-0 win against North West B, Coastals B went down 1-0 to frontrunners Southern Free State, who are staking a strong claim for a return to the A Section, Amathole B beat another province that needs turfs, Mpumalanga, 4-1, East Gauteng B outplayed North Free State 3-0, North West B were back on the park but went down 7-0 to Southerns B, for whom Walter Pfaff of the Pfaff sporting family scored a hat-trick, and Inland B beat North Cape 4-0.

SA Hockey Association media release

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New FIH Hockey Monthly available

June 2011 edition now ready for viewing

The latest edition of the FIH Hockey Monthly is available for viewing. The June 2011, edition 75 can be found on the front page of the FIH website on the right hand column

This month we analyse the impact of the league of dreams, the Euro Hockey League, and bring you all the action from the EHL Final Four in Den Haag as the season enters its climax. We catch up with Dutch legend Jeroen Delmee who aims for a grandstand finish to his playing career, and meet Englishman Jonty Clarke, an avid golfer, an accountant and of course a deadly striker.

FIH site

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Video tool for umpires updated with World Cup videos

The FIH is pleased to announce that a further set of approximately 35 video clips from the Women’s 2010 World Cup, which took place in Rosario (ARG), have recently been uploaded to its FIH Video Library.

The Video Library is a tool for umpires to analyze various game situations. Each posted video has a description of the applicable Rule or Rules. In the Information provided with each video, the actual wording of the Rule or Rules can be found, together with any relevant guidance. The interpretation of each incident is included, along with the appropriate slide or slides from the FIH Umpires Briefing for 2011. In the time-line for each video the ‘key moments’ are indexed.

The FIH Rules of Hockey Video Library, can be accessed on the right hnd side of both the FIH home page and on the umpiring page of the FIH website. A set of User Notes for the Video Library may be also be accessed at the same location.

The Video Library is a joint project between the FIH Umpiring Committee and the Rules Committee, the objective of which is to provide a collection of video clips which demonstrate the Rules of Hockey and their current interpretations.

FIH site