The Fieldhockey.com Archives

All the news for Saturday 15 October 2011

U.S. field hockey team heads for Pan Ams

By Rachel Dawson


The U.S. field hockey team for the 2011 Pan American Games.

We aren't used to crowds. We have a small following of faithful that includes our friends, families, and a few field hockey aficionados. Otherwise, America doesn't know much about our sport. Unless, of course, you happen to live in a small Pennsylvania Dutch town, or in one of those isolated pockets -- like my hometown of Berlin, New Jersey -- where field hockey has made a niche for itself.

Combine the eye-hand coordination skill sets of other stick sports like ice hockey, cricket, baseball and lacrosse with the tactical elements of soccer, add a marshmallow man-like goalkeeper between the metal posts, and you ought to have a blurry image of our game.

We wear skirts. Our legs are usually decorated with patterns of black, blue, and red. The turf is cruel. When we dive and tumble, it rips our skin raw. Yet, we dive and tumble anyway. The ball is even crueler -- it is plastic, roughly the size of a baseball, inscribed with 356 small dimples and it moves up to 75 mph during the course of a game.

As defenders, our duty is to put our bodies in the line of that nasty little bugger. When we get hit, our coach comforts us with his astounding logic: if you get hit, you are in the right spot. We don't like to show weakness, so when we get knocked real hard with the ball, through pain-filled grins, we yell "America!" It reminds us who we play for, and why the pain is worth it.

Look at any one of us, and you are bound to find a mark with some gruesome story -- broken noses, split eyebrows and chins, lost teeth -- the reminders of sacrifice for sport.

We are the U.S. field hockey team. A group of passionate, competitive, fun-loving and determined women who don't play for the big bucks, the crowds, or the glorious guarantee of victory. We play for that ever powerful cliché 'for the love of the game.'

A formidable challenge lies ahead of us -- the quest for Olympic qualification. A first place finish in the upcoming eight-team Pan American Games from Oct. 19 – 28 in Guadalajara, Mexico will secure us one of the 12 bids to the 2012 London Olympics.

We have never won the Pan Am Games. In the six competitions held since 1987, Argentina, our South American nemesis, has claimed six golds while we have taken five silvers and one bronze. We are ranked No. 13 in the world; Argentina No. 1.

The disparity seems daunting. Compare the team's respective histories and you will be inclined to think it is a no-contest. Impossible, you may say.

Luckily, we don't descend from that breed of pragmatist. We don't base our decision to pursue victory on some preconceived notion of what is 'supposed to be.' We are focused on right now, on doing what we can with what we have. We train hard: on the field, in the weight-room, with the Navy Seals. We attend to the details of optimized performance: nutrition, hydration, sleep. Most of all, we enjoy every moment of the process, enthused and strengthened by the unity of the team. We know this journey won't last forever, so we take each moment as it comes, seizing each opportunity as it presents itself.

We depart on Thursday from our home base in Chula Vista excited about the challenge that awaits us.

Because if all the games we have played, and all the knocks we have taken, have taught us one thing, it is that there are no guarantees in sport. All we can do is work our bums off, put our trust in each other and how we train, and go out there and give our damn best.

So in the spirit of America, jump on board! This is field hockey, baby.


Rachel Dawson, a 2008 Olympian, will be one of the leaders of the American team at Pan Ams. They hope to upset Argentina and win an Olympic berth to London.

USFHA media release

Men's England Hockey League Preview



The top Men's EHL Premier Division clubs are back in action this weekend after Euro Hockey League round 1.1 with Beeston hosting two student sides and East Grinstead at home to league leaders Cannock.

Reading at up in Cheshire for a Bowdon-Reading men's and women's double header, in conjunction with the Investec Women's Hockey League fixture between the clubs.  Sheffield Hallam Civica are trying to maintain their 100% start to the season in Men's EHL Conference North while Bournville are desperately seeking their first point of the season at the bottom of Conference West.  In Conference East, the top scoring side in the Men's England Hockey League Wimbledon are looking to climb to the top of the table after the match on Saturday, against Old Loughts.

Remember, you can follow all of the results on Twitter (@EnglandHockey and @SnowdonSports) and in our end of the day round-up on the website. To follow specific league topics on Twitter, use the following hashtags.

#ehlmprem - Men's England Hockey League Premier Division
#ehlmnorth - Men's England Hockey League  Conference North
#ehlmeast - Men's England Hockey League Conference East
#ehlmwest - Men's England Hockey League Conference West

Men’s England Hockey League Premier Division
Following their European heroics last week, which included victory over Spanish giants RC Polo de Barcelona, defending champions Beeston return to domestic action with a students double header. On Friday night, the Bees host Loughborough Students at Highfields while on Sunday University of Exeter are the visitors to Nottingham. Loughborough Students, who sit one point and one place ahead of eighth placed Beeston, had last week off too with the match rearranged for this weekend so should be fresh going into the match, which gets underway at 19:30. University of Exeter got back to winning ways last weekend with an away victory over fellow Premier Division newcomers Southgate. Ian Haley’s early strike put them on course for the 4-2 win, which saw them rise to a mid-table position. League leaders Cannock are one of only two sides across the entire men’s England Hockey League with their 100% record intact but they’ll have their work cut out if that is to remain the case by Sunday evening. A trip to East Grinstead, who also had a successful Euro Hockey League weekend last week, will go some way to proving whether they have what it takes to challenge for honours this season. Cannock are certainly top by right at this early stage having scored more goals than anyone else and conceded fewer. David Harris is the Premier Division’s top goal scorer with five goals in the opening four matches while, at the back, they have lost just three goals.

Southgate, with one point from a possible 12, are at home again, to second placed Surbiton for whom Tim Pinnock and James Tindall both struck in the same minute last weekend in the 2-2 draw at Reading. Reading, whose Euro Hockey League campaign begins next weekend in Belgium, are the visitors to Bowdon for their showpiece double header featuring both the men’s and women’s Bowdon v Reading ties. The Cheshire hosts lost 3-2 to Cannock last weekend, a result that leaves them in the relegation playoff place, behind Beeston on goal difference. In Sunday’s fifth and final Men’s EHL Premier Division tie Loughborough Students make the trip to London to take on Hampstead and Westminster.

Men’s EHL Conference North
Alongside Cannock in the Premier Division, Sheffield Hallam Civica is the only other side in the Men’s EHL with a 100% record after four weeks. Having come from behind to demolish Olton and West Warwicks 5-2 last weekend, the table toppers travel to Preston, who conceded two goals in the final five minutes at Belper last weekend to lose 4-3. Ali Ghazanfar bagged a hat-trick last weekend to take his tally of goals to ten in four matches but incredibly it was not enough to secure the points for his Deeside Ramblers as they lost 4-3 at home to Leek. The defeat leaves Ramblers in ninth place ahead of their trip to Brooklands MU. The Manchester club, who came down from the Premier Division at the end of last season, left it late at Doncaster last weekend but the three points earned keeps them in touch with Sheffield Hallam Civica at the top. In a clash between third and fourth place, University of Durham host Belper while in a mid-table tussle Doncaster travel to Leek. Barford Tigers lost at home to University of Durham last weekend, a result that keeps them bottom of the Conference North table, but their trip to Olton and West Warwicks may offer hope of some points. Olton have yet to win this season with three draws from their opening four matches.

Men’s EHL Conference East
There is one match on Saturday and four on Sunday in the Men’s EHL Conference East. Starting at 17:00 on Saturday, Wimbledon host Old Loughtonians. The Essex side drew 1-1 at Teddington last weekend while Wimbledon came out on top in the best of nine goals in Peterborough. Beijing Olympian Ben Hawes scored twice, taking him to the top of the Conference East goal scoring charts, level on six goals with Canterbury’s David Matthews. The South West Londoners are the top scoring team in the entire Men’s EHL, netting 20 goals in their opening four matches, one more than Conference North leaders Sheffield Hallam Civica and two more than Conference East rivals Canterbury.

On Sunday, Holcombe, the league leaders, are at home to eighth placed Oxted. Two goals in the final three minutes at Bromley and Beckenham last weekend sealed a 4-2 win for Holcombe, who are top on goal difference over Indian Gymkhana. Indian Gymkhana host high scoring Canterbury this weekend, for whom David Matthews’ hat-trick helped them to a 5-1 win over Harleston Magpies. The Magpies have the worst defensive record in the Men’s EHL, having conceded 20 goals in the first four weeks but having recorded one win, on the opening day against Holcombe, they are hovering above the bottom in ninth. Sunday offers them and bottom Bromley and Beckenham the ideal chance to kick start their seasons as they clash in Norfolk. And in the Conference East’s final match, Teddington, in seventh, host City of Peterborough.

Men’s EHL Conference West
One point separates the top three teams in Men’s EHL Conference West with University of Birmingham just ahead of the pack on nine points while Whitchurch and Cardiff & UWIC are second and third with eight. The table topping Birmingham students had Conference West top scorer Peter Jackson double to thank for their 2-0 win over Guildford last week but they might face a sterner test at Cardiff & UWIC on Sunday. With those two playing each other, the opportunity is there for Whitchurch to steal a march and jump to the top but that will require victory over Guildford away. Bournville have the unfortunate claim to fame of being the only team across all four Men’s EHL divisions not to have picked up a single point so far. They came close to breaking that duck last weekend but lost 3-2 to Team Bath Buccaneers in Bath. The Birmingham club host Havant on Sunday, although Havant will be firmly looking upwards, given that they are just two points behind University of Birmingham. Ninth placed Lichfield host Team Bath Buccaneers and could haul themselves up the table with a victory, although Team Bath Buccaneers find themselves in a similar situation to Havant, within touching distance of the top. In the final Men’s Conference West tie, Fareham, who left it late to secure a share of the spoils in a 3-3 draw with Whitchurch last week, host a Cheltenham side that were beaten 3-0 at home by Cardiff & UWIC last Sunday.

England Hockey Board Media release

Investec Women's Hockey League Preview



All but one of this weekend’s matches from the Investec Women’s Hockey League takes place on Saturday, with league leaders Reading’s trip to Bowdon Hightown shifted to Sunday to create a Bowdon-Reading Super Sunday in conjunction with the men’s match.

Remember, you can follow all of the results on Twitter (@EnglandHockey and @SnowdonSports) and in our end of the day round-up on the website.  To follow specific league topics on Twitter, use the following hashtags.

#investechockey - general hashtag for the Investec Women's Hockey League
#ehlwprem - Investec Women's Premier Division
#ehlwnorth - Investec Women's Conference North
#ehlweast - Investec Women's Conference East
#ehlwwest - Investec Women's Conference West

Investec Women’s Premier Division
The defending Premier Division champions came away from Bristol last weekend with a narrow 1-0 win, keeping intact their impenetrable defence, which is yet to concede a goal in four matches. Sunday’s opponents Bowdon Hightown have not won since the opening day of the season but should have the backing of a good home crowd on Sunday.  And while Reading’s defence has been reliable, Bowdon Hightown Tina Cullen is always a danger to be wary of having already scored four times this season.  With their win over Bowdon Hightown last weekend, Olton & West Warwicks climbed into second spot behind Reading thanks to goals from Rachel Clift, Emma Mccabe and Denise Marston-Smith.  Mccabe and Martson-Smith have now each scored five goals and top the Investec Women’s Premier Division goal scoring charts.  There’s a local derby in store for them at lunchtime on Saturday as they travel to Sutton Coldfield, who picked up their first points of the season last week winning 4-2 at Slough.  A fast start, with two goals in the opening four minutes, set them on their way and while Slough rallied the midlanders secured the points early in the second half.

One point separates third placed Clifton from sixth placed Leicester so the possibility exists for a significant shake up in the playoff positions come Saturday evening. Looking to get back to winning ways after two matches without a win, Clifton travel across the south to take on EuroCanterbury.  Goals from England internationals Natalie Seymour and Susannah Townsend were not enough for the Kent side in Birmingham last week as they went down 4-2, leaving them with two wins and two defeats from their opening four matches, with nine goals scored and nine conceded.  University of Birmingham won’t have to travel far for their match away to Cannock.  The Staffordshire club sit bottom of the table having suffered defeat in each of their first four matches.  Their conquerors last weekend were Leicester, who have begun a steady climb up the table with two wins in a row.  Internationals Katie Long and Hannah Macleod were on target last weekend for the team in orange, who visit Slough this week hoping that a win and some favourable results elsewhere might catapult them into third place.

Investec Women’s Conference North
If goals are what you want, it’s well worth paying a visit to a match in the Investec Women’s Conference North.  With 86 goals scored over the opening four weekend’s it’s the highest scoring league in the Investec Women’s Hockey League.  That tally was boosted significantly last weekend with two 7-0 wins for the top two sides in the table, Beeston and Loughborough Students.  Beeston, the leaders, travel to Yorkshire this weekend to take on a Wakefield Bradford side that sits just two points behind them.  Their 0-0 draw with University of Durham might have lost them some ground but they are still very much in touch at this early stage.  Loughborough Students have conceded just one goal so far, laying down the challenge to Brooklands Poynton, who came down from the Premier Division at the end of last season.  Trying to recover from their heavy defeat to Beeston last weekend, Springfields take on the University of Durham at home while Doncaster will look to exorcise the ghost of Loughborough Students in their hosting of Northampton Saints.  The Saints sit bottom of the table with four defeats from four but did score two of their three goals to date in last week’s 4-2 home defeat to Liverpool Sefton, who left it late score in the 64th and 67th minutes. Saints spirited fightback to 2-2 from 2-0 down will give them encouragement ahead of the weekend.  The remaining fixture pits Liverpool Sefton in seventh against Whitley Bay and Tynemouth in eighth.  Locked together on three points it could be the Merseysiders that have the edge going into the match, having won last weekend while the north east side went down 5-0 at home to Brooklands Poynton.

Investec Women’s Conference East
Four weeks into Investec Women’s Conference East and it is still proving difficult to separate the sides at the top.  Ipswich had the opportunity to go top outright last weekend with St Albans and Surbiton drawing 0-0 in Surrey but the Suffolk side could only manage a 1-1 draw at Harleston Magpies.  It was enough to keep them top by virtue of their marginally superior goal difference.  This week they host Sevenoaks, for whom Jet Van Zalen is top scorer, one of three players in the Conference to have scored three goals this season.  Sevenoaks also played out a 0-0 draw last weekend at home to Kent county rivals Maidstone. Second placed St Albans are at home to ninth placed Chelmsford on Saturday.  Chelmsford picked up their first points of the season last weekend courtesy of a 2-1 win over Horsham, secured through goals from Loren Sherer and Lizzy Egan.

The third side in the triumvirate, Surbiton, are on the road to Horsham.  Surbiton’s position in the league is all the more impressive given that they have scored an average of just 1.5 goals a game so far.  Their secret in the number one in the goals conceded column.  Horsham are pointless on the bottom of the table following their defeat to Chelmsford last weekend.  Elsewhere, fourth plays fifth and seventh plays eighth as Oxford Hawks travel to Maidstone and Harleston Magpies host Old Loughtonians.

Investec Women’s Conference West
Like Reading in the Premier Division, Buckingham sit top of their Conference with a 100% record.  Last weekend’s 4-1 win at Firebrands made it four wins from four and kept them two points clear of second placed Isca University at the top of Investec Women’s Conference West.  This weekend sees a top versus bottom clash as Buckingham take on Staines at home.  Staines’ only point so far came in a 2-2 draw at home to Gloucester City in week two.  Hot on Buckingham’s heels, Isca, whose Claire Thomas is top of the Conference’s goal scoring chart, are at home to Gloucester City.  They sit sixth with five points from four games after last week’s 3-2 win over Swansea.  Like Staines, Firebrands and Trojans are yet to record their first victories of the season and both will find it tough as they take to the road for away trips.  Firebrands, who have two draws from their opening four matches, are at Team Bath Buccaneers, who were 2-0 winners at Trojans last weekend.  The Hampshire club makes the journey to Exeter to take on Exe, who sit fourth following last weekend’s 4-1 win at Staines.  After suffering their first defeat of the season, Barnes Hounslow Ealing will be looking to bounce back in Wales against Swansea.  Three points separates third placed Barnes HE from fifth placed Swansea and a victory for the Swans would see them leapfrog the Londoners in the table.

England Hockey Board Media release

KLHC hit SSTMI for a dozen



KL Hockey Club slammed a dozen goals past SSTMI to register an emphatic 19-0 aggregate win in the quarterfinal of the TNBMHL knock out stage for the TNB Cup.

They will now take on the winner of the Maybank v UniKL quarterfinal clash in the first leg semis next Wednesday.

KLHC opened scoring in the 4th minute through Chua Boon Huat. Three minutes later Mohd Razie Abdul Rahim scored off a penalty corner. Mohd Fitri Saari ( 24th minute) and Ahmad Kazamirul Nasruddin ( 25th minute) gave KLHC a 4-0 lead.

Azlan Misron scored in the 38th minute before Chua scored his second in the 44th minute to give KLHC a 6-0 lead for the day and 13-0 overall.

Then in a space of three minutes, KLHC struck thrice. Mohd Amerullah Abd Aziz ( 46th and 49th minutes) and Azli Misron ( 48th minute) made it 9-0.

Razie ( 55th minute), Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin ( 59th minute) and Mohd Shahrun Nabol Abdullah ( 68th minute) completed the rout.

Official MHL site

KLHC slaughter Thunderbolt

Jugjet Singh


KLHC‘s Chua Boon Huat (right) is chased by SSTMI’s Muhammad Hanif Azemi in their TNB-Malaysia Hockey League knockout stage match yesterday. — Picture by Yazit Razali

KUALA Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) whipped SSTMI-Thunderbolt 12-0 in the second leg quarter-finals to register an emphatic 19-0 aggregate win in the TNB-Malaysia Hockey League knockout stage yesterday.

KLHC will now play the winner of the Maybank-UniKL last-eight clash in the first leg semis next Wednesday.

KLHC opened scoring in the fourth minute through Chua Boon Huat and three minutes later Razie Rahim scored off a penalty corner.

Fitri Saari (24th), Ahmad Kazamirul (25th) gave KLHC a 4-0 lead. Azlan Misron scored in the 38th minute before Chua scored his second in the 44th minute to give KLHC a 6-0 lead.

Then in a space of three minutes, KLHC struck thrice.

Amerullah Abd Aziz (46th and 49th) and Azli Misron (48th) made it 9-0.

Razie (55th), Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin (59th) and Shahrun Nabil (68th) completed the rout.

RESULT: Q-finals (second leg): SSTMI-Thunderbolt 0 KL Hockey Club 12 (KLHC win on 19-0 aggregate).

TODAY: Q-finals (second leg): Nur Insafi (2) v Sapura (1) (National Stadium, 4pm), Yayasan NS (1) v Tenaga (5) (National Stadium, 6pm), UniKL (0) v Maybank (5) (national Stadium, 8pm)

Note: First round scores in parentheses.

New Straits Times

Air India face IOC in final

Kusum Arora

Jalandhar - Star studded Air India Mumbai will be pitched against holders Indian Oil, Mumbai in the finals of the 28th Indian Oil Servo Surjit Hockey tournament to be held at Olympian Surjit Hockey stadium, Burlton Park tomorrow.

In a one-sided match, experienced Air India men routed Namdhari XI Sirsa by 2-0 while in the second match of the day, Indian Oil Mumbai defeated Bharat Petroleum, Mumbai by 6-3. This is the second consecutive entry of Air India in the finals as last year the team had ended up as the runners up of the tournament.

For Air India it was a smooth sailing and a fine show as their Lalit Upadhyay single-handedly steered the team to victory. Lalit scored a field goal from the pass of Joga Singh in the 5th minute of the game 1-0 followed by another goal by him in the 30th minute of the play 2-0.

The Namdhari XI men ended up wasting a good penalty corner in the 9th minute while poor defense virtually brought the team to a halt. At half time, Air India was leading by 2-0.

The second half of the game saw both the teams mounting pressure on each other but failed to capitalise. In the 55th minute of the play, Namdhari’s Sukhchain Singh wasted a golden chance to reduce the margin, which in a way brought curtains down for their team while Air India managed an easy entry into the finals.

The Tribune

HI, IHF given 21 days to submit proposal

By Mihir Vasavda

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and sports ministry have given the two warring hockey bodies, Hockey India (HI) and Indian Hockey Federation (IHF), 21 days to come out with a fresh proposal to form a joint body.

Faced with the prospect of India’s hockey team being ousted from the race to the Olympics, the sports ministry held a meeting on Friday with the three other parties, but it failed to resolve the crisis.

Sources said the meeting was a fiery affair, considering that HI and IHF came into it on the back of several heated exchanges in the last one week. Soon after emerging from the meeting, a peeved HI secretary-general Narendra Batra said the temporary power-sharing arrangement reached between both the federations at the behest of the ministry was over.

He made it clear that HI will not present any new proposal to IOA and would stick to the 10-point agenda made by the government. “We will reply to the FIH before November 1 deadline, but the working agreement reached on July 25 at the ministry’s intervention has ended,” he said. “We will not present any new proposal. We have already made our stand clear and we will stick to that.”

IHF president RK Shetty, however, said they will formulate a fresh proposal and present it to the IOA and the ministry.

Apart from Batra and Shetty, the meeting was also attended by the ministry’s joint-secretary, Rahul Bhatnagar, KPS Gill, Ashok Mathur and Amrit Bose (all from IHF), Rajeev Mehta (Hockey India) and RK Anand (IOA).

DNA

IHF gets 21-day grace period

Special Correspondent

The Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) has been given 21 days to submit fresh proposals to untangle the hockey mess that has threatened to jeopardise India's Olympic qualification chances.

At a meeting convened by the Union Sports Ministry here on Friday to resolve the issue of hockey administration in the country, the IHF brought forward a few proposals for discussions.

It was agreed that the IHF would finalise its list of proposals within three weeks and along with any proposal that Hockey India (IOA) might be having, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) would come up with a solution.

The IOA was represented, for the first time in a ministry-convened hockey meeting by R.K. Anand.

The IHF team included K.P.S. Gill and its president, R.K. Shetty while the HI delegation was represented among others by its secretary-general Narinder Batra. The ministry side was led by the Joint Secretary, Rahul Bhatnagar.

Like in its earlier stand, the IHF has proposed that a new body could be formed with the president from HI and secretary from IHF or vice versa. The international federation (FIH) had objection to a joint chairman of any body that could come up under the compromise arrangement.

It is learnt that HI informed the meeting that it had to reply to FIH by November 1 about a possible solution to the impasse failing which there was every possibility of the Olympic qualifiers being taken away from India.

The FIH had also threatened that India's Olympic participation could be in doubt if uncertainty persisted in the functioning of the National federation. The FIH recognises HI as the sole hockey administration in India.

The IHF also raised the matter of accounts for the World Cup tournament held here last year.

The ministry made it clear at the meeting that if the issue was not settled then it would be left with no choice but to place all the facts before the Supreme Court and leave the matter to the court.

The Hindu

IOA gives 21-day time to HI, IHF to sign peace

NEW DELHI: The Sports ministry's effort to end the long-standing imbroglio in Indian hockey ended on a futile note as differences continued to persist between Hockey India and IHF even as IOA on Friday gave a 21-day deadline to both the bodies to present a new merger proposal.

Faced with the prospect of India's hockey team being ousted from the race to the Olympics, the sports ministry held a meeting with the Indian Olympic Association, HI and the Indian Hockey Federation but it too failed to resolve the crisis related to the game's governance in the country, forcing the IOA to issue an ultimatum to the two warring federations.

Soon after emerging from the meeting, a peeved HI secretary general Narinder Batra said that the temporary power-sharing arrangement reached between both the federations on the behest of the ministry was over.

He made it clear that HI was not going to present any new proposal to IOA and would stick to the 10-point agenda made by the government.

"We will reply to FIH before November 1 deadline but the working agreement reached on July 25 at ministry's intervention has ended," he said.

"We will not present any new proposal. We have already made our stand clear and we will stick to that.

"Let IHF present their proposal (to IOA). If IHF's proposal is within the 10-point formula of the government then we have no problem, otherwise court will decide the matter," he added.

IHF president R K Shetty blamed the International Hockey Federation (FIH) for the whole mess.

"We will reply to IOA before the 21-day time. But the FIH played a big role in this fiasco. FIH has no right to interfere in our national affairs," he said.

"The government is not FIH's servant. How can FIH refuse to accept government's point of view? Shetty questioned.

Apart from Batra and Shetty, the meeting was also attended by ministry's joint secretary Rahul Bhatnagar, KPS Gill, Ashok Mathur and Amrit Bose (all from IHF), Rajeev Mehta (HI) and RK Anand (IOA).

The Times of India

Tough stand by International Hockey Federation

By Zakir Hussain Syed

India, because of its financial clout, has gradually become stronger in international sporting world. In this context, I had jokingly remarked in one of my earlier writings that International Cricket Council (ICC) should be renamed ICC-India Inc, because of its strong influence in policy making issues. More recently, the Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) secretary general has been handed a one-year ban because of the comments that he made against one of the Indian office bearers of the world squash body. Thus, in circumstances like this, any action against India by a world sports body is literally unthinkable. Even after the scandalous organisation of Commonwealth Games in India involving corruption, misuse of funds and nonpayment of dues to foreign contractors, the governing body of Commonwealth Games has failed to take any disciplinary action despite the fact that Suresh Kalmadi, the chief organiser of the Commonwealth Games, is behind bars on corruption allegations.

In a situation like this, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has taken a bold step by shifting major international competitions like Champions Trophy from India to New Zealand because of dispute between two parallel factions of Indian hockey and the inability of the Indian sports ministry to resolve this. The dispute between these parallel hockey bodies had been going on for more then two years. The Indian sports ministry had officially recognized the body that had Anopam Goulati – my friend and a former hockey commentary colleague – as the executive director of that body. However, after a prolonged court battle, the Indian sports ministry decided to merge the two bodies which caused embarrassment to the FIH because they had already granted official recognition to only one faction.

The other reason which perhaps helped the FIH to take the decision was the inability of the Indian organisers of last Hockey World Cup event in New Delhi to make payments that had earlier been agreed upon. The response of FIH was prompt and a clear warning to India that the FIH was not afraid to take decisions irrespective of Indian financial clout. The forthcoming Champions Trophy was promptly shifted from India to New Zealand and the FIH has now threatened that unless the entire issue is resolved in accordance with satisfaction of the FIH, they would not hesitate to shift even the forth coming Olympic Qualifying Tournament out of India.

In one of my early writings, I had stated that the FIH, by organising so many international events in India such as the World Cup, the Olympic Qualifiers and the International Club Competition, was going out of the way to patronise India just because it has financial resources that, in any case, have failed to materialise. In my opinion, the Hockey World Cup in India last year was a failure because almost all the matches except the one between Pakistan and India were played before completely empty stands and without public support. World Cup events are supposed to project and expand the appeal of a particular sport and if they fail to achieve this primary objective, their organisation is, by all standards, a failure.

I am not being patriotic when I say that the World Cup hosted in Pakistan in 1990 in Lahore was the biggest success from the organisational and the spectator angle. In the final, Hockey Stadium Lahore with 50,000 seating capacity was completely packed and there were at least 15,000-20,000 spectators waiting outside the stadium. Mr Leandro Negre, the current FIH president, was one of the guests on that final day and just couldn’t believe what he saw. Its television coverage by Pakistan Television was spectacular and the TV recordings of the World Cup matches in Lahore immensely helped spread the popularity and appeal of the sport in other countries, especially in Europe and Australia.

One has to admit, however, that strong lobbies do exist and operate in international sporting bodies but when it comes to decisions that can affect the future of the sport, prompt realistic decisions have to be taken regardless of the pressure of these lobbies. Mr Negre and his team in the FIH, therefore, need to be congratulated on their conviction not to bow down under pressure. Unfortunately in Pakistan nobody is in position to take such decisions because of the terrible mess the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) is in with two parallel director generals. Pakistan badminton players have already been debarred and banned from participating in international events and now the PSF secretary has been debarred for a year. These unfortunate incidents happened because there is no command and control in the PSB where the newly appointed second director general is more worried about his own stakes than Pakistan’s prestige and position in international sports. All actions of the PSB at present with two director generals are illegal and ultra vires because they are violation of the very Law under which the PSB was created and its Administrative Law defined. But then who is pushed about such ramifications as long as they can get their new cars, new fringe benefits and free facilities for their friends and well wishers in the Pakistan Sports Complex.

(Zakir Hussain Syed is Pakistan’s internationally renowned sports administrator, sports broadcaster and sports analyst)

The Daily Times

Old Dominion tops Maryland again

Roundup: Millman scores four goals ties Syracuse record


No. 1 Old Dominion snapped Maryland's 39-game home winning streak. Old Dominion Athletics

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- For the second time this season senior Emma Batten scored three goals and Old Dominion cruised to victory against Maryland. The Lady Monarchs backed up an early season home win against the Terrapins with a dominant 5-2 win in front of 822 fans Friday evening.

The Old Dominion victory snaps Maryland's 39-game home win streak that dated back to 2008. The Terps have only lost 10 games all-time at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex in 112 games played.

With the win the Lady Monarchs improve to 15-0 on the year and 5-0 against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents. Maryland drops to 11-2 with both losses coming against Old Dominion.

Batten now has a team-high 16 goals on the year, with six scores coming against the Terps. Senior Stephanie Kratzer and junior Danielle Clutter also scored for the Lady Monarchs Friday.

No. 5 Syracuse 11, Georgetown 1

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Junior forward Kelsey Millman set the school-record for points in a game with 10 and tied the school-mark by scoring four goals to lift Syracuse (12-2, 4-0) to an 11-1 victory against Georgetown (2-12, 0-4) on Friday night at J.S Coyne Stadium.

Millman tallied two goals and an assist in both halves to set the record previously held by Shannon Taylor. Taylor tallied nine points versus Georgetown on Oct. 10, 2008 and Colgate on Sept. 2, 2008. She also scored four goals on two separate occasions, first against Colgate on Sept. 2, 2008 and again versus Holy Cross on Oct. 19, 2008.

Six different players scored for the Orange. Senior forward Heather Susek and Liz McInerney both added two scores, while Anna Crumb, Jordan Page and Adrian Chambers also found the back of the cage.

NCAA

MCT 2011: Ten great things to do in Auckland

Hockey NZ provide an insider’s guide to the city


Evening in Auckland. (Photo: New Zealand Tourism)

The chance to see eight of the world’s best international players and teams competing in the Owen G Glenn FIH Men’s Champions Trophy is enough to tempt most people to the dazzling city of Auckland, situated on New Zealand’s North Island. However, if you need do feel like you need a little extra incentive, we have just the thing for you. Hockey New Zealand has very kindly put together an insider’s guide to the city, giving you ten fantastic things to do away from the hockey stadium.

1: Sky Tower
The Sky Tower is an Auckland landmark that attracts thousands of visitors each year. At 328 metres it’s New Zealand’s tallest structure and higher than the Eiffel tower in Paris.  The Sky Tower also offers popular adventure activities such as SkyJump and SkyWalk, where visitors have the opportunity to jump off the tower or walk around the outside with no handrails on either side.  Both are sure-fire ways to get the pulse racing. www.skycityauckland.co.nz

2: SailNZ
Experience a unique opportunity to participate as crew on an actual America’s Cup yacht.  Take the helm, exert energy on the grinders or simply sit back and enjoy a ride as we sail the beautiful Waitemata Harbour. www.explorenz.co.nz

3: Waiheke Island
Take the ferry to Waiheke Island and explore this boutique island of vineyards, olive groves, cafes and restaurants. Located just 35-minutes by ferry from downtown Auckland, Waiheke is one of the jewels in Auckland’s crown.  There are a great range of activities on Waiheke, including mountain biking, sea kayaking, olive tasting, vineyard tours and much more.  Some of New Zealand’s best red wines come from Waiheke, where hot dry summers and stony soils provide ideal growing conditions.   www.waihekenz.com

4: 4Track Adventures
Climb aboard a 300cc four-wheel motorbike and head for the dunes.  4Track Adventures leads rides through the Woodhill Forest to Muriwai, a wild west coast beach. One and two hour rides are available daily. Other options include three hour rides, helicopter/quad bike combined safaris and twilight rides during summer months.  www.4trackadventures.co.nz

5: Pakiri Beach Horse Rides
Pakiri Beach Horse Rides offer superb horse riding on 14 miles of white sand Pacific beach and through native bush and farmland. Rides are from one and two hours, half and full day, as well as extended multi day rides.  www.horseride-nz.co.nz

6: West Coast beaches
With its pristine native bush, coastal rainforest and rugged black sand beaches, Auckland's west coast is a natural playground for visitors to explore. With hundreds of walking tracks and some of New Zealand's best surf beaches, it's easy to get active and discover the natural beauty - and it's all within a 40-minute drive from downtown Auckland. Piha is one of Auckland's most famous west coast black sand beaches and a popular spot for swimmers and surfers. Surrounded by rugged cliffs and with the majestic Lion Rock standing guard over the beach, the scenery is awe-inspiring. www.aucklandnz.com/index.php/content_B/?L1=36&L2=25&L3=&id=333

7: Auckland Harbour Bridge Bungy
Auckland is home to the world’s first harbour bridge bungy jump. This personal challenge is situated directly under the bridge at Pier two, where jumpers leap over the Waitemata Harbour and enjoy the classic kiwi experience of bungy jumping. The operation uses the very latest in adventure technology – with a purpose built jump pod and jumper retrieval system to ensure maximum safety and comfort for jumpers. There are a number of bungy options, including the favourite ‘water touch’. www.bungy.co.nz

8: Auckland Museum
Discover the history of New Zealand and its people at the stylishly revamped Auckland War Memorial Museum. Overlooking the Waitemata Harbour and occupying one of New Zealand's finest heritage buildings, the Auckland War Memorial Museum is the cultural and spiritual touchstone for New Zealanders. The Museum is the first stop for anyone wishing to gain an insight into New Zealand and its people. It houses priceless Maori treasures, amazing natural history and an ever-changing feast of local and international exhibitions. www.aucklandmuseum.com

9: Auckland’s Whale and Dolphin Safari
Watch the dolphins and whales in the Hauraki Gulf and learn about their behaviour, biology, myths and legends. The Hauraki Gulf is one of the world’s richest habitats for marine mammals. Whale & Dolphin Safari offer a guaranteed viewing of dolphins or whales, as well as many other captivating animals on every trip. www.explorenz.co.nz

10: Rangitoto Island
Take the ferry over to Auckand's iconic Rangitoto Island and walk through the world's largest pohutukawa forest.  The youngest of the islands in the Hauraki Gulf, Rangitoto emerged from the sea around 700 years ago in a series of volcanic explosions. The Island spans 2311 hectares and supports over 200 species of moss, plants and trees including the largest Pohutukawa forest in the world.  Rangitoto is also well known for the seven lava caves on the island and its unique rock surface. Fullers and 360 Discovery ferries run daily trips to the island and visitors have the option of walking to the top (approximately one hour) or jumping onboard the Volcanic Explorer road train to the summit.   Whichever way you go – the 360 degree view from the top is outstanding. More information about Rangitoto Island can be found by clicking the following link: http://haurakigulf.aucklandnz.com/islands/rangitoto.html


The Owen G Glenn FIH Men's Champions Trophy takes place in Auckland from Saturday 3rd until Sunday 11th December 2011. The event will feature world champions Australia, Olympic and current European champions Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, Great Britain, Pakistan, Korea and host nation New Zealand. Tickets for the tournament will go on sale at the end of the month at www.ticketmaster.co.nz .

FIH site

Training the Brain

The future of training in hockey has arrived

By Horst Wein

During the last few years there has been a tendency in German football which will soon triumph world-wide in other sports, like hockey. For the first time in decades, football may become the forerunner to other team sports, like hockey, when it comes to achieving better performance levels.

Everyone knows that good levels of knowledge bring considerable advantages in all areas of life. This is not only the case in school and employment, but also in maintaining a reasonable quality of life for generation older than 70.

All organs, especially the muscles, have to be stimulated with specific training optimally and effectively. For decades, we have trained athletes focusing mainly on the heart and other muscles. With time, better performance levels were achieved, which resulted in better results - always higher, further, faster, stronger!

In search for further improvement, psychologists were introduced in the second half of the last century. They helped to unlock the dormant potential of athletes.

In the 90s, technology became the big trend in our daily life and was used in the world of sport. Computer sciences, videos and a great variety of software for performance analysis improved the quality of training and its planning as well as competition performance.

At the start of the new millennium, the least investigated human organ was discovered in sport: the brain. Big companies that were looking for better results showed the sporting world the way. More companies trained employees during work with brain-jogging courses and similar brain stimulating activities to improve individual performance levels as well as company teamwork.

Being told by scientists that the majority of the population is using less than 2% of its brain and that remaining 98% is dormant, there was a demand for unlocking the potential of the brain to get performances. The result of the brain-training was soon seen: more companies produced better results.

Hockey has not ignored this trend. Just as the muscles of the human body, also the brain needs well-measured training.

Through brain-training "the network of neurons” in our head functions better and faster, and creates with different stimuli millions of new connections between the new neurons (the so called synapses) what can only benefit the performance of each athlete.

Since the start of the new millennium, physicians, psychologists and sports teachers have worked hard to provide for sports a variety of stimuli to train the brain.* They were developed  for people of all ages from kindergarten to high performance athletes, to professionals and retirees.

Brain-Training in hockey will become a trend to follow as the initial results were very positive and increased the performance of athletes.  That is why it has a big future. Well-known football clubs, like TSG 1898 Hoffenheim and Borussia Dortmund have twice a week coaches of “Lifekinetik” for stimulating the brains of their young talents and top stars. Soon brain-jogging will become as important in training as physical or mental fitness. Other football and hockey clubs will follow as well as the most of the public and private schools, hospitals and residences for the older generations.

The objective of this new trend is to promote the performance of our brain and increase the basic functions of the two hemispheres, the creative and the logical parts. It is not only beneficial for mental agility and flexibility, but also for the capacity to concentrate, to process and classify information. New knowledge can be stored better and stay in the long-term memory. Being mentally up to the demands of the complex game of hockey, by producing fewer mistakes, is now possible for all players and can be achieved with little effort.

To summarize: Physical and mental fitness (the basic factors of optimum performance up to now) the capacity and the quality of the brain becomes in the future increasingly important for the hockey players and needs much more attention. Only those whose brain has been trained several times a week with a variety of stimuli can perform well in competition, become more creative and flexible, solve difficult and complex problems and adapt more easily to new situations.

The views expressed by the author are soley his own and do not necessarily represent the views of the FIH

FIH site