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All the news for Thursday 16 August 2012

2012 World League R1 Women - Prague

Results
Turkey 1 Belarus 17
Italy 6 France 0
Scotland 5 Czech Republic 1

Pool Standings
Round Robin

Scottish Hockey Union media release

Ralph hat-trick sinks Czechs

WORLD LEAGUE ROUND 1 - PRAGUE - 14-19 AUGUST 2012

SCOTLAND  5  CZECH REPUBLIC 1

A hat-trick by Scotland vice-captain Catriona Ralph was the catalyst in Scotland`s comfortable 5-1 win over the Czech Republic in front of their home crowd in Prague. 

After two rounds of matches Scotland share top spot with Belarus and Italy, both won convincingly over Turkey and France respectively.

The Scots had the game well won by the interval with a four goal advantage, the opener came in just 7 minutes with a direct penalty corner strike by Ralph.   Scotland`s set piece routine had become a dangerous pursuit as Nikki Kidd succeeded in hitting the umpire on the head with her first effort.   Ralph quickly made it 2-0 when her reverse stick shot was swept into the net after her initial penalty corner strike was saved by the goalkeeper.

In a well worked routine at a set piece Kidd`s drag flick was deflected into the net by Linda Clement.  Two minutes later good work up the right by Vikki Bunce saw the ball released to Ailsa Wyllie who swept it into the roof of the net for the fourth.  However, it was far from one-way traffic as keeper Amy Gibson was called upon to make three set piece saves during the half.

The Czechs had a lively start to the second period, they hit the post and then missed an open goal, but their resistance was snuffed out by another penalty corner goal from Ralph to make it 5-0.  The Scots fell away after this, they started to run with the ball rather than passing, consequently put themselves under pressure.  Although the home side snatched a goal near the end, it proved little more than a consolation.

Today Scotland take on Belarus in the game that could well decide the team to finish in pole position in the table at the end of the tournament.  Coach Gordon Shepherd predicted that Belarus could be Scotland`s toughest opposition, especially as they have already crushed France (9-1) and Turkey (17-0) in their first two games.  In the Europeans last year, the Scots lost to Belarus in the pool stages, but pulled out the stops to beat them 2-0 in the final to ensure promotion.

Scottish Hockey Union media release

US to host Men's World League Round I

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. - History will be made this November at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Cali as USA Field Hockey hosts the World League Round 1 for Men. The U.S. will compete against Mexico, Dominican Republic, and Guatemala. 

The World League, which was officially announced by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) in London on August 10, is a four-round, two-year event which will serve as the qualifier for both the Hockey World Cup and the Olympic Games. It will be an all-inclusive, world-wide event that involves a never-before-seen number of nations taking part in FIH events on an international level. Full tournament information, match times and dates will be announced in the near future.

USFHA media release

US U21 Men defeat New Zealand side in first match

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - The U.S. U21 Junior Men’s Team arrived in Auckland, New Zealand on Saturday, August 11, bright and early after a long 12-hour flight for Los Angeles, Cali. The U21’s had two training sessions prior to their first match at the North Harbor Hockey club just outside of Auckland in the city of Albany.

The first match for the U21’s was against the North Harbor Select side, made up of a few National Hockey League players (NHL) and five of the New Zealand Junior National Team players. The U.S. came away victorious, 4-2.

“We started the game well and were faced with opponents who played a faster style of game, with elevated skills,” said Head Coach Chris Clements. “We managed to adjust relatively quickly through the first half and were able to take some well earned scoring opportunities. Of course we left some out there and will be working on improving this throughout the tour.”

The first half of the match was a good test for the U21’s; the North Harbor select side played with good intensity which the U21’s was able to match from the beginning.  The U21’s were first to score at the 20 minute mark with a nice pass by Tyler Sundeen from the right side finding Christian Linney for a field goal. Linney’s goal was the only recorded in the first half, giving the U.S. the lead 1-0.

In the second half, North Harbor Select scored in the 41st minute off of a penalty corner, drawing the match at one apiece. In the 45th minute, the U21’s put tallied a second field goal by another nice play down the right side from Sundeen, to Rutger Pruijs finding Ranjot Sangha in the circle making the score 2 -1.

North Harbor Select equalized the match with a field goal at the 50 minute mark, 2-2. However, the U21’s weren’t finished and continued to apply pressure and force a number of turnovers. 

In the 54th minute, Johnny Orozco passed a good ball to Pruijs who found JaJa Kentwell to make the score 3 – 2 USA. The U21’s forced a penalty corner in the 59th minute, which resulted in a rebound shot by Ranveer Kundi hitting a North Harbor Select defenseman off the body for a penalty stroke. Orozco scored the fourth goal for the U.S. U21’s making the score 4 -2 as time ran out.

USFHA media release

Hockey Masters World Cup - Canterbury, England - 14-24 August

by Helen Johnston.

The Inaugural Masters Hockey World Cup 2012 is taking place in Canterbury, England from 14-24 August.  This is a FIH fully sanctioned Masters World Cup.  There are four age groups for the men (O40, O45, O50, O55) and two age groups for women (O40, O50).  Ireland have 5 teams competing, 3 mens (O40, O45, O50) and 2 womens (O40, O50).  This is a report for the Irish Women's Teams.

The Irish Women Hockey Masters are sending two teams to participate in the inaugural master hockey world cup.  The O40s team is a combination of the O40s and O45s who participated in the Home Countries in June.  The team mainly comprises Leinster players, with the inclusion of midfielder Joan Dobson from Cork C of I.  The team is captained by Pembroke's Ali Pigot, with Pembroke goalkeeper Sinead Guilfoyle, Loreto defender Linda Jenkinson, Pembroke midfielder Annie Lawlor, and Loreto's skilful forward Caroline Sharkey providing a strong backbone to the team.  The team includes players from Genesis, Alex, Three Rock, Avoca, Swords, Glenanne, and Botanic as well.  The O40s will play matches against Wales, England, Australia, New Zealand, Scotland and South Africa in a round robin competition.  The O40s first match is against Wales on Sunday 19th August.

This is the first outing for Ireland Women's O50s team.  There is a squad of 14 players from Ulster, Leinster and Munster.  Some of the players previously played in the O45s team including captain Helen Johnston (Railway) and ex internationals Orla Galvin (Alex) and Caroline Shankey (Randalstown).  Ex international Cathy Walsh from Cork joins the squad along with her Cork CofI colleague Dymphna Hill.  Mossley's Julie Wilson and Janet Clake along with Genesis's Anne Kirwan and Suttonians' Marguerite Hues also join the squad.  The O50s play against Wales, England, Australia and New Zealand.  Both squads are being coached by Benjamin Epstein and Stuart Malcolm and have been training througout the summer in preparation for the tournament.

O40s Squad:  Sinead Guilfoyle (GK, Pembroke), Ailish Langan (Genesis), Linda Jenkinson (Loreto), Noreen Dockery (Alex), Caroline Sharkey (Loreto), Alison Pigot (C, Pembroke), Annie Lawlor (Pembroke), Mairead Lyons (Three Rock), Emma Meir (Avoca), Aisling Schutte (Pembroke), Marion O'Brien (Swords), Jane Salter (Glenanne), Brenda Barrett (Alex), Angie Boran (Botanic), Joan Dobson (Cork Cof I). Coach: Ben Epstein; Assist. Coach: Stu Malcolm; Manager: Ailish Langan.

O50s Squad:  Helen Roche (GK, Railway), Janet Clarke (Mossley), Helen Johnston (C, Railway), Maura O'Neill (Three Rock), Anne Kirwan (Genesis), Dymphna Hill (Cork CofI), Bernie Barry (Pembroke), Marguerite Hues (Suttonians), Cathy Walsh (Cork CofI), Pat Stewart (Grosvenor), Deirdre Mooney (Loreto), Carolyn Shankey (Randalstown), Orla Galvin (Alex), Julie Wilson (Mossley).  Coach: Stu Malcolm; Assist. Coach: Ben Epstein; Manager: Deirdre Mooney.

Match Schedule: O40s - Sun 19th 10.25 v Wales; 18.30 v England; Mon 20th 12.05 v Australia; Tues 21st 10.10 v New Zealand; Wed 22nd 10.25 v Scotland; Thurs 23rd v 13.45 v South Africa.
O50s - Sun 19th 12.05 v Wales; Mon 20th 11.50 v England; Tues 21st 10.25 v Australia; Wed 22nd 12.05 v New Zealand.

Further information is available on the www.hockeymastersworldcup.org website.

Irish Hockey Association media release

Will WPCC do the double?

Cape Town - This week will decide the WP Mens Grand Challenge 2012 Champions! The Western Province Cricket Club first men's hockey team need one win from their last two games to become Grand Challenge league champions for the second year running! They are facing number two and three on the log in the form of Stellenbosch University (match on Saturday 16h30 at WPCC) and Pinelands Hockey Club (match on Thursday 20h30 Hartleyvale) are are by no means home and dry just yet with both teams having outside chances to snatch it.

There are a number of permutations with WPCC (aka the Badgers) on 39 points (2games left), Stellenbosch (aka Maties) on 36 points (1 game left) and Pinelands (aka the Squirrels) on 35 points (2 games left). WPCC take on Pinelands (already postponed once due to torrential rain this last weekend that flooded the Hartleyvale astro turf) who could throw the cat amongst the pigeons and put WPCC under real pressure if they beat them on Thursday forcing WPCC to go into the final game vs Maties needing to win to finish on 42points. Pinelands has been the only team to beat WPCC this season having lost only one game themselves to Maties. The most points Maties can accumulate with only one game in hand is 39points and they have an inferior goal difference to WPCC so they look least likely to take the title.

If Pinelands and Stellenbosh beat WPCC then Pinelands will have to beat Somerset West on Saturday (match at 16h30 on Maties astro) allowing them to take the league title they last held in 2006 with 41points. However the Pine vs Som West and Maties vs WPCC matches are being played at the same time on Saturday to add to the drama!

Its definitely the WPCC Badgers title to lose! The league concludes ahead of the SA Hockey Senior Interprovincial Tournament in Bloemfontein 26th August to 1st September.

In the ladies grand challenge league its a two horse race between Stellenbosch and WPCC with Stellenbosch holding a 3point advantage on an equal number of games. With only two matches remaining to decide the league the two teams will face each other on Saturday the 1st September at WPCC astro. A win for WPCC would draw them level on points but they would have to make up the 7goal deficit to take the league on goal difference. The ladies league will only conclude after the Senior Ladies Interprovincial Tournament from 19th - 25th August 2012 in Johannesburg.

Western Province Hockey media release

Star-studded KLHC gunning for a hat-trick of doubles in the MHL

By AFTAR SINGH

KUALA LUMPUR: Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) have retained almost the same set of players and will be gunning for their third consecutive double in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) which begins on Sept 1.

KLHC, powered by eight national players, are out to retain the league and overall titles, which they won in 2010 and last year.

The internationals are goalkeeper Roslan Jamaluddin, defenders Mohd Razie Abdul Rahim and Mohd Sukri Abdul Mutalib, midfielders Mohd Shahrun Nabil, Nabil Fiqri Mohd Noor and Mohd Fitri Saari, and forwards Azlan Misron and Tengku Ahmad Taijuddin.

Six teams will feature in the Premier Division and seven in Division One of the tournament, which offers RM340,000 in total prize money.

Besides KLHC, the others in the Premier Division are Sapura, Tenaga Nasional, Maybank, Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) and MBI-NurInsafi.

Yayasan Negri Sembilan (YNS) have opted not to contest this year.

Division One comprises Armed Forces, Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS), Politeknik-KPT, UiTM, Johor HA, Thunderbolt and HST-Uniten-KPT.

Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) competitions chairman Datuk Abdul Rahim Ariff said the Premier Division would be played on a home-and-away format while Division One would be a round robin contest.

For the first time in the MHL there will be separate knockout stage competitions for the two divisions because of the big gap in standards. In the past, the top two Division One teams always got hammered by the Premier Division sides in the knockout stage.

The top four teams in the Premier Division will advance to the knockout stage with the League champions and runners-up seeded.

The top four teams in Division One will play in the knockout stage with the top two promoted to Premier Division next year.

The Premier Division champions will receive RM60,000, runners-up RM40,000 and third-placed side RM30,000.

The winners of the knockout stage will get RM60,000, runners-up RM40,000, third-placed team RM30,000 and fourth RM20,000. For Division One, the prize money is RM60,000 for the League and overall titles.

The League ends on Oct 10.

The Star of Malaysia

Four Women players for Spanish League



While the men's section of the Malaysian Hockey Confederation continue to blow trumpets about getting players to play in foreign leagues, the women's section have been going about carrying out the task without much fanfare.

And the result is obvious as they have secured places for four players to play in the Spanish League in the coming season with the players scheduled to depart for a 8 month long participation after the World Hockey Series League matches in Kuantan in September.

"We have managed to secure places for four players in two clubs in Spain and the exposure will be invaluable," said MHC Deputy President Dr. S. Shamala.

"It is indeed a boost for womens hockey as its not easy to secure places and I hope to work out more such attachments so as to further improve our players."

It is an open secret that the President of MHC, Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah is keen to send Malaysian players to play in foreign leagues abroad and much has been said, claimed and written about the prospects of the players.

However no inroads were made, with the exception of Faisal Saari who received offers to play in the Australian and Spanish leagues. However his commitment to his employers Tenaga Nasional Berhad has somewhat dented those aspirations.

The four women players will play for CH Alcala (Division de Honor) and CH Castelldefells (Primera Division) and are expected to be in Spain by end of September.

Prior to this, women players had trained with Korean clubs in 2008 and played in the Australian league in 2009.

The names of the players will only be released after August 16 as discussions are taking place with the National Sports Council.

Malaysian Hockey blogspot

GB hockey captain Kate Walsh unsure of international future



Great Britain captain Kate Walsh says she is undecided on whether she will continue to play at international level after winning bronze at the Olympics.

The 32-year-old had an eventful Games, fracturing her jaw in the group stages before returning to play a part in their 3-1 victory over New Zealand.

That victory helped seal bronze, but Walsh is now unsure of her future.

"It's so hard to make a decision because I am caught up in the euphoria of the moment," she told BBC Berkshire.

Walsh had hoped to claim gold at the London Games, but Great Britain's women were beaten by Argentina at the semi-final stage.

The defeat ended any hopes of the top prize but, despite being proud of their efforts, the Reading player says it is difficult to make an informed decision with the Games still fresh in her memory.

"Everything is so great and we did so well," said Walsh.

"But on the flip side there are times when it's not so fun and you're in tears in the gym or your haven't played well or you've lost a bit of form and are injured.

"You have to remember all those times and then make a balanced decision.

"I want to enjoy the moment and start to think about the forthcoming season with Reading and not look too much beyond that."

BBC Sport

Reading Hockey Club looking to cash in on bronze

By Dave Wright


Reading's Alex Danson put GB on their way to winning the bronze medal.

Reading Hockey Club are looking to capitalise on Olympic fever by attracting a whole batch of new players.

And they could even include members of the GB women’s squad which collected a bronze medal last Friday.

Blues had six players in the team – Beth Storry, Kate Walsh, Helen Richardson, Alex Danson, Laura Bartlett and Emily Maguire – which beat New Zealand 3-1 in the play-off for third place, but others are said to be thinking of switching to the successful Sonning Lane club.

The complete squad was 28 strong – Reading’s Sam Quek among them – and some of the youngsters may fancy a switch to Reading, especially if they are part of the Bisham-based squad who will be preparing for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

Goalkeeper Storry has left the club, however, as she is moving back to Holland, where she has a home.

But it is not just at the highest level where Reading are looking to recruit.

“We want players of all shapes and sizes, all ages and all abilities,!” said club official Jonny Downer.

“We will need to get about 60 new players this season to compensate for those leaving the area and those off to University.

“This is a tall order, so that is why we are in full player recruitment mode.

“We are certainly looking to capitalise on the Olympic hockey fever.”

Defender Walsh, the GB skipper, is supporting the club’s bid to attract new members.

She said: “For us, as a legacy of this Games, all we want is to get girls out there, playing hockey.

“There’s a massive drop off in girls who leave school and we want them going to clubs.

“We have got the message out to the public, and hope that everyone will want to try hockey now.

“We’ve got this massive hockey family and it’s so welcoming, so inclusive of everybody. That’s what we want to get out of this – people watching hockey, playing hockey, enjoying hockey.”

Walsh earned worldwide praise for her bravery in the Olympics.

She fractured her jaw in the opening group game against Japan and spent three nights in hospital. forcing her to miss two matches

But she was soon back playing, wearing a protective face mask.

She couldn’t eat any solid food and all her all meals had to be liquidised.

But that didn’t stop Walsh from having a superb tournament with her displays against Argentina and New Zealand being particularly outstanding.

She inspired her team to produce what she described as “our best (performance) of the tournament” against the Kiwis.

“There was no way we were going home empty handed,” said the 32-year-old, who was competing in her third Olympics.

“I am so proud of the girls, not just the team who played but all 28 girls in the squad. Everyone played their part.”

The first of GB’s goals in their 3-1 win over New Zealand was made in Reading.

Alex Danson, with a driving run down the line, forced a short corner as she crossed the ball to the waiting Helen Richardson.

The corner came out to Walsh, who unleashed a powerful strike towards the left-hand post , where Danson dived in low with the stick in her left hand to deflect the ball into the other corner,

GB’s second goal, netted by Leicester’s Crista Cullen, also came from a penalty corner following a swift counter attack launched by Reading’s Laura Bartlett with Danson also playing a part.

That was just before the hour mark and four minutes later Sarah Thomas put the issue beyond doubt from a chance which Walsh helped to set up. Storry was eventually beaten by a New Zealand goal from Stacey Michelson two minutes from time, but GB were soon celebrating their bronze medal.

GB men - including Reading trio Jonty Clarke, Nick Catlin and Iain Mackay - just missed out on a medal, losing 3-1 to Australia in the bronze play-off on Saturday.

After the game Clarke admitted to having “mixed emotions” saying “Ultimately we fell short of what we wanted, but really proud to have been part of the team.”

Get Reading

Hockey boys get mixed reaction

LAHORE: Pakistan hockey squad returned home on Wednesday from London Olympics to a mixed reception at the Lahore airport with dozens of angry fans greeting them with shouts of “shame shame” while others raised slogans in praise of them.

Pakistan were sent crashing out of Olympics after they were hammered by Australia by seven goals in a pool match to settle for a seventh-place finish.

As the Pakistani players came out of the Allama Iqbal International Airport terminal, they were surprised to see the large crowd waiting for them carrying banners and placards.

On one side, some protesters called out “shame shame” and urged Pakistan officials to resign immediately while on the other side, fans congratulated the players and raised slogans in their favour and of the PHF officials.

At one stage, the shouting match between the two groups went out of hand and security officials had to intervene to avert a possible clash.

The players and officials were brought out of the airport terminal building surrounded by security officials.

Captain Sohail Abbas told reporters that the boys gave their best and the seventh-place finish was “satisfactory”.

Abbas pointed out that except for one match against Australia, the players had really tried hard and could have reached the semifinals.

Head coach Akhtar Rasool also defended the performance of the players. “They tried their best and won and drew some tough matches we just had one bad day against Australia,” Rasool, a former President of the PHF, said.

Former Olympians and critics have called on the PHF President Qasim Zia and secretary Asif Bajwa to step down immediately and allow others to make a new beginning in Pakistan hockey.

Pakistan beat South Africa, Argentina and South Korea and drew with Spain but lost to Australia and Great Britain by big margins.

Pakistan returned home from the Olympics without a medal as its wild card entries in swimming, athletics and shooting also did not make it beyond the qualifying rounds.

The News International

Pakistan hockey team returns home to mixed reactions

Staff Report

LAHORE: The Pakistan hockey squad on Wednesday returned home from the London Olympics to a mixed reception here at the Lahore airport with dozens of angry fans greeting them with shouts of ‘shame shame’ while others raised slogans in praise of them. Pakistan were sent crashing out of the Olympics after they were hammered by Australia by seven goals in a pool match to settle for a seventh-place finish.

As the Pakistan players came out of the Allama Iqbal International Airport terminal, they were surprised to see the large crowd waiting for them carrying banners and placards. On one side, some protesters called out ‘shame shame’ and urged Pakistan officials to resign immediately while on the other side, fans congratulated the players and raised slogans in their favour and of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) officials. At one stage, the shouting match between the two groups went out of hand and security officials, who were present in heavy numbers at the airport, had to intervene to avert a possible clash.

The players and officials were brought out of the airport terminal building surrounded by security officials. Captain Sohail Abbas told the media that the team played their best and the seventh-place finish was ‘satisfactory’. “They had high expectations from us and that is understandable but people must also face reality. I think given our team we did very well to finish seventh and our performance was satisfactory,” he said. Abbas pointed out that except for one match against Australia, the players had really tried hard and could have reached the semifinals.

Head coach Akhtar Rasool also defended the performance of the players. “They tried their best and won and drew some tough matches we just had one bad day against Australia,” Rasool, a former president of the PHF, said. Former Olympians and critics have called on the PHF president Qasim Zia and secretary Asif Bajwa to step down immediately and allow new people to make a new beginning in Pakistan hockey. Pakistan beat South Africa, Argentina and South Korea and drew with Spain but lost to Australia and Great Britain by heavy margins. Pakistan returned home from the Olympics without a medal as their wild card entries in swimming, athletics and shooting also did not make it beyond the qualifying rounds.

The Daily Times

Pakistan hockey team return home

LAHORE - Pakistan hockey squad Wednesday returned home from London Olympics to a mixed reception here at the Allama Iqbal International Airport with dozens of angry fans greeting them with shouts of “shame shame” while others raised slogans in praise of them.

Pakistan were sent crashing out of Olympics after they were hammered by Australia by seven goals in a pool match to settle for a seventh-place finish.

As the Pakistan players came out of the airport terminal, they were surprised to see the large crowd waiting for them carrying banners and placards. On one side, some protesters called out “shame shame” and urged Pakistan officials to resign immediately while on the other side, fans congratulated the players and raised slogans in their favour and of the PHF officials. At one stage, the shouting match between the two groups went out of hand and security officials, who were present in large heavy numbers at the airport, had to intervene to avert a possible clash.

The players and officials were brought out of the airport terminal building surrounded by security officials. Captain Sohail Abbas told the media that the team played their best and the seventh-place finish was “satisfactory”.

“They had high expectations from us and that is understandable but people must also face reality. I think given our team we did very well to finish seventh and our performance was satisfactory,” he said. Sohail pointed out that except for one match against Australia, the players had really tried hard and could have reached the semi-finals.

The Nation

Sahara India Parivar to pull plug on federations

India's dismal performance in some of the disciplines at the Olympics has prompted Sahara India Parivar, a major sponsor in Indian sports, to have a fresh look at their contracts with the concerned sports federations.

Sahara has been associated with various national sports federations, including those of hockey, archery, shooting, boxing and tennis.

While some of the athletes performed exceptionally well at the Olympics, there were a few disciplines, especially hockey and archery, in which the athletes failed to live up to expectations.

Sahara signed a Rs.50 crore sponsorship deal with Hockey India for five years earlier this year while its contract with Archery Association of India (AAI) expires in 2013.

A top source in the Sahara India Parivar said that the group has plans to form its own foundation, institute or trust where the athletes will be provided best training facilities and coaches, and their progress will be monitored by experts.

However, it was made clear that the present contracts with the various federations will be seen through.

"Present contracts continue with the status quo. But in future we will plan to route and manage the sponsorship monies in an institutional manner," the source told Mail Today.

"We may form a trust, foundation or institute under the aegis of Sahara. We will fund players directly and scrutinise their progress through experts."

The below par performance of the men's hockey team, which finished at the bottom of the 12-team competition, and the archers at the Olympics were the two most prominent reasons for Sahara to re-strategise the distribution of the sponsorship money in various disciplines.

"We were forced to come up with such a plan after the dismal show in hockey at the Olympics. The disciplines we have shortlisted are hockey, archery, boxing and wrestling."

The men's hockey team failed to win a single match in the league stage and then lost to South Africa in the 11th-place classification tie.

The archers, too, came a cropper, with world No.1 Deepika Kumari knocked out in the first stage in the individual competition.

The men's and women's teams did not do any better and were hardly a challenge for their rivals at any stage.

Sahara has been associated with hockey since 2003 and has been sponsoring various disciplines at some level or the other.

Sahara's latest plan to ensure that their money is utilised in the most efficient manner has left some of the federations worried. v Archery Association of India (AAI) president Vijay Kumar Malhotra, who is also the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) acting chief, was concerned about the recent development.

"This was for the first time that corporate houses came out to invest in sports other than cricket. There were major disappointments in some of the events and that definitely needs to be looked at," said Malhotra.

"Sahara has been supporting sports for years and if this is the situation, it is a matter of concern and we will surely sit with them to see how things can be worked out," he added.

Hockey India secretary general Narinder Batra was also quick to take moral responsibility for India's worst finish at the Olympics. He assured that the federation will do its bit to address Sahara's grievances.

"We are also not happy and as head of the family, I take the responsibility for the debacle. We will meet players, officials and coaches to get to the root cause of this failure.

"If the sponsors are not happy we are ready to meet them and address their grievances," said Batra.

If and when Sahara comes up with a full-fledged plan to institute a foundation or a trust, it will be not for the first time that a corporate house will pump in money which is directly used by the athletes.

Mittal Champions Trust (MCT) and Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ) are two prime examples. In fact, four of the six athletes, who won medals at the London Games, were backed by OGQ.

Vijay Kumar, Gagan Narang, Saina Nehwal and MC Mary Kom were all supported by OGQ while wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, who won a bronze on the penultimate day of the Olympics, was backed by MCT.

What the Papers Say Today - Stick2Hockey.com

Field Hockey Set to Travel for Two Challenging Exhibitions

Penn State takes on the U.S. U-21 National Team and JMU this weekend

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - With less than 10 days until the opening game of the 2012 season, the Penn State field hockey team is set to travel for two exhibition games this weekend. Under head coach Charlene Morett, beginning her 26th season with the Nittany Lions, the squad will take on the U.S. Under-21 National Team at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, followed by a matchup against James Madison at noon on Saturday.

"We are excited to play the U.S. Under-21 National Team and to help them prepare for the Junior Pan American qualifications," says Morett. "We are also looking forward to moving on to James Madison for a scrimmage against a top-ranked, Division I program on the road. I'm excited to see how our team will respond to both of these challenges."

The U.S. U-21 Team will participate in the 2012 Pan American Junior Championship, beginning on Sept. 10, in Guadalajara, Mexico. The squad of 30 is comprised of some of the best young players in the country. The U.S. won the most recent Pan American Junior Championship in 2008.

James Madison returns as a young team, with the 2012 roster consisting of two seniors, six juniors and 12 freshmen. The Dukes went 9-10 last season with a 4-4 record in the CAA.

Last year, Penn State defeated JMU 7-0 in a preseason exhibition and is 19-4-1 in all-time regular season matchups. With an experienced squad, the Lions are made up of two redshirt seniors, one true senior, eight juniors, eight sophomores and four newcomers. Although captains have yet to be announced, forward Hannah Allison (Mifflinburg, Pa.), forward Kelsey Amy (Sweet Valley, Pa.) and goalkeeper Ayla Halus (Hershey, Pa.) return as the seasoned veterans.

Amy, Whitney Reddig (Lititz, Pa.), Taylor Herold (Fredericksburg, Va.), Laura Gebhart (Mount Joy, Pa.) and Brittany Grzywacz (Collegeville, Pa.) return as the top-five leading point scorers from the 2011 season. Last season's Big Ten Tournament MVP, Amy posted 25 goals and seven assists and was a CoSIDA District II Academic All-American. She co-led the Big Ten in points, was second in points per game and was tied first for goals.

Reddig was tied first for 20 assists in the Big Ten, while Herold posted 10 goals and four assists for 24 points. After recording six goals and 12 assists in her rookie season, Gebhart was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and First Team All-Big Ten. She has also been a member of the U.S. Under-21 National Team for the past two years. Tallying eight goals and three assists, Grzywacz was named a Big Ten All-Academic, as well as NFHCA First Team All-Region along with Halus. The goalkeeper also earned First Team All-Big Ten and played in all 23 games last season for a .742 save percentage and four shutouts for second in the Big Ten.

Joining the 2012 roster, Penn State welcomes Lauren Alwine (Lancaster, Pa.), Haley Kerstetter (Selinsgrove, Pa.), Ally Lauth (State College, Pa.) and Bethany Mink (Maple Glen, Pa.) into the fold.

The Nittany Lions' first regular season game will take place on Friday, Aug. 24 against Old Dominion at 5:00 p.m. at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex. Two days later, the squad will host Virginia on Sunday at noon. Four of the first five regular season contests will be on home turf.

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