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All the news for Sunday 29 March 2009

Bowdon denied a maximum

By Patrick Rowley
 
Bowdon Hightown Ladies failed at the last hurdle in their attempt to be the first club in the English League to collect maximum points in a season. The champions were beaten 3-1 at Canterbury.

But Canterbury’s joy was short-lived when they learnt that Olton had won their final game and pipped the Kent club by a point for the second place in Europe next winter.

Bowdon led Canterbury when Tina Cullen scored her 24th of the season and could have been two up but for a goal line save.

But when Bowdon were twice reduced to ten players by suspensions, Canterbury took control. In an eight minute spell late on, Natascha Brennan scored two and Cindy Botha one for Canterbury.

Olton were twice pegged back at Poynton but won 3-2 with Denise Marston-Smith (two) and Holly Chipman (correct spelling) their scorers.

In the Women’s Conference North, Durham University won 6-2 at Sunderland to claim the title and qualify for the premier league play-offs while Ben Rhydding were relegated.

Sunday Express

AHL - Round 4 Men's update
 
Results from Friday 27th March & Saturday 28th March

Victorian  Vikings  2  Canberra  Lakers  0  (1  – 0  Half  time)
Goals:
VIC  – Cirello  13m  PC  / 41m  PC
The  Victorian  Vikings  turned  out  victors  over  the  Canberra  Lakers  tonight, with  a  2 -0  win  in  game  one of  this  fourth  round  clash.

The  game  began  with  the  Lakers  immediately  working  their  way  into  attack, starting  with  the  ball  and forcing  Victoria  into  defence.

The  Lakers  were  awarded  a  penalty  corner  in  the  7th  minute  however  the  shot  was  disallowed. This gave  Victoria  an  attacking  opportunity, working  their  way  up  the  field.

The  first  goal  of  the  match  came  through  a  Victorian  penalty  corner  and  a  well executed  drag  flick  by Chris  Cirello  in  the  15 th  minute  giving  the  Vikings  an  early  lead.

Victoria  created  another  attacking  opportunity, leading  to  a  one -on -one  situation  with  Viking  Alistair McLennan  and  ACT  goalkeeper  Nathan  Burgers. As  McLennan  attempted  to  drag  around  the  keeper, Burgers  pulled  of  an  impressive  save, clearing  the  ball  to  teammate  Seyi  Onitiri.

The  Lakers  continued  to  fight  for  possession, penetrating  their  attacking  circle  but  Victoria’s  strong defence  managed  to  hold  them  off, as  opportunities  went  begging.

In  the  25th  minute, the  Lakers  received  a  penalty  corner  but  was  unable  to  convert, and  almost  found themselves  in  trouble  as  Victoria  forced  their  way  into  the  Lakers  defensive  circle.

The  intensity  built  as  both  teams  battle  for  possession, each  wanting  to  put  away  another  goal. With less  than  a  minute  until  half  time  the  Lakers  tried  to  force  Victoria  out  of  their  defensive  half  and  into attack, but  to  no  avail. The  half  time  score  was  left  at  1 -0  to  Victoria.

Victoria  began  the  second  half  with  the  ball  and  straight  away  the  Lakers  fought  for  possession.

Despite  having  attempts  to  score  early, the  Lakers  struggled  to  move  the  ball  past  the  Victorian defence.

After  receiving  a  penalty  corner  in  the  40th  minute, another  well -executed  drag  flick  by  Viking number  6, Cirello  gave  them  their  second  goal, and  a  2 -0  lead.

Another  penalty  corner  was  awarded  to  Victoria  in  the  45th  minute  but  was  not  converted, however this  didn’t  affect  Victoria’s  tenacity  to  attack.

The  Lakers  were  awarded  another  penalty  corner  in  the  52nd  minute  of  the  game  but  they  couldn’t convert, instead  the  Vikings  stole  possession  and  were  awarded  their  own  corner  at  the  opposite end. The  Lakers  strong defence  held  off  Victoria’s  shots, giving  the  Vikings  their  own  medicine  and creating  attacking  opportunities, but  with no  result.   

A  mis -trap by  the  Lakers  midfield  saw  Lakers  goalkeeper  Nathan  Burgers, in  an  attempt  to  keep possession, run  out  of  his  circle  and  slap  the  ball  out  of  trouble. But  a  Victorian  quick  hit  almost caught  him  out, as  the  ball  was  transferred  to  their  high  striker  as  Burgers  sprinted  back  to  his  goal  to defend.  

The  Lakers  continue  to  attack, penetrating  the  Victorian  circle  and  almost  got  themselves  within  one, however  a  slap  hit  from  Josh  Hawes  just  inside  the  circle, was  deemed  to  have  hit  Iain  Davidson’s foot  instead  of  his  stick, despite  his  protests.

With  only  two  minutes  left  on  the  clock, both  teams  battled  for  possession, with  the  Lakers  able  to create  attacking  opportunities  only  to  have  them  broken  down  by  the  Victorian  defence.

As  neither  team  could  hold  possession  in  the  last  minute, the  game  ended  with  the  Victorian  Vikings winning  2 -0  against  the  Canberra  Lakers.

OAMPS Queensland Blades 2 NSW Waratahs 1
(1-1 half time)
Goals
QLD – Wilson 15m FG, Gibbs 54m FG
NSW – Govers 19m FG

The OAMPS Queensland Blades defeated the NSW Waratahs 2-1 in a top of the table clash of the men’s Australian Hockey League (AHL) at Toowoomba Hockey Stadium this afternoon.

Blade’s striker Jason Wilson scored a field goal in the 15th minute and Waratahs’ Kieran Govers responded with a field goal for NSW in the 19th minute, bringing the score to a 1-1 draw at half time which reflected the tight contest between the two teams.

Queensland’s Ryan Gibbs scored another field goal for the home side in the 54th minute, which was all that separated the teams when the final siren sounded.

NSW Waratahs’ manager Geoff Paterson said Queensland’s strong defense prevented NSW from converting some of their opportunities in attack, but the Waratahs will seek to avenge their loss tomorrow in a game that could have gone either way this afternoon.

The OAMPS Queensland Blades, on course to make their eighth consecutive AHL grand final appearance this year, will challenge NSW again tomorrow in game 2 of round four in Toowoomba.

Both teams will look to make an impression tomorrow in their last game before Finals Week begins on April 6 in Hobart.

Tassie Tigers defeated Southern Hotshots
Score: 5 - 1  (half-time 2- 0)
Goal Scorers:
TAS – Geoff Cock FG 7th min, FG 19th min, FG 47th min, PC 54th min, Marcus Richardson FG 65th min
SA – Tom Wickham FG 39th min

Goal magnet Geoff Cock found the back of the net four times today to give the Tassie Tigers a resounding win over the Southern Hotshots in Hobart this afternoon.

The Tigers hit the lead early with an unmarked Cock at the top of the circle punching the ball into the goal for his first. The Tigers kept the pressure on with several more penalty corners.  The Hotshots looked dangerous a couple of times when they managed a fast breakaway but the Tigers strong defence cleverly turned it back into attack for the Tigers allowing Cock to score his second goal before half time.

The Hotshots came out strongly in the second half and Tom Wickham accepted a sharp pass from the left to slot home a goal for the Hotshots but it wasn’t long before the Tigers started peppering the attacking circle again and eventually Cock got his hat trick with a fine deflection high into the net.

The Tigers finished strongly with Cock scoring his fourth with a trademark drag flick and Marcus Richardson sealed the match for the Tigers by clinically finishing off a series of precision passing.

Tigers coach Andrew McDonald was pleased with his team and the result.  “We had much better finishing and some strong performances from Geoff Cock and Tim Deavin.  However, we have anther big test tomorrow”.

The Hotshots coach Mark Dell’oro complimented the Tigers on their performance today.  “They were more proactive and took their opportunities.  They were very strong defensively.  Even when we came back reasonably well in the second half, the Tigers weathered the storm.”  He believed the challenge will be to rebound tomorrow.

Tomorrow’s re-match is at 2pm at the Tasmanian Hockey Centre.

WA Thundersticks 3 DEF Northern Territory Stingers  2 (1-1 half time)
Goals
WA – Hearn 23m FG, 57m PS, Charlesworth 42m FG
NT – Lockley A. 32m PS, Carroll T 51m FG

In a game that many reported as simply a percentage booster for Western Australia, The Northern Territory Stingers stood up and showed the Australian Hockey public why they should continue to be part of this elite competition.

Ravaged by injury and work commitments, the Stingers took the field with several players playing out of position.  The late inclusion of Travis Carroll from the hockey wilderness along with a parochial Darwin crowd, gave the team the boost it needed coming into a game against the defending AHL champions.  The WA Thundersticks took until the 23rd minute to open the scoring, with a field goal to striker Greg Hearn.  This was countered by a converted penalty stroke to Adrian Lockley in the 32nd minute left both teams on one goal at half time.

In the second half both teams pushed forward in an attempt to break the game open, with Stingers Keeper Leon Hayward making some athletic saves, and NT’s strikers making some close misses.  WA’s Jonathon Charlesworth broke the deadlock in the 42nd minute with a field goal.  In steps Travis Carroll.  Without a serious game of hockey in over six months, Carroll made a break and put a tomahawk shot into the goal from what most said was an impossible angle.

With the crowd on their feet the NT boys lifted, but their balloon soon burst with Greg Hearn converting a penalty stroke in the 57th minute for an infringement in the circle.  Just six minutes later, Robert Duguid was given a yellow card and the Stingers were down to 10 men.  Instead of accepting defeat, the NT Stingers pressed hard, and with two penalty corners in the last minute, they thought there might be a chance.  Unfortunately, the scramble to put the blocked penalty strikes into the net were to no avail.

So the score ended at 3-2 to WA.  Australian men’s coach Rick Charlesworth would have been happy to see the performances of Travis Carroll and Leon Hayward, and a much improved performance by the Stingers.

WA Coach Paul Gaudoin said “It was a tight game that went right wire.  We expected a competitive match coming up here and that’s what we got.  The Stingers keeper was outstanding.  We are looking forward to a good game tomorrow.”

NT Co-Coach Bob Bulasch said “We are happy but obviously frustrated.  Missing key players hurt us, but the players who played in different position really stood up.  I think we attacked a lot more than they were expecting.”

Victorian  Vikings  3  Canberra  Lakers  2  (2  – 1  Half  time)
Goals:
ACT  – Hotchkis  4m  PC; Wallace  53m  FG
VIC  – Ford  16m  FG; Smyth  29m  FG; Cirello  38m  PC

The  Canberra  Lakers  have  suffered  another  defeat  at  the  hands  of  the  Victorian  Vikings, going  down 3 -2, but  certainly  not  without  a  fight.

The  game  began  at  a  high  intensity  rate  as  the  Lakers  looked  to avenge yesterday’s  2 -0  loss.  

In  the  3rd  minute  the  Lakers  were  awarded  a  penalty  corner, and while  Victorian  goalkeeper  George Bazeley  saved  a  well -executed corner, the  rebound  was  struck  by  Laker  Daniel  Hotchkis  who  put the ball  in  the  net, scoring  the  first  goal  and  gaining  the  early advantage.
 
As  possession  swapped  hands  throughout  the  opening  of  the  half, in the  16 th  minute  a  Victorian breakaway  left  the  ACT  defence unawares and  Viking  Russel  Ford  ran  the  ball  along  the  backline  to score  a back  stick  hit  in  the  top  right  corner  of  the  net, levelling  the score  to  1 -1.
 
The  Lakers  and  Vikings  continued  to  fight  for  possession, both  teams penetrating  their  opposing circle  but  the  play  continually  transferred  up and  down  the  field, neither  team  managing  to  defeat the  opposition’s defence.

A  failed  penalty  corner  variation  by  the  Vikings  in  the  28 th  minute was  no  deterrent, as  they continued  to  attack, passing  through  the Lakers  defence  and  finding  Ian  Smyth  who  scored  their
second.
 
The  play  continued  to  build  and  the  Lakers  fought  for  possession  to score  again  before  half  time  but Victoria  managed  to  hold  them off, keeping  the  score  at  2 -1  at  half  time.
 
To  start  the  second  half, the  Lakers  went  with  an  overhead  to  their high  striker, which  was intercepted  by  Victorian  defender  Chris Ciiello, giving  Victoria  the  early  chance  to  attack. A  penalty corner awarded  shortly  after  saw  the  Viking  defender  add  to  his  goal  tally and  create  a  3 -1  lead  over the  Lakers.
 
Both  teams  persisted  to  fight  for  the  ball, neither  managing  to  break the  other’s  defensive  structure.

Victoria  had  another  chance  when  an  attacking  opportunity  in  the 42nd  minute  resulted  in  a  corner, but  they  were  unable  to  convert.
 
The  Lakers  continued  to  press, scrummaging  for  every  ball, as youngest  teammate  Jack  Wallace caught  a  floating  ball, moving  it fluidly  through  the  middle  and  past  four  defenders. Seconds  later  he found  himself  head  first  in  the  net  as  he  scores  the  Lakers  second goal, bringing  the  score  to  a  one -goal  difference  and  the  Lakers  within  striking  distance.
 
The  intensity  continued  to  build  as  both  teams  struggled  to  keep possession, with  the  Vikings desperate  to  hold  the  Lakers  out, while the Lakers  were  throwing  everything  they  had  into  getting the  ball  into  their  circle.
 
Goal  chances  amassed  for  the  home  side, but  none  could  be converted.
 
Victoria  fought  back  and  received  a  penalty  corner  in  the  64th minute of  the  game, making  the  home crowd  nervous, but  Lakers  goalkeeper Nathan  Burgers  impressively  saved  a  well -executed  drag  flick, keeping the  score  at  3 -2.
 
With  less  than  2  minutes  left  on  the  clock, the  Canberra  Lakers  had another  chance  to  equalise, when Ben  Bishop  ran  the  ball  along  the  baseline, into  the  circle  looking  for  the  corner  call, only  to  be denied.
 
Victoria  cleared  the  ball  out  of  defence, throwing  an  overhead  ball  to their  high  striker, leaving  the Lakers  no  chance  to  retrieve  as  the seconds  on  the  clock  ticked  away.
 
The  game  ended  with  the  Victorian  Vikings  winning  3 -2  against  the Canberra Lakers.

Hockey Australia media release

Scottish Cup draws are out

The Scottish Cup semi-finals draw, performed live on BBC Sports Weekly this morning, determined that Subway National League leaders Azzurri Kelburne will face, currently fourth place, Grange.

The last time Kelburne met Grange, two weeks ago at Peffermill, a 1-1 draw resulted and hockey fans can bet both sides will be giving their all for a spot in the Cup Finals.

This leaves second place Western Wildcats challenging Inverleith with Western coming out on top 3-1 when the sides met at Auchenhowie last week.

In the women's draw, Milne Craig Western came out of the cup first to play Giffnock Ladies, meaning current table toppers Bonagrass Grove take the pitch against, second in the league, Porcelanosa Kelburne making for a cracking semi-finals match.

In a bizarre coincidence, both sets of fixtures will be played out in the league this weekend, offering possible insight into the women’s semi-finals outcome.

The Scottish Cup semi-finals take place 2nd May with the finals on 16th May both at Peffermill Playing Fields.

Last year's Scottish Cup winners were Azzurri Kelburne who beat Grange 3-1 and Milne Craig Western who defeated Giffnock 4-1 for the title.

Specific times for semi-finals matches this year will be announced here soon.

Scottish Hockey Union media release

Pakistan ready for Ipoh, says Shahid

By our correspondent

KARACHI: Pakistan hockey coach Shahid Ali Khan is satisfied with the homework done by his charges ahead of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup getting underway in the Malaysian city of Ipoh next week.

Shahid, a former Olympian, told 'The News' on Saturday that his players have been working hard during the preparatory camp under progress at the National Hockey Stadium in Lahore and now fully ready for the five-nation tournament to be played from April 5-12.

"We have carried out extensive training sessions during the few days available to us and there has definitely been a marked improvement," said Shahid, who was appointed as Pakistan coach last month.

The Azlan Shah Cup will be Shahid's first assignment as national coach and the former Pakistan goalkeeper says he would try to get the best out of his boys during the tournament.

"The Azlan Shah Cup has become a very important tournament for us because it will be played just a few weeks before the Asia Cup, which is our biggest target this year," he said referring to the fact that the Asia Cup will get underway just about three weeks after the conclusion of the Ipoh contest.

The Asia Cup was supposed to be played in Dubai but has now been shifted to Malaysia and will get underway from May 9. The team winning the Asia Cup title will qualify for the 2010 World Cup in India.

Shahid said that he and fellow team coaches emphasized on a few key areas during the camp including short corner conversion, defense and goalkeeping.

He said that in the absence of drag flick ace Sohail Abbas, who is currently playing professional hockey in Europe, Pakistan will rely on the services of Muhammad Imran and Ehsanullah. "Both of them are good short corner experts and I'm confident that they will do well in Malaysia," said the coach.

Pakistan will fly out for Kuala Lumpur on April 1 from Islamabad - a few days before their opening match of the tournament against hosts Malaysia. The other competing teams in the tournament are India, New Zealand and Egypt.

The News International

Hockey coach banks on veterans for Asia Cup success

By Shazad Ali

KARACHI: While Pakistan hockey coach Shahid Ali Khan concedes veteran players Sohail Abbas and Waseem Ahmad didn’t make any impact in the past, but he believes only their presence can ensure a victory for Pakistan at the Asia Cup in May.

The Olympian says that apart from penalty corner specialist Sohail and half-back Waseem, he wants to see forward Rehan Butt and goalkeeper Salman Akbar back for the cup in Malaysia.

‘I agree Pakistan didn’t do much despite Sohail and Waseem’s recall for World Cup in 2006. We finished at sixth despite having them back. But I strongly believe we might win the Asia Cup having them in the squad. But if we rely on juniors, there is no chance. I will not be comfortable with having a squad with junior players,’ the coach told Dawn.com from Lahore on Friday.

Shahid was, however, unconvincing when asked how Pakistan would be able to achieve lost glory having Sohail and Waseem in the squad, although green shirts never won a major title when the pair was even at its zenith.

‘All I can say is that it’s better to have such experienced players but only on condition that they must be physically fit and be at the camp three weeks before the event,’ he said.

Since Sohail, Waseem, Rehan and Salman are busy playing leagues, the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has called them up for Asia Cup camp which probably starts soon after Pakistan team returns from Ipoh where they feature in Azlan Shah Cup, which rolls off April 6.

Although Sohail and Waseem were once indispensable for the national side, their rollercoaster careers are tainted with several cases of indiscipline. While Sohail rose as a brilliant star on world hockey horizon, he degenerated into a fallen hero, chiefly because of ditching Pakistan team, preferring to play in European leagues over national duty.

He first made headlines when he along with team-mate Waseem opted to play league abroad, skipping back-to-back four-nation tournaments in Australia some six years ago.

He and Waseem tendered apologies and were included in the Champions Trophy squad by the then PHF president Gen Aziz Khan and secretary Brig Musarrat Ullah Khan after a meagre Rs100,000-fine.

They abruptly ended their international careers soon after 2004 Champions Trophy in Lahore, saying they wanted to pave way for youngsters. Furious over their ‘retirements’ PHF ordered them time and again to report to national camps but ate humble pie after being snubbed by the duo.

In a bid keep to their contracts with foreign clubs intact, the pair rejoined the squad in 2006 to represent Pakistan at Madrid Champions Trophy and World Cup in Monchengladbach, Germany only to leave Pakistan in the lurch once again.

It was in December 2006 that PHF president Zafarullah Jamali banned them along with controversial centre-half Mohammad Saqlain, half-back Ghanzafar Ali and defender Dilawar Hussain, for preferring to play in foreign leagues rather than reporting at Doha Asian Games camp.
 
Jamali back-tracked and reversed his decision, calling them all except Saqlain for the national duty. Ghazanfar and Dilawar reported but Sohail and Waseem again stayed away from national camp.

Sohail was also sacked last May by his department SSGC for remaining absent without leave to play in foreign league.

For Shahid, the Ipoh contest, which will see minnows such as Egypt and Malaysia in action along with better rated New Zealand and India, will be a training tour for which two uncapped players – Sibtain Raza and Zeeshan Ali – have been included, although they never represented even a junior side.

‘I expect my side to at least reach the final at Azlan Shah Cup,’ said Shahid without predicting the final’s outcome.

Interestingly, despite being a former top class goalkeeper, Shahid believes that only one custodian in Nasir Ahmad will be enough for the tour. While Shahid wants to give the two youngsters a chance, he doesn’t see any goalkeeper in the camp worthy enough to be included for the exposure.

Shahid, who has been assigned the task till Asia Cup, says ideally a long-term commitment is better than short stint, but the decision to extend his tenure depends on PHF.

In another surprising and unprecedented move, after naming the squad in Lahore, the team management has asked the standbys to leave.

Dawn

BJSS within striking distance of top spot

By Jugjet Singh

BUKIT JALIL Sports School (BJSS) will get a chance to top the Division Two standings of the Malaysia Hockey League when they meet Malacca today.

Leaders Bandar Penawar Sports School (BPSS) have a rest day and BJSS, with six straight wins, will be playing a team which has lost three and drawn one match.

The imbalance is quite obvious, and with only five more matches to go before the league title is decided, BJSS coach S. Prakash is cautious.

"Nine of my players competed in the National Under-16 where they played seven matches in a row, and even after a few days rest, they could not perform well against Setapak High (on Friday, BJSS won 2-0).

"I hope they will fare much better against Malacca who have many Malaysia Games players," said Prakash.

The BJSS squad this year is made up of Under-17 players, but they have held on well against more experienced opponents in six matches.

"We don't want to burst the bubble at this stage, because at least three other teams are also in the running to claim the title, if we draw or lose."

TOMORROW -- Division Two: Bukit Jalil Sports School v Malacca (Tun Razak Stadium, 5pm), BJSS Juniors v Kijang Mas (Tun Razak Stadium, 7pm), Anderson v BPSS Juniors (Azlan Shah Stadium, 5pm), Tenaga Nasional v Olak (KLHA Stadium 5pm).

Division Three: Matri v Selangor (Kangar, 5pm), TBSS- Tampin v Penang (Tampin, 5pm), English College v Perlis (Johor Baru, 5pm), Temerloh v Kuala Selangor (Kuantan, 5pm).

Monday -- Division Three: Nur Insafi v Selangor (Sungai Petani, 3pm).

New Straits Times

BJSS get chance to regain lead in Division 2 against MSN Malacca

KUALA LUMPUR: Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) will get a chance to regain the lead in Division Two (Under-19 category) of the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) when they play MSN Malacca at the Tun Razak Stadium here today.

BJSS are second in the standings with 18 points, a point behind Bandar Penawar Sports School (BPSS). But BJSS have a game in hand.

BJSS coach S. Prakash has preached caution, saying MSN Malacca had the experience to stop them.

“We cannot underestimate any team as the league enters its crucial stage. Teams not in the title race are fighting for a top-six finish. So every match counts for them,” he said.

“I feel that the Malacca side have players who can hurt us and I don’t want my players to take them for granted.”

The coach, who has guided BJSS to two doubles in the previous Malaysia Junior Hockey League, said it will be good to regain the lead as the MHL enters the last lap.

After today’s outing, BJSS will have just four matches left to play — and they are all tough ones, including a showdown with BPSS on April 10.

The Star of Malaysia

Learn from tragedy

COMMENT BY S. RAMAGURU

MOHD Fadhirul Razmin’s life was tragically cut short on Wednesday. He was seven months short of his 16th birthday.

The Nur Insafi player and four of his team-mates were on their way to training in Sungai Petani when they were involved in a car crash in Butterworth.

Goalkeeper Mohd Hanif Kasman, who suffered serious head injuries, is still in the intensive care unit at the Penang General Hospital while the other three — Mohd Fadli Zabidi, Sabir Ismail, Mohd Azrul — are recovering at the Seberang Jaya Hospital.

Sadly, it has taken such a tragic incident to highlight the need for hockey teams to ensure that their players are properly insured.

Shockingly, many teams playing in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) do not have proper insurance coverage for their players. In fact, even the State HAs do not have insurance schemes for their players.

There are some states, like Perak, who buy insurance for tournaments organised either by the Perak HA or the Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF). As for Nur Insafi, they did not provide any insurance coverage for their players. Fortunately, the MHF, jointly with the National Sports Council (NSC), have insurance coverage for all who take part in their tournaments.

MHF secretary Hashim Mohd Yusof said they had insurance scheme for all their tournaments, be it for players, tournament officials and administrative staff.

“As for clubs and State HAs, we do not know if they provide such a coverage. We do not have any regulations to compel them to buy insurance (for their players and officials) but we encourage them to do so. This is basically a financial decision which the relevant parties must look into,” he said.

Perhaps the MHF can learn from the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) when it comes to insurance matters.

The FAM have, since 1999, made it compulsory for teams to have insurance coverage for their players. It is clearly stated in the competition rules that teams who do not provide insurance coverage will be barred from taking part in their tournaments.

And the State FAs are required to pay the premiums first before they are allowed to compete in any tournament.

An FAM official said that the yearly insurance premiums for each state could range between RM16,000 and RM20,000. And the insurance, he added, also covered the players’ medical expenses.

The FAM clearly take the matter seriously. Only last week they threw out Johor Baru City Hall from the Premier League for not joining the insurance scheme.

It is clear that teams have a duty to their players to provide insurance coverage for them.

Under FAM’s insurance scheme, the states and clubs need not pay the medical bills either as it is taken care of by the insurers.

The MHF must follow in FAM’s footsteps as far as insurance coverage for players is concerned.

The competitions committee must take the bold step of ensuring that teams have insurance coverage when they take part in tournaments.

There are many companies specialising in sports insurance and their premium varies depending on the risk factors of the sports concerned. So, financial woes should not be used as an excuse.

Let’s hope that Fadhirul’s death will prompt a change which will only serve to make hockey a better sport — for players and officials.

The Star of Malaysia

All for one and one for all with World Cup in mind

Tai Beng Hai

I BELIEVE in my players, and they believe in me, and together, we are giving our best to elevate the standard of Malaysian hockey at the international level.

The training regime has been tough, as my team of coaches and I have been pushing them to the maximum for the past three months, and the plus point is that instead of complaining, my players took up the challenge to improve.

The wake-up call is at the break of dawn, 6am, and we start by building stamina with a variety of training drills. The results are there for all to see, as the National Sports Institute records have shown a marked improvement in every player after only three months.

Right now, fitness is no longer a worry for me, as the boys showed when we played seven matches in South Korea recently.

We played three matches in a row, took a two-day break, and then another four matches in a row and there was a very little drop in standard as all the players could keep their normal pace.

Time was what I did not have when I was offered to coach the team in January, as the Azlan Shah Cup and Asia Cup were just a few months away.

But I took up the challenge because my passion is hockey, as I enjoyed every moment of my life when I was donning the national jersey.

And there has been no looking over my shoulders to see if a foreign coach will be appointed to replace me, as this set of players, who I had trained as juniors when I was assistant to Sarjit Singh for the 2004 Junior World Cup, are among the best I have seen so far.

In fact they remind me of my teammates in dedication and commitment.

Right now, the team are eager to prove themselves in the Azlan Shah Cup as they have not played in a tournament for a long time.

Our trip to South Korea (where the team won three, drew two and lost two matches), was a refreshing change as I saw promise in many players who have been merely floating before.

We played against university sides which had many Korean national players, and I returned home with a better understanding about my team. Some of the players performed better in different positions and this, I believe, will be an asset in the next two important assignments.

The Azlan Shah Cup will be a great chance for the team to impress, and start their climb back into the respectable hockey playing nations' bracket. We are Number 15 today, but I believe the ranking does not reflect the true capabilities of this set of players.

I believe in my players, even though only Egypt (No 21) are ranked below us in the Azlan Shah Cup, while New Zealand (No 7), Pakistan (No 8) and India (No 10) are above, my players are eager to show results, and the tournament will be an exciting one, as we are looking at a podium finish.

After that, there will be a final push for the Asia Cup, and everybody knows the score -- it will be difficult to win the title and qualify for the (2010) World Cup but not impossible -- and like every other aspirant, we will give our best.

The writer is the National Hockey Chief Coach.

New Straits Times

'Mutiple leaders good for game'

V Narayan Swamy,TNN   

BANGALORE: Sourav Ganguly and many other international cricketers have frowned upon the idea of multiple captains but for Australian sports gurus like Ric Charlesworth and John Buchanan, a group of leaders in a team is pretty much the way forward.

Hockey legend Charlesworth, who pioneered the concept of multiple leaders when he spearheaded the Australian women’s hockey team to glory twice at the Olympics in 1996 and 2000, has backed Buchanan and his theory of more than one captain for the Kolkata Knight Riders, saying "hierarchies (in a team) hardly fetch the best results."

"I believe hierarchical leadership is an anachronism in this time. I do not think it gets the best results," Charlesworth told TOI. "In my opinion, the best teams have a critical mass of leaders who take responsibility for what happens, make decisions and solve problems. The more the better."

The gist of the theory, which goes by the moniker of ‘flat leadership’ in management psychology, is that all athletes have to be part of the leadership process. "Flat leadership helps and requires all athletes to be engaged in the process and so challenges them to help the team do well. Otherwise, they become social loafers waiting for others to do things," says Charlesworth.

The Aussie veteran hasn’t merely expounded this theory in hockey alone. Having served as the high performance manager of New Zealand Cricket until 2007, Charlesworth tried to introduce the concept among the Stephen Fleming-led Kiwis but "for various reasons it did not go forward."

Stressing on the concept’s importance in cricket, Charlesworth, who played the game for Western Australia in the 1970s, says: "Perhaps the release of pressure would be good for players. Captaincy in cricket can be very demanding. No doubt John Buchanan has thought it through. When I played for Western Australia, we had many players contributing to our decisions. I assume Kolkata has many influential players with something to offer. But finally, it is not the answer to performing... what is needed most is skill."

As the coach of the Australian men’s national hockey team, Charlesworth, says he will continue to work with the idea of a leadership group. "It has been practised for years and we will work in this way."

Charlesworth’s predecessor in the men’s hockey team, Barry Dancer, who embraced the concept as wholeheartedly as many other coaches during his time, had this to say: "It stems from the fundamental argument that one leader can sometimes generate followers or no followers. We do not want followers. We need players responsible for their own actions and who are proactive. This increases productivity."

The Times of India

Vizag Steel Cup from Monday

Special correspondent

VISAKHAPATNAM: The Andhra State inter-district super league men’s tournament for the Vizag Steel Cup will be held at the Port Diamond Jubilee stadium here from Monday to April 2.

The top six teams of the State inter-district hockey championship held at Guduru in August last, will participate in the round-robin tournament.

Visakhapatnam (winner of the first super league tournament held in 2004 at Hyderabad), Nellore, East Godavari, Kurnool, Kadapa and Chittoor (runner-up of the last super league), will participate in the tournament here, joint secretary of District Hockey Association D.V. Satyanarayana Raju said on Saturday.

The Visakhapatnam Steel Plant is sponsoring the tournament while the Visakhapatnam Port Trust is supporting the event by providing the hockey field and accommodation to the players and officials at its stadium.

The Hindu

20th International Easter Hockey Tournament

From Melinda Adams

The players of more than 24 teams from 9 different countries will once again meet the weekend of April 11-12, 2009  at the 20th International Easter Hockey Tournament in Valkenswaard, The Netherlands. The aim of this tournament is a challenging high level competition for under-16 players. A demonstration game will be held between the first women’s teams of Oranje-Zwart and HOD prior to the start of the tournament.

Read more at http://www.iet-online.nl