News for 26 May 2009
Tuesday, 26 May 2009 09:07 | 
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All the news for Tuesday 26 May 2009
Third Cal Cup Crown for Buenos Aires: Rush’d win Women’s title
By Jawwad Qamar
Juan Pablo Correa and gang chasing the Dirty Bird at Cal Cup 2009 final - photo by Jag Reyatt
May 25, Moorpark, CA: The four days of non stop hockey in the beautiful setting of California hills came to an end with the 2-1 victory by Ciudad de Buenos Aires over the Dirty Birds from Vancouver, Canada at Cal Cup 2009. Buenos Aires also took the Cal Cup title in 2005 and beat the Dirty Birds in the 2006 finals.
Earlier the veteran Rush’d took the women’s $5,000 cash and crown by thrashing Jolie Pitts 8-0 in a one sided rematch of their Saturday’s meeting when the result was much closer at 1-0. Torrie Albini and Jesse Gey scored two goals each while Shellie Onstead, Vianney Campos, Tara Jelley Danielson and Heide Faith each added one goal as their goalkeeper Barg Weinberg was hardly tested in the tournament. A combination of current and former USA national players, Rush’d dominated the women’s division by scoring 36 goals while allowing no goals in six matches. Albini was the leading scorer in the entire super division with 9 goals and awarded the Ross Rutledge Award in memory of Canadian great Ross Rutledge who passed away in 2004. Rutledge was a fixture at Cal Cup for many years.
RUSH’d: COOK Sandra, FAITH Heidi, ONSTEAD Shellie, FORD Maren, DANIELSON Tara Jelley, GEY Jesse, ELENZ MARTIN Kathryn, NICHOLS Caroline, VERSFELD Ballie, MCDAVITT Tina, CAMPOS Vianney, ALBINI Torrie, REEVE Jill, WEINBERG Barg, LINGO Carrie
Jolie Pitts: SCALLY Jackie, STOCKSTILL Amber, BRADFORD Ashley, LANDEROS Yvett, MCGRATH Kaily, LANDROS Kylie, NICCUM Ashley, PERKINS Sarah, HESS Lauren, LONG Jennifer, WEISSEN Mallory, POWLEY Lauren, EVANS Katie, MARTINEZ Briann, BUSCH Elle, CHANNEY Jennifer, VAN MIL June, DANIELS Maureen
Umpires: Emma Simmons (Bermuda), Amy Hassick (USA)
In a fiercely played men’s final, Ciudad de Buenos Aires took the first place $5,000 cash thanks to one goal by Ignacio Manes during a goal mouth scramble in the 21st minute and one goal by Nicolas Truksinas seven minutes later when he surprised Dirty Birds goalkeeper Dave Carter on a backline run from the left. Five minutes into the second half saw a combined foray by the Birds allow Dimitry Gisin put the Canadians finally on the board. However, the Argentineans kept the pressure on, forcing four more penalty corners (3 in first half) in the second half and had a number of back to back shots and if it was not for the heroics of Carter, one of the best goalkeepers around, the margin for Buenos Aires would’ve been much higher.
Cougars took third place over Hockey Factory 7-1 on two goals a piece by Steve Danielson, Binh Hoang and Pat Harris. Arjen Reyatt was the lone scorer for the Hockey Factory. Harris was the leading goal scorer with 8 goals in the men’s division.
Buenos Aires: ARCEO Santiago, DINARDO Andres, GONZALEZ Matias, CALLIONI Facundo, TRUKSINAS Nicolas, MANES Ignacio, MARTINS Nicolas, CORREA Juan Pablo, MARTINEZ Lautaro, NOCETTI Pablo, GINART Santiago, MARTOGLIO Lucas, COLTRINARI Juan Martin, RATTO Diego, MASJUAN Sebastian
Dirty Birds: CARTER David, HANCOCK David, MARTIN Ben, TUPPER Scott, PEARSON Mark, GUEST Aaron, MEAKIN Connor, BISSETT Stephen, BISSETT Matthew, SMYTH John, SCHOUTEN Lawrence, GISIN Dimitry, BISSETT Russell, SCHOUTEN Andrew, LAIDMAN Kevin, OSWALD Arne,
Umpires: Andy Higgins (UK), Saleem Aaron (USA)
Kudos to Cal Cup 2009 tournament committee and every one involved for once again doing a thankless job hosting this excellent international field hockey tournament despite a number of last minute challenges. This also includes providing an excellent team of international umpires under the leadership of Jim Patel from England. Veteran umpires Sumesh Putra, Adrian Robledo, Saleem Aaron, Andy Higgins (10th Cal Cup), and Emma Simmons were well supported by Amy Hassick, Ayanna McClean, Neil Smith, Willem Mijnarends, , Gavin Caldecott, Pritpal Sihota and Tom Hobbs.
“California Cup and field hockey in general is a labor of love for many and is sustained by their undying passion,” said Billie Ahluwalia, Tournament Chair. “We are grateful to all players, umpires, officials, and volunteers for making the 38th Cal Cup a memorable one.”
For a complete list of all Cal Cup 2009 winners and final standings, please visit www.calcup.net.
Fieldhockey.com Exclusive
Walsh returns in style
By Graham Wilson & Mike Haymonds
KATE WALSH, the captain who led Great Britain to sixth place in the Beijing Olympics, quickly made her mark for England against Scotland at the weekend after a season playing in Holland.
Former Slough defender Walsh netted a 24th-minute penalty corner strike, which sparked second-half goals for Kerry Williams, Hannah Macleod and Nicola White in the 4-1 friendly win in Manchester.
In a second game England came from behind to draw 1-1, with Olympian Alex Danson, another former Slough player who has returned from Holland, cancelling out Catriona Forrest’s early goal.
Slough, meanwhile, are aiming to end a disappointing season with success at the European Club Champions Cup in Holland this weekend.
After winning indoor and outdoor titles last year Slough were hardest hit by an exodus to Holland, losing four players, and finished fifth in the league and lost the indoor final.
But they have extensive experience in Europe with 10 previous appearances in this competition, winning silver medals twice and bronze three times.
Slough skipper Fiona Greenham said: “It has been difficult but we relish the chance to end on a high.”
But their opening games will present a tough challenge.
Slough face Atasport from Azerbaijan on Friday, the hosts ‘s-Hertogenbosch on Saturday and Belgium’s Royal Antwerp on Sunday.
Atasport have four South Koreans in their squad while the Dutch, who include GB’s Beijing Olympian Helen Richardson, are bidding for a 10th straight European title.
Daily Express
Kookaburras prepare for 2009 Champions Trophy
The Kookaburras will continue their building process following the 2008 Beijing Olympics when they take on Europe’s finest nations from May 26 – June 12.
Competing in the Hamburg Masters (held in Germany) against the Netherlands, England and Germany, the Kookaburras will also make the most of their time in Europe by playing separate matches against France, Germany and England.
Having recently announced the 2009 Kookaburras squad, four non-squad members, Glenn Turner, Graeme Begbie, George Bazeley and Jason Wilson, will also tour with the Kookaburras.
While these four are not currently part of the official squad, their performances throughout this tour are critical with coach Ric Charlesworth recently indicating his desire to increase the national squad to more than 30 players.
"In the past the squads are usually 24 players, but we need to build a new group so I would like to expose as many players as possible to the national team,” said Charlesworth.
While this European tour squad has some experienced players thanks to the likes of veterans Jamie Dwyer and Liam De Young, half the squad have played less than 10 international games, allowing Charlesworth to experiment with the squad.
“I have said from the start that my first six months as coach would be about discovery, and playing with this many young players will give me a good chance to see how they handle themselves at international level,” said Charlesworth.
Coming up against the likes of Beijing gold medallists Germany and old rivals the Netherlands, whom the Kookaburras defeated in a 4 test series in Perth earlier this year, the Kookaburras can expect some difficult competition during this tour.
With England, Germany and the Netherlands all competing at the 2009 Men’s Champions Trophy event, this tour will give the Kookaburras an excellent opportunity to assess their opposition before the major tournament, held in Melbourne from November 28 – December 6.
Click HERE to view the full fixture.
Hockey Australia media release
Hockeyroos play first tournament since Beijing Olympics
The Hockeyroos will play their first international tournament since the 2008 Beijing Olympics when they compete in the Spar Cup, a 4 nations invitational tournament to be played in Durban, South Africa from 2nd – 6th June.
The tournament will see the Hockeyroos go head to head against Argentina, South Africa, and India, while they will also play separate matches against South Africa and India in the lead up to the tournament.
Following the retirements of veterans Nikki Hudson, Angie Lambert, Melanie Wells and a host of others, this tournament provides the Hockeyroos with a great opportunity to begin their new Olympic cycle on a positive note.
While victory will obviously be the priority for the team, coach Frank Murray said this series will be about team and individual development, with six players (Alison Bruce, Emily Hurtz, Stacia Joseph, Heather Langham, Georgia Nanscawen and Danielle Schubach) making their international debuts.
“Obviously we will enter every game looking to win, but overall as our first series since Beijing, this tournament will give me a chance to assess how the players handle the pressure against quality opposition. Furthermore, it gives the players a chance to work together and begin the process of coming together as a team,” said Murray.
Participation in Durban will provide the Hockeyroos with invaluable competition as they prepare for the Samsung Hockey Champions Trophy - Women 2009 Sydney tournament from July 11-19.
Averaging 49 games per player (compared to 135 games for the 2008 Olympic squad), playing against the likes of Argentina in particular (ranked 2nd in the world) who are also competing at the Champions Trophy will be beneficial for the entire squad.
Of all the debutants, the inclusion of Nanscawen is the most noteworthy, who at the age of 16 will become one of the youngest ever Hockeyroos.
Still in shock about her national squad selection, Nanscawen said to make her international debut at such a young age was unexpected considering 12 months ago she was playing Under 15s.
“I thought it was going to be at least a couple of years away before I would be in consideration for the national squad. I thought I may have been a chance for the development or junior squad but it has just come so quickly,” said Nanscawen.
The Hockeyroos will be looking to the experience of players such as Nicole Arrold and Kim Walker and emerging stars Kobie McGurk, Casey Eastham, Hope Munro and co-captain Madonna Blyth to inspire the new crop of players in a squad.
Hockey Australia media release
Amsterdam and Bloemendaal win Dutch Titles
The women’s team of Amsterdam ended Den Bosch 11-year championship winning streak in Netherlands. Amsterdam won the Dutch league title by defeating Den Bosch 2-1 in the play-off finals.
Bloemendaal grabbed the men’s title. The team of star Teun de Nooijer won its fourth consecutive championship by winning the play-off finals against Amsterdam.
WorldHockey
Bloemendaal, Amsterdam take hockey titles
Bloemandaal won the national men's hockey title on Sunday with a golden goal in extra time.
It is the club's 22nd national title in its history.
In the women's competition, Amsterdam beat Den Bosch, ending Den Bosch's 11-year domination of the event. Amsterdam last won the title 17 years ago and has lost out in eight finals since then.
DutchNews.nl
College play for old boys
MIKE HILL
HOCKEY results for the Midlands KZN teams were generally favourable against their opposition from Gauteng or the Durban area.
St Charles earned a draw against St Albans and Maritzburg College, after their loss last week, gave Westville a hiding. Hilton had a good win in Johannesburg and Michaelhouse won one and lost the other also in Johannesburg.
Maritzburg College vs Westville
The College old boy’s reunion brings the best out of the boys and together with the indifferent display against DHS, Westville were blown away with a massive 9-0 win by College.
After just two minutes, College went ahead when Matthew Guise-Brown put away an accurate drag flick. Westville then defended well and it was only near the end of the half that College scored their second goal, when Guise-Brown buried his second after four penalty corners were missed.
The second half was all College, as a tiring Westville were unable to stop a rampant College team. Guise-Brown scored his third penalty corner, eight minutes into the half. Jaryd Mitchell then latched onto a loose ball in the circle to put College 4-0 up before Guise-Brown converted a further three penalty corners for a 7-0 lead with 10 minutes still remaining.
In the 57th minute, Mitchell scored from a penalty corner variation and in the closing seconds Andrew Manson scored the second field goal to leave College deserved 9-0 winners.
KES vS Hilton
Hilton battled to settle on the worn and bumpy surface at KES and it was no surprise when KES took the lead, after a successful penalty corner midway through the half. Hilton equalised when Oliver Allen netted from close range.
Hilton started the second half in top gear and gave notice of their intentions when two cracking shots, one hitting the upright from Louis Taylor and the other just over the bar by Ashley Hellmore, would have put them two goals to the good.
They then found the target, with the second goal by Allen with a brilliant deflection.
Soon after, the upright was again hit, this time by Allen. Nick Spooner put the game beyond doubt, when he scored from a penalty corner to give Hilton a deserved 3-1 win.
St Charles vs St Albans
St Charles squandered a 2-0 lead to allow St Albans back into the match to be all square at two all at half-time. St Charles’s goals came from Gareth Dukes and Mzamo Cele.
In the second half, St Charles went 3-2 in front when Kyle Coghlan scored the third field goal. St Albans struck back immediately to score their third goal and for the remaining 17 minutes the defences of both teams held firm to leave the score 3-3 after a good competitive match of hockey.
St John’s vs Michaelhouse
The first half was very even with neither side being able to score. Jethro Thomas put Michaelhouse into the lead with a successful penalty corner just into the second half.
The loss of Glen Dowie was pivotal, as St John’s scored three goals in the last 10 minutes to win 3-1 which was not a true reflection of the game.
St Davids vs Michaelhouse
This match was on Sunday and the home side went 1-0 up in the first half. Thomas scored from a penalty stroke after Clint Panther was brought down in the circle at the beginning of the second half.
Michaelhouse dominated the second half but could only score one further goal when Panther scored for a 2-1 win.
DHS vs Glenwood (Queensmead)
The game, the final of the Night League, was played at a cracking pace with Glenwood having the better of the early exchanges. This sustained pressure told as Glenwood forced a penalty corner just before the break and Zamo Ngubo was on hand to score from a goal mouth scramble.
DHS was a different side in the second half and Grant Robertson took control of the game from the midfield. Midway in the half, Robertson got through the Glenwood defense and beat Alex van der Merwe with a powerful reverse-stick shot.
The teams had to go into extra time and no further goals were scored and being a final, it had to be decided on penalty strokes. Glenwood flickers held their nerve to run out 4-3 winners.
DHS vs Glenwood
The normal fixture between the two teams was played on Wednesday and here DHS won 2-1 after scoring two well-worked goals in the first half. Glenwood came back to score a goal in the second half.
Kearsney vs Clifton
Kearsney comprehensively beat Clifton 6-0, after being 4-0 at half-time. The first two goals were both from rebounds following penalty corners, the first to Michael Andrew and the next to Ryan Bennewith. Richard Pentecost volleyed the ball into the net for their third from an overhead pass and then Josh Perry outsprinted the Clifton defence to make it 4-0. In the second half, Kearsney continued to have most of the possession but Clifton defended well. A succession of passes strung together ended with Michael Andrew scoring and then Pentecost scored his second and the final goal with a powerful reverse-stick shot.
SCORES IN BRIEF
Maritzburg College 9 Westville 0; KES 1 Hilton 3; St Charles 3 St Albans 3; St Johns 3 Michaelhouse 1; St Davids 1 Michaelhouse 2; DHS 1 Glenwood 1 (3-4 on penalties); DHS 2 Glenwood 1; Kearsney 6 Clifton 0; Kearsney 2 Westville 0; College II 4 Howick 0; Northwood 9 Crawford LL 0; Carter 5 Hillcrest 0
The Witness - © www.witness.co.za 2002. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
St Anne’s fight back for draw against GHS
Jonathan Cook
SOME top hockey was played in recent Parklane SuperSpar A League matches.
GHS 1 St Anne’s 1
A fast-flowing evenly-matched hockey game resulted in an attractive spectacle between the remaining unbeaten teams, defending champions Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High School (GHS) going 1-0 up at half-time through a fine Robyn Prentice goal before St Anne’s did well to fight back after the changeover, prolific goalscorer Rachel Froneman netting the equaliser at the death.
“GHS had a second ‘goal’ via Steph Pieterse disallowed and a penalty corner awarded instead, which the home team were unable to convert,” said coach Taryn de Winnaar.
“In the dying moments a dubious decision allowed a runaway [St Anne’s] goal and although the result was disappointing for GHS, the team played exceptionally well breaking down play and effectively denying St Anne’s possession,” De Winnaar said.
Both coaches agreed that Sne Zungu of GHS had another excellent game in midfield, while De Winnaar felt GHS sweeper Amy Johnson was nigh unbeatable at the back.
The match was moved from the AB Jackson Greenfields Turf to the Shelagh Bowness Field at GHS without the press being informed, and this writer was most disappointed to miss the game.
Reports indicate it was a well-attended fixture played in a great atmosphere with the cheering of spectators echoing around the suburb of Pelham.
Treverton 1 Epworth 0
“Treverton were strong on the ball, Kylie Price and Andrea Houston putting pressure on Epworth’s defence,” said coach Lyndal Robertson.
“The links were solid in midfield, breaking down any forward movement. Dumsile Mchunu was a brick wall at left half, and the determined Dom DeGouveia player of the match. Dom was a magnet on the field, attracting ball wherever she was.”
Treverton opened the scoring with a quality goal by Price and Houston. “It was a moment of exceptional, beautiful play that would make any coach proud,” Robertson said.
“Demonstrating the art of one-twos down the left, beating defenders, into the circle and smack into the back of the box.”
Vanda Papenfus, Tamryn Strumpher and DeGouveia also drew praise for shots on target that were valiantly saved by the Epworth keeper.
Treverton 3 Wartburg 0
“Wartburg were the guests for Treverton’s Founders Day but found themselves against it for most of the game,” said Robertson.
“Wartburg’s goalkeeper Carly Benade did well but on the first penalty corner, Houston converted. In the second half, Treverton switched the ball around the back and looked for gaps in defence to move the ball to the strikers. Strumpher took a gap and scored a top-right corner before the on-form link netted again a couple minutes later.”
VHS 0 TWC 1
Voortrekker coach Charmaine Koekemoer reports that up until two minutes from the end, this match was played pretty much between the two 25-metre lines. With very few chances created by both teams, it looked set for a draw. But a weak pass among the Voortrekker defenders saw the ball intercepted and released to Sarah Scholfield, who was hanging high. She pulled the ball left and popped it through the legs of Voortrekker keeper Jean-Marie van Rooyen.
“Suddenly the game sparked, Voortrekker worked the ball down the right and won two penalty corners, but were unable to convert them into goals,” said Koekemoer.
Voortrekker 1 Epworth 1
Both teams exhibited very good hockey. The Voortrekker attack was in form and applied pressure on the Epworth defence.
“Melissa Vorster made a great cross- field pass and a tussle for the ball between left-side striker Lariska Beukman and the Epworth keeper resulted in a penalty stroke, which was slotted by Amoré de Wet,” Koekemoer said.
With about 50 seconds to go, the umpire made a somewhat controversial decision in awarding an Epworth penalty corner in their 25-metre area when it was relatively clear that both teams were not five metres from the ball when an Epworth attacker started running directly at the retreating Voortrekker defenders.
Epworth’s Lana Kruger made full use of this opportunity and scored from her sweetly struck penalty-corner hit.
Two U16 players who impressed Koekemoer were Amy Greaves (Epworth) and Anemie Janse van Rensburg (Voortrekker).
PARKLANE SUPERSPAR A LEAGUE LOG
(goal difference, matches played in brackets, points):
St Anne’s GD12 (6) points 13; Treverton GD-1 (7) points 13; GHS GD10 (6) points 12; TWC GD1 (5) points 8; St John’s GD3 (4) points 7; Epworth GD0 (6) points 7; Voortrekker GD-2 (6) points 5; Howick GD-11 (4) points 0; Carter GD-12 (4) points 0.
FIXTURES
Thursday: Voortrekker vs Carter (4.15 pm ABJ); St John’s vs Epworth (StJ 4.15 pm); TWC vs Howick (4 pm TWC). Saturday: Voortrekker vs St John’s (ABJ 8.30 am); Epworth vs GHS (Epw 11 am); St Anne’s vs Howick (StA 10 am).
Dates, times and venue subject to change.
The Witness - © www.witness.co.za 2002. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Beng Hai's boys to spar with top nations
By Ajitpal Singh
THE priority is to qualify for next year's World Cup and to ensure the national team fulfil their mission. As such the Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) has arranged a series of test matches with top hockey-playing nations before the Qualifiers in November.
Malaysia, who finished fourth in the recent Asia Cup, will start with three test matches with Ireland next month before the team play in the Champions Challenge II in Dublin on July 6-12, where Tai Beng Hai's team need to finish in the top-two bracket to improve their world ranking and get an easier draw in the World Cup Qualifiers.
They will then head to the Oceania region where they will face Australia in a five-test series at the end of July before playing six matches with New Zealand in August.
The team will continue with the Europe tour after Hari Raya in September where they will be play eight international matches.
As a final tune-up for the World Cup Qualifiers, the national team will play five test matches with Australia at a yet-to-be-decided venue.
MHF deputy president Nur Azmi Ahmad said the test matches will allow coach Beng Hai to gauge his charges before the World Cup Qualifiers.
"We are fortunate that top nations are interested to play test matches with us. I believe that playing top hockey nations on a regular basis will improve the team's overall strength," said Nur Azmi yesterday.
Malaysia must do well in the Champions Challenge II in July in order to get a favourable draw for the World Cup Qualifiers.
There will be three qualifying tournaments -- Lille (Oct 31-Nov 8), Auckland (Nov 7-15) and a yet-to-be-confirmed venue (Nov-TBC).
New Straits Times
Senior team have work cut out before pre-World Cup
KUALA LUMPUR: The national hockey team will play 32 matches from June to October as part of their preparations for the World Cup qualifying tournament.
The Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) deputy president, Nur Azmi Ahmed, said yesterday that the coaches had selected the series of matches and the team would go on several tours over the next five months.
“The players need quality matches and we believe that the 32 matches will help them to be better prepared for the qualifiers. We have identified the opponents and are finalising the dates for the series of matches,” he said.
The series begin with three matches against Ireland in Dublin next month. In July, Malaysia will be involved in the Champions Challenge II at the same venue and the team will get to play a total of five matches.
On their return, they will go on an 11-match playing tour of Australia and New Zealand. This will be followed by an eight-match tour in Europe in September. The final series of five matches against Australia will be played in Kuala Lumpur in October.
Three qualifying tournaments for next year’s World Cup Finals in New Delhi will be held in November in Lille, Auckland and a venue to be decided.
Each tournament features six teams and the winners will advance to the Finals.
“Our immediate target is to do well in the Champions Challenge II, which offers ranking points. Teams for each of the three qualifying tournaments will be decided after the competition in Dublin,” said Azmi.
Malaysia are now ranked 16th in the world and they are the second seeds in the Challenge II. Japan are the highest ranked team at No. 14. The other teams in the tournament are France, Ireland, Russia, Austria, Poland and Chile.
The Star of Malaysia
Pakistan withdraw from Moscow quadrangular
PHF loses interest in the June event after India’s withdrawal
By Khalid Hussain
KARACHI: Pakistan have pulled out of a four-nation hockey tournament in Russia this summer after old rivals India withdrew from the contest, a top national team official said on Monday.
Shahid Ali Khan, Pakistan team’s head coach, told ‘The News’ that his team will not be competing in the Moscow quadrangular next month because India’s withdrawal from it will leave the field without any worthwhile competition.
“We will not be going to Moscow as it will be useless to play against teams, who are quite low in international rankings,” said Shahid, a former Olympian.
Earlier, Pakistan had confirmed their participation in the four-nation event which was supposed to see in action India, South Africa and hosts Russia. However, following India’s decision to pull out of the tournament, the event’s organisers were planning to invite minnows Bangladesh as replacement.
Shahid said that Pakistan were looking forward to featuring in the Moscow event mainly because of the match against India.“But now that India are out, it will not really benefit us to take part in the four-nation event against teams like Bangladesh, who are ranked much lower than us,” he stressed.
Pakistan were planning to use the Moscow assignment as a launch pad for the preparations aimed at the World Cup Qualifiers to be held later this year.The Greenshirts were unable to win a direct spot in the 2010 World Cup after losing to Korea in the final of the Asia Cup in Kuantan (Malaysia) earlier this month. They will now be featuring in one of the World Cup qualifying events.
The first such tournament will be held in Lille, France from October 31 to November 8, 2009. Second tournament will be held in Invercargill, New Zealand from November 7 to November 15, 2009 while the third tournament, which was originally awarded to Dubai, is subject to the bid details from Malaysia.
Now, Pakistan only have just one confirmed international assignment this summer — a three-match Test series against England in June-July.Pakistan will be going to England late June and will play the three Tests there. They are also trying to line up a Test series against Wales.
Shahid said that the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) will make efforts to confirm Test matches against European powerhouses — Germany, Netherlands and Spain.“It will be great if our team gets some matches against top teams like Germany and Netherlands ahead of the World Cup qualifying rounds,” he said.
“What we need are some tough games because that will give us the sort of preparations we need before going into the qualifying tournament.”Pakistan, record four-time World Cup champions, will have to win a qualifying event to confirm a berth in next year’s World Cup to be held in New Delhi, India. Any mishap will keep them out of the quadrennial spectacle for the first time in international hockey history.
“It’s very important for us to qualify for the World Cup,” said Shahid. “That’s why the PHF will take all possible steps to ensure that our team is fully ready for the assignment,” he concluded.
The News International
Home sweet home
By A. Majid Khan
Even with four seasoned Olympians onboard to shore up the team and a never-before record of six ex-captains playing in the squad, Pakistan failed to qualify for next year’s Hockey World Cup. The green shirts were disappointingly defeated by the super- fit South Korea field hockey tournament in Kuantan, Malaysia.
The 2006 Doha Asia Games gold-medalists, South Korea are now through to the 2010 World Cup, which is to be held in India for the second time. After its fifth successive failure to regain the Asia Cup after a lapse of 20 years, Pakistan (winners of 1982, 1985 and 1989) will now compete in the World Cup qualifying round, scheduled to take place in Dubai later in November this year.
Before the tournament, the nation was led to believe by the Pakistan Hockey Federation that with the inclusion of four seasoned campaigners — left- half Waseem Ahmed, penalty corner specialist Sohail Abbas, attacker Rehan Butt and goalkeeper Salman Akbar — Pakistan will regain the seven-nation Asia Cup this year.
Indeed, the star-studded Pakistani squad performed better than it did during the 2007 Asia Cup, but that they failed to secure a place for their country in the World Cup is both disappointing and frustrating.
Even though Pakistan took the world by surprise by setting a new world record of having no less than six ex-captains in the Asia Cup squad this year, the frequent changes in captaincy within the last five years have made the team a laughing stock in international hockey. The captains who were part of the squad this year included Waseem Ahmed (2004), Mohammad Saqlain (2005-6), Rehan Butt (2006), Salman Akbar (2007), Shakeel Abbasi (2008) and Zeeshan Ashraf (2009).
The withdrawal of Sri Lanka on the eve of the Asia Cup, which was shifted from Dubai to Malaysia for security reasons, reduced the tournament to a seven-nation contest. Pakistan, considered a strong contender to win the tournament, had an unsatisfactory start with attacker Akhtar Ali having to rescue the green shirts from a possible defeat at the hands of China by getting a 70-minute equaliser for 1-1 draw in the three-team group B. However, Pakistan’s 3-2 victory in the vital match against defending champion India was promising thanks to Haseem Khan, who scored the equaliser 1-1 and slammed the second half to give Pakistan a 2-1 lead, and Sohail Abbas who converted the penalty corner and lead Pakistan to the semi-final with China. South Korea finished at the top of the four-team Group A, followed by Malaysia, before entering the semi-finals.
After South Korea virtually outplayed China by 5-1 in the first semi-final, Pakistan recovered from a goal down for a 4-2 victory against Malaysia in the second. During the game, Malaysia took the lead initially, but Pakistan’s Rehan Butt fired back by netting two successive goals with Akhtar Ali netting the third and Haseem the fourth. Debutant Haseem Khan, the nephew of former Olympian Hanif Khan, was impressive in his first outing at the senior Asian level and one hopes that he would continue to work hard to improve his technical skills for bigger challenges.
In the Asia Cup final, Pakistan fought well and created openings but its forwards failed to capitalise the chances during the scoreless first session. Even our seasoned and experienced forwards could not rise to the occasion in scoring against the Koreans, showing lack of cohesion and understanding of the game in their attacks. All seasoned attackers failed to impress except centre-forward Abdul Haseem Khan, a third-year student of the Sir Syed University, who showed great promise while making his debut at the senior level. But his goal against South Korea was disallowed by Indian umpire Javed Akhtar and raised eyebrows. Goalkeeper Salman was outstanding under the bar before Korea succeeded in scoring match winning goal at the fag end of the match. The final standing was as follows:
1- South Korea
2- Pakistan
3- China
4- Malaysia
5- India
6- Japan
7- Bangladesh
Dawn
Schedule released for Senior Nationals
The 35-match schedule for the 2009 FHC Senior National Championships was released today just over eight weeks before the start of the event. Both the men’s and women’s tournaments will take place at Hawkings Field on the campus of the University of Calgary in Alberta.
The ten-team women’s tournament will begin on Wednesday, July 22nd with host Alberta South facing British Columbia’s Under-18 White team. Classification and playoff matches will begin on the weekend with the gold medal final scheduled for 3:00 PM (MT) on Sunday, July 26th.
The tournament includes elite-level teams from Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Prince Edward Island.
The four-team men’s event will begin on Tuesday, July 21st with medal matches to be played on Friday, July 24th. The tournament features British Columbia, Ontario, Alberta, and an as yet to be named team.
The men’s tournament wraps up two days earlier than the women’s side to allow Canada’s high performance athletes the opportunity to centralize with the National Team program over the weekend ahead of a potential international series.
The 2008 FHC National Championships were swept by teams from British Columbia.
For information on the tournament hotel or social activities planned during the event please contact Organizing Committee Chair Liz Allan at Field Hockey AlbertaThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
To view the complete schedule please click here .
Field Hockey Canada media release
Third Cal Cup Crown for Buenos Aires: Rush’d win Women’s title
By Jawwad Qamar
Juan Pablo Correa and gang chasing the Dirty Bird at Cal Cup 2009 final - photo by Jag Reyatt
May 25, Moorpark, CA: The four days of non stop hockey in the beautiful setting of California hills came to an end with the 2-1 victory by Ciudad de Buenos Aires over the Dirty Birds from Vancouver, Canada at Cal Cup 2009. Buenos Aires also took the Cal Cup title in 2005 and beat the Dirty Birds in the 2006 finals.
Earlier the veteran Rush’d took the women’s $5,000 cash and crown by thrashing Jolie Pitts 8-0 in a one sided rematch of their Saturday’s meeting when the result was much closer at 1-0. Torrie Albini and Jesse Gey scored two goals each while Shellie Onstead, Vianney Campos, Tara Jelley Danielson and Heide Faith each added one goal as their goalkeeper Barg Weinberg was hardly tested in the tournament. A combination of current and former USA national players, Rush’d dominated the women’s division by scoring 36 goals while allowing no goals in six matches. Albini was the leading scorer in the entire super division with 9 goals and awarded the Ross Rutledge Award in memory of Canadian great Ross Rutledge who passed away in 2004. Rutledge was a fixture at Cal Cup for many years.
RUSH’d: COOK Sandra, FAITH Heidi, ONSTEAD Shellie, FORD Maren, DANIELSON Tara Jelley, GEY Jesse, ELENZ MARTIN Kathryn, NICHOLS Caroline, VERSFELD Ballie, MCDAVITT Tina, CAMPOS Vianney, ALBINI Torrie, REEVE Jill, WEINBERG Barg, LINGO Carrie
Jolie Pitts: SCALLY Jackie, STOCKSTILL Amber, BRADFORD Ashley, LANDEROS Yvett, MCGRATH Kaily, LANDROS Kylie, NICCUM Ashley, PERKINS Sarah, HESS Lauren, LONG Jennifer, WEISSEN Mallory, POWLEY Lauren, EVANS Katie, MARTINEZ Briann, BUSCH Elle, CHANNEY Jennifer, VAN MIL June, DANIELS Maureen
Umpires: Emma Simmons (Bermuda), Amy Hassick (USA)
In a fiercely played men’s final, Ciudad de Buenos Aires took the first place $5,000 cash thanks to one goal by Ignacio Manes during a goal mouth scramble in the 21st minute and one goal by Nicolas Truksinas seven minutes later when he surprised Dirty Birds goalkeeper Dave Carter on a backline run from the left. Five minutes into the second half saw a combined foray by the Birds allow Dimitry Gisin put the Canadians finally on the board. However, the Argentineans kept the pressure on, forcing four more penalty corners (3 in first half) in the second half and had a number of back to back shots and if it was not for the heroics of Carter, one of the best goalkeepers around, the margin for Buenos Aires would’ve been much higher.
Cougars took third place over Hockey Factory 7-1 on two goals a piece by Steve Danielson, Binh Hoang and Pat Harris. Arjen Reyatt was the lone scorer for the Hockey Factory. Harris was the leading goal scorer with 8 goals in the men’s division.
Buenos Aires: ARCEO Santiago, DINARDO Andres, GONZALEZ Matias, CALLIONI Facundo, TRUKSINAS Nicolas, MANES Ignacio, MARTINS Nicolas, CORREA Juan Pablo, MARTINEZ Lautaro, NOCETTI Pablo, GINART Santiago, MARTOGLIO Lucas, COLTRINARI Juan Martin, RATTO Diego, MASJUAN Sebastian
Dirty Birds: CARTER David, HANCOCK David, MARTIN Ben, TUPPER Scott, PEARSON Mark, GUEST Aaron, MEAKIN Connor, BISSETT Stephen, BISSETT Matthew, SMYTH John, SCHOUTEN Lawrence, GISIN Dimitry, BISSETT Russell, SCHOUTEN Andrew, LAIDMAN Kevin, OSWALD Arne,
Umpires: Andy Higgins (UK), Saleem Aaron (USA)
Kudos to Cal Cup 2009 tournament committee and every one involved for once again doing a thankless job hosting this excellent international field hockey tournament despite a number of last minute challenges. This also includes providing an excellent team of international umpires under the leadership of Jim Patel from England. Veteran umpires Sumesh Putra, Adrian Robledo, Saleem Aaron, Andy Higgins (10th Cal Cup), and Emma Simmons were well supported by Amy Hassick, Ayanna McClean, Neil Smith, Willem Mijnarends, , Gavin Caldecott, Pritpal Sihota and Tom Hobbs.
“California Cup and field hockey in general is a labor of love for many and is sustained by their undying passion,” said Billie Ahluwalia, Tournament Chair. “We are grateful to all players, umpires, officials, and volunteers for making the 38th Cal Cup a memorable one.”
For a complete list of all Cal Cup 2009 winners and final standings, please visit www.calcup.net.
Fieldhockey.com Exclusive
Walsh returns in style
By Graham Wilson & Mike Haymonds
KATE WALSH, the captain who led Great Britain to sixth place in the Beijing Olympics, quickly made her mark for England against Scotland at the weekend after a season playing in Holland.
Former Slough defender Walsh netted a 24th-minute penalty corner strike, which sparked second-half goals for Kerry Williams, Hannah Macleod and Nicola White in the 4-1 friendly win in Manchester.
In a second game England came from behind to draw 1-1, with Olympian Alex Danson, another former Slough player who has returned from Holland, cancelling out Catriona Forrest’s early goal.
Slough, meanwhile, are aiming to end a disappointing season with success at the European Club Champions Cup in Holland this weekend.
After winning indoor and outdoor titles last year Slough were hardest hit by an exodus to Holland, losing four players, and finished fifth in the league and lost the indoor final.
But they have extensive experience in Europe with 10 previous appearances in this competition, winning silver medals twice and bronze three times.
Slough skipper Fiona Greenham said: “It has been difficult but we relish the chance to end on a high.”
But their opening games will present a tough challenge.
Slough face Atasport from Azerbaijan on Friday, the hosts ‘s-Hertogenbosch on Saturday and Belgium’s Royal Antwerp on Sunday.
Atasport have four South Koreans in their squad while the Dutch, who include GB’s Beijing Olympian Helen Richardson, are bidding for a 10th straight European title.
Daily Express
Kookaburras prepare for 2009 Champions Trophy
The Kookaburras will continue their building process following the 2008 Beijing Olympics when they take on Europe’s finest nations from May 26 – June 12.
Competing in the Hamburg Masters (held in Germany) against the Netherlands, England and Germany, the Kookaburras will also make the most of their time in Europe by playing separate matches against France, Germany and England.
Having recently announced the 2009 Kookaburras squad, four non-squad members, Glenn Turner, Graeme Begbie, George Bazeley and Jason Wilson, will also tour with the Kookaburras.
While these four are not currently part of the official squad, their performances throughout this tour are critical with coach Ric Charlesworth recently indicating his desire to increase the national squad to more than 30 players.
"In the past the squads are usually 24 players, but we need to build a new group so I would like to expose as many players as possible to the national team,” said Charlesworth.
While this European tour squad has some experienced players thanks to the likes of veterans Jamie Dwyer and Liam De Young, half the squad have played less than 10 international games, allowing Charlesworth to experiment with the squad.
“I have said from the start that my first six months as coach would be about discovery, and playing with this many young players will give me a good chance to see how they handle themselves at international level,” said Charlesworth.
Coming up against the likes of Beijing gold medallists Germany and old rivals the Netherlands, whom the Kookaburras defeated in a 4 test series in Perth earlier this year, the Kookaburras can expect some difficult competition during this tour.
With England, Germany and the Netherlands all competing at the 2009 Men’s Champions Trophy event, this tour will give the Kookaburras an excellent opportunity to assess their opposition before the major tournament, held in Melbourne from November 28 – December 6.
Click HERE to view the full fixture.
Hockey Australia media release
Hockeyroos play first tournament since Beijing Olympics
The Hockeyroos will play their first international tournament since the 2008 Beijing Olympics when they compete in the Spar Cup, a 4 nations invitational tournament to be played in Durban, South Africa from 2nd – 6th June.
The tournament will see the Hockeyroos go head to head against Argentina, South Africa, and India, while they will also play separate matches against South Africa and India in the lead up to the tournament.
Following the retirements of veterans Nikki Hudson, Angie Lambert, Melanie Wells and a host of others, this tournament provides the Hockeyroos with a great opportunity to begin their new Olympic cycle on a positive note.
While victory will obviously be the priority for the team, coach Frank Murray said this series will be about team and individual development, with six players (Alison Bruce, Emily Hurtz, Stacia Joseph, Heather Langham, Georgia Nanscawen and Danielle Schubach) making their international debuts.
“Obviously we will enter every game looking to win, but overall as our first series since Beijing, this tournament will give me a chance to assess how the players handle the pressure against quality opposition. Furthermore, it gives the players a chance to work together and begin the process of coming together as a team,” said Murray.
Participation in Durban will provide the Hockeyroos with invaluable competition as they prepare for the Samsung Hockey Champions Trophy - Women 2009 Sydney tournament from July 11-19.
Averaging 49 games per player (compared to 135 games for the 2008 Olympic squad), playing against the likes of Argentina in particular (ranked 2nd in the world) who are also competing at the Champions Trophy will be beneficial for the entire squad.
Of all the debutants, the inclusion of Nanscawen is the most noteworthy, who at the age of 16 will become one of the youngest ever Hockeyroos.
Still in shock about her national squad selection, Nanscawen said to make her international debut at such a young age was unexpected considering 12 months ago she was playing Under 15s.
“I thought it was going to be at least a couple of years away before I would be in consideration for the national squad. I thought I may have been a chance for the development or junior squad but it has just come so quickly,” said Nanscawen.
The Hockeyroos will be looking to the experience of players such as Nicole Arrold and Kim Walker and emerging stars Kobie McGurk, Casey Eastham, Hope Munro and co-captain Madonna Blyth to inspire the new crop of players in a squad.
Hockey Australia media release
Amsterdam and Bloemendaal win Dutch Titles
The women’s team of Amsterdam ended Den Bosch 11-year championship winning streak in Netherlands. Amsterdam won the Dutch league title by defeating Den Bosch 2-1 in the play-off finals.
Bloemendaal grabbed the men’s title. The team of star Teun de Nooijer won its fourth consecutive championship by winning the play-off finals against Amsterdam.
WorldHockey
Bloemendaal, Amsterdam take hockey titles
Bloemandaal won the national men's hockey title on Sunday with a golden goal in extra time.
It is the club's 22nd national title in its history.
In the women's competition, Amsterdam beat Den Bosch, ending Den Bosch's 11-year domination of the event. Amsterdam last won the title 17 years ago and has lost out in eight finals since then.
DutchNews.nl
College play for old boys
MIKE HILL
HOCKEY results for the Midlands KZN teams were generally favourable against their opposition from Gauteng or the Durban area.
St Charles earned a draw against St Albans and Maritzburg College, after their loss last week, gave Westville a hiding. Hilton had a good win in Johannesburg and Michaelhouse won one and lost the other also in Johannesburg.
Maritzburg College vs Westville
The College old boy’s reunion brings the best out of the boys and together with the indifferent display against DHS, Westville were blown away with a massive 9-0 win by College.
After just two minutes, College went ahead when Matthew Guise-Brown put away an accurate drag flick. Westville then defended well and it was only near the end of the half that College scored their second goal, when Guise-Brown buried his second after four penalty corners were missed.
The second half was all College, as a tiring Westville were unable to stop a rampant College team. Guise-Brown scored his third penalty corner, eight minutes into the half. Jaryd Mitchell then latched onto a loose ball in the circle to put College 4-0 up before Guise-Brown converted a further three penalty corners for a 7-0 lead with 10 minutes still remaining.
In the 57th minute, Mitchell scored from a penalty corner variation and in the closing seconds Andrew Manson scored the second field goal to leave College deserved 9-0 winners.
KES vS Hilton
Hilton battled to settle on the worn and bumpy surface at KES and it was no surprise when KES took the lead, after a successful penalty corner midway through the half. Hilton equalised when Oliver Allen netted from close range.
Hilton started the second half in top gear and gave notice of their intentions when two cracking shots, one hitting the upright from Louis Taylor and the other just over the bar by Ashley Hellmore, would have put them two goals to the good.
They then found the target, with the second goal by Allen with a brilliant deflection.
Soon after, the upright was again hit, this time by Allen. Nick Spooner put the game beyond doubt, when he scored from a penalty corner to give Hilton a deserved 3-1 win.
St Charles vs St Albans
St Charles squandered a 2-0 lead to allow St Albans back into the match to be all square at two all at half-time. St Charles’s goals came from Gareth Dukes and Mzamo Cele.
In the second half, St Charles went 3-2 in front when Kyle Coghlan scored the third field goal. St Albans struck back immediately to score their third goal and for the remaining 17 minutes the defences of both teams held firm to leave the score 3-3 after a good competitive match of hockey.
St John’s vs Michaelhouse
The first half was very even with neither side being able to score. Jethro Thomas put Michaelhouse into the lead with a successful penalty corner just into the second half.
The loss of Glen Dowie was pivotal, as St John’s scored three goals in the last 10 minutes to win 3-1 which was not a true reflection of the game.
St Davids vs Michaelhouse
This match was on Sunday and the home side went 1-0 up in the first half. Thomas scored from a penalty stroke after Clint Panther was brought down in the circle at the beginning of the second half.
Michaelhouse dominated the second half but could only score one further goal when Panther scored for a 2-1 win.
DHS vs Glenwood (Queensmead)
The game, the final of the Night League, was played at a cracking pace with Glenwood having the better of the early exchanges. This sustained pressure told as Glenwood forced a penalty corner just before the break and Zamo Ngubo was on hand to score from a goal mouth scramble.
DHS was a different side in the second half and Grant Robertson took control of the game from the midfield. Midway in the half, Robertson got through the Glenwood defense and beat Alex van der Merwe with a powerful reverse-stick shot.
The teams had to go into extra time and no further goals were scored and being a final, it had to be decided on penalty strokes. Glenwood flickers held their nerve to run out 4-3 winners.
DHS vs Glenwood
The normal fixture between the two teams was played on Wednesday and here DHS won 2-1 after scoring two well-worked goals in the first half. Glenwood came back to score a goal in the second half.
Kearsney vs Clifton
Kearsney comprehensively beat Clifton 6-0, after being 4-0 at half-time. The first two goals were both from rebounds following penalty corners, the first to Michael Andrew and the next to Ryan Bennewith. Richard Pentecost volleyed the ball into the net for their third from an overhead pass and then Josh Perry outsprinted the Clifton defence to make it 4-0. In the second half, Kearsney continued to have most of the possession but Clifton defended well. A succession of passes strung together ended with Michael Andrew scoring and then Pentecost scored his second and the final goal with a powerful reverse-stick shot.
SCORES IN BRIEF
Maritzburg College 9 Westville 0; KES 1 Hilton 3; St Charles 3 St Albans 3; St Johns 3 Michaelhouse 1; St Davids 1 Michaelhouse 2; DHS 1 Glenwood 1 (3-4 on penalties); DHS 2 Glenwood 1; Kearsney 6 Clifton 0; Kearsney 2 Westville 0; College II 4 Howick 0; Northwood 9 Crawford LL 0; Carter 5 Hillcrest 0
The Witness - © www.witness.co.za 2002. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
St Anne’s fight back for draw against GHS
Jonathan Cook
SOME top hockey was played in recent Parklane SuperSpar A League matches.
GHS 1 St Anne’s 1
A fast-flowing evenly-matched hockey game resulted in an attractive spectacle between the remaining unbeaten teams, defending champions Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High School (GHS) going 1-0 up at half-time through a fine Robyn Prentice goal before St Anne’s did well to fight back after the changeover, prolific goalscorer Rachel Froneman netting the equaliser at the death.
“GHS had a second ‘goal’ via Steph Pieterse disallowed and a penalty corner awarded instead, which the home team were unable to convert,” said coach Taryn de Winnaar.
“In the dying moments a dubious decision allowed a runaway [St Anne’s] goal and although the result was disappointing for GHS, the team played exceptionally well breaking down play and effectively denying St Anne’s possession,” De Winnaar said.
Both coaches agreed that Sne Zungu of GHS had another excellent game in midfield, while De Winnaar felt GHS sweeper Amy Johnson was nigh unbeatable at the back.
The match was moved from the AB Jackson Greenfields Turf to the Shelagh Bowness Field at GHS without the press being informed, and this writer was most disappointed to miss the game.
Reports indicate it was a well-attended fixture played in a great atmosphere with the cheering of spectators echoing around the suburb of Pelham.
Treverton 1 Epworth 0
“Treverton were strong on the ball, Kylie Price and Andrea Houston putting pressure on Epworth’s defence,” said coach Lyndal Robertson.
“The links were solid in midfield, breaking down any forward movement. Dumsile Mchunu was a brick wall at left half, and the determined Dom DeGouveia player of the match. Dom was a magnet on the field, attracting ball wherever she was.”
Treverton opened the scoring with a quality goal by Price and Houston. “It was a moment of exceptional, beautiful play that would make any coach proud,” Robertson said.
“Demonstrating the art of one-twos down the left, beating defenders, into the circle and smack into the back of the box.”
Vanda Papenfus, Tamryn Strumpher and DeGouveia also drew praise for shots on target that were valiantly saved by the Epworth keeper.
Treverton 3 Wartburg 0
“Wartburg were the guests for Treverton’s Founders Day but found themselves against it for most of the game,” said Robertson.
“Wartburg’s goalkeeper Carly Benade did well but on the first penalty corner, Houston converted. In the second half, Treverton switched the ball around the back and looked for gaps in defence to move the ball to the strikers. Strumpher took a gap and scored a top-right corner before the on-form link netted again a couple minutes later.”
VHS 0 TWC 1
Voortrekker coach Charmaine Koekemoer reports that up until two minutes from the end, this match was played pretty much between the two 25-metre lines. With very few chances created by both teams, it looked set for a draw. But a weak pass among the Voortrekker defenders saw the ball intercepted and released to Sarah Scholfield, who was hanging high. She pulled the ball left and popped it through the legs of Voortrekker keeper Jean-Marie van Rooyen.
“Suddenly the game sparked, Voortrekker worked the ball down the right and won two penalty corners, but were unable to convert them into goals,” said Koekemoer.
Voortrekker 1 Epworth 1
Both teams exhibited very good hockey. The Voortrekker attack was in form and applied pressure on the Epworth defence.
“Melissa Vorster made a great cross- field pass and a tussle for the ball between left-side striker Lariska Beukman and the Epworth keeper resulted in a penalty stroke, which was slotted by Amoré de Wet,” Koekemoer said.
With about 50 seconds to go, the umpire made a somewhat controversial decision in awarding an Epworth penalty corner in their 25-metre area when it was relatively clear that both teams were not five metres from the ball when an Epworth attacker started running directly at the retreating Voortrekker defenders.
Epworth’s Lana Kruger made full use of this opportunity and scored from her sweetly struck penalty-corner hit.
Two U16 players who impressed Koekemoer were Amy Greaves (Epworth) and Anemie Janse van Rensburg (Voortrekker).
PARKLANE SUPERSPAR A LEAGUE LOG
(goal difference, matches played in brackets, points):
St Anne’s GD12 (6) points 13; Treverton GD-1 (7) points 13; GHS GD10 (6) points 12; TWC GD1 (5) points 8; St John’s GD3 (4) points 7; Epworth GD0 (6) points 7; Voortrekker GD-2 (6) points 5; Howick GD-11 (4) points 0; Carter GD-12 (4) points 0.
FIXTURES
Thursday: Voortrekker vs Carter (4.15 pm ABJ); St John’s vs Epworth (StJ 4.15 pm); TWC vs Howick (4 pm TWC). Saturday: Voortrekker vs St John’s (ABJ 8.30 am); Epworth vs GHS (Epw 11 am); St Anne’s vs Howick (StA 10 am).
Dates, times and venue subject to change.
The Witness - © www.witness.co.za 2002. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Beng Hai's boys to spar with top nations
By Ajitpal Singh
THE priority is to qualify for next year's World Cup and to ensure the national team fulfil their mission. As such the Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) has arranged a series of test matches with top hockey-playing nations before the Qualifiers in November.
Malaysia, who finished fourth in the recent Asia Cup, will start with three test matches with Ireland next month before the team play in the Champions Challenge II in Dublin on July 6-12, where Tai Beng Hai's team need to finish in the top-two bracket to improve their world ranking and get an easier draw in the World Cup Qualifiers.
They will then head to the Oceania region where they will face Australia in a five-test series at the end of July before playing six matches with New Zealand in August.
The team will continue with the Europe tour after Hari Raya in September where they will be play eight international matches.
As a final tune-up for the World Cup Qualifiers, the national team will play five test matches with Australia at a yet-to-be-decided venue.
MHF deputy president Nur Azmi Ahmad said the test matches will allow coach Beng Hai to gauge his charges before the World Cup Qualifiers.
"We are fortunate that top nations are interested to play test matches with us. I believe that playing top hockey nations on a regular basis will improve the team's overall strength," said Nur Azmi yesterday.
Malaysia must do well in the Champions Challenge II in July in order to get a favourable draw for the World Cup Qualifiers.
There will be three qualifying tournaments -- Lille (Oct 31-Nov 8), Auckland (Nov 7-15) and a yet-to-be-confirmed venue (Nov-TBC).
New Straits Times
Senior team have work cut out before pre-World Cup
KUALA LUMPUR: The national hockey team will play 32 matches from June to October as part of their preparations for the World Cup qualifying tournament.
The Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) deputy president, Nur Azmi Ahmed, said yesterday that the coaches had selected the series of matches and the team would go on several tours over the next five months.
“The players need quality matches and we believe that the 32 matches will help them to be better prepared for the qualifiers. We have identified the opponents and are finalising the dates for the series of matches,” he said.
The series begin with three matches against Ireland in Dublin next month. In July, Malaysia will be involved in the Champions Challenge II at the same venue and the team will get to play a total of five matches.
On their return, they will go on an 11-match playing tour of Australia and New Zealand. This will be followed by an eight-match tour in Europe in September. The final series of five matches against Australia will be played in Kuala Lumpur in October.
Three qualifying tournaments for next year’s World Cup Finals in New Delhi will be held in November in Lille, Auckland and a venue to be decided.
Each tournament features six teams and the winners will advance to the Finals.
“Our immediate target is to do well in the Champions Challenge II, which offers ranking points. Teams for each of the three qualifying tournaments will be decided after the competition in Dublin,” said Azmi.
Malaysia are now ranked 16th in the world and they are the second seeds in the Challenge II. Japan are the highest ranked team at No. 14. The other teams in the tournament are France, Ireland, Russia, Austria, Poland and Chile.
The Star of Malaysia
Pakistan withdraw from Moscow quadrangular
PHF loses interest in the June event after India’s withdrawal
By Khalid Hussain
KARACHI: Pakistan have pulled out of a four-nation hockey tournament in Russia this summer after old rivals India withdrew from the contest, a top national team official said on Monday.
Shahid Ali Khan, Pakistan team’s head coach, told ‘The News’ that his team will not be competing in the Moscow quadrangular next month because India’s withdrawal from it will leave the field without any worthwhile competition.
“We will not be going to Moscow as it will be useless to play against teams, who are quite low in international rankings,” said Shahid, a former Olympian.
Earlier, Pakistan had confirmed their participation in the four-nation event which was supposed to see in action India, South Africa and hosts Russia. However, following India’s decision to pull out of the tournament, the event’s organisers were planning to invite minnows Bangladesh as replacement.
Shahid said that Pakistan were looking forward to featuring in the Moscow event mainly because of the match against India.“But now that India are out, it will not really benefit us to take part in the four-nation event against teams like Bangladesh, who are ranked much lower than us,” he stressed.
Pakistan were planning to use the Moscow assignment as a launch pad for the preparations aimed at the World Cup Qualifiers to be held later this year.The Greenshirts were unable to win a direct spot in the 2010 World Cup after losing to Korea in the final of the Asia Cup in Kuantan (Malaysia) earlier this month. They will now be featuring in one of the World Cup qualifying events.
The first such tournament will be held in Lille, France from October 31 to November 8, 2009. Second tournament will be held in Invercargill, New Zealand from November 7 to November 15, 2009 while the third tournament, which was originally awarded to Dubai, is subject to the bid details from Malaysia.
Now, Pakistan only have just one confirmed international assignment this summer — a three-match Test series against England in June-July.Pakistan will be going to England late June and will play the three Tests there. They are also trying to line up a Test series against Wales.
Shahid said that the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) will make efforts to confirm Test matches against European powerhouses — Germany, Netherlands and Spain.“It will be great if our team gets some matches against top teams like Germany and Netherlands ahead of the World Cup qualifying rounds,” he said.
“What we need are some tough games because that will give us the sort of preparations we need before going into the qualifying tournament.”Pakistan, record four-time World Cup champions, will have to win a qualifying event to confirm a berth in next year’s World Cup to be held in New Delhi, India. Any mishap will keep them out of the quadrennial spectacle for the first time in international hockey history.
“It’s very important for us to qualify for the World Cup,” said Shahid. “That’s why the PHF will take all possible steps to ensure that our team is fully ready for the assignment,” he concluded.
The News International
Home sweet home
By A. Majid Khan
Even with four seasoned Olympians onboard to shore up the team and a never-before record of six ex-captains playing in the squad, Pakistan failed to qualify for next year’s Hockey World Cup. The green shirts were disappointingly defeated by the super- fit South Korea field hockey tournament in Kuantan, Malaysia.
The 2006 Doha Asia Games gold-medalists, South Korea are now through to the 2010 World Cup, which is to be held in India for the second time. After its fifth successive failure to regain the Asia Cup after a lapse of 20 years, Pakistan (winners of 1982, 1985 and 1989) will now compete in the World Cup qualifying round, scheduled to take place in Dubai later in November this year.
Before the tournament, the nation was led to believe by the Pakistan Hockey Federation that with the inclusion of four seasoned campaigners — left- half Waseem Ahmed, penalty corner specialist Sohail Abbas, attacker Rehan Butt and goalkeeper Salman Akbar — Pakistan will regain the seven-nation Asia Cup this year.
Indeed, the star-studded Pakistani squad performed better than it did during the 2007 Asia Cup, but that they failed to secure a place for their country in the World Cup is both disappointing and frustrating.
Even though Pakistan took the world by surprise by setting a new world record of having no less than six ex-captains in the Asia Cup squad this year, the frequent changes in captaincy within the last five years have made the team a laughing stock in international hockey. The captains who were part of the squad this year included Waseem Ahmed (2004), Mohammad Saqlain (2005-6), Rehan Butt (2006), Salman Akbar (2007), Shakeel Abbasi (2008) and Zeeshan Ashraf (2009).
The withdrawal of Sri Lanka on the eve of the Asia Cup, which was shifted from Dubai to Malaysia for security reasons, reduced the tournament to a seven-nation contest. Pakistan, considered a strong contender to win the tournament, had an unsatisfactory start with attacker Akhtar Ali having to rescue the green shirts from a possible defeat at the hands of China by getting a 70-minute equaliser for 1-1 draw in the three-team group B. However, Pakistan’s 3-2 victory in the vital match against defending champion India was promising thanks to Haseem Khan, who scored the equaliser 1-1 and slammed the second half to give Pakistan a 2-1 lead, and Sohail Abbas who converted the penalty corner and lead Pakistan to the semi-final with China. South Korea finished at the top of the four-team Group A, followed by Malaysia, before entering the semi-finals.
After South Korea virtually outplayed China by 5-1 in the first semi-final, Pakistan recovered from a goal down for a 4-2 victory against Malaysia in the second. During the game, Malaysia took the lead initially, but Pakistan’s Rehan Butt fired back by netting two successive goals with Akhtar Ali netting the third and Haseem the fourth. Debutant Haseem Khan, the nephew of former Olympian Hanif Khan, was impressive in his first outing at the senior Asian level and one hopes that he would continue to work hard to improve his technical skills for bigger challenges.
In the Asia Cup final, Pakistan fought well and created openings but its forwards failed to capitalise the chances during the scoreless first session. Even our seasoned and experienced forwards could not rise to the occasion in scoring against the Koreans, showing lack of cohesion and understanding of the game in their attacks. All seasoned attackers failed to impress except centre-forward Abdul Haseem Khan, a third-year student of the Sir Syed University, who showed great promise while making his debut at the senior level. But his goal against South Korea was disallowed by Indian umpire Javed Akhtar and raised eyebrows. Goalkeeper Salman was outstanding under the bar before Korea succeeded in scoring match winning goal at the fag end of the match. The final standing was as follows:
1- South Korea
2- Pakistan
3- China
4- Malaysia
5- India
6- Japan
7- Bangladesh
Dawn
Schedule released for Senior Nationals
The 35-match schedule for the 2009 FHC Senior National Championships was released today just over eight weeks before the start of the event. Both the men’s and women’s tournaments will take place at Hawkings Field on the campus of the University of Calgary in Alberta.
The ten-team women’s tournament will begin on Wednesday, July 22nd with host Alberta South facing British Columbia’s Under-18 White team. Classification and playoff matches will begin on the weekend with the gold medal final scheduled for 3:00 PM (MT) on Sunday, July 26th.
The tournament includes elite-level teams from Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Prince Edward Island.
The four-team men’s event will begin on Tuesday, July 21st with medal matches to be played on Friday, July 24th. The tournament features British Columbia, Ontario, Alberta, and an as yet to be named team.
The men’s tournament wraps up two days earlier than the women’s side to allow Canada’s high performance athletes the opportunity to centralize with the National Team program over the weekend ahead of a potential international series.
The 2008 FHC National Championships were swept by teams from British Columbia.
For information on the tournament hotel or social activities planned during the event please contact Organizing Committee Chair Liz Allan at Field Hockey AlbertaThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
To view the complete schedule please click here .
Field Hockey Canada media release