News for 09 May 2016
All the news for Monday 9 May 2016
Indian eves lose to Great Britain yet again
MARLOW (England): The Indian women's hockey team slumped to yet another defeat against Great Britain, going down 2-4 in the fourth game of the five-match series here on Sunday.
Indian eves started off strongly, making inroads into the opposition camp but they failed to pierce through Great Britain's defence.
The home side, meanwhile, took the lead as Quek opened the scoring in the 14th minute from their first penalty corner to finish the first quarter 1-0.
Indian girls kept pressing into the opposition's goal and constant attack paid rich dividends with Ritu Rani scoring the equaliser in 22nd minute.
In the third quarter, Great Britain once again succeeded in taking the lead as Twig netted the ball in the 32nd minute via another penalty corner. Thereafter, the home team bagged one more penalty corner but Rajni made a brilliant stop.
The final quarter saw Great Britain extending their lead to 3-1 when Ansley converted another penalty corner in the 52nd minute.
But the Indian women bounced back strongly and this time Vandana converted a penalty corner in the 57th minute to reduce the margin 2-3.
However, Alex Danson wrapped off the match in style for the home team with another goal.
India will play their fifth and final match of the series against Great Britain on Monday.
The Times of India
Canterbury and Midlands take Under 21 titles
Photo courtesy CMG Sport
The Canterbury Men and Midlands Women have won their respective titles at the National Under 21 Tournament in Dunedin.
The in-form Cantabrians stormed to a dominant 6-0 win over North Harbour in the final, pouring on six goals following a scoreless first half.
Sam Lane starred with a double while David Brydon, Jesse Forsyth, Dominic Newman and Nick Findlay also found the back of the goal.
Lane also picked up the Most Valuable Player of the tournament award thanks to his superb form, which also saw him finish top goal scorer after netting 14 times in just seven games.
Southern secured the bronze medal with a 2-0 result over Midlands following late goals from Silas Dalley (67th minute) and Kieran O’Connor (70’).
Photo courtesy CMG Sport
In the women’s final, Midlands claimed the championship with a hard fought 2-1 win over North Harbour in a game locked up 0-0 at halftime.
Amy Robinson scored the opening goal for Midlands in the 42nd minute before North Harbour’s Samantha Polovnikoff equalised six minutes later.
Tori Robinson then delivered the winning field goal for the girls in orange eight minutes out from fulltime.
Harbour’s Stephanie Dickins won the Women’s Most Valuable Player of the tournament award while Auckland’s Su Arn Kwek was top goal scorer on eight.
Auckland took out the bronze medal with a 3-2 result against Central with goals from Nicola McDonnell, Lulu Tuilotolava and Madison Doar.
CLICK HERE for final results, standings and statistics
Hockey New Zealand Media release
FINAL4 week has landed
It's FINAL4 week with just five days to go before the biggest prize in European club hockey will be decided on May 14 and 15.
The Euro Hockey League winner will be crowned in Barcelona this week for the first time with the Netherlands’ AH&BC Amsterdam and SV Kampong, Germany’s Harvestehuder THC and Spain’s Atlètic Terrassa vying to be the best club team in the 2015/16 season.
The previous eight FINAL4 editions all took place in the Netherlands, meaning the winner at the Pau Negre Stadium will hold a unique place in the EHL’s history.
Just one of the FINAL4 entrants has won the title before, Harvestehuder claiming the Alain Danet Trophy two years ago in Eindhoven in dramatic fashion.
Can they do it again? Standing in their way in the semi-final is a battle with the hugely impressive KO16 and KO8 hosts, Amsterdam, who swept through tough challenges from Wimbledon and Real Club de Polo.
They have won medals three times before in the EHL but have never climbed the top step of the podium and would dearly likely to break that duck. Their attacking quartet of Mirco Pruyser, Valentin Verga, Billy Bakker and Kenny Bain mean they certainly have the firepower in their armoury.
Harvestehuder, though, are artists of the comeback. In winning the 2014 edition, they produced multiple fightbacks, orchestrated by Christoph Bechmann, and their KO8 win this term over reigning champions Oranje Zwart was another for the memory bank.
Tobias Hauke and Michael Körper are the star men in a hard-working side, the latter already scoring 11 goals in just four EHL games this season.
The second FINAL4 battle pairs Atlètic Terrassa – who take on the label of home favourites – with Dutch side SV Kampong. Neither club have reached this phase of the competition before but richly deserved their place on this elevated stage.
They qualified by vastly different methods. Atlètic looked down and out against KHC Dragons before Marc Pujal conjured a last second equaliser before Marc Calzada’s goalkeeping won them the tie in a shoot-out. Jan Malgosa then took on the hero’s role in the KO8 against KHC Leuven, scoring a sublime solo goal in a 3-2 win.
Kampong, meanwhile, were hugely impressive. They swept aside French champions Racing Club de France 6-1 before obliterating Rot Weiss Köln 5-1 two days later in Amsterdam. FIH Goalkeeper of the Year David Harte sets the tone, Sander de Wijn and Robbert Kemperman the steel and creativity while Constantijn Jonker nicks the goals in a well-balanced team.
It makes for two fascinating contests on Saturday, May 14 for the places in Sunday’s GRAND FINAL. Fasten your seat belts, it promises to be an exhilarating ride.
Euro Hockey League media release
OZ sign off with Dutch title
Picture: Koen Suyk
Oranje Zwart’s life in their current form came to the perfect end as they claimed the Dutch national title with victory over Amsterdam in the last major match to be played at the Wagener Stadium before redevelopment.
They had lost the first leg in midweek before bouncing back with an epic comeback on Saturday to level the three game series with a 3-2 success.
And they followed up with a dramatic, and wild at times, final 3-2 win in the third leg to seal their fourth title, matching their city counterparts PSV Eindhoven who won the Netherlands’ football title on the same day.
Three minutes in, Mink van der Weerden opened the scoring from the game’s first penalty corner. He added the second with a merciless finish in the 19th minute with a powerful hit.
Amsterdam got back into the match from a corner of their own, Justin Reid-Ross shooting home a corner for a 2-1 deficit at half-time. They had the chance to level from the penalty spot but Mirco Pruyser’s flick hit the left post.
Bob de Voogd moved OZ further ahead when Amsterdam lost possession and he broke in, rounding the goalkeeper and finished the goal.
Reid-Ross reduced the gap from another corner as Amsterdam fought back with all their might, especially when both Sander Baart and Niek van der Schoot had to serve out suspensions.
But OZ held out and the title was theirs in what is the last game before they formally join ranks with EMHC to become Oranje Rood. Both sides qualify for the 2016/17 Euro Hockey League.
Euro Hockey League media release
Van Doren's late goal nicks title for Dragons
Arthur van Doren’s late goal saw KHC Dragons retain the Belgian league title as they snatched a 3-3 draw against Racing Club de Bruxelles to add to their 4-3 win in the first leg.
Irish duo Shane O’Donoghue and Conor Harte exchanged goals in the first 16 minutes to make it 1-1. Thomas Briels restored the lead for Dragons from a Henri Raes assist but Anthony Versluys tied things up once again at 2-2.
Jeffrey Thys had the chance to take the lead for a third time from the penalty spot but could not find the target and the Rats took advantage of that slip to go 3-2 ahead in the 50th minute via Aldo Dalla Palma.
But the Dragons summoned their late goal from van Doren to equalise late in the day to secure their ninth title.
Earlier in the day, Royal Leopold pulled off a sensational performance to earn their place in next season’s EHL with a 5-1 win over Braxgata.
Brax had won their first leg 3-0 on Thursday but found their advantage wiped out by half-time with goals from Max Plennevaux, Gabriel Dabanch and Tanguy Zimmer.
Fifteen seconds after the restart, Jerome Dekeyser got one back from Diego Arana’s assist but Dabanch put Leo back level on aggregate and Dorian Thiery opportunistically got on the end of a ball from Dimitri Cuvelier for a 5-1 win and a 5-4 success on aggregate.
Euro Hockey League media release
Mannheim claim German playoff place
Mannheimer HC claimed the first place in the German playoffs following another unbeaten double weekend, drawing 1-1 with Club an der Alster before crushing SW Neuss 9-0.
The results mean they continue to hold a five point lead over Crefeld while their gap to fifth placed UHC Hamburg is nine points with two weekends left in the regular season.
The draw with Alster came after Jonathan Fröschle scoring in the 11th minute before Guido Barreiros levelled in the 22nd minute.
Against Neuss, Timm Haase scored the first two goals before two each from Barreiros and Jonathan Ehling and one each from Florian Wösch and Felix Schües recorded the win.
Crefeld stay second thanks to a 0-0 draw against Uhlenhorst Mulheim and a 4-1 win over HTC Nuremburg in which Christian von Ehren, Linus Butt, Tomasz Gorny and Sven Alex scored.
Harvestehuder THC closed the gap on Crefeld with two wins from two, beating BW Berlin 4-2 with two goals from Michael Korper and then seeing off Berliner HC 2-1 with Tobias Hauke and Korper in the goals.
They sit on 41 points, level with Rot Weiss Koln who beat Nuremburg 6-0 and Mulheim 6-1. UHC Hamburg are still within range of the playoffs with a 6-2 win over Berliner and an 8-0 win over BW Berlin.
The next round of matches is on May 21 with Mannheimer facing UHC in a key match for both of their ambitions; a win will secure the regular season title for Mannheim. On May 28, there are further crucial games when Harvestehuder face UHC while Rot Weiss play Crefeld.
Euro Hockey League media release
Abrahams & James goals seal hard-fought win for Wits
By Ken Borland
Rusten Abrahams collected a brace and Brandon James scored a vital powerplay goal – worth double – as the University of the Witwatersrand overcame a tenacious University of Free State side 5-2 in the opening game on day three of Varsity Hockey at the University of Johannesburg on Sunday.
Kovsies were way more competitive than the scoreline suggests and really pressured Wits, who were just more clinical in finishing chances in the circle and were bailed out by some fine saves by goalkeeper Quinton Kernot.
Wits opened the scoring in the sixth minute as a wonderful interchange between captain Stuart Philip and James led to a lovely goal for Philip. But Kovsies equalised just a minute later, Winray Christoffels scrambling the ball into the goal after a great run by Dylan Swanepoel and it soon became clear that a tightly-contested, exciting game was going to develop.
Wits went 2-1 up four minutes later as Thabang Modise built an attack with an excellent run and then slipped the ball left to Abrahams, who took his time and finished with great composure in the left corner.
Kovsies dominated the second quarter, earning a couple of short-corners and a chance for Tiaan Weldhagen, but the excellence of Kernot in the Wits goal meant the equaliser did not come for the Free Staters.
Instead it was the slick finishing of Abrahams that allowed Wits to score next, the Beaulieu product making his second statement on the scoreboard in the 25th minute.
The Free Staters closed the gap to 2-3 in the 38th minute as the tenacious defensive work of Darren Kamfer and Gerhard van Bosch led to Wits turning over possession just outside their 25, with Weldhagen finding the target from the outer reaches of the circle.
The third quarter ended with the local students pressing hard, but the final chukka began with the heroics of goalkeeper Kernot saving Wits as he denied Qhiyiya Jack in a one-on-one.
The crucial period of the game came in the 48th minute as Wits took the powerplay in an effort to dig themselves out of the pressure situation they found themselves in.
But it was Kovsies who created a great chance, but Christoffels took far too long on the ball with an unmarked man just outside the circle. The lack of clinical finishing was a problem for Kovsies and this time it cost them dearly as Wits broke away and James flicked in on the run at the other end of the field for a goal worth double, lifting Wits to a 5-2 lead.
The Wits goal was still under pressure though and the defence at a short-corner was reduced to just two men and the goalkeeper after early breaking. But the ball was eventually missed by the Kovsies stopper and even though the powerplay was taken, the Free Staters scrambled and fought but the goal was not forthcoming.
FNB Player of the Match: Brandon James (Wits)
Mugg & Bean Star Saver: Quinton Kernot (Wits)
Samsung Super Striker: Rusten Abrahams (Wits)
Varsity Sports media release
Maties wallop Madibaz to stay in touch with leaders
By Ken Borland
Stellenbosch University ensured that they stayed in touch with the Varsity Hockey leaders on the third day of the men’s competition as they walloped Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University 8-0 on Sunday.
The most-convincing win of the tournament thus far also made sure that Maties have a healthy goal-difference.
It was two goals in a minute by Charles Bowren and Shannon Boucher that set the tone for Maties, and the 2014 runners-up absorbed the pressure put on them by Madibaz to grab the third goal in the 27th minute. James Drummond, the FNB Player of the Match, stole the ball with a wonderful tackle and then hit it to the penalty spot, where Keenan Horne, the Samsung Super Striker, was well-placed to net the deflection.
Drummond then showed his prowess at the short-corner as his drag-flick low into the left corner of the goal increased the lead to 4-0 in the 35th minute.
Dylan Swanepoel, the Maties captain, scored from the middle of the circle five minutes later and a storming run by Alex Stewart in the 45th minute led to the sixth goal as Matt de Sousa pounced on his slip-pass and sent a first-time slap roaring into the net.
Madibaz took their powerplay at the start of the final quarter but the frustration continued for them as they could not break down the Maties defence.
The powerplay was productive for Maties, however, when they took it in the closing minutes of the match, with Horne showing why he was chosen as the Super Striker as he went on a fantastic dart and fired a brilliant reverse-sticks shot into the goal.
FNB Player of the Match: James Drummond (Maties)
Mugg & Bean Star Saver: Chad Durrheim (Madibaz)
Samsung Super Striker: Keenan Horne (Maties)
Varsity Sports media release
Tuks eventually break down tenacious Pukke
By Ken Borland
The North-West University Pukke were being their normal tenacious, hard-to-break-down selves but the University of Pretoria Tuks did eventually manage to beat them 5-2 in their Varsity Hockey match at the University of Johannesburg on Sunday.
To do so, Tuks had to dig deep and come back from being 2-0 down in the first quarter.
It was a tough start for Tuks as they conceded a penalty stroke in the second minute, converted by Sinoxolo Mbekeni, and their frustrations certainly overflowed as they felt they were being harshly treated by the umpires.
Pukke scored again in the 13th minute, somewhat against the run of play, as Mbekeni was strong on the ball at the top of the D and then flicked on to Louis Calitz, who first-timed a lob into the top of the goal for a tremendous second strike.
Tuks eventually broke through the feisty Pukke defence in the 20th minute as a skilful run by Grant Glutz earned a penalty stroke, which he converted.
The Pretoria students joined level with Pukke at 2-2 in the 36th minute as a defensive mix-up saw Tim Halle get the ball at the top of the circle and he married power and precision to bury the chance.
The next two goals were scored by the physically-imposing Richard Pautz.
The first was by a fine reverse-sticks finish after he had been found in the D by Ashley Kemp, bursting down the right after Pukke had been robbed of possession by Dirk van der Spuy.
The second Pautz goal came in the 53rd minute after Glutz and Matthew Butler did the groundwork, sports management student Pautz once again getting into a good position in the circle.
The final Tuks goal came four minutes before the close as a short-corner variation saw the ball go back to the pusher, Kewan Harries, who slotted it home.
The victory was comfortable in the end, but the Pukke defence, led by goalkeeper Lyndan Schutte, were once again impressive, the scoreline not reflecting the struggles Tuks had to go through.
FNB Player of the Match: Grant Glutz (Tuks)
Mugg & Bean Star Saver: Lyndan Schutte (Pukke)
Samsung Super Striker: Richard Pautz (Tuks)
Varsity Sports media release
UJ win to leave Gauteng varsities in top three
By Ken Borland
Hosts the University of Johannesburg beat the University of Cape Town 2-1 in the final game on the third day of the Varsity Hockey men’s tournament on Sunday to ensure that the Gauteng universities filled the top three places on the log going into the last day of the first round.
All three of them have nine points after three wins, but UJ have had to battle past Pukke and UCT on the last two days, meaning their goal-difference has taken a knock. They are in third place with a +5 goal-difference.
Tuks, who fought hard to beat Pukke 5-2 on Sunday, are second with a goal-difference of +8, while Wits, who overcame Kovsies 5-2, are top of the standings with a +11 goal-difference.
UJ were unable to get their sedate passing game going against a UCT side that constantly hassled and harassed them, working very hard off the ball.
The Capetonians gave UJ some nailbiting moments at the start of the game as they earned two early short-corners, the definite tang of an upset lurking in the air around Westdene.
It was the bright talent of Ryan Crowe that shifted the momentum for UJ with a fine run, Brynn Cleak finishing off like a pro as he rounded the goalkeeper and popped the ball into the goal midway through the first chukka.
Like sharks in the water, UJ continued to attack the UCT goal, but Kevin Venter intervened crucially a couple of times, including a save on the line as Taylor Dart came finning into the danger zone.
Crowe slotted home UJ’s second goal in the 32nd minute, but it was not enough to seal victory as UCT struck back on the hooter for the end of the third quarter as Oliver Pretorius scored from a short-corner with a good, low flick.
Ill-fortune struck UCT and Jordan Fourie in particular midway through the final quarter. The talented Fourie – he is also a WP U19 cricketer – suffered a nasty blow to the eye socket as a hit deflected off a stick into him and had to be taken to hospital.
UJ upped their intensity and tried to govern affairs in the closing stages but UCT just kept on coming, the excellent Walter Pfaff being denied by goalkeeper Matthew Martins.
The narrow defeat meant the luckless UCT side have now lost all three of their games, including a shootout defeat at the hands of Madibaz on the opening day.
FNB Player of the Match: Gareth Heyns (UJ)
Mugg & Bean Star Saver: Kevin Venter (UCT)
Samsung Super Striker: Ryan Crowe (UJ)
Varsity Sports media release
Despite hurdles the event goes on in Imphal
K. Arumugam
Imphal: Despite many hurdles Manipur, the cradle of North East hockey, has kick-started its ambitious step of hosting two Divisions of age group Hockey India National Championship here early this week.
Hockey Manipur, the State Hockey Association, took a giant step of hosting Division B and Division A of Hockey India Sub-Junior National Championships. Its bid has been accepted to accelerate growth of hockey in this part of India.
About 25 teams in each category will take part in the month long mela.
First Division B will be held following which Division A will start from 15th May.
However, the start had been painful.
An unexpected political development came as a big dampener.
A public group has announced Bandh (total strike) on 6th and 7th, which meant empty roads and closed shops for two full days.
Since Manipur has no direct railway link, teams have to arrive from Dimapur in Nagaland, about 200 km from Imphal.
The teams who were alighted in Dimapur could not be brought to Imphal due to the strike, and the original plan of bringing in charted bus on concession rate did not work for those two day.
Travel expense from Dimapur to Imphal one way cost, as a result, doubled. Each player has to eke out Rs.700 against original plan of Rs.350 per head. However, Hockey Manipur came out readily to offer Rs.300 concessional from its purse. Its a good gesture.
Then there were many, including national selector, to arrive by air. The Hockey Manipur people met the top police and got the Airport to official hotel, Classic Grande, cleared for those two days and ferried them without any hassle.
Earlier, the HM management met the organizers of the Bandh and explained about the National Championship, and sought likely postponement till the event is over.
They were bluntly told the cause of Inline Permit System, which they were demanding, is important than hockey.
Hockey Manipur thankfully took the hurdles on head and worked hard to stage the event, biggest since HI came into being.
Into fourth day, the Championship is progressing well, and as per the original plan.
For most teams it took three days to reach here, some teams flew,
Nice to see parents of many students, who form the Bombay School Sports Association, are here, supporting vocally their wards.
Besides the above, Madhya Bharat, Coorg are the new entrants to the Sub-Junior category.
Stick2Hockey.com
PHF plans Pakistan’s first-ever hockey league
By Nabil Tahir
According to the PHF, the PHL is expected to take place in Pakistan but if that doesn’t happen then the tournament will take place on a neutral venue. PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), in its efforts to revive the dying sport in Pakistan, has added the Pakistan Hockey League (PHL) to their annual calendar following the success of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
PHF Director Development and Domestic Naveed Alam, who made the announcement, further revealed that in addition to the PHL, many tournaments, which will focus specifically on developing the youth, have also been added to the calendar.
“The preparations for holding the PHL in Pakistan are in the pipeline and the progress is encouraging,” revealed Alam. “The calendar not only includes the senior and junior teams’ international assignments but domestic events, designed specifically to develop younger players, as well.”
Alam further said that the PHF is planning to introduce Hockey-5, the most innovative format in modern hockey, in domestic competitions, with the first of such competitions expected to take place in Ramazan under floodlights in Karachi and Lahore.
Meanwhile, PHF Secretary Shahbaz Senior revealed that the PHF is expecting a lot of international players for the league and added that while the federation is doing its best to host the league in Pakistan, in case that does not happen, then the PHF already has plans to hold it on a neutral venue.
The PHF is also planning to hold a nine-a-side event at the same venues, while inter-school, inter-college and inter-club events and regional and provincial leagues are also in the pipeline.
The federation is also expected to hold the Chief Minister inter-club championship and the Prime Minister inter-club championship this year as well.
In addition to the plethora of events planned for the year, the PHF will also send the U18 and U21 teams to participate in international events, including the U18 Boys Asia Cup in Muscat, while the women’s team would participate in the Women’s Asian Hockey Federation Cup in Bangkok, the Women’s Asian Championship and the U18 Girls Asia Cup as well.
The Express Tribune
MHL Premier Division to be completed in just six weeks
By S. Ramaguru
KUALA LUMPUR: The Premier Division of the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) will be completed in six weeks.
It will start in late August and ends on Sept 25.
“We need to complete the fixtures by Sept 25 as the national men and women’s players (development and senior teams) will be competing in the Australian National League (which starts on Sept 29),” said George Koshy, the competitions committee chairman of the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC).
The Division One and women’s league will start earlier. The two leagues will begin one week after the completion of the Sukma (Malaysia Games) in Sarawak from July 22-31.
George said they hoped to have eight teams in the Premier Division this season.
In the past few years, only six teams – Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC), Terengganu, Sapura, Maybank, Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) and Tenaga Nasional – took part.
“We hope that the two Division One finalists – TNB Thunderbolt and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) – last year will agree to play in the Premier Division.
“Right now, only Nur Insafi, who had previously played in the top flight, have agreed to move up. We will make a decision on this once we have received all the entries,” said George.
A total of 19 men’s teams – six in the Premier Division and 13 in Division One – competed last year. The inaugural women’s league attracted nine sides.
The Star of Malaysia